RTHK: US, Meng Wanzhou in talks to resolve charges: report

The US Department of Justice is in talks with Huawei and lawyers for its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou about an agreement that could allow her to return to the mainland, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday, citing Canadian sources.

Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 on a warrant from the United States, charging her with fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran.

The United States is prepared to end an extradition request and criminal proceedings against Meng if she pleads guilty and pays a hefty fine, the report said, citing sources.

Both parties have been in talks for weeks, the newspaper added, citing two of its sources.

Huawei and the US Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meng, who has maintained her innocence and is fighting extradition, is confined to Vancouver and monitored 24/7 by private security that she pays for as part of her bail agreement.

Judicial hearings in her extradition case wrapped up in August with the date for a ruling to be set on October 21.

Following Meng's arrest, Beijing detained two Canadians, sentencing one in August to 11 years in prison for espionage. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
South Africa: Register to vote this weekend

Thousands of eligible voters are from 8am today expected to register with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to vote in the Local Government Elections, taking place in November.

All 23 151 voting stations will be open between 8am and 5pm.

Young people - especially those who are eligible to vote for the first time  have been encouraged to register so they can exercise their democratic right on 1 November 2021.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, in her capacity as chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Local Government Elections earlier this week encouraged all eligible South Africans, particularly youth and first-time voters, to participate as active citizens and supporters of democracy by registering to vote.

The Electoral Commissions Chairperson, Glen Mashinini, also urged the young people of South Africa to take advantage of the last registration weekend.

This registration weekend will offer all eligible citizens an opportunity to register or update their registration details, he said.

All role-players, especially political parties, have also been urged to cooperate to ensure that the election proceeds within a calm environment where voters can exercise their right to vote and make their choices on 1 November 2021, without undue impediments.

Through the 2021 municipal elections, people can all have a say in the way in which their local area is governed.

By voting we can ensure that local government delivers on its promises and is held to account, the Commission said.

This years local government elections will take place as the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Commission said it therefore was critical that non-pharmaceutical measures be adhered to throughout the voter registration weekend.

There are currently 77 970 candidates of which 911 are independent.

Following the voter registration weekend, the Minister will on September 20 2021, proclaim November 1st as the date of the 2021 Local Government Elections, as required by the law which stipulates that elections must be held within 90 days of the end of a five-year term of local government.

Easy process

The IEC has acquired 40 000 Voter Management Devices which will be used for the first time this weekend.

These devices will, at most registration stations, be functioning online. This will facilitate the process of voter verification almost instantaneously.

Also, in a bid to encourage eligible voters to register to vote, the Electoral Commission in July this year launched an online voter registration facility allowing new voters to register and existing voters to update or amend their registration from the ease and convenience of their homes or elsewhere.

The online voter registration facility is part of the Electoral Commissions on-going commitment to provide greater accessibility and convenience to voters.

The new online voter registration facility has been developed over a number of years.

The system utilises a number of security checks to ensure the integrity of the voters roll. These include the use of a One-Time-Pin (OTP) verification and the submission of a scan or photograph of the voters ID document.

The online registration complements other existing registration options, including ongoing voter registration at all local IEC offices and various outreach initiatives including at schools, tertiary education institutions and this weekends voter registration.

Providing a facility whereby voters can register, check and update their registration details without having to visit an IEC office or a voting station, will serve to minimise congestion and maximum registration.

Eligible voters can register in just a few easy steps:

1. Go to https://registertovote.elections.org.za

2. Click Register to Vote Now

3. Enter your personal details

4. Enter the One-Time Pin sent to your cellphone

5. Search for your address, or if you are at home, use the current location on your device

6. Take a photo of your ID OR submit a scan of your ID

7. You will receive an SMS within 24 hours confirming your successful registration.

All South African citizens aged 16 years and older in possession of an SA ID (smartcard ID or green barcoded ID book) are permitted to register as voters.

However, only registered voters aged 18 or older may vote on Election Day.

In a local government election voters may only vote in the voting district in which they are registered. There is no latitude to vote at any other voting station.

This is due to the geographic element of local government election where wards are a basis of the electoral contest.

Agents at the IEC Contact Centre are also able to assist voters with the online facility. The contact centre is open weekdays from 8am to 5pm on 0800 11 8000 in all languages.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Helpers' quarantine quota safe

The existing quota for receiving foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) at the Pennys Bay Quarantine Centre is an optimal arrangement, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong said today.

The Government announced earlier that 800 units at the Lantau quarantine centre will be made available for eligible helpers to undergo quarantine from September 20 and that it would receive at most 50 helpers every day.

However, the booking system will not accept reservations from tomorrow in an effort for the Government to review the booking workflow and logistics arrangements.

At a media session after a radio programme this morning, Dr Law explained why it would not be feasible for the centre to offer more quarantine quotas.

Dr Law said: If we are to increase that number significantly, such as to a hundred or so, we are running the risk of high infection among people coming in and subsequently we may have to suspend the flights.

If we increase the number of people coming in and then unfortunately we have high infection rates on arrival, then all these flights will be suspended. That basically means there will be none coming in.

We definitely have to look at the development of the epidemic, the situation of FDHs flying in, the infection control measures and the infection rates.

Bookings will take at least a week to resume, he pointed out, admitting that it was almost inevitable to have hiccups as the Government is running the quarantine facility in a new way.

The Government has never run a hotel before and that is a real challenge to our department colleagues. I do actually appreciate the efforts they have made in such a short notice, making such a facility to run almost like a hotel. We will see how we can improve the process.

Meanwhile, when asked about matters related to the Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the citys largest employee retraining programme providers, Dr Law said the Employees Retraining Board has been looking into the possibility that the union may close.

The Employees Retraining Board has already been looking into this matter, seeing what are the possibilities and ways to try to reduce the impact on trainees as far as possible, such as whether they can speed up the training programmes so that they can end quickly before the possible winding up, and if it is not possible, whether other training bodies can come on board to help complete or take over the training.

This story has been published on: 2021-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: EAC chairman inspects polling station

Electoral Affairs Commission Chairman Barnabas Fung today inspected the polling station and central counting station in Wan Chai ahead of the 2021 Election Committee Subsector Ordinary Elections scheduled for tomorrow.

Most of the preparatory work is nearly completed and staff will ensure that the vote counting process will be carried out smoothly, Mr Fung said after his visit to the Convention & Exhibition Centre.

He also thanked colleagues for their hard work and appealed to registered voters/authorised representatives (ARs) of corporate voters to vote.

Voters/ARs are reminded to bring their original Hong Kong identity cards to cast their votes from 9am to 6pm at the polling station specified on their poll card.

They may choose to vote around noon or in the afternoon to avoid long queues at polling stations, Mr Fund advised.

An electronic poll register system will also be used for the first time for issuing ballot papers at the polling station, for more efficient and accurate issuance of ballot papers.

Mr Fung also explained why two queues will be set up at the polling stations for the first time.

He said people aged 70 or above, those who have difficulties standing for a long time due to physical conditions or pregnant women may join the special queue, while other voters/ARs may wait in the other queue.

Once the poll is closed, the ballot boxes will be delivered to the central counting station at the Convention & Exhibition Centre for a vote count. Candidates, election agents and counting agents may enter the central counting stations designated area to observe the count.

All election results will be announced by Returning Officers at the media centre there, Mr Fung noted.

Citizens can watch the announcement of the results at the media centres public gallery which will provide 350 seats on a first come, first served basis. Admission will be open from 6.30pm.

In the Sunday election, 412 candidates will contest 364 seats in 13 subsectors. The election results will be uploaded to the election website.

Call 2891 1001 for enquiries.

This story has been published on: 2021-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Hong Kong: Jab service for the elderly held

Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip today attended a COVID-19 vaccination event for the elderly with Hong Kong University Chair of Infectious Diseases Prof Yuen Kwok-yung.

Users of elderly services of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals in Eastern District and their family members, totalling 170 people, participated in the activity held at Fong Shu Chuen Social Service Building in Shau Kei Wan.

Prof Yuen gave a briefing on COVID-19 vaccines to the elderly participants. A number of volunteer doctors also offered one-on-one medical consultations.

While the Governments outreach vaccination team provided the Sinovac vaccination service at a temporary jab area in the building, those who opted for the BioNTech vaccine were assisted by staff to make arrangements for getting vaccinated.

Mr Nip stressed that both vaccines available in Hong Kong are highly effective in protecting against severe diseases and death from COVID-19 infection. In view of the threat posed by mutant strains that carry higher transmissibility, the public, in particular the elderly, should protect themselves by receiving vaccination.

Furthermore, he dispelled the misconception that it is not necessary to get vaccinated if people do not go out very often, and that it suffices for the younger generation to get vaccinated.

He also called on the elderly to receive the COVID-19 vaccine before the winter influenza season starts.

In addition, Mr Nip thanked Prof Yuen for giving a detailed briefing on COVID-19 vaccination to the senior citizens.

Mr Nip said: Reaching out to the community and focusing on the elderly are the priorities of the vaccination programme at this stage.

I hope that the elderly participants can tell their family members and other elderly people what they have learnt about COVID-19 vaccines today and share their own vaccination experience.

Each and every one of us in the community has to do our part to promote vaccination so as to attain a vaccination rate of 70% or more.

This story has been published on: 2021-09-18. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
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Temasek Foundation-donated medical equipment arrive in Vietnam

Vietnam Airlines flight VN5656 carrying medical equipment donated by Singapores Temasek Foundation safely landed at Van Don airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on September 17.













At Van Don airport (Photo: nld.com.vn)



Carried by wide-body and modern Airbus A350 free-of-charge, the batch comprises ventilators, protective suits, gloves, safety glasses and N95 masks which are necessary for hospitals and medical establishments in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.



They were promptly sent to hospitals to strengthen resources for the effort.



Since early 2021, the national flag carrier has carried nearly 10,000 medical staff and hundreds of tonnes of medical equipment to cities and provinces nationwide to fight the pandemic.
Vietnam to buy nearly 20 million doses of Pfizers Covid-19 vaccine

The Vietnamese government will buy an additional nearly 20 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine to continue the vaccination campaign.













The Vietnamese government will buy an additional of nearly 20 million doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine

Deputy PM Le Minh Khai on Friday signed a decision to spend over VND2.65 trillion (USD 115 million) to buy additional 19,998,810 doses of Pfizer's BNT162 Covid-19 vaccine following a proposal from the Ministry of Health.



The Ministry of Health will be responsible for the purchase of the vaccine as soon as possible in an effort to meet the need for the country's vaccination campaign against Covid-19.





Vietnam aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its population by next April. The country has so far received over 35 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine through the global COVAX facility, donations from other countries, and commercial contracts signed by the Health Ministry and companies.





According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam may get 16-17 million Covid-19 vaccine doses this month, either as aid or through commercial contracts.



By the end of September 17, Vietnam had conducted over 33.00 million Covid-19 vaccine shots, with over 6.18 million people having received two doses.
20 years on, Xi urges solidarity, integration for closer SCO community with shared future

Xinhua) 07:54, September 18, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

-- "I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," President Xi Jinping said.

-- Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

-- To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged solidarity, upholding common security, openness and integration for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to forge a closer SCO community with a shared future.

Xi made the comments via video link as he addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, hosted by this year's rotating presidency Tajikistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

All SCO members have pledged to further enhance policy communication, security cooperation, smoothing trade, financing and people-to-people exchanges, according to a declaration issued after the conclusion of the meeting.

The organization, which covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, nearly half of the world's population, and over 20 percent of the global gross domestic product, is embracing its 20th anniversary this year.

"I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," said Xi.

ENHANCING SOLIDARITY TO COUNTER CHALLENGES

"We need to follow the journey of enhancing solidarity and cooperation," Xi said, adding SCO members should make the most of the meeting mechanisms and platforms at all levels, step up policy dialogue, communication and coordination.

Calling fighting COVID-19 the most pressing task, Xi urged deepening international cooperation against the virus and promote fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, adding China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations.

The first batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Tashkent International Airport in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 27, 2021. (Photo by Zafar Khalilov/Xinhua)

Noting Afghanistan has undergone drastic changes and the country still faces many daunting challenges, Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

Joint efforts were also highlighted at the ensuing joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states on the Afghanistan issue, where Xi urged interactions with Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic angle, and said that certain countries should shoulder due responsibility for Afghanistan's development.

As the SCO members are all near neighbors of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is an observer state of the SCO, the organization enjoys unique convenience and advantages in addressing the issues compared with other similar international arrangements, said Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies.

"Aimed at addressing regional challenges that concern the interests of all, China's proposals have added new dimensions to related cooperation mechanisms, demonstrating a sense of responsibility as a major country to promote peace, stability and people's livelihoods," added Deng.

ADVANCING INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT

Stressing the SCO members need to follow the journey of promoting openness and integration, Xi said they should continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and create growth drivers of cooperation such as digital economy, green energy and modern agriculture.

Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows the Qingdao multimodal transportation center in the China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

In 2020, the combined economic size of the SCO countries reached 18.4 trillion U.S. dollars, an 11-fold increase since its founding, while intra-SCO trade jumped eight times to 6.2 trillion dollars over the same period, a vivid proof of intensified SCO cooperation with concrete outcomes.

To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

"As SCO members are diverse in their national realities and development priorities, China's call for open cooperation and integration has echoed the common aspiration for economic recovery and sustainable growth, showing a strong determination to tide over difficulties together with the SCO family," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

BOOSTING INTERACTIONS

Noting interactions between civilizations provide the most solid foundation for the SCO's development, Xi emphasized the need to encourage exchanges, dialogue, harmony and co-existence between civilizations.

He proposed more projects including those of science and technology, education, culture, among others, adding China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries in the next three years, and host an SCO youth technology and innovation forum next year. He also extended welcome to SCO countries' participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Visitors take a tour near the Olympic sailing center, used as the conference hall during the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

At the meeting, the attending leaders of relevant countries and international organizations voiced support for multilateralism, as well as opposition to hegemonism, unilateralism and interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights, and support for the independent choice of development paths for SCO countries.

"Amid resurging unilateralism and protectionism, the joint emphasis by SCO members on the importance of mutual learning and exchanges sheds light on the urgency for the region and the international community to adhere to mutual consultation and work for a community with a shared future," said Professor Yana Leksyutina of St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

In addition, the meeting has launched procedures to admit Iran as a member state of the SCO, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners.

Hailing the SCO as an institution of global governance, Prof. B.R. Deepak at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, said the new developments at the organization will help further extend the reach of multilateralism to more countries, unleash greater cooperation potential, and beef up the international voice of developing countries in the region.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China's CPTPP move seen as good for world

China Daily) 08:07, September 18, 2021

Cargos are unloaded from a container ship at the container terminal of the Lianyungang Port in East China's Jiangsu province, on Jan 14, 2021. (Photo/Xinhua)

Efforts showcase higher-level opening-up

China's formal application on Thursday to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the CPTPP, is the latest proof of the country's higher-level opening-up and shows its resolve to make greater contributions to the world economy, experts and government officials said on Friday.

On Thursday, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted the application via a letter to Damien O'Connor, minister for trade and export growth of New Zealand, which is the depositary for the CPTPP.

The two ministers also held a teleconference and communicated on the relevant follow-up work.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news conference on Friday that the application showed China's firm determination to expand opening-up and promote regional economic cooperation.

Zhao said: "China will conduct necessary talks with the CPTPP members in accordance with the relevant CPTPP procedures.

"China is a faithful advocate of trade liberalization and facilitation, and also an important participant of regional cooperation and economic integration of the Asia-Pacific."

China signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement with 14 other countries in November. Now, if it also joins the CPTPP, it would help accelerate the economic integration of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as benefit the global economic recovery, trade development and investment growth, Zhao said.

Huo Jianguo, vice-chairman of the Beijing-based China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, said:"The application showed China is ready for next-step moves to join the CPTPP, including follow-up negotiations and adjustment of domestic regulations and laws to align with higher-level economic and trade liberalization and facilitation rules."

It also showed China, the world's second-largest economy, is willing to further engage in multilateral economic activities. This is not only good for China but world trade and the global economy, Huo said.

The CPTPP, which took effect on Dec 30, 2018, is a trade agreement among 11 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Their aggregate GDP accounts for 13 percent of the global economy, covering a combined population of about 498 million.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Booster shot debated as U.S. struggles against COVID-19 with vaccination plan

Xinhua) 08:08, September 18, 2021

A woman receives COVID-19 test at a mobile testing site in New York, the United States, Sept. 6, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

New coronavirus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States have started to show signs of decline, although they remain far higher than they were earlier in the summer, and the number of new deaths is still increasing.

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- A booster shot for COVID-19 vaccination was debated in the United States on Friday, while the pandemic keeps charging forward, though some states are faring better than previous weeks, like California.

According to The New York Times (NYT), the seven-day average of confirmed cases of the pandemic stood at 150,366 nationwide on Thursday, with its 14-day change striking a 9-percent fall. COVID-19-related deaths were 1,969 on Thursday, with the 14-day change realizing a 29-percent rise.

MIXED DEVELOPMENTS

New coronavirus cases and COVID-19 hospitalizations across the United States have started to show signs of decline, although they remain far higher than they were earlier in the summer, and the number of new deaths is still increasing, reported NYT on Friday.

As the Delta variant has ripped through unvaccinated communities, reports of new deaths have reached an average of more than 1,900 a day, up nearly 30 percent in the past two weeks. Approximately one in every 500 Americans has died from the disease, said the report.

The pace of vaccinations remained relatively sluggish, with 64 percent of eligible people in the United States fully vaccinated, according to federal data. Health officials said that most of the patients who are being hospitalized and dying are not vaccinated, while areas with higher rates of vaccination have generally fared better, added the report.

Customers wearing mask are seen at a shopping mall in San Mateo, California, the United States, Aug. 4, 2021.(Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Good news was that earlier this week, California dropped from "high" to "substantial" virus spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It later bounced back up, but total new cases per 100,000 residents were still lower than any other state.

"An aggressive push for vaccines, coupled with masks mandates at the local level and a public largely willing to go along with them, appear to have helped flatten the state's curve," The Washington Post (WP) on Friday quoted experts as saying.

"California, as compared to many other states in the nation, took rapid steps to recognize the extent of the problem and to apply more COVID-19 control measures," Robert Kim-Farley, an infectious disease expert at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, told WP. "I think if California had not taken these steps to curb transmission, we could have ended up with much higher levels."

The Golden State's change in CDC designation, a barometer of how well states are doing in combating the virus, was celebrated by public health officials, who suggested it was a signal that California could be close to a turning point. However, "the fight against Delta is far from over in California, which still faces a host of challenges in containing cases," said the report.

BOOSTER DEBATE

The U.S. government's push to introduce widespread COVID-19 vaccine boosters faced a test as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel met on Friday to weigh evidence on the extra shots, a topic that has divided federal health officials.

Photo taken on Aug. 23, 2021 shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

The outside panel of about 20 scientific advisers reviewed information about the Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE vaccine's declining protection against COVID-19 over time and on how people tolerated additional doses.

Pfizer has asked regulators to clear booster shots for people 16 years and older, and the FDA, which this week said all the shots cleared for use in the country remain effective without boosters.

While U.S. health officials, some other countries and vaccine makers have said boosters are needed, many scientists, including some inside the FDA and the CDC, disagree.

The FDA panel then voted to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for Americans 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness, but rejecting a broader use of booster shots.

People wait in line to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile vaccine clinic in the Brooklyn borough of New York, United States, Aug. 23, 2021. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

"Anything short of a full-throated endorsement could complicate the (U.S. President Joe) Biden administration's plan to begin distributing extra shots next week to bolster immunity among the vaccinated and counter highly transmissible variants of the virus such as Delta," reported The Wall Street Journal on Friday.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
UN chief calls for solidarity on Int'l Day of Peace

Xinhua) 08:17, September 18, 2021

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strikes the peace bell at a ceremony to mark the International Day of Peace at UN Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2021. Guterres on Friday called for solidarity and unity on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which falls on Sept. 21. (Cia Pak/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for solidarity and unity on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which falls on Sept. 21.

This year's International Day of Peace comes at a time when humanity is in crisis. COVID-19 has claimed over 4 million lives and counting; conflicts are spinning out of control; inequalities and poverty are growing; there is a planetary emergency in climate change; there is mistrust in facts and science and in one another among people, he said.

Each crisis threatens to pull humanity apart -- at a time when solidarity is needed more than ever, he told an annual UN peace bell ceremony that marks the International Day of Peace.

"Our world faces a stark choice: peace or perpetual peril. My friends, we must choose peace. It's the only option to repair our broken world," he said.

He called on combatants around the world to lay down their arms and observe a day of global cease-fire.

"We need to focus on fighting humanity's common enemy: COVID-19. We need solidarity to end this pandemic, urgently deliver life-saving vaccines and treatment, and support countries on the long road to recovery ahead. We need to intensify our work to reduce inequalities and end poverty. We need a bold global plan of action to heal our planet and make the transition to a green economy. Most of all, we need to renew trust in one another," he said.

Peace and progress depend on coming together as a human family -- united in the commitment to building a better and brighter world, he said. "We cannot allow our future to be eaten away by the acids of hatred, division, conflict and mistrust."

"It is time to rebuild our world, to make peace with nature -- and with one another, to lift each other up, instead of knocking each other down, and to live up, finally, to the true promise and potential of humanity. On this International Day of Peace, let's re-commit to one another. Let's re-commit to the best of humanity."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Astronauts return home after China's longest space mission

Xinhua) 08:20, September 18, 2021

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese astronauts, the first sent to orbit for space station construction, have completed their three-month mission and returned to Earth safely on Friday.

The return capsule of the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceship, carrying astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region at 1:34 p.m. (Beijing Time), according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The three astronauts have exited the return capsule, all in good condition, said the CMSA.

The first manned flight during the construction of China's space station was a complete success, it announced.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Shenzhou-12 astronauts arrive in Beijing

Xinhua) 08:52, September 18, 2021

Astronaut Nie Haisheng waves to the crowd on his arrival in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. Three Chinese astronauts, the first sent to orbit for space station construction, have completed their three-month mission and returned to Earth safely on Friday. They arrived in Beijing by plane Friday night. (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Giant panda cubs receive public visitors in China zoo

Xinhua) 08:53, September 18, 2021

Panda twins meet the public at Chongqing Zoo in southwest China's Chongqing, Sept. 17, 2021. The zoo is inviting the public to give names for the twin male cubs that were born on June 10 this year. The mother, Mangzai, was born in 2011 and gave birth for the first time in 2019 -- to two female cubs. It is the second time Mangzai has given birth to twins. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Twin panda brothers born in a zoo in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality started to receive public visitors on Friday.

A female panda named "Mangzai" gave birth to them on June 10. "Giant pandas often only choose the stronger one of the twins to feed," said Yin Yanqiang, technical director taking care of the animals at Chongqing Zoo.

"To ensure the survival of the two, we carried out artificially assisted feeding, with one brought up by the panda mom and the other artificially raised in the nursery box. We exchanged their places regularly to allow both of them to enjoy the breast milk in time," Yin said.

The brothers are growing well with concerted efforts. The older cub now weighs 6,060 grams and the younger one 5,680 grams, said Yin, adding that the twins have different personalities. "The older brother is more active and alert, while the younger cub gentler and quieter."

The nursery receives visits in two timeslots from Friday, 10:00-11:00 a.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m., and the public is invited to give names for the cubs.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese Vice Premier attends inauguration ceremony of administration of Guangdong-Macao cooperation zone

Xinhua) 09:11, September 18, 2021

Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the leading group for developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, attends and speaks at the inauguration ceremony of the Administrative Organizations of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin of Zhuhai City, south China's Guangdong Province, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

ZHUHAI, Guangdong, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng Friday morning attended and spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the Administrative Organizations of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the leading group for developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, said Friday's inauguration is a historic moment for the cooperation zone, and its construction thus enters a new phase of full implementation and acceleration.

Hengqin is an area in the southern part of Zhuhai City in Guangdong Province, adjacent to Macao.

The vice premier called for efforts to grow new industries to promote a moderately diversified economy in Macao and inject new impetus in the long-term development of Macao.

Han stressed the need to prioritize people's livelihoods and provide more convenient conditions for Macao residents who study, work, start businesses, and live in the cooperation zone.

He also stressed openness and inclusiveness and the need to actively explore the alignment of rules and systems of Guangdong and Macao.

He urged Guangdong and Macao to strengthen cooperation and steadily improve the new mechanism of extensive consultation, joint contribution, joint management, and shared benefits.

Li Xi, Ho Hau Wah, and Xia Baolong were present at the inauguration ceremony. Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region Ho Iat Seng attended the ceremony.

After the inauguration ceremony, Han inspected the Macao new neighborhood project in Hengqin. It is a comprehensive livelihood project which integrates residences, education, healthcare, and community services.

Han stressed putting people first, innovating social governance and service models, building a new home for Macao residents, and supporting Macao's better integration into overall national development.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
U.S. the biggest saboteur of global stability

09:14, September 18, 2021 By Zhong Sheng ( People's Daily

Multiple U.S. media organizations recently revealed, upon extensive investigations, that the drone strike launched by the U.S. military at the end of August against a purported planned attack at the Kabul airport killed 10 civilians, not terrorists.

The Afghan War launched by the U.S. has torn Afghanistan apart in the past 20 years, taking the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. Still and all, the U.S. military was abusing its power to hurt the Afghanistan people at the last minute before returning home. The practice of the U.S. military in Afghanistan once again proved that the U.S. is the biggest saboteur of world peace and the largest source of chaos for the world.

The U.S. does not have a long history as a country, but its history of war is truly "glorious." In the 240-plus years since its founding, only 16 years passed without a war. According to statistics, 201, or over 80 percent of the 248 armed conflicts in 153 regions from the end of World War II in 1945 to 2001, were initiated by the U.S. Since the World War II, the U.S. has established nearly 800 military bases in some 70 countries worldwide, and almost all the U.S. Presidents had initiated or joined external wars. American historian Paul Atwood said that the U.S. history is one of "constant wars of aggression and imperial expansion."

Washington views wars as a tool to transform other countries and export its ideologies and believes that wars can help it achieve the so-called "Pax Americana." However, the wars it launched brought only turbulence to the world.

American writer William Henry Blum said in his book America's Deadliest Export: Democracy that since the end of World War II, the U.S. has endeavored to overthrow more than 50 foreign governments, most of which were democratically elected, grossly interfered in democratic elections in at least 30 countries, and attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders.

The U.S. has opened many Pandora's boxes around the world. The emergence of the "Islamic State" and the growing number of terrorist organizations in Afghanistan were both related to the wars launched by the U.S. From Afghanistan to Iraq and Syria to Libya, massive facts have proved that it would be chaotic wherever the evil hand of the U.S. reaches.

The U.S. considers itself a "lighthouse country for democracy," However the wars it launched have led to severe humanitarian crises.

Since 2001, about 335,000 civilians have died from U.S.-initiated wars. Besides, the U.S. has launched over 90,000 airstrikes in the recent two decades in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, killing as many as 48,000 civilians.

A former U.S. soldier and a drone pilot said in a testimony for a UN expert committee that U.S. drone strikes were purely killing for the sake of killing. In the shocking incident happened in the Iraqi city of Haditha in 2005, the U.S. military indiscriminately shot and killed 24 Iraqi civilians following the killing of one U.S. soldier.

The U.S. is to blame for the major humanitarian crisis in today's Afghanistan and also is responsible for turning Syria from a food exporter into a country suffering from famines.

The U.S. tells the world it is a protector of the rule-based international order. However it is indeed the biggest saboteur of international rules and orders. For a long time, the U.S. has believed that its strong military allows it to do whatever it wants in the world. As long as it protects the U.S. hegemony, be it setting up military alliances, provoking military conflicts, or withdrawing from arm control treaties, the U.S. is always selective and utilitarian when it comes to the international system with the UN at the core and the international order based on the international law.

Worshipping military power, the U.S. is provoking troubles and bullying others everywhere, which mirrors its outdated unilateral thinking. Peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefits are a trend of the times, and multi-polarization and democratization of international relations are unstoppable. The American hegemony and power politics will finally be abandoned by history.

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

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Population of green peafowl sees steady recovery in China

09:24, September 18, 2021 By Liu Yi ( People's Daily

Green peafowl. (Photo/National Forestry and Grassland Administration of China)

In recent years, China has significantly improved the habitats of green peafowl and made notable progress in protecting the species through measures including establishing and improving nature reserve system, launching special rescue projects, carrying out research and monitoring, and strengthening public awareness of green peafowl conservation.

Green peafowl, the only peafowl species native to China, is under first-class national protection in China. It is also one of the rarest and most endangered wild animal species.

The animal is only found in the central, western, and southern areas of southwest Chinas Yunnan province. Their habitats are mainly highlands in basins of the Nujiang, Lancang, and Honghe rivers. It is categorized as species with extremely small population by China and Yunnan province.

Lately, infrared cameras installed at a green peafowls habitat located in the upper and middle reaches of the Honghe River captured scenes of six baby green peafowl foraging in forests.

This year, brooding has gone well in major home ranges of green peafowl in Yunnan, and some home ranges of the species have expanded, according to the forestry and grassland administration of the province.

In 2007, Yunnan formulated a plan for biodiversity conservation, specifying protection measures for species with extremely small populations. Two years later, the province issued a guideline and an emergency action plan targeting species with extremely small populations, which included green peafowl as one of the 20 key species for protection.

In 2018, the province included the habitats of 26 rare species, including green peafowl, into its ecological protection red line.

Yunnan also rolled out special implementation plans to step up efforts to protect green peafowl. As of last year, it had invested over 23 million yuan (about $3.57 million) in rescuing the species.

Green peafowl are found and protected as one of the key species in many of the nature reserves in Yunnan, including the Honghe National Nature Reserve, Yongde Snow Mountain Nature Reserve, Konglonghe Nature Reserve and Yubaiding Nature Reserve, said Xiang Ruwu, head of wildlife conservation division of the forestry and grassland administration of the province.

With natural resources effectively protected and ecological functions continuously enhanced, these nature reserves are offering a more hospitable living environment to green peafowl.

The provincial government of Yunnan has also set up an artificial breeding base for green peafowl and carried out relevant research together with research institutions, including the Kunming Institute of Zoology in the province, since 2019.

The 21 green peahens gathered by the government and research institutions have laid more than 100 eggs, with 27 chicks hatching out. A genomics-identified purebred population of green peafowl cultivated through artificial propagation has been initially established.

According to Xiang, the forestry and grassland administration, research institutes, non-profit organizations in Yunnan have explored many feasible approaches to green peafowl population monitoring, habitat management and protection, as well as rescue and protection-oriented manual intervention.

Through years of efforts, peafowl conservation areas in the province have all observed newborn baby peafowl. The annual number of peachicks procreated naturally has increased from 23 to 41.

The population of green peafowl has remained stable and risen in recent years, Xiang pointed out. Latest data from the forestry and grassland administration of Yunnan show its population stands around 555 to 600, which signifies the provinces progress in green peafowl habitat conservation as well as improvement in the population and distribution of the species.

At the Konglonghe Nature Reserve situated in Shuangbai county, Chuxiong Yi autonomous prefecture of Yunnan, green peafowl were only found in two areas of the reserve in 2015, when their population was less than 40.

In 2019, monitoring results indicated that green peafowl were found at all the suitable areas of the reserve, including some areas in the headwaters of the Lishejiang River where no green peafowl was found before. Besides, the population of the species at the reserve remained stable at above 100.

The population of green peafowl at the Yubaiding Nature Reserve and Honghe National Nature Reserve is also recovering steadily.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Chinese, Indian FMs agree to safeguard border peace, tranquility

Xinhua) 09:36, September 18, 2021

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) meets with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Sept. 16, 2021. (Xinhua)

The communication between the diplomatic and military departments of the two countries has been earnest and effective, and the situation on the borders is generally easing, Wang noted.

DUSHANBE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas.

During their meeting in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, Wang said that China has always been handling the China-India boundary issue with a positive attitude.

The communication between the diplomatic and military departments of the two countries has been earnest and effective, and the situation on the borders is generally easing, he noted.

Wang expressed his hope that India will meet China halfway, working to stabilize the situation and gradually shift from emergency response to regular management and control.

He called on the two sides to consolidate the achievements of disengagement of front-line troops, strictly abide by the agreements and consensuses reached between the two countries, jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas and prevent the recurrence of border-related incidents.

Wang pointed out that China and India, as two major emerging economies, should continue to adhere to the strategic consensus of not posing threats to each other but providing opportunities for each other's development, and push bilateral relations and practical cooperation onto the track of sound and stable development.

This is not only in the common interests of the two countries, but also conducive to regional and world peace and development, he stressed.

Jaishankar noted that India and China have made progress in dealing with the border situation, while there are still some issues to be resolved.

He said India is ready to work with China, abide by the agreements reached between the two sides, push for positive outcome of the next round of the commander-level talks between the border troops of the two countries and earnestly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border areas.

Jaishankar hopes that the two countries will make joint efforts to bring India-China relations back on track and guide all parties to form a more positive perception of the mutually-beneficial relationship.

The Indian side does not believe in the clash of civilizations and maintains that it is very important for Asian countries to be united, he said, underlining that unity among Asian countries cannot be achieved without India-China cooperation.

He said India is ready to strengthen communication and coordination with China within the frameworks of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and jointly tackle terrorism and other global challenges.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
All seamless rails welded along China-Laos railway in Vietnam

Xinhua) 10:00, September 18, 2021

VIENTIANE, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group (CREC-2) has welded the last two 500-meter seamless rails for the China-Laos railway in the southern suburb of the Lao capital Vientiane.

The seamless rail, also known as continuous welded rail (CWR) which eliminates rail joints, can improve the duration of steel rails, reduce the maintenance costs of locomotives and tracks, improve the stability and speed of trains, as well as enhance travel comfort.

According to the Laos-China Railway Co., Ltd. (LCRC), a joint venture based in Vientiane in charge of the railway's construction and operation, the CREC-2 has completed the welding of all the seamless rails along the over 400-km railway on Thursday, thus laying a solid foundation for the goal to complete the China-Laos railway construction by the end of this year.

Xiao Qianwen, the LCRC general manager, told Xinhua on Friday that the Chinese engineers have welded the seamless rails across all the 75 tunnels, 165 bridges and 20 railway stations since May 2020.

According to Xiao, most projects of the China-Laos railway are undergoing the final check and acceptance inspection, and the remaining engineering and preparation for operation are progressing steadily.

The China-Laos Railway is a docking project between the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Laos' strategy to convert itself from a landlocked country to a land-linked hub.

The over 400-km railway will run from Boten border gate in northern Laos bordering China to Vientiane with an operating speed of 160 km per hour.

The electrified passenger and cargo railway is built with the full application of Chinese management and technical standards. The construction of the project started in December 2016 and is scheduled to be completed and operational in December 2021.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Cambodia launches COVID-19 inoculation for children with Chinese vaccines, one step forward to normal life

Xinhua) 10:02, September 18, 2021

A girl receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at an inoculation site in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Sept. 17, 2021. A COVID-19 vaccination drive for children from 6 to 12 years old began nationwide on Friday. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Emotions run high for parents in Cambodia on Friday as the Southeast Asian nation began a COVID-19 vaccination drive for children aged from six to 12 years, with China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines.

Children, assisted by their parents or legal guardians, were seen queuing outside vaccination centers in the capital city Phnom Penh as they waited to receive the first shot of the jab.

You Sokhuon, the 40-year-old mother of two, said she felt a sense of relief after having her 10-year-old boy and six-year-old girl vaccinated against the disease.

"I'm delighted that they've received their first dose of Sinovac vaccine," she told Xinhua. "With the jab, I'm confident that they will be safe facing the COVID-19."

You Y, 47, a mother of a seven-year-old and an 11-year-old son, said since the COVID-19 outbreak, she has always worried about her children's safety because the disease was highly contagious.

"Now, I feel relieved after having them vaccinated. As a mother, protecting their health is the most important thing," she told Xinhua. "Thanks to China for supplying the vaccine and the Cambodian government for giving all of us free vaccines."

In Borey Vathanak, a fourth-grade student at the Sothearos Primary School, said that he hoped the primary schools, which have been shut down since late February, will reopen soon after the 6-12 years age group have been fully vaccinated with two vaccine doses.

"I had longed for the vaccine. Now, I got it, I'm very happy," the 10-year-old boy told Xinhua. "I hope the schools will reopen soon because it's boring to learn online and to stay at home all the time."

Speaking at the launching event of the vaccination campaign for children, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said the vaccine is free of charge and made on a voluntary basis, saying that the country has almost 1.9 million children in this age group.

"We have to take a step forward to protect our children's lives and to enable them to return to schools safely," Hun Sen said. "If we can not reopen primary schools for our children, it is like losing the foundations of our education system."

He said that vaccines are very effective to reduce infections, hospitalizations and fatalities.

With its total population of 16 million, Cambodia first launched a vaccination campaign for 10 million adults in February and then for nearly 2 million adolescents aged from 12 to 18 in August.

To date, 98 percent of the adults have obtained at least one vaccine dose, and 54.8 percent of them have been fully inoculated with two doses, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said, adding that some 87.5 percent of the adolescents have received their first shot, and 62.8 percent of them have been fully vaccinated.

Almost all of the COVID-19 vaccines used in the country's immunization campaigns are China's Sinovac and Sinopharm.

World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Cambodia Li Ailan said Cambodia has made its really impressive progress in its vaccine rollout.

"The country is setting a very good example to put its great efforts in suppressing virus transmission, saving lives and minimizing social disruption," she told Xinhua. "Cambodia's efforts and achievements especially its vaccine rollout is highly commendable."

Li said Cambodia has been moving fast in vaccinating other age groups including children.

"WHO has advised Cambodia to use safe and effective vaccines for protecting its population including children," she said. "We are aware that China approved emergency use authorization of inactivated vaccines to children aged 3-17 years old."

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
What's high on Xi's agenda for rural affairs

Xinhua) 10:05, September 18, 2021

Chinese President Xi Jinping conducts field research on local efforts in advancing rural vitalization on all fronts while visiting a village in Suide, a county under the city of Yulin in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 14, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping made another trip to the rural areas during a recent inspection tour in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, as rural vitalization is in full swing throughout the country after it eradicated absolute poverty.

Xi believes that promoting rural vitalization on all fronts is "no easier than the anti-poverty battle." Therefore, he has been urging continuous hard work at the new starting point, placing grain production, rural industries and employment as well as ecological conservation high on the agenda during his rural inspections this year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping talks with farmers while visiting Gaoxigou Village in Mizhi County, during his inspection tour of Yulin City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

SECURING PEOPLE'S "RICE BOWL"

While visiting Gaoxigou Village during his inspection tour to Shaanxi on Monday, Xi checked on the growth of autumn grain, such as millet and corn.

In the next few days, Chinese farmers are expected to usher in the year's harvest festival. At this time, the country's main autumn crops are already in the late stage of maturity, with grain in most parts of the country growing well and a significant increase in the area of high-yielding crops such as corn.

With less than 9 percent of the world's total arable land, China needs to feed nearly one-fifth of the world's population. A handful of wheat and a bowl of rice thus always mean a lot to the president.

"We must firmly seize the initiative in food security and step up grain production year by year," he said at the annual central rural work conference in late December last year.

Four months ago, when inspecting central China's Henan Province, he stopped by a wheat field to check on the growth of the crop, a major summer crop of the country, and called for efforts to achieve breakthroughs in cultivating high-quality seeds.

Despite unfavorable weather conditions, pests and diseases, China reaped a bumper summer harvest this year. The output of summer grain totaled 145.8 billion kg, reaching an all-time high. The country's grain output target for the year is above 650 million tonnes.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Gaoxigou Village in Mizhi County during his inspection tour of Yulin City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 13, 2021, learning about the progress in controlling soil erosion and advancing ecological conservation. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

EXPLORING GREEN DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL SPECIALTY

While in Shaanxi, Xi hailed Gaoxigou Village as a model of ecological conservation on the Loess Plateau. "Efforts should be made to integrate ecological governance with the development of distinctive local businesses, and explore a way to attain coordinated development between ecology and economy, and harmony between humans and nature," he said.

Emphasizing the idea of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" on many occasions, Xi has stressed green development in rural production and life to achieve high-quality development in vitalizing rural areas.

While inspecting the city of Chengde in north China's Hebei Province last month, Xi called for a lifestyle that is civilized, healthy, green and environmentally friendly in rural areas. During his previous trip to Qinghai, he urged the province in northwest China to make itself into a supplier of green farm and animal products and become a leader in clean energy industry.

To secure the employment of rural residents, Xi underscored the significance of cultivating rural industries based on local advantages and market demand.

Rural China has great potential and can play an important role in fostering the country's new development paradigm of "dual circulation," which has a strategic basis on expanding domestic demand, he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Gaoxigou Village in Mizhi County during his inspection tour of Yulin City in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Sept. 13, 2021, learning about the progress in controlling soil erosion and advancing ecological conservation. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

Emphasizing that the key to rural vitalization lies in developing industries that suit local conditions and benefit local people, he hailed the vigorous development of local industries in various forms and with different added value in multiple inspection trips.

From special farm produce such as fruits, herbal products and tea to local eateries like river-snail rice noodles, from special crafts such as embroidery and carpet knitting to culture-related businesses including eco-tourism and leisure agriculture, emerging local industries have offered many job opportunities to rural residents.

China's rural industries saw steady growth in the first half of the year, witnessing the emergence of 50 national modern agricultural industrial parks, 50 clusters of specialty industries and 298 towns with strong agricultural industries, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

"The rural areas should be built as good as urban areas. We must keep our resolve and make persistent efforts," Xi said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
China to make due contribution to humanity's ultimate victory over pandemic: Xi

Xinhua) 10:06, September 18, 2021

Boxes containing Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines donated by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China are seen at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Aug. 28, 2021. (Ministry of Defense of Sri Lanka/Handout via Xinhua)

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- China will make its due contribution to humanity's ultimate victory over the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday.

Xi made the remarks via video link in Beijing while addressing the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations, thus becoming the biggest vaccine provider in the world, Xi said.

China will step up efforts to provide a total of 2 billion doses to other countries in the course of this year, according to Xi.

"We will deepen anti-COVID cooperation with other developing countries, make good use of China's donation of 100 million U.S. dollars to COVAX, and make our due contribution to humanity's ultimate victory over the virus," Xi said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Australian scholar hails success of China's crewed mission for space station construction

Xinhua) 13:08, September 18, 2021

Astronauts Nie Haisheng (C), Liu Boming (R) and Tang Hongbo are out of the return capsule of the Shenzhou-12 spaceship at the Dongfeng landing site in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Lian Zhen)

As the International Space Station started to show its age, "it is also important that this (Tiangong) is operating and can perform science into the future, which was what their 90-day mission was working towards," said Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist and cosmologist at the Australian National University.

CANBERRA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The success of China's first manned flight during the construction of its space station showed the country's ambition and space capability, said an Australian scholar in astrophysics.

Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist and cosmologist at the Australian National University (ANU), told Xinhua on Saturday that the task was a great step to getting the Tiangong space station ready.

"The taikonauts did a lot of work in establishing the Tiangong space station for full operation, with multiple spacewalks and upgrades," he said. "This is exactly the work they needed to accomplish to progress the building of Tiangong to full operations."

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng and Liu Boming waving their hands after conducting extravehicular activities (EVAs) out of the space station core module Tianhe.(Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

He noted that as the International Space Station started to show its age, "it is also important that this (Tiangong) is operating and can perform science into the future, which was what their 90-day mission was working towards."

"It means that in the future, not just the International Space Station hosts experiments from around the world, so can the Tiangong space station," Tucker said.

Three Chinese astronauts, the first sent to orbit for China's space station construction, have completed their three-month mission and returned to Earth safely on Friday.

The success of the Shenzhou-12 manned spaceflight mission laid a solid foundation for the continued construction and operation of the country's space station, said the China Manned Space Agency.

Screen image taken at Beijing Aerospace Control Center on Aug. 20, 2021 shows Chinese astronaut Tang Hongbo working inside the space station core module Tianhe. (Xinhua/Tian Dingyu)

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Call in Club: Catching up during the Pandemic

People's Daily Online) 13:47, September 18, 2021

As COVID-19 still rages on around the world, people from different countries have their own unique stories to share. Reporters from Peoples Daily Online have got in touch with foreign guests via video link in this episode of our program Call in Club.

Andy Boreham, a journalist from New Zealand, has been criticized by some Western audiences for his objective coverage of Chinas great response to the pandemic. Annemarie Li, from Germany, now lives in China, and her parents were infected in Germany with the virus, which was a cause of great concern for their daughter living on the other side of the world.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Du Mingming)
China's technicians work alongside farmers nationwide supporting and enhancing application of new technologies

People's Daily Online) 13:52, September 18, 2021

A total of 289,800 technicians have been dispatched to work alongside farmers since 2012, which has greatly facilitated the application of new technologies into production and has helped to further bolster rural vitalization.

Photo  shows Guo Huangping (C) introducing new technology to fruit growers. (Photo/People's Daily) Photo  shows a technician inspecting the progress in growing some medicinal materials. (Photo/People's Daily) Photo  shows Zhou Quanshui (L) providing assistance to a farmer. (Photo/People's Daily)

Guo Huangping, head of the pear research group at north China's Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, is one of these enterprising technicians. In 2000, Guo selected Xi county in Shanxi as an ideal place for the cultivation of a new species of pear.

"The high altitude and large temperature difference in Xi county in Lyuliang Mountain are conducive to improving the sweetness of pears," introduced the 62-year-old Guo, who contributed greatly to the large-scale planting of pears in Xi county by implementing high-quality cultivation, storage and preservation techniques.

Pear planting has nowadays been promoted in Xi county as a way to increase growers' incomes. So far, the planting area of pears in the county jumped from 3,000 mu (200 hectares) 10 years ago to more than 300,000 mu.

In addition to disseminating new technologies, the technicians can also help fruit growers to overcome any technical difficulties they might encounter.

Last year when citrus fruit flies perplexed Mao Shengyou, who contracted more than 300 mu of citrus orchards in a village in Taihu county, east China's Anhui province, experts from the Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences formulated a prevention and control plan, while Zhou Quanshui, senior agricultural technician at the Taihu county planting service center was responsible for its implementation.

"We set up a fly glue trap at every 2 or 3 square meters, which means 100-200 pieces of trap per mu. Fruit fly sticky balls were also used," Zhou explained.

"All fields of agriculture need technical support. In the past, it was said that agricultural science and technology should be utilized in the fight against poverty. Now it is more precise to say that new technologies should be adopted in the vitalization of rural areas," said Zhao Wanping, vice president of the Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Zhao explained that, for instance, in order to identify a better source of seeds, technicians will be needed to develop new seed breeding technology.

"In order to achieve rural vitalization, agricultural technicians must work in the rural areas. China should adopt policies to encourage technicians to combine practical experiences with laboratory studies. In this way, new technologies can be put into production more quickly," Zhao suggested.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
China holds ceremony to commemorate the 90th anniversary of 'September 18 Incident'

(People's Daily App) 14:55, September 18, 2021

Saturday marks the 90th anniversary of the September 18 Incident, which is also the start of the 14 years of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and opened up the prelude to the world's anti-fascist war.

May the victims and the fallen heroes in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression rest in peace.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Fresh evidence of Nanjing Massacre found

Xinhua) 15:07, September 18, 2021

NANJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A batch of historical materials was donated to a Chinese memorial hall on Saturday as new evidence of war crimes related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre perpetrated by the invading Japanese troops.

Eighteen items including several war logs were collected by Daito Satoshi, the abbot of Enkoji Temple in Japan, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders which received the donation.

On Dec. 13, 1937, the Japanese troops captured Nanjing. In the following six weeks, they slaughtered more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of WWII, known as the Nanjing Massacre.

The new evidence also includes an official warfare report documenting the brutalities unleashed by the Japanese troops in Nanjing such as killing prisoners of war and arson, and several war logs recording the activities of a Japanese army from October 1937 to April 1938.

"Some people in Japan refuse to acknowledge the Nanjing Massacre, and these precious wartime documents are ironclad proof," said Daito.

In 2005, Daito started collecting evidence of wartime brutalities committed by Japanese troops in China during WWII. He has collected and donated more than 3,000 historical materials to the memorial hall.

These new materials are very precious, and the memorial hall will carry out further studies on them and put them on public display in the future, said Zhang Jianjun, the curator of the memorial hall.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
American Uncle Hanzi inaugurates studio for learning Chinese characters in Chinas Nanjing

People's Daily Online) 15:17, September 18, 2021

Having devoted almost 50 years to learning and disseminating the pictographic origins of Hanzi, or Chinese characters, American Hanzi expert Richard Sears, who has earned the nickname Uncle Hanzi, inaugurated his studio in Nanjing, capital city of east Chinas Jiangsu province, on Sept. 17.

Photo shows Richard Sears inaugurating his studio in Nanjing, east Chinas Jiangsu province. (Photo/Yang Bo)

At the inauguration ceremony, the septuagenarian from the US state of Tennessee shared his stories about Chinese characters. Sears began to learn the Chinese language when he was 22 and then started to devote himself to making Hanzi etymology available online. Later, he launched his own Hanzi etymology website (hanziyuan.net). This continuously updated database of ancient Chinese characters boasts about 100,000 ancient Chinese character forms, and has garnered users from over 170 countries and regions.

In 2019, Sears came to Nanjing and started using digital technologies such as augmented reality (AR) in his research of the etymology of Chinese characters. He developed Chinese Character Origin Cards, a product that combines AR and animation. By scanning these cards, people can watch animations showing how the characters evolved from the pictographs carved on ancient oracle bones to the ones used in modern day, which brings the Chinese characters back to life.

Richard Sears shares his stories about Chinese characters. (Photo/Yang Bo)

Sears said he hopes to apply more technologies, including the newest generation of information technologies, artificial intelligence, AR and virtual reality to provide high-quality learning materials on Chinese characters and spread the culture associated with them.

Chinese characters do not just belong to China. They belong to the whole world, he added.

He Yong, former head of the United Nations Chinese language group, extended congratulatory remarks on the inauguration of Sears studio via a video call. He said learning the Chinese language can be a hard undertaking for foreigners and Uncle Hanzi has made a good attempt at enabling Westerners to better understand the culture underpinning the language.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Commentary: Marking the darkest day in China's modern history for peace

Xinhua) 15:22, September 18, 2021

SHENYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- One week after the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, China marked the 90th anniversary of the "September 18 Incident" which dragged China into a 14-year bitter war with Japan's fascist regime.

Back on September 18, 1931, the day seemingly dawned as just another day in Shenyang, the capital city of today's Liaoning Province in northeast China. An incident that night, however, sparked Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Japanese troops attacked Chinese barracks near Shenyang that night, a flagrant breach of the international security order formed after the First World War.

The September 18 Incident was and was not China's "Pearl Harbor" -- while both were surprise attacks by Japanese invaders, Pearl Harbor is far from the continental United States while Shenyang is an inland city of strategic importance in China.

Atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders left unforgettable trauma for Chinese people.

The 1931-1945 Japanese invasion caused more than 35 million casualties among Chinese troops and civilians, accounting for one-third of the WWII casualties worldwide.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China fought with two-thirds of Japan's army, making a major contribution to the allied victory in WWII.

For years, China has kept marking the September 18 Incident.

The war can serve as a mirror. Looking at it helps people to appreciate the value of peace, work hard for national rejuvenation and promote international peace and stability.

Having experienced that kind of darkness, the last thing Chinese people would do is to pass on their suffering to others.

Abiding by the Potsdam Proclamation signed on July 26, 1945, China repatriated more than one million Japanese to their homeland from the port city of Huludao in Liaoning over period of three years beginning in 1946. During the process, still with the fresh memory of inhuman atrocities of Japanese aggressors, the Chinese people exhibited humanitarianism and benevolence to Japanese expatriates and prisoners of war.

Such tragic history must not be repeated. For long-term peace and prosperity, people in the world today have an obligation to boost understanding among nations, spread goodwill, uphold justice and contribute to building a global community with a shared future.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Expert calls for multilateralism in COVID-19 origins tracing: media

Xinhua) 16:04, September 18, 2021

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- An expert has called for multilateralism in uncovering the origins of COVID-19 to ensure "objective" and "credible" findings.

In his article published on Wednesday in the Johannesburg-headquartered newspaper The Citizen, Humphrey Moshi, professor of economics and director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, said the United States using its intelligence services to investigate the origins of the coronavirus has resulted in stigmatization, scapegoating, finger pointing and misconception due to "the high-level politicization of the exercise."

"No one should have expected credible results from such circumstances, which were and are underpinned by an approach which is basically unilateral. Indeed, such an approach is usually and normally unscientific, subjective and biased," Moshi said.

Moshi proposed a two-step methodology to guarantee credible results.

"Firstly, a multilateral institution has to be tasked to undertake the assignment. And such an institution should have the requisite mandate on that particular sector. In this regard, the World Health Organization is the right candidate," he said.

"Secondly, the tasked institution should constitute a multilateral team of experts to shoulder the work," Moshi noted. "This aspect underscores the collaborative spirit needed to ensure that the excise is transparent and reflective of the pandemic's borderless effects."

The professor said multilateral experts would produce a scientific methodology free of politics and ungrounded biases.

"Indeed, embracing such an approach would not only come up with credible results and outcomes, but also lay a solid foundation for promoting and enhancing (not undermining) solidarity, which is an essential element for confronting and overcoming the contemporary and future pandemics in this borderless world," Moshi said.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
Chinese premier stresses cultivating market entities, improving people's livelihood

Xinhua) 16:55, September 18, 2021

NANNING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has urged efforts to advance reform and opening-up, keep the economy operating within a proper range, cultivate market entities, improve people's livelihood and promote high-quality development.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Thursday to Saturday.

(Web editor: Xia Peiyao, Liang Jun)
The central government has earmarked 27.1 billion yuan ($4.1 billion) to develop senior care facilities and services between 2012 and last year, the Minister of Civil Affairs Li Jiheng said on Friday. China has had 329,000 retirement homes and other long-care facilities as of 2020 as authorities have moved to accommodate the aging demographic, he said at a news conference in Beijing. The number of beds in such facilities has reached 8.21 million, a 97 percent increase since 2012, Li said. "I hope the elderly will be able to live a dignified, secure, quiet and comfortable life in the future," he said. "Caring for the elderly will no longer be a source of anxiety for young people, and old age will become a stage of life that people look forward to." China has more than 260 million people age 60 or older, accounting for 18.7 percent of the population, according to national census data released in May. Authorities have projected one in three Chinese will fall in that age group by mid-century. Chinese have traditionally relied on families for care during old age. However, increased migration  one in every four Chinese were classified as migrants, census data showed  means large number of seniors are "empty-nesters" living away from their adult children. In addition, 150 million seniors, or around 65 percent, have chronic diseases, and 44 million are defined as "disabled or semi-disabled", according to the National Health Commission. Vice-Minister of Civil Affairs Gao Xiaobing told the news conference it's the wish of most seniors in China to spend their old age in a familiar environment, surrounded by family members. With that in mind, the ministry has launched pilot programs across the country to explore the possibilities of home-based services in the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20). Gao said the country's welfare lotteries set aside about 5 billion yuan during the period to develop such services, ranging from food delivery to home cleaning, and the number of businesses offering such services reached 291,000 as of end of 2020. The ministry has also worked on bolstering accessibility at old residential communities, such as by adding elevators, and required developers to include elder care facilities in new projects, she said. During the new Five-Year Plan period starting this year, Gao said the ministry plans to explore possibilities for smarter service, elder care councilors and time banks, which allows people to trade volunteer work for free care services.


Although most opinion polls suggest Kono leads, the race has taken several unexpected turns. Shigeru Ishiba, an influential LDP politician who many thought would run, this week announced he would instead endorse Kono. As a result, former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida now appears to be Kono's main rival. The soft-spoken Kishida comes from a more liberal wing of the party.

The first round of voting is set for Sept. 29. Unlike last year's leadership election, this year's vote will involve both LDP lawmakers as well as ordinary party members.

What is almost certain is that Japan's next prime minister will come from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). A conservative party that has dominated Japanese politics for decades, the LDP holds a majority in the lower house of parliament, meaning its upcoming leadership election will effectively determine the next prime minister.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga earlier this month announced he would resign, following a year-long premiership marked by public frustration over the government's inability to contain the coronavirus. Suga's resignation raises the possibility Japan will return to a period of revolving-door prime ministers that marked much of the past several decades.

Kono -- the country's straight-talking, social media-savvy vaccine minister -- faces competition from three other candidates, who could force a run-off vote that could be even more uncertain.

Two women are also trying to become Japan's first female prime minister. Sanae Takaichi, 60, is a former internal affairs minister. She has been endorsed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the country's longest-serving prime minister. Takaichi comes from the party's most conservative wing and has drawn headlines with her frequent visits to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine, which honors the country's war dead.

Seiko Noda, a 61-year-old former minister for gender equality, is a last-minute entrant to the race. Though she is widely seen as a longshot candidate, her presence makes it more difficult for any candidate to secure the majority of votes needed to win the first round outright.

"With more candidates, it is quite likely that we will see a second vote this time," says Sebastian Maslow, who focuses on Japanese politics at Sendai Shirayuri Women's College in Japan. Making things even more uncertain, some LDP factions that usually vote as blocs this time are allowing members to make their own choice.

"All this makes this year's LDP leadership race more competitive than previous ones," Maslow says. "Although in my view I think dynamics seem to indicate that the party vote will ultimately go to Kono." If the election moves to a second round, the race would be decided mainly by LDP politicians, potentially further changing the political dynamic.

 Kono: A Straight-Shooter

The 58-year-old Kono is a former defense minister and foreign minister. His latest job was heading up Japan's coronavirus vaccine effort, which started slowly but has recently sped up. Many in Japan know Kono for his humorous posts on Twitter. Though he has 2.4 million Twitter followers, Kono often replies to individuals, often in a self-deprecating manner.

"I would describe him as a straight-shooter," says Purnendra Jain, who focuses on Japanese politics at the University of Adelaide. "Lots of LDP old guard people don't like Kono because he says whatever he feels. He is not encumbered. So in a sense, he is quite popular among the young generation."

A graduate of Georgetown University in Washington D.C., Kono speaks fluent English -- a rarity among senior Japanese leaders. On foreign policy, Kono has often struck a hawkish tone, particularly on China. He has suggested Japan should be open to spending more on defense. Kono also wants to spend more on economic stimulus to combat pandemic-related economic difficulties.

Recently, Kono changed his tone to become more open toward nuclear power plants, possibly to attract more conservative votes. He says he supports efforts for Japan to become carbon neutral.

 Kishida: The Main Rival

Kishida, who has a more laid-back demeanor, has a long resume. He was Japan's longest-serving foreign minister, from 2012-17. "Kishida ticks all the boxes," says Jain. "He has got all the experience behind him."

Though he comes from a more moderate, dovish wing of the LDP, the 64-year-old Kishida this week said Japan's coast guard should be bolstered and should work closer with the military. "The security environment around Japan is getting tougher," Kishida told a news conference. He also said he would appoint a prime ministerial aide to keep track of China's treatment of Uighur Muslims.

Many of Kishida's recent comments have focused on income disparity. He has called for a new kind of capitalism that better redistributes wealth, arguing not enough money has trickled down to ordinary Japanese in recent decades. Whoever wins the LDP election will lead the party into general elections, which must be held by the end of November.
Companies reveal highlights at 50-day countdown of CIIE

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2021-09-18 09:46

At the 50-day countdown of the fourth CIIE (China International Import Expo), dozens of enterprises and exhibitors were excited to reveal their product highlights at a press conference held in the National Exhibition and Convention Center on September 16. The same day, a total of 38 foreign companies and an overseas exhibition organizer had a group signing with the CIIE Bureau for next years CIIE.

(Representatives from the CIIE Bureau brief on the latest exhibition information)



Since 2018, fruit producer and marketer Dole has taken part in the exhibition each year. This year, it will debut its Belgian red pear, a variant of the Belgian green pear which is very popular among Europeans. Due to the difficulty of planting and storage, and especially the limited production in winter, the Belgian red pear is very rare. In addition to attractive fruits, according to Doles brand director Wang Na, the company has revamped its booth design at the CIIE, to convey the concepts of environmental protection, carbon neutrality and sustainable development to the audience.



Karcher, a family-owned global leader in cleaning technology, is also participating in the CIIE for the fourth time.Last year, due to the pandemic, the number of ordinary visitors was relatively small, but the quality of professional visitors was still quite high. This year, we hope that more customers will come to the exhibition hall and communicate with us, said Tang Xiaodong, president of Karcher Greater China. He has witnessed the increasing expansion of the companys exhibition area from 2018 to 2021. This year they will have an area of 800 square meters, and highlight two series of cleaning robots, both developed and created for the pandemic. Compared with the previous products, the intelligence level of the robots has been upgraded and they feature functions like sanitation and disinfection, which is more in line with the cleaning demands of public spaces in the post-epidemic era.



(A group signing with the CIIE Bureau for the 2022 CIIE)







Uniqlo, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing, is a second-time participant of the CIIE. According to Serena Dong, public relations director of Uniqlo, this year, the apparel brand will bring a 3-meter-tall art installation: a 3D-printed dress woven by a single line. Its 1,000-square-meter exhibition hall will be divided into eight areas for the visitors to fully enjoy innovative clothes including a super light down, the latest smart heating clothes and HEATTECH moisture-absorbing and heating technology.



As the biggest exhibitor in the trade-in-services sector, PwC is taking part in the import fair once again. The proportion of service trade in the entire world's economy and China's economy is constantly increasing. We are very optimistic about the development of this sector. From the first to the fourth CIIE, our exhibition area has expanded nearly 20 times, said Eric Qin, Shanghai government affairs leader at PwC China. As the company said, it will showcase the world's first enterprise-grade low-code digital service platform called Digital Maker, which is totally self-developed, to help Chinese enterprises with their digital transformation journeys.






In just about every book or movie on the topic, there is a quintessential Texas lawman.
Egypt will begin exporting from October this year up to 3,000 MW/h of electricity to Cyprus and Greece, the Arab republics electricity ministry said in a statement.

The department headed by Mohamed Shaker, did provide details on revenues that the export will generate.

Shaker however indicated that, Arab Finance reports, Egypt possesses promising power capabilities in the field of electricity transmission, in light of the development of electricity production plants over the past five years, which helped achieve production surplus.

The North African country already have electricity interconnectivity with Sudan. The ministrys statement indicated that interconnection capacity with Sudan may reach 240-300 MW/h, with the required equipment for the project arriving in Egypt during the coming period.

There are plans to establish interconnection with Jordan, and Iraq, Arab Finance further notes.

Written by: Jaber Ali on September 18, 2021. on September 17, 2021.
According to a press release published by Babcock on September 16, 2021, the aerospace, defence and security company has secured the first export contract for its Arrowhead 140 (AH140) frigate through a design licence agreement with PT PAL Indonesia (Persero), a state-owned enterprise that builds and maintains ships for military and commercial use from its facilities in Surabaya, Indonesia.

A model of Arrowhead 140 frigate design (Picture source: Navy Recognition)

The breakthrough deal comes two years since Babcocks AH140 design was first announced as the preferred bidder for the UK Type 31 frigate programme at DSEI 2019, with the contract confirmed in November of the same year.

The design licence will enable PAL to build two Arrowhead 140 frigates in Indonesia with bespoke design modifications for the Indonesian Navy.

The agreement was signed at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2021 event in London, onboard HMS Argyll, by David Lockwood CEO Babcock and Kaharuddin Djenod, CEO PAL. And as witnessed by the Defence Minister of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto and UK Defence Secretary, Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP.

Babcock has been working alongside the UK Government to promote the Arrowhead 140 Frigate into the global market with strong interest internationally. The company recently

announced that it was one of the bidders down-selected by the Polish Government to provide a potential design solution for the Polish Navys Miecznik (Swordfish) frigate programme.

The baseline Arrowhead 140 design can be configured to meet a broad range of naval requirements and, with Babcocks support PAL will now engineer the required modifications to configure the Arrowhead 140 for the Indonesian customer.

The Arrowhead 140 is a global white and blue water frigate. Scaled for adaptability and capability, this fully exportable British ship design complies with all relevant naval standards and delivers the ability to rapidly re-role the ship based on arising operational needs. Its a vessel, built to deliver and support optimized operational effects while up-skilling the UKs maritime enterprise.

The Arrowhead 140 frigate delivers high levels of survivability, operability, and responsiveness with naval customers able to achieve first-class performance. The wide beam design provides operational flexibility and its space-rich design enables efficiency in build, maintenance accessibility, and crew comfort as a core capability.

The Arrowhead 140 frigate will have a maximum overall length of 138.7 m, a maximum beam of 19.8 m, a design draft of 4.8 m, and a displacement of 5,700 tons. She will be powered by a combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) propulsion system including four diesel engines, two propellers, and two variable shaft lines. The ship will be able to reach a maximum speed of 28 knots (51.8 km/h).
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Driver Ray Fisher Jr., trainer Ryan Swift and owner Mary Warriner were a formidable team at Batavia Downs on Friday night (Sept. 17) as they won both top trotting features of the week.

Friday's "A" Team took the $12,300 Open I Handicap Trot with Lougazi ($3), who made his first Batavia Downs appearance of 2021.

Willie B Worthy (Kevin Cummings) led to the quarter in a slow :29 split, so Fisher pulled Lougazi early from third and sat outside the leader pushing the pace. After a :56.4 half and 1:26.4 three-quarters, Lougazi finally crossed over and took command heading into the final bend. From there, he trotted home with authority and won by a length in 1:56.

The win was the 39th lifetime for the seven-year-old gelded son of Lous Legacy.

In the $11,000 Open II Handicap, Franks Watching was assigned post eight and dismissed by the betting public at 25-1. But that had little bearing on the outcome.

Franks Watching went right to the front, increased his lead incrementally at each quarter station, turned for home with a 3-1/2-length margin and coasted home to win in a new lifetime-best time of 1:57.1.

The win was the seventh of the year for the upset-minded Franks Watching ($52.50).

Shawn McDonough was the leading horseman on Friday with a driving hat trick and also two training wins.

Franks Watching wasn't the only longshot to hit the board on Friday. The card opened with a real bomb when Western Passage was sent off at 37-1 to pay $77.50. Being the first race of the Pick-5 wager, it resulted in no one having the winning combination. As a result, there is an $898 carryover for that wager on Saturday (Sept. 18) and the management of Batavia Downs has announced there will be a $5,000 guaranteed pool as well. That will be part of the USTA's Strategic Wagering and free program pages for those races are available on the USTA's website or by clicking this link.

There is also a carryover of $1,156 for the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pentafecta in the last race on Saturday and free full card program pages are always available for download at the Batavia Downs website and Facebook page.

Post time for the first race is 5 p.m.

(With files from Batavia Downs)
Gulf Stevedoring Contracting Company (GSCCO), a Saudi Arabia-based subsidiary of global port operator Gulftainer, has announced a $50 million expansion initiative. It includes the installation of additional assets and equipment that further enhances the handling capacity of Jubail Commercial Port (JCP).

Initiatives such as dredging to 14 m datum, employing and training young Saudis in key positions and revamping the ports IT system, has enhanced JCPs export and import operations, and overall efficiency. These improvements are projected to contribute to Jubails GDP by more than $100 million.

The arrival of the new equipment, including three Super Post-Panamax quay cranes, five rubber tyre gantries, and 18 reefer gantries increased the handling capacity of the port by up to 1.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

These enhancements have also enabled the port to handle the majority of the 1 million TEU export market in the province, and prepares the Port for the upcoming growth in the Polymers expansion and general cargo imports for the oil and gas sector.

The recent initiative is in line with the National Ports and Logistic Development Programme and the Saudi 2030 Visions third pillar covering container and general cargo ports, ro-ro operations, logistics, and bonded re-export zones.

While this investment solves the medium-term logistic issues, GSCCO is discussing further development of the JCP, supporting the expansion of Jubail and Raz Al Khair and the transformation of the kingdom as a global hub connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa.

Currently, the port has quay crane rates of more than 35 moves per hour (MPH) for containers, making GSCCO one of the most productive terminal operators in the Gulf region.

GSCCO reported that some major mainline vessels have already committed to the support of the Jubail expansion following the recent developments as part of the expansion drive. With the enhanced draft of 14 m (15 m depending on the tide), the port also expects to handle vessels that have a 16,000 TEU capacity.

Commenting on the initiative, Jason French, the Managing Director of GSCCO, said: GSCCO is proud to continue to support the transformation that Jubail Commercial Port has undergone since we first started handling operations, and we look forward to expanding further to support major exporters and importers and the greater city of Jubail. With the support and backing of the Gulftainer Group, we continue to lead the way in the development of the supply chain in KSA, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.

GSCCOs partnership with Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) were also a crucial part of the investment strategys success.

Since 2008, the Gulftainer subsidiary has collaborated with the Saudi authorities and developed the Jubail port, increasing its capacity from 50,000 TEUs to 700,000 TEUs prior to the recent investment. With the installation of additional equipment, GSCCO also expects the port to offer a new gateway for imports to the recently opened International Maritime Industries Complex in Ras Al Khair, which is about 60 km north of Jubail.

While the Jubail port already records the highest individual quay crane productivity rate in the KSA, we expect the addition of three quay cranes to double the vessel operating rate (VOR) on mainline vessels. This will help ensure faster turnaround and assist shipping lines in reducing costs by approximately 25 per cent, French added.

In January 2021, GSCCO also opened its inland container depot (ICD) and empty container yard inside the Jubail port, which has enhanced the flexibility of all exporters and is expanding to handle more imports and General cargo handling/storage, for major engineering, procurement, construction, and installation (EPCI) companies.-- TradeArabia News Service
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD), has approved the second batch of real estate conciliators, who will be working on settling real estate disputes of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra municipalities.

This falls within the framework of Abu Dhabi government endeavours to enhance the competitiveness of the emirate and attract real estate investments.

A total of 14 real estate conciliators ave taken the legal oath remotely before Counsellor Yousef Saeed Al Ebri, ADJD Under-Secretary; and Abdullah Al Sahi, Under-Secretary of the Department of Municipalities and Transport. Of these, four are women.

At the conclusion of the legal oath ceremony; Al Ebri and Abdullah Al Sahi congratulated the conciliators and urged them to exert sincere efforts while resolving real estate disputes.

Al Ebri pointed out that the Real Estate Disputes Resolution Centres in Abu Dhabi has been able, during the last period, to achieve their strategic goals of establishing confidence and stability in the real estate sector in Abu Dhabi, and to promote the role and importance of ADR in resolving real estate disputes, which goes in line with the judicial and government accelerators for sustainable development.

"The emirate has been a pioneer at the regional level, in the development of mechanisms for settlement of real estate disputes, which in turn reflects the efficiency of its judicial system and its ability to develop new methods for alternative justice," he added.

Al Sahi highlighted the importance of the Real Estate Dispute Resolution Centre in regulating the contractual relationship in accordance with the laws and legislation, with the aim of safeguarding the rights of all parties and facilitating the quick and effective resolution of any contractual disputes away from the courts.
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
The role of agri-nutrients will be critical to the future of global food security, said speakers at the 11th virtual Agri-Nutrients Conference organized today by the Gulf Petrochemicals and Chemicals Association (GPCA).

However, the agri-food chain, including producers, technology providers and farmers, as well as policy makers, would need to come together to ensure that agri-nutrients are used responsibly and efficiently, and take steps to lower their carbon footprint.

This was one of the key takeaways from day one of the event which is being held under the theme Forging new avenues for a food secure future. Conference speakers reiterated the vital role of agri-nutrients to help deliver nutrition to billions of people across the world. At the same time, they highlighted a series of formidable challenges facing the industry currently and discussed ways in which they can be addressed.

Abdulrahman Al-Suwaidi, CEO, Qafco, and Chairman, GPCA Agri-nutrients Committee, delivered the welcome remarks, highlighting the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on global food security and urging governments to take comprehensive steps to develop and sustain food systems.

The global prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity has been increasing slowly since 2014 and the estimated increase in 2020 alone was equivalent to that of the previous five years combined. Nearly one in three people across the world  approximately 2.37 billion people  did not have access to adequate food in 2020, he told the audience.

[Adding to this], global food supply chains have been severely affected by the pandemic and measures to control or mitigate the virus have impacted the pace of harvests in some parts of the world, leaving millions of seasonal workers without income, he added.

Factors like these, coupled with the reduced income of families due to the pandemic, have resulted in an increase in the number of people suffering from a lack of access to sufficient nutrition.

Dr Nora Ourabah Haddad, FAO Representative to the Sultanate of Oman, echoed these remarks in a keynote address entitled Strengthening the foundation of the global food security agenda in the wake of the pandemic.

The importance of the agri-nutrients industry was further stressed upon during the Fireside Chat, the newest feature of the conference, which hosted visionary leaders, including, Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery, President, GPIC and Esin Mete, Founder, MT Agri-Consulting.

The current environment means that the world will not be able to meet its food production goals without the efficient and effective use of agri-nutrients, agreed speakers. However, this will come with its own set of challenges, as farmers face the decline of arable land and increasing water scarcity.

The agri-nutrients value chain is therefore faced with an important question How to achieve higher crops yields, while improving the sustainability impact of agri-nutrients today and ensuring fewer nutrient losses to the environment? This will be the focus of the second day of the conference on 16 September, which will see conference speakers discuss the role of collaboration, innovation, and advanced technology in lowering our environmental footprint.

Dr. Abdulwahab Al-Sadoun, Secretary General, GPCA, commented: The 11th GPCA Agri-nutrients Conference has got off to a great start, with a range of insights delivered by regional and global experts, who shared their perspectives on most probable future developments and how the agri-nutrients industry can help to improve agricultural productivity and in turn provide healthy and sufficient food for all.

He added: Dont forget to join us on Day 2 of this insightful and immersive virtual event, which promises a new dose of engaging conference sessions on topics ranging from how advanced farming techniques will help to strengthen the GCCs self-sufficiency agenda; the latest innovations to future-proof the ammonia and fertilizer industry; controlled release fertilizers; digital technologies, and many more.TradeArabia News Service
Abu Dhabi-based Tawazun Economic Council has signed an agreement with the UK Defence and Security Exports Department for International Trade for defence industrial cooperation.

The signing, which took place virtually on the sidelines of the visit made by HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the UK.

The MoU builds on the growing strategic ties between the two countries, under the vision and guidance of their leaderships, stated its CEO Tareq Abdulraheem Al Hosani after signing the MoU with Graham Stuart, British Minister of Exports.

It aims to establish a framework to strengthen ties in defence and security industry fields and to identify new opportunities for commercial cooperation, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
In his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has issued a decree seeking the merger of Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Arbitration Institute into the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC).

The decree dissolves the two entities and merges their operations and assets into the DIAC, an autonomous non-profit institution that provides regional and international business communities with world-class arbitration services.

It supports Dubais efforts to enhance the efficiency of its alternative dispute resolution sector and reinforce its growing status as a global arbitration hub.

Pursuant to the decree, the ownership of real estate, assets, funds, staff, financial allocations and membership base of the two dissolved arbitration centres will be transferred to the DIAC.

However, the Dubai Courts and DIFC Courts will continue to hear claims, applications and appeals related to any arbitration proceedings conducted in tribunals of the dissolved arbitration centres.

According to the decree, the DIACs major objectives include establishing Dubai as a leading global centre for alternative dispute resolution, promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms and serving the emirate's financial and business community.

Further to the decree, it will establish a new arbitration court consisting of 13 members, including its president and vice president.

The new courts members, who will have locally and internationally accredited arbitration expertise, will be appointed by decisions of the Centre's Board of Directors for a non-renewable term of four years.-TradeArabia News Service
Majid Al Futtaim, a leading shopping malls, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, has announced the expansion of its people development programme that is set to create thousands of career opportunities for Emiratis across multiple industries in the UAE and beyond in response the governments federal Nafis programme.

Majid Al Futtaim said it is committed to a series of initiatives focused on the professional advancement of its local talent.

In line with the programmes mission, to encourage public and private sector partnerships that will strengthen the long-term development of the workforce, Majid Al Futtaim will recruit 3,000 Emiratis seeking to build their careers in the private sector throughout the coming five years, it stated.

In removing barriers and making private sector jobs more attractive to Emirati talent, this partnership is a welcome step in inviting the private sector to more actively contribute to delivery of the UAEs Projects of the 50, said the statement from Majid Al Futtaim.

Emirati nationals who wish to join the company under the NAFIS programme can apply online. Currently accounting for 3% of the total 13,700 UAE-based MAFers, Emiratisation at Majid Al Futtaim is ahead of the programmes first-year target of 2% and on track to meet the programmes second-year goals.

On the commitment, CEO Alain Bejjani said: "We have a collective sense of responsibility to support and upskill the talented and ambitious national workforce that exists in the UAE. There have been commendable efforts over the years to create more opportunities for UAE nationals within the public and private sectors."

"The Nafis programme announced by the UAE government this week will make careers in the private sector even more attractive to young Emiratis, whose contributions are crucial to building a sustainable future. We remain committed to increasing Emirati representation in our company over the next five years."

"Employing local talent is a priority at Majid Al Futtaim and we view it as a competitive advantage that is integral to our long-term success. We are proud to support the UAE Governments vision to build the regions most competitive economy," he added.

Majid Al Futtaims commitment to develop local talent across its markets has seen some of the best and brightest Emirati talent appointed to the most senior leadership roles across its 18 UAE-based shopping malls.

In addition to dedicated talent development programmes that ensure opportunities for continuous learning, the companys human capital strategy also focuses on recruiting, developing and promoting new local talent.

Majid Al Futtaims Tomouhi Graduate Programme is centred on a Train-to-Hire process for young Emirati graduates looking for the first step in building their careers.

These initiatives and more, enable Majid Al Futtaim to continually invest in the communities in which it operates.-TradeArabia News Service
Help India!



Keshap has got to go, say protestors outside US Congressman Ami Beras California office.

Pieter Friedrich | TwoCircles.net

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As controversy continues to surround US Ambassador Atul Keshaps meeting with the chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a group protested against him in Sacramento, California (United States) on September 15, which is celebrated as the International Day of Democracy.

Keshap has got to go, declared the protestors as they gathered outside the office of US Congressman Ami Bera, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who chairs the Subcommittee on Asia, which influences US foreign policy towards India. Marching through the corridor to stand outside Beras office, they displayed signs reading: Atul Keshap, your RSS visit stained your hands with the blood of Indian minorities. After the symbolic but silent protest, they rallied outside to hear a speech and raise slogans.

While we stand here, free and loud and fearless in America, the RSS in India is intimidating, brutalizing, and slaughtering Christian, and Muslim, and Sikh minorities, Dalits, and, honestly, any and all of its critics, I said, speaking at the entrance to Beras building. US Ambassador Atul Keshaps recent meeting with the RSS normalizes, legitimizes, and whitewashes a violent, fascist, Hindu nationalist paramilitary that is ideologically aligned with and historically inspired by the European fascist movements of Mussolini and Hitler. Keshaps meeting marks the moment that the Biden administration chose  with its eyes wide open, mind completely self-aware, and conscience fully informed  to step over the beaten, bruised, and bloodied corpses of the victims of fascism to instead shake the hand of the Fascist who sent those innocent souls to the graveyard.

Keshaps controversial 8 September 2021 visit has prompted harsh criticism and calls from six national Indian diaspora organizations for his resignation or removal. Social media is flooded with denunciations of what is perceived as his endorsement of the RSS. In Sacramento, around 10 people, including myself, were the first to stage a physical protest against Keshaps action.

Keshap, as the representative of the US to India, has enabled fascism, and the US stands guilty of empowering one of the greatest evils of the 21st century, I said at the protest. I demand, we demand, and you too should demand that Keshap resign or be removed and that the Biden administration answer to the American people for choosing to enable and empower the worlds largest fascist movement.

These were my full remarks:

In the years before the Second World War, we saw nations of the Free World trying to appease the Nazis, even giving space within their own countries for Nazi groups to spring up, flourish, and push for fascism. Then they changed course, stood up to resist the Nazis, and stopped the greatest evil of the 20th century.

Well, now fascism has taken root, flowered, and spread far and wide across India under Modis RSS-controlled regime. Meanwhile, that Nazi-inspired paramilitary, the RSS, has spread its tentacles across the globe. The RSS draws much of its power from its support base here in the United States.

While we stand here, free and loud and fearless in America, the RSS in India is intimidating, brutalizing, and slaughtering Christian, and Muslim, and Sikh minorities, Dalits, and, honestly, any and all of its critics.

US Ambassador Atul Keshaps recent meeting with the RSS normalizes, legitimizes, and whitewashes a violent, fascist, Hindu nationalist paramilitary that is ideologically aligned with and historically inspired by the European fascist movements of Mussolini and Hitler. Keshaps RSS visit has stained his hands with the blood of Indian minorities. Keshaps meeting marks the moment that the Biden administration chose  with its eyes wide open, mind completely self-aware, and conscience fully informed  to step over the beaten, bruised, and bloodied corpses of the victims of fascism to instead shake the hand of the Fascist who sent those innocent souls to the graveyard.

We got lazy. We got complacent. We thought that once we kicked Trump out, it would magically alter the USs foreign policy towards Modis tyrannical regime. But it actually got worse.

Trump was bad enough. He platformed and promoted Modi, the butcher of Gujarat. But the real power behind Modis throne is the RSS. We were so thrilled to see Trump ousted that we never stopped to anticipate that, for all of Bidens talk about human rights, it would be his administration that chose to platform and promote the RSS itself  the Nazi-inspired paramilitary which serves as the greatest enemy of religious freedom that Indian citizens face today.

To all those, listening, listen. If you have ears to hear, then hear. This is the moment. Are you anti-fascist? This is the moment. Do you support human rights? This is the moment. Do you despise the RSS? This is the moment.

If you oppose Hindu nationalism, if youre concerned about Modi, if you understand and truly believe that the RSS is a fascist and terrorist organization, then this is the time to speak out. If not now, when? If not you, who?

Keshap, as the representative of the US to India, has enabled fascism, and the US stands guilty of empowering one of the greatest evils of the 21st century.

I demand, we demand, and you too should demand that Keshap resign or be removed and that the Biden administration answer to the American people for choosing to enable and empower the worlds largest fascist movement.

I call on you, if you care, to be bold, be courageous, and be outrageously outspoken because silence is consent.
By Huang Panyue

Pakistan's Defense and Army Attache to China Brigadier Shahid Amir Afsar receives interview during the Shared Destiny-2021 UN peacekeeping field training exercise held in Queshan, China's Henan Province on Sept. 15, 2021. (Screenshot)

ZHENGZHOU, Sept. 17 -- "This is a perfect joint exercise," said Brigadier Shahid Amir Afsar, Pakistan's Defense and Army Attache to China, on September 15, after observing the UN peacekeeping field training exercise, Shared Destiny-2021.

The exercise, held in Queshan County of central China's Henan Province from Sept. 6 to 15, marked the first multinational peacekeeping exercise hosted by the Chinese military. In Brigadier Afsar's eyes, this exercise was an important milestone for the Chinese military and also an excellent opportunity for various participating militaries to promote exchanges and cooperation.

As he stated, the Shared Destiny-2021 exercise has demonstrated Chinas concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and won the support of all participating countries. Every country involved has a common goal of safeguarding peace and stability. Especially when some regions across the world are still in wars or conflicts, the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind is of great significance to the UN peacekeeping operations.

I have been observing about the contributions made by the Chinese military to the UN peacekeeping operations. The Chinese peacekeepers in various UN peacekeeping mission areas have played a major role in mitigating local conflicts and stabilizing the situation, said Brigadier Afsar. The Chinese military has always been a just force in defending world peace and development, and has made unremitting efforts and outstanding achievements in building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Brigadier Afsar added that the year 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. China and Pakistan have shared weal and woe, and helped each other sincerely in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic since last year, with the ironclad friendship being further upgraded. Despite the ongoing epidemic, the Pakistani side insisted on sending military personnel to participate in the exercise in China, which fully demonstrates the profound friendship and will further strengthen the relationship between the Chinese and Pakistani armed forces.

Long live Pak-China friendship! said BG. Afsar in fluent Chinese during the exclusive interview.

As for the Shared Destiny-2021, BG. Afsar said that the lifelike scenario made people feel like they were in a real peacekeeping mission area. All the participating troops performed very well, fully demonstrating the results of the joint training some time ago.

He also pointed out that during this exercise, China shared actual combat experience in mission areas including Mali, which was much valuable to the Pakistani military members. It is hoped that the two sides could carry out exchanges and cooperation in more fields and at deeper levels.

I hope that the Shared Destiny exercises can be held in succession to get more militaries from other countries involved, where they can share peacekeeping experience and improve the ability to perform peacekeeping missions, said BG. Afsar.
BEIJING, Sept. 18 -- The handover ceremony of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Chinese government to the UN peacekeepers was held via video link on September 17.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Geng Shuang, the deputy permanent representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations , and Christian Francis Saunders, the assistant secretary-general for supply chain management of Department of Operational Support (DOS) under the United Nations (UN) , respectively on behalf of the Chinese government and the UN, signed the handover certificates for China's donation of 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to the UN peacekeepers.

Representatives from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China International Development Cooperation Agency and the vaccine producer Sinopharm attended the ceremony.

Zhang Maoyu, vice chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency, said that the UN peacekeeping operation is an important approach to maintaining the world peace and security, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about new challenges to the safety of the peacekeepers.

He pointed out that in a bid to guarantee their health and help them better perform duties, China donated COVID-19 vaccines to the UN peacekeepers, with the African mission areas being given priority in vaccination. This fully demonstrates China's support for multilateralism and the UN, as well as Chinas concern for peacekeepers.

China will continue to deepen the international anti-pandemic cooperation, promote the global economic stability and recovery in the post-pandemic period and promote the establishment of community with a shared future for mankind, Zhang added.

Saunders extended sincere thanks to the Chinese government for its assistance on behalf of the UN Secretary-General Guterres and the UN system. He stated that the Chinas timely donation of COVID-19 vaccines is essential to effectively improve the UN's capacity in responding to the pandemic and help the peacekeepers better fulfill their missions. These vaccines will be distributed to the front-line peacekeepers as soon as possible through the vaccination programme of the UN system.
BEIJING, Sept. 18 -- The US guided-missile destroyer USS Barry sailed through the Taiwan Strait on September 17 and publicly hyped it up. The Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command sent troops to track and monitor the US warship in the whole course, said Army Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the PLA Eastern Theater Command, in a written statement released on Saturday.

"Such frequent provocations by the US fully demonstrate that the US is a destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and a security risk creator across the Taiwan Strait," said Shi in the statement.

Spokesperson Shi stressed that troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command maintain a state of high vigilance at all times, and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as regional peace and stability.
by Melani Manel Perera

Catholics have called for an investigation into allegations made by Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, general secretary of the nationalist Bodu Bala Sena organisation. Catholic Church official has denied the monks claim that he warned Cardinal Ranjith about the Easter Sunday attacks.

Colombo (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Church of Sri Lanka has called for an investigation into allegations made by a Buddhist monk regarding an imminent terrorist attack.

During a political talk show that aired last Monday, Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero said he had information about a pending attack.

Sri Lanka is not new to such incidents. On Easter Sunday 2019, bombings were carried out killing almost 300 people and wounding more than 500.

The cleric, who is the general secretary of Bodu Bala Sena, a Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist organisation, noted that he knew who might carry out new attacks and where, claiming to have informed the president.

On Thursday, during a press conference at the bishop's residence, Fr Cyril Gamini Fernando, spokesman for the Catholic Committee on the Easter Sunday attacks, reacted to the Buddhist monk's statements, noting that it is unclear whether the relevant authorities took action based on this information regarding national security.

After Gnanasara's revelations, Sri Lankan Catholic clergy asked the Inspector General of Police to take all necessary measures to prevent a new attack.

For his part, Fr Gamini denied the claim by the Buddhist cleric that he had warned Card Malcolm Ranjith of an attack against the Catholic community as early as 2017.

The monk only spoke to Cardinal Ranjith about 'Islamic expansionism', the priest explained.

In 2018, Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero was convicted for contempt of court and sentenced to six years in prison but received a presidential pardon in 2019 and was released.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Mgr Iosif Staneuski, former auxiliary bishop of Grodno and secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Belarus, replaces Archbishop Kandrusievich, exiled by President Lukashenko for urging the authorities to engage in dialogue with anti-government protesters. State media attack the Belarusian Catholic Church.

Moscow (AsiaNews)  Mgr Iosif Staneuski is the new Metropolitan Archbishop of Minsk-Mohilev, the highest ecclesiastical authority for Belarusian Catholics. The appointment, which was announced on Tuesday, ends the apostolic administration of Mgr Kazimierz Wielikosielec.

The latter had taken office on 3 January, following the resignation of Archbishop Tadevus Kandrusievic, who went home after four months of "exile" in Poland. He had urged the authorities to engage in dialogue with protesters in the hot months of 2020.

On 14 April, the 49-year-old bishop of Vitebsk, Mgr Aleh Butkiewicz, was appointed new president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Belarus (CBCB).

The 52-year-old Staneuski is a former auxiliary bishop of Grodno and CBCB secretary, born in Zaniavicy, a village not far from the border with Poland.

This part of the country has Belaruss highest concentration of Catholics, mostly of Polish origin, like Kandrusievic himself.

Staneuski was one of the first students to enrol at Grodno seminary after Kandrusievich reopened it in 1990, before moving to Moscow to be a Russian Catholic archbishop, returning later to Minsk in 2007.

After his priestly ordination in 1995, Father Iosif specialised in canon law in Lublin, Poland, becoming the rector of the Grodno seminary in 2005.

For the past seven years, he worked with the other bishops on national pastoral care, becoming with Butkiewicz, heir to the first "refounders" of the Catholic Church in Belarus.

Now he has to face a delicate phase in relations with the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has repeatedly accused Catholics of encouraging street protests and acting as agents" of the hated Poland. For this reason, the dictator, the self-styled "batka" or father of the nation, kept Kandrusievich out of Belarus.

On 9 September, a few days before the announcement of Staneuskis appointment, the Apostolic Nuncio to Belarus Mgr Ante Jozic met with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei.

In a statement about the meeting, the Foreign Ministry said that V. Makei confirmed a traditional commitment to further developing a constructive cooperation with the Vatican, stressing the inviolability of the foundations of these relations.

What is more, the minister insisted on the inadmissibility of inciting religious intolerance and the importance of preserving ethno-confessional harmony.

Makei was alluding to some recent incidents, and more generally to relations between (Russian) Orthodox and (Polish) Catholics.

In an interview with Catholic.by, an online Belarusian Catholic platform, Nuncio Jozic spoke about the meeting, warning that Belarusian authorities do not admit any kind of action aimed at arousing hostility towards members of other religious communities", thus confirming the veiled threats made by Makei and Lukashenko himself.

The meeting took place after Belarusian Catholics were involved a public controversy. A few days earlier, state-owned newspaper Minskaya Pravda published a caricature of some Catholic priests on its website.

The drawing showed priests singing a patriotic hymn to the "powerful God" (Mahutny Boza) holding the white-red-white flag of Lukashenko's protesters, claiming that these symbols are related to collaboration with the Nazis during the Second World War.

An article next to the caricature lashes out at Catholics for their complicities with the Nazis.

The cross on the priestly vestment was depicted as a swastika, while a cloud above the priests bore an icon of the martyrs of Kuropaty, a tragedy of 1943 that still arouses vehement debates today.

Although the caricature was later deleted, the controversy continues. In fact, the Belarusian Catholic bishops reacted immediately.

In a very harsh statement, they slammed those who fuel hostility against the Roman Catholic Church in Belarusian society, against its leaders and priests, and above all against the cross of Christ the Saviour, who gave his life for the salvation of men.

The Holy See did not publicly back the statement, and the nuncio did not speak about the incident during the meeting with Makei, generating criticism.

For the new archbishop, a very difficult mission lies ahead; in it, he will have to try to protect his flock amid the fiery fields of today's Belarus.
On the eve of the biennial path that will start in October for the Churches of the whole world, Francis explained to the Diocese of Rome the meaning and style of this journey. Listen to the Holy Spirit by listening to yourselves, going beyond the 3-4 per cent of our neighbours to listen others, even those who will insult you.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis met a group of faithful from the Diocese of Rome this morning in the Paul VI Hall to mark the start of the new pastoral year, as well as speak about the two-year period that will start on 9-10 October, whereby dioceses around the world take centre stage and engage in reflection on the theme For a synodal Church: communion, participation, mission.

As bishop of Rome, Francis also explained to the faithful of his diocese led by the vicar of Rome, Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, that he cares so much about this journey, which will end in October 2023 with the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

I have come here to encourage you to take this synodal process seriously and to tell you that the Holy Spirit needs you. Listen to it by listening to yourselves. And dont leave anyone out or behind, the pontiff said.

"The topic of synodality is not a chapter in a treatise on ecclesiology, much less about fashion, a slogan or a new term to be used or exploited in our meetings. Synodality expresses the nature of the Church, her form, style, mission. I do not say this on the basis of a theological opinion, not even as a personal thought, but following what we can consider the first and most important manual of ecclesiology, the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.

Precisely by vetting some pages of this book from Scripture in his long speech, Pope Francis indicated some characteristics of synodality. "Everyone is a protagonist; no one can be considered a mere extra. Authority was born from listening to the voice of God and the people who held down those who received it. The bottom of life, to which it was necessary to render the service of charity and faith. For the pontiff, the Acts of the Apostles especially teach that standing still cannot be a good condition for the Church.

The difference of opinion between Peter and Paul was not that of two people with their own traits, but the expression of two "visions inserted in horizons greater than themselves, capable of rethinking themselves in relation to what was happening, witnesses of an impulse that put them in crisis, that pushed them to dare, ask, change their mind, make mistakes and learn from mistakes, especially hope despite difficulties. They were disciples of the Holy Spirit, which made them discover the geography of divine salvation, opening doors and windows, tearing down walls, breaking chains, freeing borders. At that point it may be necessary to leave, change course, overcome beliefs that hold back and prevent us from moving and walking together.

From this perspective, comparing different visions and expectations" in the Church must not frighten. We must not fear that this will still happen today, said the pope. These are signs of docility and openness to the Spirit. There is a rigid way of considering circumstances, which mortifies the Makrothymia of God, that is, that patience of the gaze that is nourished by deep, wide and long visions: God sees far away, God is not in a hurry.

By listening patiently, the path is once again that indicated by the apostles, who, communicating to the community the decisions made, said: The Holy Spirit and us. There is always the temptation, the pope notes, to do it alone, expressing a substitute ecclesiology, as if, having ascended to Heaven, the Lord had left a void to be filled. But Jesus words are clear: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, (Jn 14:16, 18).

What Jesus refutes those who persist in taking Gods place, claiming to model the Church on their own cultural and historical convictions, forcing her into armed borders, guilty customs, a spirituality that blasphemes the free spontaneity of Gods engaging action.

There will always be discussions, said the pontiff, but solutions must be sought by letting God speak and give freedom to his voices in our midst, praying and opening our eyes to all that surrounds us, practicing a life faithful to the Gospel, questioning Revelation according to a pilgrim hermeneutic that knows how to preserve the journey begun in the Acts of the Apostles. Otherwise, the Holy Spirit will be humbled.

The same tradition, notes the pope, "is a leavened dough, a reality in ferment where we can recognise growth, and in the dough a communion that takes place in motion where walking together realises true communion.

Francis went on to highlight the specific importance of the diocesan phase in this synodal process because it must be the privileged moment of listening to the totality of the baptised because all are depositaries of the sensus fidei.

There is a lot of resistance to overcome the image of a Church rigidly divided between leaders and subordinates, between those who teach and those who must learn, forgetting that God likes to overturn positions: He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly (Lk 1:52).

The synodal Church, Francis explains, restores the horizon from which the sun Christ rises: putting up hierarchical monuments means covering it. Pastors walk with the people: sometimes in front of it, sometimes in the middle, sometimes behind. In front to lead, in the middle to encourage and not forget the smell of the flock, behind because the people can sniff out new ways or find the lost road.

This is a journey in which everyone is called to recognise themselves as sheep with respect to the Shepherd who is the Lord. [. . .] Exercising sensus fidei cannot be reduced to expressing and comparing opinions that we can have regarding this or that topic, that single aspect of doctrine, or that rule of discipline. The idea of differentiating majorities and minorities cannot prevail. How many times the waste became the cornerstone, the distant became the near. The marginalised, the poor, the hopeless have been chosen as the sacrament of Christ.

This is why feeling to be Gods people is incompatible with any form of exclusivism. This is why parishes are invited to the synodal journey: leave doors and windows open, do not limit yourselves to considering only those who attend or think like you. Allow yourselves to go out to meet and allow yourselves to be questioned, let their questions be your questions, allow people to walk together: the Spirit shall lead you. Do not be afraid to engage in dialogue and let yourselves be upset by dialogue.

All this will be good for the Diocese of Rome and for the whole Church, Francis said in concluding. This is not strengthened only by reforming structures, giving instructions, offering retreats and conferences, or by virtue of directives and programmes. It will help if we rediscover that it is people who want to walk together, among us and with humanity. This will need that we go beyond the 3-4 per cent of our neighbours, that we go further to listen to others. This might include those who "sometimes will insult you, chase you away, but it is necessary to hear what they think, without seeking to impose our things: Let the Spirit speak to us.
by Shafique Khokhar

A ceremony paid tribute to Christian schools that have been offering quality education at affordable prices for over 160 years. The event was attended by teachers, government officials and students. The provincial education minister will visit schools in need of upgrading.

Karachi (AsiaNews)  The Directorate General of Private Institutions Sindh paid tribute to local missionary schools in a ceremony held on Thursday at the Sindhs Boy Scouts headquarters. Teachers, government officials and students attended the event.

About 116 missionary schools operate in Sindh offering quality education at affordable prices to more than 56,000 students. Fees cost between 350 and 4,000 Pakistani rupees (US$ 2.10 and US$ 24).

Rafia Mallah, Registrar with the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions Sindh, thanked principals, teachers and collaborators "for carrying out their task with the utmost sincerity and dedication and for providing equal learning opportunities to children from different ethnic and religious backgrounds with great love and care.

Missionary schools, she added, have done a lot for the future of Pakistan".

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah admitted that due to the exceptional services of missionary schools, the ceremony should have been organised much sooner.

"Missionary schools have provided quality education to the countrys children for over 160 years, long before the founding of Pakistan, he said. These institutes are the backbone of knowledge in our country.

Sardar then announced that he plans to visit missionary schools and hear principals complaints. Many student buildings are in fact old and in need of an upgrade, institutes such as St Patrick's School and St Joseph's Convent School, founded in 1861 and 1862 respectively.

At the end of the ceremony, prizes and awards were handed out to principals and teachers for their work in the field of education.
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Seems like Oscar winner Ben Affleck has received rave reviews from his lady love Jennifer Lopez as she praised the film while reflecting on her recent Venice trip, in a social media post.

Jennifer took to her Instagram handle and shared a video compiled of the footage from her visit to the 'The Last Duel' premiere at the 2021 Venice International Film Festival with beau Ben.

In the video, Jennifer could be heard saying, "I had such a beautiful time!! And I'm so excited for you guys to see this movie!! It's the first script Matt [Damon] and Ben have written together along with Nicole Holofcener since Good Will Hunting!! And it's amazing!!

The acting by the whole cast is fantastic. Jodie Comer plays the lead and she is awesome!!! It was a magical trip and I hope you enjoy the pics!! Baci Baci Baci (kisses)."

In the video, the 'Hustlers' actor broke down her day in Italy, including her getting her hair and makeup done, attending a festival press event, and walking the red carpet. She didn't include the footage of her posing with Ben.

However, the rekindled couple fondly knowns as 'Bennifer 2.0' posed alongside co-stars Matt Damon and Jodie Comer and director Ridley Scott as they attended the world premiere of the historical drama 'The Last Duel', a true story of betrayal and revenge set in 14th century France.

Jennifer posed proudly with Ben, who plays the role of Count Pierre of Alencon in the upcoming Ridley Scott directorial. He had also co-written the film with his long-time friend and collaborator Damon.

Jennifer turned heads at the event by sporting a long, white Georges Hobeika gown and luxurious jewellery by Cartier. Ben, on the other hand, looked suave in a classic black tuxedo with a bow tie.

The last time Bennifer walked hand in hand on the red carpet was in February 2003 at Ben's 'Daredevil' movie premiere, when they were engaged.

However, the couple at that time decided to postpone their planned 2003 wedding, blaming "excessive media attention" in a statement, as per Page Six.

Before officially walking down the aisle, the couple split in 2004. After partying ways, Ben married actor Jennifer Garner. His relationship with Garner did not survive long as they officially divorced in 2017.

The 'Jersey Girl' co-stars rekindled their romance in April, just a month after Jennifer ended her two-year engagement to former MLB star Alex Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Ben before rekindling his romance with Jennifer was dating actor Ana de Armas and split with her in January.

On the occasion of her birthday, Jennifer made her relationship with Ben Instagram official.

Jennifer Lopez shares 13-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Ben Affleck shares three children, 15-year-old Violet, 12-year-old Seraphina, and 9-year-old Samuel with ex-wife Garner.

(ANI)
The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has welcomed the reopening of schools in Afghanistan from Saturday, but stressed that girls must not be kept away from the classroom.

"We are deeply worried", UNICEF chief Henrietta Fore said in a statement on Friday, "that many girls may not be allowed back at this time".

"Even before the most recent humanitarian crisis, 4.2 million children were not enrolled in school. Around 60 per cent of them are girls. Every day that girls miss out on education is a missed opportunity for them, their families and their communities," she added.

According to news reports, the announcement of school reopening from the Taliban, referred only to the return of boys, making no reference to a return date for girls. This move is contrary to promises made Taliban after assuming power in Kabul.

"Girls cannot, and must not, be left behind. It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays. For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching," Fore added.

The Taliban last month regained complete control over Afghanistan after US troops withdrew and the Afghan Government collapsed, prompting concern that they will reimpose a harsh interpretation of Islamic law that prohibits girls from attending school.

According to UNICEF, significant progress has been made in education in the country over the past two decades. "The number of schools tripled. The number of children in school increased from 1 million to 9.5 million."

The UN agency, led by Fore, therefore urged development partners to support education "for all children" in Afghanistan.

"UNICEF will continue to advocate with all actors so that all girls and boys have an equal chance to learn and develop the skills they need to thrive and build a peaceful and productive Afghanistan," Fore stated.

(ANI)
All-weather allies Pakistan and China signed a new nuclear agreement that will push the world towards a renewed nuclear race and conflict. Fabien Baussart, in a blog post in The Times of Israel, said that it is a dangerous new nuclear pact. The Framework Agreement on Deepening Nuclear Energy Cooperation was signed by Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and China Zhongyuan Engineering Cooperation on September 8, 2021.

The agreement, finalised at a high-level meeting on August 20, 2021, was signed through virtual mode and would remain valid for ten years, reported The Times of Israel. The agreement envisages the transfer of nuclear technology, uranium mining and processing, nuclear fuel supply and setting up research reactors, which will help Pakistan increase its nuclear weapons stockpile. For China, an enhanced Pak nuclear arsenal adds teeth to its grand strategy of countering India's military strength, said Baussart.

Although the 2021 agreement envisages cooperation in construction, maintenance and waste management of nuclear power reactors, the likelihood of diversion of technology and material for reprocessing facilities meant for producing nuclear warhead material remains dangerously high, if past experience of Pakistan's illegal nuclear trade and diversion is to be taken into account, reported The Times of Israel.

These suspicions are strengthened by the agreement's sweeping scope and content. The main thrust of the agreement is comprehensive cooperation on the construction and maintenance of all future nuclear power projects in Pakistan.

Four new plants are on the anvil-two to be located at Karachi and two at Muzaffargarh.

These plants will be constructed under the Engineering Procurement and Construction Mode by adopting Chinese Hualong One Pressurize Water Reaction (HPR)-100 technology. The site for M-1 and M-2 plants has already been finalised on the banks of Taunsa-Panjnad link canal in Tehsil Kot Addu, about 32 km from Muzaffargarh in Punjab, reported The Times of Israel.

As per the agreement, besides the construction of these four plants, China will strengthen its involvement in operating and maintaining all nuclear power plants in Pakistan, including refuelling outages, technical up-gradation and spare parts. Supplementary agreements to augment the main agreement are to be signed in the near future.

Five significant components of the agreement which offers Pakistan unprecedented access to China's nuclear capability in terms of technology, material and training are - a) Exploration and mining of uranium and training of personnel; b) Lifetime nuclear fuel supply and supply of initial refuelling fuel assemblies and associated core components; c) setting up of miniature neutron source reactor ; d) Radioactive management resources and assistance, including decommissioning of nuclear facilities, radioactive waste transport and disposal and radiation protection measures and; e) Nuclear technology application, including nuclear medicine, irradiation processing, radiopharmaceuticals, radioactive sources supply and manpower training, reported The Times of Israel.

The China-Pakistan nuclear cooperation dates back to 1986. China over the years has utilised official agreements to supply Pakistan with technology and material for nuclear warheads. The September 2021 agreement substantially expands this cooperation with China helping strengthen Pakistan's nuclear industry chain by setting up additional plants, aiding uranium exploration, supply of nuclear fuel, nuclear waste management and nuclear technology applications, said Baussart.

Also Read:

10 Chinese warplanes enter Taiwan air defence zone

(ANI)
The uncle of terrorist Osama, who was among six terrorists arrested earlier this week has surrendered to police in Prayagraj, according to police sources.

The uncle Hemud Rehman surrendered at Kareli Police Station in Prayagraj on Friday, as per sources in Delhi Police.

Rehman had, according to Delhi Police, was assisting the Pakistan-organised terror module in transporting Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and was planning to carry out targeted killings and blasts across the country. The Special Cell of Delhi Police had arrested Osama and five other terrorists on Tuesday and busted the network.

Rehman is being brought to Lucknow and a team of Delhi Police Special Cell has left for Lucknow on Friday to bring him to Delhi on a transit remand, the sources said.

Meanwhile, all the six terrorists arrested by the Delhi Police on Tuesday have been interrogated. The terror module being managed by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees Ibrahim.

Two terrorists trained by Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) organised terror module- Osama and Zeeshan- revealed in the interrogation that during their 15 days of training in Pakistan, they were trained to cause bomb blasts using chemicals other than AK47, to make IED and to cause blasts in less time.

They received training to use bombs to cause explosions at railway tracks, bridges and in large gatherings. The training was provided with an aim to set off bombs during the upcoming festival season in different parts of the country similar to the 1993 Mumbai bomb explosions.

Videos of Gujarat riots, Muzaffarnagar riots and North-East Delhi riots were also used in training the terrorist duo.

(ANI)

Also Read: Uncle of terrorist arrested in Delhi surrenders in Prayagraj
The mixed messages in the state COVID-19 data for school-age children also offered perplexing data from Lake County, one of the largest counties in the state. Illinois health officials reported Friday that more than 1,300 children between ages 5 and 17 in Lake County tested positive for the virus during the first three weeks of the school year, while the county health department has yet to report a single school outbreak.
It will take some time for science to illuminate who should be getting fourth doses or even repeating the initial series  something that is needed for other vaccines given during a time of extreme immunosuppression like chemotherapy or right around the time of a transplant  so everyone who gets a third dose because of immunosuppression should still be very careful to avoid getting COVID, she said. In short, the third dose adds an additional layer of protection for immunocompromised individual but isnt a sure thing.
Johnson, who grew up in Winnetka and Evanston, is set to play a member of the military in a role that was written specifically for him, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
A 33-year-old man was standing next to his vehicle when he was approached by someone inside of a blue SUV who fired several shots at the man before fleeing the scene. The man was shot in the chest, and was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
Just after 2 a.m., the 19-year-old male student was in a bar in the 900 block of West Webster Avenue in the Sheffield Neighbors neighborhood when he first saw the two people who later robbed him, according to Chicago police. When the student left the bar, the two followed him outside, hit him in the face and demanded that he hand over his belongings.
TikTok has now blocked users from viewing any videos with the devious lick hashtag. But the censoring of the viral videos came too late to prevent students from pillaging some bathrooms at York High School in Elmhurst, where Principal Shahe Bagdasarian said the restroom unrest is believed to be the result of the TikTok Bathroom Challenge, which promotes vandalism in school restrooms by students.
Historically, people would cruise through the streets of predominantly Latino neighborhoods. But in recent years Chicago police began closing streets and blocking intersections where people would congregate to cheer on the caravans. In 2020, residents in Little Village  known as the Mexico of the Midwest  reported street closures in the nights leading up to the eve of Mexican Independence Day.
Aysar Abushanab, manager of Falcon Fuel, said inspectors came July 23 and closed the station because of five safety violations: damaged or unapproved panels that could be unsafe if an emergency disconnect is required; non-waterproof fixtures and fittings in the cooler; issues with an emergency gas pump that could create risk of electrical injury and required a permit to fix; missing carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers; aisles that were too narrow. Because of these violations, the building poses an immediate danger ... and constitutes an imminent threat to the public at large, according to the inspectors report.
Most everyone there was there because of their beliefs, one way or the other, in regards to the shooting of Jacob Blake, Binger said. Chaos tourists like the defendant were drawn like a moth to the flame to our community. He was drawn to this incident because of his beliefs, which align with the Proud Boys. They take pride in using violence to achieve their means.
A total of 84 ancient Chinese tombs from the Warring States period (475-221 BCE) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) were found in Jinan, Shandong Province, among which there are more than 110 complete and recoverable artifacts, including a rare yellow-green glazed lamp with a lotus seated on the back of a lion.



Located in the east of Jinan, it is estimated that the group of tombs cover an area of at least 30 thousand square meters. Cultural relics like pottery, kettles, porcelain bowls, and pots have been unearthed thus far.

Fifteen Song and Yuan dynasty (10th to 14th century) tombs were found with less funerary objects like porcelain bowls, pots, among which the yellow-green glazed lamp is vey eye-catching, according to Fang Zhen, manager of excavation.

The lamp is 34.5 centimeters high, which is relatively big for the same type of ceramics according to previous data. The lamp, which is rather exquisite and vivid in detail, is a delicacy of colored glazed porcelains from the Song and Yuan dynasties, said Fang.

There are also 13 late Warring States tombs that are likely the earliest brick tombs found in China so far.

These tombs should belong to ordinary civilians for they are small and medium in size with few funerary objects, according to Fang.

The discovery provides significant information for studying Qi State of the late Warring States period, including the regional characteristics of the country's culture, situation of its border cities, its burial customs, etc, said Fang.
You are here: Business

The Export-Import Bank of China (China EximBank), a state-owned policy bank, has issued bonds worth 3 billion yuan (about 465 million U.S. dollars) to international investors.

The three-year bonds with a yield of 2.7455 percent were issued Wednesday and the money raised will be used to support the development of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, according to the bank.

This is the first time the bank has issued financial bonds to global investors through direct bidding, and more than 100 institutional investors worldwide participated in the bidding process.

Foreign investors' holdings of bonds issued by China's policy banks topped 1.05 trillion yuan by the end of August, official data showed.
China has seen a total of 1.87 billion domestic trips taken in the first half of 2021, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Saturday.

The total revenue of the country's domestic tourism market has exceeded 1.6 trillion yuan (248 billion U.S. dollars), said Wang Xiaofeng, an official with the ministry, at a press conference.

With the tourism market revitalizing after the 2021 Spring Festival, both numbers have grown back to about 60 percent of the level in the same period in 2019, said Wang.
You are here: China

The number of registered volunteers in China had reached 209 million by the end of 2020, a senior Chinese official said Friday.

A total of 9,480 charity organizations had been registered across the country by the end of last year, Wang Aiwen, vice minister of civil affairs, told a press conference.

"In recent years, China's charity organizations spent 50 billion yuan (7.75 billion U.S. dollars) each year to help the poor in need," Wang said.

Charity organizations, enterprises and individuals donated over 39.6 billion yuan to support the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic in China in 2020, the official added.

The civil affairs ministry will improve supportive measures, such as preferential tax policies, and expand online channels to further leverage the role of charity service to promote common prosperity, Wang said.

He also vowed to strengthen regulations on philanthropic organizations to ensure the transparent and effective use of charity funds.
You are here: China

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authority's attempt to rely on external forces to seek "Taiwan independence" is doomed to fail, a Chinese mainland spokesperson said Friday.

Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, made the remarks in response to Slovenian Prime Minister's negative comments on Taiwan.

Zhu urged Slovenia to fulfill its commitment on the Taiwan question it made when it established diplomatic relations with China, abide by the one-China principle and prudently handle Taiwan-related issues.

Zhu reiterated that there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. "The one-China principle is a widely recognized norm of international relations and a common consensus of the international community," Zhu said.
You are here: China

The National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA) of China has asked local healthcare authorities to lower the price of conducting COVID-19 nucleic acid tests at public hospitals.

As of Thursday, authorities in 30 provincial-level regions including Guangdong and Hubei had decreased the price, mostly to 60 yuan (9.3 U.S. dollars) or lower per person for a single test, the NHSA said Friday.

Price for testing a group of 10 people was reduced to a maximum of 15 yuan per person.
The Spanish version of China's multilingual overseas communication platform, jointly launched by China Society Publishing House and Beijing Chinese-Foreign Translation & Information Service (CTIS), debuted on Wednesday at the 28th Beijing International Book Fair.

The new version is the result of the third phase of the platform. Drawing on data from the "Administrate Code of People's Republic of China," and deploying digital and AI-assisted translation technologies, the platform provides a full coverage of detailed information about 45,000 administrative areas at provincial, prefecture, county, and township levels across China. Besides Spanish, the platform also provides English, French, and Russian versions, which were rolled out in previous phases.

Specific information available on the platform includes latitude and longitude, administrative division, population, area, climate, hydrology, agriculture, industry, commerce and foreign trade, and hundreds of other data items.

"The platform aims to help the world better understand China, enhance consensus with other countries, and make due contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative and the community of a shared future for mankind," said Li Hao, deputy director of China Society Publishing House, in his speech at the launch event.

"With China's rapid economic and social development, never before has the world paid so much attention to China," Li explained. "Our purpose is to promote cultural sharing and communication, and present Chinese culture and socio-economic achievements to the world, especially to people along the Belt and Road, in a way that is understandable to them."

"We have researched more than 700 overseas institutes, and received their feedbacks," Li said. "Our profits are mainly from foreign colleges' libraries and data companies. Next step, we will present more pictures, videos, and introduce mini programs and H5 of Chinese intangible culture heritage, in order to promote cultural exchange as well as increase our economic rewards."

CTIS Chairman Yang Yuqian also spoke at the event. "CTIS has followed the digitalization trend of cultural industries, and enhanced the use of new technologies in publishing," he said. "The platform will present research results of China's national conditions in a multilingual and internationalized way, introducing China's conditions and development of all regions."
You are here: China

China is expected to see 40 million domestic trips during the four-day travel rush for the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said Saturday.

Passenger trips are expected to peak on Sunday, the first day of the three-day holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival, said the company, noting that 11 million trips are estimated on that day.

The railway passenger flow is expected to recover to the level of last year, the company said, citing bookings already made on 12306.cn, China's official railway ticket reservation website.

The Mid-Autumn Festival which falls on Sept. 21 this year, is a traditional festival symbolizing family reunions.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged solidarity, upholding common security, openness and integration for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to forge a closer SCO community with a shared future.



Xi made the comments via video link as he addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, hosted by this year's rotating presidency Tajikistan.

All SCO members have pledged to further enhance policy communication, security cooperation, smoothing trade, financing and people-to-people exchanges, according to a declaration issued after the conclusion of the meeting.

The organization, which covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, nearly half of the world's population, and over 20 percent of the global gross domestic product, is embracing its 20th anniversary this year.

"I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," said Xi.

Enhancing solidarity to counter challenges

"We need to follow the journey of enhancing solidarity and cooperation," Xi said, adding SCO members should make the most of the meeting mechanisms and platforms at all levels, step up policy dialogue, communication and coordination.

Calling fighting COVID-19 the most pressing task, Xi urged deepening international cooperation against the virus and promote fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, adding China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations.

Noting Afghanistan has undergone drastic changes and the country still faces many daunting challenges, Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

Joint efforts were also highlighted at the ensuing joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states on the Afghanistan issue, where Xi urged interactions with Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic angle, and said that certain countries should shoulder due responsibility for Afghanistan's development.

As the SCO members are all near neighbors of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is an observer state of the SCO, the organization enjoys unique convenience and advantages in addressing the issues compared with other similar international arrangements, said Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies.

"Aimed at addressing regional challenges that concern the interests of all, China's proposals have added new dimensions to related cooperation mechanisms, demonstrating a sense of responsibility as a major country to promote peace, stability and people's livelihoods," added Deng.

Advancing integrated development

Stressing the SCO members need to follow the journey of promoting openness and integration, Xi said they should continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and create growth drivers of cooperation such as digital economy, green energy and modern agriculture.

In 2020, the combined economic size of the SCO countries reached 18.4 trillion U.S. dollars, an 11-fold increase since its founding, while intra-SCO trade jumped eight times to 6.2 trillion dollars over the same period, a vivid proof of intensified SCO cooperation with concrete outcomes.

To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

"As SCO members are diverse in their national realities and development priorities, China's call for open cooperation and integration has echoed the common aspiration for economic recovery and sustainable growth, showing a strong determination to tide over difficulties together with the SCO family," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Boosting interactions

Noting interactions between civilizations provide the most solid foundation for the SCO's development, Xi emphasized the need to encourage exchanges, dialogue, harmony and co-existence between civilizations.

He proposed more projects including those of science and technology, education, culture, among others, adding China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries in the next three years, and host an SCO youth technology and innovation forum next year. He also extended welcome to SCO countries' participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

At the meeting, the attending leaders of relevant countries and international organizations voiced support for multilateralism, as well as opposition to hegemonism, unilateralism and interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights, and support for the independent choice of development paths for SCO countries.

"Amid resurging unilateralism and protectionism, the joint emphasis by SCO members on the importance of mutual learning and exchanges sheds light on the urgency for the region and the international community to adhere to mutual consultation and work for a community with a shared future," said Professor Yana Leksyutina of St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

In addition, the meeting has launched procedures to admit Iran as a member state of the SCO, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners.

Hailing the SCO as an institution of global governance, Prof. B.R. Deepak at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, said the new developments at the organization will help further extend the reach of multilateralism to more countries, unleash greater cooperation potential, and beef up the international voice of developing countries in the region.
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General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping has recently paid high tribute to international friends who made invaluable contribution to China's revolution, construction and reform.

Xi offered his tribute in a reply letter sent on Tuesday to the families of some international friends, including Edgar and Helen Snow, George Hatem, Rewi Alley and Israel Epstein.

In the letter, Xi recalled that in the first half of the 20th century, a large number of international friends, including Snow, Hatem, Norman Bethune, Dwarkanath Kotnis, Alley and Epstein, traveled thousands of miles to China, where they stood and fought shoulder to shoulder with the CPC and the Chinese people through thick and thin.

China, he said, has always remembered their invaluable contribution to China's revolution, construction and reform and their earnest friendship toward the CPC and the Chinese people, and will always cherish their memory.

In the past 100 years since its founding, the CPC has, answering the call of the times, people's expectations, and trust of its international friends, united and led the Chinese people in delivering the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects through unrelenting hard work, he said.

It is now leading the Chinese people in marching toward the second centenary goal of fully building a great modern socialist country, and in promoting the noble cause of world peace and development, he added.

"Indeed, the choices that your loved ones made decades ago are all worthy and honorable," Xi said in the reply letter.

History keeps surging on, and the great spirit is passed down from generation to generation, noted the Chinese president.

"I hope you will follow the steps of your loved ones, and contribute your fair share to strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the Chinese people and people of the world, and to building a community with a shared future for mankind," he said.

Recently, 16 family members of international friends, including Snow, Hatem, Alley, Epstein, Hans Muller, David Crook, Zheng Lvcheng, Elizebetta Pavlovna Kishkina, Richard Frey, Ruth Weiss, Eva Sandberg and Betty Chandler, jointly sent a letter to Xi.

In their letter, they extended warm congratulations on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the CPC, and expressed their hope to jointly commemorate the martyrs on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

They said they are proud that their family members chose to stand with the CPC and the Chinese people, and willing to carry forward the internationalist spirit in the new era under the guidance of the initiative of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and make new contributions to enhancing people's friendship between China and foreign countries and supporting China in realizing the second centenary goal.
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The Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) on Friday said that the Iraqi and U.S. military agreed to reduce combat units in two military bases in Iraq by the end of September.

The agreement was reached during a meeting held on Thursday in Baghdad between an Iraqi committee headed by JOC's Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir al-Shammari and a U.S. committee headed by Maj. Gen. John Brennan, commanding general of the U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq, a JOC statement said.

The two sides agreed to reduce the combat units from the military bases in Ayn al-Asad in the Anbar province in western Iraq, and Erbil in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern of the country. The reduction of U.S. units will be completed by the end of this month, and the remaining units will be for support, equipment, and intelligence sharing purposes, it added.

The meeting was part of what was agreed upon during the U.S.-Iraqi Strategic Dialogue in July, when the two sides agreed to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by December 31, 2021.

The two sides also agreed to hold regular sessions to complete the discussion of the remaining steps to secure the transition to a non-combat role for the U.S.-led coalition forces.

The Strategic Dialogue sessions between Iraq and the United States were initiated on June 11, 2020, under the Strategic Framework Agreement signed in 2008 between Baghdad and Washington.

The relation between the two countries strained after Jan. 3, 2020, when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

The Iraqi parliament passed a resolution on Jan. 5, 2020, requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq.

The U.S. airstrike also pushed unidentified militias to launch a series of rocket and mortar attacks on Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq, as well as the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone in central Baghdad.

The tension pushed the two sides to launch sessions of strategic dialogue during which the United States pledged to cut its troops in the country.
 Flash

China on Friday urged the United States and Australia to stop interfering in China's internal affairs and making waves in the Asia-Pacific region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in response to a statement after Australia-U.S. ministerial consultations that expressed concern over the South China Sea, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Zhao said the position of China on those issues is consistent and clear, criticizing the United States and Australia for deliberately defaming China, interfering in China's internal affairs, and sowing discord among regional countries for their geopolitical interests.

Facts have proven that China is not only the main engine of economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region but also a staunch protector of regional peace and stability, he said. He added that "China's development is the growth of world peace, and a good news for regional prosperity."

China has always believed that cooperation between countries should comply with the trend of peace and development, help enhance mutual trust and cooperation, and should not target any third parties or damage their interests, Zhao said.

Urging the United States and Australia to abandon their Cold War mentality and narrow geopolitical concepts, Zhao said they should comply with the trend of the times, respect the common wishes of the countries in the region, and take a correct view of China's development.
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for efforts to promote steady transition of Afghan situation as soon as possible, engage Afghanistan in dialogues, and help the Afghan people tide over difficulties.

Xi made the remarks in Beijing while attending a joint summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states on the Afghanistan issue via video link.

Member states of SCO and CSTO should join hands to safeguard peace and stability, which are "more precious than gold," said Xi.

These countries are all in the vicinity of Afghanistan, and are within a community for a shared future and shared security, Xi said, adding that they should work together to play their role in critical moments.

In a three-point proposal, Xi urged respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, supporting the implementation of the "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" principle, and letting the Afghan people independently decide the future of their own country.

He stressed supporting all parties in Afghanistan to reach inclusive political arrangements at an early date through dialogue and consultation.

Relevant parties in Afghanistan should be urged to resolutely crack down on and eradicate terrorist organizations in the Afghan territory and prevent terrorist forces in Afghanistan from wreaking havoc, said Xi.

He called on SCO and CSTO member states to interact with all parties in Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic perspective, and facilitate a new political structure that is more open and inclusive, and adopts moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and develops friendly relations with other countries, especially its neighbors.

China will provide the Afghan people with timely humanitarian and medical support in fighting COVID-19, Xi said, adding that China has announced it will deliver a batch of emergency relief supplies as soon as possible and will continue to provide more support within its capacity.

As the instigators of the difficult situation in Afghanistan, certain countries should especially draw lessons from the past and shoulder their due responsibilities for Afghanistan's future development, he said.

Xi stressed that China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant parties and work together to support the Afghan people in pursuing a bright future and safeguarding the lasting peace and stability in the region.
 Flash

Another 32,651 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 7,371,301, according to official figures released Friday.

The country also recorded another 178 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 134,983. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.

The latest data came as British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced major relaxing of travel rules for people coming in and out of England.

From Oct. 4, the current traffic light system of red, amber and green countries will be scrapped and replaced with one red list only.

The previous amber and green lists will merge into a "Rest of World" (ROW) list. Anyone in a country on this list who's fully vaccinated will no longer have to take a PCR test three days before travelling to England.

From the end of October, fully vaccinated passengers from non-red list countries will be able to replace day-two PCR tests with cheaper lateral flow tests.

The government has also announced that from Sept. 22, eight destinations, including Turkey and Egypt, will be dropped from the red list, which requires hotel quarantine.

More than 89 percent of people aged 16 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and more than 81 percent have received both doses, the latest figures showed.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
New Delhi: Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Saturday pitched for extending the GST compensation beyond June next year as he highlighted that the state is already grappling with significant revenue shortfall.

Addressing the media here, the minister said the state is not getting its due in the wake of the 15th Finance Commission devolution recommendations.

Kerala will be receiving GST (Goods and Services Tax) compensation of over Rs 13,000 crore and another one-time grant of over Rs 19,000 crore in the current fiscal ending March 2022, he noted.

In case the GST compensation ends next year, then the state will face further revenue shortfall, he said and expressed hope that the compensation regime would be extended.

The regime of paying compensation to states for revenue shortfall resulting from subsuming their taxes such as VAT in the uniform national tax GST will end in June next year.

However, the cess which is currently levied on top of the GST rate on certain luxury and sin goods to fund the compensation amount for states will continue to be levied till March 2026. The collections will be used to pay off the borrowings that had to be done since 2020-21 to pay for state compensation.
New Delhi: The CBDT on Saturday alleged that actor Sonu Sood and his associates evaded tax of Rs 20 crore and claimed that after the Income Tax Department raided him and a linked Lucknow-based infrastructure group it was found that he routed his "unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities".

It also accused Sood of violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising donations from abroad.

The department had launched searches against the 48-year-old actor and the Lucknow-based group of industries involved in infrastructure on September 15 and the CBDT said the action was continuing.

"During the course of search at the premises of the actor and his associates, incriminating evidence pertaining to tax evasion has been found.

"The main modus operandi followed by the actor had been to route his unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) claimed in a statement.

It added that, so far, use of 20 such entries has been found and the providers of which, on examination, have "accepted" on oath to have given "bogus" accommodation entries (transaction entries in accounts).

"They have accepted to have issued cheques in lieu of cash. There have been instances where professional receipts have been camouflaged as loans in the books of accounts for the purpose of evasion of tax," the policy-making body for the tax department said.

These bogus loans, it said, have been used for "making investments and acquiring properties."

"The total amount of tax evaded unearthed so far, amounts to more than Rs 20 crore," the statement and official sources said about Sood.

It also talked about his charity organisation that was established during the COVID-19 outbreak last year.

"The charity foundation incorporated by the actor on July 21, 2020 has collected donations to the tune of Rs 18.94 crore from April 1, 2021 till date, out of which it has spent around Rs 1.9 crore towards various relief work and the balance of Rs 17 crore has been found lying unutilised in the bank account of the foundation till date," it said.

It is seen, the statement alleged, that funds to the tune of Rs 2.1 crore have also been raised by the charity foundation from overseas donors on a crowdfunding platform "in violation" of FCRA regulations.

It said the actor had entered into a joint venture with the Lucknow located infrastructure group and "invested substantial funds", and said the taxman has unearthed "incriminating" evidence pertaining to tax evasion and irregularities in the account books.

"The search has revealed that the said group is involved in bogus billing of sub-contracting expenses and siphoning off of funds.

"Evidence of such bogus contracts found so far are to the tune of over Rs 65 crore," it said.

Evidence of unaccounted cash expenses, unaccounted sale of scrap and digital data evidencing unaccounted cash transactions has also been found.

The infra group "has entered into dubious circular transaction to the tune of Rs 175 crore with an infrastructure company based in Jaipur".

"Further investigations are being carried out to establish the full extent of tax evasion," it said.

The CBDT said Rs 1.8 crore cash has been seized during the raids and 11 lockers have been placed under "prohibitory orders".

A total of 28 premises in Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, and Gurgaon are being covered as part of the search operation.
Kochi: The Kerala High Court dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Sessy Xavier, an accused in a case for impersonating herself as a lawyer and practised in several courts in Alappuzha for two-and-half years without a law degree.

Justice Shircy V dismissed the bail plea and asked Sessy Xavier to surrender before the investigating officer forthwith.

Sessy Xavier had contested the Alappuzha Bar Association this year and won as a librarian though she was not a member of the association.

Sessy Xavier, who hails from the Alappuzha district, was accused of forging documents and the corresponding roll number of the Kerala Bar Council submitted to the Alappuzha Bar Council.

Earlier, the Alappuzha North Police registered an FIR against her based on the complaint Secretary, Alappuzha Bar Association. The offences charged against her include offences under section 417, (cheating), 419 (cheating by impersonation) and 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).

The FIR stated that Sessy Xavier by providing roll with No K 1177/2018, which is the roll number of an advocate practising in Thiruvananthapuram, acted as an advocate before the litigant and before the court.
The 22-acre land, where a fruit market is located, is to be shifted from Gaddiannaram to Koheda village in Peddamberpet mandal. (Representational image: AFP)

HYDERABAD: Telangana High Court on Friday directed the state government to place a copy of resolution passed by Agricultural Marketing Committee of Gaddiannaram, Hyderabad, handing over its land to government for building a super speciality hospital there.

The 22-acre land, where a fruit market is located, is to be shifted from Gaddiannaram to Koheda village in Peddamberpet mandal of Ranga Reddy district.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Justice T. Vinod Kumar issued the directive on an appeal by a traders society against handing over of the Gaddiannaram land. The appellant maintained that the marketing committee has no powers to alienate properties belonging to agricultural societies.

It had been submitted on July 7 that committee members of Gaddiannaram Agriculture Marketing Society had passed a resolution handing over 22 acres of its property in response to Telangana state cabinets proposal to build a government super speciality hospital at the location. The fruit market is to be shifted to a 178-acre land in Koheda village.
Paying tribute to the martyrs of Telangana, Etala Rajendar said that it was the need of hour to get the state liberated from the clutches of KCR.  DC Image

Karimnagar: The leaders of Opposition parties observed Telangana Liberation Day on a grand note here on Friday, and used the occasion to attack the TRS government and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

K. Padmakar Reddy, district Congress working president, said that during the statehood agitation, Chandrasekhar Rao had on several occasions questioned the then Congress government for not celebrating September 17 officially as Liberation Day.

He provoked the people saying that after formation of separate Telangana, the TRS would observe the day as Liberation Day on a grand note, the Congress leader said, speaking after hoisting the National Flag at the party office.

Even after seven years, the TRS government had not fulfilled its promise, he said.

Telangana was formed because of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he said. The party would government in future and celebrate Liberation Day officially, he said.

Congress leaders V. Raja Mallaiah, M. Mohan, J. Chakravarthi, R. Raji Reddy, B. Victor, K. Pochaiah, Anjaneyulu, S. Raji Reddy, N. Gopal Reddy and N. Srinivas Reddy were present.

At Jammikunta, BJP leader Etala Rajendar, former zilla parishad chairperson Tula Uma and other leaders celebrated Telangana Liberation Day by hoisting the National Flag before going to attend the public meeting of Union minister Amit Shah.

Paying tribute to the martyrs of Telangana, Etala Rajendar said that it was the need of hour to get the state liberated from the clutches of KCR. He said he had taken the first step towards this.

K. Srujan Kumar, CPI district joint secretary, and other leaders celebrated the day by unfurling the Tricolour at the party office here.

Speaking at the event, Srujan Kumar alleged that the Centre and state governments were incapable of celebrating Liberation Day.

He said wrong information was being fed about great warriors who participated in the Armed Struggle and there was an attempt to rewrite history with their own definitions. The state and central government must realize at least now and include the history of the Telangana Armed Struggle in school textbooks, he demanded.
Dont worry, said Manoj, Im here. Im here to serve. Its what Ive done through the pandemic. Serve senior citizens.

Sometimes when you want get something done, its the people you know. We all know how that works. Something goes wrong and you pull up your phone book or you discover someones someone knows the right person. Its not that these important someones someone can always help. They can try to, they can put in a word but lets be honest, being asked for too many favours too often does put people, and I mean all of us here, off.

But sometimes, its the more wonderful thing that happens. Help from unexpected quarters. Or from those not seen as important but are in fact far more significant in keeping the wheels turning than the big person in a fancy suit somewhere high up there.

Manoj was one of those people, one of the many we met in a short but harrowing journey from India to England this week.

We had a family visit planned to England two years ago. The pandemic put paid to that as it did to so many hopes and dreams and for some with horrific consequences.

Ours were not so bad. There was family to see, a wedding to attend and for my Father, 83, to meet his Brother, 88. Locked up for most of the pandemic, we had been spared the tragedy and horror that so badly affected so many across the planet.

Travelling in a pandemic though sucks out almost every aspect of pleasure the experience might have once had. Danger and the fear of danger hang in the air. Even before you leave, the preparations are more frenetic. The visa process, the questions, the forms, the Covid 19 tests, the waiting, the uncertainty. In asking for help in a random social media manner, help came from unexpected quarters.

From former colleagues and contacts from work world almost in another universe. They went out of their way to track progress and keep in touch with updates until the work was done. No simple thank yous are enough.

But Manoj wasnt in this category of person, someone you once knew or someones important someone. Manoj is one of the wheelchair attendants at Delhi airport. But thanks to Manoj, what would have been a traumatic wait, full of tension and bureaucracy and the tedium of travel when all you have to do is get onto an aeroplane, not chase hippos from across African rivers into Columbia, became plain sailing.

Thanks to Manoj, we whizzed through heightened security, long queues, confusing officialese and the mind fog that descends after 2 am without sleep and comfort. Manoj had said goodbye to us three hours earlier, but there he was back at half past two, with his efficiency and cheer. It is people like Manoj who are the cogs that keep the system together as someone pointed out.

But people like Manoj are more than that. They are the pleasures that remind us that being human is almost an art. A peon in a dusty government office is a vital cog in the wheel because he knows what the babus dont, because hes been there forever as babus have come and gone and because not all babus can be bothered. But that peon usually needs something to place under every paperweight in the chain of babus above him and he himself often wont even function without that initial funding. Manoj is not a cog in the same sense. Hes the joy.

Like the cabin crew of a Jet Airways flight four years ago. When they heard that my Father was travelling with his two daughters, they had a little impromptu party for us in their service area. They cut a cake and sang. There was no need to do it. But they did.

We will never forget it. And we still mourn the loss of an airline which provided the best service. Those who gave Jet its coveted status  its staff  are those who have suffered the most after the airline shut down. Capitalism works hard to build its capital and then forgets that all businesses have something to do with people. Profits, balance sheets, accountants and numbers are all very well. But without people what do they mean?

But I digress. As the flight ended, with more anxiety to follow  have you filled all the forms in correctly, what about all those stories about Brexit and massive queues, and all the frightening signages everywhere that the British are so fond of and good at.

Instead, although the lines were long, the wheelchair service at Heathrow was almost as good as Delhi, from the human angle anyway. Although I was a bit upset that all those complicated forms we had filled in and all the tests we had done, no one looked at them except the Air India staff!

In the airport terminal, from the helpful young woman who helped us with SIM cards to the woman who booked the taxi we suddenly decided to take making sure she got us the best rate, it was the people who took the tiredness out of travelling long journeys.

Its the Manojes that make you smile and remember at the end. And you know, with his mask on all the time, we never really saw his face at all.

But his kindness and generosity would be recognisable anywhere.
Following an investigation into the airstrike, which the U.S. first claimed was a "righteous attack" on a suspected ISIS-K vehicle bomber, the Pentagon admitted on Friday that the August 29 drone strike in Kabul, which killed 10 people, including seven children, was a "horrible mistake."

The statement came a week after in-depth investigations revealed that the US had likely mistaken Afghan charity worker Zemari Ahmadi for a terrorist and killed him and many members of his family.

Pentagon authorities confirmed Friday that a drone attack targeting Islamists in Afghanistan on August 29 killed innocent civilians, including children. The hit came after a horrific suicide bombing near Kabul airport last month, which killed 13 US military members and dozens of Afghan civilians, and was originally credited with preventing another assault.

Biden administration's Kabul drone strike kills innocent people

After allegations that the drone's Hellfire missile killed as many as ten people and had not averted a terror act, as US authorities first claimed, Central Command launched a formal inquiry, known as "15-6," as per NBC News.

According to relatives, the ten people killed were all members of the same extended family, including the seven children. Some of the children were as young as two and three years old. Ahmadi's cousin, Zemari Ahmadi, a technical engineer for a US assistance organization, was the driver of the targeted vehicle.

The New York Times reports some of Ahmadi's actions on the day of the strike may have been misunderstood by U.S. military surveillance, which was on high alert for a terror attack after the Islamic State of Khorasan claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing outside Kabul airport. The military mistook bottles of water for bombs in Ahmadi's car, according to the New York Times, which cited a video of his actions earlier in the day.

Republican lawmakers criticized the Biden administration on Friday after the US military revealed that a drone attack near Kabul's airport on August 29 went wrong, killing ten people instead of the intended target, Islamic State terrorists.

According to NY Post, Republican opponents have claimed that the fatalities are a result of President Joe Biden's tumultuous troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which has resulted in the rapid fall of the Afghan government and the rise of the Taliban.

The Biden administration has been chastised for its military withdrawal strategy, with legislators from both parties asking why officials ignored intelligence warnings that the Taliban would rise without U.S. forces on the ground.

Read Also: Jen Psaki Dodges on Questions About Joe Biden's Honesty in Afghan Pullout; Claims President Has No Medical Issue Over Persistent Cough

Gen. McKenzie explains the issue

Critics have lambasted the administration for failing to get all Americans and allies out of the country by the deadline and for the deaths of ten military personnel in the days leading up to the departure, raising concerns about the impact on foreign relations with allies and the ability to gather intelligence on regional adversaries.

Command General Kenneth McKenzie said an aid worker and nine members of his family, including seven children, were killed in a drone attack on an ISIS-K operative on August 29. The youngest casualty was a two-year-old child. It was started in the aftermath of a terror assault on Kabul airport on August 26 that claimed the lives of at least 182 people.

Per Express.co, General McKenzie explained the issue during a news briefing at the Pentagon. ISIS-K operatives were spotted unloading a Corolla in front of a facility, according to intelligence.

The Corolla "contained explosives" and was driven between places on a map displayed at the conference. At 4:39 p.m., the vehicle dropped off a passenger and traveled three kilometers from the airport to its final destination.

The United States was "concerned" that the vehicle "might travel fast" towards the airport, and it was hit just before 5 p.m. A "single hellfire missile" was launched with the goal of minimizing civilian fatalities. However, at 4.53 p.m., it burst "in an unusual way" for the explosive.

General McKenzie described the impact as a "massive fireball," with a second detonation occurring shortly after the missile hit. They first assumed the second burst was caused by explosives, but Gen. McKenzie said the vehicle's oil tank was the "most likely" source of the larger blast.

Related Article: Taliban Allows 200 Foreigners to Leave Kabul After Claim That US State Department Blame Them for Stand Off



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Former United States President Donald Trump recently condemned the prosecution of his supporters who were part of the mob during the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot after he was impeached for allegedly inciting the unprecedented incident.

Trump's statement that defended the rioters came after Washington police finished preparing for the organized "Justice for J^" rally that was scheduled on Saturday to be held outside the Capitol. The event is being held in support of the defendants who were being tried for criminal charges for their role in the riot.

Donald Trump Defends Capitol Rioters

In a response to the Republican businessman's statements, Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. accused the former president of once again trying to stir up an insurrection that could get people killed. In a Twitter post, Pascrell said that "nothing has changed" and was calling for Trump's arrest and prosecution for his involvement in the Jan. 6 incident.

Authorities reinstalled fencing around the perimeter of the Capitol building in expectation of the Saturday event. Additionally, the Capitol Police Board issued an emergency declaration that will give Capitol Police the authority to deputize outside law enforcement officers and give them orders, CNBC reported.

On Wednesday, the department revealed that it had requested the Pentagon to make members of the National Guard available to respond quickly to the rally if they become needed. The Capitol Police did not immediately provide a response to Trump's defense of the prosecuted rioters.

Read Also: Ex-Australian PM Blasts Trilateral Nuclear Submarine Deal With US, UK; Doubts Biden's Credibility To Stand Up to China

In his statement, Trump claimed, without evidence, that his supporters who were involved in the Capitol Hill riot were arrested without officers having "proven conclusively that we are a two-tiered system of justice."

Since the Jan. 6 riot, at least four Capitol police who protected the Capitol building against the large crowd of rioters have committed suicide. Far-right supporters have planned the Justice for J6 event as a means of showing their support for the rioters who were arrested for involvement in the Capitol riot, Yahoo News reported.

Melania's Silence Amid the Issue

The situation comes as Melania Trump, the former Republican president's wife, has remained relatively quiet about the incident that took place on Jan. 6. In one address, the former first lady was less concerned about the happenings of that day and expressed her anger at attacks on her character.

"I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me, from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain," Melania, or someone from her office wrote.

Previously, it was believed that when the Capitol riot occurred, Melania refused to issue a plea to urge the end of the violence. While some may have believed that the former first lady discussed the issue with her staff regarding the issue, there was apparently very little talk that involved the topic of the Jan. 6 insurrection. When rioters broke through barricades around the Capitol building, Melania refused to address the issue, Vanity Fair reported.



Related Article: 2 Dozen Republican Attorneys General To Seek Legal Action if Biden Pursues Vaccine Mandate for 100 Million Americans

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United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken committed on Friday to forge diplomatic ties between Israel and Arab states as part of U.S. President Joe Biden's administration's efforts to support the relationship between the nations.

On the one-year anniversary of the signing of the documents named the Abraham Accords between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, a Zoom meeting was held. The video conference was attended by officials from each nation and is where Blinken pledged that the Biden administration will continue its efforts to build international friendships.

Developing Diplomatic Ties With Israel

In the Zoom meeting, Blinken detailed three main lines of effort that would help the agreements, which developed Israel's relationship with the UAE and Bahrain. The deal also fostered its ties with Morocco, Sudan, and Kosovo. The agreement deepened Israel's current friendship with Egypt and Jordan, which urged more countries to sign the Abraham Accords.

Following the months that the agreement was initially signed, Sudan and Morocco joined the relationship deal. But Kosovo agreed to recognize Israel in a separate U.S.-managed agreement that involved Serbia, Times of Israel reported.

"We want to widen the circle of peaceful diplomacy because it's in the interest of countries across the region and around the world for Israel to be treated like any other country," Blinken said during the Zoom meeting.

Read Also: Kabul Drone Strike: Biden Administration's Devastating Attack Kills Innocent Children, US Admits Affecting Civilians in Afghanistan

One of the ways that Blinken revealed to develop international ties with Israel was having the United States support the relationship between the nation and other Arab states. Citing Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's recent trip to Cairo, Blinken said it was the first time an Israel head of state visited Egypt in the last decade.

Blinken also said that the Biden administration will continue to encourage other countries to forge diplomatic relationships with Israel. The official argued it was in the best interests of countries in the region and worldwide to include Israel in global issues, Aljazeera reported.

Normalization Between Israel and Arab States

But the Biden administration previously noted that normalization between Israel and Arab states would not be considered as a substitute for peace between Israel and Palestine. Bu the agreements were seen as vexing by Palestinian leaders who considered last year's deal to be a "stab in the back."

During the Zoom meeting, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid agreed with Blinken, saying that the Abraham Accords club was giving an open invitation to everyone who wanted to join. The deal came as Palestinian leaders said the agreements were made without first demanding the progression of a Palestinian state.

Some critics have also argued that former United States President Donald Trump supported Arab developing diplomatic ties with Israel while he ignored calls from the Palestinian people that called for statehood. Blinken, however, sought to reforge ties with the Palestinians which he considered to have been badly damaged under Trump's presidency.

The secretary of state said everyone must contribute to the development of the relationships and growing normalization. Blinken argued they could make tangible improvements in the lives of the Palestinian people as well and contribute to their long-standing goal of bringing peace to Israelis and Palestinians, The Jerusalem Post reported.



Related Article: Rikers Island Spirals Into Chaos Amid Pandemic, Becomes Too Dangerous For Jail Reforms

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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Time Magazine cover is a "stab in the heart" of Queen Elizabeth's reputation, according to a royal expert. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were ranked among the top 100 most influential people in the world by the magazine this week.

Prince Harry stood behind his 40-year-old wife, his arms on her right shoulder, in glossy photos. The image represents the Sussexes' "strong chemistry as equal partners," according to Dilys Ng, Time's picture editor.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no strangers to controversy, but their appearance on the cover of TIME magazine has sparked outrage. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were included in TIME's 100 Most Influential People list in the "Icons" section this year.

However, some social media users are criticizing the photograph for seeming stiff and "awkward." Prince Harry, whose birthday was just a few days ago, and his wife Meghan Markle were celebrated in the special issue by their good friend and chef Jose Andres for their activism and philanthropy work.

Fans notice Meghan Marle, Prince Harry's body language

According to Yahoo, fans couldn't help but notice that the body language and blank faces on the cover image picked felt odd, considering the warmth they are known for displaying on the field.

Despite the negative reactions to the photo chosen, chef Andres, who created the World Central Kitchen and worked with Prince Harry and Meghan to help feed underprivileged areas, had nothing but positive things to say about the pair in the accompanying article.

Eric Schiffer, chairman of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek that because of the higher implied credibility it provides them and their prior allegations against the crown, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry receiving a cover place in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People will be viewed as a stab in the heart of the Monarchy's reputation.

The couple's presence on the list comes six months after they made an explosive Oprah interview in which they accused an unidentified member of the Royal Family of racism.

Meghan Markle also told Oprah that she felt suicidal while working as a royal, but that her cries for help were ignored. The couple's appearance in Time magazine was featured under the "Icons" section, with other notable figures who have graced the cover of the publication, including Barack Obama, the first black US president.

Read Also: Why BBC's Martyn Bashir Won't Face British Criminal Investigation Over Deceitful Princess Diana Interview?

TIME 100 named the Sussexes as "most influential" people

It was accompanied by a brief profile that omitted the couple's royal feud, as per The Sun.The Duke and Duchess showed compassion for people they don't know in a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don't know, according to Jose Andres, whose food aid group works closely with the Archewell Foundation.

On their website shortly after the news broke, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry expressed their gratitude for being included in this year's TIME 100, writing that they were "humbled to be part of this year's TIME 100" and praising World Trade Organization Director-General Okonjo-Iweala, who was also shortlisted.

In September, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were named two of Time magazine's top 100 "most influential" individuals, and they graced the cover of one of the magazine's issues. Body language expert Judi James, on the other hand, believes the Sussex royals have a "staged look" in one of their Time photos.

Writer Jose Andres commended Meghan and Harry for their "compassion" in an accompanying piece. But James was critical of their photograph, calling it unnatural and staged.

In an interview with Fabulous Digital, James revealed that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may be recognized when they are striking a characteristic Hollywood pose. James continued by remarking that the Sussexes' eye contact in the Time shots was rigid.

Per Express.co, it comes after James said the Time photos portray Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in a "completely different light." According to the expert, it accurately depicts the power dynamic between the two, favoring Meghan while Prince Harry is behind.

Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Accused of "Breathtaking Entitlement" Amid Request to Baptize Daughter, Lilibet in the UK



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China applies to join Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTTP)

China has applied to join a major Asia-Pacific trade partnership that the US abandoned several years ago, as the world second-largest economy tries to strengthen its ties in the region. Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), according to a statement released by the Ministry of Commerce late Thursday.

The CPTPP is a free trade agreement among 11 countries that came into force in December 2018, including Mexico, Australia, Canada and Singapore. It follows the WITHDRAWAL of the United States from TPP in 2017 under former President Donald Trump.

The TPP was negotiated under former US President Barack Obama, who wanted to counter China growing influence in the region by implementing US-backed Labour, environmental and patent protections.

Mr. Obama wanted the deal to be a key part of his legacy, but his successor, Mr. Trump, withdrew the United States from the partnership in 2017.

US President Joe Biden supported the TPP when he was Mr. Obama vice-president. But his position has changed over the years: While running for president in 2019, Biden said he would not rejoin TPP as originally proposed.

At a press briefing on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Said China efforts to join the CPTPP have nothing to do with the trilateral agreement between the US, UK and Australia.

China is pushing for economic co-operation and regional integration while the US, UK and Australia are pushing for war and destruction, he added.

Alex Capri, a fellow at the Hinrich Foundation, said that even if China were allowed to join the CPTPP, it might find some aspects of the agreement challenging. He specifically mentioned e-commerce and data standards, though he said China could find loopholes.

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Nona Gaprindashvili, a Soviet-era chess grandmaster from Georgia, speaks during an interview in Tbilisi, Georgia May 10, 2019 in this file photo. Reuters-Yonhap



The world's first female chess grandmaster, Nona Gaprindashvili, has filed a $5 million defamation lawsuit against Netflix over a line in its "The Queen's Gambit" series which her lawyers say is false and sexist.



The 80-year old Soviet chess icon, a hero in her native South Caucasus Republic of Georgia, was described in the show's last episode as a female champion who had "never faced men."



The suit filed on Gaprindashvili's behalf in a U.S. federal court in Los Angeles said the reference to her was "degrading her accomplishments before an audience of many millions."



The legal papers seen by Reuters said the five-times world champion was "the first woman in history to achieve the status of international chess grandmaster among men."



She had played against at least 59 male chess players by 1968, the year in which the episode was set, according to the legal papers.



Netflix did not immediately reply to a request for comment but was cited in U.S. media as saying it would "vigorously defend the case."



"We believe this claim has no merit," a spokesperson for U.S. streaming giant was quoted as saying.



"The Queen's Gambit," based on a 1983 novel by Walter Tevis, tells the story of young orphan Beth Harmon who becomes the world's best chess player in the Cold War era.



Harmon, who is played by Anya Taylor-Joy, is described by Netflix as someone "determined to conquer the traditional boundaries established in the male-dominated world of competitive chess."



The series won two Golden Globes this year and nabbed 18 nominations at this weekend's 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. It is said to have inspired more women to take up chess.



Gaprindashvili's lawyers say the series, released in October 2020, caused her professional harm and want the line about her never facing men removed, calling it "grossly sexist and belittling."



The lawsuit accuses the series of continuing to cause Gaprindashvili, who competes in senior chess tournaments, "irreparable damage."



Netflix, headquartered in California, hired Russian former world champion Garry Kasparov and American national master Bruce Pandolfini as their consultants. (Reuters)






The United States remains committed to engaging with North Korea in a diplomatic approach to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department said Friday.







Pyongyang earlier said the continued deadlock in dialogue between the two was because of what it claims was U.S. hostility toward the North.







"The United States remains committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK, and we also call on the DPRK to engage in dialogue," Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokeswoman for the State Department, said when asked to comment on the North's renewed accusation.







The DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.







In a commentary carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency, Friday (KST), North Korea also accused the U.S. of a "double standard," noting that Washington called the North's recent ballistic missile launches a provocation while keeping silent on one by South Korea that followed hours later.







North Korea test fired two short-range ballistic missiles earlier this week, which coincided with Seoul's test of an indigenous submarine-launched ballistic missile the same day.







Washington earlier condemned the North Korean missile launches, calling them a clear violation of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions.







However, State Department spokesman Ned Price said dialogue was the only way forward.







"We are, in the midst of this, committed to a diplomatic approach to the DPRK, and we call on the DPRK to engage in a meaningful and substantive dialogue with us," he said earlier.







Pyongyang has stayed away from denuclearization talks with Washington since early 2019. (Yonhap)


Seen is an example of an online memorial site created at "eSky Funeral Information System," a virtual memorial platform developed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Funeral Culture and Policy Institute in 2020. Screenshot from eSky Funeral Information System



By Lee Hae-rin



Virtual memorial services that enable "seongmyo," a visit to one's ancestral graves ahead of the Chuseok holiday, is taking root here as the pandemic rolls on.



The Ministry of Health and Welfare has provided the online memorial service at "eSky funeral information system" since last September, as a means to follow strictly the social distancing protocol in place during one of the country's two traditional holidays, the other being the Lunar New Year.



ESky is a free online memorial platform jointly developed by the ministry and the Korean Funeral Culture and Policy Institute (KFCP), where people can create a virtual memorial space and share it with other family members via social media.



So far, ahead of the three-day holiday that runs from this coming Monday to Wednesday, over 133,600 people have accessed the website to set up virtual memorials during the first two weeks of September, amounting to over 5,100 daily users, according the ministry.



The ministry added that the number of actual online participants could be greater. Normally, only one member of the family joins the website and then shares the virtual space with the entire family.



The online memorial platform made several improvements based on user feedback from the two previous traditional holiday seasons. Users can now personalize the memorial sites with images, voice recordings and videos, and customize ritual tables with a greater variety of dishes, while chatting with other family members via the memorial platform.



"Online grave visits have provided families and relatives with a new place to gather. We hope that the virtual memorial system establishes itself as yet another custom in Korea's funeral culture after the end of the pandemic," Ko Kyung-suk, the director of the KFCP, said in an interview with a media outlet.



In response to the current social distancing measures in place during this fourth wave of the coronavirus, all 11 national cemeteries will be closed by the Ministry of Patriots and Veteran Affairs, while local municipalities, including Seoul and Incheon, either are limiting the number of memorial participants or closing their cemetery facilities during the Chuseok holiday.






Daily new COVID-19 infections exceeded 2,000 for the second consecutive day Saturday amid worries about a possible upsurge after a major holiday when people are expected to travel across the country in droves.







The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reported an additional 2,087 COVID-19 cases, including 2,047 local ones, raising the total caseload to 284,022.







The country added five more deaths from COVID-19, raising the toll to 2,394 for a fatality rate of 0.84 percent.







This marked the second day in a row daily infections have topped 2,000, and the latest tally was also the fourth largest number of new cases since the first was confirmed early last year.







New infections have remained above 1,000 daily for 74 consecutive days amid the fast spread of the more transmissible Delta variant nationwide.







The KDCA remains on high alert as the coronavirus spread could further expand in other regions after the five-day Chuseok holiday running from Saturday through Wednesday, when a people are expected to travel nationwide in huge numbers.







The authorities have urged people to minimize travel and gatherings during the holiday, and also plan to enforce special quarantine measures, including running COVID-19 testing clinics at highway rest stops, for two weeks through Sept. 26.







The KDCA sought to increase the vaccination rate in a bid to reduce exposure to the coronavirus ahead of the holiday.







As of early Saturday, a total of 36.08 million people, or 70.3 percent of the country's population, have received their first shots of a COVID-19 vaccine while 21.93 million people, or 42.7 percent, have been fully vaccinated, the KDCA said. South Korea targets to see 70 percent of the population fully vaccinated by the end of October.







Of the newly confirmed domestic cases, 700 were in Seoul, 665 in the surrounding Gyeonggi Province, and 145 in the western port city of Incheon.







Busan, the country's second-largest city, added 49 cases, while the southeastern city of Daegu reported 71.







Imported cases, which include South Korean nationals, came to 40, with the total number of imported cases standing now at 14,123. (Yonhap)


Many sections of major highways in South Korea remained congested with heavy traffic Saturday morning as millions of people headed to their hometowns to celebrate the Chuseok holiday with their families.







According to the Korea Expressway Corp (KEC), cars moved at a slow pace in some sections of the major highway linking Seoul to the country's second-largest southern port city of Busan as of 8:10 a.m.







Traffic congestion was also spotted on the western highway along the country's western coast, while cars in the central highway running through the country were also forced to "stop and go" due to roads clogged with many vehicles coming out to reach their homes early in the day.







The Chuseok holiday, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., will run from Saturday through Wednesday. Millions of people usually travel across the country for family gatherings or tourism.







The KEC estimated that around 4.47 million vehicles will be on roads nationwide Saturday.







As of 9 a.m., it was estimated to take five hours and 10 minutes to drive from Seoul to Busan, four hours and 50 minutes to Ulsan, three hours and 40 minutes to Gwangju and two hours and 40 minutes to Gangneung, respectively.







The KEC expects travel jams on major highways leaving Seoul will peak at around noon before easing at around 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.







This year' Chuseok holiday comes amid a protracted nationwide fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea's daily infections exceeded 2,000 for the second straight day Friday.







The health authorities had advised people against long-distance travel and large-group gatherings amid worries that infections could spike after the five-day holiday. (Yonhap)


President Moon Jae-in / Yonhap



President Moon Jae-in plans to leave for the United States, Sunday, to attend the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly, according to Cheong Wa Dae.



Moon will participate in the annual meeting for the fifth consecutive year since his inauguration in May 2017. Last year, the event was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the President took part via video conference.



President Moon is scheduled to deliver a speech at the U.N. session in New York, Tuesday (local time).



He is expected to emphasize the importance of international solidarity to overcome the coronavirus crisis, achieve "inclusive recovery" and tackle climate change.



Also drawing attention is his message on regional peace. This year marks the 30th anniversary of South and North Korea becoming members of the U.N.



Moon may make a fresh overture to Pyongyang in a bid to vitalize his long-stalled Korea "peace process." North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing earlier this week in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.



"President Moon will express South Korea's commitment to continuing efforts for dialogue and cooperation at the U.N. General Assembly to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and improve inter-Korean relations," a Cheong Wa Dae official said. "He will also request continued interest and support from the international community."



On Monday, Moon will attend the opening ceremony of the Sustainable Development Goals Moment (SDG Moment) event, along with the members of BTS, a South Korean boy band that has become a global sensation.



The President recently appointed members of the group as "special presidential envoys for future generations and culture."



The SDG Moment is designed to help galvanize the campaign to achieve the U.N.-led goals adopted in 2015.



Moon and BTS plan to appeal to the world for closer partnerships to resolve pending global challenges.



He will also hold a series of bilateral meetings with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his Slovenian and Vietnamese counterparts  Borut Pahor and Nguyen Xuan Phuc.



Following his activities in New York, Moon is scheduled to head to Hawaii, where a ceremony will be held for the transfer of the remains of South Korean and American troops killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.



It is the first time for a South Korean president to attend a war remains handover ceremony abroad.



"Through the event, (Moon) will reaffirm the South Korea-U.S. alliance and stress (the government's) commitment to unlimited responsibility for those who have sacrificed for the nation," the presidential office stated.



President Moon is to return to Seoul, Thursday. (Yonhap)


Lee Nak-yon, left, and Lee Jae-myung / Yonhap



Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung and his archrival in the ruling party's primary for the 2022 presidential election, Lee Nak-yon, have embarked on campaigning in the key battleground region of "Honam," where they will face off in two high-stakes votes next week.



Having competed in four electoral regions, including Chungcheong and Gangwon Province, so far, the two Lees are bracing for regional primary votes in the Gwangju-South Jeolla Province and North Jeolla Province regions, together referred to sometimes as Honam, next Saturday and Sunday, respectively.



The two-day votes in Honam, taking place at the midpoint of the 11-leg primary race of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), are projected to be a watershed that could make or break front-runner Lee Jae-myung's drive for a clean, early primary victory.



Both the Gyeonggi governor and the ex-DPK leader are betting big on the ongoing traditional holiday of Chuseok as a chance to muster support for the upcoming poll in Honam, an unwavering support base for the liberal party.



The Gyeonggi governor is currently on a four-day campaign trail in the region that started Thursday and has enlisted the help of some 50 fellow DP lawmakers to rally support during the major homecoming holiday.



Having accumulated more than 51 percent of the votes so far, His campaign seeks to nail down the governor's landslide primary lead in the Honam poll in order to win the party's ticket to run in the March 9 presidential election without having to face a run-off vote. The DPK is required to call a run-off vote that will pit the front-runner against the runner-up if none of the contenders wins more than half of the total votes.



With an accumulated 31 percent of the votes, the ex-DPK leader, born and raised in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, is angling to turn the tide in his home region.



Following his campaign near the region's Mount Mudeung set for Sunday, Lee Nak-yon will meet with voters in Honam until Tuesday. In what appears to be a politically-choreographed move aimed at winning over voters there, he also gave up his National Assembly seat after losing the party's first four regional primary votes earlier this month.



Who wins Honam, home to a population of 200,000 paid-up party members, the biggest by region, is highly likely to decide the final outcome of the primary.



Many predict public opinion in the region is still in flux, especially at a time when the Gyeonggi governor is being hit with corruption allegations from opposition lawmakers who charge that while serving as mayor of Seongnam, he gave a "business favor" to a firm owned by a journalist allowing it to join one of the city's lucrative land development projects in the Pangyo area.



The issue is currently emerging as a point of contention as the two Lees and three other DPK presidential contenders  ex-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Reps. Park Yong-jin and Kim Doo-gwan  are bracing for a TV debate in Gwangju next Thursday.



"Given Honam's tendency to throw support behind a candidate who has a high chance of election victory, (we believe) our camp has more supporters," an official at the Gyeonggi governor's camp told Yonhap News Agency. "But we will continue to rally support right up to the last minute, since public opinion could abruptly change during Chuseok." (Yonhap)


A close-up view of a whale stranded purportedly in Korea in 1946-47. Robert Neff Collection



By Robert Neff



In February 1912, an American arrived at a small Japanese whaling station near Ulsan, Korea. He was 28 years old, a naturalist and an explorer, and possibly the inspiration for Indiana Jones; he was Roy Chapman Andrews.



Andrews came to Korea in search of the Koku Kujira, or "devilfish," that were said to haunt the coasts of the Korean peninsula. He was convinced that the Koku Kujira were, in fact, gray whales. These whales were once encountered in great numbers off the western coast of North America, but were hunted so extensively that by 1870 they were nearly, if not completely, extinct.



Andrews convinced his employer  the American Museum of Natural History in the United States  to allow him to travel to Korea on a great scientific mission "to rediscover a supposedly extinct species."



The whaling station, situated in a bay sheltered by tree-less hills, would be his home for the next six weeks. Judging from Andrews, the whaling vessels at the station were privately owned by Scandinavians  especially Norwegians  who hunted the whales for a commission. The crews of these whaling vessels were mainly European and Japanese. The surrounding Korean population tended to their own small farms or loitered around the station in hopes of part-time work.



The situation may have been true years earlier (and possibly in this case), but by the early 1910s, most of these whaling operations seemed to have been mainly Japanese enterprises. In November 1909, the Oriental Whaling Company had three whaling vessels operating along the coast of Gangwon Province. The three ships had a combined crew of one hundred and three men (85 Japanese and 18 Koreans) and was so successful that the company intended to purchase several more ships.





View of the whale from the roadside in 1946-47. Robert Neff Collection



It is interesting to note that whales may have been the reason why he was in Korea, but one of the first subjects Andrews described was Korean women. He seems to have been greatly intrigued by them.



"Women in voluminous white skirts with bright colored sashes and jackets so short that their naked breasts appeared beneath. Some girls were really lovely: delicate oval faces, skins almost white and soft brown eyes. To a Westerner the Korean girls are much prettier than either the Chinese or Japanese women. I suppose because their features more nearly approximate our own."



He was somewhat perplexed with the Korean idea of modesty, noting that a woman's room was inviolate  only her husband, brother or father were allowed to enter. Men were prohibited from going upon their own roofs unless they first warned their neighbors, so that the women of the household could be safely ushered away from the inadvertent wandering eye of a male who was not part of their household. "Custom decrees that women may expose their faces and breasts without offense, but nothing else."



Andrews had "an insatiable curiosity" about his Korean hosts, so he sought answers from a fairly unlikely source:



"I could speak Japanese fairly well and one of the young clerks at the station knew a little English. I am afraid I exhausted him with my ceaseless questioning but he was invariably polite."



Curiosity, however, went both ways. Andrews claimed that whenever he went into the small Korean village near the whaling station, the Korean women would poke holes in their paper windows and spy upon him as he passed by; their "gurgling sounds of laughter" trailed behind him.



Life at the whaling station when there were no whales to butcher, was generally spent drinking and in the company of the Japanese geisha and the Korean "sing-song" girls. However, when one of the whaling ships arrived in port with a whale, the port became a busy, vibrant and smooth-running operation. Within hours of the whale's arrival at the station, it was butchered into great chunks of meat and shipped to Japan in a meat steamer. Only the head, flippers, viscera and bones remained.





Stranded whales, sometimes referred to as the "lottery of the sea," could be sold for a very good price in Korea. Circa 1946-47. Robert Neff Collection
Lee Jeong-cheol, center, poses after receiving the grand prize of $2,000 for winning the 14th Freedom Speakers International (FSI) English Speech Contest at the Next Korea Future Foundation office in Seoul, Sept. 11. Lee donated half of the prize money to FSI. Courtesy of Voices from the North



On Sept. 11 at the Next Korea Foundation office, Freedom Speakers International (FSI) held its 14th English speech contest. Eight North Korean refugees competed in the contest sponsored by The Shin and Kim Law Office, Next Korea Foundation, the Atlas Network and the Korea Hana Foundation. The theme of the contest: "I am from North Korea." Lee Jeong-cheol, who joined FSI in 2015 as a student, was selected as the winner by a panel of judges. His main mentor getting him prepared to speak at the contest was Irene Yoon.  ED.



By Lee Jeong-cheol



North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, has accused North Koreans in South Korea of being defectors, defining this word as being synonymous with "traitors and trash." I think many of you have seen Kim Yo-jong in the media. One of her roles is being the North's voice who places all blame on South Korea.



Those words used in her statement are not good words, right? Not to mention, they are so negative.



The North Korean regime always accuses North Koreans like me who left the regime as being traitors. Also, the world calls us North Korean defectors. And you know what? One of the more obscure synonyms for "defector" is "traitor."



One day, this made me ask, "Am I a traitor?" Today, I want to talk about the words defector and traitor by looking back on my life in North Korea.



My father was a teacher in North Korea. He was an elementary school teacher and also worked?as a carpenter.



However, his income was only about $3 a month. Not $300 or $3,000  just three dollars. In many parts of North Korea, regardless of whether you work as a teacher, doctor or public servant, people were getting paid about $3 a month when I was there. To put this bluntly, North Koreans are working as slaves.



The thing is, you cannot buy 1 kilogram of?rice with the money, far from enough to feed a family.



So my mother had to do something that I called a "business"  or maybe smuggling. She went to China to sell things like copper, silver, even animals like frogs. That's how my family could survive.



Because of that, she went to prison many times because that kind of business was illegal in North Korea. But she managed to get out by offering bribes. One day, she went to China, and never came back.?She did not want to go to prison again.



That's how the rest of my family got separated from my mother. This happened when I was eight years old. After she left, my family suffered from hunger.



Seven years later, she contacted me and asked me, "Why don't you join me in China?" I said yes. There was no reason to stay in North Korea. I knew that at least I would not have to worry about having enough food in China.



In South Korea, there are about 34,000 North Korean defectors. Most of them left North Korea because of?severe hunger. I am one of them. We got nothing from the regime but hunger.



For this reason, when I think about North Korea, most of my childhood memories are related to starving.



Now, I want to ask you: Does leaving North Korea to escape from hunger mean I am a traitor?



I lived in China for nine months in 2006, and I came to South Korea in 2007.



One thing I got to know after I started to live in South Korea was that living here is much better than living in North Korea. There is no comparison  no match. I can use a computer, the internet, and most importantly, hunger is not a problem here.



The North Korean regime usually propagates that North Korea is a paradise on earth. The regime says North Koreans have nothing to envy in the world, which is not true. However, I used to believe that was true because I had been brainwashed.



Of course, I don't buy it anymore. North Korea was almost hell, and when I chose to leave it to come to South Korea, it felt like paradise. Because of this decision I made, the North Korean regime accuses North Koreans like me of being defectors/traitors.



I want to ask you again: Does choosing paradise over hell mean I am a traitor?



The funny thing is, many people in South Korea, including the media, call North Koreans defectors. That's the same word that the North Korean regime is using.



Fourteen years ago, when I first arrived to South Korea, I was afraid of being called a defector. I tried to hide my background because I am from North Korea and North Korea is an enemy to South Korea.



However, I don't mind revealing my background anymore. I always talk about my hometown, Hyesan, whenever I introduce myself to someone.



Today, one of the reasons that I am here is not to ask you what to call me. I think it's pointless to focus on the meaning of the words for North Koreans because the important thing is what kind of life you live.



But I want to ask you to take a moment to think about the meaning of the label "North Korean?defectors," especially if you sincerely want to talk about the lives of North Koreans. Sometimes labels determine who you are.



Kim Yo-jong calls North Koreans like me traitors. Many other people around the world refer to us using the same word.



Do I look like a defector? A traitor? What do you think?





Casey Lartigue Jr., co-founder of Freedom Speakers International and a lecturer in public speaking at Seoul University of Foreign Studies, edited this text for publication.


Shine Muscat grapes grown at a farm in North Gyeongsang Province / Courtesy of the North Gyeongsang Province Government



By Yoon Ja-young



Fruits that come with high price tags are flying off the shelves, prompting farmers to switch to these new crops, as they purport to bring higher incomes.



According to Shinsegae Department Store, orders for its Chuseok holiday gift box comprising apple mangos and Shine Muscat grapes increased by 27 percent compared with the previous year, surpassing by far the 4.7 percent growth of the total sales of fruit gifts.



Shine Muscat grapes are a variety of seedless green grapes first developed in Japan, boasting high sugar content. They are more expensive than conventional grapes. At E-mart's online shopping mall, a 2.5-kilogram box containing three bunches of Shine Muscat grapes comes with a 66,600 won ($57) price tag, while a 3-kilogram box of top-grade Campbell grapes grown in Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, is sold at 19,500 won.



Despite the high prices, Shine Muscat grapes took 53.6 percent of the total grape sales at E-mart from August of last year to April of this year, which is up 22 percentage points from the same period a year earlier. E-mart expects that it will occupy to 70 percent of the total grape sales this year.



"They are expensive, but I buy them from time to time as my son loves them. I wish the prices would go down," said Kim Eun-ha, a housewife in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. She said it is hard to say no every time her son says he wants the "sweet green grapes."



As demand for the grapes is soaring, their cultivation is also increasing. According to the agriculture ministry, the cultivation area of Shine Muscat grapes in the country totaled 3,579 hectares this year, nearly doubling from 1,867 hectares in 2019.



Farmers are also increasing the production of apple mangos, a variety of mango with reddish skin that is sweeter than the conventional type. At SSG Food Market, a single apple mango weighing 300 grams from Jeju Island is priced at 19,800 won.



"I would rather have only one apple mango than a few ordinary yellow mangoes. Its flavor is totally different," said Ha Hyun-ju, an office worker in Busan. She said she has been enjoying other subtropical and tropical fruits, as they remind her of her summer vacations in Southeast Asia before the pandemic.



Local governments are encouraging farmers to grow unconventional subtropical fruits to increase their incomes. According to the Rural Development Administration, the cultivation area of subtropical fruits totaled 170 hectares as of 2019, up over 50 percent from 2017. Mangos and passion fruit topped the list in terms of cultivation area, followed by bananas and dragon fruit.



These fruits can now grow in Korea due to rising temperatures. Local governments are supporting farmers switching to these crops, as the temperatures are expected to continue rising. If global warming continues at its current pace, 62.3 percent of Korea's cultivation area is expected to become subtropical by 2080, some reports show.





In this November 2018 file photo, a farmer harvests dragon fruit at his farm in Yeongdong County, North Chungcheong Province. Courtesy of Yeongdong County




Colorado's Jared Polis, who became the first openly gay man in the United States to be elected governor in 2018, has married his longtime partner and first gentleman Marlon Reis, a writer and animal welfare advocate.







Polis, 46, and Reis, 40, were married in a traditional Jewish ceremony attended by family and friends in Boulder, Wednesday, the governor's office said. Rabbi Tirzah Firestone officiated.







They have been together for 18 years and have two children, a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. The family lives in Boulder.







Polis, a Democrat, and Reis were engaged in December as Reis was preparing to be hospitalized after contracting COVID-19. Reis was released from the hospital after two days. Polis also caught the coronavirus but had only mild symptoms.







''The greatest lesson we have learned over the past 18 months is that life as we know it can change in an instant," the couple said in a statement. ''We are thankful for the health and wellbeing of our family and friends, and the opportunity to celebrate our life together as a married couple.'' (AP)


French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian speaks during a joint press conference with his Qatari counterpart in Qatar's capital Doha, Sept. 13. AFP-Yonhap



America's oldest ally, France, recalled its ambassador to the United States, Friday, in an unprecedented show of anger that dwarfed decades of previous rifts.



The relationship conceived in 18th century revolutions appeared at a tipping point after the U.S., Australia and Britain shunned France in creating a new Indo-Pacific security arrangement.



It was the first time ever France has recalled its ambassador to the U.S., according to the French foreign ministry. Paris also recalled its envoy to Australia.



Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement that the French decision, on request from President Emmanuel Macron, ''is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements'' made by Australia and the United States.



He said Australia's decision to scrap a big French conventional submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology is ''unacceptable behavior between allies and partners.''



Ambassador Philippe Etienne tweeted the announcements are ''directly affecting the vision we have of our alliances, of our partnerships and of the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.''



The Biden administration has been in close contact with French officials about the decision to recall Etienne to Paris, National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said.



''We understand their position and will continue to be engaged in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance," she said in a statement. ''France is our oldest ally and one of our strongest partners, and we share a long history of shared democratic values and a commitment to working together to address global challenges.''



State Department spokesman Ned Price also stressed the value the U.S. places on its relationship with France and expressed hope that talks between the two sides will continue in the coming days, including at the United Nations General Assembly next week.



Macron, however, for the first time since he came into office in 2017, won't be making a speech to the annual meeting of world leaders. Le Drian will deliver the French address instead.



The decision to recall the ambassador represents a shocking turnaround for France under Macron, who  after an increasingly bitter relationship with former President Donald Trump  warmly clasped hands with Biden at a G-7 summit in June and confirmed that ''America is back.''



Macron has not yet commented on the issue. The recall is his boldest foreign policy move yet in a four-year presidency in which he has sought to strengthen France's diplomatic footprint and role in European policy-making, and to rally France's neighbors around his vision for a Europe less dependent on the U.S. military umbrella.



France has pushed for several years for a European strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the region stretching from India and China to Japan and New Zealand. The EU this week unveiled its plan for the Indo-Pacific.



Earlier Friday, a top French diplomat, who spoke anonymously in line with customary government practice, said that Macron received a letter from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Wednesday morning, announcing the decision to cancel the submarine deal.



French officials then decided to reach out to the U.S. administration ''to ask what was going on," he said. He added that discussions with Washington took place just two to three hours before Biden's public announcement.



Le Drian on Thursday expressed ''total incomprehension'' at the move and criticized both Australia and the U.S.



''It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed,'' he said. ''This is not done between allies.''



He also compared Biden's move to those of Trump under his ''America First'' doctrine.



Paris had raised the issue of the Indo-Pacific strategy during the June 25 visit to Paris of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing the importance of its submarine program with Australia, the French diplomat said.



''We said that it was for us a very important and critical component in our Indo-Pacific strategy,'' he said. Blinken met with Macron during the visit.



The French diplomat said Australia never mentioned to France its will to shift to nuclear-powered submarines, including during a meeting between Macron and Morrison in Paris on June 15.



A recall of ambassadors is highly unusual between allied countries.



In 2019, Paris recalled its envoy to neighboring Italy after the country's leaders made critical public comments about the French government. Last year, France recalled its ambassador to Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed mental health treatment. (AP)


Migrants and refugees wait to be helped by members of the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms, as they crowd aboard a rubber boat sailing out of control in the Mediterranean Sea about 21 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, in this Feb. 3, file photo. A U.N. migration agency official expressed concerns Sept. 17 over the disappearance of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who were intercepted and returned to Libya as more and more desperate people risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. AP-Yonhap



A U.N. migration agency official expressed concerns Friday over the disappearance of thousands of Europe-bound migrants who were intercepted and returned to Libya as more and more desperate people risk their lives trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.



According to Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Libyan Coast Guard, which receives funds from the European Union, intercepted more than 24,000 Europe-bound migrants in the Mediterranean so far this year, including over 800 this week alone.



However, only 6,000 have been accounted for in official detention centers in the North African country, she said. The fate and whereabouts of thousands of other migrants remain unknown, she added.



''We fear that many are ending up in the hands of criminal groups and traffickers, while others are being extorted for release,'' Msehli said.



A spokesman for Libya's Interior Ministry, which oversees the detention centers, did not immediately respond to a request by The Associated Press for comment.



Libya has for years been a hub for African and Middle Eastern migrants fleeing war and poverty in their countries and hoping for a better life in Europe. The oil-rich country plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.



Traffickers have exploited the chaos and often pack desperate families into ill-equipped rubber or wooden boats that stall and founder along the perilous Central Mediterranean route  thousands have drowned along the way. They have been implicated in widespread abuses of migrants, including torture and abduction for ransom.



The number of migrants intercepted and returned to Libya so far this year is more than double the number for 2020, when more than 11,890 were brought back to shore.



Those returned to shore have been taken to government-run detention centers, where they are often abused and extorted for ransom under the very nose of U.N. officials. They are often held in miserable conditions. Libya's government receives millions in European aid money paid to slow the tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean.



Guards have been accused of sexually assaulting female migrants in at least one government-run detention center. Many migrants also simply disappear from the detention centers, sold to traffickers or to other centers, The Associated Press reported in 2019.



More than 1,100 migrants were reported dead or presumed dead in numerous boat mishaps and shipwrecks off Libya so far this year, compared to at least 978 reported dead or presumed dead during all of last year, according to the IOM. (AP)


Ceridian, a global leader in human capital management (HCM) technology, and PwC Mauritius announced an alliance where PwC Mauritius will provide consultation and implementation services to organisations seeking to optimise their operations through Ceridians award-winning HCM platform, Dayforce.

Trusted by more than 5,100 customers globally, Ceridian applies modern technology to help HR and business leaders create value in a fluid, always-on workplace. Organisations benefit from a single solution for HCM that combines HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, and talent management.

PwC is one of the leading providers of consulting services to some of the worlds largest enterprises. Through this strategic partnership, PwC will help organisations seamlessly integrate our modern Dayforce platform into their technology ecosystems, while delivering enhanced choice, scale, and innovation, said Raja Nucho, Senior Vice President and Chief Partner Officer, Ceridian. Were thrilled to partner with PwC to deliver shared knowledge, industry expertise, and best-in-class services to our mutual customers.

Ceridians collaboration with PwC Mauritius is part of the Ceridian Partner Network, through which businesses can access holistic services to modernise their HCM processes. System integrator partners combine their Ceridian expertise with deep advisory services to provide expert guidance on organisational, functional, and process development at the industry, regional, or global level.

Were excited to work with PwC Mauritius to help organisations transform their human capital management processes for a redefined future of work, said Vidia Mooneegan, Managing Director, Ceridian Mauritius.

Our partnership will help businesses to modernise their operations to meet the increasingly borderless, fluid, and on-demand nature of work.

The global collaboration between Ceridian and PwC has reached the African continent, and its a privilege that the regional market expansion will be driven from Mauritius. As we help our clients prepare their organisation for the future of work and address challenges of the workforce of the future, we are collaborating with world class solution partners like Ceridian to accelerate our clients business transformation, and build sustainable solutions for them, said Jean-Pierre Young, PwC Mauritius Advisory Leader.

Ceridians system integrator network delivers a world-class buying and service experience from beginning to end. With a focus on customers, it provides clear expectations at each stage of engagement alongside tight integration across stakeholders.

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Le gouvernement a pris la decision selon un communique de la MRA detendre le Government Wage Assistance Scheme (GWAS) et le Self-Employed Assistance Scheme (SEAS) pour le neuvieme mois de 2021 pour les secteurs touristiques, des secteurs hors du tourisme comme les bbokies, les cinemas entre autres.

Following the decision of the Government of the Republic of Mauritius to extend the Government Wage Assistance

Scheme (GWAS) and the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme (SEAS) for the month of September 2021, the Mauritius

Revenue Authority (MRA) informs employers and self-employed individuals of the following measures for the payment of

the financial assistance:

A. Tourism Sector

Financial assistance under GWAS and SEAS will continue to be provided to employers and self-employed individuals in the

tourism sector in the islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues for the full month.

B. Sectors other than the Tourism Sector

Financial assistance for a full month will be provided under GWAS and SEAS to those carrying out the following activities who were not allowed to operate during the month of September 2021 :

1. Professional Sports; 2. Horse racing bookmakers (outlets), casinos and gaming houses; 3. Theatres and cinema halls; 4. Nightclubs licensed by the Tourism Authority.

C. Operators who were allowed to operate as from July 2021 subject to sanitary conditions

1. Fitness centres;

2. Leisure parks, amusement centres, including aquariums;

3. Multi-purpose halls, including wedding halls;

4. Bars whose turnover for the accounting year ended in the year 2020 did not exceed Rs 50 million ;

5. Religious body;

6. Canteen of a private international school (excluding public and private grant-aided secondary school) whose turnover for the accounting year ended in the year 2020 did not exceed Rs 50 million;

7. Training institutions registered under the Mauritius Qualifications Authority Act;

8. Auctioneers appointed under the Sales by Auction Act;

9. Restaurants, fast food, cafe, caterers and other prepared food selling businesses whose annual turnover do not

exceed Rs 50 million;

10. Fee charging creches, pre-primary schools, primary schools, secondary schools and registered universities;

11. Self-employed individuals who are 

(i) Stallholders in markets that remained closed;

(ii) Haberdashers operating in a market;

(iii) Hawkers not allowed to operate;

(iv) Artists.

Applications for GWAS and SEAS for the month of September 2021 GWAS:

Employers who are eligible for GWAS are required to submit a fresh application through the MRA website www.mra.mu. SEAS: Eligible self-employed are not required to submit fresh applications.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 00:02:52|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The United States and Britain said recently that they will share highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia, a key part of the three countries' newly-established security partnership AUKUS.

The irresponsible and dangerous move fuelled by mentality of confrontation and exclusion will gravely undermine global non-proliferation efforts and jeopardize the region's peace and stability.

Exporting nuclear technology to a nuclear-free country is a blatant violation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(NPT). With over 190 signatories worldwide, the NPT has shown the international community's commitment to preventing the dispersal of nuclear weapons and promoting cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

As signatories and nuclear-weapon states, the United States and Britain's flagrant nuclear technology assistance to Australia for military uses will undoubtedly give rise to proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies.

For years, the United States has been turning a blind eye as some of its allies pursue nuclear technologies and weapons. Yet it points an accusatory finger at the civilian nuclear projects of other countries.

Washington is once again playing double standards on nuclear exports and utilization,and using the issue as a tool for dangerous geopolitical game.

Meanwhile, countries in the Asia Pacific and the world at large have every reason to question the non-proliferation commitments of Australia, a country that has joined both the NPT and the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty.

Australia announced last year an aggressive defense strategy, sharply increasing its military spending by 40 percent to around 200 billion U.S. dollars over the next decade to acquire longer-range strike capabilities.

Canberra's excessive pursuit of military power has brought about uncertainties and risks to the region. Hugh White, professor of strategic studies at the Australian National University, warned that Australia's move will "further amplify the already loud signals" that there might be "a new Cold War in Asia."

Over the past few decades, Western countries have formed a number of exclusive clubs to dictate the global agenda in order to satisfy their self-serving purposes instead of the common interests of the wider world.

AUKUS, in the name of "ensuring peace and stability" in the region, is in fact no different from other small cliques such as the Five Eyes alliance and the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, also known as the Quad.

These closed-door groups, representing the interests of a handful of countries and applying international rule of law in a selective way, have departed from genuine multilateralism and are a grave threat to regional and global stability.

Regional mechanisms should work to enhance mutual trust and promote cooperation among countries, thus strengthening peace and development. If the United States, Britain and Australia truly want to bolster peace and stability in the region, they should immediately abandon their outdated Cold War mentality and small-clique politics, and learn to respect the rights and will of regional countries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 03:44:51|Editor: huaxia

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remotely addresses the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate at UN Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2021. Guterres warned on Friday that there is a high risk of failure of the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in November in Glasgow, Scotland. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that there is a high risk of failure of the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in November in Glasgow, Scotland.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change on Friday published its synthesis report on the Nationally Determined Contributions. There is a need for a 45 percent cut in emissions by 2030 to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. Friday's data imply an increase of 16 percent in emissions in 2030 compared to 2010 levels, he said.

"The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7-degrees of heating. There is a high risk of failure of COP26," he told the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, convened by U.S. President Joe Biden.

"It is clear that everyone must assume their responsibilities. We need more ambition on finance, adaptation and mitigation," said Guterres.

On finance, developed countries must fulfill the long-standing pledge to mobilize 100 billion U.S. dollars a year to support climate action in developing countries. Support from international financial institutions is also critical. So is the mobilization of assistance from the private sector -- both financial and technological, he said.

Levels of finance for the crucial component of climate adaptation are still far too low. Developing countries received only 16.8 billion dollars in 2018, compared with adaptation costs of some 70 billion dollars. These costs are expected to grow to as much as 300 billion dollars a year by 2030, he said. "We must commit at least 50 percent of climate finance to adaptation."

"On mitigation, I do understand the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. And developed countries certainly need to take the lead. But it is essential for several emerging economies to go the extra mile and effectively contribute to emissions reductions," he said.

One major challenge is coal use, he said. "If all planned coal power plants become operational, we will not only be clearly above 1.5 degrees, we will be well above 2 degrees. The Paris (Agreement) targets would go up in smoke."

There is a need for coalitions of solidarity -- between countries that still depend heavily on coal, and countries that have the financial and technical resources to support transitions, he said.

The fight against climate change will only succeed if the major economies come together to promote more ambition, more cooperation and more credibility, he said. "The world demands that all of us, but essentially you as the leading economies of the world, take immediate action to lead us toward a sustainable and resilient future."

"I ask you to rebuild the spirit of collaboration, cooperation and goodwill that were the hallmarks of the Paris Agreement. I ask you to consider how we can deliver success in Glasgow," said Guterres. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 07:20:22|Editor: huaxia

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Astronaut Nie Haisheng waves to the crowd on his arrival in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. Three Chinese astronauts, the first sent to orbit for space station construction, have completed their three-month mission and returned to Earth safely on Friday. They arrived in Beijing by plane Friday night. (Photo by Guo Zhongzheng/Xinhua)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 14:51:36|Editor: huaxia

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A staff member displays a historical material at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders, in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Sept. 18, 2021. A batch of historical materials was donated to a Chinese memorial hall on Saturday as new evidence of war crimes related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre perpetrated by the invading Japanese troops. Eighteen items including several war logs were collected by Daito Satoshi, the abbot of Enkoji Temple in Japan, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders which received the donation. (Xinhua/Li Bo)



NANJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A batch of historical materials was donated to a Chinese memorial hall on Saturday as new evidence of war crimes related to the 1937 Nanjing Massacre perpetrated by the invading Japanese troops.

Eighteen items including several war logs were collected by Daito Satoshi, the abbot of Enkoji Temple in Japan, according to the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders which received the donation.

On Dec. 13, 1937, the Japanese troops captured Nanjing. In the following six weeks, they slaughtered more than 300,000 Chinese civilians and unarmed soldiers in one of the most barbaric episodes of WWII, known as the Nanjing Massacre.

The new evidence also includes an official warfare report documenting the brutalities unleashed by the Japanese troops in Nanjing such as killing prisoners of war and arson, and several war logs recording the activities of a Japanese army from October 1937 to April 1938.

"Some people in Japan refuse to acknowledge the Nanjing Massacre, and these precious wartime documents are ironclad proof," said Daito.

In 2005, Daito started collecting evidence of wartime brutalities committed by Japanese troops in China during WWII. He has collected and donated more than 3,000 historical materials to the memorial hall.

These new materials are very precious, and the memorial hall will carry out further studies on them and put them on public display in the future, said Zhang Jianjun, the curator of the memorial hall. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 16:39:54|Editor: huaxia

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Passengers with face masks are seen in a bus in New York City, the United States, Aug. 2, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

The United States using its intelligence services to investigate the origins of the coronavirus has resulted in stigmatization, scapegoating, finger pointing and misconception due to "the high-level politicization of the exercise," said an article published in the newspaper The Citizen.

JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- An expert has called for multilateralism in uncovering the origins of COVID-19 to ensure "objective" and "credible" findings.

In his article published on Wednesday in the Johannesburg-headquartered newspaper The Citizen, Humphrey Moshi, professor of economics and director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, said the United States using its intelligence services to investigate the origins of the coronavirus has resulted in stigmatization, scapegoating, finger pointing and misconception due to "the high-level politicization of the exercise."

"No one should have expected credible results from such circumstances, which were and are underpinned by an approach which is basically unilateral. Indeed, such an approach is usually and normally unscientific, subjective and biased," Moshi said.

Moshi proposed a two-step methodology to guarantee credible results.

"Firstly, a multilateral institution has to be tasked to undertake the assignment. And such an institution should have the requisite mandate on that particular sector. In this regard, the World Health Organization is the right candidate," he said.

"Secondly, the tasked institution should constitute a multilateral team of experts to shoulder the work," Moshi noted. "This aspect underscores the collaborative spirit needed to ensure that the excise is transparent and reflective of the pandemic's borderless effects."

The professor said multilateral experts would produce a scientific methodology free of politics and ungrounded biases.

"Indeed, embracing such an approach would not only come up with credible results and outcomes, but also lay a solid foundation for promoting and enhancing (not undermining) solidarity, which is an essential element for confronting and overcoming the contemporary and future pandemics in this borderless world," Moshi said. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 19:42:29|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on July 14, 2020 shows the Golden Bauhinia Square in south China's Hong Kong. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

Eight keywords will help you know Hong Kong's upcoming Election Committee elections better.

HONG KONG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The 2021 Election Committee's subsector ordinary elections in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be held on Sunday, which will be the first elections after improvements to Hong Kong's electoral system earlier this year and an important step of implementing the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong."

The reformation and greater empowerment of the Election Committee are at the center of Hong Kong's electoral system improvements. The following are eight keywords of this new institutional framework.

THE FIRST ELECTION

The upcoming elections will be the first under Hong Kong's new electoral system. Out of the 1,500 seats of the Election Committee, 325 people have been determined to be validly registered as ex-officio members, 156 people validly nominated to be members of the Election Committee and 603 candidates uncontested, as well as 412 candidates to contest for 364 seats on Sunday.

Except for 52 temporary vacancies, all the 1,448 members of the Election Committee will be generated after Sunday's elections. In the next few months, the Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election and the Chief Executive Election will be held in December 2021 and March 2022, respectively.

Ex-officio and uncontested members of the Election Committee participate in a mass campaign to introduce their views and collect public opinion in Hong Kong, south China, Sept. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

"PATRIOTS ADMINISTERING HONG KONG"

The new electoral system is an institutional guarantee for the implementation of the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong." The Candidate Eligibility Review Committee vets and confirms the qualifications of candidates for the Election Committee members, the Chief Executive, and the LegCo members.

The Election Committee plays an important role. It prevents anti-China, destabilizing elements from entering the administration structure of the HKSAR and elects staunch patriots with high administrative capability.

Those elected should fully and accurately implement the principle of "one country, two systems," be capable of addressing various problems in Hong Kong's development, work for Hong Kong residents genuinely, be good at bringing various sectors together, and fulfill their duties without any reservation.

BROAD REPRESENTATION

The Election Committee, which has been expanded to 1,500 members from 1,200, is composed of members from the following five sectors: industrial, commercial and financial sectors; the professions; grassroots, labor, religious and other sectors; LegCo members and representatives of district organizations; Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC), Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and representatives of Hong Kong members of related national organizations.

The composition makes the Election Committee more suitable to Hong Kong's realities and more broadly representative.

A pedestrian walks past a poster on improving electoral system and ensuring patriots administering Hong Kong in south China's Hong Kong, March 31, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaochu)

BALANCED PARTICIPATION

The structural optimization of the Election Committee leads to more balanced participation of people from all walks of life. New subsectors such as representatives of small- and medium-sized enterprises, grassroots associations, associations of Chinese fellow townsmen, associations of Hong Kong residents in the mainland, and Hong Kong members of related national organizations have been added, which expands the Election Committee's social coverage and is conducive to fair political participation in Hong Kong.

Representatives of economic and social sectors and areas concerning people's livelihood have also been added so that the Election Committee's representation will be more balanced and the political participation of Hong Kong residents will be broadened.

THE FIFTH SECTOR

The Election Committee is also expanded from four sectors to five, with the new one comprised of Hong Kong deputies to the NPC, Hong Kong members of the National Committee of the CPPCC, and representatives of Hong Kong members of related national organizations.

With these new progressive members, the Election Committee is more representative of the interests of people from all walks of life in Hong Kong. The arrangement is also conducive to the improvement of people's national identity and Hong Kong's integration into national development.

Lawmakers take part in the third reading of amendments to Hong Kong's electoral laws at the Legislative Council (LegCo), in Hong Kong, south China, May 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

GREATER EMPOWERMENT

Apart from its original function of nominating and electing the Chief Executive designate, the Election Committee will have two more key functions: electing part of LegCo members and participating in the nominations of all LegCo candidates.

According to Annex II to the HKSAR Basic Law, the LegCo membership is expanded from 70 to 90. Among the members, 40 are returned by the Election Committee, 30 by functional constituencies and 20 by geographical constituencies through direct elections.

As the Election Committee elects both the Chief Executive designate and part of LegCo members, the Chief Executive and the LegCo will have a common voter base, which offers a stable supportive force for the administration of the Chief Executive in the LegCo.

SOUND ADMINISTRATION

The reformation and greater empowerment of the Election Committee enable elections in Hong Kong to resume professional and rational and eliminates the influence of "pan-politicization."

Under the new electoral system, people who are patriotic and care about Hong Kong actively participate in the elections for the overall interests of society. A new political climate, which is diverse and professional, emphasizes capability and has fewer disputes, takes shape.

Elections, no longer excessive and scattered, are organically integrated, which helps truly realize Hong Kong's executive-led system and facilitate effective administration. As a result, more efforts will be concentrated on the economy and people's livelihood, and Hong Kong's deep-seated problems will be solved.

Photo taken with a phone shows a view by the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, south China, June 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Gang)

GOOD DEMOCRACY

The new electoral system breaks through the limitations of certain sectors, districts or groups and enables the Election Committee to be fully representative of various sectors in the administrative structure of the HKSAR.

The overall interests of Hong Kong society can be represented, and the democratic rights of Hong Kong residents can be better protected. Hong Kong's democracy can be pushed forward step by step according to the actual situations.

Hong Kong will have more effective administration and enjoy continued prosperity and stability. The implementation of "one country, two systems" will also achieve enduring success. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 21:18:57|Editor: huaxia

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People attend a bell-tolling ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the "September 18 Incident" at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Sept. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

SHENYANG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- One week after the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, China marked the 90th anniversary of the "September 18 Incident" which dragged China into a 14-year bitter war with Japan's fascist regime.

Back on September 18, 1931, the day seemingly dawned as just another day in Shenyang, the capital city of today's Liaoning Province in northeast China. An incident that night, however, sparked Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

Japanese troops attacked Chinese barracks near Shenyang that night, a flagrant breach of the international security order formed after the First World War.

The September 18 Incident was and was not China's "Pearl Harbor" -- while both were surprise attacks by Japanese invaders, Pearl Harbor is far from the continental United States while Shenyang is an inland city of strategic importance in China.

Atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders left unforgettable trauma for Chinese people.

The 1931-1945 Japanese invasion caused more than 35 million casualties among Chinese troops and civilians, accounting for one-third of the WWII casualties worldwide.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China fought with two-thirds of Japan's army, making a major contribution to the allied victory in WWII.

For years, China has kept marking the September 18 Incident.

The war can serve as a mirror. Looking at it helps people to appreciate the value of peace, work hard for national rejuvenation and promote international peace and stability.

Having experienced that kind of darkness, the last thing Chinese people would do is to pass on their suffering to others.

Abiding by the Potsdam Proclamation signed on July 26, 1945, China repatriated more than one million Japanese to their homeland from the port city of Huludao in Liaoning over period of three years beginning in 1946. During the process, still with the fresh memory of inhuman atrocities of Japanese aggressors, the Chinese people exhibited humanitarianism and benevolence to Japanese expatriates and prisoners of war.

Such tragic history must not be repeated. For long-term peace and prosperity, people in the world today have an obligation to boost understanding among nations, spread goodwill, uphold justice and contribute to building a global community with a shared future. 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 22:08:15|Editor: huaxia

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A participant takes photos of the quantum computing exhibition during the 2021 Quantum Industry Conference in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, Sept. 18, 2021. Themed "Quantum Technology  Industry Revolution", the 2021 Quantum Industry Conference was held in Hefei on Saturday. The conference brought together a group of scientific researchers and industry leaders to discuss the development of the quantum industry and released a series of applications. (Xinhua/Han Xu)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-19 04:07:06|Editor: huaxia

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At the invitation of Mexico, the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a video speech to the 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the CELAC. The summit was held in Mexico City on Sept. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The 6th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was held Saturday in Mexico City. At the invitation of Mexico, the rotating presidency of CELAC, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video speech to the summit.

Xi pointed out that 10 years ago, CELAC was born under the efforts of Latin American and Caribbean countries to pursue independence and seek strength in unity, which was a milestone in the process of regional integration. In the past 10 years, CELAC has played an important role in maintaining peace and stability and promoting common development in the region.

Xi said that China attaches great importance to developing relations with CELAC, and supports CELAC in coordinating regional countries to carry out cooperation and cope with challenges.

"In July 2014, the leaders of regional countries and I jointly announced the establishment of the Forum of China and CELAC, which has developed a new way for the comprehensive cooperation between China and Latin America," said Xi.

He added that over the past seven years, the forum has flourished and become a major platform for bringing together friendly forces from all walks of life in China and Latin America, and has made important contributions to deepening China-Latin America relations.

Xi stressed that having stood the test of changing international landscape, China-Latin America relations have entered a new era featuring equality, mutual benefit, innovation, openness and tangible benefits for the people.

"China-Latin America friendship is time-honored and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people," said Xi.

He noted that since last year, facing the unexpected COVID-19 outbreak, China and Latin America have lent each other a helping hand and carried out all-around cooperation against the pandemic.

"China will continue to provide support to Latin American and Caribbean countries to the best of its capability, and help the regional countries overcome the pandemic at an early date and resume economic and social development," Xi said, adding that China is willing to work with Latin American and Caribbean countries to overcome difficulties together and jointly create opportunities to build a community of shared future between China and Latin America. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-19 04:35:20|Editor: huaxia

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A pedestrian wearing a face mask passes in front of Pfizer's World Headquarters in New York, United States, on Aug. 23, 2021. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

A CDC study suggests that Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine provided 88 percent protection against hospitalization, and Moderna's was 93 percent effective. Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine came in third with 71 percent protection.

NEW YORK, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The United States has kept on pushing through federal requirements of broad vaccination by highlighting the efficacy of its three authorized COVID-19 vaccines, while planning to narrow the use of a booster shot only to old people and those who work at high risk.

On Friday, expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously to recommend that the agency authorize a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine six months after vaccination for people 65 years and older and for anyone at risk for severe illness.

The vote is not binding, and Peter Marks, the FDA official overseeing coronavirus vaccines, indicated that the final decision could be slightly different, encompassing people who are at higher risk of infection because of their professions, such as health-care workers and front-line employees, including teachers.

A decision about boosters from the FDA is expected by next week, and an advisory committee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is slated to meet on Wednesday and Thursday to recommend how a third shot should be used.

Photo taken on Aug. 23, 2021 shows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in Silver Spring, Maryland, the United States. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

According to The New York Times (NYT), the 7-day average of confirmed cases of the pandemic stood at 148,816 nationwide on Friday, with its 14-day change striking a 9-percent fall. COVID-19-related deaths were 1,992 on Friday, with the 14-day change realizing a 28-percent rise.

VACCINE EFFICACY

A head-to-head study of all three authorized coronavirus vaccines in the United States found that the Moderna vaccine was slightly more effective than Pfizer's in real-life use in keeping people out of the hospital, and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine came in third, but still provided 71 percent protection. Pfizer's vaccine provided 88 percent protection against hospitalization, and Moderna's was 93 percent effective.

The CDC led a nationwide study of vaccination involving more than 3,600 adults hospitalized for COVID-19 between March and August, and announced the findings in its weekly report on death and disease.

Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines both use genetic material called messenger RNA to deliver immunity, but they use differing doses and slightly different formulations. The Janssen vaccine uses an inactivated common cold virus called adenovirus, a viral vector, to carry genetic instructions into the body.

On Wednesday, Moderna shared a new analysis from its phase three study that showed the incidence of breakthrough COVID-19 cases, which occurred in fully vaccinated people, was less frequent in a group of trial participants who were recently inoculated, suggesting the COVID-19 vaccine's protection wanes over time.

Placards display signage for Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations at a mobile COVID-19 vaccination center in the Brooklyn borough of New York, the United States, Aug. 18, 2021. (Xinhua/Michael Nagle)

There were 88 identified breakthrough cases out of 11,431 people vaccinated between December and March, the company said in a press release, compared with 162 breakthrough cases out of 14,746 trial participants vaccinated in July through October 2020.

The breakthrough cases were not all the Delta variant's fault, and the COVID-19 cases in vaccinated people might be a result of both vaccine protection waning over time and the highly transmissible variant, Moderna President Stephen Hoge told CNBC, adding that "it's the reason to get ahead of the problem and boost."

MANDATE INFLUENCE

Employees in five industries will especially feel the effects of the U.S. federal government's new vaccine mandate: management, utilities, information, finance and insurance, and administration and waste management services, reported CNN on Friday.

More than 80 percent of the workforce for those five industries are employed by businesses with a staff of at least 100 employees, which means they'll be required to get a vaccine or a weekly COVID-19 test. That's according to 2018 data on U.S. businesses the most recent data released by the Census Bureau in May.

The rules that U.S. President Joe Biden announced last week would apply to more than 80 million working Americans, about two-thirds of the workforce. There are 43 million employees who work at companies that employ fewer than 100 people, and who are not covered by that federal vaccine mandate.

A staff member works at the San Francisco Public Library in San Francisco, the United States, May 3, 2021. (Photo by Li Jianguo/Xinhua)

The vaccine mandate will also apply to state and local government workers in 26 U.S. states, some of which have banned vaccination requirements for public employees, thus "setting up another clash between GOP-led states and the Democratic administration," reported USA Today on Saturday.

Biden made no mention of vaccine requirements for state and local workers when announcing new rules, but Labor Department spokeswoman Denisha Braxton confirmed to media that Biden's new rules will "apply to public-sector state and local government workers, including educators and school staff" in 26 states and two territories.

Speaking at a middle school in Washington, D.C., the day after announcing his multipronged approach, Biden called on governors to require vaccinations for all teachers and staff, adding that "this isn't a game. And I don't know of any scientist out there in this field that doesn't think it makes considerable sense to do the six things I've suggested." 
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 00:28:46|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the brain drain in Kenya's health sector as workers saddled by challenges the crisis has brought quit in search of greener pastures, officials said Friday.

Stephen Njoroge, secretary of the National Nurses Association of Kenya, said that the profession is the worst hit.

"Many of our members are leaving jobs in Kenya and taking up posts in other countries to avoid the tough working conditions that the pandemic has brought," said Njoroge at the national health conference in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Some of the challenges health workers face in Kenya due to the pandemic are long working hours without allowances and lack of personal protective gears and insurance cover that makes it difficult for them to access quality healthcare when COVID-19 strikes, according to him.

George Gibore, secretary-general of Kenya Union of Clinical Officers, said Kenya has lost at least 50 health workers to COVID-19.

"So far, 8,000 workers have been infected by the disease, 81 percent of whom were asymptomatic. Some 1,500 health workers exhibited symptoms, but could not get treatment in public hospitals which did not have the required facilities like oxygen centers," Gibore said.

Ganatra Anbar, vice-treasurer of Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union, said the pandemic has exposed inefficiencies in Kenya's health care system at all levels, which include lack of elaborate disease surveillance system.

Kenya has some 60,000 nurses, 13,000 doctors and more than 20,000 clinical officers, according to the Ministry of Health.

At least 600 nurses leave the country in search of better pay in the United States, Britain, Canada, Botswana and South Africa every year, according to the Nursing Council of Kenya. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 12:36:32|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Sept. 10, 2021 show a StarTimes satellite dish fixed on the roof at Bwerenga village, Wakiso District, Central Region, Uganda. The Bwerenga village, on the shores of Lake Victoria in central Uganda, is one of the latest villages in the East African country to be connected to the world via digital satellite television. (Xinhua/Zhang Gaiping)



by Ronald Ssekandi

ENTEBBE, Uganda, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Bwerenga village, on the shores of Lake Victoria in central Uganda, is one of the latest villages in the East African country to be connected to the world via digital satellite television.

The village, which receives a poor television signal, is part of a project that China promised at the 2015 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Johannesburg, South Africa, to connect 10,000 African villages to satellite TV.

Justine Akalei's family in Bwerenga is one of the beneficiaries of the project that is now in its second phase in Uganda where 400 households will be connected before the end of the year.

According to StarTimes, over 500 villages were connected in the first phase in 2018, benefiting over 500,000 people.

"This new installment that has got to my home is very good because so many things which we have been missing to date through television, now we have got them," Akalei told Xinhua.

"It is going to help me know each and everything going on in the country and even in my district, my village and all over the world. I am going to watch news, school programs," she said.

In Bwerenga, apart from households, connections have been made at a clinic where patients, caretakers and health workers can access information through television. There is also a connection at school.

Lwanga Noe Nakamatte, the village secretary said the ongoing satellite television connections in her area will help solve the problem of poor television signals.

She said the villagers, especially those who cannot afford digital television, could not access information via television.

OPTION FOR LEARNING

Nakamatte said the new connections come in handy especially at a time when schools are closed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Schools and higher institutions of learning have been closed for months, putting over 15 million learners out of school, according to Uganda's education ministry.

"We welcome these connections in our village. Parents who will get the connections will work with their neighbors so that children are able to get lessons through the television connections," Nakamatte said.

"This will help children not to be idle as it has been. Children have just been roaming the village without having lessons," she added.

She said that as members of the village committee, they are going to talk to parents who have received the connections to share with others so that the project is beneficial to all.

"We have received 20 dishes only and yet the village is big, so people have to share. We shall talk to those who have got so that they share with their neighbors," she said.

Akalei said the connection at her household also comes in handy at a time when the government is urging parents to encourage learners to attend lessons through radio and television.

"My children have started learning through television," she said.

Henry Kasozi, head teacher of Gateway Primary School where another connection was made, said as schools remain closed, the teachers will use the satellite television connection to do more research and enrich the work they will give to their learners.

"It is going to help us look for certain programs that can help our kids. Probably when the government reopens schools we shall be using it to help our kids to look at the learning how it is done globally to enhance the education system," Kasozi said.

"When it comes on the side of the teachers, it is of a good benefit because we have seen that we can use this very project to have research made," he added.

Yin Yiliu, the project implementation manager at StarTimes, said that they are fast tracking the installation during this pandemic time to ensure that people who are at home can access information through television.

Yin said that for areas that do not have electric power, a solar-powered system is installed at public places where people can watch up to 20 channels free of charge. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 18:04:28|Editor: huaxia

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JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A variety of music, dance and other forms of arts were some of the activities performed on Friday to celebrate "South African Chinese Language Day."

A number of learners in schools and higher education institutions in different outfits showed inspiring, elegant and beautiful performances in the virtual celebration which was organized by Confucius Classroom at Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Center.

Addressing the virtual event, Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Chen Xiaodong said relations between the two nations had deepened, with the fact that South Africa had incorporated Chinese into its curriculum as a sign of good relations.

"The establishment of the Chinese Language Day in South Africa reflects the vision of the two heads of state for people-to-people exchanges and the great importance they attach to strengthening China-South Africa friendship," he said.

Chen further noted there was an increase in the number of Chinese learners in South Africa, with more than 10,000 students registered.

"The level of Chinese language education training has been increasing, and the Confucius Institute has been authorized with a mandate of masters programs. We now have publications such as the first Chinese High School Exam Preparation," he said.

The ambassador said that the Chinese embassy would continue supporting the development of the language.

September 17 is introduced to be celebrated or marked as South African Chinese Language Day annually since 2019.

Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said her hope was that many more children in the country would learn it.

"This was in hope that many South African learners would learn the Chinese language and become envoys of South Africa-China friendship and also providing opportunities to fulfill their dreams," the minister said at the virtual ceremony on Friday.

Motshekga said language was one of the strategic pillars of the people to people exchange and cooperation.

She said a number of schools had introduced Chinese through Confucius institutes.

Cheng Yongbo, President of Nanjing University of Finance & Economics which in charge of the Confucius Classroom, said language is the bridge and bond for exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations and countries.

"We are ready to work with all parties to build South African Chinese Language Day into an influential brand in promoting Chinese language culture and bilateral friendship," he said.

Li Xudong, Education Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, told the event that progress made over the last two years was immense but work still needed to be done.

"There is still much to do to meet the daily-increasing demand for Chinese language and culture education here in South Africa. To better undertake this glorious mission, the Chinese language education community in South Africa needs to plan carefully in advance and be prepared to act in accordance with the general tone of further improvement of quality and effectiveness in the next phases," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 21:57:22|Editor: huaxia

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Young people show handicrafts at Manja Arts center in Mtendere Township of Lusaka, Zambia, on Sept. 13, 2021. For many young people in Mtendere Township of Lusaka, Manja Arts center serves as a recreational space as well as a springboard for art-based businesses. (Photo by Lillian Banda/Xinhua)

LUSAKA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- For many young people in Mtendere Township of Lusaka, Zambia's capital, Manja Arts center serves as a recreational space as well as a springboard for art-based businesses.

Aside from being an established selling point for artworks, Manja Arts center also provides free training in handicraft making and painting to youths interested in making art their mainstay.

And as a way of encouraging the younger children to stay out of trouble, the center also offers free art lessons to meet their recreational needs.

"We run art classes for children during non-school days and after school hours. Children come through to paint and play traditional musical instruments. The idea is to ensure that they are not pushed into illicit activities," explained Kelvin Mwanza, Manja Arts center founder.

The 35-year-old artist further revealed Manja Arts center provides space for young artists to display and sell their works. This is to help young entrepreneurs find their feet in the arts and crafts business.

According to Mwanza, he was encouraged to come up with the Manja Arts center three years ago after a significant number of youths demonstrated an interest in artworks.

"A lot of young people used to come and watch me work on paintings or some handcrafts. Despite the interest, many of them could not afford to enroll at established art institutions. That prompted me to come up with Manja Arts center," he said.

Mwanza added that since its establishment in 2018, Manja Arts has trained and mentored over 150 young people in Mtendere Township and surrounding areas.

Christabel Tembo, a youth that has benefited from Manja Arts skills training programs said the foundation has provided her and other youths with income-generating skills.

"In the three months that I have been at Manja Art, I am able to make earrings, bracelets and some home ornaments. I intend to learn how to make other handicrafts so as to increase my earnings," said the 21-year-old Tembo.

Another youth John Jere who is undertaking painting lessons with Manja Arts said making and selling artistic pieces will enable him to be financially independent.

"There are a lot of self-employment opportunities in arts and crafts because the arts industry itself has many components. One can, for instance, choose to work on paintings or concentrate on making traditional handicrafts," asserted the 21-year-old Jere. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 22:05:49|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The number of passengers using Kenya's standard gauge railway train more than doubled in the first six months of the year as compared to a similar period in 2020, says government economic data released Friday.

The report by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) says a total of 764,942 passengers were ferried between the capital Nairobi and Mombasa in the six months, up from 330,232 in 2020.

The rise in number of passengers is attributed to Kenya's management of COVID-19 in 2021, which allowed free movement of people and the passenger train was permitted to travel during curfew hours at night. In 2020, Kenya totally restricted movement of people between Nairobi and Mombasa for months.

Similarly, Kenya's cargo train moved 2.74 million tons of cargo in the first six months, an increase of 40 percent from a similar period in 2020, said KNBS. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 16:52:33|Editor: huaxia

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PARIS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Australia's decision to break off a multi-billion U.S. dollar submarine contract with France inked in 2016 and turn to the United States and Britain for nuclear-powered alternatives has sparked an outcry from the European continent.

The United States, Britain and Australia announced Wednesday a new security partnership, dubbed "AUKUS" (Australia-UK-U.S.), under which the first initiative is the delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine fleet to Australia by the other two.

France has decided to recall its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations on Friday.

"We had established a relationship of trust with Australia. This trust has been betrayed," French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, calling the trilateral deal a "stab in the back."

The trilateral move may lead to new rifts among the transatlantic allies while the international community has voiced concerns over nuclear proliferation.

BETRAYED ALLY

"At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris for consultations our two ambassadors in the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on Sept. 15 by Australia and the United States," Le Drian said in a statement on Friday.

French media said it was the first time in France's history that such a decision was taken vis-a-vis the two countries.

The sudden end to the once biggest defense contract in Australia's history has reminded the French of the whims of the last U.S. administration. "The American behavior worries me; this unilateral and brutal decision is very similar to what (former U.S. President) Mr. (Donald) Trump was doing," Le Drian said.

Public sparring between Trump and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, was not unusual on topics ranging from military spending, trade to climate change and regional issues.

"The American decision, which leads to the exclusion of a European ally and partner like France from a crucial partnership with Australia ... signals a lack of consistency which France can only notice and regret," Le Drian and French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly said in a joint statement issued on Wednesday.

"America is back!" U.S. President Joe Biden repeated the slogan several times to amend cracks across the Atlantic, from his first stop in Britain for the Group of Seven summit to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S.-European Union summits in Brussels in June.

TRADE TALKS IN DOUBTS

Earlier on Friday, France's Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune said France cannot trust Australia in its ongoing trade talks with the European Union (EU) after the AUKUS partnership was unveiled.

"We're having trade negotiations with Australia," Beaune told France 24 news channel. "I don't see how we can trust our Australian partners."

The EU and Australia started negotiations for a free trade agreement in 2018 and have been conducting their trade and economic relations under the 2008 EU-Australian Partnership Framework.

The two sides have completed 11 rounds of talks and the next round is set for autumn this year.

Australia was the EU's 19th largest trading partner in 2020, and the EU was Australia's third-largest after China and Japan, followed by the United States, according to EU data.

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION CONCERNED

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a global nuclear watchdog, has voiced concern amid international worries about the proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies in response to the trilateral deal.

"The IAEA will engage with them (Australia, the United States and Britain) on this matter in line with its statutory mandate, and in accordance with their respective safeguards agreements with the Agency," it said in a statement on Thursday.

The United States and Britain, both nuclear-weapon states, are state parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, which prevents the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technologies.

China on Thursday voiced opposition to the trilateral move, describing it as a "sheer act of nuclear proliferation."

The United States and Britain "will apparently give rise to the proliferation of nuclear materials and technologies by openly providing assistance to Australia, as a non-nuclear weapon state, in the latter's acquisition and building of the nuclear-powered submarine," said Wang Qun, Chinese envoy to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna.

"Such an act of nuclear proliferation will give rise to serious negative implications on the ongoing international efforts to address the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula as well as the Iranian nuclear issue," he said.

New Zealand confirmed that Australian nuclear submarines will be banned from its waters and will continue its nuclear-free stance.

"New Zealand's position in relation to the prohibition of nuclear-powered vessels in our waters remains unchanged," the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told local news outlet NewsHub on Thursday.

"As the world is moving towards making these weapons illegal, this is the wrong direction at the wrong time," The Guardian quoted Gem Romuld, Australia director of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning group the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, as saying. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 18:38:07|Editor: huaxia

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by Xu Chi

GENEVA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Declassified files by the Central Intelligence Agency have proven that the United States applied Unit 731-inspired bioweapons during the Korean War, said U.S. author Jeffrey Kaye, who has called for establishing an international commission for further investigation.

Kaye, a former clinical psychologist in San Francisco, wrote a book published in 2017 on the torture of detainees in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, and later started his research into U.S. biological warfare during the Korean War, most of the documents of which were systematically censored and destroyed during the McCarthy era.

After much searching, Kaye managed to find a large amount of evidence, including a report by the International Scientific Commission (ISC) for Investigation of the Facts Concerning Bacterial Warfare in Korea and China, and confessions of 25 U.S. fliers to biological warfare.

Last year, to his delight, Kaye obtained "the final piece of the puzzle."

"The CIA, as part of their (Korean War 60th Anniversary) celebration, released hundreds of previously classified documents to the public," said Kaye. "I found approximately two dozen that did (refer to the biological warfare)."

The documents, based on the work done by the U.S. Armed Forces Security Agency that decrypted, translated and analyzed the communication within China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), showed that militaries of the two countries, unaware of being spied upon, once reported internally germ warfare attacks, illness and casualties.

"The handprint of Unit 731, which the United States and Japan both covered up, were all over this," Kaye said, adding that "the same people (in the U.S. Chemical Warfare Service) who had advocated and lobbied for the amnesty and the collaboration with (Head of Unit 731) Shiro Ishii and his cohorts, ended up later advocating biological warfare and were put in positions of responsibility in 1950-1951."

Noting that his conclusion is based on the released documents, including those declassified by the U.S. Department of Defense over the past few decades, Kaye said he was surprised at how these documents sat unnoticed over the years.

He also stressed the personnel of Unit 731 were pardoned after the war by Douglas MacArthur, then supreme commander for the Allied Powers, and that MacArthur noted with interest that Ishii's biowarfare would be useful "in cold climates," the type of climates found in northeast China, the DPRK and the Soviet Union.

"Fort Detrick of course was and still is, at the center of U.S. biological warfare research. Back in the 1950s, they worked closely with the CIA as well, and there was something called the Special Operations Division within Fort Detrick that worked on making biological weapons," Kaye said.

Multiple Fort Detrick personnel working on a bioweapons program met a violent death shortly after the U.S. biowarfare campaign in the Korean War, with no details ever released from Army investigations into their deaths, Kaye said.

U.S. biowarfare was highly confidential even for those involved, Kaye said. "In (the fliers') confession in fact, high-ranking people ... mentioned how important it is to keep security around this (biological warfare) issue, and if anyone broke security on this, they would be court-martialed, and how even some of the pilots didn't know what they were flying."

To cover up the biowarfare, the United States conducted full-scale censorship, persecution, and tampering of evidence, Kaye said. "Anyone who got through with that, or any other journalists, were red-baited during the McCarthy period."

For Kaye, the CIA-released files conform with the evidence advanced by the ISC report and the fliers' confessions. "I say we have above-preponderance of evidence now showing the U.S. engaged in biological warfare campaign."

Kaye is calling for the establishment of an international commission to investigate.

"The only way to establish trust and restore diplomacy, and not saber-rattling, would be by settling the issue of past crimes," he said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 20:46:38|Editor: huaxia

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by Xinhua writer Guo Yage

BEIJING, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- America's oldest ally France has decided to recall its ambassadors to the United States and Australia after Canberra scrapped a deal to acquire French-designed submarines and turned instead to U.S. nuclear-powered submarines.

The decision, the first of its kind in France's history taken vis-a-vis those two countries, has laid bare once again a cynical and perfidious United States.

Paris' indignation is palpable and completely understandable. It is never easy to take a stab in the back by a treaty ally and still smile. The betrayal this time is even harder to swallow when Washington under President Joe Biden has promised that "America is back" and will restore the alliance after four years of strained ties.

It appears the United States is back to take the advantage of its allies in a different way. While Donald Trump, the former U.S. president, pushed around America's allies all at once, the current White House seems intent on knocking them down one at a time.

History is replete with examples of the United States shoving aside its allies when necessary.

In 1986, the U.S. administration stepped in to block the sale of a Silicon Valley computer chipmaker to Japanese electronics conglomerate Fujitsu Ltd. on so-called "national security" grounds, in order to maintain America's role as a global power in high-tech.

Washington's crackdown on French transportation company Alstom in 2014 then served as an astounding example of how the United States has managed to abuse long-arm jurisdiction to dismantle its allies' multinationals under the guise of fighting corruption.

To increase control over its allies through trade agreements, the United States forced Canada to give up its sovereign right to sign trade agreements with other countries independently, and to accept the unreasonable demands from the United States to include a "poison pill clause" in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which was later signed in 2018.

Furthermore, America's repeated threat to punish German companies building the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, a project Germany and some other European countries want so badly for energy, has fully exposed the world's sole superpower's sinister intention to realize its own geopolitical aims without considering the interests of its allies.

Additionally, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States even intercepted its allies' medical supplies and hoarded vaccines and other urgently-needed protective equipment.

The submarine deal incident has once again demonstrated that the United States has always put its self-interests above the shared values and interests of its allies. Thus, America's allies are no more than Washington's servants, who need to cater to the United States at their own expense whenever the masters in Washington see fit.

Just as leading French daily Le Monde said in an editorial, "the United States comes first, whether it's in the strategic, economic, financial or health fields. 'America First' is the guiding line of the foreign policy of the White House."

With the latest submarines deal adding to America's legacy of perfidy and ego, the time has come for those allies to ponder whether to maintain a blind loyalty to the United States and suffer at the hands of its self-serving policies.

The wound on the back of Paris is still bleeding. It might be a chance for America's other allies to seriously entertain the idea of strategic autonomy for themselves. Enditem
Chegutu Municipality housing director Ms Shylet Dzivai allegedly sold a residential stand measuring 1 800 square metres for $10 000 early this month which was equal to US$116, way below the initial value of US$7 000 quoted in 2007, leading to calls for the Zimbabwe Anti Corruption Commission (ZACC) to investigate in the town.

The sale was raised when Ms Dzivai and town clerk Mr Jacob Chikuruwo appeared before Parliaments Public Accounts Committees sub-committee on Local Authorities to respond to issues raised in the 2019 Auditor Generals report.

The stand was allocated to Mr Takuranei Musoko in 2007 valued at $200 million (equivalent to US$7 000 then) but was repossessed in 2017.

Ms Dzivai allegedly unilaterally re-allocated the stand to Mr Musoko without following procedures and he paid $10 000 early this month.

When they appeared before the sub-committee chaired by Chegutu West legislator, Cde Dexter Nduna, Mr Chikuruwo said he had not approved the transaction while Ms Dzivai said she could not recall issues related to the deal and was granted permission to bring the file on the stand next week.

Cde Nduna said there was a possibility of corruption on the part of the director of housing and requested the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to investigate the matter.

ZACC commissioner Mrs Thandiwe Mlobane, who also attended the meeting, said they would send a team to probe the matter.

The anti-corruption team was also asked to investigate the appointment of Engineer Edward Mukaratirwa in 2019 as acting town clerk. He was appointed substantively to the post in July this year.

Eng Mukaratirwa was deputy director engineering services for the city when he was appointed acting town clerk in September 2019.

However, the sub-committee said that appointment contravened the Urban Councils Act, which says in the absence of a substantive town clerk, the chamber secretary should act in that capacity.

At the time of his appointment, Mr Vitalis Shonhiwa was the acting chamber secretary and the sub-committee said he should have been appointed instead.

However, Eng Mukaratirwa disputed the sub-committees assertion saying the provision in the Act was for persons holding the chamber secretarys post substantively.

This prompted Cde Nduna to request ZACC to look into the matter saying the irregular appointment could have been to facilitate corruption in light of irregularities cited in the Auditor Generals report.

Mrs Mlobane said they would investigate the matter and report to the sub-committee next Friday. Herald
Harare High Court judge Esther Muremba yesterday dismissed an attempt by President Emmerson Mnangagwas administration to ban non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which refused to submit their work plans to the provincial development co-ordinator (PDC)s office.

In July this year, Harare PDC Tafadzwa Muguti ordered NGOs that failed to submit their programmes to his office to stop operating.

This prompted the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum and Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition to approach the High Court challenging the prohibition order.

Muguti, Harare Provincial Affairs minister Oliver Chidawu, Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe, Local Government minister July Moyo and Labour minister Paul Mavima were cited as respondents.

Justice Muremba, in her ruling, said the PDC had no right to ban the NGOs, declaring Mugutis order null and void.

The respondents and all their agents or anyone acting on their behalf are interdicted from enforcing, interfering with, suspending or stopping operations of NGOs, trusts, CSOs and faith-based organisations or in any way acting on the contents of the press statement dated July 29, 2021 by first respondent, the ruling read in part.

The averment of the third respondent that in terms of government policy, on the operations of the NGOs, the applicants before commencing any activities must seek support from the Provincial Development Committees chaired by coordinator is not correct.

In the circumstances of this case, the applicants are not challenging the validity of governments policy on the operations of the NGOs in humanitarian and development assistance in Zimbabwe. Instead, they are challenging the legality of the directives issued by the first respondent on the basis that he does not have the power to issue the directives he issued.

Justice Muremba added: I am strengthened in my position by the averments that were made by the fifth respondent in his opposing affidavits. He averred that the person to whom the NGOs submit their work plan is the registrar of NGOs.

Mnangagwas regime has accused NGOs of being sponsored by the West to effect illegal regime change in the country, an allegation the civic organisations deny.

There have been threats from senior government officials to ban NGOs from operating in the country and a law is on the cards to regulate the operations of the civic groups, making it a punishable offence to be involved in politics. Newsday


DEEP in Nkayis Dimpamiwa area, in Matabeleland North Province, a South African hip hop musician by the name Gigi Lamayne was lying low, recharging her batteries.

Gigi Lamayne, real name Genesis Gabriella Tina Manney, was in Zimbabwe to see her relatives. Her mother, Sarah, is from Bulawayo.

She was not in Bulawayo, but in Nkayi, at her grandmothers homestead.

She was pictured barefooted, dressed in an intsaro (wrapping cloth), feeding chickens and grinding sorghum with a wooden pestle and wooden mortar, while soaking in Zimbabwean weather.

And no, she did not bump into internet sensation Sikhosana Buhlungu as the two are more than 20km apart.

This sabbatical, according to Gigi Lamayne, is very important for her as it takes her away from the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg and all its intricacies. It is not the first time that Gigi has been in Zimbabwe as she has deep roots in the country.

Gigi Lamayne has made a name for herself in the male-dominated hip-hop industry. In July she released a star-studded album, Mermaids and Stuff, which was aimed at promoting female hip-hop artistes in South Africa,She left Bulawayo on Friday for her base in Johannesburg, where she is starting her role as a host of Tik Tok, South Africas music chart show.

Gigi Lamayne is also an ambassador for Silapha Foundation, which educates artistes on issues such as drug abuse and the law.

Before she left, Saturday Leisure spoke to Gigi Lamayne about her visit to Zimbabwe.

Im a child of Zimbabwean soil. My mother is from Zimbabwe, and I say that very proudly because I believe thats why Im very diverse in my writing. I grew up in South Africa and I come back to Zimbabwe to try and connect with my family and to recharge. Unfortunately, its been a tough time in the world right now with Covid. So, just to come home and to pay respects to my own family who have left, affected by Covid.

Every time Ive been here its always been a holiday kind of thing, and Im hoping that I could eventually come here and do something creative, when this Covid thing is over and the restrictions are done. Also, Ive come here to see some amazing people who have contributed to my career, right here in kwaBulawayo, said Gigi Lamayne.

She said she loves Bulawayo, a city she realised had so much music talent.

I love how earthy and natural that everything feels in Bulawayo when I breathe in the air, I feel its not toxic. I was in eNkayi yesterday and Im in Burnside now. I was in Nkulumane and Ive got family in Nketa. I feel just so amazed to get to really know about the culture of young people. And I know that theres this energy around music right now.

I have heard about the young people on Skyz Metro FM. And Im thinking theres so much amazing talent, said Gigi Lamayne.

Gigi Lamayne said the city reminded her of the late Cal_Vin, who she collaborated with some years ago on the track Capo di Tutti Capi, which means, boss of all bosses.

She described him as a phenomenal artiste.

So, the last person I did a collaboration with was with Cal_Vin. Obviously, theres Jah Prayzah and Makhadzi on Madhakutswa. The one I recall all the time when we speak about Bulawayo, has to be Cal_Vin. He was a phenomenal artiste, he believed in so much of the young Ndebele person growing up in a difficult society. He was proud of who he was repping his city, and I felt it all the time.

That collaboration was something that was planned, as we wanted to do music together. He was such an amazing soul and I think he lives in the music with the people he collaborated with as well as the people who looked up to him and his community. So, Im grateful that I could really say that I could work with him, said Gigi Lamayne.

In July, Gigi Lamayne revealed that she had completed her journey as a Sangoma, saying it was pleasing to see young people being traditional healers. Television personality, influencer and business woman, Boity Thulo and Media

Personality Masechaba Ndlovu are among the most recognisable personalities who have declared that they are sangomas.

Gigi Lamayne said from both her fathers and mothers side, there was a lineage of traditional healers.

I help people though my music, through my consultations that I do on Instagram live. Im feeling super blessed that I have been chosen with this calling in such a big world where theres so much turmoil and destruction, but God puts you there to be a light to young people.

We were chosen as young people as young healers to come in and do the work of our ancestors because the world was becoming the way it was. So, when you see the surge of young healers and prophets and sangomas and inyanga coming up, dont judge but understand that this is probably the reawakening of the African voice. One that was long overdue and lets support each other and it makes me happy when I hear that there are people who delve into this.

Not as healers but as scholars, said Gigi Lamayne. Chronicle
Meet your local candidates

Fred Sherwin

Sept. 16, 2021

When area residents head to the polls on Sept. 20, they must chose between the fve local candidates when casting their ballots. Below you will find a short bio on each candidate.

Marie-France Lalonde

When Orleans residents head to the polls on Sept. 20, Marie-France Lalonde will be hoping to keep the riding in the Liberal fold.

Lalonde was first elected to the House of Commons in October 2019 when she ran to replace former Liberal MP Andrew Leslie who had announced his retirement from politics the previous spring.

Before running federally, Lalonde served as the local provincial member of parliament for the Liberal Party from 2014-2019.

She served as Minister of Government and Consumer Services and the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs from June 13, 2016 until Jan. 12, 2017, when she was appointed Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

In the 2019 General Election, Lalonde received more than 54 per cent of the vote, beating her Conservative rival by more than 21,000 ballots.

Lalonde can list several significant accom-plishments during her career in politics including the Orleans Health Hub which she championed as a member of Liberal Cabinet. She also introduced a Private Members Bill which resulted in Ontario becoming the first province in Canada to ban the addition of microbeads to cosmetic products.

As the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services, Lalonde introduced legislation leading to wholesale reform of the Police Services Act as well as Bill 6  the Correctional Services Transformation Act.

On March 19, she was appointed parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages.

As the local MP, Lalonde has been able to secure funding for the Petrie Island Canoe Club through the Canada Com-munity Revitalization Fund; high speed Internet for Carlsbad Springs and an electronic charging station at the Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Centre.

You can learn more about the candidate by visiting mariefrancelalonde.liberal.ca.

Mary-Elsie Wolfe

Its been 15 years since Royal Galipeau upset Liberal incumbent Marc Godbout in the 2006 General Election to become the first Conservative MP in the riding and ending an 18-year run by the Liberals. Mary-Elsie Wolfe is hoping history will repeat itself when area voters head to the polls on Monday.

In 2006, Galipeau was trailing Godbout for most of election night. It wasnt until the advance polls were added to the total vote count that he managed to squeak past Godbout for the win.

Unlike the current situation in which the Trudeau government dissolved Parliament to seek another mandate, in 2006 the election was held after the Liberal minority government was defeated in a vote of non-confidence. The result saw the Conservatives come to power under Stephen Harper with the smallest minority in terms of proportion of seats in Canadian history.

Local Conservatives have pinned their hopes on Wolfe who is a former national director of the Free Methodist Church in Canada and author of the Christian faith-based book Becoming His Story: Inspiring Women to Leadership, which applies the values of Jesus to the model for leadership today.

On her campaign website, Wolfe is described as a passionate communicator and leader. She is currently involved with the Mission Thrift Store in Orleans with an environmental, com-munity, and world literacy emphasis.

She holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California and a Master of Divinity from the Tyndale Seminary in Toronto and is currently employed as a parliamentary assistant to Winnipeg-area MP Ted Falk.

Wolfe can communicate in both official languages. She and her husband Gary have lived in Orleans since 2017 and they have two teenage daughters together.

To learn more about the Mary-Elsie Wolfe visit maryelsiewolfe4orleans.ca.

Jessica Joanis

In the last federal election the NDP garnered 11.5 per cent of the vote in Orleans. It was the largest share of the vote they earned since 2011 when little-known Martine Cenatus captured 14 per cent.

The job of making further inroads into the local vote has been left up to Jessica Joanis, a community organizer and substitute teacher at Terry Fox Elementary School who worked on Barbara Zarbonis provincial campaign which captured nearly 22 per cent of the vote  a record for NDP candidates in the riding, in either a provincial or federal election. Coincidentally, Zarboni also ran against Marie-France Lalonde.

An Orleans resident, Joanis only recently graduated from the political science program at the University of Ottawa.

Among the issues she is campaigning on is the need for a universal pharmacare program so people can pay for their medication with their health card, not their credit card; the need for national standards for long-term care homes; and the need to address the climate crisis, while also fighting for new green jobs to deliver a just transitions for workers.

Nationally, the NDP are hoping to build on the 24 seats they currently hold in the House of Commons.

Ideally, theyd like to regain the 20 seats they lost in the 2019 election when they were relegated to fourth party status behind the Bloc Quebecois.

The NDP is led by Jagmeet Singh. Besides universal pharmacare, the NDP is also promising to implement 10 days of paid sick leave; universal dental care; and no-cost mental healthcare for Canadians without work or school benefits.

Other commitments include making essentials such as housing, post-secondary education and cellphone plans more affordable for Canadians; and supporting efforts leading to net-zero carbon emissions, although just what those efforts might include remains unknown.

To learn more about the Jessica Joanis visit orleansndp.com.

Michael Hartnett

It took the Green Party almost two weeks to green flag their candi-date in Orleans. In the end, Michael Hartnett was given the partys blessing to carry their flag in the riding, two weeks after the election writ had already been dropped.

The election is already the shortest allowed under the federal Elections Act at 36 days, leaving the candidate and his supporters just 22 days to get his name out there and champion the Green Partys platform.

Hartnett is a master yachtsman and instructor with the Royal Yachting Asso-ciation (RYA) who has sailed around the world over the past 20 years. His LinkedIn profile has him listed as the principal at the RYA training centre in Kingston.

Asked what the Green Partys priority will be following the election, Hartnett said recovering from the pandemic.

Recovery is the priority, said Hartnett. Recovery from a pandemic which has changed the way we live, the ways we do business, the ways we study and the ways we interact. We want this to be a recovery that is forward thinking, which takes into account serious global issues like climate change and important local issues like affordable housing, reliable public transportation and education.

"Most importantly, this recovery should be sustainable so that our children and their children can live in a world that is not threatened by global warming and awful pandemics. To recover we need a green vision of the future of Orleans.

For the first time in its brief history, the Green Party is being led in the federal election by someone other than Elizabeth May.

Annamie Paul beat out seven other candi-dates to become the first black Canadian and first Jewish woman to lead a federal party. Born in Toronto in 1972, she was called to the bar in 1998. In 2001, she founded the Cana-dian Centre for Political Leadership which focuses on helping women, indigenous persons and people of colour pursue political office.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
The government is keeping a close eye on cryptocurrency floating in the market based out of the country following alert that agencies responsible to check financial fraud are watching a company called Hyper Fund.

Sources said Hyper Fund, a DEFI by Hyper Tech Group has come under the radar recently. The Group claims to have launched the Hyper Fund to provide a decentralized financial infrastructure. Hyper Fund was announced in mid-2020.

As per the company website it is led by Ryan Xu, however, with the Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) model Hyper Fund has been luring investors with higher returns and such offerings, a common practice under Ponzi Schemes, that got the authorities alerted in the first place.

According to sources, complaints against such Funds have started pouring in several states. In India, the RBI, Union Finance Ministry and SEBI had warned people against cryptocurrency trading. The RBI is planning to launch India's official digital currency- E Rupee soon.

The Finance Ministry has clarified that Virtual currencies are also not legal tender. Hence, VCs are not currencies. The RBI has also clarified that it has not given any licence/ authorization to any entity/ company to operate or deal with Bitcoin or any virtual currency.

In June 2018, Amit Bhardwaj was arrested at the Delhi Airport by Pune police along with his brother Vivek Bhardwaj in connection with an alleged Ponzi scheme. Bhardwaj, started his own bitcoin mining operations and allegedly cheated more than 8,000 people to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore from across the country.

He has lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police special cell, alleging that he received an extortion call and was asked to pay protection money on September 6, 2021. He had setup multi-level marketing (MLM) scam by luring investors to give him Bitcoins in return for promised higher returns, police had alleged.

Regulators in UK have issued warning against such fund and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have warnings issued for both Hyper Fund and Fund Advisor.

On its website, which was first published on in March 23 ,2021 and later updated on August 31, the FCA said, "We believe this firm may be providing financial services or products in the UK without our authorisation. Almost all firms and individuals offering, promoting or selling financial services or products in the UK have to be authorised or registered by us. This firm is not authorised by us and is targeting people in the UK."

Warning investors about such fund, it further said: "You will not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), so you are unlikely to get your money back if things go wrong."

The Website used by these companies as per FCA ar http://thehyperfund.online, https://thehyperfund.com/

Decentralised Finance (DEFI) offering through blockchain technology by HyperTech Group, which is said to be based out from Hong Kong, as sources said Indian Regulators and Authorities have started monitoring the situation.

Following the measures taken by financial regulators such as the US Security and Exchange Commission and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, Indian regulators and enforcement authorities have started monitoring investment in Hyper Fund -- a Decentralised Finance offering through blockchain technology by HyperTech Group.

Globally, Financial regulators acknowledge the fact that Ponzi scheme organizers often use the latest innovation, technology, product or growth industry to entice investors and give their scheme the promise of high returns. Potential investors are often less skeptical of an investment opportunity when assessing something novel, new or "cutting-edge." On its website, Hyper Fund claims to be The Strongest Rocket in Blockchain Finance'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that birthdays will come and go, but I will never forget my 71st birthday because of the nearly 2.5 crore vaccine jabs which the country administered, marking a new feat against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking during a virtual interaction with health workers, ruling politicians, administrative officials and a cross section of people from Goa, Modi also said that by clocking the record vaccinations in a single day, India has shown the world the depths of its ability, adding that Indians should boast about the achievement with pride.

"But due to all your efforts, yesterday was a special day for me. Birthdays will come and go, but I will never forget yesterday. I cannot thank you all enough," Modi said.

"Many birthdays have come and gone. But I have kept away from these things (birthday celebrations). But in all my years, yesterday was a very emotional day for me," the Prime Minister added.

Breaking down Friday's nationwide statistics, Modi said that 15 lakh vaccines were administered every hour, 26,000 every minute and 425 doses given every second at the more than 1 lakh inoculation centres across the country.

"Because of your efforts, yesterday, India in one day, vaccinated 2.5 crore people, creating a record. Bigger and developed countries in the world have not been able to achieve this fear.

"I noticed yesterday as to how the country was watching the Cowin dashboard in anticipation," Modi said.
Humaid-ur-Rahman, uncle of ISI-trained terrorist Osama who was arrested on September 14 after Delhi Police bust an active terror module planning attacks during festive season, has surrendered before the Uttar Pradesh police in Prayagraj, officials said here on Saturday.

According to the officials, Rehman surrendered at the Kareli Police station on Friday.

Uttar Pradesh Police had earlier issued a lookout notice for Rahman.

It is alleged that Rahman, a resident of Delhi's Jamia Nagar, was coordinating the entire terror network in India.

A senior police official privy to the probe said that Rahman had sent Osama and Zeeshan Qamar, a resident of UP's Allahabad, to Oman capital Muscat to join training in Pakistan.

Once they reached Muscat, Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) took them to Gwadar port through sea routes to get them trained in making explosives and bombs.

Osama and Zeeshan Qamar were imparted the training of making bombs and IEDs and committing arson with the help of daily-use items.

They were also trained in handling and use of small firearms and AK-47s.

During the interrogation it was revealed that Osama left for Muscat in April where he met Zeeshan.

They were joined by 15-16 Bengali-speaking people and were divided into sub-groups where Zeeshan and Osama were placed in one group.

Over the next few days, after several short sea-journeys, changing boats several times, they were taken to the town Jioni near Gwadar port in Pakistan. They were received by one Pakistani who took them to a farmhouse in Thatta.

There were three Pakistani nationals in the farmhouse. Two of these, Jabbar and Hamza imparted training to them. Both of them were from Pakistan Army as they wore military uniforms.

The training lasted for almost 15 days and thereafter, they were taken back to Muscat through the same route.

Apart from Osama and Zeeshan, the other four arrested accused terrorists have been identified as Jaan Mohammad Shaikh, resident of Mumbai; the rest of the three were from Uttar Pradesh -- Moolchand, resident of Rae Bareli, Mohd Abu Bakar from Behraich and Mohd Amir Javed from Lucknow.

All the six accused are in police custody till September 29.
A US companys tech was abused by the Indian government amid warnings that Americans are contributing to a spyware industry already under fire for being out of control, Forbes reported.

Earlier this year, researchers at the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky had witnessed a cyberespionage campaign targeting Microsoft Windows PCs at government and telecom entities in China and Pakistan. They began in June 2020 and continued through till April 2021. What piqued the researchers' interest was the hacking software used by the digital spies, whom Kaspersky had dubbed as 'Bitter APT', a pseudonym for an unspecified government agency. Aspects of the code looked like some of the Moscow antivirus providers had previously seen and attributed to a company it gave the cryptonym 'Moses', the report said.

Sometimes, American companies aren't the victims, but the ones fuelling costly digital espionage. Moses' real identity, Forbes has learnt, is a company based in Austin, Texas, called Exodus Intelligence, according to two sources with knowledge of the Kaspersky research. And Bitter APT, the Moses customer, is India, added one source.

Little known outside the cybersecurity and intelligence worlds, over the last ten years, Exodus has made a name for itself with a Time magazine cover story.

Exodus, when asked by Five Eyes countries (an alliance of intelligence-sharing countries that includes the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) or their allies, will provide both information on a zero-day vulnerability and the software required to exploit it.

But its main product is akin to a Facebook news feed of software vulnerabilities, sans exploits, for up to $250,000 a year. It's marketed primarily as a tool for defenders, but customers can do what they want with the information on those Exodus zero days, ones that typically cover the most popular operating systems, from Windows to Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

That feed is what India bought and likely weaponised, said Exodus CEO and co-founder Logan Brown. He told Forbes that after an investigation, he believes that India handpicked one of the Windows vulnerabilities from the feed-allowing deep access to Microsoft's operating system, and Indian government personnel or a contractor adapted it for malicious means.

India was subsequently cut off from buying new zero-day research from his company in April, said Brown, and it has worked with Microsoft to patch the vulnerabilities. The Indian use of his company's research was beyond the pale, though Exodus doesn't limit what customers do with its findings, Brown said, adding, "You can use it offensively if you want, but not if you're going to be shotgun blasting Pakistan and China. I don't want any part of that, (The Indian embassy in London hadn't responded to requests for comment)," Forbes reported.

The company also looked at a second vulnerability Kaspersky had attributed to Moses, another flaw that allowed a hacker to get higher privileges on a Windows computer. It was not linked to any particular espionage campaign, but Brown confirmed that it was one of his company's, adding that it would "make sense" that India or one of its contractors had weaponised that vulnerability too, the report said.

Brown is also exploring whether its code has been leaked or abused by others. Beyond the two zero days already abused, according to Kaspersky, "at least six vulnerabilities" made by Moses have made it out "into the wild" in the last two years.

Also according to Kaspersky, another hacking crew known as DarkHotel - believed by some cybersecurity researchers to be sponsored by South Korea - has used Moses' zero days.

South Korea is not a customer of Exodus. "We are pretty sure India leaked some of our research. We cut them off and haven't heard anything since then, so the assumption is that we were correct," Brown said.

Knowing that its zero days can be used offensively, Brown's company could have chosen not to sell to India, a country that's been accused of abuse of spyware in recent revelations about global use of tools made by Israel's $1 billion-valued NSO Group, the report said.
Interview with Shafey Kidwai, the author of 'Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Reason, Religion and Nation'.

by Ziya Us Salam

Courtesy: Front Line, India

Soft-spoken, almost self-effacing, Shafey Kidwai is a rare Indian intellectual who writes with finesse in both English and Urdu. He is a regular at literary festivals that bring together the finest talent in English and also a frequent participant at Urdu literary meets. This seasoned academic from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), a Sahitya Akademi award winner, has penned over a dozen books in English and Urdu, including the widely acclaimed Urdu Literature and Journalism: Critical Perspectives.

His latest book, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan: Reason, Religion and Nation, published by Routledge, has been talked about for giving a fresh perspective on AMUs founder. Irfan Habib, the illustrious historian, calls it a mine of well-arranged information, objectively and competently interpreted. The book reveals the many facets of Sir Syeds life, from being a proponent of scientific education to a man whose views on female education have raised questions. Sir Syed, who questioned many of the British governments legislative Acts, has also been criticised for believing in the goodness of the colonial masters.

While never being overtly critical of Sir Syed, Kidwai manages to reveal the man behind the icon in a gentle, persuasive and almost imperceptible manner. He tries valiantly to remind us that there is much more to Sir Syed than merely founding a university which still strives to live up to his ideals.

Using the tools of a scholar and shunning academic jargon, Kidwai, in an interview, shared his thoughts on Syed Ahmed Khan, one of the founders of modern India, his book on Sir Syed, and a lot more. Excerpts:

Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was a builder of modern India. How do you look at sustained attempts by many academics to reduce him to a Muslim social reformer? Even school textbooks refer to him so.

It is regretted that Sir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817-1898), a gifted initiator of sociocultural transformation, has largely been recognised as a protagonist of socio-religious reform in Islam and merely as the founder of the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College that got the status of a university in 1920. The widespread adulation for his educational endeavours and sustained campaign for religious and social reforms and cultural practices makes his significant contribution to the collective life of Indiahis vision of empowering and mitigating the suffering of his fellow citizens by creating a vibrant civil society, his frequent adumbrations against blind adherence to ancestral beliefs, his non-conformism wrapped in the secular idiom, and his stand against suppression and subjugation without rhetorical flourishinaccessible to people.

Throughout his life, Sir Syed kept himself engaged with pertinent and equally daunting questions that rattled India in the 19th century. To understand how he nurtured the collective consciousness of the country, one has to look at his contribution as a member of several apex bodies such as the Viceregal Legislative Council (1878-1883, two terms), the North-Western Province Legislative Council (1887-1891, two terms), The Imperial Commission on Education (1882), and the Royal Public Service Commission (1887). His frequent interventions at the meetings unfailingly underscore his abiding concern for empowering subjugated Indians, regardless of their religious, ethnic or linguistic affiliations. Notwithstanding his marked Anglophile streak, he frequently challenged colonial cultural, spiritual and intellectual superiority. He made it a point to lodge loud protests when the self-respect of Indians was battered by overbearing British officers.

Colonial and right-wing historians across the border take Sir Syed s insistence on a distinct cultural identity in conformity with liberal and plural values as a communal predisposition. Going against the frenzied mass politics of the time, Sir Syed extended support to the moderate constitutional policies of the British. Certainly more than a Muslim social reformer and proponent of modern education, Sir Syed, with a well-laid strategy, tried to empower his fellow citizens by engaging with people in a discourse on self-discovery. He strove to create a new political space co-owned by Muslims and Hindus without relinquishing their cultural and spiritual aspirations. Unfortunately, textbooks hardly refer to his multilayered personality, and his discerning political, educational and religious thoughts remain hidden. Seldom does one realise that Sir Syed was one of the seminal figures of the 19th century who tried to shape the destiny of India in his way.

Altaf Hussain Hali's biography of Sir Syed

In the foreword to your book, Prof. Irfan Habib talks about some inaccuracies in Hayat-e-Jawed, Altaf Hussain Hali's biography of Sir Syed. How have you avoided repeating them here? Can Hali's work still be considered as a primary source to understand Sir Syed?

Considered to be Sir Syeds Boswell, Khawaja Altaf Hussain Hali (1837-1914) produced an exhaustive narrative of Sir Syeds contribution in extremely laudatory idiom, and it remains the single most important source of understanding Sir Syed, though it is riddled with inaccuracies, which Professor Irfan Habib rightly mentioned. No serious attempt has been made to cross-examine the authenticity of the details provided by the widely respected biographer. The biographical details provided by Hali seem to contradict what Sir Syed mentioned in his writings and letters. It is surprising to find that Hali hardly accurately mentions even the names of Sir Syed's father, sister and the period his forefathers immigrated to India. Hali mentions that Sir Syeds ancestors came to India during the reign of Shahjahan. Halis book was published in 1901, but in 1860 Sir Syed, in his periodical Loyal Mohamedans of India, mentioned that his family had migrated from Herat during the time of Jalaluddin Akbar. His employment details, his role as a lawmaker, as member of the Public Service Commission, a chronology of his books and the journals he launched are casually mentioned. It leaves one bewildered to find that Hali changed the name of Sir Syeds most popular book, Asbab-e-Sarkashi Hind ka Jawabi Mazmoon (The Reply to the Causes of Indian Uprising), to Risala Asbab-e-Baghawat-e-Hind (Causes of Indian Revolt). The book ran into more than 70 editions. Hali included it as a supplement to Hayat-e-Jawed in 1901. Without mention, he changed the name of the monograph. Despite its numerous shortcomings, Hayat-e-Jawed remains central to understanding Sir Syed.

Understanding Sir Syed

Syed Ahmad Khan remains a mystery to non-AMU students. Some see him as a rational educationist, others as a pro-British voice. How does one assess him?

Sir Syed s deliberations pertaining to faith, spirituality, morality, social customs, cultural practices, nationalism, blasphemy, universal voting rights, female education, alien rule and language still evoke admiration and retribution with almost equal intensity. His espousal of modern education and reconciliation with the British occasionally bordering on servility are seen as deliberate attempts to cut deals with the Raj. His liberal thinking and radical interpretation of the sacred texts and conciliatory political strategy infuriates clerics and politicians, and it sums up his appraisal even today.

For me, whatever Sir Syed did in the public sphere and wrote reveal a scant regard for consistency as he simultaneously discusses contradictory views without trying to resolve them. He was not one who opposed everything that the alien rule represented, but he admonished colonial power when it attempted to impinge upon the self-respect of Indians. He opposed several Bills and pressed for several amendments while serving on the Viceregal Legislative Council. There are several specific instances when he argued strongly against the actions of arrogant officers. To understand the emergence of modern India, the Muslim mind and the proverbial encounter between tradition and modernity, one has to study Sir Syed.

In the 19th century, William Muir wrote extremely critical books such as The Life of Mahomet and History of Islam. While the masses were outraged in much the same way they were about The Satanic Verses a century later, Syed Ahmad Khan took a rational, if unpopular, view of countering the books with facts. Can you elaborate on his strategy and findings?

Sir William Muir, who served as the lieutenant governor of the North-Western Province and as Finance Minister of the Legislative Council, wrote a four-volume contemptible book in which the pre-Islamic history of Arabia, Islamic precepts and the life of the Prophet were subjected to detailed scrutiny. William Muir concluded that Muslim society could not ingest reforms as it believed in the infallibility of its religious injunctions. Polygamy, divorce and slavery sanctioned by religion, and the strict adherence to theological commandments throttled freedom of thought. Much before Salman Rushdies The Satanic Verses, William Muir talked about satanic influence on the Prophet. The book led to vociferous protests, but Sir Syed said that a book can be countered by another book and that burning the book was not a solution. Muslims must not seek vengeance on behalf of the Almighty or His messenger. Blasphemy is to be dealt with according to the provisions of the countrys laws. Sir Syed accompanied his son, who got a scholarship to study at Lincolns Inn in London, and prepared a dispassionate rejoinder. Employing deductive logic and with his grounding in Islamic history, he questioned the conjectural methodology used by the author. He cited examples to highlight the Prophets moral and social commitment to a humane society. His book, translated into English as well, went a long way in debunking the misconceptions surrounding the Prophet. For Sir Syed, blasphemy did not call for violent and loud protests. It only required a dispassionate rebuttal.

He founded the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College from which grew AMU. At a time when a section of the media seeks to reduce a debate on AMU to a Jinnah portrait in a students union hall, how does the university keep space for divergent views, pluralism, and so on? More so in the face of rampant conformism?

The name of AMU frequently figures in the media for the wrong reasons. If a crime has some remote connection with AMU, the media highlights it, but crimes committed by those who studied at Lucknow, Delhi or Banaras University and so on, are never mentioned with the university affiliation. Regarding the Jinnah portrait, I must say that AMU stands against his divisive policies and one cannot find his photograph at a library or any other public place. The question of his glorification does not arise, but the universitys job is to protect the truth of history, and Jinnah visited the students union hall in 1938. His photo was there as the hall carried the names and photographs of all who visited it. The list includes stalwarts such as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, Maulana Azad and Sarojini Naidu. The university still strives to accommodate divergent views. It has set up an exclusive centre for fostering interfaith dialogue.

Syed Ahmad Khan, as you write, worked as a public intellectual. What were his views on cow slaughter? It is important as around the time the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College was founded, gau rakshini sabhas (cow protection centres) began to emerge.

Notwithstanding the frequent accusation that Sir Syed sowed the seed for the two-nation theory, his writings and actions hardly indicate any sort of communal insularity. He was the first Muslim to set out the details of living in a plural society. Sir Syed asked Muslims to adopt an all-encompassing point of view not shaped by adherence to traditional practice without any explicit religious sanction. At that time, gau rakshini sabhas were being set up and cow sacrifice, though legally permissible, caused widespread disquiet among Hindus. He asked Muslims to abandon it for the sake of friendly relations and he wrote several editorials in his weekly Aligarh Institute Gazette. When Madrasratul Uloom (1875) and the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College (1877) were set up, Sir Syed ensured that beef was not served, and at AMU hostels beef remained banned.

You write, Despite being a devout Muslim, Sir Syed expresses a great deal of scepticism about the role of religion. Is it not ironical?

Sir Syed was vocal in defending Islam, but he took a stand against its political exertion. For him Islam is not a means for grabbing power and he strongly criticised his contemporary Islamic ideologue Jamal Uddin Afghani, who forcefully advocated Pan-Islamism. Sir Syed was not in favour of Khilafat (a single Muslim political authority across the globe) and asserted, The Turkish khilafat does not extend over us. We are the residents of India.

Hafez Malik rightly observes that Sir Syed had established a new orientation that religion existed as an aid to mans progress and that man did not exist just for faith.

Syed Ahmad Khan faced a lot of flak for his views on female education. How much is the criticism valid? Have the critics based their views on the socio-religious mores then prevalent? Also, was his own view on purdah derived from the Quran or social practices?

Sir Syed never criticised female education per se but offered them tutor-based home education with gender segregation. His highest priority to purdah seems to be inspired by the social practice and it has no explicit Quranic sanction. One tends to agree with David Lelyveld [author and historian], who says that Sir Syed articulated the dominant ideology of his time.

On nationalism and patriotism

Today, there is widespread debate on the idea of India, nation, nationalism and citizenship. Where exactly did Syed Ahmad Khan stand with the respect to the idea of India and the nation?

For Sir Syed, nation was certainly more than a political slogan or marker of geographical identity; it was human instinct and not something that one acquired from ones land. He made a distinction between patriotism and nationalism, and for him patriotism is to be strengthened, and nationalism is a political ideology. His idea of India was based on inclusiveness and pluralism. For him Muslim identity was both Islamic and Indian.

All succeeding generations since the early 20th century have reduced Syed Ahmad Khans memory to AMU. Do you think, despite its laudable intentions, AMU has virtually monopolised one of the icons of modern India?

Sir Syed, who played a seminal role in the 19th century, is supposed to surface in all major debates on nationalism, and the fate of the minorities and democratic values, etc., but hardly any attention is paid to his perceptive adumbrations. Hence AMU remains the place where his teachings, alas only selective ones, are discussed.
Milley obviously didnt commit treason. But this isnt just Republicans being their normal bombastic selves. Treason is a term that is used far too loosely these days. And its dangerous.

by John Kiriakou

General Mark Milley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been in the news this week. The Washington Post reported that in the final months of the Trump Administration, Milley on two occasions phoned his Chinese counterpart to assure him that the U.S. military leadership would not allow President Donald Trump to launch a war with China.

The U.S. Intelligence Community had concluded that the Chinese feared that Trump would ignite a war in the South China Sea, and the Chinese began making defensive moves. Milley called Chinese General Li Zuecheng to assure him that democracy was sloppy sometimes, but that there would be no war with China. Milley also expressed his grave concerns about Trumps mental state with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and with the other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Within hours of the Posts report, Trump accused Milley of treason. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said that Milleys behavior was treasonous. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) called Milley treasonist (sic). And a lineup of Fox News hosts echoed the sentiment. The casualness with which people are throwing around an accusation that, if prosecuted, can carry the death penalty, reminds me of Donald Trump three years ago.

Trump in 2018 accused an FBI agent who, during the 2016 campaign, had sent anti-Trump texts to his girlfriend, also an FBI agent, of treason. He told he The Wall Street Journal, A man is tweeting [sic] to his lover that if Hillary loses, well essentially do the insurance policy. This is the FBI were talking about  that is treason.

Treason is arguably the gravest crime with which an American can be charged. And its being bandied about as punishment for a general making a phone call to his Chinese counterpart and for an FBI agent sending a text that the president didnt like.

What the Constitution Says

Treason is one of only two crimes that are actually defined in the Constitution. Article III, Section 3 states clearly:

Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

Treason can only technically be committed during wartime as only a Congressional declaration of war creates an enemy.

Milley obviously didnt commit treason. But this isnt just Republicans being their normal bombastic selves. Treason is a term that is used far too loosely these days. And its dangerous.

A couple of years ago I appeared in an obscure Spike TV documentary about whistleblowers. The reporters interviewed friends, supporters, and journalists. They each offered their views on the motivation of whistleblowers, what I had revealed about the CIAs torture program, and the Obama administrations use of the Espionage Act to curb national security whistleblowing.

The responses were what you might expect  whistleblowing is good, the public has a need to know, etc. But one of the people interviewed, Ronald Kessler, a has-been reporter for the hard right-wing newspaper The Washington Times, said pointedly that the discussion shouldnt be about the concept of whistleblowing. It should be about my treason against the United States. The interviewer pressed him and he repeated, Kiriakou is a traitor.

I allowed myself a few days to cool off and, in the end, I just let it go. Nobody saw that documentary anyway, and Kessler was so unhinged that the handful of people who did see it didnt take him seriously.

Few Cases in History

But that word treason has entered the American political vernacular. We see it all the time now, as if its somehow normal that traitors are allowed to commit their treason and continue to walk the streets and work in high-ranking positions in the government. In just the past two years there have been myriad examples.

Former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, himself a convicted criminal, said after a speech on the floor of the Senate by then-Arizona Republican senator Jeff Flake that Flakes criticism of Trump was a treason-type situation.

Former White House counselor Steve Bannon told author Michael Wolff for his book Fire and Fury that Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with a Russian attorney during the campaign was treasonous. Should Trump Jr. get the death penalty for taking the meeting? You dont have to like the Trumps to think not.

When whistleblower Chelsea Manning announced her short-lived candidacy for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland in 2018, the conservative Washington Examiner called her an entitled traitor and breathlessly said, Chelsea Manning, former soldier, nearly convicted of treason, announced over the weekend he [sic] is running for U.S. Senate from the state of Maryland. Wow. Never mind that Manning was never charged with treason.

So who has committed treason in U.S. history? Not many people. There have been only 15 across the centuries. The first were Philip Vigol and John Mitchell, both sentenced to hang for their roles in the Whiskey Rebellion. They were pardoned by George Washington. Another was the great abolitionist John Brown, who was executed in 1859 for his attempt to organize armed resistance to slavery.

The most recent were five individuals who took up arms against the U.S. or who worked as propagandists against the U.S. during World War II. They included Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose.

This perplexing use of the word treason is a testament to the vitriol with which Americans now conduct political discussions. But talk of treason has to stop right now. The only logical next step is that somebody in a position of authority, a particularly authoritarian president (like Trump) or an attorney general, for example, takes it to a prosecution. And at that point the Constitution is dead.

John Kiriakou is a former CIA counterterrorism officer and a former senior investigator with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. John became the sixth whistleblower indicted by the Obama administration under the Espionage Acta law designed to punish spies. He served 23 months in prison as a result of his attempts to oppose the Bush administrations torture program.
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La Paz (Bolivia), September 18, 2021 (SPS) - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bolivia issued on last Thursday, an official statement announcing the cancellation of the decision of the coup government and friend of the Moroccan occupation regime, according to which relations with the Sahrawi Republic were frozen.

In its statement, the Bolivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Bolivia's adherence to the historical relations it had with the Sahrawi Republic and its decision to strengthen it.

The Bolivian President, Mr. Luis Arce, had received Mr. Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, Minister of Foreign Affairs, who handed him a letter from Mr. Ibrahim Ghali, President of the Republic and Secretary-General of the Polisario Front.

During his visit to the Republic of Bolivia, Ould Salek met with his Bolivian counterpart, Mr. Rogelio Maite, the former President, Mr. Evo Morales, and a significant number of leaders of political parties who expressed their strong solidarity with the struggle of the people of the Sahrawi Republic against the Moroccan occupation.

SPS 090/110
Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) has signed an MoU with the Government of Mauritania to finance a major refurbishment and modernisation project valued at around AED24 million ($6.5 million).

The project is the Tanit Fishing Port, an artisanal fishing port that through this renovation and development of an ice factory will better enable local fishermen to benefit from the countrys fisheries economy, increase export capacity and contribute to the nations food security strategy.

The project also aims to increase operational efficiency and improve services for fishermen and providing cooled storage spaces and fish processing service, enabling them to better benefit from the fish-rich coasts of Mauritania.

The Memorandum of Understanding to finance the port renovation was signed by Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD and HE Ousmane Mamoudou Kane, Minister of Economic Affairs and Promotion of Productive Sectors in Mauritania. The signing took place at ADFD and drew the participation of several senior officials from both sides.

Mohamed Saif Al Suwaidi said: ADFD and Mauritania have partnered to support the financing of a wide range of high-impact economic and social development projects going back to 1977. The modernization of the Tanit Fishing Port represents an opportunity to directly impact the livelihoods of local fishing families while contributing to national economic growth and a number of national strategic priorities, including environmental preservation of the Tanit fishery as well as the Mauritania food security strategy.

Ousmane Mamoudou Kane said: Our partnership with ADFD has been pivotal for our goals to develop and improve strategic infrastructure in Mauritania. This funding will help improve the facilities and service at Tanit Fishing Port, which in turn will contribute to socio-economic development, increase and export capacity, and achieve sustainable development.

The ADFD-funded upgrade will provide local fishermen with access to refrigeration storage and rapid freezing units required to operate the Tanit fish processing plant, which improves access to the fish export market. The project will also enhance safety of maritime navigation into and out of the port, add a 150-square-metre boat repair and maintenance workshop as well as a range of equipment and facilities designed to improve port services and efficiencies.

Artisanal fishing is strategically important to Mauritania for its economic contribution and support of local fishing families. Fish represent as much as 58% of the exports of Mauritania and 10% of the nations GDP.

The country averages 900,000 tonnes of fish exported annually and is the largest Arab exporter of fish. Tanit Fishing Port is a traditional fishery that serves fishing-reliant households to earn their annual family income.

The port is able to dock approximately 400 small and medium sized boats and includes a 1,740-square-metre fish market.

In addition to the Tanit Fishing Port project, ADFD has helped finance a wide range of strategic development projects in Mauritania with a total value of AED363 million ($99 million). This includes projects in agricultural development, wind power, healthcare, industrial manufacturing and transportation.-- TradeArabia News Service
As part of his working visit to Tajikistan, President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov attended as a guest of honor the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The regular meeting was attended by the leaders of the SCO member states - President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Zhaparov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin joined the meeting online.

The SCO summit was also attended by the leaders of a number of observer states, including President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh (online).

Speaking at the summit, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov noted that Turkmenistan views its relations with the SCO as an important area of the international partnership strategy based on Turkmenistans commitment to the broad geographic and structural diversification of its external relations.

He stressed that the SCO member states are long-standing traditional partners of Turkmenistan, neighbors and friends, and therefore Ashgabat believes that development of relations with the SCO is intrinsically linked with the progressive course of bilateral partnership and general direction of its participation in the international and continental affairs.

The Turkmen leader informed the summit participants that Turkmenistan together with the UN plans to host an International Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries in April 2022. The Turkmen side views it as a good opportunity for holding a concrete and practical dialogue on international transport cooperation in emergency situations and post-crisis periods, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov stressed. He invited the SCO member states to participate in this forum.

Concluding his speech, the head of state confirmed Turkmenistans readiness for constructive joint work.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Hyderabad, Sep 18 (UNI) City Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar on Saturday said that about 27,000 police personnel will be deployed for the final procession of Genesh idols immersion event in Hussainsagar and other areas of the city on Sunday.

Speaking to newsmen on Ganesh idols immersion arrangements, Mr Kumar said that the Ganesh festival had performed as a low affair in the city in 2020 due to Covid-19 pandemic but this year expected heavy flow of ideals. Apart from Hyderabad city policemen, other district policemen are also deploying for the security and smooth conduct of the programme, he said.

"About 27,000 police personnel including Home Guards, State Special Police will be deployed for the security of Ganesh idol immersion on Sunday. Of them 15 per cent are women police personnel. Apart from Police, Greyhounds, Octopus will also be part of the security", he said.
By Anjali Ojha

Chandigarh/New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) As Amarinder Singh resigned as chief minister of poll-bound Punjab on Saturday after months of power struggle with state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, party sources said the decision was taken after a majority of party MLAs and workers opposed him.

Sources in the party said Singh, an old guard of the party and a personal and close friend of former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi, also could not adjust to the generational shift in the party, and was unhappy with Rahul Gandhi calling shots.
New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) Taking potshots at the Congress party, after Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Chief Minister of Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said, the infighting within Congress is not to save Punjab but to push the state into darkness.

AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha made these remarks after Captain Amarinder Singh submitted the resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh.

The administration in Punjab has almost collapsed and have failed in implementing their own manifesto, he told the reporters here on Saturday.
Athens, Sep 18(UNI/SPUTNIK) South European countries require respect for the international law from every nation, and it is time for Turkey to revise its aggressive behavior toward Greece and Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday after the EUMED 9 Summit.

The summit in Athens was attended by presidents and prime ministers of Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain.

"Security and stability throughout the Mediterranean Sea remains the fundamental priority of us all. Always on the basis of international law and the Convention on the Law of the Sea that our countries have signed and honour. They not only demand the implementation of this Convention, they also guarantee it. This concerns all countries, including neighboring Turkey. It is time for Turkey to abandon its aggressive behaviour towards Cyprus, Greece and the region as a whole," Mitsotakis said.

The Greek prime minister also said that the European borders must be protected, and "cooperation with countries that are closer to Afghanistan, like Turkey, so that refugees can stay closer to their homes."

Mitsotakis emphasized that the scenario of the migration crisis in 2015, when the influx of migrants to the European Union was uncontrolled, must not happen again.

Cyprus, populated by Greek and Turkish Cypriots, has been a stumbling block for Turkey and Greece for almost half a century. The island was de facto divided in 1974, when Turkey deployed armed forces to Cyprus after an attempt to unify Cyprus with Greece. In 1983, the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was formed, recognized solely by Turkey.

Currently, the negotiations between Turkey, Greece and the United Kingdom under the guidance of the United Nations are periodically held to decide whether Cyprus will be a bizonal, bicommunal federation or a two-state island.

UNI/SPUTNIK RKM 0731


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Minister Daryanani at London International Shipping Week (LISW)

The Gibraltar delegation has had a very productive few days at the LISW. 'It has been an excellent opportunity to interact with old contacts and create new ones as we move to the post pandemic era.'

Minister Daryanani hosted a reception on behalf of HM Government of Gibraltar where leading members of the maritime industry were present.

Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Kitack Lim, was also in attendance, allowing Minister Daryanani to speak to him on maritime related matters with Gibraltar.

The Minister also attended a Maritime UK Parliamentary reception, where he met with Robert Courts MP, Minister for Shipping, Aviation and Security, Jim McMahon OBE MP, Shadow Transport Secretary and Mike Kane MP, Shadow Aviation and Maritime Minister.

Minister Daryanani said, It has been a very important week for Gibraltar in London. We have met with leading figures in the maritime industry, renewed old contacts and made new ones. It is not easy to attract new business in these challenging times, but we are optimistic of doing so. At the same time it gave us the opportunity to market Gibraltar Maritime Week, which will take place in November. I was also fortunate to meet UK Minsters and parliamentarians, all who want to help Gibraltar in their fields. Being here has given me new ideas on how to market Gibraltar further which will allow us to progress on to the next level
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 10:55:12|Editor: huaxia

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WELLINGTON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand reported 20 new community cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, said the Ministry of Health in a statement.

Of the new community cases, 19 were contacts of previously confirmed cases and one remained unlinked, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the country recorded two new cases and two historical cases at the border on Saturday, the ministry added.

Ten people were hospitalized, including three in critical condition.

The total case number of the current Delta variant COVID-19 outbreak in the New Zealand community reached 1,027 with 1,010 in Auckland and 17 in Wellington, it said.

The country has recorded a total of 3,682 COVID-19 infections since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The ministry continued to urge anyone in Auckland with cold or flu symptoms, no matter how mild, to be tested.

The country's biggest city Auckland is at COVID-19 Alert Level 4 lockdown. The rest of the country is at Alert Level 2 restrictions with indoor activities limited to 50 people.

The cabinet is expected to make a decision on potential Alert Level changes on Monday. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 14:24:17|Editor: huaxia

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CANBERRA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Andrew Barr has said the region's coronavirus lockdown may not necessarily end when 70 percent of adults are fully vaccinated as the country continues to battle the third wave of infections.

Barr said on Saturday that it "would not be prudent" to lift Canberra's lockdown when the ACT reaches the vaccine milestone if COVID-19 was still prominent in the community.

The National Cabinet, which consists of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and state and territory leaders, in July signed off on Morrison's roadmap out of the pandemic.

Under the four-phase plan, which was based on modelling from the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, leaders agreed to ease coronavirus restrictions and gradually end lockdowns when 70 to 80 percent of over 16 years in their respective states and territories are inoculated against COVID-19.

However, according to new modelling from the Doherty Institute, which was presented to the National Cabinet on Friday, abandoning lockdowns at 70 percent vaccination rate when there are still active cases in the community could be a public health risk.

"Concerns had been raised at previous National Cabinet meetings about the scenarios presented in the August Doherty modelling technical report," Barr told reporters on Saturday.

He said the institute now advises that states and territories with COVID-19 outbreaks - given the observed sensitivity to high-seeding infections at 70 percent - ongoing application of medium public health social measures at the time of transition to phase B (between 70 and 80 percent vaccination rates) is deemed prudent in such cases, at least until the 80 percent coverage threshold is achieved.

On Saturday morning, Australia reported 1,882 new locally acquired COVID-19 infections.

The ACT recorded 15 new cases, only two of which were in quarantine for their entire infectious period.

New South Wales (NSW), Australia's most populous state with Sydney as the capital city, reported 1,331 new cases and six more deaths.

"There have been 228 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since 16 June 2021," said the statement from NSW Health.

So far about 70.5 percent of Australians aged 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose and 45.4 percent were fully vaccinated, according to the Department of Health. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 15:22:59|Editor: huaxia

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VIENTIANE, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Lao capital Vientiane on Saturday recorded 264 local COVID-19 transmissions, the highest daily infection ever recorded in the city.

Laos has logged a total of 467 new cases over the past 24 hours including 383 local transmissions, Deputy Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under Lao Ministry of Health Sisavath Soutthaniraxay told a press conference on Saturday.

Among the community cases, 264 were reported in Lao capital Vientiane, 41 in Champasak, 30 in Luang Prabang, 26 in Khammuan, 20 in Savannakhet and two in Luang Namtha.

The imported cases were detected in Savannakhet, Saravan and Luang Prabang.

As of Saturday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Laos reached 18,814 with 16 deaths.

A total of 15,133 COVID-19 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Laos reported its first two confirmed COVID-19 cases on March 23 last year. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 15:27:49|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government has reminded its neighboring country Australia of its regional obligation to maintain peace, stability and security after the latter announced its decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as part of a security pact with the United States and Britain.

In a statement published on the website of the country's Foreign Ministry on Friday, the Indonesian government took note "cautiously" of Australia's decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

"Indonesia is deeply concerned over the continuing arms race and power projection in the region," the statement said.

The largest Southeast Asian country also stressed the importance of Australia's commitment to continue meeting all of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.

The archipelagic country encouraged Australia and other parties concerned to advance dialogue in settling any differences "peacefully."

"In this regard, Indonesia underscores the respect for international law, including UNCLOS 1982, in maintaining peace and security in the region," the statement said. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 16:55:09|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia signed an agreement on Friday to build a hydropower plant in the western part of the country with Chinese companies, according to Mongolia's energy ministry.

The Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), along with PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corp Ltd, will build the Erdeneburen hydropower plant on Khovd River in the Erdeneburen soum (administrative subdivision) of Khovd province in the coming five years, with a soft loan from the Chinese government, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.

The 90-megawatt hydropower plant is considered crucial to ensuring long-term energy supplies to western Mongolia and laying the foundation for the development of renewable energy in the region. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 17:45:50|Editor: huaxia

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PHNOM PENH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's garment industry has seen a 3.3-percent increase in exports during the first eight months of 2021, a report from the Ministry of Commerce showed on Saturday.

The Southeast Asian nation exported the products worth 5.02 billion U.S. dollars during the January-August period this year, up 3.3 percent from 4.86 billion dollars over the same period last year, the report said.

Garment industry is the largest foreign exchange earner for Cambodia. The sector consists of about 1,100 factories and branches, employing approximately 750,000 workers, mostly female, according to the Labor Ministry.

Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Friday attributed the growth in the apparel industry to high COVID-19 vaccination rates and controllable COVID-19 situation.

"Our garment industry has been functioning normally, and we have seen a remarkable rise in purchase orders because our country is now safer from COVID-19 than other garment manufacturing countries," he said during a press conference on a COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Cambodia launched a COVID-19 inoculation campaign in February, with China being the key vaccine supplier.

As of Sept. 17, some 11.6 million people, or 72.5 percent of the kingdom's 16 million population, had received at least one vaccine dose, while 10.1 million, or 63.2 percent, had obtained both required shots and 815,581, or 5 percent, had got a third dose or booster dose, the health ministry said.

The country reported 648 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing the national total caseload to 103,482, the ministry said, adding that seven new fatalities were registered, bringing the overall death toll to 2,096.

An additional of 492 patients recovered, taking the total number of recoveries to 96,767, said the ministry. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 17:58:57|Editor: huaxia

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by Benedictus Robert Yota

JAKARTA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has opened a few of its borders to foreigners after the Ministry of Law and Human Rights issued a ministerial regulation that reopens applications for tourist and limited stay visas for fully-vaccinated travelers.

"Previously, only foreigners with diplomatic and service visas are allowed to enter the country. With today's issuance of Ministerial Regulation No. 34/2021, those with existing valid tourist and limited stay visas are also allowed to enter Indonesia," the Directorate General of Immigration's spokesman Arya Pradhana Anggakara said in a statement on Thursday.

Furthermore, the government has also decided to open international borders at six transportation hubs, which are the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang city, Banten province, Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado city, North Sulawesi province, seaports in Batam city, Riau Islands province, and Nunukan, North Kalimantan province, as well as land cross-border posts in the areas of Aruk and Entikong in West Kalimantan province.

The aforementioned seaports and land borders have been reopened for international tourists as of Thursday, and the two airports since Friday, the Transportation Ministry's spokesperson Adita Irawati said in a recent press release.

On Friday, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan also said that the government is likely to reopen its resort island of Bali for international tourists starting October due to the recent decline in the number of daily COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

"If the number of cases continues to drop, we are confident to reopen Bali in October," Panjaitan said at a virtual press conference, adding that Indonesia will prioritize foreign tourists from countries with controlled COVID-19 cases.

Travelers who want to enter the archipelago, both Indonesians and foreigners, must be fully-vaccinated besides showing vaccine certificates and negative PCR test results taken no longer than 72 hours prior to the departure time, according to a press release from the Transportation Ministry issued on Thursday.

Upon arrivals, the travelers have to take another PCR tests and must undertake eight days of quarantine if declared negative.

One more negative result of the PCR test will be required on the eighth day.

Both Indonesians and foreigners are required to fill out the Electronic Health Alert Card (E-HAC) inside the PeduliLindungi contact tracing application.

A foreigner must also show a proof of being covered by health insurance, which is expected to cover the individual's health expenses, including for COVID-19, while staying in Indonesia.

Between Sept. 15 and 17, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's Immigration Office recorded 974 foreigners entering Indonesia, and 874 foreigners departing the country.

Meanwhile, the airport also recorded 2,961 Indonesians going home and 3,418 leaving the country.

"In total, there were 15,343 foreigners that entered Indonesia between Aug. 1 and Sept. 17, with 22,122 foreigners leaving the country during the same period," Sam Fernando, head of the immigration office's public relations and information technology division, told media on Friday.

During the same period, there were also 51,658 Indonesians arriving back in the country and 50,925 Indonesians leaving the archipelago.

Indonesia's daily new COVID-19 cases have shown significant decline this week, as opposed to last month.

On Friday, the Health Ministry recorded 3,835 newly-confirmed COVID-19 cases with 219 deaths compared with over 20,000 new infections just one month ago. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 18:40:01|Editor: huaxia

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ULAN BATOR, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's COVID-19 infections grew by 2,893 to reach 272,369 in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said Saturday.

The disease has so far claimed 1,096 lives in the country after 13 more patients over 20 years old died in the past day.

More than 76,000 COVID-19 patients are being treated across the country, with 355 in serious conditions.

So far, 65.2 percent of the country's population has received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

The health ministry has urged the public to wear facial masks and maintain social distancing in public places as the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus is spreading rapidly across the country. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 20:18:03|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan authorities on Saturday received 4 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines shipped from China as a mass scale vaccination program against the COVID-19 is presently underway in the country.

The vaccines arrived at Colombo's Bandaranaike International Airport onboard two Sri Lankan Airlines flights from Beijing, capital of China.

Officials said the consignment was taken to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC)'s main warehouse complex by vehicles with freezer facilities.

The Chinese Embassy in Colombo said that the arrival of this consignment of vaccines was the final batch in the contract signed by Sri Lanka's SPC and with this, 26 million Sinopharm vaccines have arrived in Sri Lanka to date.

This has supported more than 80 percent of Sri Lanka's vaccination drive, the Chinese Embassy said.

Official statistics showed that the Sinopharm vaccine was the leading vaccine used across the country with 10,886,678 doses administered as the first dose till Friday and 8,973,670 administered as the second dose.

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

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa earlier this month instructed authorities to complete vaccinating those above the age of 30 by this month. The country has to date detected 500,772 positive COVID-19 patients since March last year and reported 11,938 deaths. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 20:34:24|Editor: huaxia

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed on Saturday in a fierce gunfight with government forces in India's northeastern state of Assam, police said.

The gunfight erupted at Ultapani area of Kokrajhar district, about 229 km west of Dispur, capital city of Assam.

"A gunfight broke out at Ultapani area of Kokrajhar in which two militants were killed," Special Director General of Police in Assam L.R. Bishnoi said.

According to Bishnoi, the slain militants were members of the newly formed militant group United Liberation of Bodoland.

The police said the operation in the area was launched on specific intelligence information suggesting the presence of the militants in the forest area.

An armed insurgency is going on in India's northeastern states as dozens of insurgent groups are challenging New Delhi's rule in the region and have waged a guerrilla war.

While some armed groups fighting the Indian troops demand a separate homeland, the others seek regional autonomy. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 23:18:39|Editor: huaxia

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DHAKA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh on Saturday received another 5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's pharmaceutical Sinopharm Group.

A plane of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Chinese vaccine doses landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at around 2:00 a.m. local time Saturday, Health Ministry spokesman Maidul Islam Prodhan told reporters.

Abu Zaher, chief health coordinator at Bangladesh's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, received the consignment at the airport.

Earlier on Sept. 11, 5.4 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine arrived in Dhaka from China.

Bangladesh's vaccination drive is now running smoothly in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere largely thanks to China's continued vaccine support.

To fight the alarming spike in COVID-19 cases, Bangladesh has signed an agreement on the co-production of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine doses locally.

Bangladesh began the COVID-19 vaccination drive in January to contain the pandemic that has spread across the country.

The Bangladeshi government subsequently halted administering the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine after India banned vaccine exports.

In June, the vaccination drive resumed in parts of the country with the China-donated Sinopharm vaccine.

Bangladesh has so far received around 25 million Sinopharm vaccine doses from China. Enditem
editorial

The promotion of Isa Pantami to the rank of a professor is questionable

The process of attaining a professorial height is part of the tradition of academic discipline, requiring a specific record of research and publications, and a rigorous conformity to the prescribed rituals of independent evaluation and authentication. Counterfeiting and quackery should therefore have no place in a nation's university system especially when it comes to appointments and promotions. It is precisely the strict adherence to standards and procedures that make universities the universal gold standard for the measurement of knowledge among the nations of the world. And there is a sense in which a nation is as good as the quality and integrity of its universities.

In recent times, however, Nigerians are being treated to a new phenomenon of tertiary institutions literally trading in academic honours and positions. These range from honorary degrees to endowment related recognitions. Of course, it is legitimate for any university to name units and structures after generous donors as recognition for the linkage between town and gown. The real travesty is when core academic positions and promotions are reduced to objects of political tinkering and patronage. That amounts to a sacrilegious contamination of the very soul of the university system.

The most recent consequential instance of such travesty is the much orchestrated 'promotion' of Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to professor of Cyber Security by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Pantami has never taught or been on the faculty of this university. Even more scandalous is the revelation that there is no evidence that the university authorities observed extant due process before awarding Pantami's so-called promotion. It remains a matter of semantics whether an institution can technically 'promote' a person who was never on its staff to any position.

Ordinarily, the appointment of an external applicant for the position of professor ought to follow the evaluation of both internal and external assessors. This is usually accompanied by independent external reviews of the publications and credentials of the applicant by known academic authorities in their field of specialisation. The criteria considered for such appointment include years of teaching, research, publications of original books and articles in learned local and international journals. There is yet no indication that any or all these procedures were followed before Pantami became a 'Professor'. These lapses sadly point to a questionable violation of the university's extant procedures.

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A university professorship is recognised as the highest point on the ladder of advancement for scholars. It is a recognition of distinguished accomplishment in research, teaching and overall contribution to a specific field of learning and knowledge. It is not a decorative title freely handed out as the equivalent of a chieftaincy title. Ordinarily therefore, our universities ought to be insulated from the penchant for periodic handout of all manner of disfigured cultural titles and awards.

Given Pantami's current position, this questionable appointment becomes a matter of public interest from the point of view of both the ethics of his high office and the integrity of the university in question as a publicly funded institution whose actions ought to be guided by the provisions of the law establishing it. In either direction, both Pantami's doubtful assumption of a position he may not have genuinely attained and a federal university's perfunctory handing out of an academic position to a serving minister who has never featured on its faculty list are matters which deserve to be investigated. Our high public officials have no business desperately hustling to obtain laurels they have not earned. Worse still, a federal institution funded from the public treasury has no business allowing its processes and procedures to be bastardised by self-seeking political agents.
SUB: Terrorists fleeing military operations in Zamfara State have invaded Saulawa and Damari communities in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State....

Terrorists fleeing military operations in Zamfara State have invaded Saulawa and Damari communities in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Multiple sources confirmed to Daily Trust that the gunmen on motorcycles suspected to be members of the Ansaru terrorist organisation arrived the two communities in their hundreds and later hoisted flags in Damari and Saulawa villages.

Damari and Saulawa are two among many villages in the Birnin Gwari local government area overrun by terrorists and bandits with no presence of security operatives.

Sources said the two villages had a few years ago reached a pact with bandits to allow them freedom to farm while bandits were given access to markets and other amenities in the communities.

The agreement, however, faltered in February when gunmen invaded several communities including Saulawa and Damari and killed scores of people.

Speaking with Daily Trust, a youth leader from Dogon Dawa town of Birnin Gwari said some residents of Damari had been sneaking out and relocating to Zaria for safety while others had relocated their families while the men remained in the community to farm.

"Over 400 of them arrived on Tuesday, they have overtaken Saulawa and Damari and they have hoisted their flags, they have not attacked anyone but people are scared and they are leaving," he said.

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Also, a fuel vendor at Dogon Dawa confirmed the presence of the strange group in Saulawa village and also confirmed that villagers are sneaking out of the villages to Karau-Karau, Dogon Dawa and Zaria.

"As we speak, the group members who we suspect to be Ansaru members are still in Saulawa village and Damari and reports from those villages is that two flags have been hoisted; one in Damari and the other in Saulawa."

He said apart from the Damari axis, the old Kuyello in the same LGA had equally become a danger zone as the group had taken advantage of the bad terrain to carry out their nefarious activities, preaching to the locals in an attempt to woo them to their side.

A senior security source in Kaduna told Daily Trust that reports of mass influx of terrorist had reached security operatives and lamented why the military operation in Zamfara State was not simultaneous to include neighbouring states.

"What we expected was that as the operation is taking place in Zamfara, security agencies would been strategically stationed in these frontline states to block the terrorists from fleeing to other states, but sadly the operation as it appears is not simultaneous," he said.

The Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan did not answer calls to his phone and is yet to reply messages sent via text and WhatAspp as at the time of filing this report. However, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, said the command had not received a report on the hoisting of flags in Damari and Saulawa but assured that the Police was strategizing with other sister agencies to tackle the menace of insecurity.
SUB: The governors agreed that instead of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), state governments have the power to collect VAT....

The Southern Governors Forum met on Thursday at the Enugu State government house where they resolved to collect Value Added Tax (VAT) in their states.

The governors agreed that instead of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), state governments have the power to collect VAT.

Daily Trust reports that there has been controversy over the tier of government that is constitutionally empowered to collect VAT within their various territories. The matter is currently at the Supreme Court.

Thursday's decision by the southern governors has brought a new twist to the VAT debacle, which experts described as "gradual restructuring" in action.

The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, who read the communique of the meeting of the southern governors, said that the collection of VAT by various state governments will go a long way in boosting their economic growth and development unlike when the FIRS was solely responsible for collecting VAT, remitted to the coffers of the federal government.

Already, some states favourably disposed to collecting VAT like Rivers and Lagos states have enacted laws to that effect.

The Rivers State government had earlier secured a Federal High Court judgment to collect VAT. However, the Court of Appeal on Friday, September 10, 2021, upturned the judgment.

It ordered the state to stay action on its bid to collect VAT pending the resolution of the legal dispute on the matter.

Haruna Tsanami, the judge who delivered the lead ruling of the panel of judges on the matter also suspended the law passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly and assented to by Governor Nyesom Wike.

He granted "status quo ante bellum" in favour of the FIRS and against the respondents and fixed yesterday for the continuation of the hearing.

During the resumed hearing, the appeal court refused the applications by Rivers and Lagos states seeking to appoint a receiver or manager for VAT collections.

The three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Tsanami also reserved the ruling on joinder of Lagos State to a later date after the lawyers in the matter filed and argued their processes.

Counsel to Rivers State Government, Ifedayo Adedipe (SAN) had appealed to the court to adopt a procedure under Order 4 Rule 6 of the court's rules on status quo, which would entail appointing a receiver or manager to take custody of the VAT from the FIRS.

Similarly, counsel to Lagos State government, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) argued that if the FIRS goes ahead to collect and distribute the VAT while the matter was pending in court, the affected states would not be able to recover same.

But counsel from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Tijjani Gazalli (SAN) and FIRS, Magaji Mahmud (SAN) asked the justices to discountenance the oral applications, adding that Lagos State had not been joined in the suit.

Earlier, Onigbanjo had asked the court to grant the state leave to join the appeal as an interested party, having been restrained from collecting VAT alongside Rivers State.

He argued that the purpose of the joinder was to prevent multiplicity of suits on the same subject matter.

"The application is reserved for ruling," the justice said.

Our correspondent reports that Rivers State had on Wednesday, September 15, urged the Supreme Court to set aside the 10 September Court of Appeal ruling ordering it and FIRS to maintain the status quo on the VAT issue.

Northern Governors Forum mum

There was no immediate official reaction from the Northern Governors Forum led by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State on the position of the Southern Governors' Forum on VAT.

Calls and a text message put across to Lalong's Director of Press and Public Affairs, Makut Simon Macham, were not responded to.

Also, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Dan Manjang, was contacted and he responded via a text message saying, "You know that I don't speak for the northern governors."

Meanwhile, a source at the government house said the Northern Governors Forum and the Plateau State Government were yet to have a position on the matter, otherwise, they would have already responded via a statement.

But the Kano State government said it was still studying all the arguments for and against states collecting VAT.

The state's Commissioner of Information, Mohammad Garba, told one of our reporters that the state would make its position known as soon as it was done studying the arguments.

The state House of Assembly earlier this week recommended the dismissal of the chairman of the state Revenue Board amidst the dwindling fortune of the state's IGR.

On its part, the Gombe State Government last night reiterated its call for continuation of the existing formula.

In a phone interview with Daily Trust, the Director-General of Press Affairs to Governor Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, Ismaila Uba Misilli, said "the position of Gombe State Government is the need to retain the existing collection and distribution of VAT centrally. "This is to ensure a balance in the collection and refund system that ensures customers are not charged multiple times. Again, the present administration also ensures that 20 per cent derivation is given to states before the sharing based on other indices," he said.

He added that the state still awaits the verdict of the Supreme Court on the matter and the stand of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF)

This newspaper had recently reported that in the event the courts grant states powers to collect tax, more than 30 states in Nigeria may not be able to meet their financial commitments.

VAT contributes significantly to the total revenue generated by the government, accounting for over 16.2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2019.

VAT was introduced via Decree No.102 of 1993. It replaced sales tax operated under Decree No.7 of 1986, which was administered by states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The FIRS had the responsibility of collecting VAT on behalf of the 36 states and the FCT. Section 40 of the VAT Act requires that the VAT pool be shared 15% to the FG; 50% to states; and 35% to LGs (net of 4% cost of collection by the FIRS). Twenty per cent of the pool is shared based on derivation.

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The FG generated over N2.5 trillion from VAT alone in the last 18 months as outlined in the 2020 Finance Act.

According to data filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria may have earned about N2.5tr from January 2020 to June 2021 at a 7.5 per cent VAT rate.

Most states depend on funding from the Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) due to their poor Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Southern govs vow to implement ban on open grazing

Daily Trust reports that the Southern Governors Forum during their meeting on Thursday also expressed satisfaction with the states in the region that have successfully implemented the anti-open grazing law in line with the decision reached during the meeting which was held in Delta State.

The forum also said the South should be allowed to produce the president of Nigeria in 2023.

The governors present were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom, Babajide Sanwo Olu of Lagos State and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta.

Others were Akeredolu of Ondo, Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun.

The deputy governors present were Mr Bisi Egbeyemi of Ekiti, Rauf Olaniyan of Oyo, Kelechi Igwe of Ebonyi, Ude Oko-Chukwu of Abia, Philip Shuaibu of Edo, Prof. Ivara Esu of Cross River and Prof. Placid Njoku of Imo.
The Nasarawa State Police Command has assured people of the state that adequate security would be provided during the forthcoming local government election in the state slated for October.

Mr. Adesina Musbau Soyemi, the state commissioner of police, disclosed this while playing host to the officials of the state electoral body led by the chairman, Barrister Ayuba Wandai Usman at the police headquarters, on Thursday.

He said they would partner with other security agencies operating across the state to ensure that the forthcoming elections are conducted free and fair.
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has asked Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation, to withdraw the statement that he was instrumental to his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former minister, who joined the APC on Thursday, had claimed that he was instrumental to the defection of three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, including Umahi.

He had listed other governors that he influenced their defection as Ben Ayade of Cross River, and Bello Matawalle of Zamfara.

But during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Umahi said Fani-Kayode played no role in his defection.

"I think he needs to withdraw that statement, he's my good friend but it was an insult to my person and the other governors."

"The man did not know when I moved but he incidentally visited me and he said he's coming to join me with the other governors to declare. How would someone in the PDP be instrumental in my moving? A whole governor of a state, not even a small governor, an experienced one.

"He has to withdraw his statement. He was never part of any discussion of my movement. I moved South East to the centre of administration. I moved to close the gap between the centre and South East, which our forefathers like Nnamdi Azikwe, fought for.

"For somebody to say that he's instrumental to the movement of a whole chairman of South East Governors' Forum is a bit of an insult to my person. And with all due respect, he has to withdraw that statement," he said.
Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello has been described as one of the best performing governors in Nigeria.

The Convener Got Your Back Nigeria, Prof Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr, also called on Nigerians to rise above sentiment and fake news in their assessment of Bello.

Prof Chris in a statement said that Bello has continue to do well in transforming Kogi state.

"Is the young man that superintend the State of Kogi from the Lugard House in Lokoja one of the best performing Governors in Nigeria, today? The answer is YES in caps. Is his watch over Kogi uneventful and mediocre? The answer is a NO in caps. So you wonder why he courts the flak of political opponents like ants and honey. Don't bother too much, they criticize him, they oppose him, and they lie against him and the State of Kogi because he doesn't belong to the cult of egocentric and self-serving political operators. He has done, and is yet doing great things in Kogi," he said.

He alleged that some people are contriving violence and sponsoring falsehood in order to de-market Bello ahead 2023 elections.

He, however, said that Kogi state stands out as a manifest example of what good governance and leadership must be.

"The truth is that Kogi State under the watch of the 46 years old technocrat in Lugard House fondly called GYB, Governor Yahaya Bello is the safest State in the North, and the second safest State in Nigeria, and adjudged so by all available Security Index locally and internationally," he added.

He said the group will continue to drum up support for Bello ahead 2023 election while urging Nigerians to support politics of ideas and policy rather than falsehood and mudslinging.
analysis

In the 2000s experts from the University of Cape Town and the South African Medical Research Council built a system to track AIDS mortality on a monthly and a yearly basis, using data from the Department of Home Affairs. In 2020 researchers built on this system to track COVID-19 deaths in South Africa. Now, South Africa is one of few countries in the developing world that have managed to build a near-real time mortality tracking system. The South African Medical Research Council publishes a weekly report on deaths in the country. The Conversation's Ina Skosana spoke to demographer Tom Moultrie about what the data shows.

Who, according to your figures, is dying, and where are they?

The weekly mortality report provides information on deaths registered in almost real-time on the National Population Register. These are used to determine the actual number of deaths that have occurred in the country and calculate the number of excess deaths over and above the numbers that would be expected had the historical mortality trends before the COVID-19 pandemic continued.

In South Africa between May 2020 and early September 2021, over a quarter of a million more people have died from natural causes than was predicted for that time period.

The vast majority - three quarters - are over the age of 60.

The burden of this has been very heavily felt by those at older ages. But it is not completely unaffecting those aged under 60. And that is because of the high prevalence of noncommunicable diseases. South Africa has a high incidence of diseases and conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity. These are all known cofactors for COVID-19 related mortality

The geography of where people are dying is largely a reflection of where people are living. The actual count of excess deaths is lower in the sparsely populated Northern Cape than more densely-populated provinces such as the Western Cape or Gauteng. Allowing for population size and age-distribution, the three most-affected provinces are the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Eastern Cape; while the three least-affected provinces are the Western Cape, North West, and Gauteng.

What are the leading causes of death?

This is the real problem we have with trying to understand COVID-19 deaths in the country. We get the data we use from the Department of Home Affairs, which only classifies deaths by natural or unnatural causes.

Unnatural causes of death would be homicides, suicides and accidents. Natural causes refers to medical causes of death.

At the time of death, a doctor or medical attendant records the chain of causes leading to death on an official death notification form. But that information is not captured in real time by the Department of Home Affairs. This data is only released by Statistics South Africa many years after the fact. For example, the mortality and causes of death report release in 2021 reflects deaths recorded through to 2018. However, the actual data are still only available through to 2017.

The numbers reported by the national Department of Health every night reflect those known to have died from COVID-19 and who were known to have been infected with the virus. But those reports miss many deaths, especially of those who do not die in a health facility.

In the meantime, however, we can look at the proportions of people testing positive, the excess deaths (above what was expected) as well as the officially reported COVID-19 deaths to get a sense of how these relate to each other. The estimates of excess deaths produced every week show that the peaks of the excess deaths follow almost exactly the peaks of reported COVID-19 deaths, as well as the cases reported a week or so earlier.

The South African Medical Research Council and University of Cape Town collaboration, who produce the estimates of excess deaths every week, has come to the view that between 85% and 95% of the excess natural deaths in the country are related to COVID-19.

But we do not know for certain. That's one of the great tragedies of vital registration systems in sub-Saharan Africa and the developing world generally.

How can this information be used in the COVID-19 response?

The excess deaths shows that the effects of COVID-19 are far more severe than that reflected in the national data. We can see that even at a more granular level by looking at the provincial data. The number of COVID-19 deaths reported in the Western Cape - which has the best-functioning health data system in the country - is about 70% of the number of excess deaths estimated for the province. Based on this information we can be fairly certain that other provinces are missing COVID-19 deaths.

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But even if we can't attribute all of those excess deaths to COVID-19, we can say with a high degree of certainty that a lot more people have died from COVID-19 than has been reported by the National Department of Health.

Another thing that we've managed to do during this period of repeated lockdowns and changes in regulations has been to try and tease out the effects of the various alcohol bans and curfews on the number of unnatural deaths. Unnatural deaths - as a consequence of homicide, suicide, and accidents - tend to be strongly associated with alcohol. And one of the things which we have managed to show in the paper, which we published in the South African Medical Journal, was exactly how extreme the effects of banning alcohol are in terms of their impacts on the number of unnatural deaths. We also showed that the partial restrictions on the sale of alcohol are largely ineffective.

So this data contributes to the evidence base which government can draw on to determine what their COVID-19 response should be.

Tom Moultrie, Professor of Demography, University of Cape Town
document

The United States welcomes the announcement from our partner and ally France that its troops killed Adnan Abu Walid Al-Sahrawi. We commend France's continued commitment to countering terrorism and protecting civilians in West Africa in coordination with our African partners.

As the leader of ISIS in the Greater Sahara, Walid Al-Sahrawi bears responsibility for the violence that has taken the lives of countless civilians and military personnel in the Sahel, including the October 4, 2017 attack on a joint U.S.-Nigerien patrol in the region of Tongo Tongo, Niger that resulted in the deaths of four U.S. soldiers and four Nigerien soldiers.

The United States is committed to continuing to support the efforts of our African partners, France, and the international community to improve the safety and well-being of civilians in West Africa.
<i>The bandits did not kill or abduct any resident but only stole foodstuff during the attack that lasted about 40 minutes, residents said</sub>

A group of about 50 bandits Friday evening raided Tangaza, the headquarters of Gidan Madi Local Government Area of Sokoto, and carted away foodstuff, water, and other commodities.

Multiple sources confirmed to Premium Times that the bandits did not kill or abduct any resident during the raid that lasted about 40 minutes.

A witness, Basharu Altine, said the bandits stormed the town on motorcycles and went straight to the central motor park.

"They came around 8:41 this night, Friday, and started shooting as they rode towards the central motor park. Residents were scared after the bandits started ransacking shops looking for foodstuff," he said.

Mr Altine said even people who stayed behind were not shot or taken by the bandits. "It was obvious they were looking for food items," he said.

"I was going home when the shooting started. At first, we thought they were there to kill and kidnap but then it became obvious that they were looking for foodstuff. But vigilante members alongside policemen and soldiers went after they (the bandits) had left," Mr. Sodangi said.

The spokesperson of the <a target="_blank" href="http://npf.gov.ng">police</a> in Sokoto, Sanusi Abubakar, did not respond to calls from our reporter.
Tunis/Tunisia  Only 55,531 people honoured their jab appointments out of 136,822 text message invites sent on September 17, standing at over 80 thousand who missed their appointments, according to the Health Ministry.

The number of fully vaccinated people stands at 3,171,209 and is as follows: 2,445,448 received two doses, 323,634 got one shot as the J&J/Janssen vaccine requires a single dose and a further 402,127 had one jab as they were infected before.

6,141,156 people registered on Evax.tn platform until September 18 to book vaccination appointments, the ministry adds.
??El Gobierno prorrogo por 31 dias el estado de emergencia nacional por la covid-19. ??https://t.co/33dTeOALa5 pic.twitter.com/SWZasssXLV
?? El presidente de ????, @PedroCastilloTe, aseguro que Hay que luchar por la proteccion de los derechos humanos, las libertades de todas las personas, la igualdad de genero, el respeto a los pueblos originarios y afrodescendientes [...] Unidos lograremos todo; desunidos, nada. pic.twitter.com/CvhlEaqvaI
"We must fight for the protection of human rights, the freedoms of all peoples, gender equality, respect for indigenous peoples and Afro-descendants, among others," he expressed.

At the beginning of his presentation, the top official saluted indigenous peoples from the ethnic groups: Quechua, Aymara, Awajun, Konibo, Shipibo, as well as the "men and women who have never had a voice in the homeland."

"Today, I feel strengthened because it is the first time that I have left the country as the recently-sworn-in Head of State," he said.

Likewise, Mr. Castillo asked his peers to make the greatest effort to agree on access to international financing that is required for the recovery and reactivation of Latin American economies, hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"For this reason, within the framework of the rule of law and institutionalism, we deem as necessary implementing the reforms that the country demands to reaffirm the achievements and amend the defects in the political, social, and economic structure, which have made it possible for poverty to persist, along with exclusion and lack of opportunities," he pointed out.

President Castillo highlighted Peruvian presence at the VI CELAC Summit, at an expectant moment in its history, when the bicentennial of its independence is commemorated.

"The Government that I preside over elected by the free and sovereign will of the Peruvian people has proposed initiating a new stage in the life of the Republic, two centuries after our independence was proclaimed, and we are working on it," he expressed.

? El presidente @PedroCastilloTe invoco en Mexico a priorizar la lucha contra el terrorismo, la pandemia y el crimen organizado a los paises miembros de la CELAC (@PPT_CELAC).

?? Ver nota: https://t.co/ngteeFHJI9#VICumbreCELAC pic.twitter.com/KaJHzA3rNs
El Peru suscribio hoy una Enmienda al Acuerdo de Fabricacion y Suministro con Pfizer para el abastecimiento de 35 millones de dosis de la vacuna contra la COVID-19 en 2022 y permitira continuar recibiendo esta vacuna de alta calidad el proximo ano.https://t.co/1UiWq9pKXM
GYUMRI, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Event marking the 10th anniversary of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and the inauguration of the renovated building of the TUMO Center in Gyumri was held today in the second largest city of Armenia.

The event was attended by Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan, Cabinet members, local authorities, representatives of international organizations in Armenia, as well as the partners of the TUMO Center.

TUMO Director Marie Lou Papazian presented the Centers enlargement programs in Armenia and Artsakh, which is going to be implemented in coming years, that is the TUMO Armenia program worth 50 million dollars.

TUMO Armenia, 5 years, 50 million USD initiative aims at making the TUMO advanced education available to all teenagers in Armenia and Artsakh. 16 TUMO Centers are expected to open in major towns of the provinces in the coming years, whereas small communities will have TUMO boxes, a total of 110, to make the program available to 80,000 teens across the country. Yemenijian family donated 10 million dollars for the initiative. The money will be used for building TUMO Centers in Vanadzor, Kapan and Koghb communities, as well as for installing TUMO boxes. In order to collect the remaining 40 million dollars, TUMO is announcing an international fundraising, Marie Lou Papazian said, adding that the initiative enters a practical stage, as the Armenian General Benevolent Union and Elie & Elzbieta Akilian each guaranteed to double the 10 million USD collected in the first two years of the campaign.

The new building of TUMO in Gyumri opens new opportunities for both its students and all residents of Gyumri. It will have classrooms, a recording studio, an outdoor terrace for events, cinema, etc.

Reporting by Armenuhi Mkhoyan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Indonesia may allow foreign tourists to start returning to the popular resort island of Bali and other parts of the country by October after a sharp slide in Covid-19 cases, senior minister Luhut Pandjaitan says.

South Korea, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand, are among countries the government is considering accepting foreign nationals from first, given the low virus spread in those nations, he said.

Residents in Covid-plagued NSW and Victoria mightn't be so lucky, however.

The Southeast Asian nation intends to move cautiously to reopen its borders following a devastating second virus wave, driven by the Delta variant.

A man sets up sea-side loungers at a beach in Kuta, Bali. Source: AAP

Luhut, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs, said the addition of confirmed cases of Covid-19 had dropped by 94.5 per cent since a peak in mid-July.

"We are happy today that the reproduction rate is below 1. It is the lowest during the pandemic and is indicating the pandemic is under control," Luhut told a news conference on Friday.

Other positive signs included the national hospital bed occupancy rate falling below 15 per cent, while the positivity rate, or the proportion of people tested who are positive, was at less than 5 per cent, he said.

Luhut said if the trend today continued "we are very confident" that Bali could be reopened by October.

Indonesia's health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told Reuters earlier this week that reopening to foreigners also hinged upon 70 per cent of the target population receiving their first Covid-19 shot.

More than 21 per cent of the targeted 208 million have been fully vaccinated, while almost 40 per cent have received their first shot, according to health ministry data.

Australians and their families queue at the entrance to the international terminal at Ngurah Rai airport near Denpasar on the tourist island of Bali. Source: Getty

Malaysia this week reopened its Langkawi island to domestic visitors, while Thailand has opened Phuket and Samui islands to vaccinated foreign tourists and Vietnam's idyllic Phu Quoc island plans to follow suit.

Indonesia has grappled with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia, recording over 4.1 million cases and 140,000 deaths, although public health experts believe the true figures are likely several times higher.

Story continues

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Mayor Bill de Blasio all but admitted the obvious Tuesday: The Rikers jail complex is a dangerous, out-of-control, inhumane hellhole. Yet theres no sign hell do anything meaningful to fix it.

How bad is it? As lawmakers toured Rikers on Monday, an inmate tried to commit suicide before their eyes. Par for the course: This month, Esias Johnson, 24, became the 10th inmate to die there in just the last nine months.

The pols described an intake area with pools of piss they had to sidestep. Feces and rotting food covered the floors. A dozen men packed a single cell. Broken cell doors everywhere. Inmates with chronic health conditions not seen by doctors.

Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi, who started in June, calls this deeply, deeply troubling. Ya think? Queens Councilman Robert Holden wants Gov. Kathy Hochul to send in the National Guard.

Despite numerous recent Post reports of horrors at Rikers and demands for action from lawmakers, it took until Tuesday for Blas just to roll out his lame five-point plan. It calls for tougher measures for no-show corrections officers and emergency contracting to fix broken doors and clean the facility, which is all fine, but it offers little else of real substance.
Honda Motor Co. said its production lines in Japan are operating at about 40% of its initial plan for the August-September period because of chip shortages and delays in parts shipments due to coronavirus outbreaks overseas.

The Japanese automaker expects the impact to extend beyond this month and said the level of operations in early October will be about 70% of its initial plan, according to a statement on its website that notes the estimates are as of Sept.

14.

The announcement comes as its bigger rival Toyota Motor Corp. on Friday outlined plans to shutter factories in October. It said 27 out of 28 lines in all of its 14 plants in Japan would face suspensions of as many as 11 days.

Honda said its working to minimize the reduction, but the outlook remains uncertain and it will continue to examine the impact. Models affected include the N-Box, Fit and Odyssey, according to the statement.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Gasgoo Daily: Shanghai Jan.-Aug. auto export up by 247.8% YoY

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.

Shanghai Jan.-Aug. auto export up by 247.8% YoY

For the first eight months of this year, Shanghais vehicle export surged 247.8% year on year to RMB34.93 billion. During the period, the export volume of battery electric passenger vehicles soared 1430% to RMB20.68 billion.

ArcSoft provides solutions to Great Wall Motor

As Great Wall Motors long-term partner, Chinas ArcSoft has provided full-stack vision perception technologies to the automaker based on its VisDrive vision solutions.

Photo credit: ArcSoft

XPeng sets up new firm in Linyi

XPeng sets up a new sales service company in Linyi, Shandong province with a registered capital of RMB10 million. The new companys business covers sales of new energy vehicles, sales of battery swapping equipment and sales of charging piles.

SVOLT to build 60GWh power battery manufacturing base in Chengdu

SVOLT Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (SVOLT), a leading Chinese battery manufacturer carved out of Great Wall Motor (GWM), entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with Chengdu Municipal Government to build a power battery manufacturing and R&D base in the capital of Sichuan Province.

HUAWEI invests $1 billion in auto parts R&D

According to the COO, HUAWEI has invested more than $1 billion in auto parts R&D, with a team of over 5000 members, and put over 30 intelligent vehicle part products on the market. HUAWEI is consistent in its platform + ecology strategy and focuses on building operating systems for autonomous driving, smart cabin and vehicle control domain platforms.

SAIC-GM releases all-new brand emblem

SAIC General Motors (SAIC-GM), a 50/50 joint venture between SAIC Motor and General Motors, announced on Sept. 16 it has switched to a fire new brand logo, demonstrating the automaker's transformation towards auto electrification, intelligence, and connectivity.

NIO ET7s first tooling trial prototypes come off line



The first tooling trial (TT) prototypes of the NIO ET7, the fourth production model and first sedan model of NIO, rolled off the production line on September 15 at the JAC-NIO Advanced Manufacturing Center in Hefei, NIO announced via its WeChat account.





NIO ET7's first TT prototypes rolling off assembly line; photo credit: NIO

Parkopedia partners with CenNavi to provide digitalized parking service in China

Connected vehicle parking solutions provider Parkopedia has partnered with location data supplier CenNavi, a subsidiary of the mapping giant NavInfo to provide digitalized off-street parking information for automakers in China.




SAIC-GM releases all-new brand emblem, to start presale of first Ultium-based model in 2021

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC General Motors (SAIC-GM), a 50/50 joint venture between SAIC Motor and General Motors, announced on Sept. 16 it has switched to a fire new brand logo, demonstrating the automaker's transformation towards auto electrification, intelligence, and connectivity.

Old logo of SAIC-GM; photo credit: SAIC-GM



New logo of SAIC-GM; photo credit: SAIC-GM

Compared to the older logo, the new one adopts a more concise design and a more lively color scheme. To be specific, the uppercase lettering GM (standing for General Motors) in the exact middle has been replaced by the lowercase gm with the letter m underscored. At the first glance, the newest logo is shaped like the letter S, which represents the parent company SAIC Motor. The color has been changed from gray to gradient sky blue, embodying SAIC-GM's resolution to offer smart mobility services using innovative environmental-friendly smart technologies.



Aoteneng platform; photo credit: SAIC-GM



In the meantime, SAIC-GM announced that GM's Ultium EV platform, which features modular battery and drive unit combinations, is named Aoteneng in Chinese. The first model based on the platform is the Cadillac LYRIQ. The automaker will kick off the car presale this year and start delivery in 2022. Currently, the model's tooling trial prototype has already rolled off the assembly line.



Cadillac LYRIQ; photo credit: SAIC-GM

Positioned as a full-sized SUV, the China-made Cadillac LYRIQ measures 5,003mm long, 1,978mm wide, 1,635mm tall, and has a wheelbase that spans 3,094mm. All variants of the model will come standard with a 33-inch curved OLED screen, which will serve as the infotainment system, instrument gauge, and control for lighting.


Dongfeng to export 100,000 NEVs to Europe in 2022

Beijing (Gasgoo)- Chairman of Dongfeng Motor, Zhu Yanfeng, said that Dongfeng plans to export 100,000 new energy vehicles to Europe next year as the automaker also set a target of realizing 100% electrification among its new passenger vehicle brands in 2024.

the FREE; photo credit: Voyah

The chairman said that to maintain a place in the diverse and competitive new energy automaking industry, Dongfeng Motor needs to replicate the advantages of the start-up auto manufacturers. The group will bring forward a brand-new customized new energy product, M, in 2022, under another new energy vehicle brand.

Dongfeng Motor finished setting up the M business unit last year. In April, Dongfeng Motor disclosed its plan to strengthen the differentiation portfolio in its self-owned passenger vehicle segment, emphasizing the Voyah brand, Dongfeng Fengshen brand, and a high-end electric SUV brand. In addition, Dongfeng Motor also set a separate annual sales target of 1 million vehicles by 2025 of commercial vehicles, self-owned passenger vehicles, and new energy vehicles.

People in the industry believed that the M business unit is the high-end SUV brand the group mentioned in its plan. In June, the said unit released relevant recruitment information for talents in quality, chassis electronic control system, intelligent control, project management, purchasing, and user/city operation aspects, making the Manother major self-developed new energy brand of the group besides Voyah.

Record shows, Voyah was founded in 2018 and made official with logo and Chinese name in July 2020. The mass production of the brands first model, the Voyah FREE, started at the end of June this year. According to the brand, its August deliveries of the FREE were 408 vehicles.
The US is devising policies to contain the political, economic and strategic ascendancy of China. It seems this containment will be the central plank of US foreign and security policy in the coming years. This competition and confrontation between the two countries, though short of a new Cold War, will keep many regional states on tenterhooks. The US government is trapped domestically and internationally in their China-obsessed politics stemming from their weakening capacity to oversee world matters.

The reckless US involvement in military excursions in far-off lands since World War II has resulted in countless deaths and spending of dollars. It has also left these places in utter humiliation and damaged its image of a dependable world leader. Direct US military interventions and proxy wars in regions ranging from Latin America to Africa, and the Middle East to Southeast Asia, have left bitter legacies including political anarchy, intractable hostilities, militancy and terrorism.

Meanwhile, over the past four decades, China has been busy strengthening its political, economic and strategic position at the regional and global levels in ways that align with its national blueprint embedded in peace, stability, good neighborliness and economic development.

However, the economic and military rise of a regional state, in political and strategic terms, is deemed a threat to the world hegemon. This is how the US government perceives China.

China has concentrated on realizing its economic potential, putting its political, ideological and territorial issues with other countries on the backburner and adopting a policy of patience and restraint in international affairs. This policy stemmed from the late Chinese statesman Deng Xiaoping's economic reforms starting in 1978 and continuing with more liberal economic plans under successive leaders. Within a decade or so, the world started witnessing the dividends of this focused economic development. China became the second largest economy by nominal GDP in 2010, and already overtook the US in terms of purchasing power parity in 2020.

Following its economic development, China has become the top trading partner of East Asian countries and signed regional economic deals that include free trade agreements with Australia, Singapore, South Korea, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and others. China's trade with Africa and Latin America also leapfrogged, the former of which grew from only around $10 billion in 2000 to $220 billion in 2014. Between 2000 and 2014, Chinese financing to Africa peaked at $122 billion, dwarfing the US amount of $106.7 billion.

The past few years have witnessed China building institutional infrastructure to share its affluence with other countries. In 2014, China, in collaboration with other BRICS countries, created the $100 billion New Development Bank, and the following year, set up the $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which 103 countries have since joined.

In 2015, China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which seeks to interconnect over 60 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. The Initiative envisages development of interconnecting roads and railways for overland transportation and seaports to facilitate shipment of commercial goods. The BRI also promises financial assistance and investment in regional communication, agricultural infrastructure and natural resources. This is a game changer.

In this context, the West accuses China of employing its soft and hard power to intimidate neighboring countries. Interestingly, the US and other Western states have followed the same playbook to acquire superpower status. For instance, the US employed all state power to establish itself as the central economic player in Latin America, used finances through American banks as a powerful tool, and finally controlled the trade in agriculture, fruits, minerals, sugar and tobacco in the region.

The US also created a string of development institutions including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, US Agency for International Development and the Export-Import Bank, all of which advanced its political and economic interests.

The 20th century witnessed increased US political and military intervention in Central American, African and Asian countries. Frequent military excursions and violent regime changes erupted. Only governments pliant to Washington could stay in power.

Specifically, the US blockaded Cuba in 1962, the Dominican Republic in 1965, mined Nicaraguan harbors in 1980, and invaded Grenada in 1983 and Panama in 1989. It also applied financial pressure to weaken Chilean President Salvador Allende and embargoed Nicaragua to undermine the Sandinista government. Congo, Angola, Sudan, Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leon, Cambodia, Vietnam, both Koreas, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan can safely be added to the list of victims of US overt or covert military interventions.

China has not gone to war for decades. It has been unassumingly pursuing its policies without posing any threat to other countries. It will unfailingly continue to do so in the future unless its strategic sensitivities, already clearly outlined, are challenged. (Source: CGTN)

M. Alam Brohi is a former member of the foreign service of Pakistan who retired after serving seven years as Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic and the Islamic Republic of Sudan.




The trend of children wearing mature and sexy makeup, even teaching other kids how to use cosmetics, has been making waves on Chinese social media platforms. However, despite the trend's growing popularity, it is damaging children's physical and mental growth and should be stopped as soon as possible.

It seems that the age for pursuing beauty is getting younger and younger.

When searching key words about beauty products or lifestyle on social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu, it is easy to find numerous videos with millions of views of children in heavy makeup giving tips on how to apply various cosmetics.

One of the videos shows a little girl saying: "I just celebrated my fifth birthday. Let me put on a kind of sexy pink makeup. All pretty girls should use eye shadow. This is my eighth one."

Sweet music plays in the background of one video as a child, wearing an off-the-shoulder outfit and a mature hair style, skillfully puts on layers of foundation and eye shadow blinking at the camera as she introduces beauty products with her childish voice to persuade netizens to purchase them.

Some Chinese parents even found that their kids, who are still in the kindergarten, asked them to purchase sets of cosmetics and put on makeup like elegant adult women.

Kids beauty bloggers are very popular now among kindergarteners and children rush to buy cosmetics recommended by these underage web celebrities. They use lipstick and eye shadow and some are keen to imitate and shoot similar videos to become vloggers themselves.

Some kids in these streaming videos talk about products with a touch of eroticism such as talking about "conquering men" and being "both pure and sexy." Many parents have expressed concerns about such adult content is coming from the mouth of a child and may be heard or imitated by other children.

The rapid development of the children's beauty industry in recent years is one of main reasons behind the popularity of these child beauty bloggers, Xinhua News Agency reported. According to data released by an e-commerce platform, the sales of children's cosmetics in China increased by 300 percent year-on-year in 2020.

While companies are sure to be happy with this growth, they are not considering the cost that comes with it.

The trend of putting on makeup is sure to cause some social problems, like objectifying women and appearance anxiety, if it passes on to young children.

Government authorities should step in as soon as possible to guide the industry away from this trend as the excessive use of cosmetics can harm both a child's body and mind.

According to Sun Xuemei, one of the founders of the Beijing-based Girl's Protection Foundation, cosmetics containing chemicals can damage kids' skin.

Sun did not completely oppose children becoming bloggers as a hobby, but she said that since they are at an important phase of their intellectual growth, if they place too much attention and time on beauty streaming and cosmetics, they may to focus on outer beauty and ignore inner beauty.

While the adults behind the scenes are making great sums of money, the minors performing or watching these videos might become lost and develop unhealthy views on beauty or money at an early age. (Source: Global Times)


LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- I'm here by invitation to preach at First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest on Sunday morning and then to lead a class related to my new book, Love, Loss and Endurance: A 9/11 Story of Resilience and Hope in an Age of Anxiety.

It's a 10 a.m. CDT service that I think you can watch on the church's Facebook page.

Although the new book describes in some painful detail the many traumas my extended family experienced because of the murder of my nephew, Karleton Fyfe, as a passenger on the first plane to explode into the World Trade Center, it also focuses on the roots of violent extremism and what we can do about that, if anything.

Which is why I was so interested in and intrigued by this story in The Atlantic of a city in Belgium that seems, indeed, to have found some approaches that work to defang radicalism.

The story is drawn from a new book on this subject, Home, Land, Security: Deradicalization and the Journey Back from Extremism, by Carla Power.

The focus of the book and the article is Mechelen, Belgium, and its inventive mayor, Bart Somers, who has developed a so-far-successful strategy to keep young residents of his town from becoming radicalized and joining such terrorist groups as ISIS.

At the end of my own book, I devote a chapter to exploring how people get sucked into extremism and another chapter to ideas for dealing with that. My list of ideas is far from exhaustive, so I was glad to learn about some things Somers and his community have tried in Belgium.

As Power writes, his "strategy. . .was to try to make everyone in the city feel that they belonged, a lesson for all countries now dealing with extremism. Cultivating a sense of belonging robs the extremists of a major grievance: social exclusion."

Indeed, it's well worth noting that one of the main drivers that moves Americans into radical groups that commit domestic terrorism is a sense that there's no place for them in this country. Donald Trump played into that angst when he ran for president with a promise to "make America great again," on the assumption that those who feel left out of society today have in their heads an idea of what America should be, which means something like whatever they imagined America once was.

Power notes that "The Mechelen train tracks sit on what was once the richest seam for Islamic State recruits in the Western world. Belgium had Europes highest number of foreign fighters per capita in Syria, thanks in part to groups such as Sharia4Belgium, whose volunteers would travel along the Brussels-Antwerp train line to find fresh recruits. Brussels had some 200 residents leave for Syria. Antwerp lost 100 young people. And in Vilvoorde, a town of only 42,000, 29 residents departed for Syria. Nearly every Vilvoorde high school lost students to the Islamic State. Not a single person left from Mechelen."

One reason, she writes, is that the mayor "fought back by trying to make the city green, clean, and safe."

Well, there is considerably more to his work that you can read about in the article. And his success has not come without opposition. But we in this country would do well to learn what we can from what has worked in Mechelen as we confront the growing threat and reality of domestic terrorism, including the type of violence we saw in the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C.

This is a conversation we Americans need to have. And I hope that the new books from both Power and me can help with that.

* * *

POPE FRANCIS DOESN'T BAR PEOPLE FROM COMMUNION

Pope Francis, while reiterating his firm stance against abortion, says that he's never denied Communion to anyone. A move by some church leaders to do exactly that has caused a lot of dissension in the church. But as the RNS story to which I've linked you notes, Francis believes that Communion is not a prize for the perfect but a a gift marking the presence of Jesus in one's church and community. Francis once again shows himself to be both pastoral and reasonable.
A Virginia mother of three named Lori Ann Talens worked from a desktop computer in her Virginia home, attracting little attention. Few people knew that she was running one of the largest fraudulent coupon schemes in history. For over three years, Ms. Talens created fake coupons and sold them to coupon enthusiasts via social media or messaging apps. Now, the jig is up.

Ms. Talens, 41, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Tuesday for operating what prosecutors called "one of the largest coupon fraud schemes" in U.S. history, saying it cost retailers and manufacturers more than $31 million in losses.

From April 2017 to May 2020, Ms. Talens used the moniker "MasterChef" to design, create and produce a variety of counterfeit coupons in her home, prosecutors said. The fakes, they said, were extremely believable.

"These counterfeit coupons were virtually indistinguishable from authentic coupons and were often created with inflated values, far in excess of what an authentic coupon would offer, in order to receive items from retail for free or for a greatly reduced price," Joseph L. Kosky, an assistant U.S. attorney, wrote in court documents.

In addition to mail fraud, Ms. Talens also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and health care fraud that stemmed from a separate scheme that involved defrauding Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program from November 2015 to February 2020.
Simon says keep your hands where I can see them.

"License and registration, please." It's what we expect to hear when law enforcement stops us for a moving violation. But today, many motorists ask themselves when the appropriate time is to reach into their glove box, purse or back pocket for the information. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) recently purchased some Not-Reaching Pouches, which were created by Valerie Castile in partnership with Jacquelyn Carter, to help reduce deadly force encounters between law enforcement and citizens during traffic stops.

Though devised by Valerie Castile, the mother of a Philando Castilea man thusly executed by Minnesota copsit's not getting a very warm reception from people who would prefer it if cops instead stopped executing unarmed motorists in their cars.

Many of the critics argued that showing license, registration, and proof of insurance was such a standard part of a traffic stop, that the obligation needed to be on police to figure out how to handle it without shooting anyone, and not rely on a gimmick device. Others expressed concerns about identity theft or other security issues related to keeping documents with such personal information in a visible area of a car's interior, not to mention the impracticality of remembering to take one's driver's license out of your wallet and put it in the pouch and then remember it when you got to your destination, and so on.

Personal identifying infotmation including driver's license and auto registration in every car window! It's absolutely brainless, the whole idea.

The most likely outcome of this is cops being preemptively hostile and itchy-fingered when they don't see it. The pouch ain't empty, it's full of qualified immunity!
101-year-old Virginia Oliver has faithfully trapped lobsters since the Great Depression. She still maintains her traps off the coast of Maine on a boat called the "Virginia", now working with her 78-year-old son Max. In a sweet interview with the Associated Press, she shares stories from her nine decades of lobstering. Though she reckons she's probably "have a clean house" if she quit, she has no plans to stop lobstering any time soon.

"I've done it all my life, so I might as well keep doing it," Oliver said.

Wayne Gray, a family friend who lives nearby, said Oliver had a brief scare a couple of years ago when a crab snipped her finger and she had to get seven stitches. She never even considered hanging up her lobster traps, though.

"The doctor admonished her, said 'Why are you out there lobstering?'" Gray said. "She said, 'Because I want to'."

After all these years, Oliver still gets excited about a lobster dinner of her own and typically fixes one for herself about once a week. And she has no plans to quit lobstering any time soon.

"I like doing it, I like being along the water," she said. "And so I'm going to keep on doing it just as long as I can. "
Rioters at the January 6 insurrection committed over 1,000 assaults on police officers. As many members of the deadly mob now face justice, Trump says they are being "persecuted so unfairly."

A "Justice for J6 rally" planned for Saturday, September 18th aims to protest the charges faced by over 600 known federal defendants. Organized by Matt Braynard, an employee of the 2016 Trump campaign, the event has attracted the attention of the former president.

The New York Times:

Mr. Trump put out a statement from his office on Thursday, with no mention of the rally, but saying, "Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the Rigged Presidential Election." He added: "JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!" The latest report, titled "Prospects for Violence at 'Justice for J6' Rally in Washington, D.C.," warns of possible violence both by participants in the rally and by counterprotesters. The New York Times

The Department of Homeland Security is taking extensive precautions like bringing back the Capitol fence even though it expects only 700 people to show up. The turnout may be even smaller, though. NBC News reports that far-right online forums are discouraging protesters from attending the event, warning that it may be a trap from federal law enforcement.
Two people left on a trip but only one came home. Over the past few days, I've been absolutely captivated by this #VanLife-gone-wrong saga.

Pleasant photos of hikes, scenery, and a small white van fill the Instagram grids posted by Brian Laundrie, 23, and his girlfriend, Gabrielle Petito, 22. They now have over 95,000 and 324,000 followers respectively. Beneath the surface, though, an ugly story was developing.

Here's an approximate timeline: the couple left on July 2nd for what was supposed to be a four-month trip through the American West. On August 12th in Moah, Utah, police responded to domestic problem.

Mr. Laundrie and Ms. Petito both told the police that they were in love and engaged to be married and "desperately didn't wish to see anyone charged with a crime." Mr. Laundrie told one officer that "issues between the two had been building over the last few days," a police report said. Ms. Petito cried during the encounter with the police and said she suffered from anxiety, according to body camera footage of the episode. In the police report, Ms. Petito is recorded saying she moved to slap Mr. Laundrie because she feared that he "was going to leave her in Moab without a ride." The New York Times

No charges were filed, and Mr. Laundrie stayed in a hotel that night. Eleven days later, around August 23rd, Ms. Petito's family spoke with her for the last time. The last post on her Instagram is dated two days later.

In one of the more unusual details of the case, Fox News reports that Ms. Petito listened to "a series of haunting songs" on September 1st according to her public Spotify records.

In September, the story becomes more concerning. Mr. Laundrie came home from a cross-country trip on September 1 without his girlfriend. Gabrielle Petito's family became suspicious, and when they recieve answers from Mr. Laundrie, they reported her missing on Sept. 11th. Gabrielle Petito's family is now publically asking Brian Laundrie for answers.

In a letter, Ms. Petito's parents and stepparents begged Mr. Laundrie's parents to tell them "where Brian left Gabby." The New York Times

Though the incident has attracted widespread attention, Mr. Laundrie is still clammed up regarding Ms. Petito's location. His lawyer, however, made a brief public statement.

On Wednesday, Steven Bertolino, a lawyer for Mr. Laundrie in East Islip, N.Y., said in a statement that he had advised Mr. Laundrie not to speak with the authorities because, in his experience, an intimate partner is often the first person law enforcement "focuses their attention on in cases like this." The New York Times

This 8-minute vlog shows a gleaming portrait of the couple's day-to-day life before Ms. Petito's disappearance.
There's a Right Way to Respond to Your Partner's Tears When Emotions Are High

In the Face of My Partners Tears, I Learned From My Mistakes and Showed Up

My partner, Kristen, was having a bad week. A COVID-19 exposure meant having to miss her best friends bachelorette party. Not to mention, we also needed to get all four tires replaced on our car and her laptop picked the perfect day to stop working.

I walked into the living room, catching Kristen on the couch right as she began to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

Im sorry, she said. I know you get uncomfortable when I cry.

I wondered why she thought that, questioning if the statement she made was accurate.

In the past, whenever Kristen was crying, I tried to take my cues from her. If she wanted to talk through her tears, Id sit and listen. If she wasnt up for talking, Id sit and let her cry. Id just try to be normal, coming off more steady, stoic, and even casual more than anything else. I figured that by acting unfazed during an emotional moment, Id be validating her  showing that she was totally right to feel her feelings, and to express them however she pleased.

I was trying to be a steadying presence, one who would sit in the sadness with her while also giving the proper space that allows her to process any emotions on her own time.

RELATED: Why Is It Hard for Some Men to Own Up to Their Mistakes When Theyre Wrong?

Later on, Kristen and I had a larger conversation where I discovered she saw things much differently than I did. When Id been trying to be strong for her, she thought it was strange that I failed to even acknowledge her tears at all. I thought shed wanted physical space; she wondered why, when Im normally such an affectionate partner, I wouldnt offer to hold or hug her when she was clearly hurting. What Kristen needed, she told me, was not just my presence; she needed my verbal and physical acknowledgement, my empathy, intimacy, and love. Being there with her wasn't enough, and instead, I needed to be there for her.

Everything Kristen said was right. In the face of her tears, not only was I uncomfortable, but I didnt know exactly how to show up for her in such an emotional moment. As I struggled desperately to not do the wrong thing, in the end, I did anyway.

Feeling Discomfort From Someone Else's Raw Emotions

Id trusted my intuition, which had led me astray. While I was caring, on top of never stopping to check my assumptions, my instincts also failed me entirely.

Ive thought about the ways Ive been subconsciously conditioned to respond to womens tears, starting with the norms in my upbringing. Growing up, when one of my sisters was upset, she'd generally shut herself in her room; it was clear she needed distance, so she took it. And whenever my mom cried  which was not often  I was, myself, so affected that I had no tools to be there for her, which left me to remove myself from the situation entirely.

In my family, at least as a man in the face of womens tears, crying led to distance, not closeness.

aaJoel Ketner, MS, IMFT-S, an independent marriage and family therapist based in Columbus, Ohio, explains that childhood experiences and expectations around tears influence the way we respond to strong emotions later in life.

When people experience discomfort around tears, they are often dealing with residual effects of societal expectations and norms ... as well as direct modeling of how difficult emotions are handled by primary adults during childhood, he says. If a child is admonished for crying, or simply not given the space to emote freely and fully, it seems logical that they might struggle to support others during tearful moments in adulthood. Its nearly impossible to teach somebody to swim if you have absolutely no experience doing so yourself.

Growing up, I always felt like I had permission to cry, yet I rarely did and still rarely do (which probably deserves a discussion of its own). When I do emote, I like to be alone (again, a different conversation) and I tend to reject types of physical intimacy, so I just assumed Kristen would do the same. Id made the mistake of following the erroneous golden rule of treating others how you want to be treated, instead of adhering to the platinum rule: treat others how theyd want to be treated.

Id known if Id only asked way, way sooner.

How to Show Up for Your Crying Partner in the Right Way

Figuring out how to best show up for your crying partner when they are crying is like going to the store for a fire extinguisher when your house is ablaze, Ketner tells AskMen. Knowing how your partner feels cared for is crucial to attending to these more vulnerable moments. Asking the question, When you are sad/scared, how do you feel cared for by me? can be very helpful.

Ah, yes ... asking instead of assuming. I need to remind myself of this over and over again as Kristen and I, a new-ish couple, continue to experience different challenges for the first time together.

Ketner shares another pro tip here, something he observed that in which some men make the mistake of jumping into problem-solving mode at the onset of a partners tears. Best to avoid that.

Unfortunately, most people do not need their tears to be solved, and in attempting to do so, crying partners often feel dismissed or as if their feelings are being minimized, explains Ketner. What tearful partners often need is reassurance that their partner is there for them; that somebody is holding their hand as they walk through a difficult moment in life. That sense of connection has an amazing ability to provide the support and safety necessary to help somebody cope with emotions that drive tears.

A Tearful, Happy Ending to It All

The other night Kristen and I were watching season five of Love Island.

Beloved recently-heartbroken contestant Amy rocks the villa with the sudden, unexpected announcement that shes leaving the show. All the contestants are in tears and soon, so is Kristen. I scoot over, put my arm around her shoulder, and pull her in tight.

Everything was going to be OK.

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(Bloomberg) -- Canadian National Railway Co. said it plans to cut spending, streamline management and buy back C$5 billion (about $4 billion) of stock next year as its tries to ward off a shareholder revolt started by TCI Fund Management Ltd.

The measures will allow the railway to increase operating earnings and profit per share by 20% next year, Canadian National said in a statement Friday. Its looking to improve its operating ratio, an industry measure of efficiency in which a lower number is better, to 57% next year. It was 61.6% in the second quarter.

The railroad will lead an industry shift to become more customer-oriented just as it pioneered an efficiency strategy that most peers have since adopted, Chief Executive Officer Jean-Jacques Ruest said on a conference call with analysts.

The Montreal-based railroad faces a proxy fight from Chris Hohns TCI, which owns more than 5% of the company and is unhappy about its performance and its decision to pursue a $30 billion takeover of Kansas City Southern. The deal collapsed after U.S. regulators rejected a key provision that would have allowed Kansas City Southern shareholders to get paid before the merger goes through full regulatory review.

The effort to buy the U.S. railroad helped Canadian National identify opportunities to boost profit, Ruest said Friday.

We fully appreciate that our bid for KCS may not have been in CPs interest, but it has absolutely served CNs interest despite the disappointing outcome, Ruest said. The company will balance its customer-service culture with improving operating income and not just increasing revenue, he said.

Canadian Nationals nonrail businesses, including a freight-forwarding service and a fleet of ships on the Great Lakes, weigh on the railroads operating profit by two percentage points, he said. The businesses, which are designed to feed volume to the railroad, are under review and could be sold partially or entirely, Ruest said.

Story continues

The railroad plans to increase operating profit by C$700 million, including C$550 million from cost cuts and a C$150 million gain from price increases. Of the cuts, about C$250 million will come from reducing management and union workers.

TCI filed documents Thursday to call a shareholder meeting. It is trying to oust four members of the board and Ruest, replacing him with former Canadian National executive Jim Vena. TCI noted that the railroads operating ratio had worsened to 61.9% last year from 55.9% in 2016, the same year Vena left the company as chief operating officer.

The fund management firm also highlighted that Canadian National is the only large North American railroad that posted a decline in operating income from 2016 through 2020, while rival Canadian Pacific led the pack with an 8.3% gain.

TCI is not impressed with Canadian Nationals sudden strategic plan, the investment firm said by email, asking why CN hadnt implemented it before. The current management lacks the credibility to execute the plan.

Ruest defended past elevated investment to increase capacity and add technology, citing Canadian regulators concern over service. The network now has a good foundation to grow and to increase profit. Spending will decline to 17% of revenue from more than 20%, he said.

Canadian National rose 2.7% to C$150.81 at 3:18 p.m. in Toronto. The stock had climbed 4.9% this year through Thursday while the S&P/TSX Composite Index advanced 18%.

(Updates with TCI comment in 11th paragraph)

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An old-growth logging demonstrator has secured himself in a trench that has been dug across the road at a blockade northeast of Port Renfrew, B.C. RCMP are attempting to extract him. (Adam van der Zwan / CBC - image credit)

The RCMP says it needs more powers to search and exclude people at an old-growth logging protest area on Vancouver Island where over 1,000 arrests have been made since mid-May.

Donnaree Nygard, Attorney General of Canada lawyer, told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Douglas Thompson that the Mounties need more space to safely enforce a court injunction blocking old-growth logging access in the Fairy Creek watershed area north of Port Renfrew.

"Unless the RCMP has the ability to control access to the roads to do very difficult work, and to stem the flow of the material being used to breach the injunction, the situation will remain unworkable," she argued, adding that there's often only one way in and out for police to do their work.

Nygard said police are also seeking the power to search those who wish to enter the injunction area, along with searching their vehicles, and to deny access to those who refuse to be searched.

On Tuesday, British Columbia forestry company Teal Cedar Products Ltd. applied to the court to extend the injunction order against protest blockades by one year.

Friday marked the fourth consecutive and final day of hearings related to RCMP enforcement at the blockades.

Nygard said that she'd made her argument for increased police powers knowing the injunction is set to expire on Sept. 26, but could be extended.

RCMP lawyer argues police are lawfully enforcing injunction overall

Nygard made a number of arguments against evidence given earlier in the week by lawyers representing protesters.

In particular, she claimed videos shown in court alleging police were using unnecessary force to extract protesters were insufficient evidence for the court to make a ruling on, given they don't capture the full magnitude of enforcement.

"The isolated incidents in which a particular officer might [use unreasonable force], doesn't taint the operation as a whole," she said.

Nygard contested claims that police were unlawfully seizing protesters' belongings and not returning them, by explaining that police were "simply moving them off the road to comply with their duty to enforce the injunction, and clear access to the roadways."

Story continues

Teal Cedar workers would then deal with the items, she said.

Nygard also countered claims that police were continuing to illegally enforce temporary exclusion zones that Justice Douglas Thompson had ruled unlawful in July, in part because they unreasonably limited press freedoms.

"Since July 20th [police] allowed over 1,100 people past [an] access control point and over 500 vehicles before it was dismantled," she said. Opposing lawyers mentioned afterward that she did not address why journalists, including the CBC, had recently been told to walk 7 kilometres to a blockade to bear witness.

In response to claims that some police were refusing to identify themselves to media and legal observers at the blockades, Nygard said that a number of identification badges would be delivered to officers next week, though the information had not been sworn as official evidence in court.

Laywer Steven Kelliher said it was "chilling" to hear the Attorney General of Canada stand before court to try and "normalize (the) horrible behaviour" of the police.

Judge says decisions will be made in the coming weeks

After four days of ample evidence provided, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Douglas Thompson said "it's a difficult decision" and he's undecided on whether to grant an extension to the injunction.

He said it could take a matter of weeks for him to weigh the evidence and come to decisions, and said the injunction orderwhich was originally set to expire on Sept. 26will remain in effect until he does.

Meanwhile, at the scene of the protests on Friday, another 23 people were arrested by police. RCMP say officers dismantled a blockade made of tree trunks and wood piles along a forest service road, but the protesters had linked arms behind the blockade and refused to leave.
(CNN) -- The World Bank says it will stop publishing its annual Doing Business economic report after an independent investigation found bank leaders placed "undue pressure" on staffers to alter data to inflate the rankings for China and Saudi Arabia in 2018 and 2020 editions of the report.

The bank commissioned the law firm WilmerHale to conduct the probe.

Investigators found then-CEO Kristalina Georgieva pressured the Doing Business team in 2017 to "change the report's methodology" or "make specific changes" to data points to boost China's ranking in the 2018 edition.

This came after Chinese government officials repeatedly expressed concerns to her and then-World Bank President Jim Yong Kim over the country's ranking, according to the 16-page investigation released by WilmerHale.

At the time, Georgieva was in the middle of negotiations over a capital increase campaign in which China "was expected to play a key role," the investigation found.

Georgieva was "directly involved" in improving China's ranking, according to the independent investigation, which said that during one meeting, the then-CEO "chastised the Bank's then-Country Director for mismanaging the Bank's relationship with China and failing to appreciate the importance of the Doing Business report to the country."

Doing Business team leaders eventually increased China's ranking in the survey by seven places to 78 by identifying data points they could modify, including giving the nation "more credit" for a Chinese secured transactions law, according to the WilmerHale report.

In October 2017, the investigation found that aides to Kim also directed the survey team to simulate how China's final score might change if data from Taiwan and Hong Kong were incorporated into the country's existing data. The WilmerHale report says that the Doing Business team leaders "believed that the concern was coming from President Kim directly."

Georgieva, who is now the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said in a statement that she disagrees "fundamentally with the findings and interpretations of the Investigation of Data Irregularities as it relates to my role in the World Bank's Doing Business report of 2018," and that she has briefed the IMF's Executive Board on this matter.

Kim has not yet responded to a CNN email seeking comment.

The IMF executive board has asked the ethics committee to review the WilmerHale investigation, according to a source familiar with the matter. The ethics committee will then report back to the board with their assessment.

During a press briefing Friday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said, "Ms. Georgieva has issued a statement on the IMF's official website. I would refer you to relevant authorities for further information. We have also noted that the World Bank recently issued a statement on suspending the Doing Business report. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the efforts of Doing Business of improving the business environment, which is evident to all. We hope that the World Bank will take facts as the basis, rules as the criterion, follow the professional, objective, fair and transparent principles, to conduct a thorough investigation into relevant issues in strict accordance with the internal review procedures, so as to better safeguard the professionalism and credibility of the Doing Business report and the credibility of the World Bank itself and its member countries' reputations."

The WilmerHale investigation also found irregularities relating to Saudi Arabia's data in the 2020 Doing Business report. Saudi government officials expressed "displeasure" over how their country ranked in the 2019 edition, especially with the survey team's failure to recognize what officials saw as the "country's successful reforms," according to the investigation.

As a result, senior bank leaders, including one of the founders of the Doing Business report, Simeon Djankov, instructed the survey team to "find a way to alter the data" so that Jordan wouldn't rank first on its so-called "Top Improvers" list. The team eventually added points in multiple categories to Saudi Arabia so that the country would replace Jordan in the top spot, according to the results of the investigation.

Djankov said that the demand to change Saudi Arabia's data came from two senior World Bank officials, one of whom previously served as Chief of Staff to President Kim and was involved in changes to China's data in the 2018 edition of Doing Business, the investigation found.

In a statement released on Thursday, the World Bank said it would discontinue the "Doing Business" report. "The World Bank Group remains firmly committed to advancing the role of the private sector in development and providing support to governments to design the regulatory environment that supports this. Going forward, we will be working on a new approach to assessing the business and investment climate," the statement added.

CNN has reached out to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington D.C and the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment and is awaiting a response.

CNN has also reached out to Simeon Djankov and the Peterson Institute for International Economics where he works as a senior fellow for comment.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Investigation finds World Bank leaders pushed staffers to boost rankings for China and Saudi Arabia in high-profile reports"
(CNN)  China has applied to join a major Asia-Pacific trade partnership that the United States ditched several years ago, as the world's second largest economy tries to bolster its relationships in the region.

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao applied for membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), according to a statement published by the ministry late Thursday.

The CPTPP is an 11-country free trade pact that came into force in December 2018 and includes Mexico, Australia, Canada and Singapore. It succeeded the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) after the United States withdrew under former President Donald Trump in 2017.

The TPP was negotiated under former US President Barack Obama, who wanted to counterbalance China's growing clout in the region by imposing US-backed labor, environmental and patent protections.

Obama wanted the deal to be a major part of his legacy, but his successor, Trump, withdrew the United States from the partnership in 2017. Chinese leaders began angling to take its place almost immediately.

US President Joe Biden backed the TPP during his time serving as Obama's vice president. But his stance has shifted over the years: While running for president in 2019, Biden said he would "not rejoin the TPP as it was initially put forward."

"I would insist that we renegotiate pieces of that," Biden said at a presidential debate during the Democratic primary.

Chinese officials on Friday boosted the idea of involvement with the CPTPP. Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called it "conducive to promoting regional economic integration in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the economic recovery, trade development and investment growth after the pandemic," at a press conference.

The agreement cuts tariffs among participants, standardizes regulations in areas such as food safety and determines levels of market access for goods and services, such as visa rules for business travelers, which can vary between members.

But the path forward may not be easy for China, particularly since relations between the country and CPTPP member nation Australia have been worsening.

In recent years, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has moved to embrace the United States more closely as a security partner, building a personal relationship with Trump and attempting to do with same with his successor, Biden.

China's official application comes just a day after Canberra signed a security deal with the United States and the United Kingdom called AUKUS.

Australian coal, wine, barley and beef have all already been affected by trade tensions with China, and experts say that defense deal has antagonized Beijing further.

"China probably won't get into CPTPP anytime soon, but news of its formal application coming a day after the AUKUS announcement neatly underscores the continuing rift in how Washington and Beijing conceive of 'competition' in Asia," tweeted Ankit Panda, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Still, the Chinese and Australian economies are highly dependent on each other. In 2020, tensions between Australia and China did not stop the two countries from pressing ahead with a free trade deal in Asia-Pacific called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, as both nations saw benefits from their deeper economic integration with other Asian countries. The RCEP spans 15 countries  including Japan, Indonesia and Thailand  and 2.2 billion people, or nearly 30% of the world's population.

At Friday's press conference, Zhao, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said that China's efforts to join the CPTPP have "nothing to do with the US, UK and Australia trilateral agreements."

"[China] is pushing for economic cooperation and regional integration while the US, the UK and Australia are pushing for war and destruction," he added.

Even if China were allowed to join the CPTPP, the country may find some aspects of the agreement challenging, said Alex Capri, a research fellow at Hinrich Foundation. He singled out "e-commerce and data standards," though said China may be able to find loopholes.

"Keep in mind that when the US pulled out, some 20 provisions dealing with data privacy, IP protection and other digital standards were essentially put on hold," Capri added.

Meanwhile, China isn't the only country attempting to join the CPTPP. Earlier this year, the United Kingdom began talks on entering the partnership, which it sees as one of its biggest opportunities to forge economic alliances beyond Europe after Brexit.

 Hanna Ziady, Ben Westcott and CNN's Beijing bureau contributed to this report.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Trump abandoned this giant trade deal. Now, China wants in"
(CNN)  Safety has long been a paramount concern for travelers when it comes to deciding which destination to visit.

But the world has been turned on its head in recent years due to the global pandemic and the notion of exactly what makes somewhere "safe" has changed significantly.

This may help to explain the shake up at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit's Safe Cities Index (SCI,) which ranks 60 international destinations on digital security, health security, infrastructure, personal security, as well as environmental security, a new category for this year.

While Asian cities like Tokyo, Singapore and Osaka have continuously occupied the top spots year after year, it's a European destination that holds the number one position for 2021.

Copenhagen has been named the world's safest city for the first time, scoring 82.4 points out of 100 in the annual report.

Denmark's capital jumped from joint eighth place in 2019 to the top of the list, largely thanks to the introduction of an environmental security section, which the city scored particularly well in, along with personal security.

Social cohesion

"One key factor that makes Copenhagen such a safe city is its low crime rate, currently at its lowest level in more than a decade," Lars Weiss, lord mayor of Copenhagen, says in the report.

"Copenhagen is also characterized by great social cohesion and a relatively narrow wealth gap. It is a mixed city where both the cleaning assistant and the CEO meet each other at the local supermarket and have their kids in the same school.

"This is one of the very cornerstones of Danish culture, and it contributes greatly to the high levels of trust and safety that we benefit from."

Canada's Toronto just missed out on the top spot, taking second place with 82.2 points, while Singapore was third with 80.7 points.

Although Sydney came fourth, with 80.1 points, the Australian city topped the digital security category, while 2019 winner Tokyo was awarded 80.0 points, putting the Japanese city in fifth place.

COVID-19 impact

"Copenhagen is definitely a worthy overall leader and Toronto a well-deserving runner-up, but as much because of long-term success in making residents secure as from any particular improvements in the last two years," reads the report.

"Toronto and Copenhagen do noticeably better in the new environmental security pillar than do any of the top three cities from earlier years."

The Netherlands' Amsterdam was sixth with 79.3 points, while New Zealand's Wellington came in at number seven with 79.0 points, and was the overall leader in the environmental security category.

Asia Pacific cities Hong Kong and Melbourne scored joint eighth place after receiving 78.6 points each, while Sweden's Stockholm rounded off the top 10 with 78.0 points.

New York was the highest US city on the list, sharing the 11th spot with Spain's Barcelona (both cities received 77.8 points).

Washington DC was close behind in 14 place, while London and San Francisco tied at 15th.

There were few surprises at the other end of the list, with Nigeria's Lagos, Egypt's Cairo, Venezuela's Caracas, Pakistan's Karachi and Myanmar's Yangon making up the bottom five.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "The 'world's safest city' for 2021 revealed"
Theres a tense scene in On the Job: The Missing 8 involving mayor Pedring Eusebio (Dante Rivero) and journalist Weng (Lotlot De Leon). Weng, fed up with all the winding non-answers that the mayor was giving during the press con, decides to ask the hard questions that were on everybodys minds: Will the government really find her missing colleagues? How come the missing persons cases in their town never seem to be solved? Is the government really interested in solving this case? In that scene, Weng is our fierce stand-in, trying to squeeze out the truths  or at least the real intentions  about this grisly crime.

De Leon has been a high caliber actress since her child actor days, acting alongside greats such as Dolphy and her adoptive parents Nora Aunor and Christopher De Leon. But even though director Erik Matti praised her performance in the film (or series, if youre watching the six-episode HBO Originals series on HBO GO), De Leon says the experience was something she wasnt used to.

I dont think sanay ako na makarinig ng magandang feedback when it comes to my acting, she says, laughing. Yung parang mapuri ka, ano? says De Leon through a video interview with CNN Philippines Life. Hindi ako masyadong sanay. So when he wrote something like that para akong natameme, I suddenly became quiet but my heart was really really happy to know that he also appreciates the work that I do.

Previously, De Leon won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Manila Film Festival in 2014 in her first film with Matti, Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles 2. When she was offered the part in On the Job: The Missing 8, she immediately said yes.

I was told that I was going to play a journalist who would be fighting for justice, she says. Wengs road is really straight. Shes not the type to say yes if she feels that she needs to question why she has to do a certain thing. I have to watch the news over again and how the journalists would ask questions, how courageous they would be, not being scared and just wanting to know the truth and impart the truth to everyone who needs to hear it.

Here, she talks more about her role in the acclaimed film, and why it doesnt matter whether her character is prominent in the film shes starring in.

Interview and video by SAMANTHA LEE
(CNN)  The human body was not designed to live in space, but genetic experiments on the International Space Station are preparing a biological toolkit for the future of long-term spaceflight. And some of the most groundbreaking DNA investigations taking place on the orbiting laboratory were designed by students.

The Genes in Space program, a national contest for students across grades 7 through 12, has been an incubator for these youth-led innovations. The contest challenges students to design DNA analysis experiments while keeping the ISS US National Lab and its available tools in mind.

Students Aarthi Vijayakumar, Rebecca Li, Michelle Sung and David Li won the competition in 2018, and their project became the Genes in Space-6 experiment. The student team's investigation made history. For the first time in space, NASA astronauts successfully edited DNA using CRISPR/Cas9 technology while working on the Genes in Space-6 investigation on May 23, 2019.

The shorthand CRISPR stands for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats -- a repeated DNA sequence in genomes. Cas9, a type of modified protein, acts like a pair of scissors that can snip parts of DNA strands so that scientists can modify genetic material at a targeted site.

DNA differences in space

"I remembered when Kate Rubins became the first to sequence DNA in space (in 2016), and then to find out that I would get to do another first in space was really exciting for me," said NASA astronaut Christina Koch, who worked on the experiment while on the space station. "I was just amazed at the fact that they were high school students putting together something so complicated that required such dedication and scientific prowess."

The investigation was designed to analyze how DNA breaks are repaired in the space environment.

The student team developed their approach after recognizing that astronauts face an increased risk of cancer when they return to Earth after long-term spaceflight. This increased risk stems from DNA damage that isn't repaired correctly, previous research has suggested.

"We decided we wanted to really understand what happens to DNA repair pathways in space," said Vijayakumar, now a junior at Yale University studying molecular biophysics and biochemistry.

When we're on Earth, DNA is protected from damage by the planet's atmosphere and magnetic field. When astronauts leave Earth, their DNA is at risk from sustaining damage. If the DNA repairs itself incorrectly, mutations can occur.

"The double strand breaks that this experiment simulated by using CRISPR is something that occurs with astronauts because of the galactic cosmic ray radiation component," Koch said. "And that's something that's very difficult to shield against when you're out in space."

The experiment involved using CRISPR/Cas9 in yeast cells to create double-strand breaks at a particular place in the yeast genome. The astronauts waited to allow the cells to repair the damage they caused. Then, the team produced copies of this repaired section of the DNA using a technique known as polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, in an onboard tool called miniPCR.

A separate device called MinION was able to sequence the repaired DNA in the copies. By sequencing the DNA, the astronauts were able to determine that it was correctly repaired -- all in the absence of gravity.

The entire experiment took place in space, without the requirement of returning any cells to Earth for further analysis. The Genes in Space-6 team waited for a visual marker as confirmation that CRISPR successfully edited the cells. When the astronauts picked up the plate, they observed a single red colony, the signal the team was hoping to see.

The student team was able to watch the astronauts conduct the experiment in space in real time. The four students also had the opportunity to work with scientists on their experiment as well as pulling together the results for publication.

"We were able to verify for the first time that CRISPR/Cas9 does successfully cut in space and establish this amazing gene editing tool in space for the first time," Vijayakumar said. "It helps set up this whole molecular biology toolbox and workflow that can later be used to hopefully answer our original questions and so many other questions."

The results of the experiment were published in a study in the journal PLOS ONE in June. These findings can provide a model for future DNA research studying cell repair, as well as help facilitate countermeasures or potential pharmaceutical treatments. It also sets up the potential for enabling further genome editing in space.

"It's something that we are very cognizant of as astronauts for both long-duration, low-Earth-orbit spaceflights but also deeper space flights going to the moon and Mars," Koch said.

"We set limits on the radiation exposure that a given astronaut is allowed to experience during their spaceflight career based on the science of what the implications of that radiation is, so it's a big component of deep spaceflight missions and understanding how long we can take those missions."

Keeping astronauts healthy

Through programs such as Genes in Space, students are able to share their approaches and potential solutions to the risks and issues astronauts may face in space.

"Students can see these connections that you don't see when you're kind of steeped in specific scientific training, so it's like a continual source of inspiration to see that we have not tapped out the pool of ideas -- there are still new ideas," said Katy Martin, Genes in Space program lead. "Even though we get hundreds each year, we see all kinds of awesome, undiscovered ideas that we never would have come up with ourselves."

Kristoff Misquitta, now a freshman at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, won the 2020 Genes in Space contest with his experiment designed to understand how livers function in space. The 2020 contest was entirely virtual for the first time because of the pandemic.

"We're trying to develop a powerful and efficient workflow to understand the state of the liver in space, and to use that as a basis to understand some of the issues surrounding the way astronauts take medication currently and to remedy issues we find," Misquitta said.

"Hopefully we can use this as a platform to someday develop more advanced and different types of medications."

Misquitta's investigation also tests out new biotechnology on the space station called the Genes in Space fluorescence viewer.

"It basically lets you visualize the fluorescence generated by organic molecules, and we're hoping to use that in the future as a platform for quick diagnostics and other investigations, so it's a forward-looking experiment setting up for a lot of exciting tests in the future," he said.

Medications can be used as countermeasures to combat health issues astronauts encounter during long-term spaceflight, but the lack of gravity or increase in radiation in space may actually change the way the human body breaks down medicine. This may mean that dosages need to be changed so they are safer and more effective.

Little is known about liver function in space, but previous research has indicated it differs from when we're on Earth.

Proteins in the liver breakdown medications, so understanding how the liver functions and the way this breakdown occurs in space could just be the beginning. Medications may become even more important as astronaut crews undertake deep space missions where communications are increasingly delayed between their spacecraft and Earth.

"About one in five times across 79 shuttle missions, we know that those medications tended not to work perfectly effectively," Misquitta said. "We're looking to address those rare cases when they don't work at all."

NASA astronaut Megan McArthur is currently carrying out Misquitta's investigation on the space station. The experiment involves isolated genetic materials from the livers of mice, some of which have been given acetaminophen and others that haven't. The team will look to see whether the effects of the drug are visible on the DNA level while on the space station.

"To know now that after so many years I get to have a part of my work, and to have a legacy on the International Space Station, still blows my mind, and it makes me so happy and optimistic for other students who really want to contribute to space travel in our future among the stars," Misquitta said.

Misquitta hopes that research like this could contribute to a safety net for astronauts where they have personalized medications that they can trust.

"All of our winners are responsible for incrementally pushing the envelope in terms of what type of biotechnology we have available to us to use in space in the moment," Martin said. "The vision we work toward is making smaller, more portable, more flexible, lower maintenance laboratory equipment that can be taken to the moon and Mars."

A bright future

About 90% of the Genes in Space participants have learned about the competition from their teachers. The program has established Lab in a Box, where teachers can borrow a toolkit that includes some of the same equipment astronauts use to carry out the experiments on the space station.

"Genes in Space gives students this confidence to say, 'I have an idea that can actually happen on this large of a scale,' " Vijayakumar said.

Astronauts see these experiments, as well as the participation of the students designing them, as invaluable.

"Diversity of backgrounds, diversity of thought and having a fresh group to look at things with new eyes is so important for coming up with solutions to the tough problems and challenges that are out there," Koch said. "One of the important aspects of the space station is making sure that students know all of the awesome things that you can do with a STEM degree to make sure that we keep that innovative spirit alive."

Genes in Space is funded and operated by Boeing and miniPCR bio, with additional support from the ISS National Lab and New England Biolabs.

This story was first published on CNN.com These game-changing student experiments could help humans travel across deep space
(CNN) -- Airport gates are usually the last point of solid ground that fliers experience before taking to the skies, but at one US airport this month, a remarkable engineering feat saw several gates embark on their own incredible journey.

In what's believed to be an aviation industry first, four newly built gates -- boxy rooms made of concrete, glass and steel -- could be seen crawling in the middle of the night across the tarmac at Texas' Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the second busiest airport in the United States, before being installed in their new home at Terminal C.

The almost inconceivable achievement was completed late last Thursday night and into the following morning, when the final gate -- built remotely on airport land for its Terminal C -- was carried via a high-tech, flatbed truck across one runway and hooked up to the terminal for use by American Airlines at their primary hub.

Three other new gates were moved the same way from August 26 through September 8. Next year, passengers will be boarding and disembarking flights through them, if all goes according to plan.

DFW officials told CNN in an exclusive interview that this mode of gate construction and transport -- in the works before the pandemic began -- is a first for airports worldwide.

They also said it could create a template for other airports to copy, since it creates both time and cost efficiencies and also offers sustainability features.

A busy terminal

Terminal C is fully occupied by American, which operates narrow-body and regional aircraft there. It is also DFW's largest, busiest and oldest terminal.

Its farthest-out gates -- 33, 35, 36, 37 and 39 -- comprise a 72,000-square-foot extension that was built in 1988.

DFW Chief Executive Sean Donohue said Terminal C's five 1988 gates were supposed to be used for 10 or 15 years at most. Because of their central location and constant use, DFW chose not to replace them until now.

Their demolition began in February and was finished in March, when work on the foundation and underground utilities for the new gates began at the terminal. This work was completed in August.

Such a complicated project needed a lot of players to make it happen.

DFW worked with construction companies Archer Western, H.J. Russell and Phillips/May; design firm PGAL; and structural engineering firm Henderson Rogers to replace the 1988 gates.

A 900,000-pound job

They came up with a scheme to build four new gates remotely and to renovate the fifth old gate on-site.

DFW could build the four new gates remotely because of its tremendous size: Encompassing 17,000 acres in the vast plains of North Texas between Dallas and Forth Worth, it is the second-largest airport in land area in the United States.

Khaled Naja, DFW's executive vice president of infrastructure and development, explained another appeal of the plan: By working at the remote site next to the airfield on the east side of the airport, DFW could speed up what was essentially a prefabrication process.

The new gates, which weigh 900,000 pounds or about 408,200 kilograms each, were built on this site from April to August.

Airline operations at DFW cease each night at 11 p.m. The four new gates -- broken up into six prefabricated modules -- were moved by a high-tech, flatbed truck on six overnight shifts, the first running August 26-27 and the last September 9-10.

After the modules were moved, they were welded to the end of Terminal C previously occupied by the 1988 gates.

Finishing touches

The four new gates occupy a total of 80,000 square feet and have prefabricated steel frames, glass walls, concrete floors and roofs made of concrete, asphalt and fiberglass.

Now that they are in place, their interiors will be finished.

This process will include connecting underground and aboveground utilities and installation of restrooms. Once this work is done, American will be able to fit out the gates' interiors, adding seats, desks, signs and the architectural framework for concessions.

The opening of the new gates is scheduled for June 2022.

The fifth new gate will be built on-site at Terminal C from June through August of 2022. During this process, travelers will be able to bypass the construction as needed by walking through the terminal's hall, which will be unobstructed.

Better gates, better travels

Donohue said the new gates will offer traveler-friendly features he hopes will be available throughout all five of DFW's terminals long-term.

Each new gate's space will be about 30% larger than that of other DFW gates, while new electric signs will show flight information easily visible throughout the gate area.

The new gates' restrooms also will provide information on availability of stalls there and elsewhere in the terminal, a feature DFW began offering in May 2020 in Terminals A and D.

Most significantly, the new gates' walls are made of what is called "dynamic glass," which Donohue said will make temperatures in gate areas 15 to 20 degrees cooler in the summer.

Faster and cheaper than traditional methods

Donohue said the construction and moving process of Terminal C's new gates "enabled us to deliver the project" 20% faster and 25% more cheaply than if traditional construction methods had been used.

The cost of the project is $215 million, 62% borne by DFW and 38% by American Airlines.

Donohue also said the Covid-19 pandemic had had "no major impact" on this process.

DFW said it's been contacted by other domestic and international airports requesting information on the Terminal C gates project.

"As airports, we do share a lot of information, and we are open to sharing this with other airports," said Donohue.

'A complete paradigm shift'

"Net net, it will be a good thing if airports can do such projects efficiently, from a time and cost perspective," he added, predicting that what DFW has done could be "a complete paradigm shift in terminal development, helping deliver them much faster and more efficiently."

Sustainability is also a factor, according to Naja.

The dynamic glass will keep gate areas cooler and thus reduce the need for air-conditioning and electricity, while the remote construction of the gates minimized waste since they were fabricated to size.

Mark A. Ahasic, president of Wilton, Connecticut-based Ahasic Aviation Advisors, said he had never heard of airport terminal gates being constructed and transported the way DFW's new Terminal C gates were.

He predicted other airports and airlines beside American, which occupies Terminal C, would find DFW's concept very attractive.

"If an airport can spend less on its terminal investment, it can charge airlines less fees, which will mean lower fares for passengers, better profitability for airlines," he explained.

American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment on its new gates at DFW.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Dallas-Fort Worth Airport has amazing new way to build passenger gates"
(CNN)  The planet is careening toward warming of 2.7 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels  far above what scientists say the world should be targeting  according to a report on global emissions targets by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Scientists have said that the planet needs to slash 45% of its emissions by 2030 to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century. But under current emissions commitments from countries there will be a 16% increase in emissions in 2030 compared to 2010 levels, according to the report.

That would lead the planet to warm to 2.7 degrees above pre-industrial levels, the report says.

Scientists have said global temperatures should remain below 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels to stave off the worse consequences of the climate crisis. A UN report in August showed global temperature is already around 1.2 degrees of warming.

In a statement about today's report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the planet's current path "catastrophic."

"This is breaking the promise made six years ago to pursue the 1.5-degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement," Guterres said. "Failure to meet this goal will be measured in the massive loss of lives and livelihoods."

The report comes after a summer filled with climate change-fueled extreme weather around the world: While the Western US has been battered by wildfires, worsened by unrelenting drought, flooding events and hurricanes, China and Germany experienced deadly flooding events in July as Southern Europe battled wildfires of its own.

Addressing leaders at the Major Economies Forum on Friday morning, Guterres said that the UN climate conference in November, during which world leaders will meet to discuss emissions targets, has a "high risk of failure."

"It is clear that everyone must assume their responsibilities," Guterres said.

In his statement about the report, Guterres urged all countries to submit more ambitious climate targets, or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), that would create a more feasible pathway to 1.5 degrees. He also pressed developed nations to push forward with the decade-long, $100-billion promise to support developing countries with their own commitments.

The NDCs create the foundation for nations to achieve the commitments of the 2015 Paris Agreement. They include information on targets, climate policies, and measures for reducing national greenhouse gas emissions. The NDCs also lay out the need for financing and technology to meet the targets.

According to the UN's interim NDC registry, there are currently 191 parties to the Paris Agreement, all of whom have submitted their first NDCs. Eritrea is the only country that has not yet become a party to the Paris Agreement, but has submitted its own NDC. But only 59% of the parties have submitted new or updated NDCs, according to the UN.

"This report is clear: ambitious climate action can avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, but only if all nations act together," Alok Sharma, incoming COP26 President, said. "Those nations which have submitted new and ambitious climate plans are already bending the curve of emissions downwards by 2030."

"But without action from all countries, especially the biggest economies, these efforts risk being in vain," Sharma added.

During the Major Economies Forum -- a virtual and closed-door meeting with other world leaders on climate -- on Friday, President Joe Biden announced the United States and European Union have launched a global pledge to reduce emissions of methane -- a potent greenhouse gas -- by nearly 30% by the end of the decade.

Additionally, as part of the UN General Assembly in New York, the energy and climate ministers of Denmark and Costa Rica announced an effort to encourage countries to transition away from oil and gas production.

"We have the tools to achieve this target," Guterres said. "But we are rapidly running out of time."

This story was first published on CNN.com The planet is on a 'catastrophic' global warming path, UN report shows
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Container trucks carrying dragon fruits at a parking zone near the Tan Thanh Border Gate in the northern province of Lang Son, February 4, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Vietnams trade deficit with China in the first eight months of the year was $39 billion, or $3.8 billion more than in the whole of 2020.

Vietnam's exports to the country rose by 22 percent to $33.5 billion, 16 percent of its total exports, according to the General Department of Customs.

They were driven by 65 percent and 46 percent surges in cellphone and component exports.

China remained Vietnams largest source of imports, mainly machinery and equipment, phones and components and raw materials for the textile industry, which grew by 47 percent to $72.5 billion.

Last year, Vietnam was China's sixth largest trading partner and its fifth largest export market.
Of Cambodia's more than 16 million people, 10 million have been vaccinated against Covid-19 so far, one of the highest rates in Southeast Asia.

"We vaccinate people not only to save lives but to save the economy and society. Reopening of the economy and society is necessary," Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the launch of the program.

"We are willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on vaccines to vaccinate people in order to attract billions of dollars for the economy in return."

Cambodia has been using vaccines made by China's Sinovac and Sinopharm and the British-developed AstraZeneca vaccine on adults and has also been vaccinating children over 12. The health ministry said the Sinovac vaccine would be given to children aged 6 to 12.

Chile and the United Arab Emirates have also approved vaccinating younger children, while Cuba is administering shots masse to toddlers. In China, a government disease control expert on Thursday said the country should consider vaccinating children under 12.

In the United States, top health officials believe the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech could be authorized for children aged 5 to 11 next month.

Cambodia's tourism- and manufacturing-led economy contracted 3.1 percent last year and is forecast to grow 4 percent this year, the World Bank says.

The country has recorded more than 102,000 coronavirus cases and more than 2,000 deaths since the pandemic began, the vast majority this year.
Government draws $113 mln from Covid fund to buy 20 mln doses from Pfizer

A medic administers a Covid-19 vaccine shot on a man in Hanoi, September 9, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

The government will use more than VND2.6 trillion ($113.65 million) from the vaccine fund to buy nearly 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and cover vaccination costs.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the use of the money should to be transparent, efficient and economical.

The decision to buy the vaccines takes the total number of Pfizer vaccines Vietnam has ordered so far to 51 million doses.

The government established the national Covid-19 vaccine fund in May to raise contributions from various sources and ease the burden on its finances.

Besides buying vaccines it is also used to fund studies into them and their production.

The funds website said it has raised VND8.665 trillion (almost $380 million) as of Friday.

Vietnam aims to obtain 150 million doses of vaccines to immunize 70 percent of its 96-million population by April next year.

As of August it had received 33 million doses from various sources, including aid and commercial contracts signed by the ministry and businesses.

More than 33 million people have been vaccinated so far, with 6.18 million getting two shots.
Western tourists who have already visited Vietnam are excited that the country is reopening Phu Quoc Island, but they are also clear about wanting to enjoy a quarantine-free stay.

Peter Scott, an Australian from Queensland, was happy to hear that the Vietnamese government plans to reopen the famous resort island to vaccinated foreign tourists from next month after nearly two years of closing national borders.

"That's the best news I've heard in the last 18 months. I'll wait a few more weeks to return to Vietnam."

Scott said he has already traveled to Phu Quoc four times and was impressed by the beauty of long, sandy beaches, peaceful fishing villages and busy night market.

"It's a really beautiful island. I was taken by a local to visit fishing villages and enjoy seafood."

But the foreigners that VnExpress International spoke to were also unanimous that quarantine requirements would be decision-influencing factor in making a trip to the Mekong Delta island.

Their concern was that although Vietnamese authorities agreed to reopen the island, they did not specify whether fully vaccinated visitors would be exempt from the 14-day quarantine or have the period shortened.

Scott said he has been vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. But he would reconsider his plan to visit Phu Quoc if he had to be quarantined.

"No tourist is going to agree to be stuck in a hotel for a holiday after having traveled on a long-haul flight," he said.

George Smith, a 58-year-old British citizen, said he planned to visit Phu Quoc late October, but was still waiting for official information from Vietnamese authorities to see if he would be quarantined upon arrival or not.

"I have got two doses of the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine and by the end of this year I will probably get the booster shot in the U.K. And even after I have got the two doses, I am still keeping away from group gatherings and being very careful around other people," Smith said.

"I personally love Vietnam and two years ago when I visited HCMC I told myself I will come back and travel from the north to south. This time I want to visit Phu Quoc Island," he said.

But, he added: "I don't want to be quarantined or stuck on an island for a long time. I want to explore your beautiful country. I think the government should exempt vaccinated tourists from quarantine as they are basically no longer a Covid threat."

Mohan Ponnudurai, an American man living in Florida, said he had many times traveled to Vietnam and once he and his wife went to Phu Quoc Island, which he described as "a paradise getting born" which he believes will become the next Bali.

Ponnudurai, who has got two jabs of the Pfizer vaccine since April, is keen on returning to Phu Quoc but said he will not travel there with current Covid restrictions.

"No one would want to be sequestered or limited to just the resort when on vacation," he said.

He also said that "I don't think most Southeast Asian countries would be wide open till Delta variant is under control and at least 50 percent of the population is vaccinated."

Sharing similar concerns

Local travel firms were also concerned that imposing long quarantine periods would discourage foreign tourists from visiting Vietnam.

Pham Ha, chairman of the Lux Group, which specializes in providing luxury travel services for foreign tourists to Vietnam, said customers have said they want to enjoy quarantine-free travel and had no wish to be cooped up in a resort for a week or more.

They say they would not come to Vietnam if they had to be quarantined, Ha said.

From October to May next year is the winter escape season for European tourists, Ha suggested that the Vietnamese tourism industry focuses on markets like the U.K., Germany, France and Spain. In Asia, Singapore and South Korea could be considered.

To attract tourists immediately, Ha advised that the focus be on charter passengers from the Russian market as Phu Quoc has been a destination that Russians have favored for years.

A tourism expert based in Hanoi, who asked to remain anonymous, said over 70 percent of foreign tourists to Phu Quoc hope to travel to more places, instead of being limited to a few areas around resorts.

"The reopening of Phu Quoc Island is a necessary step to revive the tourism industry; however, high expectations should not be set," the expert said.

After two years of closing its borders to contain the pandemic, Vietnam last week decided to allow fully immunized tourists from Europe, the U.S., Northeast Asia, Australia and the Middle East to visit Phu Quoc from October.

During the first three months of the six-month trial program, tourists can only reach the island on charter flights and would have to stay in sequestered areas of selected resorts or destinations.

Travel firms and tourism experts have already opined that such strict measures would hinder foreign tourists from returning to Phu Quoc, with no one wanting to spend a lot of money to be quarantined in a hotel/resort and only visit limited areas.

Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island, shot up in popularity after the government rolled out a 30-day visa-free policy for foreigners in 2014.

In 2019, before the onset of the ongoing pandemic, it received over five million visitors, including 541,600 foreigners.

If the Phu Quoc sandbox program gets underway in October, it will become the first locality in Vietnam to welcome foreign tourists since April 2020.

Vietnams tourism industry has experienced one of the most difficult periods in its history under Covid-19 impacts. Last year, the number of foreign arrivals plunged nearly 80 percent to 3.8 million.
On Sunday evening the 73rd Emmy Awards will honour the great and the good of last years television industry, with nominees and guests invited back after a pandemic-hit 2020 edition.

Cedric the Entertainer will be host for the evening and the star-studded audience will include some of the biggest names in television. Among the shows nominated for the 2021 Emmy Awards are Ted Lasso, WandaVision. The Crown, The Queen's Gambit, Hacks, Mare of Easttown, Lovecraft Country and This Is Us.

As has been increasingly common at awards ceremonies in recent years, the studios with the most nominations are streaming platforms. Giants like Netflix, HBO Max and Apple TV+ all boast numerous nominations and will be hoping to bring home some silverware on Sunday night.

How to watch the 2021 Emmy Awards live in the United States

The 73rd annual Primetime Emmys will be held on Sunday, 19 September at 8pm (ET) / 5pm (PT).

The show will be broadcast live on CBS across the United States. CBS boasts an extensive local broadcast network that can usually be accessed through a standard TV antenna, or included in a cable TV package.

You will also be available to view the ceremony on various streaming platforms. Paramount+, Roku, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV, Sling TV and Fubo TV will all be showing the 2021 Emmy Awards, but be sure to check that they operate in your area.

Basic Paramount+ subscriptions starts at $4.99 per month, or $9.99 for the ad-free version. However you can also sign up for free trial to watch the Emmy Awards ceremony for free.

How to watch the 2021 Emmy Awards live around the world

With such big names on show there will undoubtedly be an international audience for the 2021 Emmy Awards, but outside of the United States there will be fewer options for viewers.

In Canada the show will be broadcast live, but is only available on CTV, CTV.ca or through the CTV mobile app.

Viewers in the United Kingdom will be not be able to watch live but there will be a delayed broadcast of the 2021 Emmy Awards shown at 10.50pm on Monday, 20 September. The show will be broadcast on Sky Max, packages for which start at 25 per month.
Efforts showcase higher-level opening-up

China's formal application on Thursday to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the CPTPP, is the latest proof of the country's higher-level opening-up and shows its resolve to make greater contributions to the world economy, experts and government officials said on Friday.

On Thursday, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted the application via a letter to Damien O'Connor, minister for trade and export growth of New Zealand, which is the depositary for the CPTPP.

The two ministers also held a teleconference and communicated on the relevant follow-up work.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news conference on Friday that the application showed China's firm determination to expand opening-up and promote regional economic cooperation.

Zhao said: "China will conduct necessary talks with the CPTPP members in accordance with the relevant CPTPP procedures.

"China is a faithful advocate of trade liberalization and facilitation, and also an important participant of regional cooperation and economic integration of the Asia-Pacific."

China signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement with 14 other countries in November. Now, if it also joins the CPTPP, it would help accelerate the economic integration of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as benefit the global economic recovery, trade development and investment growth, Zhao said.

Huo Jianguo, vice-chairman of the Beijing-based China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, said: "The application showed China is ready for next-step moves to join the CPTPP, including follow-up negotiations and adjustment of domestic regulations and laws to align with higher-level economic and trade liberalization and facilitation rules."

It also showed China, the world's second-largest economy, is willing to further engage in multilateral economic activities. This is not only good for China but world trade and the global economy, Huo said.

The CPTPP, which took effect on Dec 30, 2018, is a trade agreement among 11 countries: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Their aggregate GDP accounts for 13 percent of the global economy, covering a combined population of about 498 million.
XI'AN, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The mausoleum of Qinshihuang, known for the famous army of Terracotta Warriors in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, reopened Friday after the COVID-19 resurgence in China suspended operations at the museum for over a month.

To visit Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, tourists need to make a reservation online as the museum is operating at 30 percent capacity at this time, according to the museum.

The museum will not accept tour groups, and tourists from medium- and high-risk areas are also not permitted.

Museum operation was suspended in late July after sporadic locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported in several provinces of China.

Discovered in 1974, the army of Terracotta Warriors was built by Emperor Qinshihuang of the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.), who unified China for the first time.

Other museums of the province, including the Shaanxi History Museum, have also reopened to the public recently.

Editor: WPY
An attendee looks at a model of a Beidou Navigation Satellite at an expo in Shenyang, Liaoning province. HUANG JINKUN/FOR CHINA DAILY

China stands ready to cooperate to further the development of the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, promote the growth of related industries and share outcomes from the system's development, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.

In a letter to congratulate the First International Summit on Beidou Navigation Satellite System Applications, Xi underscored Beijing's commitment to ensure the system benefits the Chinese people as well as people from other nations.

He noted that positioning and navigation services have become a key type of new infrastructure with the acceleration of digitalization globally.

Beidou has now been used by over half of the world's countries and regions since it started providing full-scale global services, which was announced by Xi at a ceremony in July 2020, according to the letter.

The system's full-scale use has now entered a critical stage for commercial, industrialized and internationalized development, the president said.

China will uphold principles such as inclusiveness and sharing, coordination and cooperation, compatibility and complementarity and mutual sharing of outcomes in a broader effort to usher in progress for the global navigation satellite system and enable it to better serve the world and benefit mankind, he said.

The First International Summit on Beidou Navigation Satellite System Applications, with the theme "Beidou serves the world, application fuels the future", opened in Changsha, Hunan province, on Thursday.

The president also sent a congratulatory letter to the China Quality Conference, which opened on Thursday in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

Quality is a key guarantee for production and life, and each reform and innovation in quality has promoted progress in production technology and improved people's living standards, he said.

China is committed to quality improvement, with across-the-board efforts to enhance quality management and promote reforms for better quality, higher efficiency and more robust growth drivers, in an effort to pursue high-quality development, he said.

Xi highlighted the nation's commitment to work with other countries in strengthening international cooperation on quality improvements, jointly promoting reform and innovation in the area and bolstering infrastructure connectivity in this regard to contribute to global economic growth and a better future for humanity.

Editor: JYZ
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

-- "I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," President Xi Jinping said.

-- Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

-- To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged solidarity, upholding common security, openness and integration for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to forge a closer SCO community with a shared future.

Xi made the comments via video link as he addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, hosted by this year's rotating presidency Tajikistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

All SCO members have pledged to further enhance policy communication, security cooperation, smoothing trade, financing and people-to-people exchanges, according to a declaration issued after the conclusion of the meeting.

The organization, which covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, nearly half of the world's population, and over 20 percent of the global gross domestic product, is embracing its 20th anniversary this year.

"I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," said Xi.

ENHANCING SOLIDARITY TO COUNTER CHALLENGES

"We need to follow the journey of enhancing solidarity and cooperation," Xi said, adding SCO members should make the most of the meeting mechanisms and platforms at all levels, step up policy dialogue, communication and coordination.

Calling fighting COVID-19 the most pressing task, Xi urged deepening international cooperation against the virus and promote fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, adding China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations.

The first batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Tashkent International Airport in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 27, 2021. (Photo by Zafar Khalilov/Xinhua)

Noting Afghanistan has undergone drastic changes and the country still faces many daunting challenges, Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

Joint efforts were also highlighted at the ensuing joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states on the Afghanistan issue, where Xi urged interactions with Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic angle, and said that certain countries should shoulder due responsibility for Afghanistan's development.

As the SCO members are all near neighbors of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is an observer state of the SCO, the organization enjoys unique convenience and advantages in addressing the issues compared with other similar international arrangements, said Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies.

"Aimed at addressing regional challenges that concern the interests of all, China's proposals have added new dimensions to related cooperation mechanisms, demonstrating a sense of responsibility as a major country to promote peace, stability and people's livelihoods," added Deng.

ADVANCING INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT

Stressing the SCO members need to follow the journey of promoting openness and integration, Xi said they should continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and create growth drivers of cooperation such as digital economy, green energy and modern agriculture.

Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows the Qingdao multimodal transportation center in the China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

In 2020, the combined economic size of the SCO countries reached 18.4 trillion U.S. dollars, an 11-fold increase since its founding, while intra-SCO trade jumped eight times to 6.2 trillion dollars over the same period, a vivid proof of intensified SCO cooperation with concrete outcomes.

To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

"As SCO members are diverse in their national realities and development priorities, China's call for open cooperation and integration has echoed the common aspiration for economic recovery and sustainable growth, showing a strong determination to tide over difficulties together with the SCO family," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

BOOSTING INTERACTIONS

Noting interactions between civilizations provide the most solid foundation for the SCO's development, Xi emphasized the need to encourage exchanges, dialogue, harmony and co-existence between civilizations.

He proposed more projects including those of science and technology, education, culture, among others, adding China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries in the next three years, and host an SCO youth technology and innovation forum next year. He also extended welcome to SCO countries' participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Visitors take a tour near the Olympic sailing center, used as the conference hall during the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

At the meeting, the attending leaders of relevant countries and international organizations voiced support for multilateralism, as well as opposition to hegemonism, unilateralism and interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights, and support for the independent choice of development paths for SCO countries.

"Amid resurging unilateralism and protectionism, the joint emphasis by SCO members on the importance of mutual learning and exchanges sheds light on the urgency for the region and the international community to adhere to mutual consultation and work for a community with a shared future," said Professor Yana Leksyutina of St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

In addition, the meeting has launched procedures to admit Iran as a member state of the SCO, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners.

Hailing the SCO as an institution of global governance, Prof. B.R. Deepak at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, said the new developments at the organization will help further extend the reach of multilateralism to more countries, unleash greater cooperation potential, and beef up the international voice of developing countries in the region. 

Editor: Zhang Zhou
The pace of issuing Russian passports in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions has now slowed down, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov has said.

"It [the statistics of the number of issued Russian passports in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions] is different: we have a figure of 630,000, there is a figure of 740,000. We are talking about those who apply. There are a lot of people who apply, then don't go to get these passports," Danilov said at a briefing.

"They have a whole tourism industry there, they, like hiding behind, do not issue all of them on the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions - they export some of them to Rostov region [Russia] and all this is happening there. To date, the pace of issue has slowed down, they are not as sharp as they used to be," the NSDC secretary added.

He noted that the residents of the occupied territories receive identity cards, like "ausweis" during the Second World War, thanks to which people manage to survive, find jobs and receive medical care.

"Hitler issued them so that a person could survive in that territory. The same "ausweis" are issued today on the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and a lot of them were issued in Crimea. The fact is that a person does not have the ability to exist in some cases, if he does not have this, let's say, paper," the NSDC secretary said.

According to Danilov, this is a very "sensitive situation," and therefore the Ukrainian authorities will approach this issue very carefully, because "if a teacher or doctor cannot earn for his family, and for one reason or another he is there, because you practically cannot find a job there without this "ausweis," you will not be provided with medical assistance and other things."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has enacted the decision of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council of August 20, 2021 and approved the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine reflecting the country's military security strategy.

The Ukrainian president signed a relevant decree on September 17, the presidential website said.

According to the document, the military policy of Ukraine is implemented in several main areas, including "ensuring the rebuff and deterrence of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country within the state border, the prevention of military conflicts with any foreign states."

"The Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine stipulates the objectives and vision of the defense force of 2030. According to the document, the defense force "is [...]capable of protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, ready to conduct air, land, sea operations, countering media wars and wars in cyberspace, capable of acting asymmetrically, outside the box, being proactive and integrated into the Euro-Atlantic security architecture," the report says.

State targeted programs and other documents and projects aimed at developing the capacities of the defense force will be drafted on the basis of the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine, the website said. The implementation of tasks and activities of the Strategic Defense Bulletin of Ukraine will be funded from both the state budget and other sources.
Over the past day, Russian occupation forces in Donbas violated the ceasefire regime seven times, two soldiers of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) were wounded, while since the beginning of the current day no shelling has been recorded, the press center of the JFO headquarters reported.

"Over the past day, September 17, in the area of the Joint Forces Operation, seven ceasefire violations were recorded. As a result of enemy fire, two members of the Joint Forces Operation received shrapnel wounds," the press center said on the headquarters Facebook page on Saturday morning.

It is noted that both fighters are in a satisfactory state in a military hospital.
Ukrainian Bar Association welcomes you to participate in the First International Conference on Agrarian Law

Ukrainian Bar Association welcomes you to participate in the First International Conference on Agrarian Law, organized in partnership with the Agrarian Law Section of the International Bar Association.

https://uba.ua/eng/

https://uba.ua/eng/events/3335/

Date and place: September, 23, 2021, online, 15.00-18.30 Kyiv time

Date and place: September, 24, 2021, Radisson Blu Hotel, 22, Yaroslaviv Val str. Kyiv, Ukraine, 09.30-18.30 Kyiv time

Attention! Pre-registration is required for participation

https://uba.ua/eng/events/3335/registration/

The Conference is a platform and a unique opportunity to discuss current legal issues in agriculture, to find solutions to current challenges, to form the capacity to protect rights in the agricultural business and, of course, to exchange experiences.

The Conference will bring together representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), EBRD, the World Bank, major international and local investors in the agricultural sector, top legal advisers of leading agricultural companies and recognized national and international experts in agrarian law.

Extensive program with hot topics, exclusive analytics and perspectives, opportunity to exchange valuable experiences and to establish business contacts.

** The Conference will comply with all norms of the Adaptive Quarantine.

1 Day of the Online Conference

Date and time: September 23, 2021 (online) 15.00-18.30 (Kyiv time)

Topic Focus

Liberalization of the land market. Best practices of land reform

- World experience in land reform: comparative study of best world practices

- Opening of the Ukrainian land market: new opportunities and first results

Climate change. Green deal. Sustainable development

- Impact of climate change on agriculture and food security

- Benefits of sustainable development in agriculture and its impact on sustainable production and transport

Technology, agriculture, and trade

- Responsible use of high-tech products

- GMO regulation in the agricultural sector: overview and trends of GMO from a global perspective

- Food export to the EU: market access - paperwork - quality requirements

- Blockchain: technical and practical aspects

2 Day of the Conference

Date and Time: September 24, 2021 (off-line), 09:30 -18:30 (Kyiv time)

Place: Radisson Blu Hotel, 22 Yaroslaviv Val str. Kyiv, Ukraine

Focus of topics

Agricultural land market

- Results of opening of agricultural land market

- Land consolidation

- Problems of implementation of lessees' privileges

- Antitrade

- Participation of Ukrainian and foreign players on agricultural land market

- Emergence of new players

- Legal difficulties in concluding contracts for the disposal of agricultural land

- Legal and practical possibility of an acquisition of pre-emptive rights

International trade and dispute resolution

- Added value or increased trade volume

- Local and international risks to trade

- Statutory regulation vs. market

- GAFTA rules and arbitration for contracts in Ukraine

- Crop disputes

Infrastructure

- Capital investments in infrastructure

- Irrigation reform

- Law on inland water transport

Technology in the agribusiness

- Meteorological and smart agroecology

- Regulation

- GMOs

Taxation

- Novelties: ragged exports, twists, shady rentals

- Best practices.

All speeches by foreign experts will be provided with synchronized interpretation.

PARTICIPATION AND PARTNERSHIP MATTERS

+ 38 (044) 492-88-48

conference@uba.ua

Tatiana Osaulenko - event coordinator

MEDIA COVERAGE AND ACCREDITATION:

+ 38 (044) 492-88-48

pr@uba.ua

Yuliya Matvyeyeva  PR and international partnership coordinator

Interfax Ukraine  event media partner
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) attends a House Financial Services Committee hearing in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, U.S (Photo : Greg Nash/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed challengers to five congressional Republicans, part of his effort to assert dominance over the party after losing his re-election bid last year to Democrat Joe Biden.



Trump's fire has been focused on the handful of Republican lawmakers who voted to impeach him on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot, or to convict him on that charge in a Senate trial that ultimately ended in his acquittal.



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Below are notable Republicans whom Trump has targeted through his endorsements.



REPRESENTATIVE ANTHONY GONZALEZ



Gonzalez, a two-term U.S. representative from Ohio who voted to impeach Trump for inciting supporters to launch a deadly assault on the Capitol, on Thursday became the first of Trump's targets to withdraw https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-congressman-who-voted-impeach-trump-wont-seek-re-election-2021-09-17 from a re-election bid after the former president endorsed a Republican challenger.



Gonzalez' impeachment vote had drawn rebuke from the Ohio Republican Party, which in May called on him to resign his seat in Congress. In a statement, Gonzalez said "the toxic dynamics inside our own party" played a role in his withdrawal. Trump has endorsed former White House aide Max Miller for Gonzalez's seat.



REPRESENTATIVE LIZ CHENEY



Cheney was the highest-profile lawmaker of the 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives who voted to impeach Trump. A U.S. representative for Wyoming since 2017, she was ousted from her role as the No. 3 House Republican following the impeachment vote. A scion of a storied Republican family, Cheney's father Dick Cheney served as U.S. vice president from 2001 to 2009. In a Sept. 9 statement endorsing Wyoming attorney Harriet Hageman https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-endorses-challenger-republican-cheney-wyoming-house-race-2021-09-09, who is challenging Cheney, Trump called Cheney "disloyal."



SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI



The U.S. senator for Alaska was one of seven Republican Senators who voted to convict Trump and remove him from office. The vote failed and Trump was acquitted. Murkowski, known for her long independent streak, is the only one of the seven Republicans up for re-election this year. Trump has endorsed Kelly Tshibaka, a former state administration commissioner, to challenge Murkowski for her seat.



REPRESENTATIVE JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER



The U.S. representative from Washington state not only voted to impeach Trump, she submitted evidence in his Senate trial against the former president. Herrera Beutler said in a statement that the top House Republican, Kevin McCarthy, had told her about a call he had with Trump on Jan. 6, during the riot when hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, in which Trump said, "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are." Trump has endorsed Army veteran Joe Kent's bid to unseat Herrera Beutler, who has been in Congress since 2011.



REPRESENTATIVE FRED UPTON



Upton, who has represented Michigan in the House since 1987, was an early critic of Trump's false claims that he lost the November presidential election due to widespread fraud. Upton said in January his vote for impeachment was to "send a clear message" that the country will not tolerate a president impeding the peaceful transfer of power. Trump has endorsed Michigan state lawmaker Steve Carra's bid to challenge Upton.


A giant screen shows Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng (C), Liu Boming (R), and Tang Hongbo of the Shenzhou-12 mission saluting inside the Tianhe core module of China's space station, at a shopping mall in Beijing, (Photo : REUTERS/Thomas Peter)

Three Chinese astronauts returned to earth on Friday after a 90-day visit to an unfinished space station in the country's first crewed mission since 2016.



In a small return capsule, the three men - Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo - landed safely in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in the north of China at 1:34 p.m. (0534 GMT), state media reported.



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The Shenzhou-12 mission was the first of four crewed missions planned for 2021-2022 as China assembles its first permanent space station. The process requires 11 missions, including the launches of the station's three modules.



Construction kicked off in April with the launch of the Tianhe module, the future living quarters of the space station. Slightly larger than a city bus, Tianhe was where Nie, Liu and Tang have stayed since mid-June, marking China's longest spaceflight mission.



While in orbit, the astronauts conducted spacewalks, validated Tianhe's life-support system, tested the module's robotic arm, and sorted supplies for upcoming crewed missions.



The second crewed mission is planned for October, with the next batch of astronauts expected to stay on Tianhe for six months.



Ahead of that Shenzhou-13 mission, China will send an automated cargo spacecraft - Tianzhou-3 - to Tianhe carrying supplies needed by the next crew.



Tianzhou-3 will be launched in the near future, state media said recently.



Blocked by U.S. law from working with NASA and by extension on the U.S.-led International Space Station (ISS), China has spent the past decade developing technologies to construct its own space station.



China's space station, expected to be completed by the end of 2022, will be the sole alternative to the 20-year-old ISS, which may be retired in 2024.


Egypts Irrigation Minister Mohamed Abdel-Ati has warned that climate change threatens 12-15 percent of the highly fertile Nile Delta lands in northern Egypt as a result of expected rise in sea levels and saltwater intrusion in groundwater.

He made the remarks on Friday during a meeting with Ayat Soliman, regional director of the World Bank Group's (WBG) Sustainable Development Department for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, a statement by the irrigation ministry said.

Abdel-Ati affirmed that Egypt is among the countries most affected by climate change worldwide due to the rise of seawater level. This is in addition to the unexpected effect of climate change on Nile headwaters and other related phenomena, including heat and cold waves and floods.

The minister highlighted the effect of these phenomena on the fields of water resources, agriculture, food security, energy and health.

Abdel-Ati said Egypt is exerting great efforts to become an example of green development in order to confront challenges and curb climate change impact.

During the meeting, Abdel-Ati reviewed the ministrys efforts to adapt with climate change through implementing mega projects to avoid flood dangers and protect Egyptian beaches.

The ministrys efforts also include expanding the use of agricultural drainage water as a non-traditional water source to face the growing pressures on the water resources in Egypt as a result of climate change, the minister added.

Abdel-Ati said Egypt has implemented more than 1,500 buildings for protection against the dangers of floods during the past years.

Those buildings have contributed to protecting individuals and vital institutions and facilities against the destructive effects of floods and collecting rain waters to be reused in Bedouin communities in the surrounding areas, he said.

Abdel-Ati said climate change negatively affects water resources, thus jeopardizing sustainable development and the rights of people to water.

His talks with Soliman reviewed a report on climate change and development in Egypt which is being prepared by World Bank experts in tandem with the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation.

The talks also tackled projects and programs for adapting to climate change which are due to be included in the report within the framework of the state's efforts to combat climate change.

Egypt considers addressing climate change a priority, with Abdel-Ati repeatedly warning that Egypt is one of the countries most affected by climate change.

Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat and Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad discussed with Soliman last week future cooperation between Egypt and the WBG to forge climate action policies and monitor their impact on catalyzing economic growth and attracting investments to the local market.

The meeting also underscored national efforts in the path of green and sustainable growth by presenting important projects, such as the Bahr Al-Baqar Water Drainage System and the Gabal Al-Asfar Wastewater Treatment Plant.

In July, the Egyptian environment minister participated in the preparatory ministerial meeting held by the United Kingdom for climate talks ahead of November's United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) summit in Glasgow.

During the meeting, Fouad expressed Egypts keenness to share its visions and ideas on climate change-related issues.

In an interview with Egyptian states news agency MENA later in the same month, Fouad said Egypt proposed to host the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 27) in 2022 amid great support by African countries.

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Sudanese Foreign Minister Mariam Al-Sadiq Al-Mahdi accused Ethiopia on Saturday of fabricating problems with Sudan to escape its internal problems as both countries witness tensions over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and border attacks.

In a press conference held in Khartoum on Saturday afternoon over Sudans foreign policies, Al-Mahdi said that the Ethiopian claims that Al-Fashaqa border region is Ethiopian are completely rejected and unacceptable.

The minister added that her countrys stance on the GERD is based on international law and the Declaration of Principles on GERD which was signed in 2015 in Khartoum between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

Al-Mahdi stressed Sudans support for the rights of the River Nile Basin countries as well as the necessity to implement projects on the river through cooperation and integration.

We recognise Ethiopia's right to benefit from development sources, but this should not harm other Blue Nile basin countries, she said.

Al-Mahdi's statement on relations with Ethiopia and GERD came after the United Nations Security Councils statement on Wednesday calling on Sudan, Ethiopia, and Egypt to continue the African Union-sponsored talks on GERD according to a timeframe to reach a legally binding agreement on the operation and filling of the dam.

Both Egypt and Sudan welcomed and supported the statement, but Ethiopia rejected it completely.

Previous rounds of AU-sponsored talks collapsed before they could reach an agreement between Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia, with the two downstream countries blaming the talks failure on Ethiopias intransigence.

The decades-long Al-Fashqa border dispute concerns large swaths of agricultural land Sudan says are within its borders, according to an agreement that demarcated the borders between the two nations in the early 1900s. The two nations have held rounds of talks, most recently in Khartoum in December, to settle the dispute, but haven't made progress.

The dispute has escalated in recent months after Sudan deployed troops to Al-Fashaqa, driving out Ethiopian farmers and militias in the area.

At least 84 Sudanese troops were killed in clashes with Ethiopian forces and militias from November to August.

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Libyan Minister of Manpower Ali Al-Abad said that Libya is in need of one million Egyptian workers.

The Egyptian workers are highly trained and demanded in Libya especially with its plans of development projects; they are also socially accepted, Al-Abad said in an interview published in Al-Ahram Daily newspaper on Saturday following the meetings of the Egyptian-Libyan joint higher committee on Thursday.

The joint committee headed by Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouly and his Libyan counterpart interim PM Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah signed on Thursday 14 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and six executive agreements in several fields including mega projects in Libya.

According to Minister Al-Abad, the agreement is valued at 19 billion Libyan dinars (around $4.2 billion) and they come in the framework of the Libyan governments Return of Life development plan in the North African country which aims to develop infrastructures, roads and housing projects.

The Libyan minister revealed that the manpower ministries in both countries are working on launching a web portal  named Wafad  to organize and regulate all issues and matters involving Egyptian workers in Libya.

The minister added that within the next few days a team from both countries will be in Libya to finish the needed procedures to launch this portal, then direct flights will be launched between Egyptian and Libyan cities.

Concerning the new upcoming web portal, Al-Abad stated that it will help safeguard workers' rights; it will document the exact number of workers in the country, their places of work and their specialization and whether they work for companies or individuals.

The application will end the old crisis that used to happen in the past when fake companies were used to bring workers to Libya, said the minister, adding that at the same time any worker who is not registered in the application will be considered an illegal migrant and the Libyan government would not be responsible for them.

On the other hand, registered workers will have privileges provided by the Libyan government like health and social insurance as well as a retirement pension that can be transferred to Egypt. The workers also can bring their families according to Al-Abad.

For decades, Libya had been a destination for Egyptian expats until 2015 when an IS-affiliated militia launched the bloodiest terrorist attack of its kind against Egyptian expats in Libya by abducting and beheading 20 Egyptian Christian workers.

In retaliation, Egypt conducted air strikes against the IS-affiliated group in the city of Derna.

At the same time Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ordered the evacuation of Egyptian expats in Libya to ensure their safety.

Prior to the evacuation, the number of Egyptian workers in Libya was estimated by the Egyptian manpower ministry at between 800,000 to one million working across all fields.

Despite the official warnings and the civil war in Libya, many Egyptians continued to illegally migrate to Libya, both as an intermediary stage en route to Europe, and lured by fake promises of work.

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The United Nations Security Council on Saturday expressed "deep concern" over a spiraling feud between Somalia's president and prime minister and called for both restraint and fresh talks.

The long-brewing dispute between the two leaders escalated this week when President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, popularly known as Farmajo, suspended the executive powers of Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, a move the premier rejected as unlawful.

The pair have clashed over high-profile appointments this month, and their spat threatens to imperil repeatedly delayed elections in the Horn of Africa nation and distract from efforts to confront a long-running Islamist insurgency.

The UN Security Council urged "all stakeholders to exercise restraint, and underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability in Somalia."

The statement comes a day after an emergency closed-door Council meeting called at Britain's request.

"The members of the Security Council urged all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue for the good of Somalia and to prioritize the peaceful conduct of transparent, credible and inclusive elections," the statement said.

Somalia has been struggling to hold elections for months.

Farmajo's four-year mandate expired in February, but it was extended by parliament in April, triggering deadly gun battles in Mogadishu, with some rivals viewing it as a flagrant power grab.

Roble cobbled together a new timetable for elections, to be held on October 10, but the process has fallen behind.

Analysts say the impasse has distracted from Somalia's larger problems, notably the Al-Shabaab insurgency that was unleashed in 2007.

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The statement from the ruling council came in defiance of international pressure for Conde's release and a six-month timetable for elections after a coup on September 5 sparked global condemnation.

It also followed the visit on Friday of a mission from ECOWAS led by two heads of state from the 15-member West African bloc.

Mamady Doumbouya, the colonel who led the coup, told the visiting delegation that "it was important for ECOWAS to listen to the legitimate aspirations of the people of Guinea," said a junta spokesman, Colonel Amara Camara, at the ruling council's first news conference on the six-month deadline.

Doumbouya stressed the need not to repeat the "mistakes of the past", recalling that national consultations to outline the transition had begun on Tuesday and that "only the sovereign people of Guinea will decide its destiny", Camara said.

"It is also clear to all parties that the former president will remain in Guinea," he added.

- 'Frank and fraternal talks' -

During their visit, the Ghanaian head of state Nana Akufo-Addo, whose country holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, and his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara, presented the junta with the organisation's demands for elections within six months.

They also insisted on the release of Conde.

"We had very frank, fraternal talks with Colonel Doumbouya and his associates and collaborators and I think that ECOWAS and Guinea will find a way to walk together," Akufo-Addo said at the end of the visit.

The ruling council, which now designates Doumbouya as "president of the republic and head of state", said that consultation sessions scheduled for Friday with banks, insurance companies and unions would be held on Saturday.

The consultations will continue next week, it said, including Monday meetings with cultural actors, press associations and those within the informal sector.

The military has already held talks with political parties, religious leaders, the heads of mining companies, key players in this poor but resource-rich country, and other figures.

Local rights groups, including the Guinean Organisation for the Defence of Human Rights (OGDH), put out a statement voicing their concern over "respect for democratic principles and the rule of law" and called on the ruling junta to "communicate as soon as possible a roadmap for the transition that takes into account all the proposals arising from the consultations".

- Anti-Conde activists return from exile -

Public discontent in Guinea had been brewing for months before the coup over the leadership of Conde, 83.

A former opposition figure, Conde became Guinea's first democratically elected president in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015.

But last year, he pushed through a controversial new constitution that allowed him to run for a third term in October 2020.

The move sparked mass demonstrations in which dozens of protesters were killed. Conde won the election but the political opposition maintained the poll was a sham.

On Saturday four activists against Conde serving a third term returned to the country from exile and were met by cheering crowds at Conakry airport.

"Honour to the patriots" read one placard on display among the hundreds who waited hours for the exiles to return.

Some in the crowd were wearing the red t-shirts of the opposition FNDC coalition, which led the protest against a third mandate for Conde. Others sported the red, yellow and green of the Guinean flag.

"We never doubted for a moment that we would win this fight," said Ibrahima Diallo, one of those returning.

"We want to accompany the process of democratic transition that will lead to credible and transparent elections so that Guinea can turn towards development," he added.

Fellow returning activist Sekou Koundouno, expressed his relief that the people of Guinea "have rid themselves of the despot Alpha Conde who had taken the institutions and the army hostage".

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The World Health Organizations director general on Friday expressed deep concern about the impact of Lebanons economic meltdown and multiple crises on the wellbeing of the nation, and said the brain drain among the countrys health workers is particularly worrisome.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus spoke following meetings with senior Lebanese officials and visits to health facilities and practitioners over the past two days. He said the country of 6 million  including over 1 million Syrian refugees  needs emergency and development support to tackle shortages of medicines, fuel, and structural problems such as migration of medical professionals.

The brain drain is depriving the country, once a medical hub in the region, of essential human resources, he said.

On Friday, Ghebreyesus spoke to reporters at a rebuilt WHO warehouse in Karantina, an area of Beirut devastated by a massive and deadly port explosion last year that further depleted the countrys already struggling health sector. The warehouse, which stored drugs and medical supplies, was destroyed in the blast and rebuilt with donor assistance.

Ghebreyesus noted that the Lebanese are not only struggling with the financial and political crises but also with the impact of the port explosion and the coronavirus pandemic.

This is heavy. This is very heavy, he said. I dont know if there is any country in such a situation, which is really dire.

For months, pharmacy shelves have been bare, exacerbated by panic buying and suppliers holding back drugs, hoping to sell them later for higher prices amid plans to remove government subsidies. Hospitals are at a breaking point, barely able to secure diesel to keep generators and life-saving machines operating day to day as the cash-strapped government struggles to import basic materials.

The drug shortages threaten tens of thousands of people, including cancer patients. Medics scramble to find alternatives to medicines that are missing. Reports suggest thousands of doctors and nurses have left the country in the past year for opportunities elsewhere.

Nurses are leaving, doctors are leaving, Ghebreyesus said. That is very serious. Its impact will last for many years to come.

WHOs director for Lebanon, Iman Shankiti, said the organization has been helping procure medicine for cancer and critical patients; and as part of the United Nations, has helped provide fuel for several hospitals for the next two months, until a more lasting solution is found.

It is only as we call it a band-aid, to ensure that the service continue running, Shankiti said. The U.N. again will not be able to replace the system itself.

Lebanon has been without a fully functioning government for over a year. A new government was named last week, vowing to make talks with the International Monetary Fund that could open doors to assistance from donors a priority.

Ghebreyesus said WHO will be sending a team of technical experts to help the Lebanese government formulate a solution and develop a strategic plan for reform.

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Here are some key facts about Algeria, where veteran ex-president Abdelaziz Bouteflika has died two years after he resigned following weeks of vast protests against his bid for a fifth term.

Africa's biggest country

Algeria, home to 44 million inhabitants, is Africa's biggest country although most of its territory is desert.

More than 80 percent of the population lives along the Mediterranean coast, where the capital Algiers is located. Nearly 54 percent are younger than 30.

The country counts some 10 million ethnic Amazigh (Berbers), most of them living in Kabylie, a mountainous region to the east of Algiers.

Algeria's official languages are Arabic and the Berber language Tamazigh but not former colonial language French, although it is widely spoken.

Former French colony

A French colony since 1830, Algeria became independent in 1962 after a war which lasted nearly eight years.

In 1963, Ahmed Ben Bella, secretary general of the National Liberation Front (FLN) which had led the struggle against French rule, became the first president.

Two years later, the FLN's Houari Boumediene overthrew and jailed Ben Bella, continuing to run Algeria as a one-party state until his own death in 1978.

Colonel Chadli Bendjedid was then elected president, a post he held until 1992.

Civil war

In 1988, violent protests rocked Algiers, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency.

The army clamped down on demonstrators but introduced political reforms which ended the single-party system.

However, when the country held its first multi-party parliamentary election in 1991, the army stepped in to prevent the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) from winning a sweeping majority.

That sparked a civil war from 1992 in which some 200,000 people were killed. The Armed Islamic Group (GIA) claimed responsibility for many massacres of civilians.

At the height of the conflict, FLN veteran Abdelaziz Bouteflika won the 1999 presidential election. His amnesty law was credited with helping end the war in 2002.

'Hirak' protests

Bouteflika won a fourth term in 2014 despite suffering a stroke the previous year which confined him to a wheelchair.

His bid for a fifth term in 2019 sparked mass protests, which forced him to resign on April 2 after he lost the support of the powerful military.

He died two years later on September 17 aged 84 after keeping out of the public eye in his residence in western Algiers.

In December 2019, Bouteflika's former premier Abdelmadjid Tebboune won the presidential election on an official turnout of less than 40 percent.

Protesters of the Hirak, Arabic for "movement", immediately rejected Tebboune, demanding an end to the system of governance in place since independence.

Oil-dependent

Algeria retains a huge public sector from its long years of single-party rule.

It is Africa's third-biggest oil producer and among the world's top producers of natural gas.

Oil revenues help subsidise fuel, water, health care, housing and basic goods.

But they have fallen sharply in the face of the global economic slowdown triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Oil and gas represent around 90 percent of Algeria's total exports. Its hard currency reserves have plummeted from $180 billion in 2014 to less than $50 billion this year.

Tebboune has acknowledged Algeria's continued "vulnerability" to oil price fluctuations after successive governments failed to take action to diversify the economy.

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Lebanese authorities have seized 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate -- the same chemical behind a deadly explosion last year at Beirut's port -- in the eastern Bekaa Valley, state media reported on Saturday.

Ammonium nitrate is an odourless crystalline substance commonly used as a fertiliser that has been the cause of numerous industrial explosions over the decades.

At least 214 people were killed and some 6,500 others wounded on August 4, 2020 when a shipment of the chemical carelessly stocked at the Beirut port for years ignited and caused a massive blast.

On Saturday, the National News Agency (NNA) said security forces raided a fertiliser warehouse in the eastern Bekaa Valley, considered a hub for smuggling operations between Lebanon and Syria.

Authorities seized 20 tonnes of the dangerous chemical stored inside a truck parked at the warehouse, the NNA said, adding the material was transported to a "safe place".

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, who visited the Bekaa Valley on Saturday, called on security forces to conduct a sweep of the area.

"We must do our best to move these materials to a safer place away from exposure to heat and sun" to avoid a "catastrophe", the NNA quoted him as saying.

The company that owns the ammonium nitrate said that the fertiliser was intended for agricultural use.

"One of our employees informed the relevant authorities that we have ammonium nitrate, so they raided the warehouses on Friday," one of the company heads told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The name of the firm that owns the fertiliser has not been made public pending investigations.

"We have been working in the feed and fertiliser industry for 40 years," the company official added.

When combined with fuel oils, ammonium nitrate creates a potent explosive widely used in the construction industry, but also by insurgent groups for improvised explosives.

Lebanese authorities are still investigating the circumstances in which hundreds of tonnes of the chemical ended up in the Beirut port for years, before the monster explosion that levelled swathes of the city.

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The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed an attack on a major natural gas pipeline southeast of the Syrian capital that led to power outages in the city and surrounding areas.

IS fighters "were able to plant and detonate explosives on the gas pipeline feeding the Tishreen and Deir Ali plants," the group said in a statement.

The Deir Ali station southeast of Damascus generates half of Syria's power needs, Electricity Minister Ghassan al-Zamel said Saturday in comments carried by the official SANA news agency.

He said an attack on the gas pipeline on Friday evening with explosive devices caused the station to go out of service temporarily.

The outage affected several other stations, causing blackouts in Damascus, its outskirts and other areas, Zamel said, before power was restored some thirty minutes later.

He said maintenance works had started Saturday but warned of severe rationing until the pipeline is repaired and power plants resume normal operations.

The Deir Ali and Tishreen plants remain out of service.

The IS group's so-called caliphate in Syria was declared defeated in the riverside hamlet of Baghouz in 2019 following a gruelling US-backed offensive.

But the group continues to conduct attacks on Syrian government forces from its hideouts, including in the vast east Syrian desert.

Syria's gas and oil infrastructure have been among the targets of militants and rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The Syrian conflict since 2011 has ravaged electricity networks as well as oil and gas infrastructure across the country.

Syria's largest oilfields remain beyond the government's reach in the country's Kurdish-held northeast, and Western sanctions have hampered fuel imports from abroad.

Syrians in government-held areas have had to adapt their lives at home and work around power cuts of up to 20 hours a day.

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It was the latest troubling sign that the Taliban are restricting women's rights as they settle into government, just a month since they overran the capital of Kabul. During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Separately, three explosions targeted Taliban vehicles in the eastern provincial capital of Jalalabad on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 20, witnesses said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State group's militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS militants would further stretch their resources.

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the women's affairs ministry, announcing it was now the ``Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.''

Staff of the World Bank's $100 million Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program, which was run out of the Women's Affairs Ministry, were escorted off the grounds, said program member Sharif Akhtar, who was among those being removed.

Mabouba Suraj, who heads the Afghan Women's Network, said she was astounded by the flurry of orders released by the Taliban-run government restricting women and girls.

On Friday, the Taliban-run education ministry asked boys from grades six to 12 back to school, starting on Saturday, along with their male teachers. There was no mention of girls in those grades returning to school. Previously, the Taliban's minister of higher education minister, had said girls would be given equal access to education, albeit in gender-segregated settings.

``It is becoming really, really troublesome. ... Is this the stage where the girls are going to be forgotten?'' Suraj said. ``I know they don't believe in giving explanations, but explanations are very important.''

Suraj speculated that the contradictory statements perhaps reflect divisions within the Taliban as they seek to consolidate their power, with the more pragmatic within the movement losing out to hard-liners among them, at least for now.

Statements from the Taliban leadership often reflect a willingness to engage with the world, talk of open public spaces for women and girls and protecting Afghanistan's minorities. But orders to its rank and file on the ground are contradictory. Instead of what was promised, restrictions, particularly on women, have been implemented.

Suraj, an Afghan American who returned to Afghanistan in 2003 to promote women's rights and education, said many of her fellow activists have left the country.

She said she stayed in an effort to engage with the Taliban and find a middle ground, but until now has not been able to get the hard-line Islamic group's leadership to meet with activists who have remained in the country, to talk with women about the way forward.

``We have to talk. We have to find a middle ground,'' she said.

UNESCO's Director General Audrey Azoulay on Saturday added her voice to the growing concern over the Taliban's limitations on girls after only boys were told to go back to school.

``Should this ban be maintained, it would constitute an important violation of the fundamental right to education for girls and women,'' Azoulay said in a statement upon her arrival in New York for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly.

A former advisor to the women's ministry under the previous Afghan government sent a video message to The Associated Press from her home in Kabul, slamming the Taliban's move to close the ministry.

It is ``the right of women to work, learn and participate in politics on the national and international stage,`` said Sara Seerat. ''Unfortunately, in the current Taliban Islamic Emirate government there is no space in the Cabinet. By closing the women's ministry it shows they have no plans in the future to give women their rights or a chance to serve in the government and participate in other affairs.``

Earlier this month the Taliban announced an all-male exclusively Taliban Cabinet but said it was an interim setup, offering some hope that a future government would be more inclusive as several of their leaders had promised.

Also on Saturday, an international flight by Pakistan's national carrier left Kabul's airport with 322 passengers on board and a flight by Iran's Mahan Air departed with 187 passengers on board, an airport official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said the two international flights departed in the morning. The identities and nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

The flights were the latest to depart Kabul in the past week as technical teams from Qatar and Turkey have worked to get the airport up to standard for international commercial aircraft.

A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, according to Washington, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic U.S. troop pullout from the country last month.

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Related France recalls ambassadors to Australia, US in escalating row Blinken calls France 'vital partner' after Australia rift Tossing diplomatic niceties out the window, France's ambassador to Australia on Saturday described as a ``huge mistake'' the surprise cancellation of a multi-billion dollar submarine contract in favor of a U.S. deal.

Australia's sudden breaking of what was widely billed in France as the ``contract of the century'' has triggered the unprecedented show of anger among allies.

``This has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership,'' French ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault said before flying home to France.

Paris recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the United States on Friday to protest an abruptly announced deal between the United States, Australia and Britain to supply the Australians with a fleet of at least eight nuclear-power submarines.

The arms agreement between France and Australia, signed in 2016, was supposed to be based ``on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity,'' a fuming Thebault said. ``I would like to be able to run into a time machine and be in a situation where we don't end up in such an incredible, clumsy, inadequate, un-Australian situation.''

Thebault flew out of Australia about 17 hours after the announcement from Paris.

After an initial burst of anger from French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, Paris has been silent.

Le Drian said in a written statement Friday that the French decision _ at the request from President Emmanuel Macron _ ``is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements'' made by Australia and the United States.

He said Australia's decision to scrap a big French conventional submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology is ``unacceptable behavior between allies and partners.''

What French officials have called a complex, multi-layered contract was about more than submarines. It was the underpinning for France's vision of the critical Indo-Pacific region, where France has a presence and China is looking to bolster its influence.

The U.S. deal scraps a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) contract with French majority state-owned Naval Group to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

The Naval Group said in a statement that consequences of the contract cancelation would be analyzed with Australia ``in the coming days.'' It noted that teams in France and Australia have been at work on the project for the past five years.

Australian employees working with Naval Group and their families have set up home in the Normandy port of Cherbourg. A union official, David Robin, told BFMTV that employees were informed there may be an option to keep them on.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne's office earlier had issued a statement responding to the diplomat's recall and noting Canberra's ``regret'' over its ally's withdrawal of its representative.

``Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests,'' the statement said. It added that Australia values its relationship with France and looked forward to future engagements together.

Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton are currently in the United States for annual talks with their U.S. counterparts and their first with President Joe Biden's administration.

Before he was recalled, French envoy Thebault said on Friday he found out about the U.S. submarine deal: ``Like everybody, thanks to the Australian press.''

``We never were informed about any substantial changes,'' Thebault said. ``There were many opportunities and many channels. Never was such a change mentioned.''

After the U.S. deal was made public this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he told President Macron in June that there were ``very real issues about whether a conventional submarine capability'' would address Australia's strategic security needs in the Indo-Pacific.

Morrison has not specifically referred to China's massive military buildup which had gained pace in recent years.

Morrison was in Paris on his way home from a Group of Seven nations summit in Britain where he had talks with soon-to-be-alliance partners Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Thebault said he had also been at the meeting with Macron and Morrison.

Morrison mentioned ``there were changes in the regional situation,'' but gave no indication that Australia was considering changing to nuclear propulsion, Thebault said.

``Everything was supposed to be done in full transparency between the two partners,'' he added.

Thebault said difficulties the project had encountered were normal for its scale and large transfers of technologies.

Senior opposition lawmaker Mark Dreyfus called on the Australian government to fix its relationship with France.

``The impact on our relationship with France is a concern, particularly as a country with important interests in our region,'' Dreyfus said. ``The French were blindsided by this decision and Mr. Morrison should have done much more to protect the relationship.``

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Mexico's Ambassador to Egypt Jose Octavio Tripp honored the founding father of the Mexican independence, Miguel Hidalgo, at a ceremony marking Mexico's Independence Day in Cairo on Thursday along with ambassadors from the Americas and senior state officials from Egypt.

The Mexican ambassador and Egypt's Deputy Foreign Minister for Latin American Affairs Ambassaor Ashraf Mounir headed a solemn ceremony at the bust of Miguel Hidalgo placed in Horreya Park in Zamalek.

On this occasion, Ambassador Tripp said, Mexico celebrates 211 years of independent life. For more than two centuries, it has exercised its sovereignty in the international system with dignity and responsibility  That is the reason why this day is the most crucial date in our civic calendar and the motivation to celebrate, with great enthusiasm, our independence wherever we are in the world.

Mexico and its society are a cosmopolitan result of several cultural legacies merged, over the years, in one multidimensional expression. ... Undoubtedly, this is also the case of Egypt, an archetypical example of inclusiveness and cosmopolitism," he added.

Tripp then explained further how Mexico shares this legacy of cultural blending with Egypt, saying "Egypt is a nation that has enriched its Pharaonic heritage with constant contributions of the empires that have passed through this land, shaping the personality that characterizes the Egyptians today: sophisticated and unique in many ways, but at the same time, open and receptive to the globalized world.

Afterward, Ambassador Mounir emphasized the importance of the investment of Mexican companies in Egypt, as well as the recent political and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Due to precautionary measures against COVID-19, the ceremony took place in a compact format with few guests. It was attended by Spanish ambassador to Egypt Ramon Gil-Casares, Military Attache at the Mexican Embassy Pedro Maximiliano, together with ambassadors from the American continent and a limited number of senior state officials from Egypt.

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The European Unions Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said that the so-called ozone hole, which appears every year during the Southern Hemisphere spring, has grown considerably in the past week following an average start.

Forecasts show that this years hole has evolved into a rather larger than usual one, said Vincent-Henri Peuch, who heads the EUs satellite monitoring service.

We are looking at a quite big and potentially also deep ozone hole, he said.

Atmospheric ozone absorbs ultraviolet light coming from the sun. Its absence means more of this high-energy radiation reaches the Earth, where it can harm living cells.

Peuch noted that last years ozone hole also started out unremarkably but then turned into one of the longest-lasting ones on record.

The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, led to a ban on a group of chemicals called halocarbons that were blamed for exacerbating the annual ozone hole.

Experts say that while the ozone layer is beginning to recover, its likely to take until the 2060s for the ozone-depleting substances used in refrigerants and spray cans to completely disappear from the atmosphere.

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Cairo has recently witnessed an intensive and qualitative movement on the Libyan file as the political transition process in Libya enters into the decisive phase

According to the timetable of the roadmap of the transition process, around three months remain until the holding of elections on 26 December, 2021, which would constitute the completion of this stage.

This is the context in which Egyptian-Libyan talks were held on 14 September in Cairo between President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Speaker of the Libyan Parliament, Aguila Saleh, and General Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.

These talks represented a continuation in the strengthening of Egyptian-Libyan strategic partnership, manifested in holding the second round of the Joint High Committees meetings between the two countries, headed by the two prime ministers two days later.

The Libyan side in those meetings was represented by a high level delegation which included virtually all the members of the Government of National Unity (GNU), and was headed by Prime Minister Abdel-Hamid Dbeibah, who also met President El-Sisi on the same day.

In contrast to the orientations of many of the parties involved in the Libyan file, the Egyptian position is distinguished by its comprehensive vision, which includes implementing all of the entitlements agreed upon in the Libyan roadmap without limiting the transition process to the elections only.

These entitlements include completing the process of unifying divided institutions, ending all manifestations of external interference through military presence in the country, the withdrawal of foreign fighters, and reaching a resolution in the file of armed factions

Cairos position is based on the belief that the persistence of these manifestations of foreign interference in the country will not only negatively affect the entire political process in the lead up to the elections, but, and perhaps more importantly, also affect the readiness of the various sides to accept its results, in an undesirable repeat of the 2012 scenario.

Egypts vision is also premised on the calculation that the existence and activation of these manifestations will affect Egyptian national security.

In a development that would impact the security situation in Libya, Field Marshal Haftar, the commander of the LNA, is expected to announce his candidacy in the presidential elections, which would mean that, per the law, he would give up his position three months before the poll.

In case this takes place, Cairo would have to be informed of special arrangements made by the General Command of the LNA in the coming period to deal with Haftars stepping down as commander.

This would be pertinent especially due to the existence of common border security arrangements, in addition to the continuation of the operation led by a brigade of the LNA, with French support, in the south of the country against Chadian rebels.

Also, in the same context, it is possible to see a link between the Egyptian-Libyan talks that took place in Cairo in mid-September and the second Egyptian-Turkish exploratory round of talks that took place a week earlier. The common denominator in the statements that were issued by the Egyptian and Turkish sides after the second round talks reveal that the Libyan file is a pivotal one on the table.

However, the extent to which Ankara is ready to accommodate Cairo in its insistence on achieving a breakthrough in this file, as a way to restore normal relations between the two countries, remains contingent on Turkey's next step.

Another central indication that can be discerned in the Egyptian statement that was issued after the second Egyptian-Turkish round of talks is Cairos focus on dealing with all Libyan parties in an equal manner to achieve the entitlements of the roadmap. This was signified by the presence of the majority of the Libyan leadership last week in Cairo at the same time. It affirms that Cairo extends bridges of communication with everyone to achieve the interim goals, and to bring the various Libyan parties closer in order to prevent the reproduction of the situation of the GNU government and the reappearance of political and military fronts of conflict.

Indeed, the recent process of the cooling of the Libyan conflicts during the current transitional phase  after a long costly period  may have contributed to further rapprochement between all the forces involved in the Libyan arena, a rapprochement exemplified in their adoption of a new perspective on the conflict that is based on understanding and coordination regarding economic and security interests to a certain extent.

Such coordination necessitates two things: the first is the existence of a unified central authority that can be dealt with, and, the second, is limiting the repercussions of security fragility in Libya, which has raised the cost of maintaining regional security for the neighboring countries of Libya  and perhaps also on the European arena  especially with regard to border security for the neighbouring countries, files of combating illegal migration and the fight against terrorism, in particular, for European countries.

Moreover, it also seems that further rapprochement among most of the involved sides has also resulted from their mutual recognition of two things: the next stage on the Libyan front is, first, one of mutually sharing in the economic benefits within the framework of the Libyan reconstruction program, which, according to European Union (EU) estimates, is expected to exceed $100 billion, and, second, of course, is one of addressing the security files.

The scope and type of agreements concluded within the framework of the Egyptian-Libyan Joint Higher Committee reflects the extent of the desire of the two sides to develop their cooperation, which achieves added value and mutual benefits for both.

However, while Cairo values as important the economic benefits for Egypt from its participation in the Libyan reconstruction, it equally values the positive impact that an improved security situation and attainment of stability in Libya would have on the development process for its neighbour.

Indeed, one of the main principles emphasised by the Egyptian discourse is the importance of distributive justice and social justice that requires the achievement of development in all parts of Libya, since there are regions in the country, especially the Libyan south, that largely lack in the process of development and reconstruction.

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A judge ruled Friday that prosecutors can't argue that a man who shot three people during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin is affiliated with the Proud Boys or that he attacked a woman months before the shootings, bolstering his position as he prepares for a politically charged trial.

Kyle Rittenhouse appears in court for a motion hearing in Kenosha, Wis., on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. [Photo: Sean Krajacic/The Kenosha News via AP]

Kyle Rittenhouse is set to stand trial beginning Nov. 1 on multiple counts, including homicide. The 18-year-old argues he opened fire in self-defense after the men attacked him. Prosecutors say they have infrared video from an FBI surveillance plane that shows Rittenhouse followed and confronted the first man he shot.

Kenosha was in the throes of several nights of chaotic demonstrations after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man who was paralyzed from the waist down. Rittenhouse traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) to Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, in response to a call on social media to protect businesses there.

Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle, killing Rosenbaum and Huber and wounding Grosskreutz. Conservatives across the country have rallied around Rittenhouse, raising $2 million to cover his bail. Black Lives Matter supporters have painted him as a trigger-happy racist.

During a hearing Friday on several motions, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger asked to argue at trial that Rittenhouse subscribes to the Proud Boys' white supremacist philosophies and violent tactics. Binger pointed out that Rittenhouse was seen at a bar with members of the white nationalist group's Wisconsin chapter in January and traveled to Miami days later to meet the group's national president.

Binger also asked the judge to allow evidence that Rittenhouse attacked a woman in June 2020 as she was fighting his sister. He also wants to show jurors video from 15 days before the shootings in which Rittenhouse said he would like to shoot some men he thought were shoplifting from a pharmacy.

Binger said Rittenhouse's affiliation with the Proud Boys, the fight and the video show Rittenhouse's propensity toward violence. He described Rittenhouse as a chaos tourist and teenage vigilante who came to Kenosha looking for trouble.

Rittenhouse attorney Corey Chirafisi countered that none of the events are relevant to the shootings. Nothing shows Rittenhouse was connected to the Proud Boys on the night of the protest or that the shootings were racially motivated, Chirafisi said, pointing out that Rittenhouse and the men he shot were white.

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder agreed with the defense about the June fight and interactions Rittenhouse has had with the Proud Boys. He deferred a decision on the pharmacy video but said he was inclined to exclude it.

It was during discussion about that video that Binger said prosecutors have infrared surveillance footage that he said shows Rittenhouse chasing Rosenbaum, who was the first person Rittenhouse shot.

Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards maintained it was Rosenbaum who started chasing Rittenhouse, yelling out, Kill him! He said Rosenbaum cornered Rittenhouse in front of a row of cars in a parking lot and threw a bag at him before trying to grab Rittenhouses gun.

Binger said the surveillance footage shows Rittenhouse chasing Rosenbaum with a fire extinguisher before Rosenbaum turned to confront him. Binger said Rosenbaum was probably trying to push the barrel of Rittenhouses rifle away.

After Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum, people in the streets began chasing him. Video from the night of the protests shows Rittenhouse shot Huber after Huber hit him with a skateboard and tried to grab his gun. Grosskreutz then approached Rittenhouse with a gun and Rittenhouse shot him.

Schroeder denied a defense request to argue that Rosenbaum was trying to steal Rittenhouses rifle because Rosenbaum was a sex offender and couldnt legally possess a firearm.

He delayed ruling on defense requests to dismiss a charge that Rittenhouse possessed his gun illegally because he was a minor and to allow testimony from an expert on police use-of-force. He set another hearing for Oct. 5.
Haitian migrants use a dam to cross to the United States from Mexico, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. [Photo: AP]

Haitian migrants use a dam to cross to the United States from Mexico, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. [Photo: AP]

Haitian migrants use a dam to cross to the United States from Mexico, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. [Photo: AP]

Haitian migrants set up make-shift camp along the Rio Grande after crossing into the United States from Mexico, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. [Photo: AP]

The Biden administration plans the widescale expulsion of Haitian migrants from a small Texas border city by putting them on flights to Haiti starting Sunday, an official said Friday, representing a swift and dramatic response to thousands who suddenly crossed the border from Mexico and gathered under and around a bridge.

Details are yet to be finalized but will likely involve five to eight flights a day, according to the official with direct knowledge of the plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. San Antonio, the nearest major city, may be among the departure cities.

U.S. authorities closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions at the only border crossing in Del Rio, Texas, after chaos unfolded Friday and presented the administration with a new and immediate challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching U.S. soil.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was closing the border crossing with Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, to respond to urgent safety and security needs. Travelers were being directed to Eagle Pass, Texas, 57 miles (91 kilometers) away.

Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico through knee-deep water with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders. Unable to buy supplies in the U.S., they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months.

Migrants pitched tents and built makeshift shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.

The vast majority of the migrants at the bridge on Friday were Haitian, said Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens, who is the county's top elected official and whose jurisdiction includes Del Rio. Some families have been under the bridge for as long as six days.

Trash piles were 10 feet (3.1 meters) wide, and at least two women have given birth, including one who tested positive for COVID-19 after being taken to a hospital, Owens said.

Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez estimated the crowd at 13,700 and said more Haitians were traveling through Mexico by bus.

About 500 Haitians were ordered off buses by Mexican immigration authorities in the state of Tamaulipas, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of the Texas border, the state government said in a press release Friday. They continued toward the border on foot.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many of them having left the Caribbean nation after a devastating earthquake in 2010. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.
A top general admitted the United States had made a "mistake" when it launched a drone strike against suspected Islamic State militants in Kabul, killing 10 civilians including children instead during the frenzied final days of the US pullout from Afghanistan last month.

In this Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021 file photo, Afghans inspect damage of Ahmadi family house after U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. [Photo: AP]

The strike, a macabre coda to the 20-year US war in Afghanistan, was meant to target a suspected IS operation that US intelligence had "reasonable certainty" aimed to attack the Kabul airport, said US Central Command commander General Kenneth McKenzie.

"The strike was a tragic mistake," McKenzie told reporters after an investigation.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologized to the relatives of those killed in a statement.

"I offer my deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed," Austin said in a statement.

"We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake," he said.

McKenzie said the government was studying on how payments for damages could be made to the families of those killed.

- White Toyota Corolla -

The general said that on August 29 US forces had tracked a white Toyota for eight hours after seeing it at a site in Kabul that intelligence had identified as a location from which Islamic State operatives were believed to be preparing attacks on the Kabul airport.

Intelligence reports had led US forces to watch for a white Toyota Corolla that the group was allegedly using, he said.

"We selected this car based on its movement at a known target area of interest to us," McKenzie said.

"Clearly our intelligence was wrong on this particular white Toyota," he said.

The drone strike killed 10 people, including seven children, according to McKenzie, none of who ultimately were linked to IS.

McKenzie defended the US operation as in "self-defense strike" amid concerns about an attack on the airport in the last days of the chaotic evacuation.

On August 26 an Islamic State-Khorasan suicide bomber had killed scores at the airport, including 13 US service members. Huge crowds were there clamoring to get inside and on board one of the final evacuation flights out of the country.

"There were over 60 clear threat vectors that we were dealing with at this time," McKenzie said.

US officials believed that the car had been loaded with explosives. The New York Times reported that it was filled with canisters of water.

McKenzie said that no civilians had been spotted in the area at the time the strike was authorized.

- 'Completely harmless' -

One of those killed was an Afghan man who worked for a US aid group, Ezmarai Ahmadi.

"We now know that there was no connection between Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan," said Austin.

He said Ahmadi's activities that day were "completely harmless," and that the man was "just as innocent a victim as were the others tragically killed."

Ahmadi's brother Aimal told AFP that the car had been filled with children pretending that the parking routine was an adventure.

"The rocket came and hit the car full of kids inside our house," he said.

"It killed all of them."

"My brother and his four children were killed. I lost my small daughter... nephews and nieces," he said disconsolately.

AFP was unable to independently verify Aimal's account.

"On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I offer my deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed, including Mr. Ahmadi, and to the staff of Nutrition and Education International, Mr. Ahmadis employer," Austin said.

More than 71,000 Afghan and Pakistani civilians have died directly from the war launched by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks, with casualties rising dramatically after then president Donald Trump relaxed rules of engagement in 2017, according to a Brown University study in April.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 17, 2021 - 22:51 | All, Japan

Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Seiko Noda on Friday called for a reinvestigation into the controversial issue of document tampering at the Finance Ministry related to favoritism allegations against then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

The scandal over a dubious land transaction with Moritomo Gakuen, a private school operator with ties to Abe's wife Akie, "should never have happened, and many people are not convinced yet," Noda said at a joint press conference with three other candidates for the Sept. 29 LDP presidential election to choose the successor to Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

"In order to prevent it from happening again, there is a need for (further) investigation," Noda said.

Earlier Friday, Noda, executive acting secretary general of the LDP, said that if she were elected leader of the LDP, she would set up a team in the party to look into the scandal -- a development that would deal a blow to Abe, a former LDP president and Japan's longest-serving prime minister.

The three other contenders, however, did not want to reopen the investigation, with vaccination minister Taro Kono saying, "There is no need for a reinvestigation."

But Kono said the government must squarely face "the pain of those involved," in reference to the family of Toshio Akagi, an employee of the Kinki Local Finance Bureau in Osaka who killed himself in March 2018 after being allegedly ordered to alter the documents.

Opposition parties and Akagi's wife have been pushing for a full investigation into the scandal over the sale of state-owned land in Osaka Prefecture to Moritomo Gakuen at a considerable discount.

In Friday's press conference, Sanae Takaichi, a former minister of internal affairs and communications and an Abe ally, declined to comment on the matter, citing the fact that the case is being handled in a court.

Fumio Kishida, a former LDP policy chief, said he will thoroughly explain the case to the public if they are not fully convinced.

In a report released in June 2018, the ministry admitted that then National Tax Agency chief Nobuhisa Sagawa had made officials falsify and delete parts of the documents related to Abe's wife but did not refer to her husband's possible influence on the document alteration.
KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2021 - 22:52 | All, Japan

Vaccination minister Taro Kono is viewed by 48.6 percent of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's rank-and-file members as most suitable to be party leader and effectively Japan's next prime minister, a Kyodo News poll showed Saturday, ahead of a tight LDP leadership election in less than two weeks.

Kono is running in the Sept. 29 LDP presidential election to pick Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's successor. He is vying for the post along with former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, Sanae Takaichi, a former minister of internal affairs and communications, and Seiko Noda, the party's executive acting secretary general.

Kishida was supported by 18.5 percent, Takaichi 15.7 percent and Noda 3.3 percent in the two-day telephone survey conducted from Friday, to which 1,028 rank-and-file members and supporters of the LDP responded.

Whoever wins the race will become prime minister as the LDP-led coalition holds a majority in both chambers of parliament.

In the first round of the election, each of the LDP's 382 Diet members will cast a vote, and another 382 votes will be determined based on the preferences of the rank-and-file members. A runoff will see votes from the 382 Diet members and each of the LDP's 47 prefectural chapters.

Out of 382 votes cast by the rank-and-file members, Kono is expected to receive over 200. Based on a calculation excluding the 13.9 percent of respondents who did not pick a candidate, Kishida is likely to receive about 80 votes, followed by Takaichi with some 70 votes and Noda around 10 votes.

But in contrast to the survey showing Kono in the lead, Kyodo News has found that Kishida appears to have more than 20 percent of support from the LDP's Diet members, with Kono and Takaichi nearing that level, while support for Noda has barely reached 10 percent.

Campaigning for the LDP presidential election began Friday, two weeks after Suga announced he would not run in the leadership election, amid low public support ratings due to dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

The survey also found that only 25.5 percent of the rank and file viewed the Suga government's response to the pandemic as poor, while 71.8 percent said the COVID situation was handled very well or well to a certain degree.

Regarding policy priorities, 26.8 percent said the next prime minister should focus on steps to counter COVID-19, 24.2 percent said economic measures and 19.4 percent said foreign and security policies, according to the survey.

While Kono's camp welcomes the latest poll results, it wants to expand backing among the rank and file and LDP supporters, first by gaining 50 percent support and eventually expanding to 60 percent to ensure victory in the first round.

The camp of Kishida described the current situation based on the findings as "tough," while that of Takaichi said Kono's lead in the poll is "within expectations." The camp of Noda, who entered the race just a day before campaigning began, expressed hope to get more support in the coming days.

The social media savvy Kono, who is known for his reform-minded views, is pushing forward COVID-19 vaccinations and has said he wants to bring "drastic" changes to the country's pension system.

Kishida, meanwhile, has said he plans to draw up an economic package worth "tens of trillions of yen" to help people and businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

Takaichi, known as a staunch conservative with outspoken views on national security, has vowed to continue former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's signature "Abenomics" program, whereas Noda seeks to promote diversity in society welcoming to women, sexual minorities, the elderly and the disabled.

Related coverage:

PROFILE: Outspoken, Twitter-savvy Taro Kono most popular pick for Japan PM

FOCUS: Will fiscal consolidation be a priority for new ruling party leader?

Japan's ruling party kicks off campaigning for leadership election
KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2021 - 23:26 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Former foreign ministers Taro Kono and Fumio Kishida, candidates to succeed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, affirmed on Saturday the importance of holding summit talks with China in an effort to ensure stable bilateral ties, especially when the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic relations next year.

In a debate involving four candidates for the Sept. 29 LDP presidential election, former internal affairs minister Sanae Takaichi referred to a "high chance" of possible contingencies involving Taiwan, while Seiko Noda, executive acting secretary general of the LDP, pushed for Japan's increased efforts to ease tensions between the United States and China.

While the four senior lawmakers called the Japan-U.S. alliance the cornerstone of their foreign policy, Kono urged Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership not to pursue "expansionist" policies but to act as a player in the rules-based international order.

"Leaders (of Japan and China) should hold regular talks. It is important to ensure communication via talks between the governments," Kono told the event at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.

Kishida vowed to push China in coordination with other democracies to act appropriately to match its status as a major power, a policy in line with U.S. President Joe Biden's call for a multilateral approach in dealing with the country, which does not respect universal values such as democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Asked what he would do if the United States asked Tokyo not send senior government officials for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to China's human rights record, Kishida said Japan would make its own decision, citing its geopolitical situation different from that of the United States and Europe.

Takaichi urged the government to be vigilant against a possible emergency situation in Taiwan -- which Beijing regards as a renegade province to take back by force if necessary -- and possess deterrence and response capabilities to be complemented by the alliance with Washington.

Noda sought to manage tensions between the United States and China, saying it would be an opportunity to make full use of Japan's postwar experience as a pacifist nation.

On North Korea, Kono and Kishida called for talks with leader Kim Jong Un in a bid to address nuclear and missile issues, as well as Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

Such issues "can never be resolved without a summit meeting," Kono said. Kishida said Japan "should consider all possible measures including direct talks" with Kim so as to push forward stalled negotiations for the return of abduction victims.

Among other topics ranging from finance, social security, energy and the novel coronavirus, Noda suggested that Japan administer COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 11 and under.

The health ministry currently approves shots developed by Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. for people aged 12 and higher. The vaccine created by AstraZeneca Plc is also available for ages 40 and up, and people allergic to the other shots.

Asked about the need for stronger restrictions to contain future COVID-19 outbreaks, Kono, currently vaccination minister, and Takaichi touched on the need for legislation to enable the government to impose citywide lockdowns as some other countries have done.

"We need to be ready to take strong steps to stop people from moving around when we truly need to," Kono said.

Takaichi pledged to invest in the development of Japan-made COVID-19 vaccines and treatments if she wins the party election.

Kishida reiterated his plan to draw up an economic package worth "tens of trillions of yen" to help people and businesses hit hard by the pandemic.

Kishida also said he would not raise the consumption tax from the current 10 percent for about 10 years.

Kono argued for "drastic" changes to the country's pension system to ensure younger generations do not get the short end of the stick.

Noda called for abolishing LDP factions in order to push forward party reform.

Related coverage:

Japan's ruling party kicks off campaigning for leadership election

How LDP presidential election works

LDP's Noda calls for reinvestigation of scandal related to ex-PM Abe
KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2021 - 23:06 | All, Japan

Typhoon Chanthu weakened into an extratropical cyclone Saturday after it traveled off the Pacific coast of central and eastern Japan and pounded western regions, leaving at least seven people injured amid strong winds.

The Japan Meteorological Agency forecast heavy rain will continue through early Sunday for the Kanto-Koshin region including Tokyo. The agency continues to warn of the risks of landslides, flooding and high waves.

In the 24 hours through Sunday evening, up to 120 millimeters of rain are forecast in the Kanto-Koshin region, as a result of warm and wet air flowing due to the influence of the extratropical low and the rain front, the agency said.

At 3 p.m. Saturday, the typhoon turned into an extratropical cyclone off Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan.

The typhoon made landfall on the southwestern main island of Kyushu on Friday and moved east before hitting the Shikoku and Kinki regions.

In Mihama, Wakayama Prefecture, a strong gust, most likely a tornado, blew away roof tiles from around 50 houses and broke windowpanes early Saturday, with a male teenager injured by broken glass, a local government said.

Five people were injured in Kyushu due to the stormy weather, according to rescue workers.

Train services were widely disrupted while many flights were canceled.

Odakyu Electric Railway Co. temporarily suspended its Romancecar express services between Tokyo's Shinjuku Station and the Hakone hot spring resort in neighboring Kanagawa Prefecture.

Bullet train services on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line resumed after West Japan Railway Co. suspended operations between Fukuoka and Hiroshima, and reduced the number of trains between Hiroshima and Osaka on Friday afternoon.

More than 7,000 households were without power at one point in Kyushu, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co.

Related coverage:

Typhoon Chanthu pounds southwestern Japan, at least 5 injured

Typhoon Chanthu to make landfall Sept. 17, heavy rain predicted
KYODO NEWS - Sep 18, 2021 - 14:51 | All, Japan

Wataru Takeshita, a veteran member of the House of Representatives and head of a major faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, died Friday night at age 74, party sources said Saturday.

Takeshita, the younger brother of late former Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, revealed in January 2019 that he was battling esophageal cancer and took time off to recuperate. In July this year, the former reconstruction minister announced his retirement after his condition worsened.

The Takeshita faction is the LDP's third largest with 52 members including Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi. The group opted not to field a candidate for the party's Sept. 29 leadership election.

A former reporter at public broadcaster NHK before becoming his brother's aide in 1985, Takeshita successfully ran for a lower house seat representing a constituency in Shimane Prefecture in 2000.

His vacated seat is set to be contested in this fall's general election.

Related coverage:

Japan's ruling party kicks off campaigning for leadership election

How LDP presidential election works

LDP heavyweight's comment roundly condemned as homophobic
New Delhi:

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati celebrated her 63rd birthday on Tuesday. Former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav met Mayawati on the occasion and greeted her at her resident in Lucknow. According to sources, their meeting lasted an hour. On January 12, Mayawati and Mayawati announced their alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. Both Akhileshs SP and Mayawatis BSP decided on a 50-50 seat-sharing deal under which each party will contest 38 seats. Addressing a joint press conference with Mayawati in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav had said that the alliance was necessary to defeat the arrogant BJP and rid the state from the saffron party's "religion and caste politics".

Both the parties have decided not to contest in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively. However, Congress has been kept out of the alliance. Two seats have been left for the smaller parties.

Read More | BJP should learn lesson from drubbing in Hindi heartland: Mayawati

"We have come together to rid the state and country of BJPs religion and caste politics. This alliance was a must to destroy BJP, to defeat their arrogance. BJP can go to any extent to create differences in our workers, we must be united and counter any such tactic, Akhilesh Yadav.

He further said the SP and the BSP are now together and any insult to Mayawati will be his also. I want to say to BJP that they should know that we (SP-BSP) are in this together. I am grateful to Mayawati for giving me equal status. They should know any insult to Mayawati is my insult, he said.

Earlier in the day, Mayawati had addressed a press conference on the occasion of her birthday where she targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) saying that it should learn a lesson from the drubbing in the recently held Assembly Elections in the Hindi heartland states. The BSP chief also accused the BJP-led central government of betraying the people of the country by not fulfilling any of the promises. "PM Modi makes tall promises in his rallies, but just like every other time, we believe that this time too, all the promises will be shelved," she said.

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New Delhi:

The Jammu and Kashmir State Board of Secondary Education is likely to release the Class 11 Result 2018 soon. According to the sources, the board is expected to announce the result in next two or three days. Earlier, there were reports which suggested that the results would be announced on January 08, 2019.

Soon after the formal declaration of the results, the JKBOSE 11th Result 2018 for Kashmir Division will be available online on the official website of the board i.e. jkbose.ac.in. The candidates can find result link on the homepage of the website. In order to check the result, the students will have to submit the roll number or the name of the student. The roll number of the students must be the same as present on the admit card.

According to the sources, the scorecard contains the name of the students, boards name, class name, subject name, marks in the individual subject, overall marks, result status and some other important information. The exams for class 11 were conducted from October 26 to November 14, 2018. The first and the last exams were of IT & ITes/ Retail/ Healthcare/ Tourism and Chemistry/ Elective Language respectively.

The result for class 10 and 12 was announced on December 29, 2018, and on January 07, 2019 respectively. Both results were announced around at 7:30 pm.

About Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education (JKBOSE)

The Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education is renowned as the JKBOSE. This is actually a governmental body that is responsible for the development as well as maintenance of Jammu and Kashmir school education. Under the state government administration, this governmental body acts as the autonomous body of education. Apart from this, the JKBOSE also looks after the quality of the education which is provided to the student at a school level through 10,609 affiliated schools in the state.

Besides from the responsibility of giving the quality education, the board also promotes the equality of opportunity by providing the essential facilities. At the same time, the Jammu and Kashmir State Board also conducts annual 10th and 12th Class Exams every year. Actually, they want to shape up the strong basis of higher education for students of Jammu and Kashmir.

There are number of government as well as private schools in the state which are affiliated with the JKBOSE. They try to provide all the education-related facilities to the students, who are learning under the Jammu and Kashmir State Board of School Education.
New Delhi:

The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) has announced the IIFT MBA (IB) 2019 results today on the official website of the institute. The candidates who have appeared for the examination are asked to keep all the details ready for the fast and easy access to the results. The IIFT 2019 result was announced 5 pm on the official website of the institute i.e. tedu.iift.ac.in.

Almost 55 thousand candidates from all over the country have taken the IIFT exam on December 02, 2018. The candidates must note that the results will be available in a PDF format and will contain the name, roll number and application number.

For the convenience of the students, we have mentioned the steps via which the candidates can download their results once they are released:

Visit the official website of the institute i.e. tedu.iift.ac.in

Click on the link which reads Download MBA IB 2019 scorecard

In the next screen, log in by entering roll number and date of birth

Submit the login details

Scorecard will be available on the screen

The candidates must also note that the institute will not issue the original marksheet soon after the formal declaration. Therefore, it is extremely important for the candidate to save the PDF copy and take the printout of the same for future references.

The qualifiers of the entrance examination will be eligible to appear for Group discussion and personal interview. The schedule for GD-PI will be published on the website soon after the declaration of result.

ABOUT IIFT:

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade is a B-school established in the year 1963 by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The institute offer flagship programme in MBA in International Business which has 220 seats in Delhi campus and 200 in Kolkata campus. For the admission, institute accepts IIFT entrance exam scores and GMAT scores.
Lucknow:

In a joint press conference with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday extend support to SP-BJP alliance and said that it will wipe out the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "There are 80 Lok Sabha seats in UP and 40 in Bihar. After this alliance, the BJP will lose at least 100 seats. We have seen that the BJP lost Lok Sabha bypolls last years because of this alliance," the former deputy chief minister of Bihar said while addressing a press conference in Lucknow.

The RJD leader also slammed the BJP is using its influence to arm-twist investigating agencies. He went on to say that the veteran RJD leader Lalu Prasad is in jail because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "CBI and ED are no longer agencies, they have now become alliance partners of BJP. Lalu ji is in jail only because Modi Ji saw him as a threat," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

He also reiterated Congress President Rahul Gandhi's assertion that the sole motive of the alliance between the opposition parties was to oust the Bharatiya Janata Party. "The SP-BSP alliance is historic and it will show the way not just in UP or Bihar but will also decide who comes to power in Delhi," said Tejashwi, who met Mayawati yesterday.

The RJD leader also flayed PM Modi for denying special status to Bihar despite repeatedly promising it. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav too slammed the Modi government for only making hollow promises.

"Despite our repeated demands for a bullet train connecting Delhi with Kolkata via UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand, Modi shamelessly gave the bullet train to his home state connecting Mumbai," said Akhilesh Yadav.

Earlier, Tejashwi on Sunday met Mayawati at her residence and offered his support to the SP-BSP alliance. The BJP does not stand a chance to come back into power and will be whitewashed in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the RJD leader said after meeting Mayawati.

"There is an atmosphere today where they (BJP) want to scrap Baba Saheb's constitution & implement 'Nagpur laws'...They won't win even 1 seat in UP, SP-BSP alliance will win all seats," he added.

Check Out Highlights Of Joint Press Conference

14:28 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Our CM is a good human being but he only talks about BJP's policy, says Akhilesh Yadav

14:25 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In People of Uttar Pradesh are happy with SP-BSP alliance, says Akhilesh Yadav

14:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In There was anger amongst people when bullet train was started from Mumbai to Ahmedabad, says SP chief Akhilesh Yadav

14:21 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav begins press conference

14:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in Lucknow: CBI and ED are no longer agencies, they have now become alliance partners of BJP.Lalu ji is in jail only because Modi ji saw him as a threat pic.twitter.com/QwYyF9yKkl

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 14, 2019



14:19 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In CBI and ED are no longer agencies, they have now become alliance partners of BJP.Lalu ji is in jail only because Modi ji saw him as a threat, says Tejashwi Yadav

14:17 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Lalu Yadav is in jail because Narendra Modi considers him a threat, says RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav

14:24 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In Theres undeclared emergency like situation in the country, says RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav

14:15 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In BJP wants to replace India's Constitution with Golwalkar's 'Bunch of thoughts', says Tejashwi Yadav

14:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in Lucknow: I congratulate Mayawati ji and Akhilesh ji for forging this alliance in national interest. It was necessary in light of the situation in the country right now. Those who were slaves of British are in power right now pic.twitter.com/GcVwD3nryq

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 14, 2019



14:42 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In I have faith in voters of Uttar Pradesh that in coming days the will support the SP-BSP alliance. People of UP and Bihar will decide who will rule in Delhi, said Tejashwi Yadav



Tejashwi Yadav on Congress not part of UP alliance: Samajwadi Party and BSP are enough to beat Modi ji, the by elections are also an indication of it. You can also read Rahul ji's statement, he has said 'BJP is not going to get seats here, who is in alliance is not important' pic.twitter.com/E3JrivIPCI

 ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 14, 2019



14:12 (IST) Facebook Twitter Whats app Linked In We are assured that the BJP will be whitewashed from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, says Tejashwi Yadav

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New Delhi:

As many as 2.25 crore devotees attended the first 'shahi snan' of Kumbh in Prayagraj on Makar Sankranti on Tuesday, said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. "I thank all the visitors, religious leaders, common man and officials for the smooth conduct of the mega event," the CM said in a statement issued in Lucknow. He said the state government was committed to providing best facilities in the ongoing 'Kumbh' festivities. Makar Sankranti, which marks the beginning of the festival, is one of the sacred bathing days of the 50-day Kumbh Mela.

The confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati has called out to the religious for centuries and on Tuesday was a continuation of an ancient ritual that has stood the test of time, history and modernisation.

Undeterred by the cold, a couple with their hands held tight stood waist deep in the river, a woman, her hands cupped, offered water to the rising sun, an ascetic took a dip with his eyes closed in veneration while a group of children frolicked nearby.

Prayagraj has been engulfed in a massive security cover for the worldas largest human congregation. Due to the huge number of people expected to take part in the mela, the administration has restricted the entry of all types of vehicles -- other than those required for essential services -- in the vicinity of Kumbh Nagari, the sprawling 32,000-hectare township that has come up on the banks of the river. As many as 12 crore visitors are expected in Prayagraj.

"Anand aa raha hai (I am feeling real contentment)," said 55-year-old Pramod Prakash from Kannauj as he made his way inside the Kumbh Nagari after walking from Allahabad Railway station with three heavy bags on his head.

#Kumbh has been spiritually uniting the people of India and across the world since time immemorial and will continue doing so for years to come.



Discover Kumbh, Discover India, Discover Yourself.

Yi- 15th Jan to 4th March 2019

Y- #Prayagraj pic.twitter.com/CGnOVWvTJW a PIB India (@PIB_India) January 13, 2019

"Don't think of comfort, devote yourself to Ganga 'maiyan' completely and you'll feel light yourself," he said, pointing out to many in the crowd doing the same as him.

Posters with the slogan 'Chalo Kumbh Chale' were up in all public areas of the state and the city and many thousands walked their way through the Nagari to the river. But no one was complaining. For most, it was a walk to remember.

#CISF at service of pilgrims during 1st #ShahiSnan of #Kumbh Mela- the world's largest religious gathering uniting the people of India and across the world. pic.twitter.com/shLFwYpUvV a CISF@India (@CISFHQrs) January 15, 2019

Sadhus of 13 akharas (seven Shaiva, three Vaishnava, two Udasina, and one Sikh) who have traditionally participated in the Kumbh Mela were the first to take the holy bath.

They marched in a procession, dancing and singing devotional songs, all the way to the waters. Each akhara, the term for an organisation of sadhus, was allocated 45 minutes to participate in the ritual bath by the Kumbh administration.A

Attracting eyeballs of one and all, especially foreigners, was the march of the Naga sadhus, a martial order of ascetics who roam naked with ash smeared on their bodies.

"It is surreal. I had always heard about them. In fact, one of the reasons we wanted to come to the Kumbh was to see them in real as we are told that this is the only festival in which they arrive in numbers," said Manuel Matthaus, who had come from Germany.

"Yes, I did plan to take the bath. But I guess the water now is too freezing for my liking. Maybe later," as his girlfriend captured the spectacle on her camera.

More than 12 crore people are expected to visit the Kumbh between now and Maha Shivratri on March 4.

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New Delhi:

Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Congress Party in the Lok Sabha, on Tuesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to come clean on the removal of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief Alok Verma from the post over corruption charges. He asked the prime minister to make the minutes of the January 10 meeting and Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) report by Justice (retired) AK Patnaik public. He was a member of the high-powered committee that removed Verma as the director of the investigative agency. On January 10, a high-powered Select Committee, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided that Verma should be removed as CBI director and be given charge of fire service.

The Congress leader also wrote that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should call a fresh meeting of the Selection Committee at the earliest to select the new director of the central investigative agency. On January 10, the Selection Committee comprising the prime minister, Justice AK Sikri and Congress leader Malikarjun Kharge, decided on Vermas removal with a 2:1 majority. The Selection Committee generally PM, Chief Justice of India (or his nominee) and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha (or leader of the single largest party). In this case, Justice Sikri was the nominee of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

Read More | Justice AK Sikri was reluctant to be part of selection panel that removed Alok Verma as CBI chief: Report

Mallikarjun Kharge was the only person in the three-member Selection Committee to have submitted a dissent note over the action against Verma. He had also said that most of the charges levelled against Verma by the Central Vigilance Commission had not been substantiated.

On October 23 last year, Verma and Special Director of the CBI, Rakesh Asthana were divested of all powers by the Centre amid a public feud between the two over alleged corruption. CBI additional director M Nageshwar Rao was made the interim chief. However, on January 8 this year, the Supreme Court had reinstated Verma to the top post of the CBI and removed Rao from the post. However, the Centre brought back Rao as interim chief following the decision was taken by the Selection Panel to remove Verma as CBI chief.

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New Delhi:

YSR Congress Party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy's sister YS Sharmila met the Hyderabad Police Commissioner on Monday and urged him to act against those who are linking her with popular Telugu film actor Prabhas on social media. Sharmila, who was accompanied by her husband Anil Kumar, said that it was a conspiracy by the vested interests to defame her ahead of the general elections to get political mileage. Sharmila, who is also a leader of YSR Congress, called on Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar to lodge a complaint against those posting objectionable materials against her. She also believed that it was the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) that is spreading rumours against her.

"Such false propaganda had started before the 2014 elections and has swung back with elections fast approaching now. I have sought proper action against those carrying out the character assassination. I strongly believe that TDP is behind spreading the rumour as is its won't," she said as quoted by news agency IANS. Without any doubt I can tell that Telugu Desam Party is behind this campaign. It is not new for the TDP to spread rumours, earlier they spread rumours that my father Rajasekhar Reddy was a factionist. Many TDP leaders said that I have an affair with him (Prabhas). If the TDP did not have any involvement, why didnt they condemn it? Why didnt Chandrababu Naidu stop them? she asked.

Sharmila condemned the campaign and said that she had no acquaintance with Prabhas and had never even spoken to him. I have never met actor Prabhas in my life. Havent spoken to him even once. That person and I have no relation. I swear on my children, this is the truth. "Being a mother, wife and person with family bond, it hurts when such slanderous campaign is carried out. If I do not react, my silence may lead to some unpleasant conclusions which is the reason why I lodged the complaint seeking action," she added.

Responding to a reporter who asked why didnt she file a complaint with the Andhra Pradesh police, she said that she doesnt have faith in AP police.
New Delhi:

A woman in China has been diagnosed with a rare hearing problem that lets her hear only female voices. This might sound like selective hearing or a trick to brush aside the banters of her boyfriend, but it is not. In what could be considered as one of the rarest of the rare conditions, a woman who has been diagnosed with a hearing problem woke up to find that she was completely tone-deaf to what her boyfriend was telling her. According to Mail Online, the patient, who has only been identified by her surname, Chen, woke up to find she was unable to hear her boyfriend.

On heading to the hospital for the bizarre symptoms, a specialist diagnosed her with reverse-slope hearing loss, in which she could only hear high frequencies.

Read | Asha Bhosles sarcastic tweet on addicts is an 'eye-opener'

According to figures, the condition is believed to affect only one in nearly 13,000 patients with hearing problems, according to figures. And doctors now suggest that stress may have contributed to the condition.

Local reports report that Chen reportedly had been suffering from nausea and ringing in her ears the night before her ordeal. But the next morning, she was shocked to find she was unable to hear her partner talk.

Reports state Chen was able to hear every word, according to Dr Lin Xiaoqing, who treated her. She was able to hear me when I spoke to her, but when a young male patient walked in, she couldnt hear him at all, Dr Xiaoqing said.

Dr Xiaoqing also believes that fatigue and the added stress of long days may have contributed to the condition. The doctor added that the patient was diagnosed with low-frequency hearing loss, or reverse-slope hearing loss, explaining why she was unable to hear deeper sounds.

This condition is normally difficult to diagnose because both medics and patients may be unaware it exists.

Also Read | After Pakistans chai-walla, 'Afghan Justin Trudeau doppelganger finds fame on TV talent show

Chen, however, has made a full recovery and should be able to hear her boyfriends voice once again. News of the unusual case, when circulated on social media, has not gone unnoticed and many have also taken the opportunity to awaken the trolling-dragon.

One user tweeted, Doctors will call it a hearing loss, I call it evolution while another wrote, A blessing.

Check out some of the tweets here:

Doctors will call it hearing loss, I call it evolution. pic.twitter.com/Tv8AnMnEO0  Dened Rey Moreno (@Hajabeg) January 11, 2019

Not going to lie, kind of jealous of this woman due to her reverse-slope hearing loss.#UnableToHearMen #StressIsReal



LADbible: Woman Can't Hear Men's Voices Because Of Rare Condition.https://t.co/Fr2IRFrj6Y



via @GoogleNews  SHP (@Medusaforever) January 10, 2019

A blessing  valerie complex (@ValerieComplex) January 10, 2019

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highlights Kharge alleged that the BJP is trying to destabilise Karnataka government.

A Congress Legislature Party meeting has been called on January 18.

BJP's Karnataka MLAs have been camping at a resort in Haryana.

New Delhi:

Amid reports that seven Congress MLAs, holed up in a luxury hotel in Mumbai, may resign from the ruling coalition government in the Karnataka, senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge said that there was no crisis for the government in the state. However, he alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party is trying to destabilise the government. The Congress-JD(S) government in Karnataka is stable and strong and will continue to be so. The BJP is trying to destabilise the government, the leader of Congress party in Lok Sabha said.

Two lawmakers on Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old government led by HD Kumaraswamy amid charges of horse-trading levelled against each other by the ruling coalition and the BJP. The lawmakers who have withdrawn their support are H Nagesh (Independent) and R Shankar (Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha).

The Congress suspects that some of its lawmakers have been secretly in the Powai-based hotel by BJP leaders. Many journalists and Congress workers were seen in the vicinity of the hotel, searching for the "missing" Congress MLAs on Tuesday.

To discuss all this development and decide a future course of action, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting has been called on January 18 in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, the BJP's Karnataka MLAs have been camping at a resort in Haryana in an effort to thwart any poaching attempt by the ruling JDS-Congress coalition.

"The entire confusion has been created by the BJP. Was that really required? They did it brazenly throwing morality and ethics to the wind. It is shameful and disgusting," Karnataka Congress President Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

In the 224-member Karnataka Assembly, the BJP has 104 members, Congress 80 (including Assembly Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar), Kumaraswamys JD (S) has 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each. BSP is supporting the coalition government.

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New Delhi:

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has unexpectedly left for the US for a medical check-up relating to his kidney ailment, sources said on Tuesday. Jaitley, who had undergone a renal transplant surgery on May 14, 2018, had not travelled abroad in last nine months. He was scheduled to attend 10th India-UK Economic and Financial Dialogue in London in April last year, but had cancelled his visit due to his kidney ailment. Sources said, he left for the US on Sunday night for a medical check-up. Jaitley is to present his sixth and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments last Budget on February 1.

Though it is supposed to be an Interim Budget, it is widely expected that his speech would have been full-length Budget speech. Jaitley was admitted to AIIMS last year in early April following which he underwent dialysis. He had a renal transplant surgery on May 14, 2018. Jaitleys post-operative recovery was being closely monitored by a team of transplant surgeons, pulmonologist, nephrologist, endocrinologist, cardiologist and critical care experts among others.

The 65-year-old political leader received a kidney from a distant relative, a middle-aged woman, according to sources at AIIMS. The donation fell under the category of live unrelated donation.

Living, unrelated donor could be anyone who is emotionally attached to the recipient, such as a friend, a relative, a neighbour or an in-law. The authorisation committee had given its approval before the procedure, the source had told PTI.

During transplant surgeries, the patient is put on immunosuppressants so as to lower his/her bodys ability to reject a transplanted organ. The patient is thus kept in isolation in order to avoid any infection. A team of 20 personnel, including transplant anesthesiologists and transplant surgeons, conducted the surgery at the cardio-thoracic centre.

In his absence, Railways Minister Piyush Goyal was given the additional charge of Finance Ministry on May 14. Jaitley, 66, who had stopped attending office at the beginning of April, and was back in North Block - the seat of Finance Ministry - on August 23.

Jaitley had in September 2014, undergone a bariatric surgery to treat weight gain that he suffered because of a long-standing diabetic condition. That surgery was first performed at Max Hospital, but Jaitley was later shifted to AIIMS because of complications. He had a heart surgery several years ago.

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Lucknow:

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati targeted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on her 63rd birthday today and said that it should learn a lesson from the drubbing in the recently held Assembly Elections in the Hindi heartland states. The BSP chief also accused the BJP-led central government of betraying the people of the country by not fulfilling any of the promises. "PM Modi makes tall promises in his rallies, but just like every other time, we believe that this time too, all the promises will be shelved," she said.

Commenting upon the law and order situation in the state, the former chief minister said that everything is 'out of control'. She also alleged that the BJP government is using religion-based identities to alienate masses from one another. "BJP backs up those who try to divide people in the name of caste and Gods and are creating communal divides for political gains. They even used the CBI for this," the BSP chief said.

Talking about the alliance with Samajwadi Party, Mayawati said that workers of both the party should forget about past differences and work together for the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "Forget past differences and ensure the victory of all joint candidates of the SP and the BSP. This will be my ideal birthday gift," Mayawati said at the press conference.

"My birthday is celebrated as the Jankalyankari Day every year. Today all BSP candidates in an ode to the party ideology will celebrate the day by helping the poor, the backward and the needy in their respective constituencies," she added.

BSP Chief Mayawati in Lucknow: We have always worked for the poor and the down trodden. The government should give 100% farm loan waiver else farmer suicides will continue. A strong farm loan waiver policy should be made. pic.twitter.com/nRvA8K81SD a ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 15, 2019

The SP and the BSP have decided on a 50-50 seat-sharing deal under which each party will contest 38 seats. Both the parties have decided not to contest in Amethi and Rae Bareli, represented by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi respectively. However, Congress has been kept out of the alliance. Two seats have been left for the smaller parties.

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New Delhi:

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Thursday slammed German auto major Volkswagen for not depositing Rs 100 crore in accordance with its November 16, 2018 order and directed it to submit the amount within 24 hours. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel took strong exception to the non-compliance of its order by the automobile giant and asked it to give an undertaking that it will submit the amount by 5 pm on Friday.

Why have you not complied with our order when there is no stay. We will not give you any further time, the bench, also comprising Justice S P Wangdi, said while asking Volkswagen to submit an affidavit of compliance after deposit.

The tribunal deferred the matter for hearing after it was informed that the Supreme Court is also seized of the issue.

On November 16 last year, the tribunal had said that the use of cheat device by Volkswagen in diesel cars in India leads to an inference of environmental damage and had asked the German auto major to deposit an interim amount of Rs 100 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

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New Delhi:

A group of Google employees took to social media on Tuesday to protest against forced arbitration at workplaces. The social media campaign on Twitter and Instagram aimed at educating people about forced arbitration and held talks with survivors and experts between 9 am and 6 pm EST. Forced arbitration ensures workplace disputes are settled behind closed doors and without any right to an appeal. These types of agreements effectively prevent employees from suing companies in event of an injustice, often without their knowledge. Clauses that make employees waive off their rights are often buried in fine print in employment contracts and they not only allow the organisations against which the case has been filed to make the court proceedings confidential but it also enables them to select the decision makers such that the decision is ruled in the company's favour, reported India Today.

This group that led the campaign is the same one that came together about a month ago demanding Google ends forced arbitration as it relates to any case of discrimination.

Also Read | Google employees plan to walk out, another hit on Silicon Valley's glaring imbalance towards women

In November last year, as many as 20,000 employees staged a walkout at Google an October 25 New York Times report that said Android creator Andy Rubin had allegedly been given a $90-million exit package in 2014 after credible sexual assault allegations had been brought against him. This prompted Google to end forced arbitration for sexual harassment and sexual assault claims, offering more transparency around those investigations and more. Airbnb, eBay and Facebook quickly followed suit. Google told employees that arbitration in cases of sexual harassment and assault claims will be made optional. However, optional arbitration at Google is only granted for full-time employees, which does not include the thousands of contract workers at the company.

But Google's response didn't go far enough, organizers wrote in a Medium post on Monday announcing the social media campaign, as reported by CNBC. "The change yielded a win in the headlines, but provided no meaningful gains for worker equity  nor any actual change in employee contracts or future offer letters," they wrote, adding that as of the post's publication, "Google is still sending out offer letters with the old arbitration policy."

As reported by CNBC, Google did not return a request for comment.
New Delhi:

Army Day is celebrated on January 15, every year to commemorate the day when Lieutenant General KM Cariappa took over as Commander-in-Chief of India on January 1949. He took over the position from General Sir Francis Butcher. Army Day is celebrated at every Army Command headquarters situated in the country and in the national capital. The celebrations in Delhi begin by paying tributes to the martyred soldiers at the Amar Jawan Jyoti at India Gate.

Here are 6 facts to know about the Indian Army Day:

Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year in India in recognition of Lieutenant General KM Cariappa taking over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on January 15, 1949. Army Day is also celebrated to salute the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the country and its citizens. At the Army Day celebration in Jammu and Kashmir, serving army personnel get the bravery and famed service awards (Sena medals, Vishist Seva medals, among others). For the first time in the history of Indian Army, Lieutenant Bhavana Kasturi lead the Indian Armys Service Corps (ASC) contingent and Captain Shikha Surabhi, a female officer, will be leading the Armys Daredevils Motorcycle Display team comprising 33 men riding nine bikes in a pyramid. Army Day parade is carried out by the Indian army soldiers (Indian army bands) which involves the exhibition of BLT T-72, T-90 tanks, Brahmos Missile, carrier Mortar Tracked Vehicle, 155 MM Soltum Gun, Advanced Light Helicopters of the Army Aviation Corps and etc. Serving Indian Army personnel take a pledge to maintain their service and protect the nation from enemies whether they are foreign or domestic.

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Washington:

Raj Shah, the first Indian-American to hold a top White House Press Office post, has quit to join an arm of a prominent communications and lobbying firm, becoming the latest of several senior officials to leave the Trump administration in recent months. Shah, 34, White House deputy spokesman and a former researcher at the Republican National Committee, was in the administration since president Trump took office in January 2017. Im excited to join Brian, Jamie and the top-notch team to launch Ballard Media Group. Our team, with years of proven results, will provide the strategic communications clients need to navigate these challenges and successfully deliver their message to the right audience, Shah said in his statement.

His portfolio recently included helping prepare Justice Brett M Kavanaugh for his Senate confirmation hearings to the Supreme Court.

Shah will lead the Media Group, the press wing of Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with offices in Florida and Washington, The New York Times reported.

Read More | Raj Shah becomes first Indian-American to hold press gaggle aboard Air Force One

He will work with Jamie Rubin, a Democrat who was a spokesman for Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, the report said, quoting the officials.

Shahs departure comes as the White House press and communications teams have been depleted. Several aides have moved on to roles at government agencies or have left the Trump administration entirely.

Born in 1984 to Indian parents of Gujarati origin, Shahs parents moved to Chicago in 1970s and then moved to Connecticut where he was born and raised.

He joined the White House right from the day the Trump administration took charge. He was made the Deputy Communications Director at the White House. Previously, he was director of Opposition Research in the Republican National Committee.

Shah is the latest in a number of top officials to leave the Trump administration.

Former Defence Secretary James Mattis left Trumps Cabinet last month, after former Attorney General Jeff Sessions was pushed out in November. Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was unceremoniously fired in March and national security adviser H R McMaster was replaced last year.

In a sudden move, Indian-American US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley resigned in October. Ballard Partners said Shah will join the firm as a partner.

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New Delhi:

Google Doodle is celebrating Sake Dean Mahomed --- the man of many talents, the Anglo-Indian traveller, surgeon and entrepreneur who built important cultural connections between India and England during the course of his life. He is credited for introducing shampoo baths to Europe. He also opened the first Indian restaurant in Britain, the Hindostanee Coffee House, in 1810. In 1794, Mahomed published The Travels of Dean Mahomed, an autobiographical narrative about his adventures in India. It's for his writings that Google honoured him with a Doodle. It was on this date in 1794 that Mahomed became the first Indian author to write and publish a book in English, as reported by CNET.

He was born in Patna, in the erstwhile Bengal Presidency --- the largest subdivision of British India. He was taken under the wing of a British Army officer at the age of 10 after his father died. He then emigrated to Cork in Ireland in 1784. He studied there at a local school to improve his English language skills. It was in Cork that he fell in love with Jane Daly. He eloped with her in 1786. Mahomed converted to Anglicanism to marry Jane and they moved to Brighton, England, at the turn of the 19th century where he began to make his mark on Britain.

According to a report, he served as a trainee surgeon in the army of the British East India Company and remained with the unit until 1782, when he resigned from the army and accompanied his benefactor to Britain.

After moving to London in 1810, Mahomed opened the Hindostanee Coffee House in London's Portman Square. The luxurious restaurant gave Georgian Brits their first taste of curry and the hookah, but financial pressures forced the establishment to close two years later, as reported by CNET.

In 1814, Mahomed moved to Brighton and opened the first commercial "shampooing" bath in England, providing a combination of a steam bath and an Indian therapeutic massage. His business flourished, promising to cure diseases and provide relief from various physical pains.



He was so successful that soon he became known as "Dr. Brighton," with hospitals referring patients to his care. He was also appointed shampooing surgeon to British kings George IV and William IV, the CNet report further stated.

He died in 1851 in Brighton and was buried at the town's St Nicholas Church.
highlights Jaitley termed the Opposition parties the Compulsive Contrarians.

He accused them of subverting democracy by weakening an elected government.

Jaitley is reportedly in the US for a medical check-up.

New Delhi:

Union Minister Arun Jaitley, who is in the US for a medical check-up, on Wednesday termed the Opposition parties Compulsive Contrarians and accused them of subverting democracy by weakening an elected government.

In a Facebook post titled The Compulsive Contrarian and his Manufactured Logic, Jaitley wrote, The Compulsive Contrarians had no qualms about manufacturing falsehood. They could concoct arguments even if they went against the general interest of the country. They could masquerade corruption as crusade. They could adopt double standards whenever it suited them.

Without naming the Congress or any other Opposition parties, the ailing finance minister said that nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigour and not by the Compulsive Contrarians.

Nations are built by those with positive mindsets and a national vigor, not by the Compulsive Contrarians. Didnt left-liberals find fault with the various actions that Gandhiji took during the freedom movement? Weakening a Sovereign Elected Government and strengthening the unelectable is only a subversion of democracy, Jaitley said in his new tirade against the Opposition parties.

Citing the Opposition uproar over a host of issues including 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections and the Rafale defence deal, the minister said that the Compulsive Contrarians were trying to subvert the democracy by weakening an elected government.

The finance minister said that the Opposition parties think that the Narendra Modi Government cant do any good and hence its every decision must the opposed.

Read the full post below:

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Beijing: An air France (Air France) flight made an emergency landing in Beijing (Beijing) on Saturday after a fire broke out. According to media reports, Air France flight number AF393 (Beijing-Paris) returned to Beijing to make an emergency landing after a fire broke out. According to the report, the plane took off from Beijing Capital International Airport in the early hours of Saturday and a few hours later there was a loud blast in its rear, after which black smoke started emanating from inside the aircraft.

It has been reported that no casualties have been reported in the accident. Photos taken by passengers on the plane show that some of the flight's seats have been damaged. Air France has confirmed that the plane made an emergency landing in Beijing, the report said. It reported that a Paris-going plane made an emergency landing in Beijing due to a plane fire 14 minutes after takeoff. According to media reports, the airline said its crew members have detected a technical flaw inside the aircraft.

Earlier in March, a flight from Paris to New Delhi had to make an emergency landing at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria. The plane made an emergency landing due to indecent behaviour by an Indian passenger. The man was taken off the plane immediately after landing and then put in place near endanger aircraft safety. It was reported that the Indian passenger was also kept in custody in Sofia for 72 hours. Sofia City prosecutor Ileana Kirilova said the plane had flown back to its destination after the passenger was detained.

BJP made Sonowal and Murugan candidates for Rajya Sabha bypolls, voting to be held on Oct 4

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The audience made this contestant winner of the Bigg Boss OTT
New Delhi: The armies of India and Nepal will reportedly conduct the fifteenth edition of their joint military training exercise Surya Kiran from September 20 at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand to hone their skills in counter-insurgency operations, the Army informed on Saturday.

The official statement in this matter from the Additional Directorate General of Public Information reads as under: "15th Edition of India-Nepal Joint Military Training Exercise Surya Kiran is commencing from September 20, 2021, at Pithoragarh." As part of the exercise, both the armies would familiarize themselves with each others weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques and procedures of operating in a counter-insurgency environment in mountainous terrain, an official statement added.

The exercise is aimed at sharing experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations by both countries. During this exercise, the two armies will participate in an Infantry Battalion strength and share their experiences gained during the conduct of various counter-insurgency operations over a prolonged period in their respective countries.

The joint military training would culminate with a very tiring and long 48 hours exercise to validate the performance of both the armies in counter-insurgency in mountainous terrain. The exercise is part of an initiative to develop inter-operability and sharing expertise between the two nations.

NITI Aayog, Health Ministry launch COVID-19 vaccination learning exchange initiative

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Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has decided to put in his resignation ahead of the crucial Congress Legislature Party meeting in Chandigarh on Saturday evening, sources privy to the matter said.

As per details derived from the source, the chief minister will meet the Punjab governor around 4.30 pm and resign from the post. Earlier in the day, Amarinder Singh spoke to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and expressed his anguish and displeasure over his repeated ''humiliation.'' The decision was taken at a meeting of legislators close to him at his official residence in Chandigarh a little after 2 pm, the reports added. Sources said former PCC president Sunil Jakhar, once an associate of the Chief Minister, is among the names being considered for the chief ministers post.

The AICC gave its nod to the meeting of the CLP, being held at 5 pm at the Punjab Congress office in Chandigarh, after over 50 MLAs wrote to the party high command that Amarinder Singh be replaced as chief minister. The remarkable events in the Punjab Congress are unfolding even as the AICC has determined to convene a meeting of the CLP this evening in the wake of a fresh letter by a section of the MLAs.

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Two famous Bollywood superstars are soon to give a boost to their yawning at the world's most popular survival show Into The Wild With Bear Grylls. So far, Ajay Devgn was confirmed to be on the show and now the name of the other actor involved in the show has also come out. This actor is none other than Vicky Kaushal. Vicky, who has been on screen several times for his action and bravery, is now going to be a part of this exciting journey in real life.

The same discovery channel confirmed the news by sharing a picture of Vicky Kaushal. "Bollywood's favorite action man Vicky Kaushal is all set to set foot in unknown waves," captioned. On the other hand, Bear Grylls himself has reported that he has finished shooting with Vicky and Ajay in Insta Story. He shared the video and said- 'The other two episodes of Into the Wild with Vicky and Ajay completed. It was safe, Indian action completed... Now go home...'

The same buzz was that the show is being shot in the Maldives. Recently a picture of Ajay went viral on social media saying that he is going to shoot for the show in the Maldives. It is also clear from Ajay's Instagram posts that he was shooting for Into The Wild in the Maldives. Akshay Kumar and Rajinikanth have also appeared on the show before Vicky and Ajay. The two had made a very interesting journey with Bear Grylls. Apart from Akshay and Rajinikanth, PM Narendra Modi has also appeared in the show. Prime Minister Modi was seen in a special episode for Man vs Wild.

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More or less 217 Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers in a protest against Jewish settlement in the West Bank, The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement on Saturday.

As per reports, 217 injured protesters, 35 were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets and 182 were subjected to suffocation after inhaling tear gas. Witnesses said that fierce clashes broke out on Friday afternoon between dozens of protesters and Israeli soldiers in villages of Beita and Beit Dajan near northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Clashes in Beita have been going on for almost four months in protest against establishing a settlement outpost on lands owned by the village's residents, with the protesters waving Palestinian flags, chanting slogans against Israel, and throwing stones at the soldiers who fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse them, they said. The village head said before that the Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and percussion bombs at a peaceful demonstration that rejected the closure of the entrance to the village by sands.

Meanwhile, medics said that dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured by Israeli soldiers during clashes in al-Mughayyir, a village east of Ramallah, in protest against Israel's settlement expansion, according to Marzouq Abu N'iem, head of the village.

Video: Pakistan went mad in 'Taliban love,' this female anchor wore hijab on live TV

Armies of India, Nepal to hold Surya Kiran exercise from September 20

Flight emergency landing in Beijing after fire in plane
New Delhi: Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that three terrorist organizations are still operating in Afghanistan against Pakistan, after the Taliban had assured the Afghan soil would not be used against any state, according to reports.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rehman in Dushanbe on Friday, Khan said he will try to convince the Afghan Taliban as there were concerns about the situation in Panjshir.

Imran Kahn said that Pakistan and Tajikistan wanted the issue in the valley to be resolved through talks. On the other hand, President Rehman said that he will use his influence in bringing the Tajik leadership of Afghanistan to the negotiating table to resolve their differences peacefully.

Emphasizing the need for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, Khan warned that instability in the war-torn country could affect all the neighbouring countries, the reports added.

In an interview to Russia Today (RT) television, the Prime Minister said that inclusive government is the only way to peace and stability in Afghanistan. Afghanistan was going through a crucial period, the prime minister said, adding that either it would move towards stability after wars for four decades or it would go in a wrong direction and resultantly chaos and huge humanitarian and refugee crises would affect all the neighbors of the country, the report added.

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Flight emergency landing in Beijing after fire in plane

Iraq, United States agree to reduce combat units
Soplan vientos de cambio en Alemania. El 26 de septiembre se celebran elecciones generales y el nuevo gobierno se enfrentara a un duro reto: conseguir que el pais sea neutro en emisiones para 2045, segun estipula la ultima ley nacional aprobada.

Pero, como gestionar la transicion energetica del pais? Es la pregunta clave en medio del debate electoral. Los partidos politicos apuestan por la energia del sol y del viento, pero la burocracia y el rechazo de los ciudadanos frenan el cambio.

Nuestro equipo fue a Rhon-Grabfeld, un distrito rural del norte de Baviera. Alli, el gestor de un parque eolico, Erich Wust, critica la lentitud de las autorizaciones estatales y las acciones legales interpuestas por vecinos descontentos.

La descentralizacion de la toma de decisiones acumula mas obstaculos: Baviera introdujo una norma llamada "10-H". Los nuevos aerogeneradores deben guardar una distancia de diez veces su altura con respecto a las viviendas proximas. Pide a los politicos que revisen las leyes relacionadas con la energia renovable despues de los comicios.

"Si queremos impulsar las energias renovables, tenemos que deshacernos de todas las cunas. En particular, en Baviera tenemos que deshacernos de esta norma 10-H lo antes posible. La 10-H es la razon por la que no se ha presentado ni un solo permiso de parque eolico en Baviera en los ultimos dos anos, condena Erich Wust.

Por que la resistencia local contra las turbinas eolicas es tan fuerte en los municipios rurales? Mientras que algunos vecinos mencionan la proteccion de las aves o la supuesta exposicion al ruido, otros hacen hincapie en los conflictos del uso del suelo:

Nuestro municipio ya no puede planificar ninguna zona residencial nueva, debido a los planes de dos parques eolicos. La conclusion es que no puedo conseguir mas terrenos para construir, explica Hubert Warmuth, concejal municipal de Wargolhausen.

"Tememos que nuestras casas pierdan valor cuando se construyan esos 23 aerogeneradores a nuestro alrededor, dice por su parte Julia Diller una vecina de Wargolhausen.

Leer mas

El Partido Verde y los Conservadores quieren destinar el dos por ciento del PIB del pais a las turbinas eolicas. Los conservadores junto a los socialdemocratas tambien prometen reducir los procedimientos de autorizacion de seis anos a seis meses.

En Wargolshausen una absurda batalla administrativa duro incluso diez anos. El ultimo contratiempo juridico fue obligar a los inversores a destruir los sotanos de las modernas plantas de bajo nivel de ruido y sustituirlos por otros mas antiguos.

Para Harald Schwarz, inversor del parque eolico del distrito, en el futuro se necesitara cierta "fiabilidad en la politica energetica".

"Casi todos los partidos lo ponen en sus programas electorales: las autoridades de permisos deben acelerar la toma de decisiones. Se necesita fiabilidad, porque la transicion energetica es necesaria... Lo que ha pasado aqui es un desastre"

Su companero Jurgen Ruth lo secunda: "Necesitamos politicos con una fuerte capacidad de reaccion y asertividad para evitar que un dilema asi no se repita".

Los intereses politicos ralentizan la trasicion ecologica

Raimund Kamm defiende el interes de los productores de energias renovables. En el pasado, asegura que los partidos gobernantes estaban demasiado vinculados al lobby del carbon en Alemania. Para la proxima legislatura, Kamm senala un problema similar:

"Hoy, en 2021, el principal interes de la industria del gas natural es detener la transicion energetica... Su lobby tiene una enorme influencia y eso es peligroso. Debemos poner fin al juego de esos politicos. Debemos reprocharles que son los contaminadores del clima. No podemos permitirnos perder otros cuatro anos".

Ebersberg es un distrito rural que prueba nuevas formas de participacion publica. El condado organizo una votacion publica sobre la instalacion de turbinas eolicas en el bosque de propiedad estatal, lejos de las casas. La "agencia de la energia" local se encargo de repartir informacion a los votantes y organizar juegos de rol sobre como reducir los niveles de CO2. La consulta ciudadana arrojo una mayoria a favor de las plantas eolicas.

"El distrito de Ebersberg tiene como objetivo la neutralidad climatica para 2030... El pilar para el futuro sera mas energia fotovoltaica y muy importante, mas aerogeneradores. Esa es la unica manera de lograr la transicion energetica... Veamos que pasa si construimos o no generadores de energia eolica. Debemos instalarlos primero", explica Manuel Knecht, de la Agencia de Energia de Ebersberg.

Ebersberg alberga uno de los mayores bosques en funcionamiento de Baviera. Poner aerogeneradores aqui solo necesitaria una parte muy pequena del bosque. Pero algunos opositores no aceptan el voto publico y preparan acciones legales.

Mientras los politicos discuten si hay que limitar el derecho a demandar, para permitir que los proyectos de energias renovables sigan adelante. Kerstin Mertens, de la Sociedad para la Proteccion del Bosque de Ebersberg, nos explica la razon por la que se opone a los generadores eolicos...

"Cuando los murcielagos se acercan a las palas del rotor, la baja presion atmosferica les revienta los pulmones. Tambien aqui vive el halcon abejero, una especie rara y muy protegida que esta realmente en riesgo de colision. Aqui tienen su lugar de cria, solo algunas escasas parejas. Cada victima de colision seria una gran perdida".

El dilema ambiental de la energia verde

Soren Schobel-Rutschmann y Lea Steiner insisten en la prioridad de luchar contra el acelerado desastre climatico. Viviendo en pueblos cercanos, senalan que se trata de un bosque en funcionamiento, plantado y utilizado por motivos economicos.

Como profesor universitario, Schobel-Rutschmann disena propuestas sobre como integrar los parques eolicos en el paisaje. Lea Steiner, estudiante de geografia, participo en un comite de energia de distrito, elaborando propuestas sobre como hacer compatibles los objetivos de reduccion de CO2 con los puntos de vista de los ciudadanos a nivel local.

"En Alemania hay ahora mismo unos 30.000 aerogeneradores. Sin duda, si nos tomamos en serio la transicion energetica, incluidas las necesidades energeticas de nuestra industria, necesitamos el doble o el triple de energia generada por el viento.

"Queremos proteger cada murcielago, cada ave o queremos proteger a las especies? Aumentar el uso de la energia eolica para llevar a cabo la transicion energetica es una contribucion mayor a la conservacion de la fauna", dice Steiner.

La energia solar se perfila como la alternativa menos controversial

Visitamos a un agricultor, Karl Schweisfurth, en el pueblo bavaro de Herrmannsdorf que nos recuerda que el sol tambien forma parte del panorama de las energias renovables en Alemania. Quiere cubrir su granero con paneles solares.

Los principales partidos politicos estan de acuerdo en la necesidad de aumentar la energia solar, pero no estan de acuerdo en como gestionarla ni en donde colocar los paneles.

"Tenemos suficientes tejados en el distrito para poner paneles solares y producir toda la energia necesaria. El agricultor de alli, Benno, posee tres enormes graneros. Para su propia granja no necesita tanta energia. Si recibiera una compensacion decente, podriamos evitar poner paneles solares en el paisaje... No es necesario obtener 30 centimos por kilovatio hora, unos 15 o 18 centimos serian suficientes", asegura Schweisfurth

El proximo gobierno de Alemania decidira sobre el futuro uso del suelo. Por eso la transicion energetica es un tema tan controvertido. Quien se quedara con que terreno y para que uso?

Se necesita urgentemente una actualizacion del marco legal para que la transicion energetica funcione.
A fourth stimulus check isn't coming from the feds, but may be from your state

Despite heated pleas for a fourth round of stimulus checks as the COVID delta variant rampages through the U.S., Washington has been cool to the idea of another direct payment.

President Joe Biden and Congress' Democratic leaders have moved on to other things. Meanwhile, an online petition to send Americans $2,000 a month until the U.S. is clear of the COVID crisis is nearing 3 million signatures.

But some governors, including California's Gavin Newsom (pictured), have pushed their states to pay stimulus checks. In fact, California just sent out a second round. And, the massive stimulus bill the president signed in March included $350 billion in aid to states and local government that could be used for direct payments.

Here are the states that are providing relief money, to help residents cover household expenses or pay down debt.

States now paying out stimulus checks

California

suprunovich.yana / Twenty20

Distribution of California's new round of stimulus has already begun with Governor Newsom telling taxpayers in a video message to "look out for checks either in your mailbox or directly in your account." The nation's most populous state is using its own money to make the payments  not federal funds.

Quirks in the state's tax system, the record-shattering stock market and other factors have left California with a huge budget surplus, which it has tapped to send cash to residents earning $75,000 or less. An earlier wave primarily went to those making $30,000 or less.

The new payments are giving California residents $600 to $1,100, depending on immigration status and whether they have children. Checks are being issued automatically, to Californians who filed 2020 tax returns.

Florida

In recognition of the special difficulties teachers have had navigating their way through the pandemic, Florida has been doling out $1,000 checks to its educators.

The Sunshine State also is paying first responders  including law enforcement officers, paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and firefighters  up to $1,000 as an acknowledgment of the many sacrifices they've been making throughout the crisis.

Story continues

New Mexico

New Mexicos stimulus program devoted $5 million to helping low-income residents who werent eligible for federal stimulus checks. More than 4,000 households across the state received up to $750 in emergency financial assistance.

The state's Human Services Department said in an early August news release that the entire $5 million was not paid out, so a second round of checks would be issued "within the next couple of months."

Tennessee

Earlier this year, Tennessee's state legislature passed a bill providing teachers with hazard pay for making it through the worst of the pandemic.

Lawmakers had originally proposed a 2% raise for educators, but it was ultimately replaced with a one-time payment of $1,000 for full-time teachers. Part-timers will receive $500. It's expected the checks will be mailed out by the end of this year.

Texas

While theres no statewide program for COVID relief payments in Texas, some local school districts are providing their employees with stimulus checks in the form of retention bonuses.

In the Dallas suburb of Irving, the bonus is as much as $2,000. In nearby Denton, teachers will receive $500 and a 2% pay increase if they return to work in the fall, for the 2021-2022 school year. Several Texas school districts have approved pay raises for educators instead of direct payments.

What if your state isnt offering extra stimulus?

Sharon McCutcheon / Unsplash

If you don't qualify for a state stimulus check or your state isn't offering them, you have a few options to find relief on your own.

Deal with your debt. Credit is convenient, but it doesn't take long before expensive interest catches up with you. If you're juggling multiple credit card balances and other high-interest debt, fold them into a single debt consolidation loan to pay off what you owe faster and more affordably.

Cut your insurance bills. If you havent shopped around for a better rate on your car insurance lately, you might be paying hundreds of dollars too much each year. A little comparison shopping could slash your auto premiums. The same trick also works well for finding a lower rate on homeowners insurance.

Stretch every dollar. Can you drop subscription services you're not using? Can you downgrade your phone plan to save a few dollars every month? And finally, are you getting the best deals when you shop online? If you're not sure about that last one, download a free browser extension that automatically scours the internet for better prices and coupons.

Turn your pennies into a portfolio. Earn some returns in the red-hot stock market, even if you dont have much money or much experience with investing. A wildly popular app can help you invest just your "spare change" from everyday purchases  and turn your pennies into a diversified portfolio.

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF continues its investigation into National Beverage Corp. (NasdaqGS: FIZZ).

(PRNewsfoto/Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC)

On August 4, 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a $481,000 fine and cease-and-desist order levied against the Company for failing to disclose benefits received by the Company's CEO from 2016 to 2020 consisting of regular use of a company-owned aircraft to take personal domestic and foreign trips.

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether National Beverage's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to National Beverage's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of National Beverage shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn (lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nasdaqgs-fizz/ to learn more.

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

Cision

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SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
By Dave Sherwood

SANTIAGO, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Albemarle Corp, the world's top lithium producer, said on Wednesday it had reached a labor contract deal with a union at its Atacama salt flat plant, ending a month-long strike that had inflamed tensions between workers and the company.

The 135-member "Albemarle Salar" union, which comprises about half the workers at its key Salar production plant, went on strike in August after failing to reach a deal with the U.S.-based lithium miner.

The company said in a statement that it had inked a new 36-month contract with the union and that workers would return immediately to the job.

"The operations at the Salar plant today return to normality, with special emphasis on safety of workers while production returns to levels before the strike," the company said.

Throughout the strike, Albemarle maintained the extended walk-off had not hit its output of lithium from Chile.

The company clarified on Wednesday that the strike had led to a reduction in the pumping of lithium-rich brine at its Salar Plant, where the walk-off took place, but that the labor action had not impacted overall output from its La Negra chemical plant, where brines are processed into battery grade lithium carbonate.

Union representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agreement.

Albemarle's Atacama operations in Chile are a vital source of the ultralight white metal used in batteries that power electric vehicles. Competitor SQM operates nearby.

Albemarle, which struck labor deals with its three remaining Chilean guilds earlier this year, said the deal with its Salar union of workers brings closure to this year's negotiations. (Reporting by Dave Sherwood Editing by Marguerita Choy)
More than 100 Afghan journalists have appealed to the international community for help in protecting press freedom in Afghanistan.

The journalists made their appeal through Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which issued the appeal and a news release on September 18.

The appeal was signed anonymously by a politically diverse group of 103 Afghan journalists, including 20 women. Most still work in Afghanistan, though some are in hiding and 10 are in exile.

We are all forced to remain anonymous to make this appeal, because of the risks to our lives. We do not want journalism to die out in Afghanistan, as was the case between 1996 and 2001, the journalists said in their appeal.

The journalists said the most urgent need is for guarantees of protection, especially for female journalists.

Frequent attacks on members of the press and Taliban interference in their work has led them to fear the worst, the journalists said.

Despite the Taliban's public commitments, we are seeing the first concrete signs of general repression, they said. This includes threats against journalists on the ground, intimidation of editorial staff, and disguised censorship.

They call for a mobilization for press freedom in our country, for the preservation of the achievements of the last 20 years with regard to the independence of the media, pluralism, and the protection of journalists.

The journalists urged support to enable Afghan newsrooms to continue working and said in the short term they need diplomatic and financial support for journalists in danger.

Based on reporting by dpa
Afghan girls were excluded from returning to secondary school on September 18, after Afghanistans new Taliban rulers ordered only boys and male teachers to return to the classroom.

After ousting the Western-backed government last month, the hard-line Islamist group promised a softer brand of rule than their brutal rule in 1996-2001, when girls were not allowed to attend school and women were banned from work and education.

But in the latest move from the all-male, Taliban-led government to threaten women's rights, the Education Ministry announced late on September 17 that middle schools, high schools, and madrassas for males will reopen the next day, with no mention of women teachers or girl pupils.

The order applies to boys and teenagers from grade six and above and their teachers according to a statement.

"I am so worried about my future," the BBC quoted an Afghan schoolgirl as saying. "Everything looks very dark."

"We lack teachers, most of them are females and are not allowed to come by the new government, that creates a problem for us," an official at a Kabul secondary school who asked not to be named told AFP.

Primary schools have already reopened, with boys and girls attending separate classes and some female teachers returning to work.

In a statement, the UN's children's agency UNICEF welcomed the reopening of secondary schools in Afghanistan after closing down for months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

WATCH: Taliban Seizing Girls For Forced Marriage, Says Fleeing Afghan Mother

But the agency said it was "deeply worried" for the future of girls' schooling in Afghanistan.

"It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays. For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching," it said.

For 20 years significant progress has been made in girls' education, with female literacy nearly doubling to 30 percent -- although the change was largely limited to the cities.

Meanwhile, university students of both genders studied in joint classes and did not have to abide by a dress code.

Many Afghans were taken aback when last month the Taliban-led government announced that female university students could continue their studies but only in gender-segregated classes and if they wore a niqab -- an Islamic veil that covers the face -- and abaya -- a loose-fitting and all-covering robe.

In another development on September 17, workers replaced a sign for the department of women's affairs in Kabul with one indicating the ministry would revert to the role it played in the earlier Taliban government as its moral police.

A sign for the building was covered by a replacement reading Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, according to photographs.

A list of cabinet posts announced by the Taliban on September 7 included an acting minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice and made no mention of a department of women's affairs.

During the Talibans earlier rule its Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice became known as the group's moral police, enforcing its interpretation of Sharia law that included a strict dress code and public executions and floggings.

With reporting by the BBC and AFP
Amnesty International has called the U.S. military's admission that an air strike in Kabul days before its military pullout killed 10 innocent civilians a positive first step, but said the United States must now commit to a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into the incident.

This admission is an important step towards accountability for the killings in Kabul, but much more remains to be done, Brian Castner, a senior crisis adviser with the London-based human rights watchdog, said on September 17, after a U.S. Central Command investigation found that an aid worker and nine members of his family died in the August 29 drone strike.

Anyone suspected of criminal responsibility should be prosecuted in a fair trial, Castner said, adding that survivors and families of the victims should be given full reparation.

The strike -- one of the U.S. military's final acts in Afghanistan before ending its 20-year operation in the country -- occurred some 3 kilometers from Kabul airport three days after a suicide attack outside Kabul airport killed more than 170 Afghan civilians and 13 American troops.

Describing the strike as a "tragic mistake," Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie said the attack killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children -- not extremists as the military said in its initial assessment.

U.S. intelligence believed the car that was hit was linked to Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-k) militants -- a local branch of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, McKenzie said.

McKenzie said the Pentagon was considering reparations for the relatives of the people killed.

We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Austin said he had also ordered a review of the investigation by U.S. Central Command "to consider the degree to which the investigation considered all available context and information, the degree to which accountability measures need be taken and at what level, and the degree to which strike authorities, procedures, and processes need to be altered in the future."

Emal Ahmadi, whose 3-year-old daughter was killed in the air strike, said the U.S. military's apology is not enough and the family demands Washington punish the military personnel responsible after its investigation.

The U.S.A. should find the person who did this," Ahmadi, a younger brother of the man whose car was targeted by the air strike, told AP on September 18.

The family is also seeking financial compensation for their losses and has demanded that several members of the family be relocated to a third country, but Ahmadi didnt specify which one.

Members of the family were quoted previously as saying the man killed was a longtime employee at an American humanitarian organization. The family has said it was trying to gain visas to the United States because they feared for their lives under the Taliban.

The Taliban toppled the Western-backed government in Kabul on August 15, sparking a mass evacuation effort from the United States and its allies, with scenes of panic and chaos at Kabul airport as thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans tried to flee.

The security situation was further heightened after the August 26 deadly suicide bombing claimed by the IS-K. Many of those killed had been hoping to board evacuation flights leaving the Afghan capital.

More than 124,000 foreigners and at-risk Afghans were flown out of the war-torn country by August 31, the deadline set by President Joe Biden for the U.S. withdrawal.
Journalists across Pakistan are expressing outrage over a proposed set of regulations they warn will further curtail press freedom and dramatically bolster the powers of a government that is already seen as imposing censorship to control the media and free speech.

The government-proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) would combine the functions of several federal and provincial agencies currently regulating the print, electronic, and digital media.

Journalists, however, maintain there are ulterior motives behind the proposal, first floated in May with the purported aim of streamlining media regulations.

If implemented, this will prove an open-air jail for journalists, said journalist and anchor Hamid Mir, who in May was banned from hosting his popular primetime show, Capital Talk, on Pakistans top Urdu-language Geo TV channel.

Mir, who survived being shot five times by unidentified attackers in Karachi in April 2014, said he thinks Pakistan will resemble China and Iran with such media laws.

We want to make it clear that there cant be any talks over the PDMA bill or even making another umbrella body or authority under any other name, said a September 16 statement by Shahzada Zulfiqar and Nasir Zaidi, leaders of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.

'Single Regulatory Authority'

While the government now denies having proposed the bill, the authorities gave journalists a PDF of the proposed regulation months ago. One such copy, prepared in a PowerPoint format and obtained by RFE/RL, includes a title page labeled Proposal on proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) framework.

[The aim of this framework] is to regulate electronic, print, digital media, and films under a single regulatory authority, the document said, adding that the new body would effectively merge the current Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Press Council of Pakistan (PCP), Central Board of Films Censors (CBFC), Press Registrar Office, Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), and Implementation Tribunal for Newspapers Employees (ITNE).

Journalists fear the proposed law would repeal a long list of existing legislation regulating electronic media, motion pictures, the press and news agencies, and newspapers.

Pakistan has roughly 150 television channels, more than 300 radio stations, around 3,000 print publications, 1,000 cable operators, and various film production houses besides the sprawling digital and social media platforms.

Journalists say it is practically impossible to control all those under a single authority, particularly in light of provincial regulatory layers.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry says neither his ministry nor the government shared any draft bill with journalists, but multiple journalists who spoke to Radio Mashaal shared identical copies of what they said they had received from the government.

In addition to licensing authority, the proposed body could investigate complaints against individual journalists and media outlets. Its complaints commission could receive, scrutinize, investigate, and review complaints made by persons or organizations against any aspects of news, analysis, programs on print, broadcast, films, and online platforms, according to the proposed PMDA framework.

Aside from mainstream opposition parties, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and representatives for lawyers and civil rights activists also announced their support for the protesting journalists.

Senior figures from the Pakistan Muslim League, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and other politicians visited the journalists protest camp in front of parliament on September 13 and voiced support for press freedom in the country.

We would not let this pass through the parliament, vowed Pakistan Muslim League President Shahbaz Sharif, who leads the opposition in the National Assembly, the lower house of the Pakistani parliament.

Pakistans ruling Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) party and its allies hold a narrow majority in the 342-seat National Assembly and can easily pass the bill in the lower house, but the combined opposition's majority in the Senate presents a bigger challenge.

It could also face further obstacles even after its passage.

We will challenge the bill in the courts if the government manages to pass it from the parliament, vowed Bhutto Zaradri, who is parliamentary leader of the PPP in the National Assembly.

Mounting Pressure

Media in Pakistan have been under mounting pressure since the PTI was declared victorious in the 2018 parliamentary elections and Imran Khan was sworn as prime minister.

Dozens of prominent journalists have quit or been forced to leave their television shows while hundreds of others were sacked by their newspapers, television, or radio channels in the name of financial constraints. Those who still work have openly complained of self-censorship within their organizations.

A number of print journalists have frequently turned to social media to post columns that they alleged were being censored by newspaper management or editors.

Well-known television faces such as Talat Hussain, Murtaza Solangi, and Matiullah Jan launched YouTube channels after their shows were suspended.

Najam Sethi, another senior Pakistani journalist known for his political predictions and insider scoops, launched a YouTube show during months of absence from TV before recently returning to his popular show on Channel 24 TV.

In July, the Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) put Prime Minister Khan on its list of the worlds 37 worst rulers with respect to press freedom, citing journalist beatings, the jamming of TV signals, and threats to withdraw crucial government-funded advertising.

Pakistan angrily rejected the RSF assessment by saying the government believed in media independence. In a statement, the Information Ministry termed the report an attempt to malign the elected representatives of the people of Pakistan, without any corroborative evidence.

'Threatened, Abducted, Tortured'

Apart from facing threats of being slashed out and booted off the air, journalists are also regularly abducted, threatened, beaten, and even killed for their reporting, talk shows, and social-media comments.

Journalists who cross the red lines have been threatened, abducted, and tortured, says the report.

Outspoken journalist Matiullah Jan was beaten and abducted outside a school in Islamabad in July 2020 before being released 12 hours later. Asad Ali Toor, a TV reporter and blogger, was beaten inside his Islamabad apartment by unidentified armed men in May. One month earlier, senior journalist Absar Alam was shot outside his home in Islamabad.

The government has invariably promised inquiries and action. However, no case has been successfully prosecuted.

In its World Press Freedom Day 2021 report, media watchdog Freedom Network called Islamabad the most dangerous place to practice journalism. The report says 34 percent of violations were recorded in Islamabad, including legal cases, threats, and detentions. Journalists also face the threat of being labeled as anti-Pakistan, an enemy agent, and pro-India, and sometimes are even labeled with allegations of blasphemy.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) ranks Pakistan the fifth most dangerous country, citing 138 journalist deaths between 1990 and 2020.

Journalist Mir says the government's effort to introduce the proposed laws through a presidential ordinance four months ago was postponed after journalists opposed the move.

I myself criticized the proposed laws in my last show -- just before my ban -- but the ban was not related to that particular show on May 27, Mir said.

He says representatives of the Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA) later shared details of the government proposal with him. The PBA shared the proposal with me, and I raised the issue with [Information Minister] Chaudhry. But the minister told me they are just discussing this.

Chaudhry, Mir said, later told a parliamentary standing committee on information that the PMDA head would be nominated by the government.

Journalists' unions say their major concerns are that a government nominee will head the committee, the law would replace five separate bodies with a single entity, authority will be centralized, media tribunals will be established, and if a tribunal finds someone guilty for what the government claims is false news, the person could be imprisoned for three years. The potential fine for working journalists is up to 50 million rupees ($298,000) while for the owner of a TV or YouTube channel its 250 million rupees.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) calls the proposed media law an attempt by the Pakistani authorities to seek control over the media. In an August 23 article, Patricia Gossman, an associate director for the Asia division at HRW, writes that with journalists under relentless attack for doing their jobs, the Pakistan government needs to stop trying to control reporters and instead start protecting media freedom.

Shakil Anjum, the national press club president, told Radio Mashaal that the government itself shared the proposed draft with them but is now refusing to own the draft law.

With the introduction of this law, the government tries to hide its weaknesses and discourage and pressurize journalists from criticizing it," Anjum said. "What they are trying to bring as a new law is unprecedented in Pakistan, and we would oppose it tooth and nail.

On September 16, the government appeared to have backtracked from promulgating the PMDA bill. Government officials and representatives of the media industry formed a joint committee to address the issue of "fake news," as all major media organizations and journalists' unions continued to insist the new regulations would be unacceptable, according to Dawn, a leading English-language daily.
Official: US to expel Haitians from border, fly to Haiti

A US official says the Biden administration plans on the widescale expulsion of Haitian migrants in a small Texas border city on flights to Haiti starting Sunday
Agents search in Wyoming for woman, in Florida for boyfriend

Police in Florida searched a vast wildlife reserve near the Gulf Coast for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito
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Colorado Republicans behind a plan to cancel the GOP's primary election next year and instead designate nominees at party assemblies say that allowing unaffiliated voters to help pick their candidates is like letting fans of a rival football team choose the Broncos' starting quarterback.
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Reaction to the censure of Tay Anderson on the political front Friday was stone silence, but parents who have been critical of the embattled Denver Public Schools board member said they were still convinced he's undeterred.

Michelle Castro said nothing about Anderson's behavior in Friday's meeting surprised her. She didn't know him until she went to a school board meeting in March to complain about her fourth-grader being taught the 13 principles of Black Lives Matter.

"I didn't think that was right," she recalled Friday. "That's political, and I should be the one who decides those things for my child."

As she spoke on the virtual meeting, the board members had their videos turned off, until Anderson turned his on to make disapproving faces at Castro, which she said rattled her at the time.

Afterwards, on his official Denver Public Schools Twitter account, he posted a picture of himself looking at Castro and tweeted, "The face you make when folks make bigoted remarks during public comments. Black Lives Matter  PERIOD."

Castro said she was just a parent who felt she was speaking solely to the board about her concern, and Anderson intimidated her on social media.

"He did not take responsibility, I don't care what he says," Castro said after watching Friday's meeting. "The fact that any adult pursuing a person of a young age or having them on their Facebook or any social media, especially as a school board director, is inappropriate, period."

Of both situations, she said, "I expect adults to act professionally, no matter what the subject is. They're elected to represent everybody, not just the people they agree with."

Bob Gerhardt, another DPS parent, agreed that Anderson did himself no favors Friday.

"I was hoping he would own up to his part of it," he said. "I'm sorry would have gone a long way with me. He talked about restorative, or what he called transformative, justice, but the first part of that is taking responsibility. All he did was talk about how bad Tay had been treated, and nothing I heard about how he's treated others."

Anderson maintained his supporters Friday, and they were quick to denounce the process.

Democratic activist Hashim Coates criticized school board vice president Jennifer Bacon and members Angela Cobian and Barbara OBrien by noting they publicly backed Denver Mayor Michael Hancock's bid for reelection two years ago in the wake of a sexual harassment allegations against him.

"O'Brien endorsed him, Cobian opened up the women's tour at Hiawatha Davis Rec Center and Jennifer Bacon had her ass up on that stage too, but yet they want it to punish Tay Anderson? The whole thing is a farce," he said.

O'Brien and Cobian were members of a group called Women for Hancock.

Leaders from the Colorado chapter of the NAACP were also critical of how Anderson was treated, according to a statement Anderson posted on Twitter after the vote.

"The calls for censure smack of unfairness and may indeed open DPS to a civil rights inquiry," the civil rights organization stated.

Neither Hancock nor Gov. Jared Polis had immediate statements about Anderson Friday.

Hancock and Anderson have had their differences.

Last year, after Hancock and former Mayor Federico Pena alleged that the DPS board bore responsibility for the recent departure of Superintendent Susana Cordova, Anderson called the concern "absurd and false."

Twitter was relatively quiet after the meeting, beyond media outlets tweeting out their stories and anonymous critics.

Reaction rolled in from the national media, however.

Arash Mosaleh, a senior producer for "Gutfeld!" on Fox News, tweeted with a hashtag to Anderson, "You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes."
State and local public health officials said Friday they are not ordering coronavirus regulations in El Paso County despite dwindling capacity at regional hospitals and a warning that strained hospital resources could lead to higher rates of COVID-19 mortality.

El Paso County Public Health announced this week regional hospital capacity is strained and hospitals are caring for the highest numbers of patients confirmed to have COVID-19 or suspected of having it since January. But neither the state nor county Public Health departments currently plan to enact mandatory preventative measures such as mask or vaccine mandates, representatives said.

With the change in hospital status  we are urging a call to action to our residents to do everything you can to protect yourself, your loved ones, and the health of our community, El Paso County Public Health spokeswoman Michelle Hewitt said.

El Paso County has not enacted COVID-19 restrictions since the spring, when the state ceded to counties much of its authority to institute health measures. The county focused on education methods instead. But Gov. Jared Polis has said repeatedly throughout the pandemic the state will use hospital capacity to gauge whether to enact local health restrictions. The state can require regulations if hospitals in a county risk exceeding 85% capacity.

Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment late Friday afternoon showed 12% of intensive care unit beds were available in the region, which includes El Paso, Teller, Lincoln, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties. Of 181 ICU beds in the region, 160 are in use.

Our goal has always been to provide data and education to empower residents to make the most informed decisions, and to make resources as easy, free and convenient as possible, Hewitt said, adding El Paso County Public Health regularly communicates with local hospitals, elected officials and the state health department to determine whether to implement disease mitigation strategies.

A spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment on Friday said it can support hospital partners in El Paso County if needed. Colorados Combined Hospital Transfer Center, for example, can help balance demand for hospital care by pairing small rural hospitals with a larger hospital system so smaller hospitals dont become overwhelmed and can quickly transfer patients.

The highly transmissible and more dangerous delta variant, which state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said Wednesday accounts for nearly 100% of new cases in Colorado, is driving the spike in local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks.

We as a community have mask fatigue. We as a community have restriction fatigue, said Dr. Richard Vu, founder of Matthews-Vu Medical Group and a member of the El Paso County Board of Health. So were seeing that as the delta variant becomes more dominant our community is less likely to be masked or social distancing.

Earlier this month UCHealth began postponing a limited number of non-urgent surgeries and procedures to preserve capacity. The hospital system, which is seeing 100% of ICU beds full in some of its hospitals, has also added surge units and is relying on our dedicated staff and providers who are picking up additional shifts, UCHealth spokesman Dan Weaver said Friday.

Centura also announced this week it had begun postponing surgeries that can reasonably wait.

But Vu offered a grave warning if regional hospitalizations continue increasing.

We will see higher rates of mortality from COVID-19 if resources in our hospitals continue to be strained, he said.

Colorado College professor Phoebe Lostroh, who has a Ph.D. in microbiology from Harvard University, said she wanted to see stronger leadership from state and county Public Health through mandated preventative measures to help slow disease transmission locally.

I dont see how were going to turn it around without increasing our vaccinations and wearing masks.  Mandates might be the only way to get us out of this, she said.

Unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated individuals are propelling the increase in hospitalizations and account for 85% of those requiring advanced care, county Public Health officials said Thursday. El Paso County continues to see one of the lowest rates of vaccination among the states 10 largest counties, with nearly 68% of residents 12 and older vaccinated with at least one dose and 61% fully vaccinated, according to Friday data from El Paso County Public Health.

Public health officials pointed to vaccines and masks as the two best ways to prevent COVID-19 transmission and ease pressure on hospitals.

The vaccines are safe, effective, and they are the most powerful tool available to prevent severe illness.  We understand people may still have concerns or doubts and encourage you to talk through these with you doctor or primary care physician, Hewitt said.

Layering preventative measures like frequent handwashing, social distancing and remaining home when ill are also effective at reducing transmission, she said.

Several vaccine clinics are scheduled across El Paso County through Oct. 27. For a list of dates and times, as well as a list of local vaccine providers, visit elpasocountyhealth.org/how-can-i-get-a-vaccine.

To find a testing site near you, visit elpasocountyhealth.org/covid-19-testing-information.
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The chief judge of the Third Judicial District exceeded her authority by appointing a magistrate to act as a district court judge without any legal basis for doing so, prompting the Court of Appeals to walk back the magistrates ruling.
In accordance with the latest guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Park Service will be requiring employees, the public, and contractors to wear a mask while inside of all National Park Service buildings, as well as in crowded outdoor areas managed by the department. This new mandate applies regardless of vaccination status and local transmission levels of COVID-19.
Its easy to fall in love with Betty at first sight.

Because at first sight, you see the 1958 Mercury canned-ham camper that looks like it was plucked out of a magazine page.

Kelli Crosby renovated the vintage camper with that vision in mind. And with help from a certain website.

Pinterest, she says. Pinterest with a capital P.

She describes Betty as a beauty and pretty darn cute. And shes not just for looks.

Betty is a new mobile bar available for rent in the Colorado Springs area and one of two on-wheels pop-up bars run by Crosby under the name Sugar Moon Mobile Bar Co.

Starting the business, and bringing the trend to Colorado Springs, was an unexpected path for Crosby.

DETAILS To rent one of Sugar Moon's mobile bars, starting at $600 per day, visit sugarmoonmobilebar.com.

In May 2020, she left her career of 20 years as a physical therapist in search of something new. The change had nothing to do with the pandemic.

It was cancer.

When she was 35, 10 years ago, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She fought through what she calls the worst year of her life.

And she found a new perspective on life.

I realized that life is short, she said. That was the impetus for wanting a change. I was asking myself, What else do I want to do in this lifetime?

She started dreaming of owning some land, where she and her husband could run a wedding venue. When she followed that dream, another one stepped in.

While researching wedding venues, Crosby came across the trend of mobile bars, built out of pickup trucks or horse trailers or campers.

Mobile bars have popped up in Denver, Boulder and Crested Butte. But not in the Pikes Peak region.

So Crosby decided to go for it.

I just thought, This sounds fun, she said. And Ill do this in the meantime.

That turned into the mobile bar business she launched in early June. Along with Betty, the business includes a teal 1962 Cushman Truckster revamped as a convertible tap truck named Otho. Both Betty and Otho are available to book for events like weddings or birthday parties.

Crosby and her husband share a love for do-it-yourself projects, which boded well for renovating the vehicles into bars that are not only picturesque, but functional.

They just need bartenders and alcohol, details which are left up to customers who book the mobile bar.

The allure of the bars comes from the look.

Theyre just cool to look at, Crosby said. People always say its such an eye-catching structure. And then they are so excited to figure out its a bar.

As for the name, Sugar Moon is a nod to Colorado moonshiners from the 1920s, who started making moonshine from sugar beets, an easy-to-grow crop locally due to an abundance of sunny Colorado days. Locals called that concoction sugar moon.

That ties into the vintage aesthetic of the bars, which Crosby sums up as Instagram worthy.

These days, its all about photos, she said. And people want to take photos with these.
Bunuel wrote:

Until recently it was believed that weight training did not help children but in fact did harm and possibly stunted their growth. A new study has determined that weight training among children between ages 6 and 18 helped them grow stronger even though they did not gain muscle mass like adults. Therefore, our government should require weight training for all children in public schools who are between the ages of 6 and 18.



Which one of the following statements, if true, most seriously weakens the argument?





(A) The school year is only nine months of the year, and with children, weight training must be done on a consistent basis all year round. A home-based program is required for success.



(B) Since the children do not gain muscle mass, measuring their progress will be difficult without the specialized instruments used in the study.



(C) The study was performed with subjects from only one geographic location where weight training is more culturally acceptable.



(D) The gain in strength over a nine-month school year will be minimal. It takes at least a year for the children to show significant results from

weight training.



(E) Children do not respond positively to government requirements and low morale may adversely affect results of any government-instituted weight training requirements.

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

STEP 1: Read the question and identify your task.

STEP 2: Read the argument with your task in mind.

STEP 3: Know what youre looking for.

STEP 4: Read every word of every answer choice.

Answer: AThis is a Weaken question. You must find among the answers the statement that most seriously weakens the argument.The statement argues that the government should require weight training in public schools for all children between ages 6 and 18 based on a new study.You expect that the correct answer will be a statement that seriously undermines some aspect of this recommendation to the government.Answer A looks very likely to be your answer since it says that a school-based program will be ineffective and that a home-based program is what is required for real success. You need to read through the remainder of the answers to be sure. Answer B puts a damper on the ability to measure progress, but it does not undermine the benefits of the program or the recommendation. Answer C adds facts about the study, but the particulars are not the kind that would undermine the results of the study. Answer D only speaks to the time it takes to notice measurable results, which does not change the fact that such weight training is beneficial and thus does not weaken the argument. Finally, answer E might give you pause. Yes, there might be some health risks to weight training at such a young age and adding those tests to the study might have been helpful, but the results might have been positive as well. You do not have enough information to know and thus, this answer does not weaken the argument more than answer A. Answer A is the correct choice._________________
While going through an old chest of drawers I recently came across an old twelve-sided threepenny bit. Most people dont remember these coins, but to me they were once part of daily life. One of them would once have bought you a national newspaper or a very small chocolate bar. Technically, they were worth a little more than one of the decimal pennies (always known scornfully as pee) which were introduced during that year of revolution, 1971. The ythreepenny bit was a dead thing when I found it, long unused and though not actually tarnished, just a flat, matt yellowish shape of cheap base metal.

But it cheered me up in some undefinable way, so I put it in my pocket with all the other change and after a few days it had come to life again, and taken on a bit of sparkle and glow. This was how I remembered it in use. It made a great difference to its power to evoke  just as the sight of a main-line steam engine on a proper railway conjures up far more memories than a tootling tank engine shuffling about on a few miles of revived branch-line track.

Its not a specially handsome coin, as the old half-crown was, and the pre-1939 shillings were. It would never have bought a Mars Bar, as the old sixpence used to do (Could you get a Milky Way with it? You could certainly get a rather unsatisfactory confection called a Punch bar , not to mention twelve four-for-a-penny chews - though it was no good offering the lady in the sweetshop a farthing for a single one of these chews, as the farthing ( a quarter of a penny) had gone out of circulation by then, though there were still quite a few about; nor usually a ha'penny ( half penny, for those unfortunate enough not to recall this coin) for two of them. It was four for a penny, and multiples thereof, or 'Clear off!').

It only existed as legal tender for fewer than 40 years, as it gradually replaced the old silver threepence, the despised Joey which features so much in George Orwells long, heartfelt complaint about the hell of middle class poverty, Keep the Aspidistra Flying. The Joey was a silver disc so small and thin that (a bit like the modern, miserable Five Pee, or the American dime) it would stick to your fingertip and was worth so little that it was almost embarrassing to spend it, an admission that you were down to your last few pence.

Why did it cheer me up? Well, the usual thing, the awakening of pleasant memories of saving and spending such coins on small childhood pleasures, plus the warm, overwhelmingly British shape of it. I learned very early on in life that nobody, apart from the Swiss (whose silver pieces were comparable to our old ones in weight, detail and shine), had a coinage that was as confidence-inspiring as ours. Foreign coins had holes in them, or were made of industrial grey metals so light that they seemed likely to blow away in the wind. And they were all boring decimals.

The very idea of a coin representing three of something, and which was at the same time a quarter of a shilling, was subversive of the boring, regulated decimal world beyond our shores, in which everyone counted on their toes, and nobody could divide anything by three, or (and this was even odder) wanted to divide anything by four, let alone eight, which of course real people do all the time. Athe equivakent of a penny in the Channel Island of Guernsey was in those days something called 'Eight Doubles', pronounced 'doobles' , as I clearly remember.

The only exception to this was the American Quarter Dollar, another lovely coin which defied the decimal logic of the US currency and suggested that the Americans, in their hearts, werent wholly wedded to toe-counting as the supreme form of mathematics. Which of course they're not, bless them. Free people never are. In Idaho a few weeks ago I rejoiced to see paint sold in gallons, meat sold by the pound and coffee sold in fluid ounces. And do you know, it wasn't backward at all?

The US Treasury also prints Two Dollar Bills, though these are quite hard to find (Ask at a bank if you are in the US. They sometimes have them. Some people regard them as unlucky). They fit into no proper mathematical sequence, toe-counting or advanced. You will only ever receive these in change at Monticello, Thomas Jeffersons lovely, boyishly gadget-filled house in the Virginia Hills (depicted on the US nickel, the five cent coin). That is because they have a picture of Mr Jefferson on one side, and a rather fine depiction of the Founding Fathers signing the Declaration of Independence on the other. It is in many ways the most interesting piece of paper money you will ever see (though those pyramids, eyes and strange Latin inscriptions on the single dollar bill always seem to me to attract less attention than they should).

It was only after my last portable typewriter eventually wore out, from too much frenzied hammering and from being dropped too often, that I realised that modern computer keyboards dont provide fractions. This must be a deliberate decision. They do provide all kinds of wholly useless (to me) and mysterious (to me) keys, while oddly being quite unable to agree on where to put the now-essential @ symbol, which on some foreign keyboards requires acrobatics to locate. Im sorry, but 1/2 just doesnt look like half to me. There just isnt any peaceful coexistence between decimals, and metric measures, and the old world of halves, quarters, thirds, and threepenny bits. And whenever I complain about this, angry decimalists and metricators rage spitefully at me, falsely accusing me of wanting to stamp out their dull, inhuman measures, when all want to do is to live and let live. I assume they accuse me of this fault, because in some Freudian way they project their desires on to me.
1. Yes. Several other districts factor them in. It would provide a more complete picture.

2. Yes. Theyre not as accurate, but they can be useful in spotting a trend in infections.

3. No. The district is keeping tabs on those numbers, so the public doesnt need to.

4. No. As long as the public health district is aware of those stats, thats all that matters.

5. Unsure. The district isnt obligated to include them, but it might be helpful.

Vote

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L.A. County Moves to Ban Oil Wells in Unincorporated Areas

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted today to ban new oil and gas wells and phase out existing wells in unincorporated areas.

Supervisor Holly Mitchell, who recommended the move, said the negative health effects of such operations are now well-established.

The scientific and health findings are clear, Mitchell said.

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There are short-term and long-term health effects associated with living near active and inactive oil wells. These include decreased lung function, asthma, cardiovascular disease, low birth weight and other reproductive health impacts.

Over half of the oil wells in unincorporated areas of L.A. County are in the 2nd District, which Mitchell represents, and nearly 60% are concentrated in the Inglewood Oil Field, which the Sierra Club calls the largest urban oil field in America.

L.A. County has had a long history of oil and gas development and poor land use decisions, which has resulted in oil and gas operations occurring too close to places where people live, work, play, go to school and pray, Mitchell said. Many residents may not even realize it, but tens of thousands of people in L.A. County live in close proximity to an oil well and 73% of them are people of color.

A county strike team identified 1,046 active wells, 637 idle wells and 2,731 abandoned wells within the countys unincorporated areas, according to a memo to the board dated June 3, 2021.

Lorenzo Antonio Gonzalez, a doctor with Physicians for Social Responsibility, said it was time to put health first.

Oil wells are everywhere, from my neighborhood in north Inglewood to the backyard of my patients in Wilmington, Gonzalez told the board, before echoing Mitchells list of related health problems. We need to prioritize our neighborhoods. This is foundational.

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Supervisor Janice Hahn praised the plan as a framework for how we transition from dirty fossil fuels to clean energy and make sure we bring our labor partners with us.

Yet Hahn also said labor leaders were anxious and nervous about how the plan would be carried out as she pressed for their involvement in the process.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger echoed those concerns, saying she wanted to be sure there was ample time to transition workers into new jobs.

Mitchell said she had calls with labor representatives on Tuesday.

We have heard from labor, and we have incorporated the vast majority of their amendments, she told her colleagues.

Supervisor Sheila Kuehl  who co-authored the motion  said the goal was to provide a path to new clean energy jobs for oil and gas workers in partnership with union leaders.

However, Kuehl also said it was a matter of balance.

I really care about people who work in the county. They are my  constituency. But you cant say, `I need to make everybody unhealthy in order to keep my job, she said. We are going to do everything to make certain that you have good work, but it isnt the kind of work thats making everybody sick. That is what `just transition is all about.

Giancarlo Rubio with the Valley Industry & Commerce Association was among those who spoke out against the policy.

The proposed recommendation would negatively impact our local economy and jeopardize good-paying, middle-class jobs for thousands of residents in the Valley and throughout L.A., Rubio said, warning that it could cost billions. Shutting down oil and gas production will make us even more dependent on foreign oil  (imported) from countries that dont hire

Californians, pay California taxes or care about our rigorous environmental regulations and health protections.

Barger pointed out that even as the county is planning to shut down oil and gas extraction sites, the board is continuing to support much-needed housing development that is dependent on natural gas.

Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, D-Baldwin Hills, urged the board to pass the motion in order to do this work in solidarity at the state level, but emphasized the need to move carefully, estimating it would affect nearly 30,000 oil field workers.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has called for a statewide phase-out of oil extraction by 2045.

The board already has a set of recommendations from a working group established in September 2020 to come up with a strategy to plug and appropriately abandon old wells that could otherwise cause pollution.

A related motion approved by the board Wednesday called for hiring a consultant to review the effects on the fossil fuel industry and broadening the scope of support for transitioning workers.
Report Reveals that Los Angeles Sheriff Department Rife with Gangs and Cliques

Approximately 16 percent of Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputies and supervisors continue to operate and recruit personnel to join in secret cliques or gangs like Banditos and the Executioners, according to an explosive new report authored by The Rand Corporation.

The report takes the department to task with authors noting that authorities either cant or wont stop the practice that has cost taxpayers more than $55 million in settlements in cases stemming from lawsuits alleging that the gangs inflicted violence and mayhem upon citizens.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who fought subpoenas to avoid testifying about cliques and gangs within his department, said on social media that he would review the report.

This matter negatively impacts community trust, and community members wanted to see that LASD was taking the matter seriously, researchers wrote in the report.

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Deputies expressed mixed opinions as to what actions they felt the department should take, the authors added.

They said 37 percent of personnel who responded to the survey for which the authors based the report agreed that subgroups should be prohibited. However, the results suggest that this subject is divisive within LASD and that efforts for such change could be met with some resistance, the researchers found.

Rand researchers reported that 1,608 deputies and supervisors who anonymously answered survey questions received invitations to join a clique, with some invitations arriving in the last five years.

All of the roughly 10,000 sworn personnel in the department received a survey, and participation was voluntary. Researchers also interviewed dozens of sheriffs and county officials and 140 community leaders, and members of the public.

The study concluded that the groups have existed for decades in the department.

The authors pointed out that deputies have glorified an aggressive style of policing and favor patrolling areas of higher levels of violent crime ostensibly to justify excessive use of force.

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Among the key findings:

 Community member interviews indicated that subgroups and problematic behavior associated with them have negatively impacted perceptions of LASD. About 47 percent of LASD survey respondents agreed.

 Combined with the interview findings, the LASD survey findings suggest that, for some parts of LASD, subgroups exhibit features of being a normalized part of the organization.

 About 40 percent of LASD survey respondents agreed that subgroups are more common at high-crime stations (55 percent of those who had been invited to join a subgroup agreed).

 About 40 percent of respondents identified the following criteria for being invited to join a subgroup: being known as a hard worker (91 percent of those who had been invited to join a subgroup), working in challenging environments (86 percent of those invited), socializing with subgroup members (51 percent of those invited), and engaging in specific behaviors, such as being aggressive about making arrests (47 percent of those invited).

 According to 30 percent of respondents and 42 percent of those who were invited to join a subgroup, the groups have codes of conduct and expect members to perform to certain standards. Among these respondents, subgroups are perceived to be a motivational tool.

 Around 15 percent of those who had been invited to join a subgroup agreed that being invited to join a subgroup was associated with behavior that violates LASD policy, while 22 percent of invitees agreed that willingness to look the other way when others engage in improper or unethical behavior was a criterion for being invited.

Leadership of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department can best discourage involvement in deputy subgroups by clarifying current policy language to prohibit subgroups, and by delivering strong and consistent messages to its staff opposing membership in the groups and related banned conduct, Samuel Peterson, a Rand policy researcher wrote.

While department leaders have taken initial steps to address problematic subgroups, there needs to be clear guidance for command staff  particularly captains  about expectations and appropriate responses for dealing with the secretive subgroups, Peterson wrote, quoting the report.

Peterson noted that for some community members, the subgroups are a stark representation of an us-versus-them mentality that is generalized to the entire Sheriffs Department.

Their existence signals that the department either cant or wont manage these groups, which affects legitimacy and public trust in the department, particularly in parts of the county where relationships are historically tense, he concluded.
White House offers Nicki Minaj call to answer vaccine Qs

The White House offered Wednesday to connect Nicki Minaj with one of the Biden administrations doctors to address her questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, after the Trinidadian-born rappers erroneous tweet alleging the vaccine causes impotence went viral.

The White House said that theyve offered such calls with others concerned about the vaccine, part of an aggressive public relations campaign to beat back rampant disinformation about the vaccines safety and effectiveness.

Minaj tweeted Wednesday that the White House has invited me and yes, Im going, but a White House official said the rapper was simply offered a call.

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Minaj made headlines earlier this week when she noted in a tweet to her more than 22.6 million followers that the Met Gala required attendees to be vaccinated, and that she wouldnt get the shot until I feel Ive done enough research. She later issued a tweet sharing an unverified story about a cousins friend in Trinidad. Minaj asserted the unidentified individual became impotent and his testicles became swollen after receiving the shot.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations leading infectious disease expert, dismissed the claim as misinformation during an interview Tuesday on CNN.

Theres no evidence that it happens, nor is there any mechanistic reason to imagine that it would happen, he said.

Throughout the year, the White House has struggled to counteract resistance to getting a shot, particularly among younger and more Republican demographics. The administration has pointed in particular to false or misleading information about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines as a driver of that hesitance. It has referenced a study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit that studies extremism, that linked a dozen accounts to spreading the majority of vaccine disinformation on Facebook.

The administration has sought out new ways to refute disinformation and reach young vaccine skeptics, earlier this year inviting teen pop star Olivia Rodrigo to the White House to show her support for the shot.


Most of the largest public universities in the United States do not have a mandate, or official order, that students be vaccinated against COVID-19. Some schools say they require vaccines but permit some students to refuse it. Others have refused entry to those who are not vaccinated.

The new school year is beginning as the delta variant continues to spread in many parts of the country. University officials and teachers believe high vaccination rates are the way to return to normal school life.

In some cities and states, leaders have made it illegal for schools to have vaccine mandates. In such places, schools are using unusual ways to get more students vaccinated.

Research by The Associated Press shows that 26 of the nations 50 largest public universities are not requiring vaccination. That means about 55 percent of public university students can make a choice.

Universities with vaccine mandates are mostly in the Northeastern U.S. and California. Almost all of the universities without mandates are in states that have made such requirements illegal, including Florida, Texas and Arizona.

Here is a look at three public universities and what they are doing to urge more students to get vaccinated.

The University of Connecticut

At the University of Connecticut, students are required to be vaccinated. But the school has permitted 800 exemptions, or exceptions to the requirement. It has not denied a single request for an exemption.

University officials are working with students who have not been vaccinated to understand the reason for their decision, said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi. He is the universitys interim president. He is also a pediatrician  a doctor whose expertise is treating children.

The school set up areas for students to get vaccinations when they arrive at the school. Among those who asked to be vaccinated was graduate student Cindy Barreto, who said it was hard to get an appointment back home in Brazil. Her brother was hospitalized in intensive care with the virus.

I know people who are waiting to get the vaccine, and I would say dont do that, she said.

About 90 percent of classes at the university are expected to be in person this term. All students must wear face coverings indoors. Those who remain unvaccinated must receive weekly COVID-19 testing.

University officials say 97 percent of their students are vaccinated. They say only 10 COVID-19 infections have been recorded since the school year began.

The University of Central Florida

An executive order from Floridas Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has made vaccine mandates in schools illegal. So, the University of Central Florida is doing some unusual things to get students vaccinated. It is giving out prizes.

Many professors are concerned for their safety because they dont know which students are vaccinated, said Joseph Harrington. He is a physics professor and head of the teachers association. He is also part of a group of teachers asking the governor to let schools set their own policies.

There are some large classes where students are sitting in the aisles because theyre afraid to sit next to other students, Harrington said.

In the first week of classes, research showed 72.6 percent of those questioned had at least one vaccine dose, university spokesman Chad Binette said. He said the school is giving out prizes such as free books, computers and tuition money.

The university says about 12,000 of its 72,000 students live on school property. It is recommending face coverings for everyone.

The university has reported 377 COVID-19 infections among students over the last two weeks.

The University of Virginia

Students at the University of Virginia who do not get vaccinated cannot attend classes unless they receive a religious or medical exemption.

At the start of the school year, 193 students were unenrolled for the term because they were not vaccinated, said Dr. Christopher Holstege. He is the director of student health and wellness. He said the policy is the same as with vaccinations for other diseases, such as measles.

Susan Davis is vice president for student affairs at the University of Virginia. She said all of those who were unenrolled would be welcomed back for the next term if they follow the mandate.

About 97 percent of the schools 25,000 students and 92 percent of staff members were vaccinated, officials said.

So far, the school has reported 255 COVID-19 cases among students. It is offering more than 90 percent of classes in person.

Mallory Griffin, a senior at the university, said most students do not have a problem with the vaccine mandate.

Were glad that everybody is vaccinated or getting vaccinated, Griffin said, because that just brings us one step closer to hopefully being able to return completely to normal.

Im Jill Robbins.

The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

_________________________________________________

Words in This Story

mandate  n. an official order to do something

variant  n. something that is different in some way from others of the same kind

exemption - n. freedom from being required to do something that others are required to do

aisle  n. a passage where people walk:

tuition  n. money that is paid to a school for the right to study there

staff - n. a group of people who work for an organization or business

unenroll - v. to remove someone as a member of or participant in something

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American Samoa, a U.S. territory in the Pacific, reported its first case of coronavirus on Friday.

The territory's acting governor, Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale, and health officials said the islands' first case of COVID-19 was in a resident who returned to America Samoa from a trip to the U.S. mainland and Hawaii earlier this week.

The infected traveler flew in on Monday, the first day of newly resumed commercial flights from Honolulu to Pago Pago. The route had been suspended since March 2020 because of the pandemic.

There were a few positive coronavirus cases associated with cargo ships that had docked in American Samoa last year. But the crews were never allowed to leave the vessels, and officials didn't include the isolated infections in their overall count.

American Samoa Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga was among the passengers on the Monday flight from Hawaii and is now in quarantine.

"The discovery of this positive case during quarantine highlights the importance of why our process is critical to prevent the spread of COVID-19," said the territory's Gov. Lemanu Peleti Mauga in the news release. "It further highlights the importance of maintaining our current quarantine protocols."

Officials said the sick resident was fully vaccinated and had tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the flight back to American Samoa.

American Samoa requires all travelers to be vaccinated and to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. Three tests are required before the flight to the islands, and post-travel tests are also being offered.

The infected person was among about 260 other passengers on the flight.

Health officials are contact tracing, and all other passengers from flight are in quarantine for 10 days.

The patient was moved to a government facility for two weeks of isolation and monitoring.

Explore further American Samoa to begin mass measles vaccination this week

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Leading US medical experts advising the government voted against recommending booster doses of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine for everyone aged 16 and up, citing concerns about potential side-effects in younger age groups.

Following a day of data presentations and debate, the panel of vaccinologists, infectious disease researchers, and epidemiologists voted 16 to 2 against the measure, but left the door open to agreeing to a third shot for older people.

"While I would probably support a three dose recommendation for those over 60 or 65, I really have trouble supporting this as written for anyone greater than or equal to 16," said Paul Offit of The Children's Hospital in Philadelphia.

The decision represented a rebuke to President Joe Biden's administration, which had announced a plan to start rollout of booster shots this month before consulting its scientific agencies.

But a number of experts expressed reservations about whether they are required, amid concerns over global inequity, and possible increased risk of rare side effects, including myocarditis (heart inflammation) seen especially in younger males.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) struck a cautious tone in documents released ahead of Friday's meeting where an independent panel has been convened.

"Overall, data indicate that currently US-licensed or authorized Covid-19 vaccines still afford protection against severe Covid-19 disease and death in the United States," the FDA said in its briefing document.

Peter Marks, a senior FDA scientist who opened the meeting, asked participants "to focus our deliberations on the science... and not on operational issues related to a booster campaign or on issues related to global vaccine equity."

Following the vote, the panel's chairman said they would formulate a new question on whether to approve the vaccine among an older group, for example over-65s, where the risk-benefit profile differs greatly.

It will then turn to another committee convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on September 22-23 to decide on how to proceed with rollout.

Continued efficacy against hospitalization

At the meeting, Pfizer officials cited studies that demonstrated waning immunity against infection several months out from the first two doses.

"The demonstrated safety and effectiveness of a third dose support adding a booster dose to the vaccination schedule," said Donna Boyce, Pfizer's senior vice president of global regulatory affairs.

But a growing body of US researchincluding a dataset presented by Pfizer itself at Friday's meetinghas shown two doses continue to confer high protection against severe outcomes, and this was highlighted by many of the panelists.

Pfizer also presented data showing boosters increased antibody levels against the Delta variant.

Sharon Alroy Preis, an official with Israel's health ministry, presented data from her country which ran a booster campaign after experiencing a Delta wave, and has approved boosters for everyone aged 12 and up.

"Administration of booster dose helped Israel dampen severe cases in the fourth wave," she said.

For its part, the FDA said in its briefing document that not all studies are reliable and it believes US-based research "may most accurately represent vaccine effectiveness in the US population."

Explore further US medical experts to vote on Pfizer COVID boosters

 2021 AFP
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While assessing a pregnant woman with premature labor in 1983, Linda Bullock noticed bruises on the woman. When she asked what happened, the woman told Bullock a refrigerator had fallen on her while cleaning the kitchen.

"Something didn't seem right, but I didn't know what to say at the time. I just went on to the next question of the assessment," said Bullock, now a professor emerita at the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing. "We stopped her labor and sent her home, but I will bet my last dollar I sent her back to an abusive relationship, and it sparked my interest in helping other nurses assist battered women. What we didn't know at the time was the impact violence had on the baby."

Bullock helped implement the Domestic Violence Enhanced Perinatal Home Visits (DOVE) program in rural Missouri, which empowered safety planning and reduced domestic violence for hundreds of abused pregnant women. After learning from home health visits that many of the abused women had up to nine different romantic partners during and following pregnancy, Bullock conducted a study to examine the impact of multiple father figures on the cognitive development of the newborn infants.

After administering neurodevelopmental tests during home visits three, six and 12 months after birth, she was surprised to find the infants of women who had only one male partner who abused them had worse cognitive outcomes compared to infants of women with multiple male partners, only some of whom were abusive.

"The findings highlight the variety of ways the multiple father figures may have been helping the mom support her baby, whether it was providing food, housing, childcare or financial benefits," Bullock said. "For the women with only one partner who abused them, the infant's father, the father may not have provided any physical or financial support or played an active role in the child's life. It can be difficult for busy, single moms struggling to make ends meet to provide the toys and stimulation their infants need to reach crucial developmental milestones."

Bullock added that infants coming from homes with domestic violence often go on to have worse academic outcomes in school due to neurodevelopmental lags and a higher risk for a variety of health issues, including gastrointestinal distress, trouble eating and sleeping, as well as stress and illness.

"When nurses are visiting homes to check in on pregnant women and their developing babies, we want them to be trained in recognizing the warning signs of potential intimate partner violence," Bullock said. "I still think back to 1983 when I sent that lady back home into a terrible situation, and I am passionate about making sure I can help nurses today not make the same mistake I made."

"Children exposed to intimate partner violence: Impact of multiple father figures" was recently published in Maternal Child Health Journal. Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Nursing Research. The study involved collaborators from Johns Hopkins University and University of Virginia.

Explore further Study reduces violence against pregnant women

More information: L. Bullock et al, Children Exposed to IPV: Impact of Multiple Father Figures, Maternal and Child Health Journal (2021). L. Bullock et al, Children Exposed to IPV: Impact of Multiple Father Figures,(2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10995-021-03184-6
Foreign Minister of Belarus V.Makei meets the State Councilor, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China

On September 16, 2021 on the margins of the Summit of the Heads of the SCO Member States in Dushanbe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Makei, met with the State Councilor, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Wang Yi.

During the meeting, the parties substantively discussed a wide range of issues related to the further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations, including the facilitation of contacts at the highest and high levels.

During the conversation, special attention was paid to the priority tasks of enhancing cooperation in trade and economic sphere.

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France US Crisis (AFP)

France has recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia in protest at being pushed out of a multibillion-dollar submarine deal.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced the diplomatic move on Friday night, saying it came in a request from the French president Emmanuel Macron. This is believed to be the first time France has recalled its US envoy.

Diplomatic relations between the long-standing allies, the United States and France, are in tatters after the announcement earlier this week that Australia would pull out of a contract to have France supply its defence submarines.

US president Joe Biden announced a new pact between the US, the UK, and Australia on Wednesday that included a long-term agreement to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia  a deal Mr Le Drian called a stab in the back for France.

Explaining Frances decision over the recall of their ambassador Philippe Etienne to the US, Mr Le Drian referenced the exceptional gravity of the announcements. He also said France would be recalling its ambassador to Canberra, Jean-Pierre Thebault.

France said it was not given sufficient warning of the cancellation of the $90bn submarine contract, which Mr Le Drian called unacceptable behaviour.

However, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison claimed he had warned Mr Macron in June that the deal was at risk of collapse because of delays and budgeting problems.

The bitter diplomatic row has escalated dramatically since the announcement of the pact, with France cancelling a gala at its Washington embassy that was planned to celebrate the US-French relationship.

In comments seemingly designed to ease tensions, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Thursday: We cooperate incredibly closely with France on many shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific but also around the world. Were going to continue to do so. We place fundamental value on that relationship, on that partnership.

France in particular is a vital partner on this, and so many other issues, he added.

Australia said it regrets Frances decision to recall its ambassador. We note with regret Frances decision to recall its ambassador to Australia, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry said in a statement. Australia values its relationship with France ... We look forward to engaging with France again on our many issues of shared interest, based on shared values.
U.S. Naval Hospital Guam is seen from Nimitz Hill on Sept. 12. Two of five pandemic deaths confirmed Friday night were deceased when they were brought to the military hospital, according to the government of Guam.
The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on Jan. 8, 2020.
Standard Bank has announced it will close its Cafe Blue Lounge at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg next month.

In a notice sent to customers, the bank said the closure was due to the Covid-19 pandemics unprecedented impact on the tourism industry and economy.

It has had a significant impact on both, leading to a marked decrease in air travel and the use of airports, Standard Bank said.

The bank stated that the Cafe Blue Lounge would continue operating until 15 October 2021.

The lounge is one of three at the airport that offer Standard Bank customers with specific products exclusive access to a private waiting space and complimentary deli-style meals and drinks on the go.

Standard Bank said its customers can still access the Bidvest Lounge when travelling from O.R. Tambo International Airport.

The bank also added the Library Lounge remained closed until further notice and that it would provide further details on this in due course.

South Africas air travel industry has suffered severe losses since the start of the pandemic, as strict local and international travel restrictions hamstrung their operations.

Comair, which operates British Airways and Kulula, was forced into business rescue just over a month after South Africa entered the initial Covid-19 lockdown.

It only resumed flights in December 2020 but hit pause again in July for two months following the announcement of adjusted level 4 lockdown regulations.

With South Africas lockdown measures being relaxed a few weeks later, Comair returned to operation at the start of this month.

Struggling national carrier South African Airways (SAA), which was already under business rescue when the pandemic started, suspended all operations in September 2020 as it waited for funding from the government.

The airline completed its business rescue process and is set to resume flights on 23 September 2021.

The crisis at SAA spilt over to its low-cost arm, Mango Airlines, which suspended all flights and services on 27 July 2021 and is also set to undergo business rescue.

Reports suggest Mango was left high and dry with the government diverting all its attention to restructuring and funding the new SAA.

However, the industry has seen a few positives with the new low-cost Uber-like airline Lift launching in December 2020 and plans for another new airline called Skylink Airways to enter the market.

Now read: SAA needs new planes
Eskom cant rely on government bailouts forever, but the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) must also come to the party and allow the power utility to increase prices to match the cost of producing power.

This is the view of Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter in an interview with Professor Anton Eberhard, director of the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Towns Graduate School of Business.

We are well aware that we are not entitled to a cent of taxpayers money, De Ruyter said in response to a question about the R220 billion in government bailouts Eskom has received since 2008.

That is why Eskom has embarked on the reforms and corporate savings so it can achieve operational and financial stability in a short space of time, he said.

That is the reason we have aggressively tackled procurement corruption, operational inefficiencies and cost-cutting across the board through prudent management of resources and a reduction in headcount. These we can do internally, they are within Eskoms scope of activity.

De Ruyter said that for Eskom to stop relying on government bailouts, Nersa must allow the power utility to increase electricity tariffs that reflect the cost of producing the power.

Even with a 20% annual increase in the tariff, the reality is that Eskom prices will still be at the bottom third of comparable international electricity prices, he said.

This does not make too much sense, particularly for our export sector, which consumes electricity to produce commodities priced in US dollars, and compete with companies who pay in US dollars for their electricity input.

In addition to the need for cost-reflective tariffs, De Ruyter said they also need to address the thorny issue of nonpayment for electricity by defaulting municipalities, particularly in the Free State.

The full interview, first published on The Conversation, is reproduced below.

Anton Eberhard: The performance and availability of Eskoms power stations has declined from above 90% in the early 2000s to an average of 64% in the 2021 financial year. Is this long-term, historical trend inevitable as Eskoms kit ages? Obviously, Eskom should do all it can to improve operations, but what is a realistic expectation of future performance? Will we see energy availability factors above 75% again, or will average power plant availability now remain in the 60s%?

Andre de Ruyter: Eskoms fleet of coal fired power stations, excluding Medupi and Kusile, are on average 41 years old. These power stations have been run far harder than international norms, and have not been maintained as they should have been. In addition, the new generation plants, Medupi and Kusile, have design defects that will take time and money to address. We therefore have a generation system that is challenging to operate.

As one would therefore expect, the long term trend in energy availability factor has been downward. In January 2020, when I had just started, we took the decision to embark on a campaign to ramp up our maintenance in order to increase the energy availability factor. At the time, we made it clear that catching up on the maintenance backlog would mean an increased risk of load-shedding, as we took units down for outages typically lasting up to 100 days each. The energy availability factor therefore has been even more depressed than one would expect by extrapolating the long term trend, because planned maintenance is deducted from the energy availability factor.

We have recently seen some major units returning to service after long outages at Duvha and Tutuka, which have played a significant role in alleviating the pressure caused by the incidents at Medupi 4 and Kendal 1. In the medium term, we should therefore expect some recovery in the energy availability factor as our planned maintenance returns to a more typical level. We are working hard to get the energy availability factor above 70%, but given the age of the fleet, it would be unrealistic to expect a sustained performance above 75%. This is the reason why we have welcomed policy interventions to increase the available generation capacity for the country, as ultimately, we need more power to enable South Africa to grow.

Anton Eberhard: Declining power station performance is one reason for load-shedding and power cuts which South Africa experienced in 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015 and every year since 2018. But you have pointed out that South Africa is also short of power. These shortages will increase as old power stations reach their end of life. You said recently that 22GW will need to be decommissioned by 2035. The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 indicated around 33GW of new power generating capacity has to be added by 2030. That will require well over a trillion rand (over US$68 billion) in new investment. In a number of speeches you have made the point that because of Eskoms high levels of debt, and a fiscally constrained state, most of this investment will need to come from the private sector. Its unprecedented for an Eskom CEO to speak in this way, effectively encouraging private competition, but I guess you are alerting us to the urgency and the magnitude of the challenge if we are to keep the lights on. Can you elaborate on what needs to be done to restore electricity supply security?

Andre de Ruyter: Eskom has publicly stated that the country currently has a generation capacity deficit of 4,000MW. And that is at the current levels of economic activity and available generation capacity. This gap will obviously increase should economic activity rise without commensurate investments in generation capacity, which result in increased load-shedding. This need not be the case. South Africa should never have been forced to choose between protecting Eskom and having electricity.

Anton Eberhard: Ive been interested to see that you have been floating the idea that Eskom should start investing in renewable energy. In many ways this makes sense. Solar and wind energy are now the cheapest grid connected sources of energy. And as the CEO of Eskom you need to offer an alternative vision and future for Eskom staff as the old coal fleet comes offline. But how will Eskom be able to raise finance for new power generation with your current unsustainable levels of debt and limited headroom for further state guarantees? I know there are discussions around concessionary climate related finance leading up to Cop26 (the 2021 United Nations climate change conference) but surely even these funders would be worried that Eskom is currently technically insolvent?We are pleased that today everyone acknowledges the solutions to South Africas electricity deficit cannot be left to Eskom and the government alone. It is as much in private capitals interest to increase available generation capacity as it is in the governments interests. While the state has a very limited ability to make any further significant investments, the private sector has indicated its willingness to invest in generation capacity to solve the single most important factor holding back the country. And that is electricity. In this context, we were very pleased with the lifting of the licensing requirement from 1MW to 100MW, as we believe that this step will enable substantial new capacity to be added in the short term.

Andre de Ruyter: Eskom continues to explore its funding options. It is important to separate the legacy debt that Eskom carries from its growth opportunities, not only in generation, but also in vital investments in transmission and distribution, to enable private investors in generation to access the grid. For this, we need to borrow new money  these investments are inevitable and will have to be made regardless. We are in regular engagements with the key financial stakeholders, including developmental financing and multilateral institutions. These entities have expressed a keen interest to enable and assist the accelerated decarbonisation of the SA electricity supply industry by making highly concessional funding available to Eskom.

Various funding methods are being explored. One thing we do not repeat often enough is that the solution to the countrys energy problems does not belong to Eskom and the government alone. Everyone has a stake in the solution. We therefore have to find ways to energise the private sector to roll up its sleeves and get involved. For this to happen, investors need a decent return on investment, while assuming an appropriate degree of risk, just as any investor would do when building a factory. This could be a win-win solution: investors get their return  which increases the tax pool for the government  and the country regains energy security and grows job opportunities. Its a no-brainer.

For Eskoms part, within its ability, we have started with a pilot programme to repurpose the Komati power station, which has reached the end of its operational life. This will allow Eskom to use the existing infrastructure and save some jobs for the local community, instead of leaving behind a ghost town. We have three other power stations on which we have invited investors to give us partnership proposals to repurpose the stations. We can all share the responsibility, and harvest the fruits together.

Anton Eberhard: Weve alluded to Eskoms high debt levels, currently sitting at around R400 billion (over US$27 billion). In financial year 2021 you managed to reduce gross debt by R81.9 billion, in part because you received a government bailout of R56 billion. I calculated that between 2008 and 2021, Eskom has received a total of R220 billion in bailouts. Given the states worsening fiscal and debt situation, and all the other social needs that need to be met, is this sustainable? Indeed, should infrastructure utilities not be financially viable on their own? But Eskoms debt service cover ratio sits at 0.3  that is, it generates less than a third of the cash it needs to service the interest of its debt and principal repayments. What is your strategy for restoring Eskoms financial sustainability? Cost cutting? More government support? Higher tariffs? Refinancing of Eskoms debt with concessionary loans linked to more rapid decarbonisation of the generation fleet? All of these?

Andre de Ruyter: It is indeed correct that Eskom cannot rely on the government bailout forever. We are well aware that we are not entitled to a cent of taxpayers money. That is why Eskom has embarked on the reforms and corporate savings so it can achieve operational and financial stability in a short space of time. That is the reason we have aggressively tackled procurement corruption, operational inefficiencies and cost-cutting across the board through prudent management of resources and a reduction in headcount. These we can do internally, they are within Eskoms scope of activity.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa also needs to come to the party with electricity tariffs that reflect the cost of producing the power. Even with a 20% annual increase in the tariff, the reality is that Eskom prices will still be at the bottom third of comparable international electricity prices. This does not make too much sense, particularly for our export sector, which consumes electricity to produce commodities priced in US dollars, and compete with companies who pay in US dollars for their electricity input. In addition to the very real need for cost-reflective tariffs, we also need to address the thorny issue of nonpayment for electricity by defaulting municipalities, particularly in the Free State. The ever-growing outstanding debt to Eskom is now at about R39 billion, or roughly 10% of Eskoms debt.

Our active partnering approach to capacitate and enable municipalities to improve their distribution systems to enable them to pay us has found favour with a number of municipalities. Unfortunately, there are one or two intransigent municipalities where we are forced to take legal action and strictly apply nominated maximum demand limitation, which causes significant and regrettable disruption to daily life in those towns.

The last element of our balance sheet restructuring involves a one-off injection of between R150 billion and R200 billion in order to enable us to have a reasonable net debt service cost. Current equity injections from National Treasury are applied by and large to paying interest, and as such do not fundamentally address the issue of legacy debt. Discussions in this regard are ongoing, albeit more slowly than we would have liked.

Anton Eberhard: Recent regulatory reforms have removed ministerial and National Energy Regulator permissions for power market access and we are likely to see a flood of new privately funded and developed power generation projects. The focus will now shift to grid constraints. You have highlighted that around R180 billion needs to be spent on transmission and distribution. How will Eskom in its current form be able to raise this finance? Will the new transmission subsidiary company of Eskom Holdings not still be exposed to the credit ratings and financial contagion of the Eskom Group? You have said that sophisticated governance arrangements can be put in place to ensure the independence of the transmission subsidiary company. But why stick with this option? Transmission comprises only 10% of Eskoms assets. It is entirely possible to negotiate with lenders and over the next few years move the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator outside Eskom, with the prospect of migrating back to investment grade and accessing competitively priced debt. One hundred and six countries around the world have gone this route, which also enables a fair and transparent platform for contracting and dispatching least cost power. So what are the advantages of keeping the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator within the Eskom group?

Andre de Ruyter: Eventually, the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator may operate outside of the Eskom fold, which will be a policy decision. Legal separation of transmission could be seen as the first step on that road. I am mindful at the moment that we need to contain cost. Setting up an entirely independent new entity will inevitably lead to an increase in functional cost by duplicating services currently rendered by Eskom corporate. For the moment, we are therefore content to proceed with legal separation, with appropriate governance structures to ensure independence in decision-making by the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator, while keeping costs down. Nothing that we are doing rules out a completely independent entity, and when the time comes, we will be ready to implement upon the instruction of our shareholder.

Anton Eberhard, Professor at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The foundation, established in 1982, has donated more than $20 million in grants and scholarships, including support for UC Davis students and for programs at Sonoma State University, Washington State, Cornell University and the Culinary Institute of America.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Earlier this year, the foundation donated $100,000 to the Roots Fund, a non-profit organization that aims to open a pathway for members of Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities into the wine business.

In a phone interview, Shanken said although he has visited the valley since the 1970s and chose to open a Wine Spectator office in downtown Napa, it was only in the past five years that he became aware of the programs at the community college.

If there was ever an educational institution poised for significant contributions to the growth of the California wine industry, this is it, Shanken said. It is our hope that the door for learning opens wider for young adults from all walks of life, providing a platform for future leadership in the wine industry.

Shanken added that he also hopes the gift will lead to more recognition and support of the NVC program from the wine community.
"No serious Democrat would think about competing against him," says former Democratic consultant Bob Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at USC.

Garry South, chief strategist for former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, who was recalled in 2003 when Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected, agrees: "Any serious Democrat thinking about challenging Newsom in 2022  that's off the table. There's no rationale for challenging him."

Another plus for Newsom is that all the Republican ammunition we know about that could be used against him already was fired during the recall campaign. And he survived. It will be old, spent stuff next year.

This includes attacks on him for his COVID-19 management  blank cartridges, as we learned Tuesday  an inexcusable multibillion-dollar scandal involving unemployment benefits, the hypocritical French Laundry dining fiasco and an off-putting personality. None of it was potent enough to seriously injure him.

Mindy Romero disagrees. She's a political scientist who heads the Center for Inclusive Democracy at USC.
For the past 16 months, we have been working on meaningful, strategic coordination of the work done by the housing and homelessness departments within our agency  the Department of Housing and Community Development, the California Housing Finance Agency, and the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council.

We are also harmonizing their work with key partners like the Health and Human Services Agency to provide critical health and social services, and with the state Treasurers Office, whose tax credits and bond resources are so essential to financing affordable housing.

Why does this matter? Because people like Chad Martin expect the government to work when they fall on hard times.

I met Chad in San Diego at the Stella and Bluewater community, a 158-unit complex providing affordable housing to low-income families, individuals and veterans. Before living there, Chad had bounced around on the couches of friends or occasionally slept in Balboa Park following a tough divorce. While he worked off and on as a bartender, it wasnt enough to help him get back on his feet.
Putin, Erdogan to discuss Syria and other regional conflicts

Karabakh's Arayik Harutyunyan visits Armenia 1st President, latest developments in Artsakh discussed

Members of "Armenia" alliance and MPs of homonymous faction visit Yerablur Military Pantheon (PHOTOS)

Monument to Marshal Baghramyan unveiled in Moscow

Karabakh President sends condolence message to Russia's Putin

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains of another Armenian serviceman found in Mataghis

Catholicos of All Armenians visits Yerablur Military Pantheon (PHOTOS)

Russian State Duma chairman congratulates Armenian counterpart on Armenia's Independence Day

Putin appoints Armenia's Mikayel Aghasandyan Russia's Permanent and Plenipotentiary Representative to CSTO

Resident of Karabakh's Karmir Shuka runs over three 14-year-olds, body found hanged from a tree later

Adam Schiff congratulates Armenians on 30th anniversary of Armenia's Independence

Scientists propose new way to fight incurable cancer

Nikol Pashinyan: Grove of Life will symbolize the start of era of peaceful development of Armenia

Armenia premier: History has shown that it's not mandatory and is sometimes unnecessary to defeat others to win

Azerbaijan FM meets with Turkish counterpart in New York

Karabakh President meets with President of Tashir Group Samvel Karapetyan in Yerevan

New Armenian flag placed in Armenia's Tegh village, higher than Azerbaijani flag

UN Secretary General urges to ban weapons that kill without human participation

Russia Federation Council chairwoman congratulates Armenia Parliament Speaker on Independence Day

US may approve Pfizer child vaccine drug soon

Biden calls on UN to protect rights of sex minorities from Chechnya to Cameroon

"Vivid" Independence Day event kicks off at Republic Square in Yerevan

Iranian Deputy FM to arrive in Azerbaijan on a three-day visit

Police inspecting citizens with metal detectors before Independence Day event at Republic Square in Yerevan

Armenia marks Independence Day: Digest on congratulations from int. leaders

Largest flag of Armenia raised in Yeraskh village of Ararat Province (PHOTOS)

China PM to Armenia counterpart: Cooperation in sidelines of One Belt One Road joint construction steadily develops

Lukashenko to Pashinyan: Belarus, Armenia will be able to fully realize bilateral cooperations potential

What products are not recommended amid post-COVID-19 syndrome?

Kazakhstan President: Armenia achieved great success, enjoys well-deserved reputation in international arena

Putin to Pashinyan: Trilateral agreements implementation will ensure your countrys peaceful, prosperous development

Mishustin to Pashinyan: Russia-Armenia relations progressively developing in all directions

Guy Parmelin: Switzerland remains reliable partner of reforms in Armenia

France MP: Armenia fighting for survival of itself, its people, against Azerbaijan, Turkey

Wendy Morton: UK will continue to be proud supporter of Armenias democratic, economic development

Tom Cruise's iconic Porsche sold for a record price

Russia envoy to Armenia: Any challenge in modern world can be overcome only through joint efforts

Top Iran officials congratulate Armenia, Armenian people

Armenia health minister's vaccinated mother contracts COVID-19

Pope Francis: May divine blessing be with people of Armenia

Wreath laid on behalf of Armenia ex-President Sargsyan at Yerevan military pantheon (PHOTOS)

Sweden ambassador: My best wishes to all Armenians (VIDEO)

Netherlands envoy to Armenia: This beautiful country, wonderful people have bright future (VIDEO)

Xi Jinping to Armen Sarkissian: Dynamics of development of China-Armenia relations is maintained

Nicole Kidman reveals details over divorcing Tom Cruise

Armenia First President: Independence is non-negotiable for me

Putin: Development of Russia-Armenia relations corresponds to fundamental interests of our fraternal peoples

Blinken: US remains committed to helping negotiate long-term political settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Armenia Security Council chief refuses to speak about possible Pashinyan-Erdogan meeting

Check it out: "Happy" family - "Family Guy"

Biden: US will continue to advocate for release of all Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan

Armenia FM to head for New York

Macron to Armenias Sarkissian: We will spare no effort to find lasting solution to conflict

La Liga congratulates Armenia Independence Day anniversary

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Defeat, authorities that symbolize it cannot be source of inspiration, creation

Why shouldn't you drink coffee in the morning?

Britney Spears is on Instagram again!

494 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan: Challenging but honorific struggle awaits us ahead

Karekin II: Main meaning of 30th anniversary of independence is to rebuild progressive, prosperous country

Princess Beatrice welcomes her first-born

Karabakh President: Strong, developing Armenia has no alternative

Shombi Sharp: UN will continue to stand with Armenia in addressing impact of recent crises, pandemic, conflict

Armenia President: Today it turns out that we did not appreciate what we had

Georgia capital Tbilisi TV tower illuminated in colors of Armenia flag (PHOTOS)

US ambassador: We continue to look with confidence at future for Armenia as sovereign, prosperous state

Police not allowing reporters to cover PM's visit to Yerevan military pantheon

Newspaper: Azerbaijanis get more active after dismissal of commander of Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh

Armenia marks Independence Day 30th anniversary

Senior officials visiting Yerevan military pantheon on Armenia Independence Day 30th anniversary (PHOTOS)

La Liga: Barca play draw at home

Serie A: Napoli achieve 4th win, in 1st place

US launches strike at one of al-Qaida leaders in Syria

Biden to declare end of "20-year war" in Afghanistan in speech at UN General Assembly

US Ambassador to Armenia: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has yet to be settled, Artsakh status will be clarified

Nikol Pashinyan: Russian-Armenians and their businesses stand strong with the Armenian State

James Rodriguez holding talks with Qatar football club

Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan pledges investments worth $780,000,000

US says it is willing to consider return to nuclear deal with Iran

Azerbaijani-Turkish military exercises are being held in Nakhchivan

Businessman Samvel Karapetyan: I don't agree that systems have changed in Armenia, only people have changed

Two residents of Armenia's Kasakh who disappeared in Vorotan section and were returned, are at home

Kyrgyz MP proposes to appoint one Ambassador to Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenia Central Bank head: Buffer of Armenian financial organizations is sufficient to resist challenges

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative for South Caucasus to visit Armenia

Armenia PM sends telegram of condolence to Russia President

Armenia Deputy PM: Government shouldn't be involved in business

Nearly 700 projects considered during "Armenia 2020-Armenia 2041" meeting

Putin, Aliyev hold phone talks

Daniel Carvajal to miss Real Madrid's matches for about a month

Armenian filmmaker calls on Armenia citizens to join march to Yerablur Military Pantheon on Independence Day

Participation of unvaccinated footballers in 2022 FIFA World Cup is in jeopardy

Digest: Armenian women die in the Netherlands shooting, Azerbaijan returns 2 Armenians

Relatives of deceased servicemen protesting in front of Armenia government building

Russian Expert Center: Russia is ready to offer Yerevan buses and new metro wagons

"High-Level Observer Day" held as part of "Three Brothers-2021" Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan military drills

Flights to and from Gyumri and Moscow launched

Russia deputy PM: Development of new strategic document has started with Armenia

Armenian businessman: I would like for Armenia to have three official languages

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains or relics of soldiers not found in Hadrut today
These talented movie stars passed away while shooting movies, but the producers found ways to create tributes to most of them. Lets see the last movies of these actors who will always remain in our hearts.

Film production can be a dangerous thing to do. Sometimes, getting the perfect shot may pull off very risky stunts that can go deadly wrong. Even if plenty of precaution is in place, some tragic stories of actors who died during a movie production still happen.

Heres the list of incredibly talented actors who lost their lives while being part of movie production and couldnt finish their current projects.

Actors lost their lives during movie productions and couldn't finish their project. | Source: Getty Images

HEATH LEDGER

Australian actor Heath Ledger arriving for the 78th Academy Awards at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood in 2006. | Source: Getty Images

The Dark Night actor Heath Ledger left us before he could enjoy his critically acclaimed performance as the Joker. He died from a prescription drug overdose six months before the movie arrived in the theaters.

Ledger passed away in January 2008, during the filming of the fantasy movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, directed by Terry Gilliam, in which he played the main role.

To complete the film, Gilliam made Ledgers character changed up appearance and did so with the help of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Collin Farrell.

BRANDON LEE

Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son) in Los Angeles, California, circa 1992. | Source: Getty Image

Bruce Lees son and The Crowns main character died tragically during the movies production mistake, in which the crew left a real bullet in the gun fired at the actor during a scene.

Miramax took over the movie production and added $8 million in the budget to finish the movie. Lees remaining scenes were done with the help of a stunt double. Brandon Lee was just 28 years old.

PAUL WALKER

Paul Walker attends The 2003 MTV Movie Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on May 31, 2003 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images

Paul Walker was one of the main characters at the Fast and Furious franchise from the very beginning. The actor lost his life at 40 in a fatal car crash in the middle of the 7th sequel.

After mourning Walkers death, the producers worked out a way to finish the movie without him. They used Paul Walkers brothers as stand-ins in some scenes with a combination of CGI technology and camera tricking.

MARYLIN MONROE

Actress Marilyn Monroe poses for a portrait in circa 1952. | Source: Getty Images

One of the most iconic movie stars of all time also died during film production. The The Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch star died of a barbiturate overdose, a sleep-induced drug.

The movie, Somethings Got To Give was never completed but the footage was pieced together for a later documentary called Marylin: Somethings Got To Give.

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman from the film "The Savages" poses in the portrait studio during AFI FEST 2007 presented by Audi held at ArcLight Cinemas on November 9, 2007 in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images

When the highly respect Hollywood actor and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman passed at 46, he was in the middle of filming the final sequel of the Hunger Game franchise.

After decades of sobriety, Hoffman suffered a collapse and had a fatal drug overdose. Instead of faking Hoffmans character Plutarch Heavensbee with CGI tech, the producers decided to scale back his role and finish the movie.
Google, Apple pull Navalny app as Russian polls open

Polls open across Russia after a year that saw a sweeping crackdown on President Vladimir Putin's opponents. File photo: AFP

Allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny accused Apple and Google of "censorship" on Friday after they removed an opposition voting app at the start of a three-day parliamentary election in Russia.



Polls opened across the vast country on Friday after a year that saw a sweeping crackdown on President Vladimir Putin's opponents, with Russians given the option of voting online.



State media showed Putin casting his ballot online from self-isolation, several days into quarantine after coming into contact with Covid-19.



As voting began, the opposition said a "Smart Voting" app advising supporters on how to vote out Kremlin allies had been removed from the app stores of both Apple and Google.



"They caved in to the Kremlin's blackmail," Leonid Volkov, an exiled aide to Navalny, said on Telegram, after Moscow accused the US tech giants of election interference and demanded they remove the app.



Navalny ally Ivan Zhdanov accused the companies of a "shameful act of political censorship", posting a screenshot on Twitter of an email from Apple saying the app was removed because Navalny's organisation has been declared "extremist".



He said the US companies were making a "huge mistake".



Sources familiar with Google and Apple's decision said the move was taken under pressure from Russian authorities, including threats to arrest local staff of the tech giant.



One source said Apple employees faced mounting "bullying tactics and threats to arrest" at the start of the vote, while another noted Google had acted under "extraordinary duress".



The Kremlin welcomed the move, saying the tech giants had conformed with "the letter and spirit" of Russian law.



The app instructed Russians on how to vote strategically to try to defeat politicians from Putin's United Russia party, after candidates critical of the Kremlin were largely barred from running in the vote.



In power for two decades, Putin's tenure has seen tightening controls over the Russian segment of the internet. (AFP)
US, Meng Wanzhou in talks to resolve charges: report

A report says the United States is prepared to end an extradition request against Meng Wanzhou if she pleads guilty and pays a hefty fine. File photo: AFP

The US Department of Justice is in talks with Huawei and lawyers for its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou about an agreement that could allow her to return to the mainland, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday, citing Canadian sources.



Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 on a warrant from the United States, charging her with fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huawei's business dealings in Iran.



The United States is prepared to end an extradition request and criminal proceedings against Meng if she pleads guilty and pays a hefty fine, the report said, citing sources.



Both parties have been in talks for weeks, the newspaper added, citing two of its sources.



Huawei and the US Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.



Meng, who has maintained her innocence and is fighting extradition, is confined to Vancouver and monitored 24/7 by private security that she pays for as part of her bail agreement.



Judicial hearings in her extradition case wrapped up in August with the date for a ruling to be set on October 21.



Following Meng's arrest, Beijing detained two Canadians, sentencing one in August to 11 years in prison for espionage. (Reuters)
Amazon warehouse in Brieselang, Germany. Getty

Amazon's rapid expansion means they have a chance to create a better economy for working-class Americans.

It plans to add 125,000 more US jobs, and to open 100 new facilities in September alone.

The firm's huge hiring plans, higher wages, and new hubs have the scale that could change the economy for countless Americans.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

While the US continues to grapple with COVID, Amazon is busy molding the post-pandemic economy. Early signs and historical precedent suggest it could improve work for millions of Americans.

Amazon employed 950,000 US workers as of late June, or one in every 153 American workers. It plans to add more than 125,000 more payrolls, as well as open more than 100 more facilities in September alone. More significantly, it plans to pay people more and to create jobs in areas where they are sorely needed.

Amazon's leadership on wages recalls that of Henry Ford's action to lift his minimum wage in 1914, as Insider's Hillary Hoffower and Allana Akhtar previously reported. It's a goal shared by the Biden administration, which has repeatedly stressed it wants to build the economy "from the bottom up and middle out."

Amazon is his unlikely partner in this effort.

Setting the new wage floor

While the federal minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour, the retail titan is setting its own, higher minimum.

The company set a $15 minimum wage in 2018, and it quickly prompted other employers to either match this rate or lose workers.

One Miami chef told The Washington Post that higher pay in Amazon warehouses made hiring in a strenuous kitchen more difficult. Larger businesses including Levi's and Under Armour have said Amazon's rates forced them to rethink their own wages. It is borne out in academic studies. Amazon's hike raised average hourly wages by 4.7% at nearby employers, according to researchers at the University of California, Berkeley and Brandeis University.

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That bounce is set to repeat itself, with Amazon's latest hiring boom touting an average starting wage of $18. While Democrats failed earlier this year to lift the minimum wage for the first time in 20 years, Amazon's expansion is shifting the de-facto floor above the party's $15 target.

"I don't think people appreciate the extent to which Amazon puts a wage floor in a community," Tum Duy, chief economist at SGH Macro Advisors, wrote in a Tuesday tweet. "It's the first thing employers think about when a new Amazon facility arrives in town."

Building the next-generation 'factory town'

By dramatically expanding its footprint, Amazon could form a new kind of "factory town" that would further lift the country's working class, as Conor Sen, an economics columnist at Bloomberg, wrote Thursday. "Maybe these highway warehouse communities with jobs that pay increasingly respectable wages are what the future of the working class looks like."

The phrase "factory town" recalls those that dot Michigan, connected to automotive giants Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, which molded the state in the early 1900s as their factories became economic hubs and birthed new cities. Where the industrial titans brought jobs, workers and other businesses followed. Amazon's huge warehouse plans offer a 21st-century parallel.

Data shows Amazon hubs already powering stronger economic growth. In Amazon's top 10 metro areas, job creation averaged -0.4% in the three years before the company's entry, CNBC reported in 2018, citing Morgan Stanley research. In the three years after its first facilities opened, local job growth averaged 1.9%.

Some cities saw even larger jumps. In the Phoenix area, job creation rose to 2.5% from -6.3%. The Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario region of California saw growth of -0.8% surge by 8.5% after Amazon opened several warehouses and sorting facilities.

The booms also extended beyond Amazon's own employees. The cities' transportation, warehousing, and utilities sectors - the last of which includes no Amazon hires - saw job growth outperform by 3.6%, according to Morgan Stanley.

To be sure, Amazon jobs aren't without their well-publicized downsides. Stories of overworked employees, harsh conditions, and safety concerns abound. The company has also been accused of quashing a unionization effort.

Amazon has said it aims to improve its working conditions, but by sheer force and scale it is putting its thumb on the scale of the blue-collar economy.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who led Algeria out of civil war to become its longest-serving president, has died at 84, according to state television.

The report didnt provide a cause of death for the former leader, who resigned in 2019 after a 20-year rule and on the back of mass protests against him seeking a fifth term.

Bouteflika was rarely seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013. Though he was re-elected in 2014, Bouteflika was largely incapacitated, governing with the help of his brother Said and a coterie of army officers, businessmen and officials of the FLN party, known collectively as le pouvoir.

His bid for re-election at the time prompted anger and disbelief among Algerians, nearly half of whom were under 25 and didnt want to be ruled by aging veterans of the countrys war of independence from France.

During his time at the helm of one of Africas largest oil and gas exporters, Bouteflika worked to co-opt and weaken the countrys opposition parties. He was succeeded by Abdelmadjid Tebboune, a longtime government insider who was elected in a sparsely attended vote in December 2019.

Stability First

When he first came to power in 1999, Bouteflika cut a more popular figure. At the time, Algeria was still ravaged by a civil war that began in 1992 after the army, unwilling to accept an expected Islamist victory in parliamentary elections, scrapped the poll.

By the end of the decade, the rebels were divided and Bouteflika and the military exploited those splits to defeat them, effectively ending the conflict. As many as 200,000 people died in brutal fighting, thousands went missing, and Algerians who lived through the violence still credit Bouteflika for his role in restoring peace.

Barely touched by the Arab Spring uprisings that spread through the region in 2011, Algerias lawmakers approved at the time constitutional changes granting more political rights to key constituencies, including the indigenous Amazigh community, women and businessmen.

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Critically, a long run of relatively high oil prices provided Bouteflika with the financial resources to buy off public discontent with generous state benefits. During the 2014 electoral race, he quelled smaller protests with a mixture of water canons and enhancements to subsidies and public sector salaries.

The slump in oil prices during his fourth term in office, coupled with a failure to modernize and diversify the economy, made those handouts increasingly unaffordable just as thousands of teachers and doctors staged strikes in 2018, demanding better pay and work conditions.

His detractors accused Bouteflika of failing the countrys youth and allowing corruption to flourish. An inward-looking system controlled by a small and opaque cabal of aging men failed to keep pace with a fast-changing world and create enough economic growth and jobs for its youthful population of over 40 million. Unlike other OPEC members, Algeria resisted tapping the global debt market despite the oil slump, its leaders, most of them heroes of the anti-colonial movement, wary of mortgaging the countrys future to outside powers.

Military Role

Bouteflika was born on March 2, 1937, in Oujda, then French Morocco, though his parents, Ahmed Bouteflika and Mansouria Ghezlaoui, were from the Tlemcen region of Algeria.

In 1956, Bouteflika interrupted his philosophy studies to join the military wing of the National Liberation Front, known by the French acronym FLN. He went on to serve in the National Liberation Army, where he was a protege of Houari Boumedienne, a commander in the war against French colonial rule.

After Algeria won independence in 1962, Bouteflika became minister for youth and sport in the government of President Ahmed Ben Bella, whom he helped overthrow three years later in a coup led by Boumedienne, the defense minister at the time.

Bouteflika then served as foreign minister until Boumedienes death in 1978. He left the country for about six years following allegations of misappropriating public funds, returning in 1989 to a period of political turbulence. Power struggles between President Chadli Bendjedid and influential generals paralyzed the government and frustrated the public.

In 1992, the army canceled elections that the Islamic Salvation Front was set to win, triggering the civil war. Bouteflika stayed on the sidelines during the early years of fighting and then, with the support of the army, ran for president.

Electoral Success

He was the sole candidate in the 1999 ballot, with other contenders withdrawing before polling day, and was elected with 74% of the vote. International monitors made allegations of electoral fraud following his repeated landslide victories at the ballot box.

While his rise brought initial hopes of economic development and political openness, Bouteflika quickly disappointed, restricting the activities of political parties and banning new ones. Even as the economy improved, Algeria failed to reach its target oil output, because local taxes and corruption probes within the state-owned petroleum company, Sonatrach SpA, dampened foreign interest in exploration.

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U.S. envoy John Kerrys diplomatic quest to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming is meeting resistance from China, the world's biggest climate polluter, which is adamant that the United States ease confrontation over other matters if it wants Beijing to speed up its climate efforts.

Rights advocates and Republican lawmakers say they see signs, including softer language and talk of heated internal debate among Biden administration officials, that Chinas pressure is leading the United States to back off on criticism of Chinas mass detentions, forced sterilization and other abuses of its predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.

But the White House took a step this past week that could further deepen the U.S.-China divide, forming a security alliance with Britain and Australia that will mean a greater sharing of defense capabilities, including helping equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

President Joe Biden came out strong from the start of his presidency with sanctions over China's abuse of the Uyghurs, and his administration this spring called it genocide. But the U.S. desire for fast climate progress versus China's desire that the U.S. back off on issues such as human rights and religious freedom is creating conflict between two top Biden goals: steering the world away from the climate abyss and tempering Chinas rising influence.

It would be disastrous in the long term for the United States government to backtrack, tone down, let the Chinese manipulate the issue," said Nury Turkel, a Uyghur advocate and the vice chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an advisory panel that makes policy recommendations to the White House and Congress.

Chinese leaders repeatedly linked the issue of climate change and their complaints over perceived U.S. confrontation on human rights and other issues during Kerry's most recent China trip this month, Kerry told reporters in a call.

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The Chinese complained specifically about sanctions the administration has put on China's globally dominant solar panel industry, which the U.S. and rights groups say runs partly on the forced labor of imprisoned Uyghurs.

"My response to them was, 'Hey, look, climate is not ideological, its not partisan, its not a geostrategic weapon or tool, and its certainly not, you know, day-to-day politics,'' said Kerry. He told reporters in a call after the talks that he could only relay China's complaints about the sanctions to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

China in 2019 pumped out 27% of climate-eroding fossil fuel fumes, more than the rest of the developed world combined. T he United States is the second-worst offender, at 11%.

That makes China central to the world's fast-evaporating hopes of cutting fumes from use of petroleum and coal before catastrophic climate change becomes inevitable and irreversible.

Kerry, the former secretary of state and Biden's global climate envoy, has led repeated calls, online meetings and visits to Chinese officials before November's U.N. climate summit in Scotland. He has urged the Chinese to move faster on steps such as cutting their building, financing and use of dirty-burning coal-fired power plants.

He and others see that summit as a last chance to make significant emissions cuts in time. Climate efforts will also be a theme of leaders at the U.N. General Assembly this coming week.

China under President Xi Jinping has said it will hit peak climate pollution by the end of this decade and then make China climate pollution neutral by 2060, a decade later than the U.S. and other countries have pledged.

As China asserts its economic influence and territorial claims, and tension and competition rise with the United States, Xi and his officials have shown no desire to be seen as following the U.S. line on climate or anything else.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.S. diplomat in a video meeting on Kerry's latest China trip that China-U.S. cooperation on climate change cannot be divorced from the overall situation of China-U.S. relations.''

The U.S. should take positive actions to bring China-U.S. relations back on track, Wang added, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The Chinese believe that the U.S. needs cooperation from China more than China needs the United States, and like others see the United States as weaker now than in the past, said Bonnie Glaser, an expert on Asia and Asia security matters at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

U.S. global climate objectives in that context are another point of leverage, and they are trying to use that to get the United States to back off some policies they find particularly objectionable, including U.S. pressure on human rights, Glaser said.

Kerry has said no country is as committed to human rights as the United States and that his climate discussions with China's leaders have been constructive.

But there's talk China's pressure on the human rights-climate front is having effect.

An account circulating in China policy and human rights circles in Washington claimed Kerry had a forceful debate with other administration officials on the matter before his most recent China trip. Some claim administration influence in a bipartisan bill on Uyghur forced labor that stalled in the House after easily passing the Senate.

The State Department declined comment on the two matters.

Uyghur and human rights advocates say they believe administration officials are softening their tone on social media and in other public comments on China and human rights.

They point to a White House statement on a call between Xi and Biden on Sept. 9 that made no mention of human rights.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States continues trying to make progress on areas of both shared interest and mutual disputes with China.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who with Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is the main author of the Uyghur forced labor bill, said in a statement that administration officials' single-minded focus on climate led them to downplay the genocide in Xinjiang."

People working to end the genocide are horrified at what we observe" in the administration, said Julie Millsap of the Campaign for Uyghurs advocacy group. No one with knowledge of China would expect a one-off "dialogue using human rights issues as leverage for climate change is going to work," she said.

The standoff is an agonizing one for climate advocates.

Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, hesitated when asked about the matter. She wouldnt trade human rights for emission cuts, she said, but there is a way to do both.

Asked how, Clarkson said, I dont tell John Kerry how to do his job. But of course, its important we hang on to the fundamental principles.

___

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Sep. 17A 16-year-old female has been charged with assaulting Aiken High School's principal during an altercation with another student.

The female juvenile was charged with assault and battery in the third degree, according to Lt. Jennifer Hayes from the Aiken Department of Public Safety.

At around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aiken Public Safety responded to the high school in reference to a fight that had just occurred.

The principal told police two juveniles were in a fight and when he intervened, "the juvenile offender struck (the principal) multiple times in his left bicep as he was trying to get her off of the juvenile victim," according to an incident report obtained from the Aiken Department of Public Safety.

The juvenile victim stated she and the juvenile offender "had been arguing back and forth on social media" and the altercation was over social media posts, according to the report.

Police said they observed injuries to the juvenile victim's face but no injuries to the juvenile offender.

The juvenile victim declined any prosecution. The principal told officers he wished to press charges on the juvenile offender, according to the report.

The juvenile was "booked on the charges and then released," said Hayes.

This story will be updated as new information becomes available.
Streets in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, were flooded on Saturday after rain and thunderstorms poured over the area. (Photo/@wilyo8)

Streets and yards in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, were filled with floodwater on Saturday when Tuscaloosa County was under a flash flood warning, which occurs when flash flooding is either imminent or already occurring.

Several cars were stuck in the flood water after trying to drive through it, according to the Tuscaloosa County Emergency Management Agency. One person was trapped in their car, the agency reported.

The University of Alabama also reported via social media that the campus had experienced some flooding and warned drivers to avoid campus. By 3 p.m., however, the university announced that all streets on campus were cleared but still warned drivers to be cautious, as more rain throughout the evening could potentially lead to more flooding.

Floodwaters were so deep on some streets that residents were even able to swim in it, as one resident in the area captured a video of and shared to Twitter. The Willowbrook Trailer Park in Northport, Alabama, was also flooded.

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The flash flooding started around 12:45 p.m., local time, and continued until around 2 p.m. By the time the lingering thunderstorms began to come to a close over the city, 2.7 inches of rain was reported in eastern Tuscaloosa and 4.74 inches were reported in the last 24 hours at the dam located northeast of the city.

Later in the afternoon, roadways began to clear of flooding and many began reopening to vehicles, but AccuWeather Meteorologist Maura Kelly said the county could face a repeat of Saturday's events in the coming days.

"Daily showers or thunderstorms are forecast to return to the Southeast each day through the middle of the week," Kelly said. "Any additional rainfall can aggravate any lingering flooding or cause new areas of flooding to develop."

For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, DIRECTVstream, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeatherNOW is streaming on Roku and XUMO.
A funeral began in Algeria on Sunday for Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the North African country's longest-serving president, at a cemetery for its independence heroes but without the honours accorded to leaders who died before him.

Bouteflika passed away on Friday aged 84, having lived as a recluse since he was forced from power more than two years ago.

The veteran strongman quit office in April 2019 after the military abandoned him following weeks of street protests sparked by his bid to run for a fifth presidential term.

He had risen to power in 1999 on a wave of popular support as his amnesty offer to Islamist militants helped bring an end to a decade-long civil war.

An armoured vehicle towed the flag-draped coffin on a gun carriage adorned with flowers, and escorted by lines of police on motorcycles.

His successor President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, government members and foreign diplomats have gathered at the cemetery, guarded by blue and black-uniformed security officers.

The procession travelled from Bouteflika's nursing home to the cemetery east of downtown Algiers, as bystanders filmed it with their mobile phones.

Only journalists from Algerian national public media have been given access to the ceremony itself, and the official mourning period will last just three days instead of eight.

Without fanfare, in contrast with previous presidential deaths, state television had announced that Bouteflika would be laid to rest at El-Alia, where his predecessors are buried.

The People's Palace, where other presidents had lain in state, appeared to have been prepared to display his remains before the interment. However, the lying-in-state was cancelled, according to sources.

Isabelle Werenfels, a Maghreb specialist with German institute SWP, told AFP the country's leaders are likely nervous "because there is a lot of hatred on social media surrounding the figure of Bouteflika".

She added that decision makers didn't quite know what to do "because among the political, administrative and economic elites there are a rather large number who are products of or profiteers from the Bouteflika era."

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- Muted reactions -

The announcement of his death triggered muted reactions in the former French colony, and some see his two decades of rule as a time of missed opportunities.

He wanted to surpass his mentor, the country's second president Houari Boumediene, with accomplishments including a boost to Algeria's regional influence and "to turn the page on the black decade" of civil war which killed around 200,000 people, University of Algiers politics lecturer Louisa Dris Ait Hamadouche said.

Instead, "the institutions of the state have never been so weakened, so divided or so discredited," she said.

On the streets of the capital Algiers, many residents told AFP the once-formidable president would not be missed.

A retiree, Ali, said Bouteflika "served his country, but unfortunately he made a big mistake" with a fourth presidential term and then by seeking a fifth when he was ill.

- Ill health and protests -

Dubbed "Boutef" by Algerians, he was known for wearing his trademark three-piece suit even in the stifling heat, and won respect as a foreign minister in the 1970s as well as for helping foster post-civil war peace.

Algeria was largely spared the uprisings that swept the Arab world in 2011, something many credited to memories of the civil war and a boost in state handouts.

But Bouteflika's rule was marked by corruption. Despite its oil wealth, Africa's largest nation ended up with poor infrastructure and high unemployment.

Bouteflika faced criticism from rights groups and opponents who accused him of being authoritarian.

He suffered a mini-stroke in April 2013 that affected his speech, and he was forced to use a wheelchair. Yet he decided to seek a fourth mandate anyway.

His bid in 2019 for a fifth term sparked protests that soon grew into a pro-democracy movement known as "Hirak".

Some Bouteflika-era figures were eventually jailed but the old guard from his era still largely rules the country.

abh-fka/tp/it/lg
By Lidia Kelly and Gus Trompiz

MELBOURNE/PARIS (Reuters) -Australia has made a "huge" diplomatic error by ditching a multi-billion-dollar order for French submarines in favour of an alternative deal with the United States and Britain, France's envoy to Canberra said on Saturday.

Canberra announced on Thursday it would scrap its 2016 deal with France's Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines and instead build at least eight nuclear-powered ones with U.S. and British technology after striking a trilateral security partnership nL1N2QH2X7.

The move caused fury in France, a NATO ally of the United States and Britain, prompting it to recall its ambassadors to Washington and Canberra, and also riled China, the major rising power in the Indo-Pacific region.

Malaysia said on Saturday that Canberra's decision to build atomic-powered submarines could trigger a regional nuclear arms race, echoing concerns already raised by Beijing.

"It will provoke other powers to also act more aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea," the Malaysian prime minister's office said, without mentioning China.

Beijing's foreign policy in the region has become increasingly assertive, particularly its maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, some of which conflict with Malaysia's own claims.

"This has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership - because it wasn't a contract, it was a partnership that was supposed to be based on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity," France's Ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault told reporters in Canberra before returning to Paris.

France has previously branded the cancellation of the deal - valued at $40 billion in 2016 and reckoned to be worth much more today - a stab in the back nL1N2QI002.

'DUPLICITY'

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian later described the row as a "crisis" in France's relations with the United States and Australia.

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"There has been duplicity, contempt and lies - you can't play that way in an alliance," he told France 2 television.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said France was a "vital ally" and that the United States would work in the coming days to resolve the differences.

Analysts say that even if U.S. officials hope the crisis will blow over quickly, it could do lasting damage to Washington's alliance with France and Europe and throws into doubt the united front that the Biden administration has been seeking to forge against China's growing power.

Australia said it regretted the recall of the French ambassador and that it valued the relationship with France and would keep engaging with Paris on other issues.

"Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests," a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said on Saturday.

Thebault said he was very sad to have to leave Australia but added there "needs to be some reassessment" of bilateral ties.

In separate comments made to SBS radio, Thebault said of the ditched agreement: "It was not about selling salads or potatoes, it was a relationship of trust at the highest level covering questions of the highest level of secrecy and sensitivity."

The row between Paris and Canberra marks the lowest point in their relations since 1995, when Australia protested France's decision to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific and recalled its ambassador for consultations.

Public opinion in France, where President Emmanuel Macron is expected to seek a second term in an election due next year, has also been very critical of Australia and the United States.

"You can understand for geopolitical reasons Australia getting closer to other anglophone countries like the United States and Britain," said Louis Maman, a Parisian surgeon out for a stroll on Saturday on the Champs-Elysees.

"But there was a real contract and I think there was an alliance and a friendship between Australia and France. It's spoiling a friendship," he said. "I took it as a betrayal."

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly and Stefica Nicol Bikes in Australia, Gus Trompiz and Ardee Napolitano in Paris; Editing by Gareth Jones and David Clarke)
Reuters

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Didi Global Inc co-founder and President Jean Liu has told some close associates that she intends to step down, two sources familiar with the matter said, as the Chinese ride-hailing giant faces intense regulatory scrutiny following its New York listing earlier this year. Liu, 43, has in recent weeks told some associates that she expected the government to eventually take control of Didi and appoint new management, said the two sources. Liu, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc banker, told a couple of executives close to her in recent weeks - including those who had followed her to join Didi from the Wall Street bank - that she planned to leave and encouraged them to start looking for new opportunities as well, said one of the sources who was briefed on the matter.
By David Alire Garcia and Noe Torres

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Latin American and Caribbean nations should aspire to a bloc like the European Union, Mexico's president and other leaders said at a summit on Saturday, in a bid to wrest influence away from the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS).

For years, a few of the region's leftist standard-bearers who attended the gathering of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) have viewed the OAS as too close to the United States, resenting in particular its exclusion of Cuba from its members states.

The host of Saturday's summit, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, told more than a dozen presidents and prime ministers at the opening ceremony that such a revamped diplomatic body could better boost the region's inequality-stricken economies as well as confront health and other crises.

"In these times, CELAC can become the principal instrument to consolidate relations between our Latin American and Caribbean nations," he said in a cavernous ballroom at Mexico's ornate national palace where leaders took turns speaking and some sparks flew between ideological adversaries.

"We should build in the American continent something similar to what was the economic community that was the beginning of the current European Union," the leftist Lopez Obrador said. He emphasized the need to respect national sovereignty and adhere to non-interventionist and pro-development policies.

The leaders gathered at the invitation of Lopez Obrador with a stated aim of weakening the OAS. The summit's kickoff focused attention on the region's center-left leaders, including Peru's new president, Pedro Castillo, Cuba's Miguel Diaz-Canel and Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro.

Brazil's right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro pulled out from CELAC last year, criticizing it for elevating undemocratic countries. Argentina's Alberto Fernandez canceled at the last minute due to a sudden cabinet shuffle in his country.

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SPARKS FLY

Some fissures emerged among leaders. Uruguay's center-right President Luis Lacalle said his participation should not be interpreted as an embrace of some of the region's more authoritarian regimes or a rejection of the OAS.

"We are worried and look gravely at what's happening in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela," he said, ticking off what he described as repressive actions including jailing of political opponents.

Cuba's Diaz-Canel fired back by attacking neo-liberal policies that he said have retarded social progress. He also criticized Lacalle's leadership, noting the large response from a recent petition drive by his domestic political opposition.

The Uruguayan responded by criticizing Cuba's communist government, noting it does not tolerate opposition or allow its people to elect their own leaders.

Bolivian President Luis Arce called for a global agreement to forgive debts for poor countries while Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez called for a regional body to combat climate change.

A new CELAC fund to respond to natural disasters was also announced.

Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez helped set up CELAC in 2011, and his embattled successor Maduro arrived in the Mexican capital late on Friday as a surprise addition..

In remarks Friday night, Maduro suggested a new CELAC headquarters be established in the Mexican capital. Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard politely sidestepped that proposal on Saturday when asked by reporters, describing the idea as premature.

(Reporting by David Alire Garcia and Noe Torres; Editing by Andrea Ricci and David Gregorio)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP)  Coach Jimbo Fisher certainly wasnt congratulating his team for a job well done after the seventh-ranked Texas A&M Aggies blanked New Mexico 34-0 Saturday.

Were playing very average, Fisher said. Weve got to get better in all aspects and weve got to grow up across the board in everything we do and play with much more consistency as a team and learn to play off each other.

Zach Calzada threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start to power the Aggies in the rout.

The victory extends A&Ms winning streak to 11 games and gives the Aggies a 3-0 start for the first time since opening the 2016 season with six consecutive wins.

Calzada was thrust into the job last weekend against Colorado when Haynes King was injured on A&Ms second possession. King had surgery this week to repair a broken right leg, leaving Calzada to run the offense.

Calzada looked more comfortable, and the Aggies moved the ball much better Saturday than they did last week while scoring just 10 points in a win over the Buffaloes. They eclipsed their total points from that game in the first six minutes of this one and built a 24-point lead by halftime.

Fisher thought that Calzada was aiming to make home run" throws after his big plays early instead of simply running the offense effectively.

It aint (all) about throwing touchdowns," Fisher said. Its about throwing to the right guy... he has ability, but youve got to continue to make the right decisions on every play."

While happy with the fast start, the Aggies were disappointed that they added just 10 points the rest of the game.

We didnt finish," running back Isaiah Spiller said. Weve still got a young team... and were just going to keep working, thats all we can do."

Terry Wilson, a transfer from Kentucky who had 559 yards passing in the first two games, threw for just 33 yards Saturday for New Mexico (2-1) while being hurried and harassed all day. He had an interception, was sacked four times and had three passes broken up by A&Ms stingy defense.

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My biggest disappointment... was they didnt believe they could play with them until it was too late," New Mexico coach Danny Gonzales said.

It was the first shutout for the Aggies since beating Prairie View A&M 67-0 in 2016. Fisher did stop complaining about what his team needs to do better long enough to say that the defense was outstanding" Saturday.

The veteran unit knows it might have to shoulder more of the load early this season while the offense comes together.

Theres certain things that the offense has to fix and well help and be encouraging as they try to fix it," said defensive tackle DeMarvin Leal, a preseason All-America selection.

Devon Achane got things going when he grabbed a 26-yard touchdown pass to put the Aggies up early.

The Aggies forced New Mexico to punt before Calzada found Demond Demas wide open for a 70-yard touchdown on the first play of the next drive to make it 14-0. It was the first career catch for Demas, a five-star recruit in his second season with the Aggies.

Texas A&M extended the lead to 21-0 when Spiller shed three defenders on a 5-yard scoring run with about six minutes left in the second quarter.

Spiller had 117 yards rushing to bounce back after running for just 20 yards last week.

The Aggies added a field goal late in the second quarter and tacked on another one on their first drive of the second half to make it 27-0.

Calzada was intercepted by Tavian Combs on the next possession, but the Lobos couldnt take advantage of the turnover and had to punt.

Moose Muhammad collected his first career touchdown when he reeled in a 7-yard pass with one hand late in the third quarter to push the lead to 34-0.

THE TAKEAWAY

The Aggies were dominant against the Lobos, who play in the Mountain West Conference, but theyll need to eliminate mistakes and penalties next week if they hope to continue their winning streak in their SEC opener against No. 20 Arkansas.

STEPPING UP

The Aggies got big contributions on defense from a trio of freshmen to help in the win. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper had an interception, and defensive backs Tyreek Chappell and Deuce Harmon both had tackles for losses.

Theres no age limit on making plays, especially in the SEC," Leal said.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

After dropping two spots last week after their close call against Colorado, Saturdays decisive victory should allow the Aggies to retain their current position in the rankings.

UP NEXT

New Mexico: Visits UTEP next Saturday night.

Texas A&M: Faces No. 20 Arkansas next Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.
Pedro Ugarte/AFP via Getty

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the United States Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, demanding the release of people incarcerated in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack that has led to hundreds of criminal cases and precious little reflection on the far right.

The event failed to draw the massive pro-Trump crowds who gathered in January, and the area was heavily patrolled by law enforcement. Attendees hit on the usual themescomplaining about the media, and portraying themselves as the victims of state persecution.

One speaker compared the treatment of the Capitol rioterswho included, infamously, a man wearing a Camp Auschwitz sweatshirtto the persecution of Jews under Nazi rule. Calling the D.C. jail a gulag, she read off a letter that she said was from an imprisoned rioter, who complained, this reminds me of how the Jewish people were treated by the Nazis.

As the crowd gathered in the Union Square area of the Capitol grounds, We Didnt Start The Fire by Billy Joel blared from speakers.

Tensions flared from time to time with counterprotesters. A man claiming to be an Afghanistan veteran showed up with a megaphone and spoke negatively about Trump and COVID. The crowd surged towards him and one man accused him of stolen valor. Capitol Police had to intervene to prevent violence.

Counter-protesters made their presence known. Pedro Ugarte/Getty

The organizers of the Justice for J6 rally believe that those still being detained at the D.C. jail for their alleged roles in the attackswhich unsuccessfully sought to prevent Joe Biden from becoming president despite a clear election victoryare languishing under unconstitutional conditions and being held as political prisoners.

They also somehow question whether the FBI played a role in the attack, even as they downplay the unprecedented assault on the rule of law that day.

We have almost a hundred people who were nonviolent protesters being held in solitary confinement, Matt Braynard, a former Donald Trump campaign staffer and the events primary organizer, said in a video promoting the event. All for walking through an open door and then walking out, never laying a finger on anyone or causing any violence.

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D.C. Department of Corrections director Quincy Booth told The Daily Beast that all Jan. 6 detainees were treated with dignity and respect.

All residents have access to health care services to treat any illness or medical emergency experienced while in our custody, Booth said in an email. Residents are provided with out of cell time, recreation, and visitation as permissible by any COVID-19 health restrictions that may be in place or the terms of their confinement. DOC also provides residents with the access and ability to meet with their attorneys or legal representatives.

The crowd at the rally to support jailed MAGA rioters was not huge. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty

After reportedly expressing either indifference or a desire to distance himself from a potential sequel to the deadly insurrection in his name, Trump himself released a statement on Thursday with words of support for the detainees.

Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the rigged presidential election, Trump said. It has proven conclusively that we are a two-tiered system of justice. In the end, however, JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL.

The Jan. 6 attack began after those at a conspiratorial Stop the Steal Trump rally near the White Housefalsely alleging election fraud last fallmarched to the U.S. Capitol Building while Congress voted to certify the results of the 2020 election. At the rally, President Trump said the election had been stolen and told supporters that if they did not fight like hell, they (wouldnt) have a country anymore.

After rally-goers reached the Capitol, under-manned and overwhelmed U.S. Capitol Police Officers protecting the building were hit in the head, pushed down stairs, and stabbed. Capitol Police were eventually supported by the National Guard, and hours later the building was secured.

Soon after, a large fence was erected around the Capitol building. Five people died in the attack, and several officers died by suicide in the months after.

1235337876 The scene at the Justice for J6 rally in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2021, where demonstrators and counter-demonstrators gathered to face off over the fate of pro-Trump rioters who ransacked the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

Tensions have been high on Capitol Hill since the Jan. 6 meltdown, and several eerie incidents have sparked an enduring atmosphere of anxiety in Washington.

In April, a man rammed his car into a Capitol Police officer, killing him in an attack that appears to have been ideologically unrelated to Jan. 6. But just last month, a North Carolina MAGA fan parked his truck in front of the Library of Congress and demanded airstrikes on the Taliban, claiming to have a bomb. (The man eventually surrendered to police, and no one was injured.)

Mere days before the Justice for J6 Rally, Capitol Police Officers arrested a man with a machete and a truck painted with Nazi symbols who claimed to be patrolling South Capitol street.

Though the fencing around the Capitol was taken down in July, it was re-erected before the Saturday spectacle. And according to Charles Allen, a local politician on the Council of the District of Columbia who represents an area including Capitol Hill, locals were nervous in the runup to the rally.

We saw not just an attack on our democracy but an attack on our neighborhood and our community on January 6, Allen told The Daily Beast. Groups that want to whitewash what happened that day, to try to make it out that somehow the people who tried to overturn our countrys elections and tried to run roughshod on our community (are) a peaceful group It runs counter to what we saw and lived through.

Adding to the tumult, according to the National Park Service, Braynards group Look Ahead America did not have a permit for a gathering on the National Mall, though it was unclear if the rally would veer deeply into that property.

Geraldine Lovell from Maryland cries under a tree during the Justice for J6 rally. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Getty

In the weeks before Justice for J6, the Department of Homeland Security released an advisory bulletin that warned of calls for violence on multiple online platforms associated with conspiracy theories on perceived election fraud and alleged reinstatement

That said, a top FBI official indicated this past week that the agency was not aware of any specific violent plots tied to the rally.

And despite fears about violence at the protests, several far-right groups whose members attended the Jan. 6 protests urged supporters to stay away from Saturdays protest, often claiming without evidence that it was a government scheme meant to entrap Trump supporters.

The far-right Proud Boys mens group claimed their members wouldnt attend the rally, and threatened to excommunicate any Proud Boys who did. Ron Watkins, a far-right personality who has been accused of being behind the QAnon conspiracy theory, urged his audience to do yourself a favor and avoid Washington during the rally.

The Saturday rally also lacked the support of much of the pro-Trump media, as well as even Trumps most vocal supporters in Congress. While Trump endorsed, at minimum, the idea of protesting outside Congress on Jan. 6, even falsely saying he would meet the protesters outside the Capitol, nearly all right-wing personalities have either denounced Braynards event or ignored it.

While Braynard claimed members of Congress would speak at the rally, no lawmakers publicly committed ahead of time to appearing. (Congressional candidates Mike Collins and Joe Kent did take to the stage to speak.)

Casey Crawford, 28, traveled from Idaho and compared the MAGA rallies to the anti-brutality protests of last summer.

Would people have stopped rioting if George Floyds death wasnt righted? Crawford said. They would have never stopped rioting. So why should we ever stop assembling either whenever justice isnt served? Thats the whole point of America.

Steve Rusciano, 58, of Georgetown, Delaware, said the continued jailing of Jan. 6 defendants did not prompt him to attend.

Im more here to support the United States, Rusciano said. I dont like whats going on in this country. Like, God forbid you say the Pledge of Allegiance or have a flag. Its terrible.

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(Bloomberg) -- Chinese stocks suffered their worst week in a month as Beijings move to tighten the screws on Macau casinos and fears of a potential collapse of China Evergrande Group underscored the risks of investing in the nations equities market.

A soft rebound on Friday was small consolation for investors, with Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index and the mainlands CSI 300 gauge still ending the week down more than 3% each. The HSI is trading near the lowest level in almost a year and few more down days could put the CSI in the same position.

Risks are skewed to the downside amid the double whammy of macro weakness and regulatory uncertainty, Morgan Stanley strategists including Laura Wang said in a research report. The Wall Street bank cut its targets for the HSI and Hang Seng China Enterprises Index by 4% while noting the difficulty in quantifying the impact of Beijings crackdown.

Traders had just started to wade back into the waters and look for bargains, betting that the worst of Chinas regulatory crackdown may be over. Instead, what they got was Beijing unveiling a new round of measures on the gambling sector that wiped out nearly $20 billion in market value and fears of contagion from Evergrandes debt crisis hitting property and banking sectors.

Sands China Ltd. tumbled more than 40% this week, leading declines among Macau casino operators, after the government said it was looking at appointing representatives to supervise the businesses. Authorities are also considering boosting local shareholdings and tightening controls on the distribution of dividends.

The renewed scrutiny added pressure to the gambling hub already struggling with years of slowing growth and hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Bloombergs index of the six casino operators in the gambling enclave posted a 31% drop this week.

Despite perennial hopes for a rebound, the HSI is still among the worlds worst-performing primary indexes this year, this quarter and this week.

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Theres maybe been a feeling at the start of September that some of the pace of regulatory action has calmed down, said James Cordwell, analyst at Atlantic Equities LLP. But events in recent days reminded investors that the government still sees plenty of work to be done in tightening up regulation, he said.

Evergrande Crisis

Meanwhile, pressure is growing on the government to head off systemic risk by helping to restructure Evergrandes $300 billion pile of liabilities.

Worries that other Chinese property developers may run into similar financial troubles as Evergrande intensified after a unit of the indebted company said its onshore bonds were suspended from trading on Thursday.

Amid the uncertainty, the HSIs property sub-index tumbled 8% this week, its worst performance since March 2020.

Chinas Nightmare Evergrande Scenario Is an Uncontrolled Crash

Technology stocks managed to outperform the wider market Friday but also ended well down for the week, with the Hang Seng Tech Index dropping 4.4%.

Negative news continued to hang over the sector, including a Financial Times report that the government plans to break up Ant Group Co.s Alipay lending business. Government calls for better protection of gig-economy workers rights also weighed on confidence, along with a renewed call for internet companies to stop blocking links of their rivals.

Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd.s valuation dropped to a record, a sign that investors are pricing a more sustained change in its profitability or growth prospects looking ahead, Michael Lok, chief investment officer at Union Bancaire Privee, said in a research note on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Tencent Holdings Ltd. briefly lost its place among the worlds 10 largest companies by market value on Thursday, which left no Chinese company in the list.

But as Fridays uptick in stocks showed, some investors are still prepared to wager that cheaper valuations make Chinese stocks -- especially big technology names -- more attractive.

Beaten-down names in e-commerce and internet platforms still have appeal, said Zhikai Chen, head of Asian equities at BNP Paribas Asset Management.

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YouTubeThe last text Gabby Petito sent before she went missing while road-tripping across the U.S. with her fiance set off alarm bells for her mother, who became fearful for the 22-year-olds safety after receiving the odd message.Thats according to a newly-unsealed search warrant giving North Port, Florida, police permission to search a hard drive investigators found in Petitos white van, which she and Brian Laundrie, 23, had been using to tour the countrys national parks.The text message
A woman accused of berating and assaulting a Navy sailor in uniform at a Connecticut pizza shop has been arrested, authorities said Friday.

Lori Desjardins, 45, from Southington, surrendered to the Berlin Police Department on Thursday and was released on a $10,000 bond.

She is charged with third-degree assault and second-degree breach of the peace in connection with the Sept. 11 incident.

IN UK, STAR-SPANGLED BANNER PLAYED AT WINDSOR CASTLE TO MARK 20 YEARS SINCE 9/11

The exchange between her and Sean Nolte Jr., a Pennsylvania resident who was dressed in a military uniform, was captured on video. The footage shows her appearing to slap him, throwing his cap and calling him several names.

She paces back and forth in the pizzeria and continues to claim Nolte is not a member of the military.

"You disgrace the U.S. You disgrace the USA," Desjardins, who claimed her husband was in the Army, can be heard saying. "You (expletive) piece of (expletive).

"That's not a uniform," she added.

In a Facebook post, Nolte said Desjardins accused him of faking his military service. He said he kept his composure throughout the exchange.

"Being in uniform, I must maintain professionalism, so I stand there and proceed to wish her a nice day....," he wrote. "Well, looks like some of our own people can't recognize authenticity when they see it."

WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

He said he even pulled out his military identification to show Desjardins but she claimed it was fake. A woman off-camera can be heard scolding her during the tirade.

"You're not permitted to grab his hat. I don't know where this behavior is coming from," the woman says. "Just let him be."

Nolte declined to speak to Fox News about the incident, citing orders from his chain of command.
Associated Press

Four people whose bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in western Wisconsin were killed in St. Paul, Minnesota, where three of the victims lived, police said Monday. Investigators with the Saint Paul Police Departments homicide unit said in a statement that they would be assuming the lead role in the investigation into the deaths of Matthew Pettus, 26, and half-sister Jasmine Sturm, 30, and Sturms boyfriend, 35-year-old Loyace Foreman III, all of St. Paul; and 30-year-old Nitosha Flug-Presley, of Stillwater, Minnesota, a close friend of Sturm. The victims' bodies were found by a farmer in a cornfield on Sept. 12 just outside of the Town of Sheridan in Dunn County, roughly 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of St. Paul.
Drake Bell addressed his child endangerment Jeff Kravitz/2019 iHeartMedia via Getty Images

Drake Bell spoke out following his child endangerment conviction.

Bell posted an Instagram video in which he called his past behavior "reckless and irresponsible."

Bell pleaded guilty to attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Drake Bell said he owed fans an "explanation" following his child endangerment conviction, saying his actions were "reckless and irresponsible."

The former "Drake and Josh" star uploaded a video to Instagram on Friday to address the case with his 4.1 million followers. In July, the 35-year-old was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service for a 2017 incident involving a 15-year-old girl who attended one of his concerts.

According to Billboard, the victim said that Bell began communication with her online when she was 12, and the conversations became "blatantly sexual" by the time she was 15. The victim said they had exchanged explicit photos and engaged in sexual conduct on several occasions, Billboard reported.

"I know that this has moved very quickly for you," Bell said in the video. "But for me, it's been a three-year thorough investigation into every false claim that has been made."

Bell alleged: "It's not me telling you that the claims are false, but the state of Ohio has proven claims to be false. If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I would not be here at home with my wife and my son."

Bell claimed in the video that he didn't know the victim's age and stopped communication once he became aware.

"But that being said, I'm not perfect, and I made mistakes," he said. "I responded to a fan whose age I didn't know  yet when I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped."

Bell said, "this individual continued to come to shows and pay for meet-and-greets, and although I was unaware that this was the same person I was communicating with online, that's what I pled guilty to. It was reckless and irresponsible text messages."

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In June, Bell pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

In the video, Bell addressed the misdemeanor charge by claiming no sexual images were exchanged and nothing physical occurred with the victim.

Drake Bell at Nickelodeon's 25th Annual Kids' Choice Awards on March 31, 2012. Steve Granitz/Gety Images

"I want to make clear that there were no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual," Bell said. "I was not charged with anything physical. I was not charged with the disseminating of photographs or images or anything like that. This is strictly over text messages."

Bell said he took the plea deal as a way to bring the situation to a close.

"When I was presented with a plea deal because of the messages, I felt that it was the best way to get this over quickly and for everybody involved to be able to move on and for me to get back to doing what I love," Bell said.

Earlier in the video, Bell denied rumors that he legally changed his last name to "Campana" and became a citizen of Mexico.

"I didn't change my name. Although I would love to, I've never moved to Mexico. I've never been a resident or a citizen of Mexico. I don't have a Mexican passport," Bell said.

Read the original article on Insider
A former University of Miami defensive back has entered his plea in the 2006 murder of defensive lineman Bryan Pata.

Rashaun Jones, 35, pleaded not guilty Friday as he was formally charged with second-degree murder with a weapon, the Miami Herald reported Friday.

Jones had long been suspected in the November 2006 fatal shooting of Pata outside an apartment building in Kendall, about 20 miles southwest of Miami, according to the outlet.

Jones and Pata had been in conflict for weeks before the latter, who was projected to be a high NFL Draft pick, was killed just after practice at age 22, according to the paper.

Jones could still face the first-degree murder count he was originally charged on if a grand jury decides to indict, according to the outlet.

Whether the Miami-Dade State Attorneys Office will presen., according to the outlet.
Associated Press

The popular mayor of the Philippine capital said Wednesday he will run for president in next years elections, the latest aspirant in what is expected to be a crowded race to succeed controversial leader Rodrigo Duterte. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, a child scavenger before becoming an actor then entering politics, told The Associated Press that he would fight still-raging coronavirus outbreaks and long-entrenched poverty and promote democracy if he triumphs in the May 9 elections. While the 46-year-old mayor is expected to bank on his rags-to-power life story, movie star looks and widely praised projects in Manila, including cleaning up its filthy main roads and restoring order in its chaotic streets and public markets, Moreno will be up against formidable national politicians and celebrities.
The United States and Britain sought Sunday to smooth tensions with Paris over a new security pact with Australia, with US President Joe Biden requesting early talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

The announcement of the defence alliance, and Australia's related decision to tear up a deal to buy French submarines in favour of American nuclear-powered vessels, sparked outrage in Paris, with Macron recalling France's ambassadors to Canberra and Washington in an unprecedented move.

But on Sunday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tried to downplay France's concerns about the deal, saying the pact was "not meant to be exclusionary... it's not something that anybody needs to worry about and particularly not our French friends".

Biden has requested a phone call with Macron, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said, which would happen "in the coming days".

"We want explanations," Attal said, adding that the US had to answer for "what looks a lot like a major breach of trust".

The recall of the ambassadors to Australia and the US -- for the first time in the history of relations with the countries -- was "to show how unhappy we are and that there is a serious crisis between us", French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday.

"There has been lying, duplicity, a major breach of trust and contempt," Le Drian told France 2 television.

- 'Grave concerns' -

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday rejected the accusation that Canberra had lied, saying he had raised concerns over the now-scuppered subs deal "some months ago".

"I think they would have had every reason to know that we had deep and grave concerns," he told reporters in Sydney. "We made very clear that we would be making a decision based on our strategic national interest."

The French contract to supply conventional submarines to Australia was worth Aus$50 billion ($36.5 billion, 31 billion euros) when signed in 2016.

Story continues

Morrison said he understood France's disappointment, but added: "I don't regret the decision to put Australia's national interest first. Never will."

Defence Minister Peter Dutton also insisted Canberra had been "upfront, open and honest" with Paris about its concerns -- a claim quickly rejected by French Defence Minister Florence Parly.

"His statement is inaccurate," she said during a visit to Niger. "We were never informed of Australia's intentions."

- 'Ineradicable love' -

En route to New York on Sunday, Johnson told reporters that Britain and France have a "very friendly relationship", which he described as being of "huge importance".

"Our love of France is ineradicable," he said.

But although France has not recalled its ambassador to Britain, Le Drian's explanation for why was stinging.

"There is no need. We know their constant opportunism. So there is no need to bring our ambassador back to explain," he said in the France 2 interview.

Of London's role in the pact, he said: "Britain in this whole thing is a bit like the third wheel."

A source at France's defence ministry said Paris had cancelled a meeting set for this week between Parly and her British counterpart Ben Wallace.

In London, a Ministry of Defence source said they could neither confirm nor deny the cancellation.

- 'Nuclear arms race' -

Biden announced the new Australia-US-Britain defence alliance, widely seen as aimed at countering the rise of China, on Wednesday.

It extends American nuclear submarine technology to Australia, as well as cyber-defence, applied artificial intelligence and undersea capabilities.

North Korea on Monday warned the deal could trigger a "nuclear arms race" in the region.

"These are extremely undesirable and dangerous acts which will upset the strategic balance in the Asia-Pacific region and trigger off a chain of nuclear arms race," state media KCNA quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.

China has also reacted angrily, describing the deal as an "extremely irresponsible" threat, and warning the Western allies they risked "shooting themselves in the foot".

Paris' fury at what it sees as a "stab in the back" threatens long-term diplomatic repercussions.

Le Drian said NATO would have to take account of what has happened as it reconsiders strategy at a summit in Madrid next year.

France would now prioritise developing an EU security strategy when it takes over the bloc's presidency at the start of 2022, he added.

French European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune has hinted that the row could affect Australia's chances of making progress towards a trade pact with the EU, its third-biggest trading partner.

burs-jh/har/jj/reb/leg
PARIS (Reuters) - France and Russia have agreed to talks to resolve a dispute over a new Russian law that forces French champagne makers to label their bottles as sparkling wine, the French agriculture ministry said on Saturday.

Since July, all foreign suppliers to Russia must use the description "sparkling wine" on the back of bottles. Only local producers can use the label "shampanskoye" -- the Russian equivalent of champagne.

The law outraged French champagne producers, who halted shipments to Russia, and led the French government to threaten action at the World Trade Organisation.

French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said in a Twitter post he had agreed with Sergey Levin, Russia's deputy agriculture minister, to work towards a solution for the issue.

This would involve setting up a working group comprising officials and industry representatives from both countries, a ministry spokeswoman added.

The move comes days after French champagne producers, who make sparkling wine from grapes in the Champagne region of northeast France and whose label is protected in many countries, decided to resume exports to Russia.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Christina Fincher)
France's top diplomat on Saturday continued the country's onslaught of criticism against the United States and Australia, decrying the "duplicity, contempt and lies" surrounding a scrapped submarine order worth more than $60 billion.

Why it matters: In securing an agreement with the U.S. and U.K. to acquire nuclear submarines at the expense of its deal with France, Australia provoked what Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, described as a "crisis" that could threaten existing Western alliances.

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Driving the news: The deal, announced Wednesday, was part of a trilateral security pact between Australia, the U.S. and the U.K. that President Biden heralded as a "historic step."

The so-called AUKUS agreement to supply Australia with at least eight nuclear submarines using American and British technology was designed to help the U.S. counter China in the Pacific.

French officials, upset by the lack of consultation by three allies, complained that they only learned of the deal hours before it was announced and said it reminded them of what "Trump used to do," per Reuters.

The country's embassy in Washington angrily canceled a long-planned gala meant to honor the U.S.-French alliance dating back to the American Revolution.

And on Friday, France took the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia.

What they're saying: Since the deal was announced, French officials have gone on a public relations tear, blasting the countries involved in both the domestic and international press.

"The fact that, for the first time in the history of relations between the United States and France, we are recalling our ambassador for consultations is a grave political act that shows the intensity of the crisis today between our two countries and also with Australia," Le Drian told France 2 television, according to a translation from Reuters. "There has been duplicity, contempt and lies  you can't play that way in an alliance."

Allies dont treat each other with such brutality, such unpredictability, a major partner like France ... So there really is a crisis, Le Drian added, per AP. There are reasons for us to question the strength of our alliance."

Jean-Pierre Thebault, the recalled French ambassador to Australia, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the deal was "treason in the making" and said that "it is a major breach of confidence and a very bad signal.

The bottom line: America's oldest ally remains furious over the cancellation of the deal  once described as "the contract of the century"  and has indicated it is willing to take unprecedented steps in reevaluating its relationship with the U.S.

Go deeper: Biden blindsides Europe with new AUKUS alliance on China

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Police say they have exhausted all avenues searching a reserve near the home of Brian Laundrie, right, with Gabby Petito (YouTube)

The lawyer representing Gabby Petitos family has confirmed that the body recovered from Spread Creek in the Bridger-Teton National Forest is that of Ms Petito. The body underwent an autopsy Tuesday in Teton County, Wyoming. The familys attorney said they would offer a statement once Ms Petitos remains are returned home.

An eyewitness claims she saw Brian Laundrie acting weird in the Spread Creek portion of the Bridger-Teton National Forest while she was vacationing in Wyoming. The woman, Jessica Schultz, tipped off the FBI to her encounter, which helped them narrow their search area to Spread Creek. Police investigated trail cam footage that potentially captured an image of Brian Laundrie hiking, but determined there was no connection.

The examination of the remains, which were discovered on Sunday in a remote area of Bridger-Teton National Forest, in western Wyoming, was announced as police continued to search for Ms Petitos fiance, Mr Laundrie. Investigators have called him a person of interest in the case.

Officers spent much of Monday searching the Laundrie family home and were pictured loading cardboard boxes into a van and towing away a silver Ford Mustang. His parents claim they have not seen their son for more than a week.

Police were tipped off to a potential sighting of Mr Laundrie, 23, near Mobile, Alabama, on Monday. They are yet to confirm if the lead was legitimate.

Read More

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Where is Brian Laundrie? Police hunt switches to missing boyfriend after Gabby Petito remains discovered

Gabby Petito: 911 call reveals witness saw Brian Laundrie hitting, slapping girlfriend days before her disappearance

Gabby Petito: A timeline of the social media stars disappearance
Guinea's ruling junta on Saturday ruled out exile for detained former president Alpha Conde and said transition towards civilian rule would be done in accordance with "the will of the people".

The statement from the ruling council came in defiance of international pressure for Conde's release and a six-month timetable for elections after a coup on September 5 sparked global condemnation.

It also followed the visit on Friday of a mission from ECOWAS led by two heads of state from the 15-member West African bloc.

Mamady Doumbouya, the colonel who led the coup, told the visiting delegation that "it was important for ECOWAS to listen to the legitimate aspirations of the people of Guinea," said a junta spokesman, Colonel Amara Camara, at the ruling council's first press conference on the six-month deadline.

Doumbouya stressed the need not to repeat the "mistakes of the past", recalling that national consultations to outline the transition had begun on Tuesday and that "only the sovereign people of Guinea will decide its destiny", Camara said.

"It is also clear to all parties that the former president will remain in Guinea," he added.

During their visit, the Ghanaian head of state Nana Akufo-Addo, whose country holds the rotating presidency of ECOWAS, and his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara, presented the junta with the organisation's demands for elections within six months.

They also insisted on the release of Conde.

"We had very frank, fraternal talks with Colonel Doumbouya and his associates and collaborators and I think that ECOWAS and Guinea will find a way to walk together," Akufo-Addo said at the end of the visit.

The ruling council, which now designates Doumbouya as "President of the Republic and Head of State", said that the consultation sessions scheduled for Friday with banks, insurance companies and unions would be held on Saturday.

Story continues

This consultation will continue next week, it announced, including Monday meetings with cultural actors, press associations and those within the informal sector.

The military has already held talks with political parties, religious leaders, the heads of mining companies, key players in this poor but resource-rich country, and other figures.

bur-sst/blb/pbr/mbx
PALU, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesias most wanted militant with ties to the Islamic State group was killed Saturday in a shootout with security forces, the Indonesian military said, in a sweeping counterterrorism campaign against extremists in the remote mountain jungles.

Ali Kalora was one of two militants killed in the raid, said Central Sulawesis regional military chief Brig. Gen. Farid Makruf. He identified the other suspected extremist as Jaka Ramadan.

The two men were fatally shot late Saturday by a joint team of military and police officers in Central Sulawesi provinces mountainous Parigi Moutong district, Makruf said. It borders Poso district, considered an extremist hotbed in the province.

Ali Kalora was the most wanted terrorist and leader of MIT, Makruf said, referring to the Indonesian acronym of the East Indonesia Mujahideen network, a militant group that pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in 2014.

He said that security forces were searching for four remaining suspected members of the group.

Saturdays shootout occurred two months after security forces killed two suspected members of the group during a pre-dawn raid in the same mountainous district.

The East Indonesia Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for several killings of police officers and minority Christians.

Security operations in the area have intensified in recent months to try to capture members of the network, targeting Ali Kalora, the groups leader.

Kalora had eluded capture for more than a decade. He took over from Abu Wardah Santoso, who was killed by security forces in July 2016. Dozens of other leaders and members of the group have been killed or captured since then.

In May, the militants killed four Christians in a village in Poso district, including one who was beheaded. Authorities said the attack was in revenge for the killing in March of two militants, including Santoso's son.

Makruf said that rugged terrain and darkness have hampered efforts to evacuate the two bodies from the scene of the shootout in the forested village of Astina. He said the bodies of Kalora and his follower will be taken by helicopter on Sunday morning for further investigation and identification.

Indonesia, the worlds most populous Muslim-majority nation, has kept up a crackdown on militants since bombings on the tourist island of Bali in 2002 killed 202 people, mostly foreigners.

Militant attacks on foreigners in Indonesia have been largely replaced in recent years by smaller, less deadly strikes targeting the government, mainly police and anti-terrorism forces, and people militants consider to be infidels, inspired by Islamic State group tactics abroad.
MANHATTAN, Ks. (AP)  Will Howard pushed into the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a 21-point fourth quarter, which sealed a 38-17 victory for Kansas State over Nevada on Saturday.

Deuce Vaughn led the rushing attack for the Wildcats with 127 yards and a touchdown en route to the win. Vaughn has eclipsed 1,000 career yards rushing in only 13 games as a Wildcat. The sophomore running back reached the 1,000 milestone a game faster than Kansas State legend Darren Sproles.

"It's a humbling stat," Vaughn said. It's crazy to think that a year after coming to Kansas State and already over 1,000 yards. I am so thankful for this program."

Howard rushed for 56 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore quarterback went 7 of 10 in the air for 123 yards and threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Imatorbhebhe on the second play of the game.

The opening drive was crucial in creating some early momentum. That is a look that I was hoping to get, Howard said. ... That was a huge play because it really got our fans going and gave us some momentum early.

Carson Strong was 27-of-40 passing for 262 yards with a touchdown and interception for Nevada.

I think Carson did some good things," Nevada coach Jay Norvell said. He had the one turnover and we just didnt take advantage of our opportunities. We have to run the ball more effectively and play some complementary football.

Devonte Lee led the Wolf Pack in rushing with 24 yards and a touchdown. The Wolf Pack finished with 331 yards of offense but only 25 yards on the ground.

The Wildcats finished with 390 yards, 269 yards on the ground.

For us to be able to rush the football like we did is a credit to our offensive line and tight ends," Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said.

Joe Ervin found the end zone for the Wildcats with a 22-yard touchdown run.

THE TAKEAWAY

Nevada: Strong saw pressure most of the afternoon, but when he had time in the pocket, he was able to complete tight window passes including a 14-yard touchdown throw to Elijah Cooks. The Wolf Pack defense struggled to stop the persistent ground attack by the Wildcats.

Story continues

Kansas State: The ground game has been the staple of the Wildcat offense. Led by Vaughn, it was the dominant source of offensive production. Kansas State ran the football 48 times, opting to throw on 13 attempts. The Kansas State defense forced Strong into errant throws.

UP NEXT

Nevada will face Boise State on the road Oct. 2.

Kansas State will travel to face Oklahoma State on Saturday.

___

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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A woman holding an egg box and a schoolgirl holding a pencil - generic shot

In our series of letters from African journalists, Kenyan broadcaster Waihiga Mwaura considers the rollout of a new school curriculum which is proving more of a challenge for parents than their children.

Short presentational grey line

Unhappy Kenyan parents have been taking to social media to highlight challenges that they are facing as they assist their children with their homework.

With the rollout of the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) hitting children aged 10 and 11, some say they have found themselves forced to learn how to make scarecrows and fashion clocks and even wheelbarrows out of cardboard.

Some of the complaints, using the hashtag #CBCMustFall, have been tongue-in-cheek, with amusing tweets with photos showing their questionable workmanship.

"It is a curriculum where teachers give assignments to the parents, the children are just co-ordinators. We are suffering," one man tweeted.

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But others make more serious points that some parents have neither the time to spend at the end of a long day to help with homework, nor the money to buy the material needed - especially as everyone is struggling in these days of rising prices.

Homework can include sending in video clips of your child performing - and for some assignments you need a printer.

Schools in rural areas sometimes lack basic facilities for pupils

This seems to forget pupils who live in poorer areas, who face long journeys to and from schools which often lack basic infrastructure and have no internet access, and whose parents cannot afford phone data.

"In a country whose citizens are facing starvation due to drought, we are here drawing stuff on potatoes," a man in Mombasa complained about a potato-printing assignment.

So fears are growing that it could widen the gap between rich and poor.

There is also some anger that ministers, whose children often go to private schools and are not affected by the new curriculum, don't understand the challenges.

Exam cheating

To give you some context as to why reforms have been introduced, one has to go back to the origins of the curriculum that is being phased out, which was known as the 8-4-4 system.

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This refers to eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school and four years of university education.

Under the new system, pupils will no longer have to sit the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams before going to senior school

It was introduced in the 1980s with the intention of making education more open to vocational training and improving the development of "self-expression, self-discipline and independence".

But education experts say in reality it was hampered by teachers who lacked the correct training.

It was also criticised for being heavily exam-oriented with students conditioned to believe that you learn in order to pass exams rather than gaining skills and knowledge that are put into practice in real life.

It is with these shortcomings in mind that the CBC was unveiled in 2017, touted as a practical and workable education system that focused on nurturing students at an early stage.

The idea is to roll it out in phases: it started with the pre-school years and is to be in place across the board by 2023 - though because of the pandemic this date is likely to slip.

The proponents of CBC point to the success of this education system in countries such as Australia and Finland.

They argue that as there will be continuous assessment it will curtail exam cheating, which has been a massive challenge for the government, and will provide employers with graduates who are able to reason beyond the next exam.

'Expensive experiment'

They emphasise that parental involvement has a positive impact on a child's academic success.

"One father told me he now knows more about the strengths and weaknesses of his children"", Source: Waihiga Mwaura, Source description: Kenyan journalist, Image: Waihiga Mwaura

And some pupils under the new system do seem more keen to share with their parents what they have learnt at school.

One father also told me he now knows more about the strengths and weaknesses of his children; previously all he remembered was signing their diary to confirm that they had done their homework.

But the howls over scarecrows have been heard - and Nelson Havi, president of the Law Society of Kenya, has filed a petition to challenge the reforms in court.

"The education system in Kenya should not be an expensive, inefficient and ineffective experiment with our children and their future," he said.

The Ministry of Education, however, is sticking to its guns.

Education Minister George Magoha said those seeking to stop the rollout were "day-dreaming" as the train had already left the station.

Proponents of the system are calling for patience, saying CBC will lead to a better crop of students ready to face the challenges of the 21st Century.

It may take a few decades to know which system has produced the best graduates, but as Albert Einstein once said: "Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school."

More Letters from Africa:

Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
"The time is now to speak up," Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) implored his Republican colleagues in a video message posted Saturday, a day after fellow GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez announced his retirement.

Why it matters: Gonzalez was one of 10 House Republicans, including Kinzinger, who voted for impeachment. He said he had decided not to seek re-election against a Trump-backed primary challenger in 2022.

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"If you think Trump runs our party, you own his comments, or you must denounce them. If you think he doesn't lead our party, you must publicly say that. The time for hiding is over, the stakes are too high," Kinzinger said.

Driving the news: Kinzinger, one of Trump's fiercest Republican critics, was also one of 35 House Republicans to vote in favor of establishing a bipartisan commission into the Jan. 6 insurrection.

The Illinois Republican released his message on the same day that a few hundred pro-Trump demonstrators protested outside the fenced-off U.S. Capitol in a "Justice for J6" rally.

What he's saying: "The future of the Party and politics in this country doesn't rest on the 10 of us, it rests on the courage of the 180 others who have been silent so far," Kinzinger said in the video statement, referring to the January impeachment vote.

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"So many GOP colleagues watched from the sidelines lacking courage to speak out while privately hoping for change," he said.

"When we all publicly take sides, then we can answer the question once and for all whose party is this," he added.

Go deeper: Kinzinger allies launch advocacy group

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Republicans and former President Donald Trump will be nowhere near a rally planned for Saturday at the Capitol building by those who sympathize with the hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters charged and, in some cases, held in extended custody for trespassing and other offenses.

The House and Senate wont be in session during the Justice for J6 Rally.

The entire campus has been surrounded by fencing, and other security measures are firmly in place to keep rally-goers from accessing the building.

NAVY BEGINS DEEP-SEA RECOVERY MISSION FOR HELICOPTER WRECKAGE

Former Trump campaign staffer Matthew Braynard planned the event in solidarity with those charged with rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6 when the House and Senate convened to certify Joe Bidens presidential victory.

As many as 700 people may attend the rally on Saturday, officials said.

But big conservative names are staying away, and some are warning the event is a trap for those who show up.

Trump said in a statement that the Jan. 6 protesters under prosecution for their actions that day are being persecuted so unfairly. However, he told the Federalist the Saturday rally was a setup that would result in harassment of attendees or low attendance overall.

If people dont show up, theyll say, Oh, its a lack of spirit. And if people do show up, theyll be harassed, Trump told the media outlet.

Other conservative luminaries will also skip the event.

Aides for Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who criticized the extended imprisonment of some of the rioters, said they dont plan to go. Law enforcement officials said Friday they do not know any lawmaker who plans to attend.

Republicans are increasingly eager to distance themselves from the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and any possible repeat of the violence and disturbing images from that day, which they fear will be linked to their party forever.

Republicans opposed creating a special committee to examine the riot because they believe Democrats will use the panel to keep the riot in the news and promote the idea that Republicans were to blame because many of them voted to challenge Bidens electoral victory, citing voter irregularities.

Story continues

Despite what is expected to be a small crowd size on Saturday, Capitol and D.C. police are not risking a repeat of Jan. 6, when hundreds of protesters stormed past police and into the Capitol, many of them violently, and took over the building while lawmakers and staff ran for their lives.

Capitol Police resurrected a ring of nonscaleable fencing to keep people off the grounds entirely and will be ready with riot gear and extra police.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said Friday there have been some threats of violence associated with the rally.

He told reporters at a press conference that law enforcement is concerned violence could also erupt if counterprotesters show up and the two sides clash.

We are concerned about, more than anything, is the possibility of counterdemonstrators making it to this demonstration and there being violence between these two groups, Manger said.

In addition to extra police, the Pentagon has approved 100 National Guard troops to be deployed if needed.

The rally will take place at the bottom of the west side of the Capitol, outside the fencing.

Rally organizers told attendees to wear red, white, and blue and carry signs supporting the "J6 prisoners.

Do not wear or bring political, candidate, or another organizations paraphernalia. This includes clothing or banners supportive of President Trump or President Biden, organizers advised.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

More than 600 people have been charged in the Jan. 6 riot, many for trespassing and disorderly conduct. More than three dozen are in jail.

Gaetz, Greene, and Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, have called on the Department of Justice to release the jailed rioters, who they say are political prisoners subjected to extreme punishment, including beatings and solitary confinement for 23 hours a day.

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: News, Congress, Capitol, January 6, Donald Trump, Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz

Original Author: Susan Ferrechio

Original Location: Lawmakers won't be anywhere near Saturday's 'Jan. 6' rally outside the Capitol
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia on Saturday expressed concerns that Australia's plan to build nuclear-powered submarines under a new pact with Britain and the United States could catalyze a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia will build eight nuclear-powered submarines under an Indo-Pacific security partnership that has riled China.

"It will provoke other powers to also act more aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea," Malaysia's Prime Minister Office said in a statement.

The statement did not mention China, but Beijing's foreign policy in the region has been increasingly assertive, particularly its maritime claims in the resource-rich South China Sea, some of which conflict with Malaysia's own claims.

"As a country within ASEAN, Malaysia holds the principle of maintaining ASEAN as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOFPAN)," the statement said.

Malaysia urged all parties to avoid any provocation and arms competition in the region.

(Reporting by Mei Mei Chu; Editing by Christina Fincher)
WASHINGTON  A redux of Jan. 6, it was not.

A far-right rally staged near the heavily-guarded Capitol opened and closed Saturday with a modest gathering of demonstrators who appeared at some points outnumbered by police and journalists.

Planners for the much-anticipated event had projected up to 700 protesters, but far fewer turned up for an event billed to raise support for hundreds of rioters arrested in the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol assault.

Capitol Police estimated that the gathering numbered up to 450. But that did not account for a legion of journalists who descended on the Union Square plaza along with counter-protesters who joined the group.

Organizers and demonstrators immediately attributed the sparse gathering to the heavy security presence, fears of violence and unfounded chatter on social media that the event was designed as a set-up for a new sweep of arrests by law enforcement.

Police reported just four arrests, including an unidentified man with a gun who was spotted about 1:30 p.m., shortly after the gathering broke up.

Throughout the 75-minute program, organizer Matt Braynard urged the group to refrain from violent outbursts, as the former Trump campaign staffer and a small number of speakers described most of the Jan. 6 rioters as "political prisoners."

A small army of law enforcement, some outfitted in full body armor and riot shields, had been assembled to confront the demonstrators, just eight months after the Capitol building was breached by violent supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The demonstration sputtered to life against the imposing security backdrop with the Capitol grounds once again sheathed in iron fencing.

More: Fencing returns to Capitol ahead of right-wing rally. What we know about 'Justice for J6' protest

More: 'Justice for J6' organizers urge rallygoers not to wear Trump, Biden clothes to DC protest

U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger speaks to reporters after attending a classified briefing with congressional leaders on the security preparations for a rally taking place this weekend on Capitol Hill on September 13, 2021 in Washington, D.C.

Police detain man with knife at rally

Police also arrested a man who was carrying a large knife and appeared to be dressed as a journalist.

Story continues

Authorities detained the man, who was not immediately identified, against a bike-rack barrier, before taking him away.

Metropolitan Police said the arrest was made by Capitol Police, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

 Kevin Johnson

A person is detained by police for being in possession of a knife as supporters of those charged in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol attend the 'Justice for J6' rally near the U.S. Capitol September 18, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Rally draws counter-protesters among modest crowd

Counter-protesters easily infiltrated the rally, some of them carrying signs criticizing the J6 cause.

There Is No Right of Insurrection, one sign said. The other side of that placard said, Do The Crime. Do The Time.

Doug Hughes, the sign bearer, said he flew to DC from Tampa, Fla., to make his statement. I had something to say, and it was worth the cost to come up here and say it, said Hughes, a retired mail carrier.

Rick Fiori, 53, a company manager from Washington, carried a sign with a portrait of Benedict Arnold and a pointed message for the Jan. 6 rally: Traitors - All of You.

Blaming Republicans for the protest, Fiori said: This is a party that no longer believes in a transfer of power.

The rally attendees had signs of their own.

Said one: 8th Amendment. No Excessive Bail. Presumed Innocent. Another: Corruption of Justice Is Evil.

Stephanie Lu, 50, a research assistant who traveled to the rally with about 20 people from New York City, said the treatment of the Jan. 6 prisoners is another sign of a nation in decline.

I dont want to see this country go down, like communist China, Lu said.

 David Jackson

A counter-protestor is escorted out of the rally site by police officers as supporters of those charged in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol attend the 'Justice for J6' rally near the U.S. Capitol September 18, 2021 in Washington, DC.

More press than protesters at Freedom Plaza ahead of rally

Media members outnumbered early-arriving attendees at the rally site near the Capitol and at Freedom Plaza, the site of a planned counter-protest, in the 30 minutes before the rally was to begin.

A few police vehicles and news station vans lined Freedom Plaza, but the scene otherwise resembled be a typical D.C day with tourists riding by on bikes and eating at restaurant patios outside just across the street. About 20 organizers sat about surrounded by cases of waters and grocery bags.

 Savannah Behrmann and David Jackson

Rallygoers call security excessive

The few rallygoers who got to the site early said the protest is not about Trump or politics, but about what they call an abuse of the justice system regarding jailed Jan. 6 rioters.

There are a lot of people in there who are not violent offenders, said Anders Bruce, 30, a test tutor who said he lives in northern Virginia. The punishment is disproportionate to the alleged crime.

Bruce and a friend stood near a small stage, just across a reflecting pond from the massive equestrian statue of victorious Civil War general and President Ulysses Grant.

After a weapons-sniffing dog trotted up and inspected Bruce and a friend, they criticized the heavy security precautions.

Its excessive and its theatrical, Bruce said.

 David Jackson

Meet the organizer of the Capitol demonstration

Braynard, a former campaign data strategist who was dismissed from the Trump campaign in 2016, has emerged as the unlikely face of the demonstration aimed at recasting the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Before driving promotion for the rally, Braynard worked in the trenches with Trump allies in the months after the election pushing the false narrative that gave birth to Jan. 6: that President Joe Bidens election was illegitimate.

Last year, Braynard was listed in court records as a paid expert witness involving alleged voting irregularities in Arizona. The court documents include a biography, identifying Braynard as a principle of External Affairs Inc., which claims to have represented more than 200 candidates for public office, from president to town council.

 Kevin Johnson

Joggers, tourists meet security ahead of Capitol demonstration

Police blanketed the protest area with armed security in the hours leading up to the rally.

Dozens of blue-uniformed police roamed the streets, by foot and by bike. Police vehicles, blue lights flashing, flanked the protest site, a rectangle of grass just west of the lawn of the U.S. Capitol building.

A helicopter buzzed the area from above.

Road-scraping dump trucks normally used to remove snow blocked access to 3rd Street, which runs along the protest site. Their purpose: Prevent an attack by a ramming car, as happened in Charlottesville, Va., a few years back.

Even some of the anti-Trump counter-protesters who gathered near the sites thought the security a bit much, noting that the protestors were expected to draw only hundreds of people.

We have all of this for 700 people? said Nadine Seiler, 55, a home organizer who lives in Waldorf, Md. This is a waste of money  I think its totally overcompensating for what happened on Jan. 6.

Seiler said she came to the rally to shout down fascists.

Her friend Karen Irwin, 46, a bartender who came down from New York City to counter-protest, said she felt obligated to offer a dissenting voice and show the protesters they dont speak for us. Irwin mocked the rally organizers complaints about the incarceration of Jan. 6 rioters.

Terrorists are not political prisoners, she said. Thats what my sign says.

There were also signs of Saturday morning normalcy downtown: Joggers, guided tours, and people in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue snapping photos of the Capitol building. Music blared from boom boxes, including the protest anthem Fight The Power.

 David Jackson

'It might just be me and a bullhorn'

In recent days, rally organizer Matt Braynard has appeared to downplay expectations for the size of the gathering, contending that the heavy security measures are more aimed at "intimidation" than protection and designed to discourage people from attending the so-called "Justice for J6" event.

"It's all meant to deter people from coming," said Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer whose group has cast most of the more than 600 arrested in the Capitol attack as "political prisoners."

"It's all about dragging down attendance. In the end, it might just be me and a bullhorn," he told USA TODAY.

Trump, who lauded the Jan. 6 rioters as patriots, later this week appeared to whip support for Saturday's event, referring to rioters as "persecuted" protesters.

"Our hearts and minds are with the people being persecuted so unfairly relating to the January 6th protest concerning the Rigged Presidential Election," Trump said in a statement. "In addition to everything else, it has proven conclusively that we are a two-tiered system of justice. In the end, however, JUSTICE WILL PREVAIL!"

But Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said the event is not generating the same social media excitement that accompanied Jan. 6.

Some groups, including the far-right Proud Boys, have been "mocking" the event, suggesting it's a set-up by law enforcement to conduct a new sweep of arrests," Beirich said.

"This is not an event that is being celebrated by far-right extremist groups," she said.

Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and Homeland Security

Early estimates have projected a crowd of up to 700 demonstrators who are expected to gather at Union Square, a public plaza just west of the Capitol.

If accurate, even that number would represent a fraction of the violent throng that ultimately swarmed the Capitol building in January, leaving five dead and nearly 150 police officers injured.

Yet that horrific January scene and a deadly April incident in which a car rammed a Capitol barricade, killing officer William Evans, remain fresh reminders that the iconic domed building not only serves as a symbol of American democracy but a looming target.

The anxiety was on display as recently as last month when parts of the government complex were evacuated after a North Carolina man, suffering from mental illness, warned that he was carrying a bomb in a pickup truck parked near the Capitol. No explosive was recovered, but the incident prompted an all-out response by law enforcement.

Little, apparently, is being left to chance Saturday, as federal and local law enforcement officials were called this week to brief lawmakers about their preparations.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., sent a letter to colleagues Wednesday promising that security officials would be better prepared for Saturday than on Jan. 6.

"The Leadership of the Congress, on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, has been briefed by the Capitol Police Board on the nature of the threat and the unprecedented preparations to address another attempt to defile our national purpose," Pelosi wrote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., also has expressed satisfaction with the security plan.

"I think they're ready for whatever might happen, Schumer said earlier this week.

In addition to the fencing and the full deployment of the Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department has activated its entire force for the event.

The Department of Homeland Security also said it was coordinating with Capitol Police and public safety partners "out of an abundance of caution," while others have urged preparations for a worst-case scenario.

Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who oversaw a critical review of Capitol Police operations in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riot, said security officials "must assume that this rally has the potential to become a terrorist attack" and officers should be prepared to use lethal force, if necessary.

More: Local, federal police brace for upcoming rally supporting Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants

Honore's report, released in March, called for a revamped training program, intelligence gathering system and an effort to fill hundreds of positions.

Ive got confidence in them (Capitol police). They now have equipment to use in civil disturbances; they have been getting recent training. I dont think they want to take another  whoopin, Honore said.

"We ought not be stupid again," he said.

Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honore rides in a troop carrier as he goes to meetings with city and military officials in New Orleans in 2005.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the law enforcement think tank Police Executive Research Forum who has talked with security planners, said Saturday's rally represents the first major test for local authorities since the deadly Capitol riot.

"So much happened on Jan. 6 that underscored the importance of intelligence, mutual aid, communications and the need for a Plan B," Wexler said.

Organizer: Event designed to be 'peaceful'

While the rally is pushing a politically-charged counter-narrative of the Jan. 6 violence, organizer Braynard maintains that the event, and other similar gatherings planned Saturday in more than a dozen states, are designed to be "peaceful."

In a video message, Braynard has urged demonstrators to be "respectful and kind" to law enforcement officers. He has discouraged attendees from openly supporting political candidates with distinctive clothing, flags and other symbols that associated Jan. 6 with Trump.

Instead, Braynard said the purpose was to call attention to what he described as "grave violations of civil rights" involving hundreds of those charged in the January riot.

"We're battling disinformation," he said in an interview.

Even if the event lacks numbers, Beirich, of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said the group's message will likely resonate with the far-right.

"One of the biggest concerns is this narrative that they have been pushing, as if these (Jan. 6 rioters) were on the level of Martin Luther King," Beirich said. "It's part of an attempt at undermining our democratic principles."

.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justice for J6 updates: Live from DC rally supporting Capitol rioters
The US government is set to fly back to Haiti thousands of migrants who have gathered under a US-Mexico border bridge in recent days, US media report.

Flights will begin on Sunday and could involve up to eight a day, officials told the Associated Press.

At least 10,000 people, mostly Haitian migrants, are camped under the bridge connecting Del Rio in Texas to Mexico's Ciudad Acuna, and more are expected.

Del Rio's mayor Bruno Lozano has declared a state of emergency.

Describing the situation as "unprecedented" and "surreal", he said border patrol had been overwhelmed and "agitated" migrants were living in impossible conditions.

The border crossing at Del Rio was temporarily closed on Friday "to respond to urgent safety and security needs presented by" the influx of migrants, US Customs and Border Protection said.

The makeshift camp at Del Rio has few basic services and migrants, waiting in temperatures of 37C (99F), have been wading back across the river into Mexico to get supplies.

Shelters have been made from giant reeds and many are using the river to bathe and wash clothes in, the AP reports. At least two babies are reported to have been born in the camp.

Ramses Colon, a 41-year-old Afro-Cuban asylum seeker who worked in Peru to save money for the trip, said the camp was "chaos".

"You stand there among thousands with your little ticket waiting for your turn," he told the Washington Post. Migrants have been given tickets with numbers while they wait to be processed.

Republican Congressman Tony Gonzalez, whose district includes Del Rio, said in an interview with Fox News that the situation is "as bad as I've ever seen it".

"When you see the amount of people and how chaotic it is and how there is literally no border, folks are coming to and from Mexico with ease, it's gut wrenching and it's dangerous," Mr Gonzalez added.

Story continues

Migrants have been camping under the bridge to escape the heat

The migrants are mostly Haitians, with some Cubans, Peruvians, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans also present, reports say.

They appear to be part of a larger wave of Haitians heading north, many of whom arrived in Brazil and other South American nations after the 2010 earthquake, the Washington Post reports.

The US government has been facing a surge of migrants at the border.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the number of migrants detained at the US-Mexico border in July exceeded 200,000 for the first time in 21 years, government data shows.

And last month, the authorities arrested more than 195,000 migrants at the Mexican border, according to government data released on Wednesday. This summer's numbers represent a significant increase from the 51,000 arrested in August 2019.

Map

Immigrants rights activist Jenn Budd told the BBC she believes the situation is a direct result of the Biden administration's extension of Title 42, a Trump-era pandemic policy that allows the US to swiftly expel undocumented migrants.

"When you have large numbers of people who need refugee or asylum status, and have essentially closed down the system that deals with refugees and asylum seekers, then you have people with no other choice but to cross illegally," said Ms Budd, a former Border Patrol agent and intelligence analyst.

"In order to have national security, you have to have a robust and humane asylum system," she added. "Otherwise, people end up spilling over illegally, nobody gets checked, and then people get hurt like this".

On Thursday, a federal judge blocked the administration from continuing to use title 42. The judge said that the policy does not give the government power to expel migrants or deny them opportunities to seek asylum. The order will go into effect in 14 days, giving the government an opportunity to appeal.

Since taking office, President Joe Biden, who had vowed to reform US immigration, has created a taskforce to reunify migrant children with their families, paused construction of Donald Trump's border wall, and called for reviews of legal immigration programmes terminated by his predecessor.

Mr Biden has also presided over a record-breaking influx of arrivals to the US southern border, including hundreds of unaccompanied children who are being held in US immigration detention facilities.

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NEW YORK (AP)  Gary Sanchez failed to catch a foul popup that led to a seven-run fifth inning capped by Andres Gimenezs three-run homer, and the Cleveland Indians routed the Yankees 11-3 on Saturday to drop New York out of a playoff position.

Definitely a play there that Im used to making, especially this year. I thought Ive been very good catching those flies, Sanchez said through a translator. I think this is the first one I missed this year but just a bad read there with the fly ball

Franmil Reyes hit an RBI double off Albert Abreu in the big fifth inning and a two-run homer in the sixth against Andrew Heaney.

Yu Cheng put the Indians ahead with a second-inning homer off Luis Gil (1-1) and added a two-run double in the fifth against Abreu. Jose Ramirez hit his 34th homer in the eighth against Heaney.

New York has 13 games left and fell a a half-game behind Toronto for the second AL wild card. The Yankees dropped 1 1/2 games behind wild card-leading Boston.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the foul popup was a play Sanchez had to make.

He just missed it," Boone said. "Obviously, any time a popup to the catcher right behind home plate, it has that backspin, so it kind of comes back but catchers are usually prepared for that.

Garys actually usually good with popups. I think he probably got a little to upright and didnt move enough as it kind of worked its way back to the field but yeah you got to make that play.

A day after the Yankees won the series opener 8-0, they fell behind 10-0 by the sixth inning on Don Mattingly Bobblehead Day. The former Yankees captain was a six-time All-Star but missed the playoffs in all but one of his 14 big league seasons.

Sanchez failed to tag out the Mets Jonathan Villar last weekend when Joey Gallos throw reached the plate 20 feet ahead of him, then was criticized by manager Aaron Boone after failing to prevent two costly wild pitches in Thursdays 3-2, 10-inning loss in Baltimore.

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Sanchez overran a foul pop behind the plate by Oscar Mercado in the fifth inning on the sunny afternoon, misreading the backspin as the ball fell on the dirt behind the plate. He was charged with his sixth error.

The Yankees have made 92 errors, fourth-most in the major leagues.

Mercado slammed his bat in frustration thinking the at-bat was over but returned to the plate and was hit by a pitch.

I think I got under it too much and when the ball is coming down it has backspin and I wasnt in a good position to catch it there," Sanchez said, "but you got to put it aside and the next time it happens you got to find yourself in a better position and make that play,

Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit hit late homers for New York, which has lost 14 of 21 following a 13-game winning streak. Gallo left after the third inning because of neck tightness.

Aaron Civale (11-4) pitched six scoreless innings of four-hit ball in his third start since returning from missing over two months with a sprained middle finger on his right hand. It was his third career scoreless start of at least six innings and Civale did it with several family and friends from his hometown of East Windsor, Connecticut, in the crowd.

To be able to do that here, its awesome, for sure and any time you can pitch in one of these stadiums where you grew up rooting for one of these teams, its always special, said Civale, who grew up rooting for Boston.

Cleveland is just 72-74 and won for only the third time in 11 games after allowing five homers in Fridays series opener.

It was good to see us play that kind of game after yesterday, Indians interim manager DeMarlo Hale said.

Mercados hit by pitch began a string of six straight hitters to reach base. Ramirez walked and Reyes greeted Abreu with a double over leaping third baseman DJ LeMahieu.

Cheng doubled for a 4-0 lead and Owen Miller hit an RBI single through the drawn-in infield.

Fans cheered sarcastically when Sanchez caught Austin Hedges popup, and Gimenez homered for an 8-0 lead.

Reyes hit a two-run homer in the sixth following LeMahieus throwing error.

Gil allowed three runs  two earned  and three hits in 4 1/3 innings. He was optioned back to Triple-A after the game.

No, not at all, Gil said when asked if he lost focus after Sanchezs miscue. We need to understand were humans and were going to make mistakes from time to time. It was a difficult fly ball for Gary.

TRAINERS ROOM

Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (strained right shoulder) will throw four or 55-60 pitches in a minor league rehabilitation appearance for Double-A Akron on Sunday. Bieber has been on the injured list since June 14.  1B Bobby Bradley (hip) was held out of the lineup.

Yankees: RHP Luis Severino (Tommy John surgery on Feb. 27, 2020) was feeling upbeat after throwing a simulated game Friday according to Boone.  RHP Jameson Taillon (right ankle tendon) threw a bullpen.  RHP Jonathan Loaisiga (strained right shoulder) played catch.  RHP Domingo German (right shoulder inflammation) was scheduled for a minor league rehabilitation appearance Saturday night.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole (15-7, 2.75 ERA) opposes RHP Eli Morgan (2-7, 6.03) Sunday.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
This story was first reported by the Flatwater Free Press, Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories, and shared with USA TODAY.

Its early summer and a Lakota woman stares into the trees, deep past the leaves and their shadows, her dark eyes misting up.

Norma LeRoy tries to understand why a school secretary cut her two girls hair without her consent in the spring of 2020. The secretary was checking for lice, LeRoy was told  lice the mother said they never found.

LeRoy feels like few in this remote region of Nebraska's Cherry County understand what they took. Its why the 36-year-old Rosebud Sioux has to turn away from her kids, toward the trees, to shield them from her tears.

To her people, hair is sacred. Cutting it outside Lakota tradition carries consequences.

Happiness, the goodness, the wellness of life, that takes all that away, LeRoy said. And so that's the reason why we, as Native Americans, look at our hair strongly. Because it comes from the spirit world, and it was given to us.

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In Kilgore, population 79, less than four miles from South Dakotas Rosebud Indian Reservation, hair cutting dredges up dark history. Stories of boarding schools where they sheared the jet black hair of Native Americans to make them look more like white people. Like those boarding school kids, LeRoy and her wife Alice Johnson say their girls  ages 12 and 7  also lost something. And immediately before and after the hair cutting, three of their grandmothers died.

Wakuza.

It invited bad luck, LeRoy said.

You dont get lice if you have clean hair, LeRoy said the secretary told her.

Other residents say the secretarys good heart shouldnt be ignored.

Norma LeRoy, left, and Alice Johnson hold their daughters, ages 7 and 12 in Valentine City Park on May 21. They have filed a lawsuit against Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools, alleging that their daughters' hair was cut in violation of Lakota religious and cultural beliefs and their civil rights.

George Johnson, a retired rancher in Cody, 15 miles from Kilgore, served on the school board decades ago when it hired the secretary.

Without a principal, the secretary led the school, Johnson said, caring for his kids and many others. She advocated for children whose families couldnt afford backpacks, coats or boots. Occasionally, the school has trimmed hair to stop the spread of lice, Johnson said.

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While he doesnt know what happened in this case, Johnson said whatever happened, there was a reason.

'Senseless erasure': The US is reckoning with Indigenous education  from Hawaii to South Dakota to Maine

[She] did not do this out of animosity, punishment or anything else, Johnson said. She did it to help the children and keep the school safe. Shes not that type of person, I guarantee you.

On May 17, the two mothers filed a lawsuit in federal court in Lincoln against the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools district. The mothers allege their first amendment rights were violated.

Calls, emails, text messages and Facebook messages sent to the secretary, school superintendent, former superintendent and all six school board members went either unanswered or the person declined to comment. The schools lawyer, Chuck Wilbrand of Knudsen Law Firm in Lincoln, also declined to comment.

On July 15, the school and its attorney filed a motion to dismiss the case. School officials were unaware hair cutting was culturally insensitive, the motion reads, and the schools former superintendent agreed not to cut the childrens hair in the future.

That did little to appease LeRoy and Johnson, who said the school violated their familys culture in the same manner that Native culture has long been violated.

I just want people to understand that you cannot touch another person's child, Johnson said. Every religion has beliefs. Every culture has beliefs that we have rules that we live by. And I want people to know that.

'Wait, who cut your hair?'

To understand the importance of hair to the Lakota, you need to know about the star woman.

Long ago, the story goes, a woman sat in the Big Dipper. Lonely, she grew her hair long enough to reach Earth. When she got here, she cut it.

She cut it because she needed to come down here to build a life, LeRoy said. And for her to build that life, she used her hair. And so this is why we say that there are strict restrictions on women with long hair. Because their spirit lives within their hair. And once you cut that, part of their spirits gone.

LeRoy grew up on these stories. She learned the Lakota language, ceremonies and traditions from her grandmother on the Rosebud reservation, where she lived most of her life.

Norma LeRoy, left, and Alice Johnson hold their daughters, ages 7 and 12 in Valentine City Park on May 21. They have filed a lawsuit against Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools, alleging that their daughters' hair was cut in violation of Lakota religious and cultural beliefs and their civil rights.

LeRoy and Johnson met on Facebook in 2015 and married a year later. Each had daughters from previous marriages and after marrying had one more. They are raising their four children with Lakota traditions.

But they are also raising them in a small, mostly white, Nebraska town  which wasnt a problem until March 2, 2020.

I was like, Wait, who cut your hair? Johnson said when her 10-year-old daughter told her about the incident.

The girls told their mother the school secretary did it. When they called the superintendent, he said it was a head lice check. The schools student handbook doesnt outline how lice checks are performed.

History curriculum, books were written by and for white people. What about kids of color?

In its motion to dismiss, the school district says while hair cutting is not written policy, ...the School District would sometimes cut a single strand of hair that contained the louse and tape it to a piece of paper to show the family. The school district said it made steps to remedy the situation, agreeing on March 13 not to cut the childrens hair again. It returned one strand to the family, to burn in accordance with Lakota beliefs.

After the hair cutting, the two mothers drove to the Rosebud reservation. They went to see Waycee His Holy Horse, a spiritual leader, reservation police officer and LeRoys cousin, who performed rituals to protect the childrens spirits.

[I felt] hurt, betrayal, anger and confusion, said Lila Kills in Sight, the spiritual leaders mother, who bathed the children with a sponge during the rituals. We're in a new era and I just thought everyone knew about Native people and how we do things.

They acted like they didn't do anything wrong.

Lakota author and activist Zitkala-Sa pictured in 1898. As a girl, she was forcibly sheared. As an adult, she wrote of the experience: I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit...now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.

'Kill the Indian ... save the man'

As the story circulated on social media, raw emotions surfaced.

Having the seventh, eighth, tenth generation having to go through it again...I mean, it's just a big eye opener because it's being relived, LeRoy said.

On March 3, 1819, the United States signed the Civilization Fund Act. That ushered in an era when boarding schools nationwide, including in Nebraska, separated Native children from their families.

Internet dead zones and 'thick' homework packets took an emotional toll on Navajo students during COVID-19 school year: They didn't give up.

...All the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him, and save the man, Capt. Richard H. Pratt, who founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, famously said in 1892.

In 1884, Christian missionaries came to South Dakotas Yankton Reservation and took 8-year-old Zitkala-Sa from her mother.

I remember being dragged out, though I resisted by kicking and scratching wildly, Zitkala-Sa wrote in 1900 of her hair cutting. In spite of myself, I was carried downstairs and tied fast in a chair. I cried aloud, shaking my head all the while until I felt the cold blades of the scissors against my neck, and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids. Then I lost my spirit...now I was only one of many little animals driven by a herder.

'Now times have changed' and 'we can speak up'

On March 9, Johnson, LeRoy and a procession of grandmothers drove to the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools Board of Education meeting to tell those stories. Board members listened as the women read a letter and asked for cultural sensitivity training, said the mothers.

When they finished, Adam Naslund, school board president, thanked them for sharing, according to meeting minutes.

The mothers and the ACLU said the school has since declined to implement cultural sensitivity training. In its motion to dismiss, the school district says it never discriminated, took quick action to prevent future hair cuttings, and argued no further training is needed.

'What happened': Father files $1M lawsuit after daughter's hair cut by Michigan teacher without permission

'Far too late': Colorado governor rescinds 1864 order to kill Native Americans

As for the fact it brings up memories of boarding schools, the motion reads, This could not be further from the truth.

To the mothers and Lakota leaders, the hair cutting incident serves as a painful reminder of past and present repression. They hope the civil case can serve as a voice for the generations of Lakota children who have suffered in silence.

[That little girl] didnt have someone to speak up for her and say, Dont cut my childs hair, Johnson said. Now times have changed enough that we can speak up about it.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Handout: A Nebraska school's lice check, a Lakota family's anguish
By Alexandra Ulmer

CIUDAD ACUNA, Mexico (Reuters) - Eddyson Langlais, 24, was huddled under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas, alongside thousands of fellow Haitian migrants on Friday night, when he saw news on Facebook that felt like a gut punch: The United States was going to fly Haitians back to their homeland.

He immediately called his parents in Port-au-Prince, who live in a small house with several other cousins in the Haitian capital. His father, a taxi driver who has been unable to work since his car broke down, and his mother, who sells bread in the street, did not mince their words.

"If they deport you, you are going to live in misery," Langlais said they told him.

Langlais conferred with his wife, fellow Haitian Lovelie Exantus, whom hed met when they were both living in a poor Haitian-dominated neighborhood in Santiago, Chile. Langlais worked as a welder, making just around $300 a month, some of which he sent back to his family in Haiti.

Exantus didnt know what to do either. They lay down, but Langlais could not sleep at all as he lay awake under the bridge across the Rio Grande that connects Ciudad Acuna, Mexico to Del Rio, Texas.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that it was addressing an influx of migrants, most of them Haitian, to Del Rio in part by accelerating expulsion flights to Haiti and other destinations within the next 72 hours. DHS said the Biden administration was working with countries where the migrants started their journeys - for many Haitians countries such as Brazil and Chile - to accept returned migrants.

Many Haitian migrants awaiting processing fled long ago to avoid poverty back home, where the economy has been devastated by earthquakes, the coronavirus pandemic and political unrest. The Caribbean island is the poorest in the Western hemisphere.

On Saturday morning, on the Mexican side - migrants have been crossing back in forth to Mexico to get supplies and to Texas to await processing, Langlais weighed what to do.

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"I am the one who supports my family. If I go back we are going to die of hunger," he said.

But Mexico, he said, had no life for him either. He tried to find work in Tapachula in September, in the south near the Guatemalan border, when he first arrived. Supermarkets turned him away, he said, because he didnt have proper work papers. Obtaining them would have taken months because officials kept moving appointments, Langlais said. "If I have to wait for months for the paper, Im going to die."

Langlais, who spoke in English, said hed worked as an informal interpreter for missionaries in Haiti. He said he aspired to go to the United States to study welding.

Holding two bags of sliced bread hed just bought on the Mexican side, Langlais hesitated for a few minutes under the punishing sun, before making up his mind.

"I think Ill go to America. Im going to pray to god, because that has the power."

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Donna Bryson and Diane Craft)
In the ongoing saga of Minaj vs. the world after a series of poorly received vaccine tweets, the rapper posted the contact info for a journalist in search of an interview

Nicki Minaj has been occupying space in the media all week, but it hasnt been due to new music. The rapper has been entangled in controversy following her comments about COVID-19 vaccines and her claims that a family friend experienced drastic side effects.

Now, she has turned her ire on reporters who are investigating her statements, using her social media to doxx them, or expose their personal information.

Minaj took her displeasure to the next level Friday when she doxxed two reporters who were engaging in conversation with her relatives in Trinidad, presumably looking into her claims about her cousins friends reaction, according to Jezebel. She posted a screenshot of a reporters conversations on her Instagram Story.

Nicki Minaj at the MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

After that, in her Story photos, she posted phone numbers and business cards of the reporters, allegedly encouraging her fans to send threats and spam calls their way.

In another Story post, Minaj wrote, Sharlene Rampersad B*TCH YOUR DAYS ARE F**KING NUMBERED YOU DIRTY HOE, according to the Daily Beast.

Rampersad is one of the reporters whose direct messages requesting an interview were shown by Minaj, who claimed that CNC3, if investigating the story, would leak her familys information. CNC3 is a Guardian Media Limited-owned television station serving Trinidad and Tobago.

Rampersad said in the DMs that her outlet, The Guardian UK, would not. Fans and Minaj interpreted that as a threat, though it appears Rampersads message was misunderstood without its entire context.

The response prompted The Guardian to issue its own tweet in defense of its reporter and made a video statement as well.

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It all comes after Minaj, 38, took to Twitter earlier in the week to explain her absence from the annual Met Gala in New York City. As all attendees had to be vaccinated, she referenced being a new mother and that she did not want to get the jab simply just to be seen.

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In the tweet, she said she was still doing research.

She then posted a statement about a relatives friend in Trinidad who got vaccinated and suffered a bad reaction, as previously reported by theGrio.

The 10-time Grammy nominee would receive much public backlash, including from MSNBC host Joy Reid and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Minaj stated that The White House reached out to invite her for an in-person conversation, according to theGrio. However, an official from President Joe Bidens office said that all that was offered was a phone call, angering Minaj.

Do yall think I would go on the internet and lie about being invited to the f- White House? Like what? Do you guys see what is happening right now, Minaj said during a rant on her Instagram Live.

Even Trinidad and Tobagos minister of health, Dr. Terrence Deyalsingh, was prompted to make a statement, indicating that there was no record of a Trinidad citizen suffering such side effects, saying they wasted so much time investigating the matter, according to theGrio.

Have you subscribed to theGrios new podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now!

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The post Nicki Minaj reveals personal info of reporters investigating her vaccination claims appeared first on TheGrio.
A woman who moved from South Africa to New Zealand just weeks ago has been arrested in relation to the alleged murder of her three young daughters.

Police on Friday (September 17) charged a woman in the port city of Timaru.

Canterbury Detective Inspector, Scott Anderson:

"The investigation into this tragedy is still in its very early stages but we can confirm that no one else is being sort in relation to the deaths of the three children."

The woman, Lauren Anne Dickason, appeared at the Timaru District court on Saturday (September 18) morning, where a judge remanded her to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.

The 40-year-old is charged with killing her two-year-old twins and their six-year-old sister, police said.

Their bodies were found on Thursday (September 16) at a property where the family stayed.

Police said the family had moved to Timaru, a city of about 29,000 people, on New Zealand's South Island.

New Zealand media reported that both Dickason and her husband are doctors.
Then-President-elect Donald Trump is said to have asked outgoing President Barack Obama in 2017 what he thought his biggest mistake was as they traveled from the White House to the Capitol building, according to a new book.



"Peril," by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, offers a political insight into the months before and after the 2020 election, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Jan. 6 riot and the 2020 presidential campaign.

MILLEY DESCRIBED GEORGE FLOYD RIOTS AS PENNY PACKET PROTESTS, BOOK CLAIMS



As it covers the inauguration of President Biden, the book reports that the Trump experience of that day  when he took off in Marine One to begin his journey to Mar-a-Lago ahead of the ceremony  was "full circle" from his own inauguration in 2017.

Woodward and Costa report that Trump and Obama rode from the White House to the Capitol, along with Sen. Roy Blunt, who was responsible for planning the inaugural ceremony.

"What was your biggest mistake?" asked the president-elect to his predecessor.

LLOYD AUSTIN SAYS HE HAS CONFIDENCE IN GEN. MILLEY AMID CHINA CONTROVERSY



Obama is then said to have paused and looked back at Trump.



"I can't think of anything," he is reported to have responded.

Trump then changed the subject, and asked, "Is this the car you use all the time?"

The book has already made headlines, in part for its reporting about how General Mark Milley was in communication with the Chinese to reassure them about fears of an attack during the chaos surrounding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Paras Griffin/Getty

The owner of Black business empire Essence Ventures, who vowed to step away as the acting CEO of Essence magazine after being an awful boss during last years racial reckoning, is not-so-quietly asserting his power againand Black influencers are torn.

In the summer of 2020, a Medium article was published with damning accusations against Essences owner Richelieu Dennis. Under the pseudonym Black Female Anonymous, Essence magazine staffers demanded Dennis resignationalong with other leadership changesafter they said women were systematically suppressed by pay inequity, sexual harassment, corporate bullying, intimidation, colorism and classism and the company had been hijacked by cultural and corporate greed and an unhinged abuse of power. The staffers blasted execs for an ironic turn of events: A publication that was meant to empower Black women instead mistreated and abused the women who worked for it.

A new CEO was named for Essence magazine and the company, which owns several other entities like Afropunk festival and hair care company Naturally Curly, promised that Dennis would be taking a step back. But this month, he was back.

Essence Ventures swooped in at a foreclosure sale to acquire BeautyCon, the so-called Super Bowl of the Beauty industry that nearly filed for bankruptcy last year after being ravaged by the pandemic, financial issues, staff layoffs, and unpaid bills.

Rachel Nichols Is OutBut ESPNs Racial Rot Remains

SheRea DelSol, a Black content creator on YouTube who focuses on natural hair content, told The Daily Beast she wont be participating in BeautyCon now that Essence and Dennis are at the helm.

Im not in the business of selling my soul for a couple of dollars or for popularity, DelSol said. I would have to see change, see an apology, in order to participate or contribute. Even with your apology, [victims] still have their trauma and the after-effects. I dont even know if theres an apology substantial enough to fix it.

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In the Medium article, titled The Truth About Essence, anonymous staffers claimed that Dennis slept with his employees and harassed those who rejected his advances. They also alleged that he tried to force Essence employees and contractors to sign non-disclosure agreements to protect himself and his family members who worked in leadership positions at Essence.

The company hired two law firms to conduct an investigation, which found that staff felt overworked and underappreciated but concluded that Dennis didnt engage in behavior that would have amounted to unlawful discrimination, harassment or retaliation. (The anonymous writers of the Medium article did not speak to investigators.)

Those findings have not changed the views of some.

Alexis Nottingham, whose TressesOfAlexis YouTube channel focuses primarily on Black hair care, said she understood that the allegations were found unconfirmed, but still felt uncomfortable with the accusations. Everybody aint lying, she said.

However, she also doesnt think BeautyCon will suffer from the negative stain of Essence.

While [people] say they want to protect Black women, thats a lie. We idolize Black capitalism, Black consumerism, and Black wealth over Black people, and I dont see this being an issue at all for them. I see this being extremely profitable, honestly, just because people are going to spend money however they want to. They dont take into account victims unless its close to home or it happens to them personally.

The Daily Beast attempted to reach out to former and current Essence magazine employees to get their views on Dennis latest business ventures in light of the 2020 controversy. However, they either didnt respond or declined to comment.

Im not surprised people are not talking, DelSol said. When you have someone that dominates space that already provides windows and opportunities for women of colorand Black women in particularif Black women speak up, what other spaces are there for them? When we think about power dynamics and who has the power, if the allegations are true regardless of an investigation that took placewhere can these women go?

No one cares about Black women, she continued. The allegations didnt even go very far. I think many people dont even know about it because no one cares about Black women. So, these Black women in particular, if they come forward, where will they go? Theyre going to look like whistleblowers, theyll look like sellouts, theyll look like theyre bringing down the quintessential definition of what Black excellence looks like. We value Black activism. But Black capitalism looks like misogyny, sexism, and sexual assault. We accept that because what else is the ultimate goal in this country?

My Child Went to Courtand Instantly Recognized the Racism

Founded in 2011 by Marina Curry, a Black woman, BeautyCon was a hub of live events before it started to falter in 2019. Last year, The Wrap reported that a year after a huge event that attracted thousands of attendees, BeautyCon was still struggling to pay vendors. Other businesses and contractors who worked the event were reported to have filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau or sought assistance from collections agencies. The coronavirus pandemic didnt help financial matters.

And while BeautyCon devotees have described the event as an inclusive community that allows beauty and lifestyle enthusiasts to network, meet their favorite influencers and get discounted makeup, Black influencers have not always felt welcome.

The event had always centered white women and white entrepreneurs, DelSol said, and therefore never appealed to her.

YouTube/SheRea DelSol

Shanygne Maurice, creator of beauty product reviews on a YouTube channel called TooMuchMouth, said she had a rather unpleasant experience as a Black creator at the last BeautyCon but actually sees the Essence buyout as an opportunity to make the event more inviting and inclusive for Black influencers and enthusiastsgiven Essences history in the Black community.

Im not sure if Id participate in the first one [under Essences ownership], she said. But if I were to see how that goes and hear about the event moving in the right direction and it being the fun and inviting event its supposed to be, Id certainly attend in the future.

Nottingham, however, questioned whether Essence could really change BeautyCon or if it was another case of diversity initiatives being whitewashed.

Like SheaMoisure, she said. When it started off, we knew their demographic. We knew they wanted to help Black people with Black hair care, especially with people who do their own hair. And I feel that over the years they expanded their branding and their marketing, which is fine, but I feel like they kind of neglected their base demographic.

They neglected their niche of Blackness their base demographic of Black women with kinky hair. Its not to say that they shouldnt be able to cater to all types of hair and all types of people, but theres always this desire to cater to whiteness and white features. That superseded the priority of Black hair care.

YouTube/TressesOfAlexis

Despite the allegations made against him, Dennis has broken some racial barriers within the beauty industry. Originally from Liberia, he founded Black beauty brand SheaMoisture and then Sundial Brands, the parent company to SheaMoisture. In 2017, it was sold to the conglomerate Unilever, but Dennis remains Sundials CEO and executive chairman. In 2018, he bought the Essence brand, vowing to scale Black-owned brands and bring much-needed diversity to the beauty and lifestyle world.

When The Daily Beast spoke to him this week about his buy up of BeautyCon, Dennis refused to directly answer any questions about the 2020 controversy and his promise to step away from Essence magazine. Instead, he framed his latest venture as part of a mission to fight racism in the retail industry.

I spent 30 years of my life breaking down the racial barriers of beauty, he said. It took me 16 years before I agreed to go into mass retail. The reason is because of the racist structures that existed in mass retail.

He said hair care products were once racially segregated on store shelves but, thanks to his efforts, retailers have come to realize theres a much bigger market opportunity when you engage in Black brands on a fair and consistent basis. Were very proud of that, and we see [BeautyCon] as a continuation of that work.

He vowed that Essence Ventures would bring heightened inclusivity to BeautyCon.

The whole idea when [BeautyCon] was founded was to be an inclusive place for all women to express their individual beauty, Dennis said. Our objective is to make it into that by making it inviting, by diversifying subjects, by being inclusive in the brands, by being intentional in the commitments.

Dennis acknowledged that, though progress has been made in the beauty industry in terms of racial efforts, it doesnt mean the problem is solved. He said theres still a need for awareness and education to dismantle structural racism at the root of bias in the community.

Whether BeautyCon becomes a platform to help combat those inequities remains to be seen. Despite Dennis promises, Black influencers are still wary.

Essence is Black A.F., Nottingham said, which is beautiful, but how are they going to [integrate that with BeautyCon]? Because I hope they dont stray from the culture of Essence. I dont know, but I dont have high hopes of BeautyCon being a more Black space.

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In Pics: A glance at SCO "Peace Mission" anti-terrorism drills

EditorWang Xinjuan Time2021-09-16 12:47:39

Chinese troops participating in the "Peace Mission 2021" military exercise arrive at a military airport in Orenburg, Russia, Sept. 10, 2021. (Photo by Liu Dan/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- The "Peace Mission 2021," a counter-terrorism military exercise for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, is being held in Orenburg, Russia from Sept. 11 to 25.

The participants are from eight SCO member states, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. The participating troops consist of around 4,000 military personnel, among which 558 are from China.

The routine exercise within the framework of the SCO is aimed at deepening defense and security cooperation among member states, improving their ability to cope with new challenges and threats, and jointly safeguarding regional peace and security.

Here is a glimpse of some of the previous "Peace Mission" drills:
ORENBURG, Russia, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Troops participating in the "Peace Mission 2021," a counter-terrorism military exercise for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, held their first live-fire drill in Orenburg, Russia on Wednesday.

The live-fire exercise, conducted at the Donguz range, lasted about one hour.

The drill was aimed at examining the joint anti-terrorism operation plans and strengthen coordination in the joint operations.

The exercise is being held in Orenburg from Sept. 11 to 25. The participants are from eight SCO member states, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.

The participating troops consist of around 4,000 military personnel, among which 558 are from China.

The routine exercise within the framework of the SCO is aimed at deepening defense and security cooperation among member states, improving their ability to cope with new challenges and threats, and jointly safeguarding regional peace and security.
MOSCOW, Sept 17 (Xinhua) -- The "Peace Mission 2021," a counter-terrorism military exercise for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, is underway at a training range in Russia.

Xinhua's correspondents have visited the "Chinese Battalion," one of the eight SCO participants of the drill.
Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in Afghanistan for six months

EditorWang Xinjuan Time2021-09-18 08:58:22

The UN Security Council votes on a draft resolution to extend the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan at UN Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2021. The Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for six months, until March 17, 2022. (Ariana Lindquist/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council on Friday adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for six months, until March 17, 2022.

Resolution 2596, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member council, stressed the critical importance of a continued presence of UNAMA and other UN agencies, funds and programs across Afghanistan.

It also called on all Afghan and international parties to coordinate with UNAMA in the implementation of its mandate and to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of UN and associated personnel throughout the country.

The resolution requested the UN secretary-general submit a written report to the Security Council by Jan. 31, 2022 on strategic and operational recommendations for the UNAMA mandate in light of recent political, security and social developments.

It further asked the secretary-general to brief the Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan and the work of UNAMA every other month before the current resolution expires.
UN chief calls for solidarity on Int'l Day of Peace

EditorWang Xinjuan Time2021-09-18 11:00:11

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strikes the peace bell at a ceremony to mark the International Day of Peace at UN Headquarters in New York, on Sept. 17, 2021. Guterres on Friday called for solidarity and unity on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which falls on Sept. 21. (Cia Pak/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua)

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for solidarity and unity on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which falls on Sept. 21.

This year's International Day of Peace comes at a time when humanity is in crisis. COVID-19 has claimed over 4 million lives and counting; conflicts are spinning out of control; inequalities and poverty are growing; there is a planetary emergency in climate change; there is mistrust in facts and science and in one another among people, he said.

Each crisis threatens to pull humanity apart -- at a time when solidarity is needed more than ever, he told an annual UN peace bell ceremony that marks the International Day of Peace.

"Our world faces a stark choice: peace or perpetual peril. My friends, we must choose peace. It's the only option to repair our broken world," he said.

He called on combatants around the world to lay down their arms and observe a day of global cease-fire.

"We need to focus on fighting humanity's common enemy: COVID-19. We need solidarity to end this pandemic, urgently deliver life-saving vaccines and treatment, and support countries on the long road to recovery ahead. We need to intensify our work to reduce inequalities and end poverty. We need a bold global plan of action to heal our planet and make the transition to a green economy. Most of all, we need to renew trust in one another," he said.

Peace and progress depend on coming together as a human family -- united in the commitment to building a better and brighter world, he said. "We cannot allow our future to be eaten away by the acids of hatred, division, conflict and mistrust."

"It is time to rebuild our world, to make peace with nature -- and with one another, to lift each other up, instead of knocking each other down, and to live up, finally, to the true promise and potential of humanity. On this International Day of Peace, let's re-commit to one another. Let's re-commit to the best of humanity."
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday to extend the mandate of a UN investigative team for crimes committed by the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

Resolution 2597, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member council, decides to extend the mandate of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/Islamic State (UNITAD) for a year, till Sept. 17, 2022.

Any further extension of UNITAD's mandate will be decided at the request of the Iraqi government or any other government that has requested the team to collect evidence of acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, committed by the IS in its territory, says the resolution.

The resolution requests the special adviser, who heads UNITAD, to continue to submit and present reports to the Security Council on the team's activities every 180 days.

UNITAD was authorized by the Security Council in September 2017 to support Iraq's efforts in holding the IS accountable for the crimes the terrorist group committed in Iraq. The team became fully operational in November 2019.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

-- "I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," President Xi Jinping said.

-- Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

-- To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged solidarity, upholding common security, openness and integration for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to forge a closer SCO community with a shared future.

Xi made the comments via video link as he addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, hosted by this year's rotating presidency Tajikistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

All SCO members have pledged to further enhance policy communication, security cooperation, smoothing trade, financing and people-to-people exchanges, according to a declaration issued after the conclusion of the meeting.

The organization, which covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, nearly half of the world's population, and over 20 percent of the global gross domestic product, is embracing its 20th anniversary this year.

"I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," said Xi.

ENHANCING SOLIDARITY TO COUNTER CHALLENGES

"We need to follow the journey of enhancing solidarity and cooperation," Xi said, adding SCO members should make the most of the meeting mechanisms and platforms at all levels, step up policy dialogue, communication and coordination.

Calling fighting COVID-19 the most pressing task, Xi urged deepening international cooperation against the virus and promote fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, adding China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations.

The first batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Tashkent International Airport in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 27, 2021. (Photo by Zafar Khalilov/Xinhua)

Noting Afghanistan has undergone drastic changes and the country still faces many daunting challenges, Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

Joint efforts were also highlighted at the ensuing joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states on the Afghanistan issue, where Xi urged interactions with Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic angle, and said that certain countries should shoulder due responsibility for Afghanistan's development.

As the SCO members are all near neighbors of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is an observer state of the SCO, the organization enjoys unique convenience and advantages in addressing the issues compared with other similar international arrangements, said Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies.

"Aimed at addressing regional challenges that concern the interests of all, China's proposals have added new dimensions to related cooperation mechanisms, demonstrating a sense of responsibility as a major country to promote peace, stability and people's livelihoods," added Deng.

ADVANCING INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT

Stressing the SCO members need to follow the journey of promoting openness and integration, Xi said they should continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and create growth drivers of cooperation such as digital economy, green energy and modern agriculture.

Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows the Qingdao multimodal transportation center in the China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

In 2020, the combined economic size of the SCO countries reached 18.4 trillion U.S. dollars, an 11-fold increase since its founding, while intra-SCO trade jumped eight times to 6.2 trillion dollars over the same period, a vivid proof of intensified SCO cooperation with concrete outcomes.

To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

"As SCO members are diverse in their national realities and development priorities, China's call for open cooperation and integration has echoed the common aspiration for economic recovery and sustainable growth, showing a strong determination to tide over difficulties together with the SCO family," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

BOOSTING INTERACTIONS

Noting interactions between civilizations provide the most solid foundation for the SCO's development, Xi emphasized the need to encourage exchanges, dialogue, harmony and co-existence between civilizations.

He proposed more projects including those of science and technology, education, culture, among others, adding China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries in the next three years, and host an SCO youth technology and innovation forum next year. He also extended welcome to SCO countries' participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Visitors take a tour near the Olympic sailing center, used as the conference hall during the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

At the meeting, the attending leaders of relevant countries and international organizations voiced support for multilateralism, as well as opposition to hegemonism, unilateralism and interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights, and support for the independent choice of development paths for SCO countries.

"Amid resurging unilateralism and protectionism, the joint emphasis by SCO members on the importance of mutual learning and exchanges sheds light on the urgency for the region and the international community to adhere to mutual consultation and work for a community with a shared future," said Professor Yana Leksyutina of St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

In addition, the meeting has launched procedures to admit Iran as a member state of the SCO, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners.

Hailing the SCO as an institution of global governance, Prof. B.R. Deepak at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, said the new developments at the organization will help further extend the reach of multilateralism to more countries, unleash greater cooperation potential, and beef up the international voice of developing countries in the region.
A bell-ringing ceremony is held on Saturday to mark the 90th anniversary of the "September 18 Incident" at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Cities around China organized memorial activities to remember the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) on Saturday.

As part of the national events to mark the incident, bells rang and sirens wailed at 9:18 am at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang.

People from all walks of life including students, veterans and soldiers attended the ceremony held in the museum.

Vehicles on nine roads and 18 streets of Shenyang also stopped and honked their horns to remember the day.

Other cities such as Beijing, Dalian in Liaoning province, Harbin in Heilongjiang province, Xi'an of Shaanxi province sounded air defense sirens to mark the incident.
By Kong Kangyi and Liang Yuyuan

BEIRUT, Sept. 18 -- All 64 members of the 20th Chinese peacekeeping multi-functional engineering contingent to Lebanon passed a three-day assessment by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and obtained the mine clearance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) qualifications on September 15, local time.

After a three-day assessment from September 13 to 15, 51 deminers, five EOD operators, and eight medical personnel from the contingent passed the assessment with their superb technology and standardized procedures.

The mine clearance qualification certification can be obtained only after passing strict tests on more than 30 items in 13 subjects, such as mine-detector debugging, signal source positioning, excavation and destruction of mine, minefield rescue, and unexploded object disposal.

The assessment for mine clearance qualification certification was conducted by the UNMAS, with UNMAS Lebanon helping with the organization and guidance of the event.

The Chinese mine clearance detachment has done a great job. I believe that the new batch of Chinese mine clearance contingent will work as their predecessors and return the land that is free from mines to the Lebanese people in a safe and productive manner, said Alan Macdonald, UNMAS Programme Manager in Lebanon, after witnessing the superb mine clearance technology of the Chinese peacekeepers. On behalf of the UNMAS and the Lebanon Mine Action Authority (LMAA), I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the Chinese minesweepers for their commitment.

Obtaining the certification marks the official start of mine clearance jobs for the 20th Chinese peacekeeping multi-functional engineering cintingent to Lebanon. They will go to the minefields along the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel to eliminate local mine hazards and protect the lives and property of the Lebanese people.
By Wu Minwen

Since taking office, the Biden administration has being going all out to advance the Indo-Pacific Strategy, even going further down the way than the Trump administration. For the past few months, a slew of senior American politicians, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman, and Vice President Kamala D. Harris, have had close interactions with leaders of Southeast Asian countries either through personal visits or video conferences. The series of moves highlight Washingtons vicious attempt to make waves in Southeast Asia and rally regional countries to join its anti-China chariot.

Generally, Southeast Asia refers to the area between East Asia and South Asia. After the US proposed the Indo-Pacific Strategy, its military strategy shifted from counterterrorism back to major-country competition, and Southeast Asian countries gained so much more importance for it that the then US President Donald Trump (January 2017January 2021 in office) tried to rope them in through enhanced military cooperation and other means. After Mr. Biden was sworn in as the new president in early 2021, he has repeatedly expressed how much importance he has attaches to the region and set the new Asia-related position in his team in the US jostle for East Aisa economic, military and many other fronts.

Americas mischievous plan for Southeast Asia has two pivots  one is the ideological tool reading the so-called values of democracy and freedom. The other is the realistic tool taking advantage of regional conflicts and balance of interests. The ideological tool is more superficial, while the realistic tool is the root cause, which exerts different impacts.

First, Americas external interference by leveraging the ideological tool has ended up in repeated failures. Back in the years when the US took over Southeast Asia and supported the regimes of Ngo Dinh Diem and Nguyen Van Thieu in South Vietnam, it played the ideological card that it must keep the region out of communists hands and avoid the Domino effect in favor of communism. After winning the Cold War, the US became the only superpower in the world with the fall of the Soviet Union and was suddenly at a loss of saber-rattling. When famed American political philosopher Francis Fukuyama claimed the end of history, Washington decided to militarily engage in Afghanistan with a view to establishing the American-style democracy in a country that was backward in every aspect, either politically, economically, or socially.

Yet its failure in Vietnam many years ago and the failure in Afghanistan today both prove ideological tools to be a white elephant. Washington should listen to George Frost Kennan, who objected to the US joining the Vietnam War. He advised the US not to be obsessed with the word communism and to stop talking about ambiguous and unrealistic goals in the Far East, such as human rights and democracy. Now the US is again using the ideological tool to cause trouble in Southeast Asia, and it is unlikely to end up in any other way.

Second, the realistic tool manipulating the balance of interests brings many uncertainties. China has always implemented a good-neighborly policy toward Southeast Asian countries, which, combined with its rapid economic growth, has benefited those countries immensely. China has been ASEANs largest trading partner for 10 years in a row, with close economic cooperation with all regional countries. That is an important reason they dont want to take sides between the worlds two largest economies despite Americas eager ingratiation. But we need also keep in mind that the US is also an important trading partner and primary source of investment for many Southeast Asian countries, and its growing efforts to woo them have enhanced its influence in the region.

Third, the US-initiated Indo-Pacific version of NATO and security multilateralism in the South China Sea are taking primary shape. A major difference between the Biden administration and the Trump administration is that the former seeks to contain China through closer relations with its allies. At present, the US is busy deploying advantageous troops, including new combat systems such as UAVs and intelligent systems, to the region. On the other hand, it is piecing together an Indo-Pacific version of NATO with out-of-region countries such as Britain, France and Germany, whose military vessels have taken turns in entering the South China Sea this year. These signs all indicate that the so-called US-led security multilateralism in the South China Sea is taking primary shape.

However, the result of Americas military interference in Vietnam 46 years ago bears a stunning resemblance to its same operations in Afghanistan today. People compared two photos, one of a helicopter picking up the last batch of diplomats at the Saigon moment and hovering above the American embassy in South Vietnam, and the other of a helicopter picking up diplomats above the American embassy in Afghanistan, and one can barely tell them apart. Forty-six years after its debacle in Southeast Asia, the US is now stirring up trouble again in the region, and what awaits it will be no different from 46 years ago.

(The author is from the College of Information and Communication, PLA National University of Defense Technology.)

Editor's note: This article is originally published on news.youth.cn, and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
The special operations troops fast-rope from a helicopter to penetrate into the area behind the mock enemys lines during the third-time joint training of SCO Peace Mission-2021 anti-terrorism military exercise on September 17, 2021. (Photo by Mei Shixiong)

By Mei Shixiong and Liu Dan

ORENBURG, Russia, Sept. 18 -- Participating troops of the SCO Peace Mission-2021 anti-terrorism military exercise held their third-time joint field training at the Donguz training range in Orenburg Oblast, Russia, on September 17, which was also their live-fire joint training for the second time.

The Chinese ground combat group, consisting of a combined-arms battalion of the army under the PLA Northern Theater Command, coordinated with the multinational forces to launch attacks at the illegal armed forces with the support of aviation, special operation, electronic warfare forces, etc.

The combined-arms battalions strong advantages in lean strength, diversified capabilities, and precise and efficient organization were given full play in the joint training.

 It is the first time the Chinese military has sent a combined-arms battalion to go abroad for a multinational joint exercise. This experience functions as a whole-process and all-elements inspection and evaluation for a combined-arms battalion, on the subjects ranging from long-range force projection as a whole in the preparatory phase to tactical operations in the final joint exercise phase. It will help us identify the breakthrough points to enhance future combat capabilities, said Captain Shi Jingyuan, the commander of the ground assault group of the Chinese participating troops.

After the joint training, the joint campaign headquarters reviewed the problems exposed in the joint training and revised the actual-troop action plan.

According to Han Chengyu, deputy leader of the exercise directing staff of the Chinese side, the joint training held on Friday achieved the expected goals, with smoother cooperation among the participating troops and closer coordination between the land and air forces.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-09-18 13:22:58|Editor: huaxia

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi speaks during a press briefing in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan, on Sept. 17, 2021. Filippo Grandi said here that the international community should continue engaging with the Afghan Taliban. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi has said here that the international community should continue engaging with the Afghan Taliban.

Addressing a press briefing Friday during his visit to Pakistan, the UN official said the UNHCR is engaging with the interim Taliban administration in Afghanistan on humanitarian matters, urging the world to do the same.

"Taliban expressed the wish that humanitarian assistance be rolled out as quickly as possible to the country, because, indeed, and we saw it by ourselves, conditions are very difficult."

He said Afghanistan has been in need of financial assistance and as the time is passing by "the situation is pretty desperate, everything is needed. Food, medicines, shelter, and other first necessities of life are needed."

He said if the UNHCR is adequately supported and resourced, it will be able to scale up humanitarian assistance.

"It is important that the international community finds the necessary direction (and) the necessary ways to ensure the functioning of Afghanistan. If there is a collapse of public services, for example, like health, or education, and if the state ceases to function, this will provoke a crisis that is much bigger than humanitarian."

Talking about the new wave of internally displaced people in Afghanistan, he said that about half a million people have been displaced by conflict recently due to fighting in their areas. However, there is no influx of refugees to neighboring countries including Pakistan.

He lauded Pakistan for facilitating the humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, saying that during his visit to Afghanistan, he received some relief trucks from Pakistan.

"This is very important, whether it is Pakistani donation, but also international donations coming through here, we will need to use Pakistan to fly people in and out, as usual, Pakistan will play a very important role of support to the humanitarian operations inside Afghanistan. I'm very grateful for that." Enditem
The Member of Parliament (MP) for South Dayi Constituency, in the Volta Region, has filed a writ at the AccraHigh Court, urging the court to order the Government of Ghana to completeremaining uncompleted schools under the 200 Community Day Senior High Schools (SHSs) projects started by former President John Draman iMahama.

In 2013, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, led by President Mahama, announced its intention to build 200 Community Day SHSs by 2016, however, it was able to complete only45 out of the 200 it promised at the time the party left office inJanuary,2017.

The plaintiff, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, in the writ filed by his counsel ,NiiKpakpo Samoa Addo,claimed that the current Government had refused or neglected the projects.

He said the government had a duty to continue and execute the projects and programmes commenced by the previous government.

The plaintiff joined the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a defendant, and stated that the failure of the government to complete the 200 community SHSs constituted misuse and waste of public funds and property.

He also stated that the failure of the government to use all the 45 community SHSs constructed by the previous government constituted a misuse and waste of public funds and property.

The South Dayi MP urged the court to compel the government to complete the project within reasonable time for teaching and learning to take place.

Mr Dafeamek porstated that sometime in 2016, the former president inaugurated 45 community schools and stated 75 others were ready to be used for teaching and learning.

He said that sometime in August 2021, the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Adu-Twum, stated that only 46 out of 200had been completed and indicated that not all the 46 schools alleged to have been completed were not in use, but provided no explanations for the failure to use the schools.

Mr Dafeamekpor asked the court to declare that the defendant's failure to continue and complete the200 community SHS constituted a misuse and waste of public funds and property and in contravention of Articles 35(7) and 41(f) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

The plaintiff asked the court to award him costs against the defendant, including legal fees.
TUT Ladies, who are currently second on the log will have the opportunity to go top of the table if they cause an upset against the undefeated champions and log leaders Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies on their home turf, Groenkloof Stadium on Saturday, 18 September 2021.

In another match, Thunderbirds Ladies will entertain Bloemfontein Celtic Ladies at Jan Smuts Stadium in East London while the University of Johannesburg will travel to Giyani to face Ma-Indies Ladies.

Golden Ladies will entertain Coal City Wizards in Mahikeng while Durban Ladies travel to Polokwane to face First Touch Academy at Seshego Stadium.

These matches will be played at 15h00, on Saturday, 18 September 2021.

Sunday, 19 September 2021 will see Richmond United host Tsunami Queens at Kimberley Stadium. This match will be live on SABC 1 and Channel 124 on Openview from 14h30.
The Nasarawa State government and ABS Blueprint Limited have signed a N22 billion joint venture agreement for the establishment of the Nasarawa Technology Village, in Aso-Pada, Karu Local Government Area.

Conceived in line with the Silicon Valley in California, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule said the technology village is targeted at attracting major international IT firms to the state.

He explained that the choice of ABS Blueprint Limited as the partner for the project underwent rigorous evaluation and assessment process, with investors injecting over N20bn in the project.

Sule instructed the firm to commence work at the project site immediately, in order to create employment opportunities for youths in the state, emphasising that though Silicon Valley was built over a period of 20 years, his administration is determined to leave a legacy for the future.

Earlier, Mr. Muhammad Yamusa Suleiman, Group Managing Director, ABS Blueprint Limited said his company has brought together a formidable consortium of partners and industry professionals in the quest to develop the Nasarawa Technology Village.

He revealed that the proposed technology village is sitting on 66,000 hectares of land, and would consist of a tech hub at the core to be operated by Decagon Learning Institute, which will provide full training for up to 2000 students on IT.
President of Angola Joao Lourenco at the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit at the Sirius Park of Science and Art in Sochi, Russia, 23 October 2019.

analysis

It's four years since Joao Lourenco was sworn in as Angola's third president. He succeeded former president Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who had governed the southern African nation for 38 years.

Lourenco promised to initiate a wide range of much-needed reforms. This included curbing corruption and diversifying Angola's oil-dependent economy. Many Angolans saw his presidency as the beginning of a more open and accountable government.

He has taken a number of steps in this direction. He opened up the political space by meeting longtime critics of Dos Santos' government, including the investigative journalist Rafael Marques de Morais. Lourenco also criticised violent security responses to peaceful anti-government demonstrations and urged state owned media to report outside the ruling People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) party line. Other steps he took included easing down on repression, and creating a freer environment for the press and civil society.

These gained him significant political support from opposition parties and society at large.

However, four years into his presidency and a year to the end of his first term, the optimism his election generated has dwindled as his electoral promises have not become reality.

His flagship policies, such as tackling corruption and diversify Angola's economy away from oil dependence, have stalled. And some of his initial liberalising moves are being reversed. These include his openness to civil society, the call for an end to heavy-handed security responses against protesters and partisan reporting by public media outlets. This is leaving Angola's authoritarian political system largely unchanged.

In addition, the economy has not grown under Lourenco and economic diversification is yet to happen. As acknowledged by Finance Minister Vera Daves de Sousa in late August:

if the oil sector moves against us, the whole economy goes into stress.

This is important because, as was the case with Zimbabwe, it shows that change in leadership does not necessarily engender political and economic change.

What's wrong in the state of Angola

The power structure in Angola was shaped during the course of Dos Santos' nearly four-decade long presidency. It gives extensive powers to the president, who is also the leader of the ruling party, the MPLA. It also ensures the dominance of the party in government and state institutions.

Following his inauguration in 2017, Lourenco replaced most of Dos Santos' loyalists in government and in the governing party with close associates. He appointed allies to key positions in the army, police, intelligence services, government, state-owned companies and the party.

Recently, he initiated and enacted a Constitutional Revision Law that effectively keeps the Angolan judiciary hostage to political power. It also retains the president's prerogative to appoint key judicial officers. These include the attorney general and his deputies as well as the presiding judges and deputy presiding judges of the highest courts.

In addition, oversight institutions remain toothless as the president and the ruling party have the prerogative to appoint candidates to serve on them. They often dominate these institutions and their processes by virtue of their combined numbers. These include the Constitutional Court, the National Electoral Commission and the entity responsible for media regulation.

On top of this, there has been a progressive closure of the political space over the past two years. The security services have become more repressive. This has been especially so against young activists who have been protesting against the high cost of living and high unemployment.

Same old authoritarian practices

State-owned media (television, radio and press) have reverted to their old ways of partisan reporting. For instance, Adalberto Costa Junior, the leader of Unita, Angola's main opposition party, has not been interviewed by public media outlets since his election two years ago.

The government has almost absolute control over television since it suspended some private television companies. Other TV channels were ordered to close for allegedly operating illegally .

There is a multiparty system in Angola. But opposition parties don't have much say in parliament. The ruling party has the numbers to approve or block any legislation or policy that does not advance its interests.

This has allowed the MPLA to consistently delay the implementation of elected local government. Under the current system of centralised governance, the ruling party gets to appoint all state officials at subnational level (provincial governor, municipal and district administrators).

Preparing for next year's elections

Lourenco's popularity, and that of the ruling party, continues to decline. This is due to the cumulative effects of a severe economic crisis which started in 2014, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

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The President and the MPLA seem to be devising strategies to ensure their continued stay in power. These include:

keeping a highly contested official at the helm of the National Electoral Commission,

the creation of new provinces, and

the approval of a controversial electoral law, which prevents votes from being counted at district, municipal and provincial levels.

This raises serious concerns about the transparency of the general elections due next year. In the end, Lourenco sent the controversial electoral law back to parliament for further discussion following mounting criticism from opposition parties and civil society.

The main opposition forces have been capitalising on these and other failures to criticise Lourenco's government while advancing strategies to challenge the hegemony of the ruling party. One such initiative is the political alliance being formed by Unita, the Democratic Bloc and PraJa Servir Angola to run in the upcoming elections as a United Patriotic Front. This should potentially make the general election next year more competitive.

Albano Agostinho Troco, NRF/British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow under the SA-UK Bilateral Chair in Political Theory, University of the Witwatersrand
Tunis/Tunisia  Tunisia is among the countries with low climate risks for children. It is ranked 121 out of 163 countries in terms of the Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) released in August 2021 by UNICEF as part of the report The Climate Crisis is a Child Rights Crisis.

The climate crisis is a child rights crisis presents the Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI), which uses data to generate new global evidence on how many children are currently exposed to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses.

A composite index, the CCRI brings together geographical data by analyzing 1.) exposure to climate and environmental hazards, shocks and stresses; and 2.) child vulnerability.

The CCRI helps understand and measure the likelihood of climate and environmental shocks or stresses leading to the erosion of development progress, the deepening of deprivation and/or humanitarian situations affecting children or vulnerable households and groups.

Globally, approximately 1 billion children (nearly half of the world's children) live in extremely high-risk countries, the report estimates.

the report finds approximately 1 billion children - nearly half the world's 2.2 billion children - live in one of the 33 countries classified as extremely high-risk. These children face a deadly combination of exposure to multiple climate and environmental shocks with a high vulnerability due to inadequate essential services, such as water and sanitation, healthcare and education. The findings reflect the number of children impacted today - figures likely to get worse as the impacts of climate change accelerate.

The Children's Climate Risk Index (CCRI) reveals that 240 million children are highly exposed to coastal flooding, 330 million children are highly exposed to riverine flooding, 400 million children are highly exposed to cyclones, 600 million children are highly exposed to vector borne diseases, 815 million children are highly exposed to lead pollution, 820 million children are highly exposed to heatwaves, 920 million children are highly exposed to water scarcity and 1 billion children are are highly exposed to exceedingly high levels of air pollution.

While nearly every child around the world is at risk from at least one of these climate and environmental hazards, the data reveal the worst affected countries face multiple and often overlapping shocks that threaten to erode development progress and deepen child deprivations.

An estimated 850 million children - 1 in 3 worldwide - live in areas where at least four of these climate and environmental shocks overlap. As many as 330 million children - 1 in 7 worldwide - live in areas affected by at least five major shocks.

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UNICEF is calling on governments, businesses and relevant actors to increase investment in climate adaptation and resilience in key services for children. To protect children, communities and the most vulnerable from the worst impacts of the already changing climate, critical services must be adapted, including water, sanitation and hygiene systems, health and education services.

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, comprehensive and urgent action is required. Countries must cut their emissions by at least 45% (compared to 2010 levels) by 2030 to keep warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Provide children with climate education and greens skills, critical for their adaptation to and preparation for the effects of climate change. Children and young people will face the full devastating consequences of the climate crisis and water insecurity, yet they are the least responsible. We have a duty to all young people and future generations.

Include young people in all national, regional and international climate negotiations and decisions, including at COP26. Children and young people must be included in all climate-related decision making.

Ensure the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is green, low-carbon and inclusive, so that the capacity of future generations to address and respond to the climate crisis is not compromised.
The first consignment of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport yesterday. The 795,000 doses were donated by the US government.

Jean Lokenga, the Unicef Kenya deputy representative, said another 1.24 million doses will arrive in the coming weeks.

The vaccines are the fourth brand to be available in Kenya, besides AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. " I would like to emphasise that all WHO and Government of Kenya approved vaccines are safe and effective," said Jean.

She explained that in a bid to enable the use of Pfizer vaccines in Kenya, Unicef recently procured 12 ultra-low temperature freezers and accessories with funding from the Government of Japan. "We also supported their installation at the central depot in Kitengela plus eight regional depots and have trained technicians in their maintenance and operation. This ensures that the Ministry of Health can store vaccines that require very low temperatures, including the Pfizer vaccine."

The Pfizer vaccine is administered via intra-muscular injection. According to its manufacturer, this particular vaccine has 95 per cent effectiveness.

Pfizer needs to be stored at extremely cold temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius. With the freezers, the shelf-life of the vaccines can be guaranteed for six months.

Common side effects after injection include headache, joint aches,muscle aches, pain at the injection site, tiredness, chills, fever and swelling at the injection site.

WHO says that the vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in people with various conditions that are associated with increased risk of severe disease.These include hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.

"A protective effect starts to develop 12 days after the first dose, but full protection requires two doses which WHO recommends be administered with a 21 to 28-day interval. Additional research is needed to understand longer-term potential protection after a single dose. It is currently recommended that the same product should be used for both doses," says WHO

According to the Health ministry, 3.3 million vaccines have so far been administered.
analysis

Eskom, South Africa's state-owned power utility, is facing a litany of challenges. The Conversation Africa asked Professor Anton Eberhard, director of the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business, to pose questions to the power utility's CEO, Andre de Ruyter.

Anton Eberhard: The performance and availability of Eskom's power stations has declined from above 90% in the early 2000s to an average of 64% in the 2021 financial year. Is this long-term, historical trend inevitable as Eskom's kit ages? Obviously, Eskom should do all it can to improve operations, but what is a realistic expectation of future performance? Will we see energy availability factors above 75% again, or will average power plant availability now remain in the 60s%?

Andre de Ruyter: Eskom's fleet of coal fired power stations, excluding Medupi and Kusile, are on average 41 years old. These power stations have been run far harder than international norms, and have not been maintained as they should have been. In addition, the new generation plants, Medupi and Kusile, have design defects that will take time and money to address. We therefore have a generation system that is challenging to operate.

As one would therefore expect, the long term trend in energy availability factor has been downward. In January 2020, when I had just started, we took the decision to embark on a campaign to ramp up our maintenance in order to increase the energy availability factor.

At the time, we made it clear that catching up on the maintenance backlog would mean an increased risk of load-shedding, as we took units down for outages typically lasting up to 100 days each. The energy availability factor therefore has been even more depressed than one would expect by extrapolating the long term trend, because planned maintenance is deducted from the energy availability factor.

We have recently seen some major units returning to service after long outages at Duvha and Tutuka, which have played a significant role in alleviating the pressure caused by the incidents at Medupi 4 and Kendal 1. In the medium term, we should therefore expect some recovery in the energy availability factor as our planned maintenance returns to a more typical level. We are working hard to get the energy availability factor above 70%, but given the age of the fleet, it would be unrealistic to expect a sustained performance above 75%. This is the reason why we have welcomed policy interventions to increase the available generation capacity for the country, as ultimately, we need more power to enable South Africa to grow.

Anton Eberhard: Declining power station performance is one reason for load-shedding and power cuts which South Africa experienced in 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015 and every year since 2018. But you have pointed out that South Africa is also short of power. These shortages will increase as old power stations reach their end of life. You said recently that 22GW will need to be decommissioned by 2035.

The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 indicated around 33GW of new power generating capacity has to be added by 2030. That will require well over a trillion rand (over US$68 billion) in new investment. In a number of speeches you have made the point that because of Eskom's high levels of debt, and a fiscally constrained state, most of this investment will need to come from the private sector. It's unprecedented for an Eskom CEO to speak in this way, effectively encouraging private competition, but I guess you are alerting us to the urgency and the magnitude of the challenge if we are to keep the lights on. Can you elaborate on what needs to be done to restore electricity supply security?

Andre de Ruyter: Eskom has publicly stated that the country currently has a generation capacity deficit of 4,000MW. And that is at the current levels of economic activity and available generation capacity. This gap will obviously increase should economic activity rise without commensurate investments in generation capacity, which result in increased load-shedding. This need not be the case. South Africa should never have been forced to choose between protecting Eskom and having electricity.

We are pleased that today everyone acknowledges the solutions to South Africa's electricity deficit cannot be left to Eskom and the government alone. It is as much in private capital's interest to increase available generation capacity as it is in the government's interests.

While the state has a very limited ability to make any further significant investments, the private sector has indicated its willingness to invest in generation capacity to solve the single most important factor holding back the country. And that is electricity. In this context, we were very pleased with the lifting of the licensing requirement from 1MW to 100MW, as we believe that this step will enable substantial new capacity to be added in the short term.

Anton Eberhard: I've been interested to see that you have been floating the idea that Eskom should start investing in renewable energy. In many ways this makes sense. Solar and wind energy are now the cheapest grid connected sources of energy. And as the CEO of Eskom you need to offer an alternative vision and future for Eskom staff as the old coal fleet comes offline. But how will Eskom be able to raise finance for new power generation with your current unsustainable levels of debt and limited headroom for further state guarantees? I know there are discussions around concessionary climate related finance leading up to Cop26 (the 2021 United Nations climate change conference) but surely even these funders would be worried that Eskom is currently technically insolvent?

Andre de Ruyter: Eskom continues to explore its funding options. It is important to separate the legacy debt that Eskom carries from its growth opportunities, not only in generation, but also in vital investments in transmission and distribution, to enable private investors in generation to access the grid. For this, we need to borrow new money - these investments are inevitable and will have to be made regardless.

We are in regular engagements with the key financial stakeholders, including developmental financing and multilateral institutions. These entities have expressed a keen interest to enable and assist the accelerated decarbonisation of the SA electricity supply industry by making highly concessional funding available to Eskom.

Various funding methods are being explored. One thing we do not repeat often enough is that the solution to the country's energy problems does not belong to Eskom and the government alone. Everyone has a stake in the solution. We therefore have to find ways to energise the private sector to roll up its sleeves and get involved. For this to happen, investors need a decent return on investment, while assuming an appropriate degree of risk, just as any investor would do when building a factory. This could be a win-win solution: investors get their return - which increases the tax pool for the government - and the country regains energy security and grows job opportunities. It's a no-brainer.

For Eskom's part, within its ability, we have started with a pilot programme to repurpose the Komati power station, which has reached the end of its operational life. This will allow Eskom to use the existing infrastructure and save some jobs for the local community, instead of leaving behind a ghost town. We have three other power stations on which we have invited investors to give us partnership proposals to repurpose the stations. We can all share the responsibility, and harvest the fruits together.

Anton Eberhard: We've alluded to Eskom's high debt levels, currently sitting at around R400 billion (over US$27 billion). In financial year 2021 you managed to reduce gross debt by R81.9 billion, in part because you received a government bailout of R56 billion. I calculated that between 2008 and 2021, Eskom has received a total of R220 billion in bailouts. Given the state's worsening fiscal and debt situation, and all the other social needs that need to be met, is this sustainable?

Indeed, should infrastructure utilities not be financially viable on their own? But Eskom's debt service cover ratio sits at 0.3 - that is, it generates less than a third of the cash it needs to service the interest of its debt and principal repayments. What is your strategy for restoring Eskom's financial sustainability? Cost cutting? More government support? Higher tariffs? Refinancing of Eskom's debt with concessionary loans linked to more rapid decarbonisation of the generation fleet? All of these?

Andre de Ruyter: It is indeed correct that Eskom cannot rely on the government bailout forever. We are well aware that we are not entitled to a cent of taxpayers' money. That is why Eskom has embarked on the reforms and corporate savings so it can achieve operational and financial stability in a short space of time. That is the reason we have aggressively tackled procurement corruption, operational inefficiencies and cost-cutting across the board through prudent management of resources and a reduction in headcount. These we can do internally, they are within Eskom's scope of activity.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa also needs to come to the party with electricity tariffs that reflect the cost of producing the power. Even with a 20% annual increase in the tariff, the reality is that Eskom prices will still be at the bottom third of comparable international electricity prices. This does not make too much sense, particularly for our export sector, which consumes electricity to produce commodities priced in US dollars, and compete with companies who pay in US dollars for their electricity input. In addition to the very real need for cost-reflective tariffs, we also need to address the thorny issue of nonpayment for electricity by defaulting municipalities, particularly in the Free State. The ever-growing outstanding debt to Eskom is now at about R39 billion, or roughly 10% of Eskom's debt.

Our active partnering approach to capacitate and enable municipalities to improve their distribution systems to enable them to pay us has found favour with a number of municipalities. Unfortunately, there are one or two intransigent municipalities where we are forced to take legal action and strictly apply nominated maximum demand limitation, which causes significant and regrettable disruption to daily life in those towns.

The last element of our balance sheet restructuring involves a one-off injection of between R150 billion and R200 billion in order to enable us to have a reasonable net debt service cost. Current equity injections from National Treasury are applied by and large to paying interest, and as such do not fundamentally address the issue of legacy debt. Discussions in this regard are ongoing, albeit more slowly than we would have liked.

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Anton Eberhard: Recent regulatory reforms have removed ministerial and National Energy Regulator permissions for power market access and we are likely to see a flood of new privately funded and developed power generation projects. The focus will now shift to grid constraints. You have highlighted that around R180 billion needs to be spent on transmission and distribution. How will Eskom in its current form be able to raise this finance? Will the new transmission subsidiary company of Eskom Holdings not still be exposed to the credit ratings and financial contagion of the Eskom Group? You have said that sophisticated governance arrangements can be put in place to ensure the independence of the transmission subsidiary company. But why stick with this option? Transmission comprises only 10% of Eskom's assets.

It is entirely possible to negotiate with lenders and over the next few years move the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator outside Eskom, with the prospect of migrating back to investment grade and accessing competitively priced debt. One hundred and six countries around the world have gone this route, which also enables a fair and transparent platform for contracting and dispatching least cost power. So what are the advantages of keeping the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator within the Eskom group?

Andre de Ruyter: Eventually, the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator may operate outside of the Eskom fold, which will be a policy decision. Legal separation of transmission could be seen as the first step on that road. I am mindful at the moment that we need to contain cost.

Setting up an entirely independent new entity will inevitably lead to an increase in functional cost by duplicating services currently rendered by Eskom corporate. For the moment, we are therefore content to proceed with legal separation, with appropriate governance structures to ensure independence in decision-making by the Independent Transmission System and Market Operator, while keeping costs down. Nothing that we are doing rules out a completely independent entity, and when the time comes, we will be ready to implement upon the instruction of our shareholder.

Anton Eberhard, Professor at the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town
A man passes by a destroyed tank on the main street of Edaga Hamus, in the Tigray region, in Ethiopia, on June 5, 2021.

UN Security Council, Regional Bodies, Other Countries Should Also Target Rights Abusers

Today, United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order that allows the US government to impose sanctions against those responsible for a range of serious human rights abuses in northern Ethiopia.

The order establishes a sanctions regime that allows the US government to deny visas to and freeze the assets of individuals and entities responsible for or complicit in serious abuses and obstructing access to humanitarian aid. In doing so, the US sends an important message to those committing or taking part in abuses from all warring parties, especially those in command positions, that they will face consequences for their actions.

Since the conflict in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region began last November, Human Rights Watch and others have documented massacres, widespread sexual violence, forced displacement, and deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure by Ethiopian federal government forces and their allies, including Eritrean government forces. Tigrayan militia forces have also killed and raped Eritrean refugees.

Many of these abuses constitute war crimes, but may also amount to crimes against humanity.

Ethiopia's federal government has continued its de facto blockade of the region, preventing aid agencies from delivering critical food, fuel, and medicine to millions. The US executive order opens the door for individuals to be sanctioned for their role in this blockade.

Although the federal government withdrew forces from most of Tigray in late June, atrocities continue. Fifty bodies were recently found in the river bordering western Tigray and Sudan. Since July, the conflict has spread to Ethiopia's Afar and Amhara regions where more civilians have reportedly suffered abuses, thousands have been displaced, and humanitarian needs have grown.

Outside of Tigray, notably in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, authorities have discriminated against, arbitrarily arrested, and forcibly disappeared scores of Tigrayans. Hateful anti-Tigrayan statements by officials and government advisors have further heightened tensions.

The US executive order allows for targeted sanctions that emphasize individual responsibility, and, importantly, will not affect the general population. To be most effective, the United Nations Security Council, the African Union, the European Union, and other concerned governments should adopt similar measures. An independent, international monitoring mechanism can point them in the right direction.

As the last 10 months have shown, criticism alone of the warring parties' conduct has done little to prevent or deter serious abuses. One hopes the threat of sanctions will have greater impact.
Algiers  Vice President of the Libyan Presidential Council Moussa al-Kouni insisted Thursday on the necessity of "continued coordination and consultation with Algeria" on all the issues relating to Libya and the Region.

In a statement to the press following an audience granted to him by President of the Republic Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Al-Kouni underlined the importance of Algeria, "the big brother in the region and the country with which we have to hold continued consultation and coordination concerning all the issues relating to Libya and the region, at the African, Maghreb and Mediterranean levels."

In this respect, he said that his visit to Algeria aims to "consult and examine with President Tebboune the different issues of common interest, starting with the borders and the neighboring countries, notably the countries of the South like Chad, Niger and Sudan and the modes of cooperation with these countries in order to achieve the common border security."

"We also broached the issue of the coordination of policies related to the communication with the different meetings concerning Libya with the participation of Algeria," he added, pointing out that there is a "total consensus" with the President of the Republic who promised us the resumption of flights between Tripoli and Algiers and the reopening of the Consulate in Sabha," in addition to "the border crossings of Ghadames et Ghat" to transport goods between the two countries."

See also: President Tebboune receives Vice President of Libyan Presidential Council

According to the official, the urgent need to organize Libyan elections on time and the results of the Berlin Congress process were also broached during this meeting.

Al-Kouni said that these moves are "very important" for the two peoples for the "economic integration and the social communication," adding that the situation in Tunisia and the importance of its stability were also broached.

The meeting was held in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad Ramtane Lamamra and Principal Private Secretary of the Presidency of the Republic Noureddine Bardad Daidj.
press release

President Cyril Ramaphosa has finalised the terms of reference of the expert panel he has established to review government's response to the incidents of public violence, destruction of property and looting that took place in July 2021.

President Ramaphosa announced the establishment of the panel in his address to the nation on 5 August 2021.

The panel consists of Prof Sandy Africa as chairperson, Adv Mojanku Gumbi and Mr Silumko Sokupa, who were appointed on 20 August 2021.

Among its tasks, the panel will be expected to:

- inquire into and make findings on whether government's response to the violence and associated security threat was appropriate, timely and coordinated;

- inquire into the capability and lack thereof of the security forces in responding to the violence;

- inquire into the availability of necessary resources/equipment or lack thereof that could have enabled the security forces to respond to the violence

- inquire into the adequacy of the leadership and command structures of the security forces to deal with the violence and associated security threat;

- review what information relevant to the outbreak of violence and looting was available to the structures of government both in the period leading up to, and after, the outbreak of violence;

- inquire into and make findings on how information relevant to the violence and looting was managed, processed and coordinated within government;

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- inquire into community-based reaction and private sector initiatives, both leading up to, and after, the outbreak of violence;

- assess whether the deployment of security services and law enforcement was unduly delayed, and, if so, to establish the reasons why;

- inquire into the adequacy and coherence of the government's public communications on the security situation.

The panel is expected to make recommendations to the President on all these matters, and specifically on measures and systems that need to be put in place by the government to respond to such occurrences.

It is expected that the panel's report and recommendations will be provided to the President within three months of its full establishment.

President Ramaphosa has thanked the panel members for agreeing to undertake this responsibility and the extensive detailed work that it will entail.

"It is critical that we have a thorough and independent assessment of the readiness and response of government to these devastating events. This analysis will inform the steps we must take to improve our law enforcement and security capabilities."

"All state entities are ready to provide the panel with any assistance, information and support that it needs," President Ramaphosa said.
Maputo  The Mozambican Health Ministry on Thursday reported significant improvements in some of the key indicators for the Covid-19 pandemic, including the positivity rate, the number of hospitalisations and the number of active cases.

The positivity rate (the proportion of those tested found to be carrying the coronavirus that causes Covid-19) on Thursday was 6.5 per cent. This was the lowest rate since the 4.9 per cent recorded on 14 June.

The positivity rates earlier this week were 7.8 per cent on Wednesday, 10.8 per cent on Tuesday, 7.4 per cent on Monday, 10.2 per cent on Sunday, and 7.9 per cent on Saturday.

According to the Ministry's Thursday press release, since the start of the pandemic, 884,640 people have been tested for the coronavirus, 2,036 of them in the previous 24 hours. 1,903 of the tests yielded negative results, while 133 people tested positive for the virus. This brings the total number of Covid-19 cases diagnosed in Mozambique to 149,804.

Of the new cases identified on Thursday, 73 were women or girls and 60 were men or boys. Ten were children under the age of 15, and 13 were over 65 years old.

As has been consistently the case this month, the majority of the positive cases came from northern Mozambique. 78.9 per cent of the new cases were from the four provinces north of the Zambezia - 48 from Niassa, 29 from Cabo Delgado, 23 from Nampula and five from Zambezia.

Just 21.1 per cent of the cases were from the seven southern and central provinces - 14 from Maputo city, eight from Inhambane, two from Manica, two from Gaza, one from Tete, one from Maputo province, and none at all from Sofala.

The provinces with the highest positivity rates were all in the north - Niassa (21.1 per cent), Nampula (15.9 per cent) and Cabo Delgado (10.1 per cent). Apart from Sofala, which had no positive cases, the lowest positivity rates were reported from Maputo province (1.2 per cent), and Manica (1.4 per cent).

In the same 24 hour period, 15 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospital (seven in Maputo, four in Nampula, three in Niassa and one in Zambezia), while five new patients were admitted (two in Cabo Delgado, and one each in Niassa, Zambezia and Maputo).

The number of people under medical care in the Covid-19 treatment centres fell from 59 on Wednesday to 47 on Thursday. 16 of these patients (35.6 per cent) were in Maputo. There were 12 patients in Nampula, six in Niassa, four in Cabo Delgado, two each in Zambezia, Manica and Inhambane, and one in Tete. No Covid-19 patients were hospitalised in Sofala or Gaza.

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The Ministry release reported four Covid-19 deaths. These victims were three women and one man, all of Mozambican nationality, and aged between 54 and 83. Three of the deaths occurred in Maputo and one in Niassa. They bring the total Covid-19 death toll in Mozambique to 1,902.

Over the previous 24 hours, 2,106 people were declared fully recovered from Covid-19 (1,288 in Maputo city, 566 in Nampula, 227 in Niassa, and 25 in Sofala). The total number of recoveries now stands at 144,875, or 96.7 per cent of all those ever diagnosed with Covid-19 in Mozambique.

The number of active Covid-19 cases fell sharply from 5,000 on Wednesday to 3,023 on Thursday. The geographical distribution of the active cases was as follows: Maputo city, 813 (26.9 per cent of the total), Cabo Delgado, 623; Nampula, 592; Maputo province, 400; Niassa, 161; Zambezia, 160; Inhambane 125; Gaza, 109; Manica, 26; and Tete, 14. There were no active cases in Sofala.
Maputo  Businesswoman Angela Leao, who is married to the former head of the Mozambican Security and Intelligence Service (SISE), Gregorio Leao, on Friday protested that prosecutors have asked about her real estate dealings and not about the country's "hidden debts".

Speaking before the Maputo City Court, on her second day of giving evidence, Leao repeatedly claimed that the debts "have nothing to do with me", and that she had never been in contact with Privinvest, the Abu Dhabi based group at the heart of the scandal.

Eventually, this provoked the judge, Efigenio Baptista, into giving a short lesson on how the scam operated. The 2017 independent audit by the company Kroll Associates, into the three fraudulent, security-linked companies Proindicus, Ematum (Mozambique Tuna Company) and MAM (Mozambique Asset Management), showed that Privinvest had over-invoiced the companies massively.

The "hidden debts" originate in the 2.2 billion dollars of loans the three companies obtained from the banks Credit Suisse and VTB of Russia, on the basis of illicit loan guarantees issued by the government of the day under the then President, Armando Guebuza. But the loan money was sent, not to the companies in Maputo but to Privinvest, which became the sole contractor for the companies.

Privinvest sent the companies fishing boat, patrol vessels, radars and other assets, which the Kroll audit showed had been overvalued by more than 700 million US dollars.

The money from the Privinvest over-invoicing, Baptista said, was used to pay off individuals. Since the Mozambican state was being obliged to repay the loans, the money that had been diverted through over-invoicing "is money that belongs to the Mozambican state", insisted the judge.

But Leao insisted that all the money used in her real estate operations came from her own legitimate businesses, and had nothing to do with the hidden debts and Privinvest bribes. When asked to explain precisely where her money had come from, she simply refused to answer.

Much of the money Leao received in 2013 had come via the company MMocambique Construcoes, a building firm owned by her associate Fabiao Mabunda. He told the court earlier this week that he had received about nine million dollars from Privinvest, which was then passed on in instalments to Angela Leao.

Leao also reverted to attacking the Public Prosecutor's Office. She claimed that the Public Prosecutor "has been pressured to arrest people", but could give no examples of such pressure. "What has the money transferred from MMocambique to various of the accused got to do with pressure", asked Baptista. "It is you that must show what you did is not criminal".

The court also heard the testimony of self-employed builder Sidonio Sitoe, charged with money laundering after he had acted as an intermediary between MMocambique and Angela Leao.

In the 2013-2014 period, Sitoe built houses for Leao in the southern beach resort of Ponta de Ouro, and the Maputo neighbourhood of Costa do Sol. Leao paid a total of 1.5 million dollars for these houses. All that money was paid via MMocambique.

Like several other defendants, Sitoe had no paperwork to justify many of his transactions. He had signed no contract with Leao, and admitting to paying no tax on the income he had received from her.

He admitted to having just one client - Angela Leao. Asked why, Sitoe said "I don't know. She just likes my houses".

When prosecuting attorney Sheila Marrengula asked if he knew where Leao's money came from, he replied "Why should I know where the money came from?"

But, as the Privinvest bribes came under investigation, so the relations between Leao and Sitoe began to unravel. He admitted that Leao started threatening him after suspects were called into the Attorney-General's Office (PGR) in late 2018. "We had a rather unpleasant discussion", he said, but declined to go into detail.

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However, the details exist in the record of an interrogation in the PGR on 3 January 2019. Sitoe went there of his own volition to complain of Leao's behavior. Marrengula read out this record, according to which Leao rang up Sitoe after his first interrogation to complain that he had "spoken too much", particularly about the houses he had sold her. Leao told Sitoe that he should have told the prosecutors he knows nothing about the houses, and cannot remember anything about payments.

Sitoe also told Assistant Attorney-General Alberto Paulo that, since his falling out with Leao, he had noticed strange cars parked permanently outside his house, and, when he went to the city of Matola, a vehicle with darkened windows turned up with people inside taking photographs of him.
Maputo  The general commander of the Mozambican police, Bernadino Rafael, has urged the population of Quissanga district, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, to return to their homes after victories by the defence and security forces against the ISIS terrorists, reports Friday's issue of the independent newssheet "Carta de Mocambique".

Quissanga was ravaged by the terrorists in 2020. ISIS occupied the district capital in March of that year, and even hoisted the black flag of the "Islamic State".

Eighteen months later, Rafael announced that the government authorities have returned to Quissanga, and the terrorists have been expelled from the district, thanks to the counter-offensive by the Mozambican forces, with the support of their allies from Rwanda and member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Speaking on Thursday, at a police parade in the provincial capital, Pemba, Rafael said people displaced from their homes in Quissanga can now return, He promised that the police will strengthen its presence in the district, to allow people to return to their normal lives as farmers or fishermen.

"Carta de Mocambique" reports that people are beginning to return to at least three Quissanga villages - Nivico. 19th October and Tandanhangue.

But terrorists destroyed public and private facilities throughout the district, which must now be rebuilt.

Roads that were closed are now being reclaimed from the bush. The paper reports that a 27 kilometre stretch of road linking the 19th October village to the small town of Bilibiza is now being rehabilitated by the Integrated Development Agency for the North (ADIN), with funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

During the Pemba parade, Rafael delivered 11 vehicles to the Cabo Delgado district police commands, including the districts severely affected by the terrorist raids.
Tunis/Tunisia  The goverorate of Sidi Bouzid has recorded one more death of coronavirus over the past 24 hours, bringing the toll to 864 since the spread of the pandemic in the region, Deputy-Director of Primary Health Bechir Saidi told TAP Friday.

85 more infections have also been registered in the region where the number of positive cases has reached 28,696 since the outbreak of the pandemic.

164 COVID patients have recovered from the virus, taking the number of recoveries to 28,233 in the region, the same source said.
Togo gave a first Covid-19 vaccine dose to 33 090 health workers between March 11 and 13, equating to almost 95% of the countrys entire health personnel.

Nairobi  The World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) have urged a COVID-19 summit to be held next week in the US to address the barriers to global vaccine equity.

At a virtual conference held in Geneva in Switzerland this week (14 September), the two organisations called on the US to tackle trade restrictions and intellectual property embargoes placed on COVID-19 vaccines, which they said continue to hinder access to vaccines in African countries.

"Africa is lagging behind," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "Of the more than 5.7 billion doses [of COVID-19 vaccines] administered globally already, Africa accounts for a mere two per cent."

While urging world leaders to adopt more urgent measures to end the pandemic, including at next week's virtual summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, the WHO chief warned of the global impact of failing to vaccinate Africa.

"It does not only hurt Africa. It hurts all of us because the longer vaccine inequity persists, the more the virus will keep circulating and mutating, the longer the socioeconomic disruptions will continue and the higher the chances that more variants will emerge rendering vaccines infective," Tedros said.

"I know I sound like a broken record but I will continue to call to account political leaders, pharmaceutical industry players and financial institutions until global vaccine equity is met," he added.

At the summit, President Biden will call on global leaders to make new commitments to fight the pandemic, with the aim of vaccinating 70 per cent of the world's population within a year, according to US media reports.

But the reported draft targets for the summit are not that different from those the WHO and other global experts drew up at the beginning of the pandemic, including increased funding for tests, oxygen and other supplies to developing countries, and financing the global COVID-19 response by next year -- most of which have not been met.

Strive Masiyiwa, the AU special envoy for COVID-19, made a direct call for the US intervention, saying that trade barriers were making it impossible for Africa to acquire vaccines.

"Vaccine sharing is a good thing but we should also be allowed to sit [at] the table and show proof of capacity that we can also buy," Masiyiwa said.

He added that during the summit the AU would be putting forward a proposal on obtaining intellectual property rights on COVID vaccines.

Vera Songwe, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, said that every one month of lockdown in Africa due to COVID-19 amounts to US$29 billion in economic losses.

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"In Africa when we say that COVID-19 is an economic issue, we mean it in those precise terms," Songwe explained. "That is why we need to respond to it quickly to be able to recover and reset our economies."

Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, sought to allay fears that African countries lack capacity to absorb the vaccines.

"On the contrary, our main concern is that global supplies are not being shared in a manner likely to get the world out of this pandemic soon," she explained, adding that the WHO has been supporting countries to expand vaccination sites."If anything, Africa has done this before, launching massive vaccination campaigns against polio, yellow fever and cholera," she added.

This piece was produced by SciDev.Net's Sub-Saharan Africa English desk.
Posters commemorating Michael Komape wh died after he fell into a pit toilet at Mahlodumela Primacy School in Chebeng Village, outside Polokwane, on 20 January 2014.

State must provide court with reports every six months with details of steps taken to eradicate pit toilets

In 2014 five-year-old Michael Komape drowned in a pit toilet at his school outside Polokwane.

Earlier judgments ordered the Limpopo education department to eradicate pit toilets at schools.

But after the department provided a plan that would take over a decade to implement, the Komape family went back to court.

The Limpopo High Court handed down a judgment on Friday in favour of the family, compelling the state to provide a list of all schools with pit toilets within 90 days along with plans to eradicate them.

The state is to provide the court with reports every six months on progress towards eliminating pit toilets.

The Limpopo High Court handed down judgment in favour of the Komape family on Friday, with an order compelling the provincial administration to provide, within 90 days, a detailed list of all schools in the province with pit toilets along with plans to eradicate these.

The defendants in the case -- the Limpopo Department of Education (LDOE) and the Department of Basic Education (DBE) -- have also been ordered to show how the funds for this programme will be sourced, and to explain what interim measures will be implemented "to address schools' urgent sanitation needs and immediate safety risks pending the delivery of permanent sanitation measures".

Michael Komape was five years old when he drowned in a pit toilet at Mahlodumela Primacy School in Chebeng Village, outside Polokwane, on 20 January 2014. The case has attracted international notoriety, and thrown a spotlight on the LDOE and the use of pit toilets in some 1,500 schools across the province.

Read the judgment

Public sector law firm SECTION27, which provided legal support to the Komape family, welcomed Judge Gerrit Muller's judgment.

"The judgment is a vindication of the rights of learners in Limpopo to safe and dignified sanitation. It follows a six-year legal battle to ensure that the Limpopo Department of Education and the Department of Basic Education eradicates pit toilets in that province," says SECTION27 in a statement.

The case was first heard in the Limpopo High Court in 2017. The Komape family initially lost its claim for damages in the Limpopo court, but this was overturned in the Supreme Court of Appeal in 2019 when the family was awarded R1.4 million.

The second part of the 2017 case dealt with the family's request for a structural order directing the DBE and LDOE to supply each school in Limpopo with safe and dignified toilets. In 2018, the Limpopo High Court ordered the state to conduct a comprehensive audit of sanitation needs - detailing the names and locations of all schools with pit toilets in the province - and provide a comprehensive plan for the installation of new toilets. Since the structural order, the LDOE and DBE have filed two affidavits with the court - on 31 August 2018 and 12 May 2020.

The LDOE and DBE proposed replacing pit toilets at 1,498 schools in the province over a period of 14 years, which the Limpopo High Court found was unduly long.

SECTION27 returned to the High Court on 6 August 2021 seeking an order declaring that the LDOE and DBE's plans were unconstitutional and in breach of the structural order. It asked the court to direct the Member of the Executive Council in the Limpopo Department of Education to remedy the shortcomings of the plan to ensure that it is constitutionally compliant. It also asked the court to supervise the updated plan and its implementation.

In reaching his decision, the judge relied on a judgment in another case, Government of the Republic of SA and Others v Grootboom and Others, which dealt with access to adequate housing and was tasked with finding a way to achieve the progressive realisation of that right, including whether public money could be better spent in the pursuit of these rights.

While SECTION27 argued for the creation of a special task team to implement the structural order, the court said such a step was not warranted at the moment. "The defendants must be given the opportunity [to] put up a revised plan which meets the test of reasonableness," reads the judgment. While financial constraints are a fact of life, "adequate financial provision should be put in place to address the plight of the learners in schools with pit toilets."

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The state is to provide the court with reports every six months with details of steps taken to implement the revised plan.

"We are delighted that the court has recognised the urgent need to eradicate pit toilets in our schools and directed the DBE and LDOE to fulfil the constitutional rights of learners to safe and dignified sanitation," said Faranaaz Veriava, head of the education rights programme at SECTION27.

The order requires the state to provide a detailed inventory of schools' sanitation needs, including a list of pit toilets across schools in the province, and how the province intends to implement the revised sanitation plan. The state is also required to provide revised deadlines for the eradication of pit toilets, along with detailed budgets.
Department of Health promises employees will get salary within hours

Thousands of Eastern Cape health workers at various facilities went on an unprotected strike because the provincial Department of Health had failed to pay them a cash allowance. They said other Eastern Cape government employees and health workers in other provinces have been paid, but not Eastern Cape health workers.

At Frere Hospital in East London, nurses, administration staff and cleaners blocked the entrance and turned away ambulances at about 1pm on Friday.

Protesting workers said the department already owes them for overtime and night duty.

Thabisa Matwa, who spoke for the Frere Hospital workers, said management told them that the no work no pay rule will apply.

"We are being bullied by the hospital management instead of addressing our concerns," she said.

She said they were aware that the department was in debt because of medical legal claims. "If we don't stand for our rights and demand what is due to us ... we won't get anything," she said.

"We can't accept to be the last when we are the first when the country needs us to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic," said Matwa.

Some workers said they had been shot at by police, and a passerby showed GroundUp she had been hit by a rubber bullet on the back. Vuyelwa Sitho said, "When I addressed them [police] ... they told me that I must move out of the way as they are just doing their work."

Eastern Cape Head of Health Department Dr Rolene Wagner said, "Whilst I understand the anger and frustration of our workers, we cannot allow unprotected [strike] action, especially where it affects the services we provide to our communities."

She said ABSA bank experienced a technical problem when processing the payment.

"When it was brought to our attention yesterday [Thursday] that employees had not received their payments, we immediately engaged with ABSA and our provincial Treasury."

"The first payment batches have gone through successfully. ABSA has confirmed that our employees can expect their salary adjustments to be reflected in their bank accounts from 1:30pm onwards if they bank with ABSA and from 6pm if the accounts lie with other bank accounts," said Wagner.
A judge formally approved a plan Friday to turn OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma into a new company no longer owned by members of the Sackler family and with its profits going to fight the opioid epidemic.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain officially confirmed the reorganization Friday, more than two weeks after he announced he would do so pending two largely technical changes to the plan presented by the company and hashed out with lawyers representing those with claims against the company.

His confirmation took more than six hours to read in court earlier this month, and the written version is 159 pages long, full of reasoning that appeals courts can consider later. Several states among other parties have already appealed the decision.

The deal resolves some 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, hospitals and others who claimed the company's marketing of prescription opioids helped spark and continue an overdose epidemic linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. in the last two decades.

The plan will use company profits and $4.5 billion in cash and charitable assets from members of the Sackler family to pay some individual victims amounts expected to range from $3,500 to $48,000, and help fund opioid treatment and prevention programs across the U.S.

Members of the Sackler family are also required to get out of the opioid business worldwide in time.

Millions of company documents, including communications with company lawyers, are to be made public.

The changes are to take effect when the bankruptcy process is finalized; the earliest that could be is in December.

The attorneys generals from the states of Connecticut, Maryland, Washington and the District of Columbia, as well as the U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee have all announced appeals. Their chief objection is that members of the wealthy Sackler family would be granted protection from lawsuits over opioids.

For many people in recovery from opioid addictions or who have lost loved ones to overdoses, the deal is infuriating.

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Ellen Isaacs, a mother whose son died from an overdose, filed court papers requesting Drain not accept the plan. At a hearing on Monday, she gave a passionate some sometimes tearful 40-minute speech on her request. Like other activists, she asserted that Sackler family members  who have never been charged with criminal wrongdoing  are getting away with crimes, and that politicians and courts are not doing enough to end the opioid epidemic.

The attorneys are playing games on paper and humans are dying, she said.

Drain said the money from the settlement would help avert more deaths, even if it will come too late for Isaacs' son.

I did not become a judge to get things wrong, he told her.

He stood by his confirmation of the plan.

At the hearing, Drain also said he would approve a request from Purdue to use nearly $7 million to start setting up the funds that will distribute settlement money to victims, government entities and others. He also, for the third year, approved a plan of incentive payments for Purdue executives if they meet certain goals.
For the United States, Friday's apology for a drone strike that killed 10 innocent civilians in Afghanistan last month was a rare admission of a deadly and damaging mistake.

For the family still reeling from their loss, it was far from enough.

"No one (has contacted) with us to apologize," Emal Ahmadi, whose toddler Malika was among seven children killed in the August 29 blast, told NBC News Saturday.

Ahmadi said he was surprised to hear that the U.S. had offered publicly apologized for the incident, since he had yet to hear from a single official himself.

However, he also said that an apology would not suffice. "I lost ten members of our family and the U.S. should pay," he said.

"(The) U.S. should pay compensation for us and should transfer us from Kabul."

Image: Emal Ahmadi (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images file)

Of course, said Ramin Yousuf  a cousin of Ahmadi who served as a military instructor with Afghan forces before the Taliban took control of Kabul  what the family really wants is their loved ones back.

"In one minute, we (lost) everything," said Yousuf, 31. "What pain does this apology cure?"

But, he added: "We have no choice but this."

He also said his family fears it could be targeted by the Taliban after speaking out about their situation, fueling their desperation to get out of Kabul.

Both Yousuf and Ahmadi said that if given the chance, they would still wish to seek refuge in the U.S. despite the country's role in their family's devastation.

"We don't have another choice in this situation," Yousuf said.

But first, he said, U.S. officials should call his family directly and "apologize (to the) mother of every child" killed in the strike.

NBC News has reached out to the Pentagon for comment.

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, claimed full responsibility Friday for what he said was a devastating "mistake."

Recounting how the drone strike had been launched in the chaotic hours after a deadly suicide bombing near Kabul airport, McKenzie said the operation had been meant to prevent another attack from unfolding.

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In the days since, he said, the U.S. has determined that "it is unlikely that...those who died were associated with ISIS-K."

Emal Ahmadi said his daughter Malika, 2, was among those killed by the U.S. hellfire missile. (Courtesy / Emal Ahmadi)

That acknowledgment was initially all that the Ahmadi family wanted after their names suddenly became tied to ISIS-K in the wake of the devastating drone strike.

On the day of the deadly event, Ahmadi's cousin, Zemari Ahmadi, an aid worker employed by a U.S.-based nonprofit working to address malnutrition in the country, had just pulled up at home from work as his youngest son Farzad, 13, raced out to greet him.

Farzad had recently learned how to drive and wanted to help park his father's car, but the vehicle was struck by the U.S. drone, killing father and son along with eight other family members.

An investigation by The New York Times found some of Ahmadi's everyday actions on the day of the strike may have been misinterpreted by U.S. military surveillance, with water canisters mistaken for explosives.

Sumaia, 2, was among those killed in the August 29, 2021, U.S. drone strike in Kabul, according to her family.

Ahmadi said his daughter Malika and two other toddlers were the youngest family members killed, along with his nephews Arwin, 7, and Benyamin, 6, and Zemari's two other sons, Zamir, 20, and Faisal, 16.

Remembering his niece Sumaia, 2, who was killed in the blast, Yousuf said: "My father said she will be a genius in the future. But unfortunately, we lose our small genius from our family."

Ahmad Naser, a former Afghan Army officer who had worked as a contractor with the U.S. military, was also killed in the blast, Yousuf previously told NBC News.

Naser had been just days away from marrying Zemari's daughter, according to Yousuf. He said the family had planned to hold a small wedding that week, with Naser also hopeful that he would be able to get some of the family onto one of the last evacuation flights out of Kabul to the U.S.

Instead Zemari's family and friends were left to defend his character as the U.S. defended what it initially described as a "righteous strike."

Zemari, they insisted, was no terrorist but a good man who harbored no ill will toward America.

He worked as a technical engineer for Nutrition and Education International, a nonprofit based in Pasadena, California.

Now, with Zemari's name finally cleared, the Ahmadi family says it wants to be compensated.

"You know we (have lost our) government, job, education, money, our family members, our (comfortable) life. Sometimes I think that I am asleep," Yousuf said, describing life in the wake of both the drone strike and the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan.

McKenzie said on Friday that the U.S. was "considering ex gratia or reparations" for the deadly incident and that the Pentagon was "in consultation with the office of the Secretary of Defense to determine a way forward there."

However, he added, "as you will understand, it's very difficult to reach out on the ground in Afghanistan, to actually reach people."

Amnesty International, the humanitarian aid group, called the U.S. military's admission of a mistake a good first step.

The U.S. must now commit to a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into this incident," said Brian Castner, a senior crisis adviser with Amnesty International.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif, suggested there would be a hearing on what he called "a mistake with horrific consequences."
Chris Christie. AP/Mel Evans

A New Jersey middle school switched to remote learning for a day after several positive COVID-19 cases surfaced, some of which may have been caused by a bar mitzvah.

The bar mitzvah was held for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's 13-year-old nephew.

The school is planning to resume in-person learning by Monday, the superintendent said.

See more stories on Insider's business page.

Several middle-school students who attended a bar mitzvah for the nephew of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie got infected with the coronavirus, according to Mendham Township schools Superintendent Salvatore Constantino.

Students came out to celebrate on behalf of Christie's 13-year-old nephew last weekend. On Thursday, the school decided to shut down in-person learning for the entirety of Friday, Constantino said. That day, the school held virtual classes.

"I know that there were some cases where people that were in attendance did end up positive," Constantino told Insider. "But that was not the only situation that we had. Our school closure really has very little to do with Christie's bar mitzvah."

A "couple of cases" surfaced Thursday night, days after the bar mitzvah, Constantino said, but "I can't give causal relationships between any event and where they got COVID."

Constantino told Insider the school expects to resume in-person learning by Monday. Friday was used as a reset day for the school to determine its next steps and conduct contact tracing.

"We were able to use Friday to evaluate the situation and make sure we had all the information we needed," Constantino told Insider.

A photo taken at the event obtained by the New York Post shows the parents of the nephew and their four other kids posing at a club in Newark, New Jersey, without masks.

It's unclear how many students contracted the coronavirus at the bar mitzvah.

Insider asked Constantino how many people at Mendham Township are currently positive for COVID-19. Constantino declined to say repeatedly, citing privacy concerns. "It's not pertinent" information, Constantino said. "We're dealing with young students here. We don't give out that information."

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"I know it didn't cause an outbreak because we don't have enough positive cases to use the word outbreak," he added.

It's also unclear how many people were in attendance at the event.

The students who have tested positive for COVID-19 are going to quarantine and participate in remote learning for the time being, Constantino said.

Christie told the Post his brother, the father of the nephew who had the bar mitzvah, had been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Last year, Christie was hospitalized in an ICU after he contracted COVID-19. Prior to that infection, he had flouted mask guidelines from health agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Upon his hospitalization, he urged the public to take the virus seriously and wear a mask.

"Leaders, all across the politics, sports, the media, should be saying to people, put your masks on and be safe until we get a vaccine that could help to protect us," he said.

This story has been updated.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Bryan Sansivero has spent years photographing abandoned places across the US. Bryan Sansivero

Bryan Sansivero has spent the last decade photographing America's abandoned homes.

He describes each home as a time capsule, often brimming with dusty antiques and faded artwork.

A collection of his haunting photos were published in his book, "American Decay: Inside America's Forgotten Homes."

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Bryan Sansivero's haunting photography career all started when he stumbled upon an abandoned home in rural Pennsylvania.

Bryan Sansivero in front of an abandoned home. Bryan Sansivero

Bryan Sansivero was driving on a long, windy road about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when a dilapidated home caught his eye.

"I was so intrigued," he told Insider.

He said he pulled over in an apple orchard and made the trek up to the stone home, which he estimates was built in the 1700s.

Sansivero, 36, recalls peering through the only open window of the house. Amongst the crumbling and decaying walls, he spotted an elegant piano.

"This is so strange and it's beautiful," Sansivero remembers thinking.

So naturally, he stepped inside to snap a few photos.

That was more than 10 years ago. Today, Sansivero said he's photographed hundreds of abandoned houses and buildings across the US.

The homes are often filled with floral wallpaper, an indicator of the decade the home was built or abandoned. Bryan Sansivero

Sansivero said he's always gravitated towards the eerie and unfamiliar.

In college, where he said he majored in filmmaking, he made a documentary about an abandoned hospital.

The house in Pennsylvania reignited his interest, he said.

"Naturally, I was just drawn to wanting to photograph and explore things off-the-beaten path or the not-typically-seen kind of things," he said.

Sansivero has captured everything from decaying houses rumored to be haunted to homes in pristine condition that feel like they're frozen in time.

An abandoned home in Maryland. Bryan Sansivero

Sansivero said he takes inspiration from other photographers on Instagram, and uses Google Earth, word of mouth, and aimless trips in his car to find abandoned homes in different parts of the US.

Sansivero describes each home as a "time capsule," as they're filled with clothing, antiques, furniture, and toys that give a glimpse into what life was like decades ago.

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An image showing the inside of a 1930s farmhouse in upstate New York. Bryan Sansivero

When Sansivero arrives at an abandoned house, he usually finds plenty of antiques, such as CRT TVs, phonographs, and old chandeliers.

He said it's often obvious that other photographers have visited the homes as well, and that they might have staged objects or moved furniture around.

If that's the case, Sansivero said he might do a bit of his own staging before shooting  propping up a photograph or moving a lamp into the shot  but he says he keeps staging to a minimum.

"There's plenty of photos in my book where I literally walked in and that's what it looked like," he said.

"It's almost like a treasure hunt looking at my pictures," he told Insider. Nostalgia oozes from some images while others leave a lingering, eerie impression.

Toy horses fill the bedroom of this abandoned home in upstate New York. Bryan Sansivero

Sansivero's images are often teeming with color. Old, peeling floral wallpaper might be a focal point in one image and colorful '60s mod clothing might fill the frame in the next.

Sansivero said he loves color, noting that he was wearing a tie-dye T-shirt and rainbow, striped shorts while speaking with Insider.

But even with bright colors, his images are unsettling.

One year, he photographed an abandoned home with a surprising twist: The entire second story was circus-themed.

An image showing the inside of the abandoned clown house. Bryan Sansivero

One of the most famous houses Sansivero photographed was nicknamed the "Catskill Clown House" in upstate New York.

The home was filled with white-and-red carnival stripes, a canopy circus ceiling, and harlequin patterns covering the walls.

According to Sansivero, the home previously belonged to a circus family, but it's since been updated and renovated.

A hunter's house in the Catskills in New York is one of Sansivero's favorite places he has photographed.

An image showing the inside of the hunter's house. Bryan Sansivero

Sansivero said he and a friend explored this abandoned house in upstate New York, arriving before sunrise to photograph the home.

The photographer said the room was pitch black when they got there, but that as the sun rose and the light came in they started to see the details inside, including a tiger rug, old rifles, and an animal head mounted to the wall.

Sansivero admits that not every house has been unusual, strange, or odd. But every now and then he said he finds something completely unique. And often, he'll dig into the history behind the abandoned places he finds.

A dollhouse in an abandoned bedroom. Bryan Sansivero

Sansivero said he looks for abandoned homes that have stories, and that he searches for certain items  it could be a dollhouse or portrait above the mantel  that paint some type of picture about the people who used to live there.

Often, Sansivero said he'll find a letter or old piece of mail with a name of a former resident and use that information to track down the owner's family to learn more about the house's history.

The abandoned buildings usually have a sad backstory, according to Sansivero. One home he photographed was deserted after the owners were convicted of animal abuse, he said in an Instagram caption, while others remain brimming with antiques but no heirs.

Ultimately, Sansivero said he doesn't have all the answers to questions that his audience has about each home. But he said their questions leave them with a lasting impression of his work.

On his Instagram account, Sansivero shares glimpses of the history and families who once lived inside the decaying structures he photographs.

An abandoned bedroom inside a WWII veteran's home. Bryan Sansivero

An image of sunlight streaming through an American flag takes on an entirely new meaning when Sansivero explains in a caption on Instagram that the home belonged to a WWII veteran and prisoner of war who died decades ago.

As abandoned houses piled up on Sansivero's hard drive, he compiled his images into a photography book, which he titled "American Decay: Inside America's Forgotten Homes."

The image on the cover of "American Decay: Inside America's Forgotten Homes." Bryan Sansivero

After wanting to put a book together for years, Sansivero published the first edition of his book, "American Decay: Inside America's Forgotten Homes" in 2021.

Sansivero said he wants readers to feel like they're stepping into a home when they look at his book; as they flip through the pages, they enter different abandoned rooms.

An exterior shot of an abandoned home in the Northeast. Bryan Sansivero

"My photographs can be interpreted differently by different people," Sansivero told Insider.

He added that he wants "American Decay" to be a book that people revisit.

"Not a book that just sits there," he said. "But a book that you can go through and see something new each time."

While Sansivero's book focuses on homes, he's explored an array of abandoned locations.

A piano sits in an abandoned nursing home in New York. Bryan Sansivero

In the last decade, he's captured abandoned churches, nursing homes, hospitals, schools, trailers, and more.

Everything from abandoned nursing homes to boat graveyards fills Sansivero's collection.

A handful of abandoned boats in a field. Bryan Sansivero

As Sansivero continues his photographing abandoned houses, he told Insider he plans to focus on kitchens, which are at the heart of so many homes.

Many of the homes Sansivero has photographed have been torn down, sold to new owners, or vandalized, he said.

One of many of the abandoned and decaying rooms Sansivero has photographed. Bryan Sansivero

Sansivero estimates that half of the houses in his book are no longer in the same standing condition.

Many of them have been destroyed by fires or vandalized with spray paint, he said. But that doesn't take away from his experience of photographing these homes.

"Just to know that I was there and lucky enough to photograph it is really cool," he said.

Read the original article on Insider
WARSAW (Reuters) - The European Union's insistence on the primacy of EU law over national legislation undermines Poland's sovereignty, ruling party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said in a letter quoted by state news agency PAP.

The European Commission, the guardian of EU treaties, asked Warsaw in June to withdraw a motion filed with Poland's constitutional court seeking a ruling on whether the country's constitution or EU treaties were more important.

"This is an unbelievable demand that undermines the foundations of our sovereignty, our constitutional order, the right of the Republic of Poland to success," Kaczynski said in a letter read out at a conference for readers of the right-wing newspaper Gazeta Polska, PAP reported.

Kaczynski, the leader of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party and a deputy prime minister, said the Commission's request was part of the "opposition's fight to overthrow the democratically elected government" and a "tool to impose a new, revolutionary order in Europe".

The primacy of EU laws over national ones is a key tenet of European integration.

Opposition politicians say Poland's challenge to the primacy of EU law not only jeopardises the country's future in the EU, but the stability of the bloc itself.

Poland's constitutional court proceedings on the matter, originally set for July, were adjourned until September 22.

EU Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said earlier in September that Poland's legal challenge was the reason 57 billion euros in EU recovery funds to Warsaw had been held up.

Most of the bloc's 27 countries have already won European Commission approval for their national spending plans, unlocking access to tens of billions of euros from the bloc in COVID-19 recovery funds.

(Reporting by Alicja Ptak; Editing by Christina Fincher)
The Daily Beast

Clodagh Kilcoyne via ReutersROMEMarie was placed in a French Catholic boarding school for young girls from good families when she was in the fifth grade. She remembers a nun who would come to her class every day to choose a student to help her with Mass. But the nun wasnt looking for someone to help her. She was looking for a victim.I was 11 and looked 9. She would choose me once every two or three times, she recalls. She would take me to her office, lock the door, and then draw the cur
Editor's note: A body has been found in Wyoming that is "consistent with the description" of Gabby Petito. Read the latest here.

Police and the FBI are now searching for Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the case of his missing fiance, 22-year-old Gabby Petito. The attorney for Laundrie's family contacted the FBI on Friday night indicating they wanted to talk about their son's disappearance. They said they have not seen him since Tuesday, police in North Port, Florida, said overnight in a statement.

"For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's Fiance Gabby Petito," police said. "Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail."

"It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime," police said. "We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working a multiple missing person investigations."

More than 50 officers and FBI agents searched for Laundrie in the Carlton Reserve, a 24,000-acre county park in Florida's Sarasota County, on Saturday. They suspended the search at sun down.

"Our search of the Carlton is being called this evening due to darkness. Nothing found. Efforts will begin again Sunday morning," the North Port Police Department tweeted Saturday evening.

Authorities went to the reserve Saturday after Laundrie's family told them they believed "he entered the area earlier this week," police said.

"There's an enormous amount of pressure, I'm sure, on him to provide answers in what's going on here," police spokesman Josh Taylor said Saturday.

The FBI was at the Laundrie residence in North Point on Friday "removing property to assist in locating Brian," the attorney for Laundrie's family said in a statement to CBS News. "Be advised that the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown," attorney Steven Bertolino said.

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Police described 23-year-old Laundrie as a 5' 8'' white male with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap.

Petito's family released a statement after authorities announced Laundrie's whereabout were unknown, saying, "All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing. He is hiding. Gabby is missing."

Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito. / Credit: North Port Police

Meanwhile, the FBI confirmed Saturday afternoon that they are also "conducting ground surveys" in Wyoming.

"The #FBI and our partners at the National Park Service, Teton County Sheriff's Office & Jackson Police Department are currently conducting ground surveys in areas of Grand Teton National Park that are relevant to the investigation into Gabrielle Petito's disappearance," the agency tweeted.

"When we have any updates or requests for assistance from the public, we will share that information in a timely manner. We appreciate your cooperation and support as we work to bring Gabby home. #FindGabby," they said in a subsequent tweet.

Laundrie's fiance Petito went missing last month while the couple was on a cross-country trip they started in July. They intended to reach Oregon by Halloween, according to their social media accounts.

On September 1, Laundrie drove their Ford Transit van back to Florida alone, police said. Petito's family filed a missing persons report with police in Suffolk County, New York, last Saturday.

Petito's last known contact with family was in late August, and she was in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming at the time, authorities said. Petito is now the subject of a nationwide search, and her parents have pleaded for Laundrie and his family to cooperate with authorities.

"What I want from everybody here is help," Joe Petito, Gabby's father, said earlier this week. "Whatever you can do to make sure my daughter comes home, I'm asking you to help. Nothing else matters right now."

Police video released Thursday shows Petito and Laundrie had an emotional fight in Moab, Utah, weeks before she was reported missing.

Gabby Petito speaks with police on August 12, 2021. / Credit: The Moab Police Department

Multiple people dead and others wounded after gunman opens fire at a Russian university

Emmys 2021: "The Crown" and "Ted Lasso" win big

U.S. ramps up deportations to Haiti amid spike in arrivals
Associated Press

The preliminary stage of jury selection in the trial of the Florida school massacre suspect on charges that he attacked a jail guard concluded Wednesday, but not before attorneys clashed over whether Nikolas Cruz should be allowed to draw using colored pencils to avoid getting upset. Prosecutor Maria Schneider accused Cruzs attorneys of giving him the colored pencils to make the suspected killer of 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in February 2018 appear sympathetic before the prospective jurors. Cruz's attorneys gave him the pencils after the 23-year-old became visibly upset when a woman in Wednesday's first group of 32 prospects began crying after seeing him  the third time that happened over two days of preliminary screening.
By Liz Lee

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Malaysia's AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) has made "substantial progress" in months-long talks with creditors as it aims to convene meetings with them to vote on a restructuring scheme by the end of October, its chief executive said.

Benyamin Ismail told Reuters in a telephone interview that negotiations with lessors, planemaker Airbus SE and service providers had progressed, but declined to share details.

The airline, an affiliate of AirAsia Group, also hopes to complete talks with potential investors for its recapitalisation by the end of the year.

"We plan to raise funding in December and get that completed as soon as possible," Benyamin said, declining to reveal details about the potential investors.

Benyamin said talks with creditors were in the final stages and all had indicated they want to see the airline proceed with its restructuring.

There were no objections to a proposal to move engine maker Rolls-Royce Group into the same classification as most other creditors, he added.

The airline said in a stock exchange filing that "final negotiations are still ongoing, particularly with respect to commercial arrangements going forward".

In a court document filed on Monday, AAX said negotiations were still afoot but "various letters of undertaking have been secured" from creditors.

Many lessors have already struck other agreements with Southeast Asian airlines to take back planes early or reduce rates, at least temporarily, to help them survive the plunge in air travel caused by pandemic.

"Drafts of the lock up agreements and term sheets were sent to the lessors on (May 18). The lessors are presently in the process of reviewing them," AAX said.

The airline told the court it has received signed letters of undertaking from three large creditors to support and vote for the scheme, namely Honeywell International, Bridgestone Aircraft Tire Company and Sky High I Leasing Company.

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AAX proposed last October to restructure 64.15 billion ringgit ($15.43 billion) of debt, drawing objections from more than a dozen creditors, many of them lessors.

Airbus, the airline's biggest creditor, filed an affidavit in December https://www.reuters.com/article/us-airasia-x-lawsuit-airbus-exclusive-idUSKBN28W0JK saying it stands to lose more than $5 billion worth of orders if the scheme goes through. It declined to comment on the restructuring process.

This week, the court granted AAX an extension https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/court-grants-malaysias-airasia-x-extension-hold-creditors-meeting-by-march-2021-09-15 to hold its creditors meetings by March next year, when a restraining order https://www.reuters.com/article/airasia-x-restructuring-idCNL2N2O00AA preventing creditors from filing fresh lawsuits against the airline expires.

Shukor Yusof, head of Malaysia-based aviation consultancy Endau Analytics, said AAX's low-cost, long-haul model was no longer sustainable due to the pandemic.

"Creditors, including lessors and Airbus, understandably don't want to see the airline fall as they stand to lose a lot. The decision to work with AirAsia X to restructure is to salvage whatever they can," he said.

($1=4.1570 ringgit)

(Reporting by Liz LeeEditing by Lincoln Feast and Mark Potter)
WASHINGTON The actions President Joe Biden took this month to increase the number of workers who are vaccinated against COVID-19 will apply not just to most federal employees and larger businesses.

State and local government workers in 26 states, including teachers and school staff, will also be affected by the new workplace rules being written by Washington.

That includes workers in some states that have banned vaccination requirements for public employees, setting up another clash between GOP-led states and the Democratic administration.

Biden made no mention of vaccine requirements for state and local workers when announcing new rules for private-sector employees in a speech at the White House on Sept. 9. But a decades-old law means that more than half the states in the country must enforce similar rules for their public workers under the president's plan.

Labor Department spokeswoman Denisha Braxton confirmed to USA TODAY that Biden's new rules will "apply to public-sector state and local government workers, including educators and school staff" in 26 states and two territories.

In Arizona, a state that has blocked vaccination requirements, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero welcomed the federal backup.

It will be absolutely incredibly supportive of the city of Tucson and making sure that our public sector employees are not just protecting each other, but that we're also protecting the public that they interact with, Romero, a Democrat, told USA TODAY.

The city recently paused its vaccination mandate for city workers after Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich declared it illegal.

Legal challenge: Arizona sues over federal vaccine rules for workers

In this Jan. 7, 2020, file photo, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich speaks at a news conference in Phoenix. Brnovich has filed the first lawsuit to block President Joe Biden's new vaccine requirements that could affect 100 million workers, Tuesday Sept, 14, 2021.

Brnovich has also asked a court to declare the pending federal actions unconstitutional.

His complaint doesnt mention the conflict with state law. Instead, Brnovich argues that U.S. citizens shouldnt have to get the vaccine when people crossing the southern border illegally do not.

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A spokesman for Arizonas labor department said the agency cannot comment on the new rules until they are finalized.

Biden's biggest steps yet

There are limits on Biden's ability to require vaccinations. But after months of cajoling Americans to get immunized against the coronavirus, he took his strongest steps yet in areas where he has authority.

Biden announced that most federal workers and millions of federal contractors must be vaccinated.

'Patience is wearing thin': Biden rolls out vaccine requirements that will affect 100 million workers

More: Who is covered by Biden's new vaccine mandates and when do they go into effect?

In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden announces sweeping new federal vaccine requirements in an all-out effort to increase COVID-19 vaccinations and curb the surging delta variant. (Sept. 9)

That order does not apply to the federal legislative and judicial branches, which the president does not control.

Those branches, whose tens of thousands of workers are a small share of the total pool of federal employees, are also not covered by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which regulates private sector workplaces.

Biden directed OSHA to require that employers with 100 or more workers ensure those workers are vaccinated or tested weekly for the coronavirus. Employers could be slapped with penalties of up to $13,600 per violation if they dont comply.

The administration estimates the emergency rule will affect more than 80 million private sector workers.

The 1970 law creating OSHA excluded states and local jurisdictions from the definition of "employer."

But states have the option of setting their own workplace policies and handling enforcement. If they do, however, their rules have to be at least as effective as OSHAs. They must also apply to state and local workers.

The 21 states that took that approach are Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wyoming.

Another five states  Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, New Jersey and New York  have OSHA-approved plans specifically for public employees.

A nurse fills a syringe with Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 at a pop up vaccine clinic in the Arleta neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, August 23, 2021.

Asked this week whether Biden intended his requirement to apply to state and local government workers, White House press secretary Jen Psaki didnt directly answer  but alluded to OSHAs effect on some states.

Obviously, leaders will make decisions on their own, but it's really state-to-state on whether it's applicable under OSHA requirements, Psaki said.

Speaking at a middle school in Washington, D.C., the day after announcing his multipronged approach, Biden called on governors to require vaccinations for all teachers and staff.

"Look, Im so disappointed that particularly some Republican governors have been so cavalier with the health of these kids, so cavalier with the health of their communities," Biden said. "This isn't a game. And I don't know of any scientist out there in this field that doesn't think it makes considerable sense to do the six things I've suggested."

What happens next

Administration officials have said the final language spelling out what employers need to do will be released in the coming weeks.

Once that happens, state labor departments with OSHA-approved plans will have a short amount of time  possibly 30 days  to update their own rules, according to experts.

Theoretically, those states can come up with their own approach  as long as its equally effective at preventing workplace exposure, said Gabrielle Wirth, a senior partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney who regularly advises employers on vaccine issues.

The vaccine is obviously where everybody's trying to push people because it is the most effective, she said. But it's not impossible that a state come up with something which included more social distancing, and N95 masks, half the workforce there every other week.

In this Sept. 14, 2021 file photo, a syringe is prepared with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa.

David Michaels, an epidemiologist at George Washington University School of Public Health who headed OSHA during the Obama administration, said OSHA has few tools to get states to comply. They could take the major step of revoking a states program and sending in federal inspectors if a state balks.

But that will take time, and it's unlikely to occur quickly, if at all, he said. And so itll likely be a standoff between those states and the federal government.

When will everyone be vaccinated?: Here's how the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is going

People participate in a rally and march against COVID-19 mandates on September 13, 2021 in New York City.

States waiting for details

OSHA estimates that state plans cover about 40% of public and private sector workers.

Asked about the forthcoming rule, a spokeswoman for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said the Biden administration has not released details for how their attempt to impose sweeping mandates will actually work.

But we remain in close communication with the Tennessee attorney general, said press secretary Casey Black.

In May, Lee signed a bill prohibiting state and local government agencies from requiring COVID-19 vaccines. Lawmakers did not extend the ban to businesses out of deference to the private sector.

In Tennessees Shelby County, Mayor Lee Harris is eager for federal help in the war hes been waging against the coronavirus.

The county, which covers Memphis and its suburbs and employs more than 5,000 workers, has tried offering paid time off for vaccinations, cash incentives and has done vaccine education until were blue in the face, Harris said.

At this point, its absolutely necessary, he said of the federal intervention.

The county has already taken the governor to court over his executive order allowing parents to opt out of school mask requirements.

I realize that everyone is really trying to meditate around what liberty means and so forth. But let's meditate around what it means to be a good neighbor and what the requirements of citizenship are in a democratic republic, he said. That's going to require us all to step up. This has been going on for 18 months.

Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris speaks to reporters during a press conference dealing with pediatric cases of COVID-19 at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital on Friday, Aug 13, 2021.

In Indiana, another state that blocked vaccination requirements for public employees, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett had a more subdued response to the federal action. Spokesman Mark Bode said the mayor encourages all eligible residents to get the vaccine and the city will abide by the law as it is clarified to us by state and federal authorities.

Bode declined to say whether Hogsett would have already required vaccination for city workers absent the state prohibition.

A spokesman for the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the agency has been notified about the pending rule and will review it when its officially distributed.

States could also be affected by Bidens vaccination requirement for federal contractors, according to Wirth, the expert at Dorsey & Whitney. Many state agencies contract with the federal government and have been subject to federal contract rules, she said.

Her law firm describes the administrations definition of federal contract as incredibly broad.

Biden has said his various requirements, which also apply to workers at health care facilities that treat Medicare and Medicaid patients, will cover two-thirds of the nations workers.

GOP attorneys general threaten to sue

Republican attorneys general in nearly half the states told Biden on Thursday that they would go after the OSHA regulations if he persists.

States have taken varying approaches to dealing with the virus, the letter says, and, whether you like it or not, that is how our constitutional structure is arranged.

People participate in a rally and march against COVID-19 mandates on September 13, 2021 in New York City.

Even if vaccination requirements hadnt become so politicized, the Labor Department would be expecting litigation.

OSHA rules are almost always challenged in court, Michaels said. And OSHA generally wins.

Michaels does have some concern that the pending rule applies only to workplaces with at least 100 employees. He said that limit was likely imposed for political and economic considerations. But it could make the rule harder to defend in court.

There's no scientific reason to only apply these public health precautions to large employers, he said.

The government has a less successful track record in proving that emergency standards  which preempt the more extensive regular rule-making process  are needed to counter a grave danger.

Tyson Foods team members receive COVID-19 vaccines Feb. 2 from health officials in Wilkesboro, N.C. Tyson Foods requires all of its U.S. employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

But the fact that exposure to the coronavirus can lead to an employee's death within the six-month window of an emergency rule may be the one that proves the case, said Sidney Shapiro, a Wake Forest law professor who has worked as an OSHA consultant.

Momentum of their own?

Even if the standards are tied up in court, he said, vaccination requirements could have a momentum of their own. The federal government may have taken into account that many employers want to do this but are looking for political cover, particularly in states that have banned mandates.

Now, companies can say, 'The government made me do this, he said. So, if companies were half inclined anyway, this may push them to do it. And then once that's in place, and they're already doing it, it's unlikely they're going to backtrack.

In Arizona, Romero tried to get Tucsons approximately 3,900 public employees vaccinated before a state ban prohibiting vaccine mandates for public employees went into effect at the end of September.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero assisted a public art demonstration outside Pima County Public Library in support of creating a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and essential workers on Sep. 1, 2021.

Before any workers were disciplined for not complying, the state attorney general warned the city not to continue.

But while it was in effect, vaccination rates for employees rose from 62% to 83%, according to Romero. That compares with the 66% of Tucsons eligible population which is vaccinated.

The city is now moving to require face masks and regular testing for the remaining unvaccinated workers, the expected standard in the rules being written by OSHA.

Although Tucson was challenged not just by state officials but also by local police and firefighters over its mandate, Romero said she didn't hesitate to take that step.

Absolutely I was prepared to mandate a vaccine that has been proven to be effective, she said, and that can keep our children safe and our employees safe, between each other and our community.

Maureen Groppe has covered Washington for nearly three decades and is now a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow her on Twitter @mgroppe.

More: Tracking COVID-19 vaccine distribution by state: How many people have been vaccinated?

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Federal vaccine rule will apply to public employees in 26 states
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has renewed his push for the state Legislature to change the Georgia Constitution to clarify only U.S. citizens can vote in the state.

Raffensperger signed a petition Thursday calling for the constitutional amendment. The petition was created by Americans for Citizen Voting, a national nonprofit advocating for citizen-only voting, to bring awareness to the issue.

Outside of a constitutional convention, the only way to amend the Georgia Constitution is by lawmakers introducing an amendment and approving it by a two-thirds vote in both chambers. The amendment then would need to be approved by Georgia voters.

"Only American citizens should be allowed to cast a ballot. We can't run the risk that special interests one day succeed in giving noncitizens a say in our laws, taxes and representatives the way they have in other states," Raffensperger said during a news briefing at the state Capitol. "I have worked hard to ensure foreign elements cannot alter our elections through cyberterrorism, so I'm certainly opposed to letting them influence our elections through voting."

State law already specifies "every person who is a citizen of the United States and a resident of Georgia as defined by law  shall be entitled to vote." Raffensperger said adding new language to the state constitution would ensure the policy remains in place.

Raffensperger said Georgia experienced isolated incidents of noncitizen voters registering in previous elections, which his office referred to the attorney general for prosecution. Adding clear language to the constitution would close legal loopholes and help the state avoid future lawsuits, he said.

Noncitizen voting in federal elections is illegal across the nation, but some cities are allowing noncitizens to vote in local elections, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. Atlanta suburb Clarkston, which has a large population of immigrants, has considered allowing noncitizens to vote.

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Municipalities in Vermont, California, Maryland and Massachusetts have passed laws allowing noncitizens to vote, Pew said. Raffensperger's office said Alabama, Colorado, Florida and North Dakota recently have passed amendments by wide margins to provide that only U.S. citizens may vote in local, state and school board elections.

"Voting is a sacred right of citizenship, and it must be strictly reserved for citizens and citizens only," Americans for Citizen Voting President Christopher Arps said. "No exceptions."

Washington Examiner Videos

Tags: States, News, Georgia

Original Author: Nyamekye Daniel, The Center Square

Original Location: Raffensperger continues push for noncitizen voting ban via Georgia constitution
Earlier this week, special counsel John Durham handed out the first indictment coming out of his investigation into the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia, charging Perkins Coie lawyer Michael Sussman with lying to the FBI about his affiliation with the Clinton campaign.

Sussman allegedly provided evidence of ties between team Trump and the Russian-based Alfa Bank to FBI general counsel James Baker, telling Baker he was acting as a concerned private citizen in handing over sensitive information. In reality, he was billing the Clinton campaign for his work, according to the indictment.

Moreover, Sussman allegedly had come into the information by way of a tech executive set to receive a post in the thought-to-be-forthcoming Clinton administration. That tech executive apparently had been pressing his employees to produce something attesting to a relationship between team Trump and the Russians, and the executive  whose researchers were reportedly uncomfortable with their task  called the TrumpRussia narrative a red herring. For a comprehensive and more than capable summary of the indictment and what it means, read Andy McCarthy.

The FBI was only one of the marks of Clinton-campaign contractors and the would-be Clinton administration. Members of the media were also fed the TrumpRussia narrative, including in the form of the Alfa Bank relationship.

Franklin Foer at Slate wrote the original story about a relationship between a Trump computer server and Alfa Bank on October 31, 2016, and declared that while there was no smoking gun tying the Trump campaign to Russia, there was a suggestive body of evidence that should have been scrutinized in the broader context of the campaign. Hillary Clinton herself promoted Foers piece.

Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank. pic.twitter.com/8f8n9xMzUU  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2016

Natasha Bertrand of CNN was one of the storys greatest proponents after the publication of Foers article. In 2017, she praised Buzzfeed for its statement on an Alfa Bank executive-led lawsuit, calling it great. The next year, Bertrand joined Chris Hayess program alongside Foer to ask what more evidence do you need? Its very, very obvious.

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"I mean, what more evidence do you need? Its very, very obvious." -Natasha on the Alfa Bank story in October 2018, to the approval of two other Russiagate disinformation actors. pic.twitter.com/JKr3IYlXML  Aaron Mate (@aaronjmate) September 16, 2021

And when Robert Muellers much-anticipated report did not so much as touch on the allegations pertaining to Alfa, Bertrand carried on, complaining that innocuous or not, the server activity is not addressed in the Mueller report at all.

Eric Lightblau at Time joined Bertrand in not taking the hint, instead parroting the gripes and speculation of Democratic senator and conspiracy chart enthusiast Sheldon Whitehouse.

Seth Abramson also had trouble letting go of the Alfa Bank theory even after the Mueller report came out, defending the Steele dossier by making fun of Trump supporters who made hay about . . . Steele spelling Alfa Bank as Alpha Bank, which tells you how desperate they were to dispute a largely accurate doc. The year before, he had asked for cybersecurity experts to weigh in on a blog theory on Alfa Bank.

Its just a small sampling of the journalists who were swept up in just one botched story on the TrumpRussia relationship, but its nevertheless frightening how easily a campaigns political, and a few well-placed personal, interests set wheels in motion at the FBI and in most major American newsrooms  wheels that stayed in motion for the better part of a half decade.

More from National Review
Donald Trumps former press secretary Sean Spicer has complained that the Washington press corps treat his successor under Joe Biden more kindly.

Related: Peril review: Bob Woodward Trump trilogy ends on note of dire warning

I walked into the lions den every day  she walks into a bunch of kittens, Spicer told the New York Times, referring to Jen Psaki, the subject of a lengthy and admiring profile.

Spicer also bemoaned a recent barb from the White House podium.

Earlier this month, Psaki was asked if Spicer and former White House adviser Kellyanne Conway had been qualified for roles on service academy advisory boards from which Biden fired them.

Spicer, now a host on the conservative Newsmax network, was named by Donald Trump to the advisory board for the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He is a commander in the US naval reserve.

Psaki said: I will let others evaluate whether they think Kellyanne Conway and Sean Spicer and others were qualified or not political [appointments] to serve on these boards.

Spicer told the Times: Jen chose to stand and question my qualifications and services to this country. Once she did that, the gloves were off.

As Trumps first press secretary, Spicer had a combative relationship with the press from the moment he angrily insisted Trumps inauguration crowd was far larger than evidence showed.

He was widely mocked, to the point of being played by Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live.

Spicer resigned in July 2017, amid farcical scenes arising from the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci as communications director. The Wall Street investor followed Spicer out of the door just 10 days later.

Spicers successors, Sarah Sanders, Stephanie Grisham and Kayleigh McEnany, presided over an adversarial relationship with much of the Washington media.

Related: How Jen Psaki adroitly dodges Fox Newss verbal grenades at press briefings

Spicer has stayed loyal to Trump, publishing a book in which he called the 45th president a unicorn, riding a unicorn over a rainbow. Grishams book, due out next month, is eagerly awaited, stirring controversy over her work for the former president and the former first lady Melania Trump. Sanders is running for governor in Arkansas.

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The Times also quoted Peter Doocy of Fox News, a briefing room foil who the paper said expressed respect for Ms Psakis professionalism and good humor.

It never feels like Im getting smacked down or vice versa, Doocy said. I understand why it looks like that, some of the ways that stuff gets clipped, but it doesnt feel like that in the room.

Psaki did not comment. The Times, however, noted that in April 2017, when Spicer was under fire for remarks including referring to concentration camps as Holocaust centres, she told CNN: Its a really tough job. Everybody screws up.
TAMPA  Mayor Jane Castor announced Saturday that the city will reform its Crime-Free housing program. The move comes four days after a Tampa Bay Times investigation revealed how officers encouraged landlords to evict tenants based on arrests, including some where charges were later dropped. The investigation was published online Wednesday at Tampabay.com.

The program was aimed at stamping out drug and gang crime in apartment complexes. But the Times investigation found that police officers were reporting tenants to their landlords after arrests for misdemeanor crimes, the arrest of juveniles and arrests that happened elsewhere in the city.

The report also revealed that roughly 90 percent of the 1,100 people flagged by the program were Black tenants.

Under the announced changes, the city will inform landlords only about certain serious drug and violent felonies. A police captain must sign off on notices sent, and landlords will be notified only about arrests that happen on their properties.

Castor, who had defended the program launched by the police department when she was chief, agreed to the changes after meeting Friday with City Council Chairman Orlando Gudes and state Rep. Dianne Hart, D-Tampa. Hart and a coalition of civil rights groups had called on Castor to scrap the program.

No Tampa resident should have to live where they fear to let their kids play outside, and this voluntary program has improved the safety and quality of life for tens of thousands of people, Castor said in a statement. I really appreciate the leadership and collaboration from Chairman Gudes and Rep. Hart to help us improve and continue this program that is a benefit to our entire community.

Gudes, whose East Tampa district includes many of the apartment complexes enrolled in the program, said the changes were needed and that his office will monitor how the program is run.

Revising this program was paramount, and Im glad that we were able to make the necessary adjustments so that we are not arbitrarily compounding on the affordable housing crisis we currently have in this City, he said.

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But the changes have not satisfied all of the programs critics.

Yvette Lewis, president of the Hillsborough County NAACP, said the program could still violate a renters civil rights because it can result in an eviction based solely on an arrest.

This program needs to be stopped, she said. Youre treating housing as though its a privilege.

Lewis said she recognizes the need for communities to be safe, but said denying people housing is not the way to achieve that. Her group is planning a press conference next week to highlight concerns about the program.

Because somebody commits a crime, you put the whole family out? she asked. Now, where does that family go?

Her group, the NAACP, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and others sent a letter to Castor and Tampa City Council members after the Times story published, calling for the crime initiative to be scrapped.

Tampa police launched the program in 2013. Officers identified apartment complexes and invited landlords to join.

Landlords were encouraged to make tenants sign a lease addendum stating they could be evicted if they were involved in criminal activity. Police sent hundreds of notices that told landlords they were required to take immediate action through notice to cure, notice to vacate or eviction of arrested tenants.

Officers recorded more than 300 tenants as evicted on a police database, although its unclear if they were evicted, forced out of their homes by a notice to vacate or simply moved away.

Saturdays announced changes do not address criticisms that the program has a disproportionate impact on Black renters, nor that evictions could happen based on arrests that do not end in convictions.

At its peak, about 100 apartment complexes were enrolled in the program. Three-quarters of them were in neighborhoods where U.S. Census block data shows the majority of residents are Black and Hispanic.

Police have operated the program less aggressively since 2017, when the Times began requesting copies of letters sent to landlords. After that, the department sent fewer letters to landlords and removed wording from notices that instructed landlords to take action.

Police officials this year said the number of apartment complexes taking part has dwindled to 42.
More than 9,000 migrants, primarily from Haiti whove been affected by a series of natural disasters, were being held in a temporary staging area in Del Rio, Texas.

According to reports from the U.S. Border Patrol, more than 9,000 migrants, primarily from Haiti whove been affected by a series of natural disasters, were being held in a temporary staging area in Del Rio, Texas.

It was initially just a few hundred individuals earlier in the week, The New York Times reports. The Border Patrol insists they will have additional agents to immediately address the current level of migrant encounters and to facilitate a safe, humane and orderly process.

The shaded area under the bridge where the migrants are being held should prevent injuries from heat-related illness as more migrants are processed.

Migrants wash their clothes in the Rio Grande River near a makeshift encampment under the International Bridge between Del Rio, TX and Acuna, MX on September 17, 2021 in Del Rio, Texas. (Photo by Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered the state police and the National Guard to assist border agents.

The Biden administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan, Abbott said.

Del Rios Mayor, Bruno Lozano, also spoke out, commenting on the conditions the migrants are subjected to. Theres minimal access to clean water and food. There are just a few dozen portable toilets available.

There are 9,000 people really anxious and stressed, Lozano said. The city of Del Rio currently has a population of an estimated 35,000 residents.

The Del Rio border sector has been the site of much migrant traffic this year. In June, many were caught illegally crossing the border, twice as many as in May. The numbers continued to rise month to month.

The government has plans to fly some of the migrants to other parts of the border that arent as overpopulated as Del Rio. Return flights to Haiti are also in effect, currently scheduled to begin on Monday, Sept. 20. Bidens administration hopes this will encourage other Haitians to try not to cross the southern border.

Abbott has instructed Texas state law enforcement to arrest migrants for illegal trespassing, claiming the Biden administration was not doing its part. The Biden administration has come under much scrutiny for its handling of the situation or lack thereof.

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Migrants walk across the Rio Grande River carrying food and other supplies back to a makeshift encampment under the International Bridge between Del Rio, TX and Acuna, MX on September 17, 2021, in Del Rio, Texas. (Photo by Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

Victor Escalon, the South Texas regional director for the states Department of Public Safety, has spoken of the arrests made for criminal trespassing of illegal migrants, which he says has overwhelmed the local jails.

We have to put the pressure and deter the activity, he said. Escalon is leading Operation Lone Star, a program created by Gov. Abbott that allows him to send resources and state agents to border communities.

Tiffany Burrow, the operations director for the Val Verde Humanitarian Border Coalitions migrant respite center, said the city just cannot accommodate as many migrants that have been coming in.

We cant help that many people, she said. The city is not going to sustain all these people. The city under the bridge could become bigger than Del Rio.

Usually, the group helps an estimated 300 migrants a day. They assist with connecting them with transportation to their final destination in the U.S.

Unfortunately, the conditions remain the same. The thousands of migrants have access to just 22 portable toilets. There is no running water.

The report notes that migrants typically feed themselves with food purchased in Mexico, which they get by running back and forth across the Rio Grande. They sleep in packed dirt beneath the bright with minimal lighting.

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OPINION: Performative solidarity in the digital space is yet another example of how we can be seduced into Black trauma porn while emotionally investing in the illusion of white redemption

In a viral TikTok video which racked up over five million likes, a white nurse claimed that one of her dying COVID-19 patients was haunted by a Black teenager who had been beaten, castrated, and lynched because of a racist lie she told when she was a child. In the clip, posted by user Dawn @benzosandespresso, the alleged incident took place somewhere in Louisiana in 1936.

Dawn told her more than 80,000 followers that the dying woman, told me that when she was a teenager, she told her mother that one of the local Black boys had touched her behind the grocery store. Not only was the boy lynched, but he was beaten, and his genitals were cut off. And then the family home was burned to the ground. And she watched it all happen.

She continued, You wanna know why? Because she saw that his sisters had prettier dresses than she did. And she just didnt like it. So, she lied.

The delirium didnt end there.

And then it clicked. This same woman had been hallucinating for the past couple of days, saying there was a Black boy in her room watching her, would not stop staring at her, and she was scared shitless, Dawn explained.

The dying woman wanted to relieve her consciousness and receive absolution before transitioning to the afterlife. She asked if she could be forgiven. I told her the only person who could forgive her was the boy she killed. Not sorry.

The video ends with a hip-hop track playing in the background while another white woman in big glasses quietly sipped from a large cup of tea, like a character in a meme or GIF shrewdly taking in valuable gossip.

As a journalist and historian who is writing my next book on the history of Black child lynchings during Jim Crow, this story sounded suspicious to me and felt offensive to my spirit when I saw it. Part of it was the narrators tone, her wry smile, and her affective disconnect as she recounted this barbaric crime that took a life, traumatized a community, and left behind a grieving family haunted by the lack of justice and aching questions of what could have been for this childs life and his future offspring.

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For 85 years there have been no answers. No justice. No closure. A young soul has not been properly laid to rest.

My spidey senses told me that this video might be yet another quintessential example of racial virtue signaling, performative solidarity, and racial trauma porn rolled into one. Not to mention, we are living in a digital age where unverified information is often treated like journalism on social media.

As with any story that appears on social media, we always have to question its veracity and accuracy and not simply accept it as standard news. Because of the way this story was shared on TikTok, it is difficult to verify the specifics of this alleged incident or know if it was a recorded event. Most viewers likely do not have the historical research tools to dig deeper. So, I turned to a number of lynching databases and news archives that contain the names of victims by age, race, the year they were murdered, and the location of the crime. I found no record of a Black boy being lynched in Louisiana that year.

(Photo: Kai Kalhh from Pixabay)

I called Jay Driskell, an historian and civil rights cold case investigator based in Washington, D.C. whose research focuses on lynching and police violence. He looked through thousands of potential and rumored cases of lynchings.

I found no matches, Driskell said. I did find matches of victims of that age, but they all had records on them. It is possible that if she lived far away from a city where there was no newspaper that reported the murder, this lynching could have happened, and it would not have made an impression on the historical record.

If the nurse had been more helpful and provided the dying womans name, a Census search could help us trace where her family lived in the 1930s. We might have been able to find press clues, court records, and death certificates to see if any Black teenage males were killed in that town in those years.

At least 4,000 human souls were lynched in America between 1882 and 1968, and doubtless many more whose names have been lost to history. Most of these crimes took place in the South, and the overwhelming number of documented victims were Black males. As historian Vincent Vinikas has noted, Those missing altogether from the record are inaccessible to historical inquiry. Many lynching victims belong to a secret and irrecoverable past.

Whether this nurses story can be confirmed through documentary research is an open question, but this lynching certainly could have happened exactly as the dying woman recalled it.

What is important about this account is that it was and certainly is possible even today, said Tommy Curry, a philosophy professor at the University of Edinburgh whose research focuses on the sexual vulnerability of Black men and boys. Black men and boys remain the primary targets of white womens rage in the United States. This brutalization of Black males occurred in a world where white women were actually sexually assaulting Black males and accusing these men and boys of rape if they refused the white womans advances. The amount of power white women have in these white patriarchal societies are only outdone by certain classes of white men.

Young white girls and teenagers, with varying levels of sophistication, actively participated in and instigated lynchings. In her book Raising Racists, historian Kristina DuRocher writes that adolescent girls leveled more than half of all accusations of rape,which resulted in the murders of Black men and boys.

DuRocher shares a number of examples.

Raising Racists The Socialization of White Children in the Jim Crow South (Photo: The University Press of Kentucky)

In 1921, an 8-year-old girl from Beaumont, Texas accused a Black man of raping her while walking home from the store. Henry Cade was arrested and proclaimed his innocence. While he was being strung up, the crowd sent for the girl. With the negro standing on the gallows, the girl pointed her chubby hand at the negro and said: He is the man. The trap was then sprung and the negros neck was broken. Similar cases happened in 1900, in Hunstville, Alabama, in 1924 in Fort Meyers, Florida, in 1919, Ellisville, Mississippi and Omaha, Nebraska, and other communities throughout the south.

White girls misidentified attackers or concocted stories about Black males sneaking into their bedrooms. They lied to conceal sexual assaults perpetrated by white neighbors and relatives who sometimes wore black paint to hide their faces. They sometimes lied to cover their own disobedient behaviors  sneaking out of the house, skipping school, arriving home from school late, and sexual affairs.

DuRocher explains that white girls told these damning lies for attention and clout. It appears that most adolescents and girls utilized the power to accuse and identify for a measure of personal gain rather than for political power; the benefits the girls sought ranged from monetary compensation and communal attention to hiding misbehaviors and sexual promiscuity, DuRocher shares.

White girls occasionally received praise for assisting in punishing a would-be ravager or helping to catch violators of segregations mores.

Mark Naison, a professor of African-American studies and history at Fordham University said this TikTok story is a dramatic illustration of two things: first, the power that individual white people had over individual Black people in the Jim Crow South, which included the power over life and death. And second, that the most dangerous thing a Black person could do in the Jim Crow South was being economically successful. As Ida B. Wells pointed out, resentment of economically successful and independent Blacks was the real reason for many lynchings.

Deathbed confessions of lynchings printed in media are part of an old genre of sensationalist reporting practices designed to sell papers. I have come across a few examples from the early 20th century. Sometimes they were one-liners appearing in news briefs under headlines such as Queer Events of the Day, which were published in the Hutchinson Gazette, The Morning Times of Washington D.C., and the Washington Evening Star. They simply read: a deathbed confession tells of the lynching of an innocent man. No other details were given.

DYING WHITE GIRL SAYS COLORED MEN ARE NOT GUILTY, blazed a headline printed in The Washington Sentinel on February 17, 1923. In this story, Essie Beattie laid critically ill in a local hospital in Lexington, North Carolina after a wild joy ride in which mountain moonshine and mountain lovemaking ended with robbery, murder, and rape by two Black men. Authorities spent more than two months hunting the North Carolina hills and arresting Black suspects until the girl admitted that her attackers were two white men, John Carswell and Robert Grice.

In 1980, one of Emmett Tills murderers confessed again on his deathbed to his role in the murder in Money, Mississippi in 1955. Historians have recounted similar deathbed confessions involving police, Klansmen, and other ringleaders at lynchings.

theGRIO.com

Dawns TikTok narrative reminds me of a July 10, 1943 story printed in the Chicago Defender under the headline, Miss. Lynchers Conscience Talks on His Death Bed. A white male doctor and a Black nurse were on the scene as a former deputy sheriff from Shubuta, Mississippi was being haunted by 14-year-olds Charlie Lang and Ernest Green who were lynched in October 1942. As the sheriff saw visions of Charlie and Ernest, he breathlessly blabbered out a confession  naming many names. At one point he yelled, Get off me! He clutched his own throat and gasped, Take that rope away.

Here we are in 2021, still living with these historical echoes. So, what do we make of this latest deathbed confession and viral video?

As I was writing this piece, another TikTok video posted by user Chris @cmdla dug into Dawns claims. After Dawns first viral video, she posted a follow-up video with a news clipping of the murder of 16-year-old Freddie Moore who was strung up from a bridge in Assumption Parish in 1933, not 1936. I am quite familiar with this well-documented case. Moore was accused of raping and murdering a white girl, not touching her behind a grocery store. He was taken from the local jail, marched into a cane field by a mob of 100 white men and boys who beat and branded him with hot irons before hanging him from a bridge in view of a church.

Dawn claims that her dying patient said the boys familys house was burned. This is not true. Moores parents moved out of the state, filed a lawsuit in federal court against the sheriff and was awarded $2,500, the first of its kind. The murdered girls stepfather later confessed to killing her.

A day later, Dawn posted another video highlighting yet another article of the lynching of a 26-year-old man that she said took place in 1936 in that same parish, but that incident took place two years earlier and 200 miles away. As with the previous case of Fred Moore, she claimed that this case matched her patients recollection. When Chris reached out to Dawn to inquire about her inconsistencies, she insulted him and deleted her viral video.

Some folks may be inclined to give Dawn the benefit of the doubt. Shes not an historian or trained researcher. So she made some errors when she tried to dig? She meant well. Perhaps her reading comprehension skills arent so well formed. Not to mention, more than five million people gave her a thumbs up. Whats that about? Perhaps that is a sign that many people think that 1936 is such ancient untouchable history that events cannot be verified and lynching Black children was such a brutal part of Americas past and speaks to the moral rot of racists whites, so why would we even bother to verify?

White people are gaining clout off their stories of catching other white people being racist. Theres also a cottage industry among healthcare workers right now, doctors and nurses, who are trying to become TikTok famous by sharing sensationalist stories. Before it was deleted, Dawns video was added to a YouTube compilation of TikTok deathbed confessions shared by nurses in 2021. Did these stories provide Dawn with the inspiration for her video?

Toby Rollo, a political studies professor at Lakehead University whose research focuses on themes of childhood and race, says that the viral popularity of this video is a sign that white people want to believe in redemption and absolve whiteness of its serial crimes.

A crowd gathering to witness the killing of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, two victims of lynch law in Marion, Indiana, 7th August 1930. This image was the inspiration for the poem Strange Fruit by Abel Meeropol. (Photo Lawrence Beitler/by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

To me, there are two sides of the racist coin in which, on the one hand, white people make up stories about Black people attacking them to cover their own crimes and misdeeds. And, on the other hand, white people making up stories about catching other white people in the act of being racist  once again  probably to cover their own crimes and misdeeds, Rollo said. He added, Because if just one white person can be shown to be redeemable, then whiteness itself is redeemed. Now we have bad whites and good whites, instead of just whiteness. White people want to believe in redemption.

Dawns video is less about describing the grisly details of a lynching than it is about denouncing the behavior of racist white person. By posting this story on social media, she did what too often passes for activism and solidarity among many liberal whites without any real obligation to dismantle racist systems. Denying the dying racist forgiveness in her conclusion. She thought this was the right thing to do and she wanted applause for putting a racist person in her place.

But thats not enough, says Driskell. Theres a family that lost someone they loved. A family that would like to know what happened. That requires a restorative justice mindset which tries to restore that which was lost. The next step would be to find the boys family and descendants and do something for the memory of the departed.

I am not inclined to extend grace to Dawn for this video which feels like the latest addition to Americas archive of pornographic racial delights. What I see is a white womans horror story mixed with new age witchcraft while carrying crystals in her bra to show that white people are woke and trying to curry favor with Black folks while performatively sipping tea. Dawn appears to be signaling to Black folks that not all white people are bad. Thats shes one of the good ones. That she knows our culture even if she cant read dates and get basic facts straight. She wants us to know that she understands how we feel about retribution after death and how the ancestors will come for our oppressors as they cross over.

TikTok user, Dawn (@benzosandespresso) posts video retelling alleged nursing home confession of lynching. (Photo: TikTok)

I think most videos where white people make Black death a spectacle are performative, says Curry. These confessions are about clicks and likes rather than the kind of reparative justice Black communities, and specifically Black men, deeply deserve.

Maybe Dawn is telling the truth. Or maybe she has concocted a fantastical story  a congenital habit inherited from white women and girls of yore. Some Black folks will indeed applaud Dawn for her wokeness and invite her to the barbeque. Others may give her a pass for her sloppiness. But for this journalist and historian whose own family has been touched by lynching, I consider this kind of performative solidarity in the digital space as yet another example of how we can be seduced into Black trauma porn while emotionally investing in the illusion of white redemption that lies even while it tries to indict itself for its own crimes.

For those of us who study and write about racial violence as an enduring feature of American life, we must consider how we frame these traumatic stories in ways that restores justice to the victims, that centers their names in history, that humanizes and lays them to rest with care and love, and serves as a powerful indictment and mandate on white supremacy.

Stacey Patton, PhD is the author of Spare The Kids: Why Whupping Children Wont Save Black America and the forthcoming book Strung Up: The Lynching of Black Children in Jim Crow America.

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After months of keeping its borders closed to most tourists, Fiji is getting ready to welcome back foreign travelers.

Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama said Thursday that the island nation is set to roll out a reopening plan that gradually lifts restrictions based on vaccination rates in Fiji and travelers' countries of origin.

For the sake of the tens of thousands of Fijians  and their families  who depend on our tourism industry, we are also preparing to re-open Fiji as one of the worlds safest tourism destinations, Bainimarama said.

Travelers from countries on Fiji's green list  which will include areas with high vaccination rates and low test positivity rates  would be the first welcomed back. Once 80% of adults in Fiji are fully vaccinated, a feat Bainimarama expects could happen by November, the country plans to allow travelers from other countries with no quarantine period, so long as they issue the same vaccines being used in Fiji: Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

 Jamaica vacation plans?: CDC, State Department say avoid travel to the Caribbean island

That list includes parts of the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Korea and Singapore, Bainimarama said. Details about which portions of the U.S. were not announced.

The country first started restricting access to travelers in March 2020. Current travel restrictions prohibit entry among both business and tourist travelers.

There are currently two programs that allow select visitors into the country. The Luxury Vacation in Paradise program lets travelers stay at select resorts if they undergo a series of COVID-19 tests and arrive by private jet or charter a business class cabin from Los Angeles. The Blue Lane program allows travelers to enter by private yachts and superyachts.

 Traveling to Panama?: Be prepared to quarantine if unvaccinated

Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fiji set to allow tourists from parts of the US in coming months
Odette now post-tropical, still set to bring strong winds, rain to Newfoundland

Only a week after Hurricane Larry's powerful hit on the Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland finds itself in the path of another tropical system.

The newest threat is Odette, which achieved Tropical Storm status on Friday, only to lose it once more on Saturday. Now post-tropical, as of Saturday morning, the storm featured winds of near 75 km/h, and is moving northeast at 30 km/h.

Its path looks to take it somewhat south of Newfoundland, but it will still be able to impact the eastern part of the island, particularly the Avalon and Burin peninsulas, where rainfall warnings have been issued.

Odette track

The first impacts are expected Sunday morning, with the rain and winds reaching their peak by the evening, lasting through to Monday morning before diminishing as Odette moves off.

Rainfall amounts of 55-95 mm are forecast, with the possibility of 100 mm or more through Monday morning. If the higher amounts materialize, some local flash-type flooding may occur in prone areas.

Odette status

Strong northerly winds gusting around 90 km/h are likely with possibly higher coastal gusts at 120 km/h. This could have some impacts on trees and could lead to some power interruptions.

Storm surge is also anticipated, but unlike Larry, will not be quite as potent. Waves 2-3 metres will reach the south coast of Newfoundland Sunday evening. Waves 3-5 metres can be expected along the east coast of the Avalon Peninsula overnight Sunday night and during the day Monday. The waves will gradually subside Monday night.

As well, there will be some minor influence on Nova Scotia's weather with gusty northerly winds on Sunday. Gusts could be near 70 km/h or so in Cape Breton, which may cause some minor issues. Some enhanced rainfall is likely over eastern Nova Scotia Sunday morning as Odette interacts with the cold front.

There is still some room for some changes in the forecast, so be sure to check back as we continue to monitor this system.
(Photo: Douglas Sacha via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trumps order to extend Secret Service protection to key allies and all of his adult children cost taxpayers $1.7 million, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Secret Service protection once a president is out of office is typically provided for the former president and first lady for life, and for any children until they reach age 16.

But Trump ordered the protection provided for six months after he left office for all four of his adult children and their spouses. He also extended protection to former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former national security adviser Robert OBrien.

Secret Service agents racked up costs trailing Trumps wealthy adult children at ski vacations, weekend houses, a resort in Cabo San Lucas, and business trips abroad, the Post noted.

Who wouldnt enjoy continuing their free limo service and easy access to restaurant tables? asked Jim Helminski, a former Secret Service executive. Even if there was a credible risk to family and associates of Trump, these people are now private citizens who can afford to hire ... private security firms for their personal protection, he told the Post.

The most jaw-dropping expenditures were the $52,000 spent to guard Mnuchin, a multimillionaire, during a trip in June to Israel to scout new business opportunities, followed by a trip to a conference in Qatar. Costs included $11,000 for agents rooms at Qatars St. Regis Doha, according to government spending records, the Post reported.

Mnuchins total Secret Service tab hit $479,000, and included $114,000 for rooms at a W Hotel in Los Angeles, Vanity Fair noted.

Mnuchin told the newspaper that he didnt ask for the extra protection. But he was free to turn it down, which he didnt, the Post noted.

No one else covered by extra protection responded to the Posts requests for comment.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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Prosecutors called Robert Durst a 'narcissistic psychopath'

US real estate heir Robert Durst, subject of HBO crime documentary The Jinx, has been convicted of killing his best friend Susan Berman.

Durst was found guilty of killing Ms Berman in 2000 to stop her talking to police about his wife's disappearance.

Then aged 55, she was found shot in the head in her Beverly Hills home.

In The Jinx's final part, Durst is heard muttering to himself: "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

Hours before the last episode aired, authorities arrested Durst in New Orleans for Ms Berman's murder. Jurors were played the clip during the trial.

Prosecutors called Durst, 78, a "narcissistic psychopath". It now looks likely he will die in jail.

Susan Berman was a crime writer, and had acted as a spokesperson for Durst when he became a suspect in his wife's disappearance.

At an earlier hearing, Durst's lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, objected to jurors also being shown clips from All the Good Things, a 2010 film about his marriage starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst.

The film was directed by The Jinx's filmmaker Andrew Jarecki and depicts the life of the tycoon, showing him as a murderer.

Durst's wife Kathleen McCormack, a medical student, went missing in 1982 and is presumed dead.

Shortly after Friday's verdict, her family issued a statement urging prosecutors in New York's Westchester County to prosecute Durst.

"The justice system in Los Angeles has finally served the Berman family. It is now time for Westchester to do the same for the McCormack family," they said.

Prosecutors argue that Durst actually murdered three people - the third being an elderly neighbour, Morris Black, who discovered Durst's identity in 2001 while he was hiding out in Texas.

Durst was acquitted of murdering Mr Black, successfully arguing he had killed him on the grounds of self-defence before cutting up the body.

Durst is an estranged member of one of New York's wealthiest and most powerful real estate dynasties. His brother Douglas Durst, who testified at the trial, told the court: "He'd like to murder me."

Durst is due to be sentenced on 18 October.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hit back Saturday at challenges to his legitimacy as he attended a regional summit in his first trip abroad since the United States accused him of drug trafficking.

Maduro showed up at the last minute at a one-day meeting of the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC.

In March 2020, the US Department of Justice accused Maduro of crimes including "narco-terrorism," drug trafficking and possession of weapons, and offered $15 million for information leading to his arrest.

The designation came as Donald Trump's administration worked to help opposition leader Juan Guaido take power.

The Venezuelan president, who usually travels to close ally Cuba or to Caribbean countries, has avoided leaving his country after the reward was issued, and his trip to Mexico is the first of an official nature since then.

More than 50 countries, led by the United States, recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate interim president. Guaido proclaimed himself as such in 2019 after Maduro claimed re-election in a vote widely dismissed as fraudulent.

During Saturday's proceedings, the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay -- which are among those 50 -- said their presence at the summit did not mean they recognize Maduro as president.

"There is no change in my government's position and I think it is the gentlemanly thing to say so out loud," Mario Abdo Benitez of Paraguay said in a speech to the gathered leaders, with Maduro seated just a few feet from him. Paraguay severed ties with Venezuela after Guaido declared himself president.

- 'Bad taste in music'-

President Luis Lacalle of Uruguay said that in Venezuela, "there is no full democracy... Repression is used to quash protests, and the opposition is jailed."

Maduro, a leftist firebrand and former bus driver handpicked by the late Hugo Chavez, responded by challenging both of those presidents to a debate on democracy in his country and in Latin America in general.

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"Name the date, the place and the time," Maduro said, addressing the two leaders.

He invited them to come to his country and observe municipal elections on November 21, which the opposition has said it will take part in after boycotting voting for three years.

"Come see the dictator Maduro, how he convenes elections," Maduro said.

In the substantive part of the summit, some countries called for more equitable access to Covid-19 vaccines and the creation of a regional fund to help countries deal with natural disasters exacerbated by climate change.

But Cuba was also a flash point: Uruguay's Lacalle said that this country, along with Venezuela and Nicaragua, routinely violated people's human rights. He also read out part of the lyrics of a song that became an anthem at unprecedented street protests in Cuba in July.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Lacalle's remarks "show his ignorance of reality." He said the song his counterpart cited is "a lie and a fabrication by some artists who are against the Cuban revolution."

He added: "It seems President Lacalle has very bad taste in music."

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New Delhi: Capt Amarinder Singh, who resigned as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday, made it clear that he will oppose any move to make state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu chief ministerial face of Congress government in the state and said he will be a disaster for Punjab.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Captain Amarinder Singh said Sidhu is not a magic word for Punjab. He is going to a disaster. It is up to the Congress Party that they made him the party state president. But if they made Sidhu the face of the Chief Minister I will oppose him. Because it is a matter of national security, he said.

Capt Amarinder Singh resignation came months before the assembly polls in the state amid unending factionalism in the state Congress. The partys central leadership had appointed Sidhu as PCC chief in July after an internal crises that saw MLAs being called to Delhi and to meet an AICC committee.

Amarinder Singh was apparently opposed to appointing Sidhu, his bete noire, as PCC chief.

Hitting out at Sidhu, Amarinder Singh said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and its Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa were his friends.

And, I know what kind of relationship he maintains with Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa are his friends, he said.

Sidhu had hugged Bajwa during his visit to the country for oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan and had faced criticism. Capt Amarinder Singh had then termed it as not a nice gesture and completely avoidable.

Everyday drones, ammunition, RDX, AK-47, weapons and explosives are being trespassed here. Heroin is coming. These all things are coming from Pakistan. When you know the bigwigs on the top and we have a common border of around 600 km. It is a matter of national security. I will oppose him. I will not allow him to come in. I will oppose Sidhu if Congress makes him the face of Chief Minister for the sake of my country, Amarinder Singh said in the interview, Singh said Sidhu is incompetent.

Everyday our jawans are being killed in Kashmir. Do you think I am going to accept Sidhu? I know him. Something is unstable in that man I do not what it is. He is an incompetent man. He was a minister in my cabinet and I had to take him out from the ministership. That was a very important department in my government. The man who cannot run a ministry how can he run the entire state? His only target is to become the chief minister, he said.

Amarinder Singh said he had called party chief Sonia Gandhi in the morning to convey his decision to resign.

Asked what did she say, Amarinder Singh said: She said sorry Amarinder.
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The Virginia governors race featuring Glenn Youngkin and Terry McAuliffe is the next big thing politically. Photo: Steve Helber/AP/Shutterstock

Politicians who think their party is going to have a good election cycle love to point sagaciously to signs and omens in advance. And sometimes special and off-year elections really do serve as barometers for midterm and presidential elections just ahead. Republicans are psyched out of their skulls about 2022, in which they have reason to believe they will win control of the U.S. House, and perhaps the U.S. Senate, while enhancing their strength in state governments. But there have been slim pickings in the way of special elections to serve as harbingers this year, so a couple of statewide elections are bearing the burden of being treated as bellwethers.

Republicans had hoped Californias recall election might give them something to cheer and raise money around, but Gavin Newsoms crushing defeat of the recall effort left them sorting through the returns for scattered signs of future gains and wanting to change the subject. New Jerseys gubernatorial contest in November doesnt look particularly competitive, with Democrat Phil Murphy cruising toward a second term. So the GOPs California Dreamin has switched quickly into an intense focus on Virginias gubernatorial race featuring former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe and Republican private-equity executive and self-funder Glenn Youngkin. Early voting began this week.

Virginia used to be a big-time bellwether, but in a fairly predictable way: From 1977 through 2009, the party controlling the White House lost nine consecutive gubernatorial elections. The candidate who broke that streak, as it happens, was Terry McAuliffe in 2013. Now the Old Dominions bellwether reputation has morphed into that of a reliably Democratic state. As Cook Political Reports Amy Walter noted, Virginia has also become a bluer state since 2009. Not only have Republicans not won a statewide race since then, no GOP statewide nominee for governor, Senate, or president has won more than 44 percent of the vote since 2014. Even in 2014 it took Democratic senator Mark Warner sleep-walking through a reelection campaign in a very good Republican year to keep things interesting.

Youngkin has given the GOP fresh hope because of the immense wealth he is pouring into his campaign, and the outsider-businessman persona he has cultivated, which contrasts nicely with the political warhorse McAuliffe, who was probably doing political fundraisers in elementary school. The Republican also proved deft in being sufficiently Trump-y to win the GOP nominating contest, while encouraging the perception now that he is a centrist with great appeal to the suburban swing voters in NoVa who swung heavily toward Democrats in 2018 and 2020.

In the first debate between the two candidates, Youngkin walked a ledge, distancing himself from Trumps Big Lie and proclaiming himself pro-vaxx, but anti-vaxx-mandate. McAuliffe plugged his experience, basically saying Virginia shouldnt change donkeys in the middle of a pandemic. The first-time-candidate Republican, of course, declared himself a breath of fresh air, which can get stale in a long campaign.

So far all seven public polls of the general election show McAuliffe in the lead, but not by a comfortable margin: The RealClearPolitics polling averages have T-Mac up by five points. But the very latest poll, from the Washington Post/Schar School, showed McAuliffes lead at 50-47 among likely voters, with some signs that the dreaded enthusiasm gap may afflict Democrats.

The proximity to Virginia of the Beltways vast hordes of political staffers, consultants, scribblers, and gabbers gives every competitive race in the Commonwealth the feeling of a backyard brawl between the national parties. The advance spinning will start in earnest soon, with Republicans trying to decide if Youngkin can actually win or if a close loss will be enough to claim a moral victory that will surely lead to a midterm landslide for the GOP. McAuliffe could do a lot for Democratic morale by making Youngkin spend all his money and then beating him soundly.
Photo: Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Real-estate scion Robert Durst was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in California on Friday for killing a close friend over 20 years ago. The crime is one of three murders Durst is suspected of over nearly four decades  all of which he apparently confessed to in the HBO documentary series The Jinx six years ago. The verdict, which jurors delivered after seven and a half hours of deliberation, was read without Durst present. The 78-year-old millionaire was in isolation in jail after being exposed to COVID-19.

In their case, Los Angeles County prosecutors alleged that Durst had shot his longtime friend, Susan Berman, in the back of the head in 2000 in order to prevent her from coming forward with her knowledge of how Durst had murdered his wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, in New York in 1982. Prosecutors said Durst had confessed his crime to Berman, and one of Bermans friends testified that she had told her she had provided a fake alibi to police for Durst on the night of the murder of his wife.

Superior Court Judge Mark Windham, who presided over the five-month trial, said on Friday that it was the most extraordinary trial that Ive ever seen or even heard about. Dursts sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 18. He faces a mandatory minimum life sentence without the possibility of parole, since jurors agreed with prosecutors that Dursts crime met special circumstances under California law  including how Durst had laid in wait for his victim armed with a firearm, and had murdered a witness to a crime.

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The private equity industry is in a rush to leave Canada's oil sandsonce a lucrative investment but no longeras emission reduction takes priority. According to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources, there are at least a dozen such companies on sale right now. And this could be good news for other oil producers.

In fact, it could improve their chances of survival.

The moment is perfect for the sellers: Canadian crude has rebounded strongly from the troughs it traded at last year and even the year before when the industry there was hurt by a shortage of pipelines making exports more expensive. Yet this moment is also perfectin a sensefor other Canadian energy companies looking to ramp up their operations and make them more economical.

Despite the improving prices, Canadian oil companies are not in the best of places as the federal government of the country makes more climate pledges. As a result, capital spending is falling. Soon, production will follow.

The Financial Times reported last month that Canadian crude output had reached 3.5 million bpd in the first half of 2021 as the industry recovered from the worst effects of the pandemic during its first year. This was a record high, which is a little ironic given the trouble that the Canadian oil sands industry has been having with regulators, the government, and its biggest export buyer in the past few years.

Related: Saudi Forces Thwart Houthi Attack On Oil City Canadian oil sands are a particularly carbon-intensive way of extracting crude oil. Because of that, oil sands producers are subject to strict environmental regulation. At the same time, the Trudeau government has big ambitions in carbon reduction, including putting a price on carbon to the tune of $16 (C$20) per ton, scheduled to rise to $134 (C$170) by 2030. Meanwhile, the United States administration is banning Canadian oil pipelines and, what must have hurt the most, calling on OPEC+ to boost oil production to help make gasoline at U.S. stations cheaper rather than turning to ally and friend Canada.

Leaving aside the sting of President Biden's controversial appeal to OPEC from earlier this yearto which the cartel turned a deaf earCanada's oil industry may well be facing an existential crisis. It may take a while, but if this and future federal governments stay on the emission-reduction course, Canadian oil risks a slow but sure demise.

"If governments get serious about their net-zero targets, [then] high-cost and ESG-sensitive supplies like the Canadian oil sands cannot grow, and their continued existence comes into question," the FT quoted Al Salazar from consultancy Enverus as saying.

This is where consolidation comes into play and why private equity's rush to exit the oil sands could not have come at a better time for those companies that are bent on survival.

"Everyone wants to see more size, more scale, more safety. That's one of the driving forces as to why we are seeing more consolidation," Scott Barron, head of investment banking in Calgary at TD Bank, told Reuters.

Safety in synergies seems to be the motto behind the consolidation, made possible thanks to the oil price rebound, which has provided prospective buyers with the means to afford an acquisition or a merger. Already, according to IHS Markit data cited by Reuters, private equity firms have sold $2.6 billion worth of oil assets in Canada, which were bought by local sector players.

Related: Iraq Secures New Investments In Its Booming Oil Industry

The time may be good for consolidation, but the future remains uncertain, even with a more consolidated oil industry. Big Oil left Canada's oil sands, and now private equity is leaving, too. These two facts could be easily interpreted as examples of the proverbial ratsand, to be fair, any other life form that wants to surviveleaving a sinking ship. On the other, they could be interpreted as examples of a shift in priorities across industries as emission reduction takes center stage from energy to healthcare.

This is unfortunate for Canadian oil, but there is still hope for the future. Oil is still one of Canada's major exports, bringing in export revenue dollars. It is also the biggest foreign source of oil for the world's largest consumerthe United States. And these exports have not been on the decline recentlyquite the contrary, in fact. They have continued strong despite the Keystone XL pipeline cancellation and despite the other pipeline projects that are being challenged at every turn by regulators and organized protesters.

"The Biden administration pleading with OPEC to increase oil production to rescue the U.S from high fuel prices months after canceling the Keystone XL pipeline smacks of hypocrisy," said Alberta's energy minister, Sonya Savage, following the U.S. appeal with the cartel to boost production. Meanwhile, Canada's emissions have continued rising despite the Trudeau government's stated goal to reduce them significantly. The question for Canada's oil sands seems to be whether hypocrisy could bring down an entire industry.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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From lockdowns to remote work and widespread job losses, the Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed the way people work. These interruptions are likely to have a significant impact on the global labour market well into the future.

The initial outbreak of Covid-19 created widespread disruption for workers. Lockdowns prevented many from travelling to their workplaces, while the economic fallout of the pandemic resulted in layoffs, restructuring and pay cuts.

While the pandemic is global in nature, the effects have been felt particularly sharply in emerging markets. In a briefing released last June, the UN said that many emerging markets were experiencing a full-blown unemployment crisis that was exacerbating existing economic disparities.

Rise of remote work

One of the most prominent changes to come out of the pandemic is the marked shift towards remote work.

Although much of the employment in emerging markets is either informal or in-person, and as such not facilitating remote work, there were still significant portions of the workforce who shifted to work-from-home models.

Before the outbreak it was estimated that around 10% of the global workforce worked remotely, with the figure rising to as much as two-thirds in some regions during the pandemic.

Related: Why Bank Of America Thinks Oil Prices Are Heading To $100 While remote work was initially necessary to comply with government health measures, the loosening of restrictions raised important questions for companies and staff alike.

Many employees experienced the benefits of flexible work arrangements, particularly with regards to shorter or eliminated commute times, the ability to meet family commitments and general lifestyle factors.

Although some companies have sought to bring their staff back into traditional office settings, others have been looking to implement alternative models on a permanent basis.

For example, in June global consultancy Deloitte gave its UK workforce the option to work from home permanently, while multinational tech giants like Twitter and Spotify have announced work from anywhere policies in the wake of the pandemic. Others  like Ford, Google and Microsoft  have begun implementing hybrid models featuring a combination of office-based and remote work.

While such options are popular in highly developed economies, there are specific challenges to working from home in emerging markets. In countries like Oman, for example, where an average household consists of eight people, many may not have access to adequate workspace in their homes, while others have to deal with infrastructure challenges that make working outside traditional office settings difficult.

While fixed broadband internet speeds in Thailand, at 216.16 Mbps, are the fourth fastest in the world, the comparative figures are far lower in other emerging markets like Nigeria (16.85 Mbps), Papua New Guinea (15.33 Mbps) and Algeria (9.38 Mbps), according to Ooklas Speedtest Global Index, posing challenges to work-from-home arrangements.

Related: Saudi Forces Thwart Houthi Attack On Oil City

As OBG has noted, suburban co-working spaces have emerged as a suitable alternative, both for employees searching for a functional workspace, and employers looking to decentralise operations and achieve cost savings.

The pandemic sparked a new trend in the Philippines  one towards working not from home, but near home, Jet Yu, founder and CEO of commercial real estate consultancy PRIME Philippines, told OBG last October. Co-working spaces are perfectly positioned to fit this market sentiment.

Employee experience becomes a priority

The ongoing shift in employees priorities is visible in other areas of work, as well.

For many workers, the pandemic  along with its associated lockdowns, financial strains and health risks  changed their approach to work and life more broadly.

Many people saw the benefits of working less or relocating to be closer to family, while others took the opportunity to retire or change careers.

In a sign of this shift, companies are subsequently turning towards more social models of work as part of broader moves towards environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals within their organisations.

According to a survey of 91 companies in the Philippines by UK advisory company Willis Towers Watson released in August, 95% of respondents said that enhancing the employee experience was a priority over the next three years, up from 65% who considered it important before the pandemic.

In particular, the disruptions of the past 18 months underlined how a positive employee experience is a key driver of engagement, productivity and overall business performance.

Employers are increasingly looking to change their work models, prioritise well-being and align rewards to meet more diverse employee needs. In the Willis Towers Watson survey, 87% of respondents said they recognised that the new realities of the post-pandemic world require a hybrid model for many different roles.

Labour market paradox

While the pandemic initially led to a sharp rise in unemployment, with an estimated 255m full-time job losses around the world last year, according to the International Labour Organisation, the shifting demands and preferences of employees has had some unexpected consequences.

The labour market paradox  whereby businesses and industries suffer labour shortages despite persistently high unemployment  has been particularly prominent in wealthier countries, especially in sectors like tourism and hospitality. In the US there are reports of flights being cancelled and services discontinued due to lack of staff.

A survey of 380 North American companies undertaken by Willis Towers Watson in August found that 73% of respondents were having problems attracting employees, three times the level recorded the previous year (26%), while 61% said they were experiencing challenges in retaining staff, up from 15% in 2020.

A variety of factors are likely at play. Some workers may prefer to depend on stimulus payments or unemployment benefits instead of returning to work, while others have concerns about the health risks of Covid-19. For in-demand digital industries, high wage expectations may be playing a role, as are work-from-anywhere policies and their impact on competition for talent.

To secure adequate labour some 30% of respondents in the North American survey said they have increased their salary budgets, 43% have raised starting salaries, 39% were looking to improve the employee experience and 33% had sought to enhance workplace flexibility.

Generational changes

Amid these considerable changes in work culture, questions remain as to whether they will be permanent. Some have suggested that we are currently experiencing a post-pandemic rut, and that a sense of normality will return in the short to medium term.

Others, however, point out that while the pandemic was the catalyst for these changes, underlying social and generational factors are more important elements that are likely to sustain change in the long term.

Every generation has different priorities, and these priorities can translate into workplace changes, Daniel Ross, chief investment officer and head of sustainability at Thailands BTS Group, told OBG. Thailand, for example, has an ageing population and a shrinking workforce, so businesses and prospective employers have to change to attract Generation Z. In some cases, this helps to accelerate the transition towards ESG.

By Oxford Business Group

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
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The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) has called on all investigative bodies and stakeholders to look into issues of examination leakage in the ongoing West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to forestall future occurrences.



The Coalition said it regretted the recent happenings in which the West African Examination Council (WAEC) had confirmed the leakage of Physics 1 and 2, and Business Management 1 and 2 papers, and said the leakages must be investigated.



A statement signed by Mr Joseph Atsu Homadzi, the National Chairman of GNECC, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, encouraged WAEC to be proactive to prevent future leakages.



"We will continue to follow with keen interest how the issue will be resolved in the best interest of the Ghanaian child," it said.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, former Deputy Health Minister, has proposed new ways to ensure that Metropolitan, Municipal and Distrcit Chief Executives(MMDCEs) don't misbehave but execute their duties effectively.



The list of MMDCEs to serve in President Nana Akufo-Addo's second term is expected to be announced by the Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development after numerous complaints about the President's delay in appointing them.



The Director of Communications at the Jubilee House, Eugene Arhin, in a Facebook post stated; "Expect the list to be announced by the Minister very soon."



In respect of this, a Committe was set up and mandated to assess the nominees.



The Committee's report has been submitted to the President and, according to sources, the MMDCEs will be announced today.



Dr. Okoe Boye complimented the President for setting up a Committee to assess the nominees before their appointment emphasizing it will ensure the right people are appointed.



However, to him, there should be a different method in the selection of MMDCEs.



"This is a country where people are too comfortable with the status quo and the only way we can change this country is when the status quo changes . . . The only way this will change is when we move away from the status quo . . . but we're too comfortable with the old ways of doing things," he stressed.



He suggested, "the best way to get the best out of MMDCEs is to let the constituents and the citizens vote for them. If you do that, you can decide not to give money to Assemblies, they will still perform. Why? Because they will sit with the people; they will agree on the project and how to fund it".



Dr. Okoe Boye made these comments on Peace FM's morning show ''Kokrokoo''.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Former Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye has warned African leaders about their unbridled thirst for power.



An elite Military unit on Sunday, September 5, 2021 took over the People's Republic of Guinea, detaining the President, Alpha Conde who changed the country's constitution to serve a third term in government.



An ecstatic citizens trooped into the streets to celebrate the overthrow of their leader.



Touching on the coup d'etat in Guinea, Dr. Okoe Boye advised African leaders to have a good conscience and the fear of God to rule their nations.



''If you have a leader who doesn't fear God and is without conscience, the leader becomes a danger to the society or his country because he doesn't know what he's looking for in the world. Nothing will be enough for you if you don't fear God and you don't have conscience. The only way that, after some years in power, you can go back to your house, lie on your bed and sleep is when you know that the one who knows the end from the beginning, the one who has every life in his hands is above and not man'', he warned.



He advised people close to Presidents or nation leaders to tell them bitter truth stressing ''investment in the mind is not a guarantee of progress...If you continue to turn around because one leader speaks, we cannot go anywhere as a country. Those who are closest to any President should have the courage to tell him that you're trending on dangerous waters''.



He made these comments on Friday's edition of Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo''.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former President, John Dramani Mahama, has launched yet another blistering attack on the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), saying the EC boss is on a warpath with the opposition NDC that he has been leading.



Without any provocation, Mr. Mahama attacked the EC boss, Mrs. Jean Mensa, on Kumasi-based New Mercury FM during his Thank You tour in the Ashanti Region early this week, saying the commission was refusing to accept the NDCs post-2020 electoral reform proposals.



Since this woman was appointed, it feels like she is on a warpath with the NDC. This EC Chairperson has said the NDC is the biggest threat to the country, he claimed without mentioning where the EC boss made the purported statement against his party.



He then asked rhetorically Do you think such a person can ensure neutrality between parties? It is obvious they (EC) have a certain prejudice against NDC. Whenever we suggest anything, they rubbish it.



The former President then said that the NDC will not relent in its efforts to get the EC to accept the partys reforms, vowing We have sent the proposals and whatever we will do in terms of advocacy to ensure that they do the right thing, we will do it.



NDC Proposal



The NDC has said it has put forward some proposals which will bring reforms to the electoral system.



Bizarrely, the same party has said it has stopped engaging the EC but want the same commission to accept its proposals.



The party has refused to cooperate with the commission and has decided to boycott the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) where such decisions are mostly taken.



The NDCs beef is that the EC rigged the 2020 general election in favour of the NPP, a claim which was dismissed by the Supreme Court when Mr. Mahama went there to challenge the results as declared.



Initially, ex-President Mahama claimed he won the election and was denied victory and in the ensuing heat, he and his partys leaders amassed their supporters to hit the streets to cause mayhem around Christmas last year.



Petition Hearing



However, by the time the case was being heard, the NDCs stance that Mr. Mahama was denied victory had shifted to the argument that none of the 12 candidates that participated in the 2020 Presidential Election got the constitutionally mandatory 50 per cent plus one of the total valid votes.



The NDC also pushed that the Supreme Court should determine whether the Electoral Commission (EC) had to organise a run-off election between Mr. Mahama as petitioner and President Akufo-Addo who was declared winner by the EC on December 9, 2020 after the crucial December 7, 2020 general election.



He was subsequently bounced unanimously by the seven-member panel for failing to adduce evidence to back his claims that no candidate crossed the 50 per cent plus 1 vote needed for the EC to declare a winner.



Persistent Attacks



Since the Supreme Court sent him packing after his unsuccessful challenge, Mr. Mahama has not forgiven the EC boss who is credited for leading the organisation of a smooth election unmatched in the Fourth Republican dispensation.



One of his basis for attacks has been that the court refused to allow the EC boss to testify during the hearing when he himself could not establish any prima facie case against the commission per his own documents filed.



After the courts verdict when the public was waiting for him to finally concede defeat, he rather held a news conference to denounce the courts action and then used it as a platform to attack the judges and the EC boss.



Describing the commission as pliant he sought to present the electoral management body as one which lacked independence.



NDC Proposal



Among the proposals being pushed by the NDC is a demand for the prior approval of Parliament for the appointment of EC members.



They want a repeal of the requirement for the consent of the Attorney General to be given before the prosecution of electoral offences as well as specially-designated courts for electoral disputes and offences before, during and after registration of voters and elections.



The NDC also wants the EC to be allowed by law to apply to the courts to remove names of deceased and other unqualified persons from the provisional register when informed by the relevant authorities.



In a strange move, the NDC wants GBC to comply with the Supreme Court decision for it to provide equal access to all political parties after it flouted the same courts decision when the party was in power and enjoyed GBC monopoly for more than a decade.



It also wants IPAC to be backed by legislation through an amendment to the Electoral Commission Act, 1993, Act 451 as well as spelling out by law the security responsibilities of the EC (if any), the police and the military during registration of voters and during and after voting.



The NDC is demanding a legislation to bind the Chairperson of the EC, as the Returning Officer of the Presidential Election, to afford the agents of the participating political parties and candidates full participation in the collation of the presidential election results at the ECs National Collation Centre.



Splitting EC



The NDC is also calling for a split of the EC into two separate bodies namely an Office for the Regulation of Political Parties (ORPP) and an Electoral Commission (EC) by amending the Political Parties Act, 2000, Act 574.



They also want the mandatory requirement for the publication of applicants for recruitment as temporary EC staff for registration of voters and for elections and for allowing the public to object to applicants who have questionable backgrounds or have overt partisan biases must be strictly complied with and the requirement for the list to be posted at the District EC offices.



The NDC wants the EC to comply with the requirement for each political party participating in an election to be provided with a copy of the final voters register and for the EC to make sure that recruitment for the various categories of election officials is made as non-partisan as possible.



They want the list of all polling stations to be used for an election with their names, code numbers and locations to be published in the Gazette and as supplements in the state newspapers not later than 30 days to the election, saying this will require an amendment to the Public Elections Regulations, 2020, C.I. 127.



The NDC said it wants the EC to print the replacement Statement of the Poll Form and Declaration of Results Form in a colour different from the original ones in order to distinguish them and where a replacement Declaration of Results Form is used, the original Statement of Declaration Form should be attached to it.



They also want the BVD printouts for each polling centre to be given to each political party agent or candidates agent and should be posted at the polling station as well as the abolishing of the Regional Collation Centre.





Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has asked the coupists in Guinea to restore democracy in six months.



The decision was taken at an Extraordinary Session on 16 September 2021 in Accra, Republic of Ghana, under the chairmanship of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and Chair of the Authority.



According to a communique issued by the bloc after its sessions, the Authority decided:



a. to uphold the suspension of Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies until the restoration of constitutional order;



b. to ensure the conduct of presidential and legislative elections within six (6) months in order to restore constitutional rule in the Republic of Guinea;



c. to impose sanctions, in accordance with extant ECOWAS Protocols, of travel bans on the members of the CNRD and their family members and of freeze of their financial assets;



d. to call on the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations, and other multilateral and bilateral partners to support the implementation of these sanctions;



e. to ensure that no member of the CNRD is allowed to contest in the presidential election; f. ECOWAS to accompany Guinea in the swift resolution of the crisis and in the preparations for the elections.



Read the full communique below:



Accra, Republic of Ghana 16 September 2021



COMMUNIQUE



1. The Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened in Extraordinary Session on 16 September 2021 in Accra, Republic of Ghana, under the chairmanship of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and Chair of the Authority, to review political developments in the Republic of Guinea. The Heads of State also reviewed the latest development of the transition in the Republic of Mali.



2. Present at the Summit were the under-listed ECOWAS Heads of State and Government or their duly mandated representatives:



H.E. Roch Marc Christian Kabore, President of Burkina Faso; H.E. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Cote dIvoire; H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana; H.E. Umaro Sissoco Embalo, President of the Republic of Guinea Bissau; H.E Georges Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia; H.E. Mohamed Bazoum, President of the Republic of Niger; H.E. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal;



COMMUNAUTE ECONOMIQUE DES ETATS DE LAFRIQUE DE LOUEST



COMUNIDADE ECONOMICA DOS ESTADOS DA AFRICA OCIDENTAL



ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES



H.E. Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone; H.E. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, President of the Togolese Republic; H.E. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; H.E. Aurelien A. Agbenonci, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Republic of Benin; H.E. Filomena Mendes Gonalves, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cabo Verde; H.E. Mamadou Tangara, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad of the Republic of The Gambia.



3. The session was also attended by H.E. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, H.E. Goodluck Jonathan, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ECOWAS Mediator to Mali, and H.E. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa.



4. The Heads of State and Government took note of the Report of the high level Mission dispatched to the Republic of Guinea on 10 September 2021, following the Extraordinary Session of the Authority held via videoconference on 8 September 2021. They also took note of the report on the political transition in the Republic of Mali, presented by the Mediator H.E Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.



5. They commended the quality of the reports and the relevance of the recommendations contained therein.



6. The Authority, after deliberations, endorsed the main recommendations contained in the Mission's report.



7. The Authority reiterates its unreserved condemnation of the coup of 5 September 2021 and reaffirms its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of President Alpha Conde. It also reminds members of the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) that they are individually and collectively responsible for the physical safety of President Alpha Conde.



8. The Authority was apprised of the current socio-political situation in the Republic of Guinea and of the apparent commitment of the National Committee for Reconciliation and Development (CNRD) to work towards a swift return to constitutional order. It also took note of the CNRD's decision to hold consultations with all national and international stakeholders on the socio-political situation in the Republic of Guinea. The Authority expressed its concern about the resurgence of coups after the coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021.



9. After consideration of the Report and subsequent deliberations, the Authority decides as follows:



a. to uphold the suspension of Guinea from all ECOWAS governing bodies until the restoration of constitutional order; b. to ensure the conduct of presidential and legislative elections within six (6) months in order to restore constitutional rule in the Republic of Guinea; c. to impose sanctions, in accordance with extant ECOWAS Protocols, of travel bans on the members of the CNRD and their family members and of freeze of their financial assets; d. to call on the African Union, the European Union, the United Nations, and other multilateral and bilateral partners to support the implementation of these sanctions; e. to ensure that no member of the CNRD is allowed to contest in the presidential election; f. ECOWAS to accompany Guinea in the swift resolution of the crisis and in the preparations for the elections.



10. The Authority calls on the African Union, the United Nations and development partners to endorse the decisions and support the restoration of constitutional rule in the Republic of Guinea.



11. Members of the Authority request the Chair of the Authority to visit the Republics of Guinea and Mali as soon as possible to convey in person the decision of the Authority.



12. The Authority decides to remain actively seized on the matter.



On the Political Transition in the Republic of Mali



13. The Authority remains deeply concerned about the slow pace of preparations for the elections scheduled for late February 2022 in the Republic of Mali.



14. The Authority reiterates its demands for strict adherence to the transition timetable leading to the effective conduct of elections within the nonnegotiable deadline of February 2022. To this end, the Authority calls on the transitional authorities to submit, by the end of October 2021 at the latest, the timetable, for setting out the essential steps to be taken for the February 2022 elections. It insists on the implementation of only the necessary reforms for the conduct of elections on the agreed date.



15. The Authority decides to impose targeted sanctions against persons or groups of persons whose actions have a negative impact on the transition timetable, as decided by the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government. These sanctions would include travel ban on such persons and their family members and the freezing of their financial assets. To this end, the Authority instructs the President of the ECOWAS Commission to compile and submit a list of such persons and groups of persons.



16. The Authority strongly condemns the continued arrest and detention of political leaders and opponents by the transitional authorities. It also demands that the issue be handled in line with the rule of law and respect for human rights.



17. Regarding security, the Authority strongly condemns the decision of the transitional authorities to hire private security companies in Mali and is greatly concerned about its consequences on the deterioration of the security situation in Mali and the region as a whole.



On the Strengthening of Democracy



18. In light of recent developments in the region, the Authority reaffirms that the consolidation of democracy and good governance is crucial for the development, peace and stability of the region. Consequently, the Authority instructs the President of the Commission to initiate the process of reviewing the 2001 Supplementary Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance in order to ensure democracy, peace and stability in our region.



19. The Heads of State and Government express their deep gratitude to H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana and Chair of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, for his leadership of the Community.



Done in Accra, this 16th day of September 2021



THE AUTHORITY

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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Americas oldest ally, France, took an extraordinary step on Friday September 17, recalling its ambassador to the United States and Australia.



The relationship between the US and France conceived in 18th century revolutions us now at a tipping point after the U.S. Australia and Britain shunned France in creating a new Indo-Pacific security arrangement that involved Australia dumping its previous agreement to buy diesel powered submarines from France in favor of buying better more equiped nuclear powered submarines from the US and the UK to counter growing threats from China.



It is the first time ever that France has recalled its ambassador to the U.S., according to the French foreign ministry. Paris also recalled its envoy to Australia.



France Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement that the French decision, on request from President Emmanuel Macron, is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made by Australia and the United States.



He said Australias decision to scrap a big French conventional submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology is unacceptable behavior between allies and partners.



Ambassador Philippe Etienne tweeted the announcements are directly affecting the vision we have of our alliances, of our partnerships and of the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.

In response to the move, the Biden administration said it has been in close contact with French officials about the decision to recall Etienne to Paris, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said.



We understand their position and will continue to be engaged in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance, she said in a statement.



France is our oldest ally and one of our strongest partners, and we share a long history of shared democratic values and a commitment to working together to address global challenges.



State Department spokesman Ned Price also stressed the value the U.S. places on its relationship with France and expressed hope that talks between the two sides will continue in the coming days, including at the United Nations General Assembly next week.



But in another twist, Macron, wont be making a speech to the annual meeting of world leaders. Le Drian will instead deliver the French address.





This is the first time this will occur since Macron came into office in 2017.



The Australian government said it regretted Frances decision to recall its ambassador to that nation.



Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests, Foreign Minister Marise Paynes office said in a statement.



It added that Australia valued its relationship with France and looked forward to future engagements together.



Macron's decision to recall his ambassadors to the US is a shocking turnaround given that he welcomed Joe Biden's presidency after having a bitter relationship with former President Donald Trump.



The recall is his boldest foreign policy move yet in his four-year presidency



Earlier Friday, a top French diplomat, who spoke anonymously, said that Macron received a letter from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday morning announcing the decision to cancel the submarine deal.



French officials then decided to reach out to the U.S. administration to ask what was going on, he said. He added that discussions with Washington took place just two to three hours before Biden announced the deal with Australia.



Le Drian expressed total incomprehension at the move and criticized both Australia and the U.S.



It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed, he said. This is not done between allies.









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Barring any last-minute changes, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dan Botwe, will put out list of nominated Chief Executives for all the Metropolitan Municipal District Assemblies (MMDCAs) across the country.

Dan Botwe will reveal the names of the MMDCEs in collaboration with the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah during the ministers press conference on Sunday 1pm.



Already, political strategist and legal practitioner, Gabby Otchere-Darko have given the strongest indications that the list of MMDCEs will be put out on Sunday and put to bed all speculations.



Tomorrow all the speculations will be over, including fake lists and recommendations. Sunday, the Local Government Minister, alongside the Information Minister, shall address a press conference and put the official list of MCEs and DCEs out.



He further revealed that the list would be published on the Information Minister website after the announcement.



The only list which matters! Same list will be put on the Info Ministry website afterwards so you can check it for yourself.

Until then, we are advised to ignore all lists and all publications for just one day p3!

Finally, this is not a do or die affair. The President appoints and he does so not to deliberately disappoint anyone but to get his work done. It is that simple. Lets live with it and make progress, he said.



Information available to DGN Online indicates that last Thursday September 16, 2021, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo submitted the list of MMDCEs to Dan Botwe, Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Eugene Arhin disclosed in a Facebook post.



The Director of Communications in his social media post confirmed that the President has finalised the list of nominees and that the Local Government Minister will soon announce the names.



Some of the new faces to takeover current MMDCE positions include former Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Elizabeth Sackey who is expected to be the first female MCE for the capital to be appointed by any President.



She is expected to replace Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah as the Metropolitan Chief Exceutive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).



Catherine Reckling, the District Chief Executive for Sekyere South District in Ashanti region, and Martina Appiah Nyantakyi, the Municipal Chief Executive Officer for Ahafo Ano North in the Ashanti Region are expected to remain at post, according to snippets of information picked up.



However, Diana Attaa-Kusiwaa, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Nkoranza South in the Bono East region is tipped to be retained likewise Margaret Darko, the Municipal Chief Executive for Suhum Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region.



Meanwhile, new entrants are Josephine Awuku Ansaa Inkoom for Ayensuano District in Eastern Region, Anna Adukwe Addo will replace Adwoa Amoako at the Tema West Municipal Assembly (TWMA) in the Greater Region whiles Zuweiratu Mada Nashiru who is tipped to head Chereponi District Assembly will be some of the new female faces among over 30 female MMDCEs tipped to be appointed by the President.



On Friday the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) admonished it party supporters to remain calm and respect whoever President Akufo-Addo will nominate to represent him as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.



According to the party, the list of nominees is ready and would be made public anytime soon by government.



Addressing a news conference in Accra on Friday, September 17, 2021, the Director of Communications of the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa advised the rank and file of the party that although not everyone will have his or her preferred candidate nominated by the President but they should respect and accept choices of the President and support them to succeed.



The second thing is the imminent publication of the list of MMDCEs. Having patiently waited for the list, we expect the nominees to be accepted in good faith. Every nominee on the list as will be published is a nominee of H.E the President. Therefore, the expectation is that the Party grassroots will respect the choices and receive and support the approval of these nominees for the benefit of the Party. We recognise that not everybody in every Assembly will have their preferred choice. However, we also believe that as much as possible, every eligible candidate has had a fair bite of the selection process.



Ladies and gentlemen, now that the selection process is over, we urge all former contestants and stakeholders to adopt the nominees as their own, encourage smooth confirmation processes, and support approved MMDCEs to deliver the best to their areas. Once the list is published, competition in any form, ought to end.



We urge everybody to be calm and to act in ways that promote good relations at a working level in order to give the nominees the best possible opportunity to work in the interest of the grassroots of the nation. Having said that, we also advise the nominees to, as much as possible, open up and provide space for all shades of opinion in their work, Buaben Asamoa said.



The selection process, according to the NPPs communications director, reflects the Presidents vision for our local governance system and country at large.



The party also advised the nominees to, as much as possible, be open and provide space for divergent opinions.



Touching on the partys ongoing mass registration of its members, Mr. Asamoa expressed concerns about how some officers are preventing some members from registering, thinking that, the register will be used for internal elections.



He stated that Party officer election registers shall be compiled differently and will be done later per guidelines to be issued So, we are assuring all our polling station executives to open up, work hard and try and capture as many persons who are likely to vote NPP as possible. The names should also go into the books that have been provided. Names in any other book not provided by the party for this exercise will not be valid or properly captured.











Source: Daily Guide









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The New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwart, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, has advised party supporters to be ready to accept the yet-to-be released list of metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs).



According to him, the list which is scheduled to be released on Sunday, September 19, 2021 by the Local Government Minister, Dan Botwe, must not break the ranks of the NPP but rather unite it.



In a Facebook post, he said This is not a do or die affair. The President appoints and he does so not to deliberately disappoint anyone but to get his work done. It is that simple. Lets live with it and make progress.



He continued that Tomorrow all the speculations will be over, including fake lists and recommendations. Sunday, the Local Government Minister, alongside the Information Minister, shall address a press conference and put the official list of MCEs and DCEs out.



He added that The only list which matters! Same list will be put on the Info Ministry website afterwards so you can check it for yourself. Until then, we are advised to ignore all lists and all publications for just one day p3!













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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Nigerian Afrobeats star Yemi Alade told the BBCs Africa Daily podcast that the African music scene is incredibly male-dominated and that people should give female artists "a chance".



"I would say to any female that is already a part of the Afrobeats industry trying to make her way to just continue. I dont think we should feel bad as much that it is male-dominated."



She said that the men are "miles ahead" of the women, as historically they were the group who were allowed to make music.



"Its only normal that their numbers are more than us for now.



"What we just need to do now is to make sure that we actually shine a light on the females - and stop snubbing them and stop overlooking them."



Yemi Alade's music videos have had millions of views online and she has worked with artists from the likes of Beyonce to Angelique Kidjo.

Source: BBC









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Mark Garrett, a fire information officer, examines a sequoia tree during a media tour of Lost Grove as the KNP Complex Fire burns about 15 miles away on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Sequoia National Park, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

California wildfires have burned into at least four groves of gigantic ancient sequoias in national parks and forests, though cooler weather on Friday helped crews trying to keep the flames away from a famous cluster containing the world's largest tree.

The fires lapped into the groves with trees that can be up to 200 feet (61 meters) tall and 2,000 years old, including Oriole Lake Grove in Sequoia National Park and Peyrone North and South groves in the neighboring Sequoia National Forest.

The fire also had reached the forest's Long Meadow Grove, where then-President Bill Clinton signed a proclamation two decades ago establishing a national monument. Fire officials haven't yet been able to determine how much damage was done to the groves, which are in remote, hard-to-reach areas.

"These groves are just as impressive and just as ecologically important to the forest. They just aren't as well-known," Tim Borden, sequoia restoration and stewardship manager for the Save the Redwoods League, told the Bay Area News Group. "My heart sinks when I think about it."

Flames were still about a mile (1.5 kilometers) from the famed Giant Forest, where some 2,000 massive sequoias grow on a plateau high in the mountains of the national park.

Firefighters have placed special aluminum wrapping around the base of the General Sherman Tree, the world's largest by volume at 52,508 cubic feet (1,487 cubic meters), as well as some other sequoias and buildings.

Members of the media walk among sequoia trees in Lost Grove as the KNP Complex Fire burns about 15 miles away on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Sequoia National Park, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

The material can withstand intensive heat for short periods and has been used in national parks and forests for several years throughout the West to protect sensitive structures from flames.

Lower temperatures and a layer of smoke blanketing the area have been a benefit by helping suppress the flames. "It's been slow growth," fire information officer Katy Hooper said.

A major element of the groves' defense is decades of prescribed burnsfires intentionally set to clear the forest floor of vegetation that could feed bigger blazesand thinning projects to remove small trees that could become ladders carrying fire up to the crowns of the giants.

The tactic was no match for a fire in the region last year that killed thousands of sequoias, which grow as tall as high-rises at certain elevations on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada.

This photo provided by the Southern Area Blue Incident Management Team on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, shows the giant sequoia known as the General Sherman Tree with its base wrapped in a fire-resistant blanket to protect it from the intense heat of approaching wildfires at Sequoia National Forest in California. Credit: Southern Area Blue Incident Management Team via AP

A historic drought tied to climate change is making wildfires harder to fight. Scientists say climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make weather more extreme and wildfires more frequent and destructive.

Lightning ignited two fires in the park on Sept. 9, officials said. The Colony Fire, closest to the Giant Forest, has grown to just under 5 square miles (13 square kilometers). The Paradise Fire has scorched nearly 13 square miles (34 square kilometers).

More than 400 firefighters were assigned to the blazes, which are being collectively managed as the KNP Complex. More resources have been requested, Hooper said.

To the south, the Windy Fire grew to nearly 11 square miles (28 square kilometers) on the Tule River Indian Reservation and in Giant Sequoia National Monument, where it has burned into one grove of sequoias and threatens others. Difficult terrain has prevented officials from assessing damage to the big trees.

A fire engine drives past sequoia trees in Lost Grove as the KNP Complex Fire burns about 15 miles away on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Sequoia National Park, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

The Windy Fire burns in Sequoia National Forest, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. The fire has burned into the Peyrone Sequoia Grove and continues to threaten other sequoias, according to fire officials. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Members of the media look at sequoia trees in Lost Grove as the KNP Complex Fire burns about 15 miles away on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Sequoia National Park, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Sequoia trees stand in Lost Grove along Generals Highway as the KNP Complex Fire burns about 15 miles away on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Sequoia National Park, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Sequoia trees stand in Lost Grove along Generals Highway as the KNP Complex Fire burns about 15 miles away on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, in Sequoia National Park, Calif. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

A member of the Roosevelt Hotshot Crew clears a firebreak while battling the Windy Fire on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, on the Tule River Reservation, Calif. His crew, which travelled from Colorado, has been battling California wildfires. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

U.S. Forest Service firefighter Richard Handley of the Roosevelt Hotshots clears a firebreak while battling the Windy Fire on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, on the Tule River Reservation in California. The crew traveled from Colorado to fight California wildfires. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

An air tanker prepares to drop retardant on the Windy Fire burning on Tule River Reservation in California on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021. The fire has burned into the Peyrone Sequoia Grove and continues to threaten other sequoias according to fire officials. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

An air tanker battling the Windy Fire flies the moon in the background Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, on the Tule River Reservation in California. Credit: AP Photo/Noah Berger

Sequoia National Park is the second natural jewel to be threatened by wildfires in less than a month.

Lake Tahoe, the blue alpine lake perched high in the mountains on the California-Nevada line, was threatened by the explosive Caldor Fire until firefighters stopped its destructive march. Containment there has reached 71%.

Meanwhile, a big change in weather was taking shape in parts of the drought-stricken, fire-scarred West.

Forecasters said a storm heading in from the Pacific would bring rain to the Pacific Northwest and parts of Northern California through the weekend. The rain was not expected to come as far south as Sequoia National Park.

Explore further California wildfires threaten famous giant sequoia trees

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Inspiration4 crew (L-R): Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor.

The first space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday and the four crew membersa billionaire and three other Americanshave already seen more than 25 sunsets and sunrises.

SpaceX has released few details about their adventure since they reached an orbit which is more distant than that of the International Space Station.

Here's what we know about their life on board:

Nine square meters

The four space tourists are aboard the SpaceX crew capsule called Dragon.

It is 8.1 meters (26.7 feet) tall and has a diameter of four meters (13 feet).

The capsule is composed of a trunk, which is inaccessible to the crew, upon which sits the living quarters.

The entire volume of the capsule is just 9.3 square meters (328 square feet).

Chris Sembroski, a 42-year-old Air Force veteran who is one of the crew members, has compared it to travelling with friends in a vanone you can't step away from though if you want to take a break.

Toilets with a view

The exact technology behind the toilets aboard the capsule is a SpaceX secret.

But Hayley Arceneaux, one of the four crew members, said in a Netflix documentary that the "bathroom is on the ceiling."

"Really literally a panel that we take off and there's like a funnel," Arceneaux said. "There's no upside down in space."

Inspiration4 crew member Hayley Arceneaux looking out of the observation window on the SpaceX capsule.

The toilet is located near the clear glass observation dome, or cupola, installed on Dragon, which provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the cosmos.

"When people do inevitably have to use the bathroom, they're going to have one hell of a view," billionaire Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, told Business Insider.

Privacy is ensured with a simple curtain.

'Eating, doing chores'

SpaceX released a video call Friday between the Inspiration4 crew and patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 29-year-old Arceneaux, who was treated for bone cancer as a child at St. Jude and works there now as a physician assistant, was asked by a patient what the astronauts do for "fun" in space.

She said they have spent time "eating, doing chores and looking out the window at the world."

Sembroski said they've also been doing "a lot of blood tests and glucose monitoring."

Inspiration4 commander Jared Isaacman communicating while looking out the observation window on the SpaceX capsule.

The astronauts were also asked what is their favorite "space food."

"My favorite space food is pizza which I had yesterday and I'll probably have for dinner tonight also," said Sian Proctor, 51, who teaches geology at a small college in Arizona and was a finalist to become a NASA astronaut.

Musical interludes are also planned. Each passenger drew up a 10-song playlist and Sembroski planned to bring his ukelele.

The instrument and other objects are to be auctioned later with the proceeds going to St Jude.

The goal of the mission is to raise $200 million for the hospital, with Isaacman personally donating $100 million.

Scientific research

SpaceX tweeted on Thursday that the crew had carried out a "first round of scientific research."

One of the goals of the mission is to collect data on the effects of the environment of space on complete novices.

Graphic on the four all-civilian passengers on SpaceX's mission to orbit around the Earth, launched September 15, 2021 from Florida.

Their cardiac rhythms, sleep and blood oxygen levels will be monitored along with radiation exposure.

Their cognitive functions were tested before the flight and will be examined again on their return.

Explore further Five key facts on Inspiration4 space mission

 2021 AFP
This photo provided by SpaceX shows the passengers of Inspiration4 in the Dragon capsule on their first day in space. They are, from left, Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor. SpaceX got them into a 363-mile (585-kilometer) orbit following Wednesday night's launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. That's 100 miles (160 kilometers) higher than the International Space Station. Credit: SpaceX via AP

Tom Cruise got a sneak preview of what it's like to circle Earth in a SpaceX capsule.

Representatives for SpaceX's first privately chartered flight revealed Friday that the actor took part in a call with the four space tourists orbiting more than 360 miles up. Thursday's conversation, like the entire three-day flight, was private and so no details were released.

"Maverick, you can be our wingman anytime," came the announcement from the flight's Twitter feed. Cruise starred as Navy pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the 1986 film "Top Gun." A sequel comes out next year.

Last year, NASA confirmed it was in talks with Cruise about visiting the International Space Station for filming. SpaceX would provide the lift, as it does for NASA astronauts, and like it did Wednesday night for the billionaire up there now with his two contest winners and a hospital worker.

Their flight is due to end Saturday night with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

The four showed off their capsule in a live broadcast Friday. They're flying exceedingly high in the automated capsule, even by NASA standards.

SpaceX got them into a 363-mile (585-kilometer) orbit following Wednesday night's launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. That's 100 miles (160 kilometers) higher than the International Space Station. It's so high that they're completing 15 orbits of Earth daily, compared with 16 for station astronauts.

Until this all-amateur crew, relatively few NASA astronauts had soared that high. The most recent were the shuttle astronauts who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope over multiple flights in the 1990s and 2000s.

To enhance the views, SpaceX outfitted the Dragon capsule with a custom, bubble-shaped dome. Photos of them looking out this large window were posted online, otherwise little else had been publicly released of their first day in space.

Besides talking space with Cruise, the four capsule passengers chatted Thursday with young cancer patients. Hayley Arceneaux, a childhood cancer survivor, led the conversation from orbit with patients from the hospital that saved her life almost 20 years ago: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. A 6-year-old-boy wanted to know if there are cows on the moonlike in the nursery rhyme.

In this photo provided by Inspiration4, Elon Musk, front center, poses with the all-amateur crew before departure to Launch Complex 39A for a launch into space, Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021, at Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Standing behind Musk, from left to right, are Chris Sembroski, Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor and Hayley Arceneaux. Credit: John Kraus/Inspiration4 via AP

"I hope there will be one day. Right now, no, there aren't," replied another passenger, Sian Proctor. "We're going to go back to the moon soon and we're going to investigate all kinds of things about it."

The video linkup was not broadcast live, but shared by St. Jude on Friday. Seeing the Earth from so high is "so beautiful," Arceneaux told them.

Now a physician assistant at St. Jude, Arceneaux is the youngest American in space at age 29.

Pennsylvania entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, 38, purchased the entire flight for an undisclosed amount. He's seeking to raise $200 million for St. Jude through the flight he's named Inspiration4, half of that coming from his own pocket.

The two other Dragon riders won their seats through a pair of contests sponsored by Isaacman: Chris Sembroski, 42, a data engineer, and Proctor, 51, a community college educator.

During the broadcast Friday afternoon, Sembroski played a ukulele that will be auctioned off for St. Jude. "You can turn your volume down if you wish, but I'll give it a shot," he said.

Proctor, who is an artist, showed off a drawing in her sketchbook of a Dragon capsule being carried by a mythological dragon away from Earth.

All four share SpaceX founder Elon Musk's quest to open space to everyone.

"Missions like Inspiration4 help advance spaceflight to enable ultimately anyone to go to orbit & beyond," Musk tweeted Thursday after chatting with his orbiting pioneers.

Explore further SpaceX aiming for night launch of 4 on 1st private flight

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING G1 CLIMAX 2021 DAY ONE REPORT

By James Kurokawa on 2021-09-18 16:00:00

9/18 NJPW G1 Climax Day One from Osaka, Japan:

They showed a video package of all G1 participants to start the show.

Kevin Kelly and Chris Charlton are at ringside doing live English commentary. Kelly plans on being in Japan for the entire G1 Climax.

1. Ryohei Oiwa vs. SHO

This will be our first look at SHO under the Bullet Club's House of Torture. SHO was introduced with the nickname Murder Machine.

Oiwa started with fire, hitting multiple elbows. SHO took the match to the floor and brutalized Oiwa on the floor. SHO threw Oiwa into the guardrails and damaged the plexiglas that protected the announcers, which New Japan official repaired immediately.

Back in the ring, SHO locked Oiwa in the Snake Bite, which is his version of an Omoplata submission. This is the same move SHO used on YOH at Wrestle Grand Slam.

Oiwa taps out.

Fine match. It gave Oiwa more in-ring experience and allowed SHO to get into his new character. SHO looked OK in his new persona. The Murder Machine gimmick seems extreme to me.

A Block Tournament Matches:

2. Kota Ibushi vs. Yujiro Takahashi

Pieter is back! She accompanies Yujiro Takahashi to ringside. Chris Charlton said she would be with Takahashi throughout the G1.

It was an even match until Takahashi pushed Ibushi off the top rope. Ibushis head hit the apron. Pieter distracted the referee while Takahashi used his pimp stick to hit Ibushi in the gut and the choke him out. Takahashi beats down Ibushi in the ring. Ibushi fought back with kicks and strikes. Ibushi went for a moonsault but Takahashi again pulled him down and sent him head first into the apron. Takahashi hits a Yakuza kick and an Olympic Slam. Two count. Ibushi hits a high kick and a sit down Last Ride. Two count. Takahashi avoids a Kamagoye and low blows Ibushi. He hits Pimp Juice on Ibushi. Ibushi kicks out! Takahashi hits an Implant DDT.

Takahashi pins Ibushi!

Wow! Shocking win! Takahashi beats the two time winner of the G1. Takahashi avoided Ibushis big moves and wrestled a smart match.

My opinion on this win is that it enhances the Bullet Clubs House of Torture. Takahashi has not had a good singles record recently and he has been used as mostly a tag team partner for EVIL. If the House of Torture is to be strong faction, then all members need to look strong in their wins. For Takahashi, this was a strong win, which helps him and the House of Torture, as a whole.

3. Great O-Khan vs. Tanga Loa

Jado comes to ringside with Tanga Loa.

Both men begin with power moves. Tanga Loa distracts the referee while Jado attacks O-Khan with his kendo stick. Tanga hits a snap suplex on the ring floor. Ouch! Back in the ring, Tanga Loa attacked the right arm of O-Khan. O-Khan fought back with power moves. Jado hits O-Khan with the kendo stick. Tanga locks O-Khan in Operation Jado Killer. O-Khan gets to the ropes for a break. Tanga Loa with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Two count. O-Khan applies the Sheep Killer submission. Jado climbs in the ring. O-Khan picks up Tanga and hits Jado, who rolls out of the ring. Backbreaker on Tanga. He goes for an Eliminator, but Tanga hits a high kick. Tanga with a big power bomb. O-Khan kicks out at two.

O-Khan gets a burst of energy and hits an Eliminator on Tanga.

O-Khan pins Tanga Loa.

Really good match. They both hit their power moves and took a beating. Tanga Loa is a much better singles wrestler than he gets credit for. I expect him to have good matches with everyone in A Block.

4. Toru Yano vs. KENTA

Yano came to the ring with his face persona.

KENTA came to the ring and stopped the ring announcer. KENTA gave the ring announcer a script of what he wanted his ring introduction to be. As the announcer introduced KENTA and read from the script, Chris Charlton said they were all lies. The crowd chuckled at all of this.

A bunch of comedy to start the match. Both avoided to lock up. KENTA taped Yano to the entryway and Yano was almost counted out. KENTA is thrown into the guardrails. Yano pulls out more tape. The referee stops Yano and they argue. KENTA pushes Yano into the referee who takes a bump.

KENTA pulls out more tape and binds Yanos arms together. KENTA throws Yano under the ring. KENTA gets the referee up to count out Yano. At 16, Yano pops out and low blows KENTA in the ring. Yano rolls up KENTA for a two count. Yano low blows KENTA again. With his arms tied, he pulls KENTA into an inside cradle.

Yano pins KENTA.

Fine for what it was. Yano usually brings the comedy and the trickery.

5. Tetsuya Naito vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Both men put a wrestling clinic in the early minutes. ZSJ began attacking the neck of Naito, wrapping him up in different neck submissions. Naito fought back with his Lucha moves. Both men were selling their necks. Naito hit an Esperanza on ZSJ. ZSJ took out his knee with a drop kick. ZSJ quickly trapped Naito in a body scissors and an ankle submission. Naito screamed in pain and gets to the ropes. Naito looks hurt and is selling the right leg. ZSJ tries for a knee breaker but Naito turns it into a DDT. Naito goes to the top rope, but ZSJ traps him in a Cobra Twist, and hits a sunset bomb off the ropes. Naito kicks out, ZSJ reverses into another ankle submission. Naito rolls to the ropes. ZSJ continued to stomp on the knees of Naito. Naito hits a desperation Destino out of no where, but could not make the pin. ZSJ hits a springboard DDT and goes for a Zack Driver. Naito reverses into Valentia. Naito goes for Destino. ZSJ reverses into a European Clutch. Two count. ZSJ hits a double stomp on the knee of Naito. Naito hits a modified Destino on ZSJ, but he could not follow up. ZSJ traps Naitos legs in an Indian Deathlock, a leg on his neck and twisted his arms back behind his body.

Naito taps out.

That was a wicked submission move, both hurting his knees and applying pressure to the neck of Naito. This was a great match between two men who knew each other well in the ring.

Trainers came out to check on Naito. The announcers were concerned. Naito refused all help but he needed assistance back to the locker room.

6. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Shingo Takagi

They start the match with shoulder tackles and elbow strikes. They end up on the floor. Ishii hurts the back of Shingo with a power slam on the floor. Back in the ring, they beat the hell out of each other. Too much to recap here. Shingos chest was bruised up. They traded six Saito suplexes in a row. Brutal. Ishii tried for a superplex but he almost dropped Shingo. Ishii was having issues with his arm or neck. Ishii went for the superplex spot again and hit it properly. That seemed dangerous and unnecessary. Ishii looked angry that he could not do it the first time and wanted to show he could finish the spot.

Both men continued to battle. Shingo hit Made in Japan. Two count. Shingo hit two lariats. Two count. Shingo went for Last of the Dragon, but Ishii reverses into a Crucifix Bomb. Two count. Both men started throwing their biggest moves. Too much to recap. They traded headbutts. Shingo finally hits Last of the Dragon.

Shingo pins Ishii.

This was a great match, but a brutal one. The missed superplex spot should not have been done again, because it could have lead to a major injury. Thankfully, it did not.

Shingo Takagi and Tomohiro Ishii looked to be at the top of their games. A Block will return to New Japan World on 9/23. Any injuries sustained will have 5 days to recover.

A Block Standings as of 9/18:

Kota Ibushi - 0

Yujiro Takahashi - 2

Great O-Khan - 2

Tanga Loa - 0

Toru Yano - 2

KENTA - 0

Tetsuya Naito - 0

Zack Sabre Jr. - 2

Tomohiro Ishii - 0

Shingo Takagi - 2

Thank you for reading.

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By Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -European capitals celebrated a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June, as President Joe Biden's top diplomat cracked jokes in French in Paris, posed for selfies with French youth and spoke at length about revitalizing the transatlantic relationship.

It was a breath of fresh air after four years of former President Donald Trump's brash "America First" administration, during which U.S. ties with Europe lurched from one crisis to another amid policy decisions that often blindsided European countries.

But less than three months after Blinken's repair tour, Washington finds itself in an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with France over a trilateral deal with Britain to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines that sank a $40 billion contract for French-designed vessels.

France reacted with fury, saying the new deal had been hatched behind its back and resorting to language almost unheard of in public pronouncements between allies, calling it "brutal" and a "stab in the back".

On Friday it went further, taking the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors to Washington and Australia and accusing the Biden administration of acting like Trump in pushing Paris aside.

Analysts say the crisis is more than commercial, and one of trust, and even if U.S. officials hope it will blow over quickly, it has the potential to do lasting damage to the alliance with France and Europe and throws into doubt the united front Washington has been seeking to forge against China's growing power.

French diplomats said they first learned of the deal when news leaked in Australian media hours before the official announcement on Wednesday, although Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted he had made clear to French President Emmanuel Macron in June that he might scrap the agreement with France.

Either way, from the French perspective, the U.S. move flies in the face of what Biden's administration has pledged since the end of the Trump era: a return to multilateralism and close cooperation with partners and allies, with Europe an important element of that.

Story continues

"This makes Europeans realize that maybe some of Trump's policies, beyond the scandals and the tweets, were not an aberration but signaled a deeper shift away from Europe," said Benjamin Haddad, director of the Atlantic Council's Europe Center.

"At a time when the Biden administration wants to rally Europeans in a common transatlantic front to push back against Chinese assertiveness, why not bring in the key EU actor in the region?"

Some see further clumsy policy-making by Biden's administration hard on the heels of his chaotic end to America's two decade-long intervention in Afghanistan, about which European nations complained they had not been properly consulted.

"Just like Afghanistan, this new 'America First' opus is poorly conceived and even more poorly executed," a French diplomat said.

ATTEMPTS TO SOOTH FRENCH ANGER

Blinken has attempted to sooth French anger, calling France a vital and long-standing ally in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, and the White House and State Department quickly issued placatory statements after Paris recalled its ambassadors.

The State Department said Washington hopes to continue discussions on the issue at a senior level in coming days, including during next week's United Nations General Assembly.

David Bell, a history professor at Princeton University, said precedent indicated the crisis would blow over, eventually.

The French were clearly "very annoyed" and showed that in a "fairly dramatic" way, he said, while recalling previous moments of high tension, including France's withdrawal from NATO command in the 1960s and refusal in 2003 to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

But diplomatic relations have not been suspended, and at some point the ambassadors will be sent back, Bell forecast, noting that Macron's gesture comes ahead of a potentially tight re-election race next year.

"Macron is trying to reawaken that Gaullist tradition of French independence" in foreign policy, he said.

WEAKENING INDO-PACIFIC FRONT

While the NATO allies might well find ways to recover from what some see as the worst diplomatic crisis in their history, experts warn of serious harm to Biden's broader China strategy.

The trilateral submarine deal should strengthen the hand of the United States and its allies in the face of growing Chinese power, but the damage caused by the alienation of France could outweigh this.

"China must be laughing all the way to the bank," said Francois Heisbourg, senior advisor for Europe at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "They have the prospect of removing Europe's potential presence alongside the U.S. in the Indo-Pacific area."

Though stronger U.S.-Australia ties would concern the Chinese government, France, the EU's leading military power, has taken a strong stance in urging a tough line on China when other EU countries such as Germany have seemed more concerned about not upsetting commercial ties with Beijing.

"There is a downside for China, but the upside I think is greater  the notion that Europe is essentially going to stay in the wings and not play an active role in the Indo-Pacific as a whole," Heisbourg said.

He said France might narrow its focus to concentrate on its specific Indo-Pacific interests, rather than working to push back against China more broadly.

A day after the submarine deal was announced, the European Union unveiled its formal strategy to boost its presence in the Indo-Pacific and counter China. But with France deflated, there is increased risk this effort will either be stillborn or the transatlantic strategy towards China will become further disjointed, Heisbourg said.

"We must survive on our own, as others do," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, speaking of the "strategic autonomy" that France and Macron have championed.

Even so, other analysts believe the compelling need to counter Beijing will help Western countries bridge their differences.

"The increasing level of global anxiety about China is the tide that lifts all boats here," said Greg Poling of Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"I'm pretty confident that there's going to be a rough few months ahead, but Paris is going to get over it because its strategic interests dictate that it has to get over it."

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk and David Brunnstrom; Additional reportng by Steve Holland, Heather Timmons and Mike Stone; Editing by Mary Milliken and Daniel Wallis)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss.

Washington DC [US], September 18 (ANI): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with newly appointed UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss on Friday and discussed issues including Afghanistan, China and Iran.

In a press statement, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price informed that Blinken congratulated Truss on her appointment and highlighted the importance of the US-UK bilateral ties.

The US State Secretary also reaffirmed their partnership in supporting democracy, the rules-based international order, and open societies worldwide, the spokesperson said.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss. Secretary Blinken congratulated Foreign Secretary Truss on her appointment and highlighted the importance of the United States-UK bilateral relationship in supporting democracy, the rules-based international order, and open societies worldwide," Price said in a statement on Friday.

Both leaders also discussed shared foreign policy priorities including Afghanistan, the People's Republic of China, Iran, and multilateral engagement to tackle the climate crisis, Price said.

This comes as US President Joe Biden and leaders of two other nations launched the newly-formed AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) defence partnership pact on Wednesday that focuses on the Indo-Pacific.

Experts believe it is a veiled way of confronting China's growing military aggression in the region.

Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system. (ANI)
Representative image

Colombo [Sri Lanka] September 18 (ANI): Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood based in Sri Lanka wished Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his 71st birthday on Friday and commended his work for maintaining commendable bilateral relations with the neighbouring country.

The greetings came from Chairman Damenda Porage, who also thanked the Modi government for assisting Sri Lanka in crucial times, a letter from the Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood informed.

"It is an auspicious day because Mother India blessed her people and the world at large a son who would, with a clear vision, tread the right path to achieve economic prosperity, democracy, peace and military strength while maintaining excellent bilateral relations with her neighbours in the region including Sri Lanka," the letter read.

Foundation for Buddhist Brotherhood is a non-profit organisation aimed to raise understanding and awareness of the common Buddhist heritage of various nations all over the world.

The main aim of the foundation is to promote human values such as compassion, self-discipline, forgiveness, contentment and tolerance and to promote religious harmony. (ANI)
New Delhi, September 17: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday chaired the 45th meeting of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council in Lucknow. Sitharaman announced several key decisions and GST rate cuts including that on locomotives and certain railway parts, medicines used in the treatment of cancer and COVID-19, and also announced a decision on rationalising the inverted duty structure. After the 45th GST Council meeting in Lucknow, Sitharaman said that concessional GST rates on COVID-19 related drugs, which were till September 30, has now been extended till December 31.

Also Read | Petrol and Diesel Prices in India on September 17, 2021: Fuel Prices Remain Unchanged; Check Rates in Delhi, Mumbai and Other Metro Cities

The Finance Minister added that the GST Council felt it isn't time to bring petroleum products under the GST regime. Adding further, she said that the GST rate on biodiesel which is supplied to oil marketing companies for blending with diesel has also been reduced from 12% to 5%. Sitharaman said that GST rate on biodiesel which is supplied to oil marketing companies for blending with diesel have also been reduced from 12% to 5%.

"Amphotericin B - nil rate, Tocilizumab -nil rate, Remdesivir-5% , anticoagulants like Heparin - 5%. These concessional rates which were valid till September 30th are now being extended till 31st December 2021", Sitharaman said during the press meet. "Similarly, cancer-related drugs - Keytruda - along with similar other medicines used in the treatment of cancer as per Health Ministry or Dept of Pharmaceuticals are being recommended that they should come down from 12% to 5%", Sitharaman added.

Also Read | Fashion Designer Vikram Saraf Celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi Following the COVID-19 Protocols

Check Key Decisions and Revised GST Rates Here:

GST Council felt it isn't time to bring petroleum products under GST regime: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 17, 2021

E-commerce operators Swiggy, Zomato to pay GST on restaurant service supplied through them; tax to be charged at point of delivery: FM  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 17, 2021

GST rates on Retro Fitment Kits for vehicles, used by persons with special disabilities, have also been reduced to 5%: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after 45th GST Council meeting, in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/wmLgAQ3a3D  ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2021

GST Council agrees to correct inverted duty structure on footwear and textiles from Jan 1, 2022: FM  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 17, 2021

GST rate on fortified rice kernels for schemes like integrated child development schemes have been recommended to be reduced from 18% to 5%: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after 45th GST Council meeting, in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/v1jXkKPl1t  ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2021

GST rate on biodiesel which is supplied to oil marketing companies for blending with diesel have also been reduced from 12% to 5%: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after 45th GST Council meeting, in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/3plYkBdWte  ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2021

GST rate on seven other medicines, which are recommended by Dept of Pharmaceuticals, have also been recommended for reduction from 12% to 5%. That is also extended till 31st Dec 2021: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after 45th GST Council meeting, in Lucknow pic.twitter.com/8JurH1dnxf  ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2021
Pakistan PM Imran Khan

Islamabad [Pakistan] September 18 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday informed that his government has started negotiations with the Taliban to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Khan's remarks came following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting held in Dushanbe, where SCO members thoroughly discussed issues associated with Afghanistan.

"After long meetings in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbors, especially with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, I have begun negotiations with the Taliban for the inclusion of the Tajik, Hazara and Uzbek communities in the Afghan government for an inclusive government," Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a tweet.

These developments came when Pakistan itself is being slammed by the international community for not safeguarding the interest of minorities in the country.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that Islamabad had supported the Taliban in the siege Of Afghanistan.

In August, the Taliban ousted the democratically elected government in the country and announced a caretaker government that will administer the Sharia law.

The situation in Afghanistan has continuously been deteriorating since the Taliban takeover.

Earlier, Pakistan Imran Khan had also said that if the US does not hold talks with the Taliban and take a positive stance on its recognition it could escalate difficulties in the region, local media reported.

Khan expressed that the US war against terrorism was "disastrous" for Pakistan as Washington used Islamabad like a "hired gun" during their 20-year presence in Afghanistan. "We (Pakistan) were like a hired gun." (ANI)
The White House is ramping up deportation flights to kick out Haitian migrants who have been gathering by the thousands at the southern border over the past week. Although the Department of Homeland Security wont officially detail the number of flights planned, theres word that it could be as many as eight flights per day although others say the number will likely be smaller. The increased flights will start sending some of the almost 15,000 people who have gathered in the South Texas border town of Del Rio. And theyre also meant to deter more Haitians from trying to migrate to the United States, a move that has led to complaints from human rights groups and even some Democratic lawmakers. The flights wont just go to Haiti but also to other countries in South America where the migrants had been living.

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The Biden administration had temporarily put deportation flights to Haiti on pause after the country suffered a devastating earthquake in August that was followed by a powerful tropical storm. All that took place amid a climate of political unrest and increased violence sparked by the assassination of the president in July. Considering the current conditions on the island, more than 50 Democratic lawmakers are urging the White House to stop deportations to Haiti. U.S. officials are insisting that this isnt an effort targeted at Haitians but rather an enforcement of immigration laws in general. This isnt about any one country or country of origin, a U.S. official tells the Washington Post. This is about enforcing border restrictions on those who continue to enter the country illegally and put their lives and the lives of the federal workforce at risk.

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The Biden administration continues to rely on a pandemic-related order, known as Title 42, to rapidly kick out most migrants either to Mexico or their home countries. That has led to criticism from human rights organizations that say the White House is still using Trump-era policies at the border. This administration has talked a big game about wanting a humane asylum system, Lee Gelernt, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, tells the New York Times. It is horrific that the administration is sending a blanket message that the border is closed without acknowledging that asylum seekers have no choice but to flee and seek safety.
After insisting it had been a righteous strike, the Pentagon finally faced up to the facts and acknowledged that the last U.S. drone strike in Afghanistan before the withdrawal of American troops was a horrible mistake that killed 10 civilians, including as many as seven children. The admission came after news organizations, including the New York Times and Washington Post, had published reports casting doubt on the official version of events that claimed the Aug. 29 drone strike had stopped an imminent attack on the Kabul airport.

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Military officials now admit that pretty much everything they believed when they carried out the strike was wrong. The driver that the drone targeted and officials believed was a terrorist was actually Zamarai Ahmadi, a longtime aid worker for a U.S.-based group. Officials believed he had loaded explosives in the trunk of a white Toyota, but in fact he was likely carrying water bottles. At first, the military had said a secondary explosion at the time of the strike proved the car was loaded with explosives, but now it seems likelier that it was a propane or gas tank that went up in flames with the strike.

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We now know that there was no connection between Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities on that day were completely harmless and not at all related to the imminent threat we believed we faced, and that Mr. Ahmadi was just as innocent a victim as were the others tragically killed, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake.

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The killing of civilians is raising questions about the ability of the United States to carry out drone strikes in the country after withdrawal considering the severe lack of intelligence on the ground. Plus it provides new fuel for critics of President Joe Bidens decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, which was marked by chaos and tragedy. The drone strike took place mere days after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. troops and at least 170 Afghans at the Kabul airport. Gen. Frank McKenzie, who heads U.S. Central Command, said Friday that an ongoing probe is considering whether anyone would be held responsible and the government is analyzing compensation for the victims families. But he dismissed speculation that this would impact future actions in Afghanistan. I dont think you should draw any conclusions about our ability to strike in Afghanistan against ISIS-K targets in the future based on this particular strike, McKenzie said.
New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs seemingly scolding tone in her tweet above over the Texas abortion debate set me thinking about India; I mean in the particular context of two-spirit people.

The Indian Health Service (HIS), which is part of the Federal Health Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives, describes two-spirit people thus: Native American two-spirit people were male, female, and sometimes intersexed individuals who combined activities of both men and women with traits unique to their status as two-spirit people. In most tribes, they were considered neither men nor women; they occupied a distinct, alternative gender status. In tribes where two-spirit males and females were referred to with the same term, this status amounted to a third gender. In other cases, two-spirit females were referred to with a distinct term and, therefore, constituted a fourth gender.

The term that instantly came to mind while reading the Congresswomans tweet was the Indian (as in Indian from India) term , Ardhanariswara, which has existed for millennia. It is a composite of both male and female forms represented jointly by Shiv and Parvati. In Sanskrit, the term means the lord who is half woman. The idea that one of Hinduisms presiding deities can be half male and half female has existed for millennia in India without there being any controversy about it at all.

The composite broadly means that male and female principles and even energies are inseparable. This is enlightened androgyny.

I just wanted to make this limited reference in response to Representative Ocasio-Cortezs tweet which some perceived as putting down those who are not necessarily aware of who two-spirit people are.
https://sputniknews.com/20210917/australias-great-emu-war-how-a-nation-declared-war-on-a-bird-and-lost-1089172618.html

Australia's Great Emu War: How a Nation Declared War on a Bird and Lost

Australia's Great Emu War: How a Nation Declared War on a Bird and Lost

In the early 1930s, as the Great Depression ravaged the world and fascism rose in Europe, the Western provinces of Australia faced their own existential... 17.09.2021, Sputnik International

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Following the conclusion of the First World War, the Australian government wanted to promote agricultural development in their Western provinces. Their solution was to provide land to discharged veterans to take up farming in the agriculturally marginal region. What they didnt know was that one of the worlds fiercest fighting forces lay in wait: some 20,000 emus.Emus are an intricate part of Australian identity. The flightless birds feature prominently in Aboriginal mythology and culture, and appear on the national coat of arms. The birds stand as tall as six feet high and are capable of reaching 31 miles-per-hour running speed. If it werent for their fluffy feathered coat, it wouldnt come as a shock to believe you had just seen a velociraptor sprinting through the Australian outback.In 1929, with the world gripped by the Great Depression, the Australian government started to encourage wheat cultivation with the promise of subsidies. The policy proved disastrous as wheat prices continued to fall, and the government never came through on its promise of subsidies.By 1932, the situation was deteriorating quickly in Australias west. The farmers who had been sent west, and were then tasked with harvesting their relatively worthless wheat crop that the government had failed to subsidize, were now being ravaged by a sudden influx of emus.How it StartedA group of former soldiers from the afflicted areas met with Sir George Pearce, the Minister of Defense, and requested the deployment of machine guns to subdue the emu threat. Pearce was more than willing to oblige.A secession movement was brewing in Western Australia, and sending military support to defeat the invading emus was seen as a good way to ease tensions. Pearce was so confident in the Wars success that he even sent a cinematographer to document the Australian armys glorious victory over the barbarous native emus.Major G. P. W. Meredith oversaw the massive military campaign that consisted of himself, two soldiers, two Lewis guns, and 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Military involvement was scheduled to begin in October of 1932, and its very likely they held the belief that the war would be over by Christmas. However, the grand expedition was halted by a rainy period that pushed their campaign back to November of that year.Major Merediths first encounter with the emu proved to be instructive. Following up on a sighting of 50 emus, Meredith, his men, and some local settlers staged a brilliant attack on the unsuspecting birds. The settlers would herd the birds into the Lewis guns range, and Merediths men would unleash a surprise attack. The plan was perfect, except for one problem: the birds couldnt be herded. The emus split up in small groups as they ran away, and only after the second round of gunfire could Meredith proudly proclaim that a number of emus had been slain.Meredith had learned two things from his first encounter with the mighty emu: that treating the descendants of the dinosaurs like sheep was a foolish proposition, and that he needed to be close to them to have a chance. A few days later, he would have his chance to assert Australias military might over their fiercest rival.Meredith and his gunners set up camp near a dam. The men lay in wait as a group of 1,000 emus headed towards their fortifications. This time they knew they needed to wait for the enemy to be close. They needed to stare death in its eyes and then unleash the fury of mans military sophistication upon their enemy.As the emus came into range, Meredith gave his men the signal and the gunners unleashed hell upon the flock. Their ambush had been a success. A dozen devilish emus dropped to their deaths. With each passing burst from the Lewis gun, victory inched closer.But then, the Lewis gun had jammed, the remaining emus scattered, and Merediths sure victory had been undone by the sophistication of mans finest military technology.The campaign did not improve for Meredith in the subsequent days. The emus were able to evade his tactics even as he learned more and more about Australias most formidable foe. Every pack of emus has a leader who keeps watch while fellows busy themselves with the wheat. This one brave emu wouldl raise the alarm and wait for the flock to escape into the scrub.Meredith knew what his problem was. The emu was simply too fast for his stationary Lewis gunners. So, he did the only sensible thing available to him and mounted his Lewis gun onto a truck in a proto-Mad Max-ian attempt to subdue the emu. The plan was sure to succeed. No bird could outrun both a truck and bullet. The brilliant tactic was short-lived. The emus could maintain their distance from the encumbered truck, and the uneven terrain made aiming the gun nearly impossible.How it EndedAfter six days 2,500 rounds had been fired. The number of birds killed remains uncertain, with some estimates as low as 50 and some as high as 500. At this point, the local press was less than impressed by Merediths campaign and the poor publicity caused Pearce to withdraw his troops.The military impasse did not last long. With the emus continuing to ravage the farmers crop, Meredith was once again deployed. With reports that the first campaign had successfully managed to slay 300 emus, the second offensive was sure to benefit from the firsts failure.From November 13th to December 10th of 1932, Meredith perfected the art of slaying the emu. By his estimations, he killed 986 emus with 9,860 rounds, and that 2,500 more emus died from their wounds. Merediths victory of the emu did not last long. Farmers once again requested military assistance in 1934, 1943, and 1948, but the military turned them down each time. In fact, in 1943 the farmers requested that bombs be used to hold the mighty emu at bay.Australia has come up with less lethal ways to contain the emu. The expansion and development of fencing have helped to protect crops. Emu-1, Australia-0

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https://sputniknews.com/20210917/blinken-vows-to-keep-normalization-marching-forward-on-one-year-anniversary-of-abraham-accords-1089173127.html

Blinken Vows to Keep Normalization Marching Forward on One-Year Anniversary of Abraham Accords

Blinken Vows to Keep Normalization Marching Forward on One-Year Anniversary of Abraham Accords

Blinken Promises to Keep Normalization Marching Forward on The Anniversary of Abraham Accords

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US Secretary of State Atony Blinken joined a Zoom conference on Friday to mark the anniversary of the normalization of Israels relations with UAE and Bahrain, mediated by Washington last year.Blinken noted at the virtual meeting, attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Moroccos Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, former UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash and Bahrains US envoy, Abdullah Al Khalifa, that the current US administration would continue to build on the successful efforts of the last administration to keep normalization marching forward.Apart from improving Israeli ties with Abu-Dhabi and Manama, Washington is determined to attract Arab countries to join the agreement, according to Blinken.Referring to the issue of Palestine, the secretary said that world countries must build on these relationships and growing normalization to make tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians and make progress toward the long-standing goal of advancing a negotiated peace between Israelis and Palestinians.On the 15th of September 2020 Israel signed an agreement to normalize relations with the UAE and Bahrain. The historic acts, titled the Abraham Accords, stipulates that Israel postpone its decision to annex territories in the West Bank, with the sides agreeing to cooperate for peace and stability in the region.Prior to signing the Abraham Accords, Egypt and Jordan were the only Arab states to have formal relations with Israel. The Kingdom of Morocco and Sudan later followed the suit.The agreements were said to be also a joint effort to oppose what was described by some as an Iranian threat. Israeli media previously reported that Tel Aviv mulls a four-nation defense alliance that would include Israel, the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, to respond to Iran's rapidly growing influence in the Middle East.

Crookim The Israeli secretary of state has spoken..... 3

Preterist-ADSeventy Megalomaniac Zionist Trump/Kushners Abraham Accords the gathering of Islamic nations united with non-Biblical Israel against Iran. The Abraham Accords are based on a false Biblical interpretation in favor of non-Biblical Israel where Abrahams Seed is promised basically all of the Middle East including Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. But Abrahams Seed is not the Jews. Its Christ. The land is spiritually Christs and not physically the Jews. 1

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bahrain, middle east, anniversary, antony blinken, uae, israel
https://sputniknews.com/20210917/gantz-israel-could-accept-return-to-jcpoa-if-us-has-plan-b-for-irans-nuclear-program-1089174485.html

Gantz: Israel Could Accept Return to JCPOA if US Has Plan B for Irans Nuclear Program

Gantz: Israel Could Accept Return to JCPOA if US Has Plan B for Irans Nuclear Program

Israel has repeatedly claimed for years that Iran was close to finishing a nuclear weapon, saying that such a weapon would pose a threat to the country and... 17.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-17T23:37+0000

2021-09-17T23:37+0000

2021-09-17T23:38+0000

israel

iran

nuclear program

joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa)

benny gantz

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Israeli Foreign Minister Benny Gantz recently told Foreign Policy that Israel was willing to accept Irans return to the 2015 nuclear deal if the Biden administration demonstrated it had a viable US-led Plan B in case the negotiations fail. Jerusalem has previously opposed talks on restoring the deal, which it has called a historic mistake since it was first signed.However, he added that he would want to see a viable US-led plan B that includes economic sanctions in case the negotiations fall through. He also made an oblique reference to Israels repeated threats to conduct a unilateral military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities, which he termed plan C.Iran has already languished under maximum pressure economic sanctions put in place by the Trump administration, which claimed in 2018 that Iran was secretly breaching the 2015 deal, leading to then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulling the US out of it. The deal had removed the sanctions in exchange for Iran accepting strict limitations on the purity of its refined uranium and the maximum weight of the radioactive metal it could store.Tehran has denied it broke the deal, but since the sanctions returned, it has steadily stepped away from its commitments made under the deal, including reducing inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency and increasing the purity of uranium its producing.Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the coalition government that unseated longtime leader Benjamin Netanyahu in June, criticized the former administration for its intransigent approach to Iran, which he said had failed.Netanyahu, in turn, told the Jerusalem Post that Bennetts move a dangerous mistake.Two months before leaving office, Netanyahu said the JCPOA was a deal with Iran that threatens us with annihilation.While Israeli intelligence has claimed for years that Iran was just weeks or months away from developing a nuclear weapon, Tehran has repeatedly rejected the destructive weapons. In 2010, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa, ruling that nuclear and chemical weapons - the latter of which Iran was targeted with by Iraq during the 1980-88 war - go against the teachings of Islam.Bennett has also been very critical of the JCPOA talks in Vienna, though, denouncing the naive expectation that Iran will be prepared to change its path via negotiations in comments just last week. His comments came in response to an IAEA report that Iran wasnt giving agency inspectors access to security cameras at its nuclear facilities. While Tehran relented just days later, the IAEA also noted that an attack in June on the Karaj research facility believed to have been carried out by Israels Mossad intelligence agency destroyed IAEA equipment at the facility, including a camera.Mossad is also widely blamed for a number of espionage operations against Irans nuclear program in recent years, including the Karaj attack, as well as sabotage operations at Natanz and other facilities, and even the brazen daylight assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a leading Iranian nuclear scientist, on a highway outside Tehran. The Stuxnet virus, which caused 10% of the centrifuges at Natanz to spin out of control until they fractured in 2009, is also believed to have been created by Israel and the US.Apart from espionage, Israel has also threatened military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. Their threats are bolstered by a history of such action, including the infamous 1981 bombing of Iraqs Osirak facility, an unfinished nuclear power plant Israel feared would be used to help Iraqi leader Saddam Husseins nuclear program. Ironically, Iran secretly helped Israel plan the attack, as they were at war with Iraq and equally feared an Iraqi nuclear weapon.

LeonDegrelle Iran will never return back to JCPOA. USA is untrustworthy. 7

netman Iran also has Plan D for Israel Destruction! 5

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israel, iran, nuclear program, joint comprehensive plan of action (jcpoa), benny gantz
https://sputniknews.com/20210917/white-house-confirms-in-touch-with-france-over-envoys-recall-will-work-to-resolve-issues-1089174958.html

White House Confirms in Touch With France Over Envoy's Recall, Will Work to Resolve Issues

White House Confirms in Touch With France Over Envoy's Recall, Will Work to Resolve Issues

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The Biden administration is in contact with France over the recall of Ambassador Philippe Etienne and will continue to consult with... 17.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-17T23:47+0000

2021-09-17T23:47+0000

2021-09-18T00:50+0000

us

france

ambassadors

aukus

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"We have been in close touch with our French partners on their decision to recall Ambassador Etienne to Paris for consultations," Horne said on Friday. "We understand their position and will continue to be engaged in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance."French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian's announced earlier on Friday that France recalled their ambassadors to the US and Australia back to Paris for consultations about Canberras decision to terminate a submarine contract with them in favor of one with the United States and the United Kingdom.

wtfud Anglo Christian Zionists v Zionist Gauls. lol 1

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/afghan-human-rights-commission-says-unable-to-work-due-to-taliban-interference-1089196465.html

Afghan Human Rights Commission Says Unable to Work Due to Taliban Interference

Afghan Human Rights Commission Says Unable to Work Due to Taliban Interference

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) announced on Saturday that the Taliban* had seized its offices and was... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T20:45+0000

2021-09-18T20:45+0000

2021-09-18T20:45+0000

afghanistan

afghanistan

taliban

human rights

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The AIHRC also expressed doubt in the movement's willingness to respect the organization's mandate and independence."The AIHRC calls upon the Taliban to respect the independence of the AIRHC and its staff and all Afghan human rights defenders, who have worked tirelessly to protect the rights of the Afghan people," the commission added.In early August, the Taliban stepped up their offensive against the Afghan government forces and entered the capital city of Kabul on August 15. On September 6, the Taliban announced that the last resisting province, Panjshir, had come under their control. Shortly after, the movement announced the composition of the new interim government of Afghanistan, led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who has been on the UN sanctions list since 2001.*A terrorist organization banned in Russia

Wayne Gabler Good, that is the first step in ending the covert operation in Afghanistan by NATO and the UN under the disguise of Human Rights. The only rights NATO pushes is their right to invade any country they can anytime they can. The only time the UN says something is when they complain about human rights that they do not support, unless it is freedom for the World Bank. 7

Sputnik User Yeah, like they give a hoot about human rights and women's rights; only use them selectively , politically, and only when they serve their interest; "they" = the US and their lackeys and servants 6

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/alex-jones-infowars-sues-faa-over-texas-bridge-drone-ban-amid-influx-of-migrants-1089183048.html

Alex Jones' InfoWars Sues FAA Over Texas Bridge Drone Ban Amid Influx of Migrants

Alex Jones' InfoWars Sues FAA Over Texas Bridge Drone Ban Amid Influx of Migrants

On Friday, Mayor Bruno Lozano claimed that more than 10,500 people were already under a Del Rio bridge, urging US President Joe Biden to grapple with the... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T09:22+0000

2021-09-18T09:22+0000

2021-09-18T09:22+0000

us

texas

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lawsuit

bridge

infowars

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The news website InfoWars has lodged a lawsuit against the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over its recent ban on unmanned aircrafts systems (UAS) flying over the Del Rio Bridge in southern Texas, where up to 10,000 migrants, mostly Haitians, earlier formed a makeshift camp.In the lawsuit, the website owned by radio show host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones mentions InfoWars as the plaintiff and FAA administrator Steve Dickson as the defendant.Referring to the FAA's drone ban, the lawsuit argues that the US government's "implementation of the Temporary Flight Restriction serves no other purpose than to hamper the efforts of the press in covering the unfolding crisis, in violation of Free Speech System's First Amendment Rights and should not stand".In a video message filmed in front of the Del Rio bridge, Cruz claimed that "this man-made disaster was caused by Joe Biden".He was echoed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who asserted that "the Biden administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan".The developments unfolded against the backdrop of the Biden administration's decision to resume deportation flights to Haiti despite the country's ongoing political, economic, and environmental disasters. On Friday, the US Coast Guard repatriated 102 Haitians to their homeland after their boat was intercepted about 17 miles away from Miami.The situation along the US southern border has remained tense for several months, with the Biden administration being criticised for its migrant policies. The latter have mainly involved reversing many of Trump's tough migrant laws. A lot of the backlash has been targeted at Vice President Harris who was tasked with handling the border issue but who has repeatedly avoided visiting the southern border.Former US President Trump adopted a much harsher approach, including building a wall on the border with Mexico.

astrodetective You can fool some of the people some of the time and even all the people some of the time but you can't fool all the people all the time. Go Alex Jones! 0

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us, texas, migrants, lawsuit, bridge, infowars
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/biden-administration-limits-covid-19-treatment-for-seven-states-1089173520.html

Biden Administration Limits COVID-19 Treatment for Seven States

Biden Administration Limits COVID-19 Treatment for Seven States

On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan and co-host John Kiriakou discussed current events, including the FDA advisory panel voting against... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T07:49+0000

2021-09-18T07:49+0000

2021-09-18T07:49+0000

bank robbery

radio

us

faa

mma

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the backstory

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Biden Administration Limits COVID19 Treatment for Seven States On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan and co-host John Kiriakou discussed current events, including the FDA advisory panel voting against vaccine booster shots for all, and Alex Jones filing a lawsuit against FAA over drone restriction at the Texas border.

GUESTHoward Sounes - Author, Journalist, and Biographer | The Life of Bob Dylan, Heist: The True Story of the World's Biggest Cash Robbery, and Writing Crime Books. and Making MoviesJon Schweppe - Director of Policy and Government Affairs for American Principles Project | Google as a Public Utility, Kamala Harris, and The Free MarketIn the first hour, Lee and John spoke with Howard Sounes on his biography of Bob Dylan, MMA fighter Lee Murray, and people's interest in crime stories. Howard discussed the biggest cash robbery in world history and the most prominent accomplice, MMA fighter Lee Murray. Howard talked about the extreme shyness of Bob Dylan and his music career in his eighties.In the second hour, Lee and John spoke with Jon Schweppe on the Claremont Institute, breaking up Google, and consumer choice. Jon talked about the Claremont Institute filing an amicus brief in Ohio to declare Google a Public Utility. Jon spoke about the benefits of breaking up Google and the need for consumers to choose products in the free market.Also, we continue talking about Biden's administration COVID-19 policy across the country.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

Thomas Turk Limits COVID treatment to 7 states means WHAT

Thomas Turk These 2 Murikans mumbling about the 'war crime' of the Kabul drone strike. What is not mentioned by these good guys(?) is that Murika was in Afghan ILLEGALLY with no UNSC nor UN mandate, the main reason being a false flag attack on 9/11. Even their guest talks of 'Attacks'. There were no planes nor terrs on that day. No Boeing airliner can fly at a sea level speed of 580mph, without ripping off its wings and tail, and in any case needing 4X the engine power to reach that speed. Can the author explain where were the 2 massive 1500 foot central cores, with their lifts, shafts and motors, as NIS assured us the floors had 'pancaked' Not in any photo! Or where were the 2X 100 meter high piles of rubble from the collapsed buildings, which the laws of physics tell us MUST BE there? Those should have taken 4 years to dismantle, not done 4 hours overnight, and illegally, without the needed investigation. Search ''9/11 Hologram Plane Theory - Bill Cooper RIP Nov 5 2001'

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bank robbery, radio, us, faa, mma, anti-trust laws, the backstory, 
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/biden-mia-as-pentagon-admits-to-killing-afghan-civilians-france-recalls-envoys--booster-jab-vetoed-1089179354.html

Biden MIA as Pentagon Admits to Killing Afghan Civilians, France Recalls Envoys & Booster Jab Vetoed

Biden MIA as Pentagon Admits to Killing Afghan Civilians, France Recalls Envoys & Booster Jab Vetoed

Joe Biden came under fire last month for vacationing at the Camp David presidential retreat instead of being at the White House as the Taliban* reached the... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T05:56+0000

2021-09-18T05:56+0000

2021-09-18T05:56+0000

joe biden

us

fda

afghanistan

taliban

delaware

vaccine

home

terrorist attacks

daesh

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US President Joe Biden has departed the White House for a weekend at his home in Delaware as at least three political upheavals came to the fore this week.During the trip to Delaware and after arriving, POTUS preferred not to speak with reporters about the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rejecting booster shots for COVID-19 vaccines, the Pentagon admitting to killing Afghan civilians, and France recalling its ambassadors from the US and Australia.On Friday, the FDA's advisory panel voted overwhelmingly to reject Pfizer-BioNTech's booster shots for the coronavirus vaccine. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that a third dose was safe and effective for use at least six months after the final dose. The move is expected to put in jeopardy a key part of Biden's plan to combat COVID-19 and its more dangerous and transmissible Delta strain.In another development, General Frank McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command (USCENTCOM), admitted that no Daesh-Khorasan* militants were killed in the 29 August airstrike in Kabul, which instead claimed the lives of 10 civilians, including a US aid contractor and seven children.McKenzie said that the decision to order the airstrike "was a mistake", taking full responsibility for the "tragic outcome" of the attack. The airstrike was ordered in the wake of Daesh-Khorasan's terrorist attacks targeting crowds of civilians as well as US and Taliban soldiers outside Hamid Karzai International Airport on 26 August. Some 200 people were killed and thousands more injured in the bombings.One more development on Friday saw Paris summoning its ambassadors in the US and Australia for consultations, after Washington, London, and Canberra struck a new security agreement (AUKUS), followed by the Australian government's withdrawal from a hefty deal on conventional submarines with France's Naval Group.President Biden's visit to his Delaware beach house comes after The Telegraph reported last month that President Biden ignored UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's attempts to contact him for about 36 hours as the Taliban cemented its control over the Afghan capital Kabul in mid-August. After Johnson finally got in touch with Biden, the British PM reportedly urged POTUS not to throw away the "gains made in Afghanistan".The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on 15 August following a rapid advance on government forces amid the US and NATO troop exit from the nation. *The Taliban and Daesh-Khorasan are terrorist organisations banned in Russia and many other nations.

https://sputniknews.com/20210709/pfizer-biontech-to-provide-us-eu-bodies-with-data-on-covid-19-vaccine-booster-1083343645.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210906/us-troops-will-be-going-back-into-afghanistan-lindsey-graham-1083804512.html

Hess Who said the international Mafia boss is under pressure? never doubt it when it comes to murdering defenceless an innocent civilians. It is an AngloZionist tradition that many 6

TruePatriot Which once again begs the question of just who is in charge in the WH?? 4

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joe biden, us, fda, afghanistan, taliban, delaware, vaccine, home, terrorist attacks, daesh
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/car-bomb-explosion-in-afghanistans-jalalabad-kills-3-injures-18-reports-say-1089183522.html

Car Bomb Explosion in Afghanistan's Jalalabad Kills 3, Injures 18, Reports Say

Car Bomb Explosion in Afghanistan's Jalalabad Kills 3, Injures 18, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - At least three people died and another 18 were injured as a result of the explosion of a car bomb in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad in... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T09:35+0000

2021-09-18T09:35+0000

2021-09-18T09:35+0000

afghanistan

jalalabad

asia & pacific

afghanistan

afghan war

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At the same time, the provincial Office of Information and Culture reported that no one was injured in the explosion.Earlier on Sunday, two explosions struck the capital of Afghanistan. The first explosion occurred in the Dasht-e-Barchi area of District 13 in western Kabul, leaving several people injured. The second one went off in Irfani Harrgoti in the same district.The Taliban* intensified its offensive against Afghan government forces this summer and entered Kabul on 15 August. On 31 August, the US military left the Kabul airport, bringing an end to the nearly twenty-year American military presence in Afghanistan.On 7 September, the Taliban announced the composition of the interim government of Afghanistan. It is headed by Mohammad Hasan Akhund, who served as a foreign minister during the first Taliban rule. Akhund has been under UN sanctions since 2001.* The Taliban is a terrorist group, banned in Russia and many other countries

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jalalabad, asia & pacific, afghanistan, afghan war
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/china-may-direct-its-nuclear-missiles-towards-australia-as-aukus-serves-us-demands---report-1089177795.html

China May Direct Its Nuclear Missiles Towards Australia as AUKUS 'Serves US Demands' - Report

China May Direct Its Nuclear Missiles Towards Australia as AUKUS 'Serves US Demands' - Report

China May Direct Its Nuclear Missiles Towards Australia as AUKUS 'Serves US Demands'

2021-09-18T03:51+0000

2021-09-18T03:51+0000

2021-09-21T11:14+0000

asia & pacific

nuclear missiles

chinese military

aukus

aukus

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State-run Chinese media assume that the recently-formed AUKUS alliance may lead to a nuclear strike on Australia. According to an anonymous senior Chinese military expert, Beijing may consider Canberra a nuclear threat, because atomic-powered submarines can be potentially fitted with nuclear warheads provided by the UK or US, the Global Times reported on Friday.The anonymous source reportedly claimed that China and Russia are not going to treat Australia as an innocent non-nuclear power, but as a US ally which could be armed with nuclear weapons anytime.The unknown source reportedly stressed that Morrisons nuclear aspirations may entail devastating consequences, while also purportedly declaring that Canberras claim that it does not aim to acquire nuclear weapons are meaningless.Australia does not have a nuclear industry of any kind, and the countrys prime minister, Scott Morrison, has claimed that the nation will remain without a nuclear program.According to a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhao Lijian, AUKUS seriously damages regional peace and stability, intensifies the arms race, and undermines the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.There is no confirmation that Chinas nuclear stockpile could soon exceed Russias massive arsenal.On Wednesday, Australia, the UK and the US signed a defense pact, AUKUS, that involves the mutual military exchange of information and technologies, as well as assistance from Washington and London in Australias efforts to acquire nuclear-propelled submarines.

Rottie US is a military target , thats obvious , but now , Australia , welcome to the club! 14

Emris Rex US trying to drag others into the fray, Australia needs to be very cautious about taking sides against China. Foolish to get involved. 11

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Alexandra Kashirina

asia & pacific, nuclear missiles, chinese military, aukus
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/donald-trump-called-north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-fking-lunatic-new-book-claims--1089186330.html

Donald Trump Called North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un 'F**king Lunatic', New Book Claims

Donald Trump Called North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un 'F**king Lunatic', New Book Claims

Time will tell how Donald Trump's presidency impacted the US, but it is safe to say that the Republican improved the lives of at least a dozen people, whose... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T12:03+0000

2021-09-18T12:03+0000

2021-09-18T12:03+0000

kim jong-un

donald trump

us

denuclearization

memoirs

north korea

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Former US President Donald Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "f**king lunatic", Newsweek has reported, citing an excerpt from the upcoming book "Peril" penned by two journalists, Robert Costa and Bob Woodward, both from The Washington Post.According to the outlet, the incident occurred when Trump was speaking to Joseph Keith Kellogg, who served as national security adviser to ex-Vice President Mike Pence. Costa and Woodward write that Trump felt "comfortable" around Kellogg and wasn't afraid to use strong language.In fact, the businessman-turned-politician was so comfortable with Kellogg that at one meeting he decided to tell the retired lieutenant general about his progress on the denuclearisation of North Korea.Woodward and Costa do not give the exact timing of the purported incident. Trump's and Kellogg's representatives have not yet commented on the issue.It seems the relationship between North Korea and the United States mirrored that of the two nations' leaders. In 2017, they traded threats and insults, with Donald Trump calling Kim Jong-un "rocket man", while the latter described his counterpart as a "mentally deranged US dotard". But a year later, the two held three meetings and Trump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea. Mainstream media jokingly described their relationship as a "bromance".However, a thaw in relations didn't result in an agreement on denuclearisation and by the end of Trump's tenure relations between the two countries had once again soured. The alleged "bromance" appears to still be intact though, as even after leaving office Trump has said that he likes Kim Jong-un.

NthrnNYker59 This is a revelation ? It's a well-known FACT that Trump regarded Kim Jong-un with distain and contempt. Then he met the man, and it was a whole different story. 1

Andrew J Doubt if Kim is a rapist though. 1

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kim jong-un, donald trump, us, denuclearization, memoirs, north korea
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/france-urges-europe-to-enhance-its-strategic-autonomy-defence-amid-aukus-squabble-1089186826.html

'Why Would US Ensure Our Defence?' France Urges EU to Boost 'Strategic Autonomy' Amid AUKUS Fallout

'Why Would US Ensure Our Defence?' France Urges EU to Boost 'Strategic Autonomy' Amid AUKUS Fallout

France earlier recalled its ambassadors from the United States and Australia amid Washington, Canberra, and London creating a trilateral security deal to... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T12:10+0000

2021-09-18T12:10+0000

2021-09-21T11:14+0000

europe

france

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australia

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French Secretary of Foreign Affairs Clement Beaune urged Europe to "strengthen [its] capacities for reflection, strategic autonomy, and defence" when speaking to France24 on Saturday.He also piqued the United Kingdom, saying that by leaving the EU, London had "returned to the American fold with an accepted form of vassalisation".Beaune's comments come amid France's disappointment with the newly-announced defence pact between Washington, Canberra, and London, dubbed AUKUS, which envisages providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, therefore ditching an earlier French submarine deal.'Major Breach of Trust and Contempt'French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that NATO will have to take account of the "submarine crisis" prompted by the AUKUS deal. Le Drian also explained that the recall of the ambassadors to the US and Australia is intended to illustrate Paris' discontent and to re-evaluate the relations between the countries.The minister also took a verbal shot at London, calling the United Kingdom "a third weel" in the AUKUS defence pact.The deal between the three countries was earlier dubbed by France as a "stab in the back" and "betrayal", with Paris recalling its ambassadors from both nations. Washington and Canberra voiced their regret with regard to the withdrawal.Issues With AUKUSThe trilateral defence pact between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia was described by the three as a means to "preserve security and stability around the world". According to US President Joe Biden, the deal ensures that allies in the Asian-Pacific region can counter "rapidly evolving threats".Under the deal, Australia is set to acquire nuclear-powered submarines, but Canberra vowed that it would never deploy nuclear weapons on them.While the deal never directly mentioned China, Beijing voiced its concerns regarding AUKUS, saying that it might undermine non-proliferation efforts and cause an arms race. The Western countries argued that the pact was not "antagonising anyone" and is "not only about China".

https://sputniknews.com/20210918/revealed-how-washington-london-and-canberra-kept-paris-in-the-dark-about-aukus-deal--1089183642.html

NthrnNYker59 China would be better served by providing the technology and know-how for nuclear submarines to fascist amerika's other adversaries like Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, ect. If fascist amerika wants to proliferate, China needs to show them how it's done. 11

Ladyshadow Was this the wakeup called that was needed for France to motivate the EU to have its own military and not rely on the US and NATO. NATO should be disolved, its nothing but an extension of the US military and will lead you into another war for the US. 10

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europe, france, us, australia, military, uk, aukus
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/front-runner-in-japanese-ruling-party-leadership-race-thanks-prime-minister-for-support-1089182859.html

Front-Runner in Japanese Ruling Party Leadership Race Thanks Prime Minister for Support

Front-Runner in Japanese Ruling Party Leadership Race Thanks Prime Minister for Support

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The favourite in the forthcoming election for the head of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), former Minister for Foreign Affairs... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T08:51+0000

2021-09-18T08:51+0000

2021-09-18T09:15+0000

asia & pacific

japan

taro kono

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The election campaign began on Friday and will last until election day on 29 September. In addition to Kono, the pool of candidates includes former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, former Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi, and LDP Deputy Secretary-General Seiko Noda. For the first time, two women will run for the head of the party.Kono has already received support from ex-Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who could have been his main rival for the posts of LDP leader and the prime minister. Kono has also secured the support of another popular politician, Minister of the Environment Shinjiro Koizumi, the son of former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.On Friday evening, Suga supported Kono's candidacy in front of the press, noting his success in vaccinating Japan's population in record time.The election will take place on 29 September. In-person voting will involve 383 party members who hold seats in parliament. Another 383 ballots from the LDP's regional branches will be unsealed on the same day. To win in the first round, a candidate must receive more than half of the 766 votes.The fact that four candidates are engaged in the race makes a second-round plausible. In this case, support from the party members represented in parliament becomes paramount, since in the second round the same 383 deputies will vote, but there will be only 47 representatives from the regional branches - one per each of Japan's prefectures.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/guinean-military-says-ousted-president-conde-to-remain-in-country-1089189316.html

Guinean Military Says Ousted President Conde to Remain in Country

Guinean Military Says Ousted President Conde to Remain in Country

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Guinean National Committee of Reconciliation and Development (CNRD), created by the military after coup, said on 18 September that the... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T13:53+0000

2021-09-18T13:53+0000

2021-09-18T13:53+0000

news

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guinea

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The coup took place in Guinea on 5 September. The military dismissed the government, abrogated the constitution and closed borders. Conde was arrested and, according to the coup leaders, is kept in a safe place under military supervision.The military stressed that they would not succumb to any pressure, while Conde would receive "humane" treatment.On 17 September, the presidents of Ghana and Ivory Coast traveled to Guinea's capital Conakry to hold talks with rebels about the future of the ousted president.On 16 September, the ECOWAS held an emergency summit on the situation in Guinea, during which the participating nations demanded that the authorities in Conakry hold elections within six months and impose sanctions on a number of military personnel involved in Conde's ouster.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/i-feel-humiliated-captain-amarinder-singh-resigns-as-chief-of-indias-punjab-state--1089187980.html

'I Feel Humiliated': Captain Amarinder Singh Resigns as Chief of India's Punjab State

'I Feel Humiliated': Captain Amarinder Singh Resigns as Chief of India's Punjab State

Fresh political turmoil hit India's Punjab state when Captain Amarinder Singh accused Congress party President Sonia Gandhi of humiliating him. Sources say he... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T17:18+0000

2021-09-18T17:18+0000

2021-09-18T17:18+0000

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Ahead of the assembly elections in India, Punjab state chief Captain Amarinder Singh decided to resign from his post on Saturday. He was reportedly asked to step down by Congress leaders in order to facilitate the election of a new leader. As per sources, over 50 legislators wrote to Congress President Sonia Gandhi demanding a replacement of Amarinder Singh as Punjab chief and did not have any faith in his ability to fulfil the poll promises.An emergency meeting of Congress party legislators was called on Saturday. Singh, who has been in politics for 52 years and was the long-time Congress leader, handed over his resignation papers to the governor on Saturday. While addressing the media after the resignation, Singh shared that he had expressed his disappointment to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and said that he "can't continue in the party with this kind of humiliation". He was disheartened for not being kept in the loop regarding crucial party meetings regarding the legislative election, something that happened three times in the past two months.Singh clarified that although he has stepped down from his post as the chief of Punjab, he has not quit the Congress party. The state goes to the polls early next year. Congress-governed Punjab state witnessed a face-off between state chief Amarinder Singh and rebel leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who resigned from the state Cabinet two years ago after a rift with the former. Amid speculations that Sidhu would be made the next chief of Punjab, Singh believes that such a decision would be disastrous and a threat to national security, as Sidhu is friends with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and has a relation with Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. Netizens have sparked a social media uproar over the political rift within the Congress party.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/india-keeping-all-options-open-as-china-could-share-nuke-submarines-with-pakistan-says-navy-veteran-1089178775.html

India Keeping All Options Open as China Could Share Nuke Submarines With Pakistan, Says Navy Veteran

India Keeping All Options Open as China Could Share Nuke Submarines With Pakistan, Says Navy Veteran

AUKUS, a trilateral alliance of Australia, UK, and the US, has stirred up a debate over nuclear proliferation, as Canberra will obtain atomic-powered... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T08:05+0000

2021-09-18T08:05+0000

2021-09-18T08:05+0000

asia-pacific region

south china sea

asia & pacific

china

australia

nuclear

south china sea

submarines

nuclear non-proliferation treaty (npt)

indian navy

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Sputnik spoke with Captain DK Sharma, VSM, a spokesperson for the Indian Navy, who retired in from the service in August 2019, about a range of issues related to AUKUS and its impact on India.Sputnik: In your view, will AUKUS fuel tensions in the Pacific and other regions?Captain DK Sharma: I do not think so... AUKUS has a purpose, firstly, to increase the military capabilities of a nation i.e. Australia. Australia said that it will now buy weapons which will have more lethality. They have made it clear that there is a threat from China.If China is trying to flex its muscles and is putting pressure on smaller or less developed countries or less powerful nations in the region, the answer to it is you should have military alliances, and AUKUS is one of them. Australia is also a part of a military alliance with Japan, India, and the US, which is called Quad. The reason for forming AUKUS is very clear. The US and UK are going to extend their technologies, including nuclear-powered submarines, to Australia. They have still not said whether they will give the weapons but the SSN is going to be the answer to Chinese SSNs/SSBNs that are roaming around the Indo-Pacific. China has 18 nuclear-powered submarines, 14 of which are believed to be operational.Everybody in the world knows that AUKUS is the answer to China's assertiveness. The Quad is a reality. AUKUS is a reality now. This is a military coalition to give a very, very apt answer to the high-handedness of China.Sputnik: France has reacted furiously to the development since Australia ditched a multi-billion submarine deal with Paris in order to form a trilateral alliance with the US and the UK. What's your take on the unfolding rift?Captain DK Sharma: France is feeling a little bad because they had a big contract to make conventional air-independent propulsion (AIP) submarines for the Australian Navy. But then one should not read too much into the furious reactions because that is a business part of relationships. France has an interest in the Indo-Pacific, Western Pacific, and Indian Ocean region. Also, France has its own island territories and they are also exercising with Quad-plus. So, yes, it is a setback for France but that is very, very temporary. Relationships between countries should not be measured in terms of what business you are doing. It is fine if the requirements of another country change, so they have all the liberties to cancel the order and go for something else.Sputnik: Pakistan and Bangladesh have been acquiring submarines from China. Could China share nuclear technology or sell nuclear submarines to India's neighbours? How will it potentially affect the Indian Navy?Captain DK Sharma: You cannot predict anything with China. China is using Pakistan's port. They made the Gwadar port and they will come to Chittagong also. They have given submarines to the Bangladesh Navy too. We have full information about that. The Indian Navy keeps an eye on whatever is happening in these countries. China is also making air-independent propulsion (AIP) boats for Pakistan. So, nothing can be discounted at this stage, if Pakistan is being given all this. They are being given 054-class destroyers, Pakistani Navy submarines are coming with AIP technology made in Gwadar, and four others are coming from China. So, what will be the next step? The next step would be logical - to provide nuclear submarines. We are keeping our options open and we know exactly what is happening in our area of interest. So, that should not bother India too much.Sputnik: India has developed strong a relationship with France and Australia over the past couple of years. Do you think India will find itself caught in the crossfire in light of the AUKUS sub row? Captain DK Sharma: Nothing will happen. France is a strategic partner of India because it has an interest in the Indian Ocean region as well as in the western Pacific. This is a little setback because of an order being cancelled. This does not mean that all ties will go off. We are mixing two things, business with strategic partnerships. France will gain other business.Sputnik: What kind of steps do you foresee by China following the formation of AUKUS?Captain DK Sharma: China will do whatever they are doing. Now, democratic countries and big navies are getting together so that they can rein in a kind of nation which tries to exert pressure through various dubious means, high-handedness, and coercive manners, without showing any kind of regard to rules and regulations on the high seas. So, they will find their tricks will not work any longer.Views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Sputnik.

https://sputniknews.com/20210917/indonesia-wary-of-australias-plans-to-acquire-nuclear-submarines-1089160481.html

NoGo Sharma is delusional, his mindset is ticking in strange ways, for his side (Quad) non proliferation treaty is not valid, but for China is!! Then what kind of democracy's he is talking about? Wagging the war all around the world and thrashing the countries to implementing so call democracy, and in process killing, and pillaging, and not to mentioning the colonial times.......India has no consistency, and is choosing really "nice" company, or is it on way to become 6th eye in that bunch? 7

See you in the ice providing nuclear sub tech to Pakistan doesn't make much sense for the Chinese. Chinese only have a few nuclear subs for themselves. No point in throwing away the few advantages they have slowly gained. Never know who you will be fighting tomorrow. Might even fight your brother or supposed countryman as civil wars occur. Besides China giving Pakistan those 8 new conventional subs will already create huge problems for the Indian navy. remember...8 new subs for Pakistan price $5 billion. 12 new subs for the Australian navy $50 billion. Either China is giving weapons away or the Aussies were getting screwed. 6

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/k-pop-sensation-bts-turns-celebrity-diplomats-will-represent-south-korea-at-the-un-general-assembly-1089185611.html

K-Pop Sensation BTS Turns Celebrity Diplomats, Will Represent South Korea at the UN General Assembly

K-Pop Sensation BTS Turns Celebrity Diplomats, Will Represent South Korea at the UN General Assembly

South Korean K-Pop band BTS has garnered millions of fans worldwide since 2013 and continues to make waves globally with their foot-tapping songs "Butter"... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

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South Korean pop sensation BTS is set to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York city next week with South Korean President Moon Jae-in as "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture". The assembly is set to take place from 19 to 23 September, where BTS members will represent global youth at the UN Sustainable Development Goals meeting. "It is a huge honour, both as an individual and a citizen, to be able to hold the title of special presidential envoy for future generations and culture", BTS member Kim Nam-joon told the Korea Herald.South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that he was very grateful to the band's members for not just being entertainers, but making a difference in society as well.Ahead of the UN General Assembly, the members of BTS are gearing up to be the voice of youth at the conference. With #YouthToday and #YourStories, they have taken to social media urging young people around the globe to share their stories that they then can present at the UN General Assembly.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/mysterious-disappearance-of-gabby-petito-main-details-of-the-case-1089183997.html

Mysterious Disappearance of Gabby Petito: Main Details of the Case

Mysterious Disappearance of Gabby Petito: Main Details of the Case

The case is now being investigated by the FBI, law enforcement officers from Florida, where the young woman lived with her boyfriend and Wyoming, where she was... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T10:28+0000

2021-09-18T10:28+0000

2021-09-18T11:24+0000

us

missing person

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Police in the United States continue frantically searching for Gabby Petito, who disappeared last month during a cross-country trip with her boyfriend. Here is what is known about the case:June 2021Gabby, 22, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie, 23, start their trip from North Port, Florida. They plan to visit numerous state national parks on their way, but their final destination is the West Coast of the United States.According to Police Chief Todd Garrison, the young woman was excited about the upcoming trip and wanted to share the details of it with her family and friends. And she did. The family told Mr Garrison that Gabby was in regular contact with them during that time.August 2021In August, the couple posted a video about their journey titled "Van Life". The 8-minute clip shows the couple beaming with joy as they travel from one place to another.24 August: Gabby made a video call to her mother and told her that the couple was in Utah and planned to head to Teton Range, Wyoming.25 August: The 22-year-old texted her mother. The family believes she and Brian were in Grand Teton National Park at that time. 27 August: There were more texts between the young woman and her relatives. They say they believe the couple was still in Wyoming.30 August: The family receives the last message from Gabby: "No service in Yosemite [National Park in California]". They claim someone else and not Gabby wrote that text.September 2021According to Florida police, Brian Laundrie returned to the couple's home in Florida on the first day of the month. Gabby was not with him.11 September: Gabby Petito's family reports her missing in New York, where they live. Florida law enforcement officers went to Brian Laundrie's home and that of his parents to speak to them about Gabby. However, neither Brian nor his family agreed to talk about her disappearance and gave the police information for their attorney.That same day law enforcement recovered the white van the couple travelled in. It was searched and police discovered "some material in there", which they say needs further examination.14 September: An attorney for the Laundries releases a statement saying the family is "remaining in the background at this juncture and will have no further comment" on the advice of counsel. 16 September: Gabby Petito's family releases a statement asking Brian and his family to cooperate with law enforcement in order to find their daughter. They also pleaded with the young man to explain "why he left Gabby all alone and drove her van to Florida".17 September: And then there were two missing persons The family of Brian Laundrie told the police that the young man disappeared nearly a week ago.Altercation in UtahAfter the Petito family filed a missing persons report, it became known that two weeks before the 22-year-old disappeared, police in Moab, Utah, were called to a purported domestic violence incident. The officers who arrived at the scene described the incident as the couple having "engaged in some sort of altercation".Police released bodycam footage, which shows Gabby crying as she tells the officer about her argument with Brian and complains about her mental problems. She also said the two had been arguing more often. The police report described the young woman as "confused and emotional and manic".Brian Laundrie told officers that the couple had been travelling together for "the last 4 or 5 months".The FBI has set up a national hotline, 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324), to receive any information that might be relevant to the case. "So far, we have received hundreds of tips which are being vetted through multiple agencies. If anyone has seen the van photographed and information which might be helpful, please let us know", law enforcement said.

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/no-new-date-set-for-resumption-of-pretrial-hearings-of-911-case-in-gitmo-spokesperson-says-1089175522.html

No New Date Set for Resumption of Pretrial Hearings of 9/11 Case in Gitmo, Spokesperson Says

No New Date Set for Resumption of Pretrial Hearings of 9/11 Case in Gitmo, Spokesperson Says

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Office of Military Commissions' spokesperson Ronald Flesvig told Sputnik there is no new date set to resume the pretrial hearings... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T00:25+0000

2021-09-18T00:25+0000

2021-09-18T00:25+0000

us

guantanamo

guantanamo prison

guantanamo bay detention center

court hearing

9/11

hearing

september 11

9/11 attacks

covid-19

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US media reported earlier that Colonel Matthew McCall, the new military judge behind the 9/11 case, abruptly canceled the final day of the hearing in Guantanamo due to a case of an illness related to the COVID-19 pandemic.The pretrial hearings for the five detainees opened last week at the Expeditionary Legal Complex at Guantanamo Bay.The Friday hearing was canceled due to an illness detected among some trial participants, according to media reports. Also, a reporter who returned to the US from the prison complex on Sunday reportedly tested positive for the virus. The journalist was reportedly fully vaccinated.So far, four out of five detainees who apprised at the trial, have been vaccinated.The sudden news comes on the heels of the announcement of McCall who said on Monday that the trial of five Guantanamo Bay detainees is not expected to begin for at least another year. The judge also said military commission regulations, the Air Force bar and ethical obligations did not bound going to trial by a particular timeline.

https://sputniknews.com/20210909/20-years-after-911-why-are-39-people-still-detained-at-guantanamo-and-will-they-ever-face-trial-1088920346.html

wtfud All the Evidence is lost, so mistrial.

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us, guantanamo, guantanamo prison, guantanamo bay detention center, court hearing, 9/11, hearing, september 11, 9/11 attacks, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/police-scrap-request-for-100-armed-national-guardsmen-to-tackle-pro-capitol-riot-rally-1089187244.html

Police Scrap Request for 100 Armed National Guardsmen to Tackle Pro-Capitol Riot Rally

Police Scrap Request for 100 Armed National Guardsmen to Tackle Pro-Capitol Riot Rally

On 6 January 2021, hundreds of pro-Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building in Washington to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the 3... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T12:59+0000

2021-09-18T12:59+0000

2021-09-18T12:59+0000

us

washington

police

us national guard

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Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger has withdrawn a request for armed National Guard members to be on standby for Saturday's rally in support of the 6 January Capitol riot defendants, according to The Washington Post.The newspaper quoted several unnamed sources as saying that on Friday, Manger formally asked for the deployment of 100 armed National Guard members to the 18 September Capitol rally, but that he then dropped the request after conferring with Pentagon officials.The sources said that during the rally, the National Guardsmen would only be equipped with batons and would be accompanied by armed police.Manger, in turn, touted the Capitol Police Board as "nothing but helpful" and "supportive". He told reporters that "when we [he and Pentagon officials] talked about the issue of putting the National Guard on standby, or calling for the National Guard assistance, we had a discussion".According to him, "everybody had different perspectives and different thoughts about it []. In the end, we were all in agreement for what we asked for".Referring to the upcoming rally, Manger also stressed that the Capitol Police have "a strong plan in place to ensure that it remains peaceful, and if violence does occur, that we can stop it as quickly as possible".The so-called "Justice for J6" rally, initiated by the group Look Ahead America, aims to bring public attention to hundreds of individuals arrested, kept in detention, and charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot. The rally is expected to be attended by about 700 people and is scheduled to run from noon to 1:15 p.m. EST (5:15 p.m. GMT) on Saturday.On 6 January 2021, hundreds of Trump supporters besieged the US Capitol in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the results of what the 45th president slammed as "the most corrupt elections" in American history. Five people died during the riots, and dozens more were injured, including at least 138 police officers. Law enforcement authorities arrested about 600 individuals who took part in the Capitol riots, charging some of them with assaulting federal police officers.

https://sputniknews.com/20210902/capitol-police-chief-is-confident-authorities-will-keep-dc-secure-during-pro-capitol-riot-protest--1083773204.html

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washington

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us, washington, police, us national guard
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/revealed-how-washington-london-and-canberra-kept-paris-in-the-dark-about-aukus-deal--1089183642.html

Revealed: How Washington, London, and Canberra 'Kept Paris in the Dark' About AUKUS Deal

Revealed: How Washington, London, and Canberra 'Kept Paris in the Dark' About AUKUS Deal

The announcement of a trilateral defence deal between the US, the UK, and Australia has sent shock waves around France, with Canberra's decision to acquire... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T11:03+0000

2021-09-18T11:03+0000

2021-09-21T11:14+0000

france

us

australia

submarines

uk

aukus

aukus

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The United States and Australia took extraordinary measures in order to "keep Paris in the dark" about their negotiations on the AUKUS deal to supply Canberra with nuclear-powered submarines designed by the US and the UK instead of the conventional vessels crafted by France, The New York Times has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.France, despite being one of America's oldest allies, was left uninformed about what was in the works until the last moment, with Australian officials waiting until as late as 30 August to reveal that the French Submarine programme was no longer of interest to them.AUKUS was announced earlier in the week, touted as a new security alliance between the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia that would boost regional security in the Asian-Pacific region, but viewed by many as something to counter China, even though this was never specifically mentioned in the deal. The fact that Australia will now acquire nuclear-powered submarines has prompted concerns not only in Beijing, but also in New Zealand, with Wellington swiftly stating it will ban nuclear submarines in its waters. However, the most bitter reaction followed from Paris, with French officials calling AUKUS a "stab in the back" and a "betrayal" by their old allies.Yet, according to The New York Times, these dramatic details made no impact on officials in the Biden administration when concealing the forthcoming AUKUS deal from the French, with POTUS purportedly reckoning that this was a situation when one strategic ally was more important than another.The Australians also never bothered to give France a heads up about their plans to cancel the submarine deal. What bothered them, according to the NYT, was the possibility of the conventionally-powered French submarines becoming obsolete before they even hit the water. In light of these concerns, the potential of substituting them with cutting-edge nuclear-powered vessels made by the US and the UK apparently seemed a lot more enticing - enough so to never enlighten France about their plans.The irony is striking, given that the allies met several times throughout the summer, including at the G7 summit in June hosted by UK PM Boris Johnson in Cornwall. At the time, Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, his French counterpart, were pictured during a "chummy chat" by the sea, smiling and shaking hands. Despite the friendly atmosphere, Biden never mentioned the AUKUS pact, the report noted. Three days later, Macron met Australian PM Scott Morrison - also to never be updated about the ditching of the French submarine programme.Per The New York Times, French officials were eventually informed by Biden's top aides about the AUKUS-related plans just hours before they were publicly announced.What Now?Dismayed, Paris recalled its ambassadors from both the United States and Australia. France's European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune later stated that he does not see how Paris can trust the Australians, given that it is currently in trade negotiations with Canberra, while other French officials dubbed AUKUS as a "betrayal" and a "stab in the back".Reacting to the the recall of the said ambassadors, both Washington and Canberra voiced their regret. Australia, however, offered nothing in its comments but hopes for "engaging with France again on our many issues of shared interest, based on shared values".The White House, for its part, said it was in consultations with its French partners, underlining that Paris is one of Washington's "oldest allies" and relations with France are highly valued in the United States.The AUKUS-caused debates appear to be far from over, as the trilateral pact was also slammed by Beijing, with China warning that such a defence alliance could undermine non-proliferation efforts and trigger an arms race.

https://sputniknews.com/20210918/the-last-time-the-us-gave-an-ally-nuclear-technology-france-tried-to-quit-nato-1089176433.html

Barros F*ck US! 3

NthrnNYker59 China would be better served by providing the technology and know-how for nuclear submarines to fascist amerika's other adversaries like Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, ect. If fascist amerika wants to proliferate, China needs to show them how it's done. 2

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Daria Bedenko

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france, us, australia, submarines, uk, aukus
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/sorry-cover-up-for-us-mass-murder-1089183289.html

Sorry Cover-Up for US Mass Murder

Sorry Cover-Up for US Mass Murder

So a top US commander has come clean on primetime TV about the killing of 10 civilians in Afghanistan with a drone missile. Seven of the victims were children... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T09:28+0000

2021-09-18T09:28+0000

2021-09-18T09:28+0000

us

columnists

afghanistan

afghan war

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CentCom General Kenneth McKenzie said the deadly strike was a "tragic mistake" and he offered his "deep condolences". In an unprecedented televised press conference, the general said he took personal responsibility for the atrocity and that there would be financial compensation paid out to the victims' families.He didnt offer his resignation though, which might seem appropriate for someone taking responsibility for such a heinous event. Neither did the Pentagon commander explain how compensation would be arranged given that the US evacuated from Afghanistan on 30 August with no officials now present in the country.General McKenzie went to great lengths in his press conference to claim that the vehicle was surveilled carefully for several hours before the drone missile was launched, killing all the occupants. He presented a graphic to illustrate the detailed movements of the targeted car near Kabul international airport on 29 August. This was the day after a suicide bomber killed 13 US troops at the airport along with over 100 Afghan civilians trying to join the frenzied American airlift.The general emphasised how his staff were under immense time pressure when they were assessing the target whom they believed was an ISIS terror team on its way to bomb the airport again.What is objectionable about McKenzie's apology live on TV is the impression of an exceptional error by US forces.The reality is that civilians are routinely murdered by US drones in Afghanistan and several other countries where the Pentagon is operating, oftentimes illegally in violation of international law. Killing innocent people is not an "exceptional error" for US forces, it is the norm.Daniel Hale, a former US Air Force analyst who turned whistleblower, was imprisoned in July for revealing the horror of civilian casualties from drone strikes in Afghanistan. He told a judge that 90 percent of victims were innocent civilians. Hale said he was sickened by the indiscriminate slaughter. For his truth-telling, he is now behind bars.The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles was expanded under the Obama administration and they were deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Libya. Obama personally selected targets every week in briefings from the CIA in what became known as "Terror Tuesdays".It was claimed that during the Obama drone assassination programme that the total number of civilians mistakenly killed was just 117. That figure was derided as a gross underestimate. The Bureau for Investigative Journalism puts a more accurate death toll at six times higher. Even the latter may be an underestimate.Hale, the whistleblower, was prosecuted and jailed by the Trump administration. Public calls for a pardon have been so far ignored by the Biden administration.The fate of truth-tellers who reveal the murderous nature of US military occupations in foreign countries is to be buried behind bars. Julian Assange's biggest "crime" was showing to the world the systematic killing of civilians by US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange is being held in a maximum-security prison in England awaiting the outcome of an extradition order by the US where he faces 175 years in jail for "espionage".People like Julian Assange and Daniel Hale are heroes who should be venerated publicly and given lifetime awards.Meanwhile, the real criminals are given primetime TV to parade their insipid apologies while taking no responsibility for the murder. Saying "sorry" means nothing when the killings will go on and on. Its just a sorry cover-up for US imperialism and its routine war crimes.Unlike many other US drone murders of civilians that are brushed away into oblivion, the killing of 10 civilians in Kabul only came to light because one of the victims worked for a US charity. Otherwise, the Pentagon would have ensured that the atrocity was buried in a bureaucratic cover-up. The innocent victims like the truth-tellers are always buried.General McKenzie's "honourable" mea culpa is sick performance art. It is aimed at reassuring the American public that we really are the good guys who rarely commit atrocities. And when we do, then it is an exceptional "tragic mistake" for which we are truly "sorry". That gives US imperialism a license to continue criminal wars, aggression, occupations and Mass Murder Inc.

vot tak Agree, these murders are the norm, not exceptions. 6

Jack Sprat Mass murder is the modus operandi of the US military. For them to apologize is to test the limits of of absurdity and hypocrisy. 5

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us, columnists, afghanistan, afghan war
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/ten-melbourne-police-officers-reportedly-injured-in-clashes-with-anti-lockdown-protesters-1089182577.html

Ten Melbourne Police Officers Reportedly Injured in Clashes With Anti-Lockdown Protesters

Ten Melbourne Police Officers Reportedly Injured in Clashes With Anti-Lockdown Protesters

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ten police officers were injured during anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne, Australia, on Saturday, local media reported. 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T08:32+0000

2021-09-18T08:32+0000

2021-09-18T08:33+0000

melbourne

asia & pacific

australia

police

covid-19

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Police arrested 235 people during the protests that turned violent, according to the 9 News website.Protesters were reportedly throwing what could be smoke bombs and flares at the police which retaliated by deploying pepper spray. Protesters could be heard chanting "no more lockdown" and calling for the resignation of Dan Andrews, the premier of the state of Victoria.On Wednesday, Andrews announced minor eases in the state's lockdown restrictions to start on Friday as the vaccine milestone of 70% was reached.Under new rules, social interaction outdoors became a valid reason to leave home; vaccinated people were offered more options for social gatherings, while the travel distance was increased. At the same time, construction workers will need to show proof of vaccination to their employers.Protests were also held in Sydney, where 20 people were arrested, as well as near Brisbane and Adelaide.

Observation Post Reports from Brisbane is that the coppers didn't interfere in the peaceful protest. Therefore no coppers got injured there. Take note Daniel Andrewstan.

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melbourne, asia & pacific, australia, police, covid-19
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/the-last-time-the-us-gave-an-ally-nuclear-technology-france-tried-to-quit-nato-1089176433.html

The Last Time the US Gave an Ally Nuclear Technology, France Tried to Quit NATO

The Last Time the US Gave an Ally Nuclear Technology, France Tried to Quit NATO

On Friday, France cried foul after being left out of a new trilateral defense pact between the US, UK and Australia, resulting in Canberra cancelling a deal to... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T01:39+0000

2021-09-18T01:39+0000

2021-09-18T01:39+0000

france

charles de gaulle

nato

nuclear weapons

uk

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American, British and Australian leaders announced the important new AUKUS security treaty on Wednesday, aimed at confronting China while complementing other security arrangements between the three nations. Left out of the pact, however, and given short notice about its announcement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian denounced the move as a stab in the back.As a result of the deal, Australia cancelled a $90 billion contract with Frances Naval Group to buy a dozen Barracuda-class submarines modified to run on conventional diesel fuel instead of nuclear power. Instead, Australia will build its own nuclear-powered attack subs, likely a licensed version of an American or British design. As Australia has no nuclear program of any kind, including for nuclear power plants, such technology would have to be given or lent to the Oceanic nation - an enormous change in the balance of power, considering both US and UK subs are fueled by weapons-grade uranium.However, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that his country still did not have an ambition to acquire nuclear weapons.In its latest move on Friday evening, Paris withdrew its ambassadors to the US and Australia for consultation, prompting outcry in both nations.This isnt the first time France voiced serious concern about Americans giving away nuclear technology or having power over another nations nuclear abilities. In the 1960s, it threatened the core of the NATO alliance.The Skybolt CrisisIn the early years of the Cold War, the primary method of striking a target with a nuclear weapon was gravity bombs dropped by heavy bombers from high altitude. While missiles had been developed, the globe-spanning intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and their submarine-launched cousins (SLBMs) were still in their infancy, and most nations did not have them.Short on land on which to hide a slew of ICBM silos, the UK instead looked toward perfecting air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs) carried by its Vulcan bombers to fire nuclear weapons at the Soviet Union and its allies. However, as its own efforts in the Blue Steel program had failed to yield a useful weapon, London looked to buy the US-designed Skybolt missile, which had a much longer range, as the platform on which to base its entire nuclear arsenal.As costs for the Skybolt program rose, the incoming Kennedy administration in Washington became skeptical of the program and found the new Polaris SLBMs better in every way. Central administration figures also became skeptical of the value a separate British nuclear arsenal, and whether it would be an asset in a strategic showdown with the USSR. Many did not trust London to behave responsibly with nuclear weapons in the aftermath of the 1956 Suez Crisis, which it undertook with Paris and Tel Aviv but without Washingtons knowledge.Even more bluntly, Kennedy's Secretary of State, Dean Acheson, said days earlier that "Britain's attempt to play a separate power role - that is, a role apart from Europe, a role based on a 'special relationship' with the United States, a role based on being the head of a Commonwealth which has no political structure or unity or strength and enjoys a fragile and precarious economic relationship - this role is about played out.The attitude provoked a crisis in London that threatened to collapse the Conservative government under UK Prime Minister Harold MacMillan, which would find itself with extensive nuclear weapons it couldnt use and a crumbling empire it couldnt defend. The end of MacMillans government would be the end of Londons hopes to join the European Economic Community, a burgeoning trade pact that would later serve as the basis for the European Union.To resolve this, American and British leaders met in the Bahamas and hammered out a deal by which they created a NATO multilateral nuclear force. British warheads would be fitted on American Polaris missiles and placed on British Resolution-class submarines, and London would only be able to use them separately in the event of a national crisis. Thus, ultimate control over British nuclear forces was held by Washington, not by London.De Gaulle RebelsThe following year, French President Charles de Gaulle vetoed the British application to join the EEC, citing British dependence on the US. The nationalist leader had long had suspicions about Londons desire to join, seeing British and French economic interests as incompatible in the postwar era and that Britain had a deep-seated hostility to the European project.De Gaulle wasnt just skeptical of US or UK commitment to French interests. He was also reportedly skeptical of the NATO alliance as a whole, seeing its joint military structure as an imposition on French sovereignty. A nuclear power, De Gaulle demanded France be given equal say in alliance strategy, just as the US and the UK. When this was rejected, he announced in 1966 that France was pulling out of the joint military structure and ordered all foreign forces to leave the country. As a result, NATO headquarters is today in Brussels, Belgium.That same year, De Gaulle came into conflict with the other EEC members over what he saw as more encroachments on French sovereignty and he boycotted the European Commission for several months in what was called the empty chair crisis, the resolution of which gave de facto veto power to every state on issues judged to be of great national interest.

mandrake Macron is too rotchildean to try any such move, it will require a marie le pen to get france out of nato first and then the entirely corrupt EU. 11

TruePatriot Excellent, now this time don't threaten. Just up and leave. Tell ZATO to go get stuffed. 11

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france, charles de gaulle, nato, nuclear weapons, uk
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/turkish-foreign-ministry-condemns-decision-of-southern-european-states-on-cyprus-1089184426.html

Turkish Foreign Ministry Condemns Decision of Southern European States on Cyprus

Turkish Foreign Ministry Condemns Decision of Southern European States on Cyprus

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkey considers the provisions of the Athens Declaration on Cyprus conflict settlement adopted at the EUMed 9 summit to be biased and... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T10:23+0000

2021-09-18T10:23+0000

2021-09-18T10:23+0000

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The EUMed 9 summit was attended by the heads of state and government of France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia on 17 September. The summit declaration reaffirmed members' commitment to the peaceful settlement of the Cyprus conflict on the basis of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with the political equality under UN Security Council resolutions. The declaration ruled out the possibility of any solution based on the coexistence of two states.Cyprus has been de facto divided between the Greek and Turkish communities since 1974, when Turkey deployed armed forces to Cyprus after an attempt to unify Cyprus with Greece. Thirty-seven percent of the island's territory was occupied. In 1983, the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was formed, recognised solely by Turkey.The United Nations attempted to mediate reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish communities, but the negotiation reached an impasse in 2017.Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has been advocating a confederal structure of Cyprus, while the Greek Cypriots believe that a solution to the Cyprus problem is possible only on the basis of UN decisions within the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation.

https://sputniknews.com/20210724/turkey-rejects-un-security-council-statement-on-cyprus-varosha-status-1083451431.html

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cyprus, news, world, turkey, united nations
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/two-explosions-strike-kabul-leaving-people-injured-source-says-1089181203.html

Two Explosions Strike Kabul Leaving People Injured, Source Says

Two Explosions Strike Kabul Leaving People Injured, Source Says

KABUL (Sputnik) - Two explosions have struck the capital of Afghanistan, one of them left several people injured, a security forces source in Kabul told... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T07:01+0000

2021-09-18T07:01+0000

2021-09-18T07:18+0000

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kabul

asia & pacific

afghanistan

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The first explosion occurred in Dasht-e-Barchi in District 13 of western Kabul and resulted in several injured. The second blast went off in a different neighbourhood of the same district, but there are no reports of any injured individuals yet.Earlier this year, as foreign troops began leaving the country, the Taliban* sped up their offensive. On 15 August, the Taliban entered Kabul, causing many foreigners and Afghans who had worked with foreign forces to rush to the airport in the hopes of escaping. The evacuation was made even more chaotic by several attacks claimed by a local branch of the Daesh* terrorist group. The Taliban said shortly after entering Kabul that the group would not allow any terrorist organisation to operate in Afghanistan.On 31 August, US troops left Afghanistan, putting an end to a nearly 20-year mission there. Several weeks later, the organisation proclaimed control over the province of Panjshir, once the last holdout to Taliban power in the war-ravaged nation. This was followed by the Taliban announcing the composition of the country's provisional government*The Taliban and Daesh are terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries.

Barros US terrorists already arrived. 6

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kabul, asia & pacific, afghanistan, explosion, blast
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/us-capitol-police-brace-for-rally-in-support-of-protesters-charged-in-6-january-riot-1089180034.html

US Capitol Police Brace for Rally in Support of Protesters Charged in 6 January Riot

US Capitol Police Brace for Rally in Support of Protesters Charged in 6 January Riot

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A rally scheduled at the Capitol on Saturday in support of individuals arrested in connection with the 6 January riot is expected to be... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T06:21+0000

2021-09-18T06:21+0000

2021-09-18T06:21+0000

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The rally, organised by the group Look Ahead America that supports former President Donald Trump, intends to bring public attention and support to some 600 individuals arrested, kept in detention, and charged with crimes related to the 6 January events at the Capitol. The rally is expected to gather about 700 people and is scheduled to run from noon to 1:15 p.m. EST (5:15 p.m. GMT).Three counter-protest demonstrations will take place on Saturday as well in Washington, but local authorities have put plans in place to keep the groups apart from the "Justice for J6" rally.Manger said they are unsure about whether the online threats of violence are credible but they are taking no chances in light of the 6 January siege of the Capitol building.The Pentagon on Friday approved the Capitol Police's request to deploy 100 unarmed National Guard troops to the Capitol complex.Local law enforcement officials said that over the last several weeks they've prepared contingency plans designed to immediately defuse any violence that may erupt on Saturday. There will be an increased number of police officers working throughout the city through the day, officials added.On 6 January 2021, a group of protesters besieged the US Capitol in a bid to prevent lawmakers from certifying the 2020 election results that Trump had repeatedly denounced as "rigged" and fraudulent, and certify Democrat Joe Biden as the winner. At the time, scores of pro-Trump supporters rallied outside the US Capitol building. The crowds stormed the building, vandalising it, and clashed with police. Five people died as a result of the events and dozens more were injured, including at least 138 police officers.Law enforcement authorities have since arrested over 500 individuals who participated in the Capitol riots, charging some with assaulting federal police officers. The authorities charged hundreds of people for participating in the event. Democratic lawmakers used the events at the Capitol to try to permanently ban Trump from politics by impeaching him a second time. However, the impeachment trial failed in the Senate in February, when Trump was already out of office.

https://sputniknews.com/20210917/trump-expresses-sympathy-for-us-capitol-riot-suspects-ahead-of-september-18-rally--1089142637.html

TruePatriot This is shaping up like a big Nasty Nancy inspired trap. 1

PaleRider Capitol Police are the traitors and domestic political hacks for the Biden Regime. DC is a s_hole. 0

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riot, protest, us, capitol hill, us capitol, capitol building, us capitol police (uscp)
https://sputniknews.com/20210918/venezuelan-government-says-banco-de-venezuela-faced-terrorist-attack-1089177640.html

Venezuelan Government Says Banco de Venezuela Faced 'Terrorist Attack'

Venezuelan Government Says Banco de Venezuela Faced 'Terrorist Attack'

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Venezuelan government said that the technological platform of Banco de Venezuela, the country's main bank, faced a cyberattack it... 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T03:27+0000

2021-09-18T03:27+0000

2021-09-18T03:29+0000

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"The government of Venezuela ... says that today, on Friday, September 17, 2021, a terrorist attack on the national financial system, particularly on the technological platform of Banco de Venezuela, the main bank of the country, took place," the government said in a statement on Friday.The government noted that many customers had no access to the bank's services, their accounts or operations.In social networks, the bank stated that all responsible employees were working to restore the operation of services that were damaged as a result of the attack.The attack had reportedly been stopped while work on restoring bank services is underway. The government guarantees the safety of all accounts and financial data.The prosecutor's office is investigating the incident.

vot tak The israeloamerican international network of terrorists strikes again. 2

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/weekly-news-roundup-pentagon-paid-arms-industry-over-4-trillion-since-911-1089177245.html

Weekly News Roundup; Pentagon Paid Arms Industry Over $4 Trillion Since 9/11

Weekly News Roundup; Pentagon Paid Arms Industry Over $4 Trillion Since 9/11

The Pentagon paid out over 4 trillion dollars since 9/11, with the lion's share going to five major defense contractors. 18.09.2021, Sputnik International

2021-09-18T07:49+0000

2021-09-18T07:49+0000

2021-09-18T07:49+0000

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Weekly News Roundup; Pentagon Paid Arms Industry Over $4 Trillion Since 9/11 The Pentagon paid out over 4 trillion dollars since 9/11, with the lion's share going to five major defense contractors.

Caleb Maupin, journalist and political analyst, joins us to wrap up the important stories of the week. The Pentagon paid out over 4 trillion dollars since 9/11, with the lion's share going to five major defense contractors. Also, the Kabul drone attack that killed 10 family members reveals no explosives in the target vehicle, and generals lied about Afghanistan for the entire period of the occupations.Dr. Jemima Pierre, associate professor of Black studies and anthropology at the University of California, Los Angeles, joins us to discuss immigration. A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration from continuing one of the Trump administration's most egregious immigration policies. Also, the Biden administration is being criticized for "cruel and callous" deportations to Haiti.Jack Rasmus, professor in economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to discuss economics. Retail sales are showing surprising gains, leading some to believe that there is a silver lining behind the recent dark clouds on the economy. Also, in the latest negative numbers, another 332,000 workers filed for unemployment benefits last week.Ted Rall, political cartoonist and syndicated columnist, and Mark Williams, writer, essayist, and former 30-year editor at Bloomberg News, come together to talk about domestic politics. Law enforcement is boosting security ahead of an upcoming right-wing political rally at the Capitol. Also, President Biden accuses 24 GOP governors of risking lives as a number of them threaten legal action over vaccine mandates, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH) decides to leave Congress, and Pennsylvania GOP state senators approve a subpoena for the personal information of voters.Jim Kavanagh, writer at thepolemicist.net and CounterPunch, and Margaret Kimberly, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report, join us to discuss this week's foreign policy stories. DOJ counsel John Durham brings charges against one of the lawyers who worked for the Clinton campaign for lying to the FBI. Also, Evo Morales makes anti-imperialist rounds in South America and the Caribbean, China throws a monkey wrench in US imperialism, and big tech companies make a fortune from the War on Terror.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.com

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https://sputniknews.com/20210918/why-did-the-us-ditch-its-european-allies-in-favour-of-uk-and-australia-to-wrangle-with-china-1089190353.html

Why Did the US Ditch Its European Allies in Favour of UK and Australia to Wrangle With China?

Why Did the US Ditch Its European Allies in Favour of UK and Australia to Wrangle With China?

Why the US Ditched Its European Allies in Favour of UK and Australia to Wrangle With China?

2021-09-18T16:38+0000

2021-09-18T16:38+0000

2021-09-18T16:38+0000

europe

us

asia & pacific

opinion

aukus

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The announcement of a new security agreement between the US, UK, and Australia this week came as a surprise  both for the countries' close allies, and for China, which is believed to be one if not the main targets of the new "alliance", dubbed AUKUS.The emergence of the new security pact sparked an array of questions, ranging from how it will affect the political and security landscape in the Indo-Pacific, where it will operate, to why its creation was kept secret from EU countries and how they will react to AUKUS' creation.What are the US' Goals for Establishing AUKUS?In the official declaration, AUKUS members claim that the newly forged security alliance was created to address "rapidly evolving threats" and made no mention of any specific countries that will be targeted. However, there are not many security "threats" (at least perceived as such by the member-states) in the area where AUKUS will operate.The US designated China as one of its near-peer potential adversaries not long ago and made no secret of resources freed up following the troubled Afghanistan withdrawal being redirected to the Asia-Pacific region.Washington has disagreements with Beijing, including the row over the disputed South China Sea and US routine military patrols in the area, which is deemed by China as its territorial waters. Now that the White House has redirected its attention to the Asia-Pacific region, away from Afghanistan, it will need a base of operations, with Australia being the most convenient one to reduce the costs, Dr Chang Ching, research fellow at the Taiwan-based Society for Strategic Studies, says.Another sign suggesting AUKUS will be targeting primarily China is the fact that the US has been trying to build alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, a senior associate professor at the International Christian University in Tokyo and a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, Dr Stephen Nagy says. This process has intensified ever since President Joe Biden entered the White House, he notes.According to him, the US pursues goals of preventing Beijing from establishing hegemony in the region via a variety of strategies: from cementing military presence in the coastal waters to building a massive intercontinental trade route.The US wants to challenge China's alleged ambitions for hegemony in the Indo-Pacific from a position of coordinated strength and diplomatic unity, and hence created a new security pact, Dr Stephen Nagy argued.Why Did the UK and Australia Join AUKUS?The US is going to be the driving force of the new security pact and the UK was invited only because its presence in AUKUS "cannot be avoided", Paolo Raffone, a strategic analyst and director of the CIPI Foundation in Brussels, suggests. However, unlike London, Canberra's presence in a security agreement was absolutely needed for the US to move its weaponry, the analyst notes.Australia was also interested in joining this alliance as its relations with China have deteriorated sharply over the past year, Hugues Eudeline, former submarine captain and China expert, says. The two countries engaged in a tariff war after Canberra demanded an investigation into COVID-19's origins on Chinese territory.The AUKUS deal, however, will equip the Australian Navy with more than just torpedoes  instead of diesel-electric submarines ordered from France, Canberra is going to get nuclear-powered ones from the US. These subs have greater strategic and tactical manoeuvrability compared to conventional ones, Eudeline says. The ex-captain notes that Australia setting its gaze on nuclear submarines indicates a departure from the countrys longstanding position on the issue, likely prompted by a shift in public opinion.Why Was No EU Country Invited to AUKUS?One of the most contentious aspects of the new security pact is the absence of any members of the European Union. The US never even discussed AUKUS with its EU allies, resulting in an unpleasant surprise for the French defence industry. As a result, France recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia, while the EU renewed talks about a European army as a way to get more military independence from NATO.The exclusion of EU states from AUKUS was a logical step on the part of the US, Paolo Raffone, believes. According to him, these countries, France included, play only a minor role in NATO's operations. However, not all countries seem to be content with this.European countries have a limited capability to deploy their military forces to such a distant region as the Indo-Pacific, Raffone says. France has its interests in the region, such as its exclaves in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, former submarine captain Hugues Eudeline indicates, adding that regardless of this, Paris has a weak military presence there, partly due to logistics issues.The views and opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

https://sputniknews.com/20210918/china-may-direct-its-nuclear-missiles-towards-australia-as-aukus-serves-us-demands---report-1089177795.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210917/us-will-boost-military-presence-in-australia-as-china-slams-irresponsible-aukus-pact-1089147118.html

https://sputniknews.com/20210917/france-recalls-ambassadors-from-us-australia-for-consultations-over-aukus-alliance-1089169534.html

Shadowwalker China needs to take 2 steps for its own security. 1 Stop trading with Australia completely including Iron Ore. 2 Cut trade with USA by 50%. and finally use all resources in hand to devolp arm forces as fast as China can do, from naval fleets to air power. If China over comes the shortage earlier then the 5 Years atleast China is in strong position. As USA/UK will need to devolp subs for Australia and that will take time. Job done. In the meantime let Taiwan buy what ever it needs from USA that will ab a bonus for China and Taiwan falls like Afghanistan. 9

TruePatriot The answer is incredible irresponsibility on the part of the US, and for its lapdog Morrison to say yes. Now Oz has been officially labelled an adversary by China, which means they are toast if the missiles start flying. Did they really want to do that? One would rationally think not. 9

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europe, us, asia & pacific, opinion, aukus
Asteroids are feared by humanity and there is a good reason behind it. These space objects made of metal and dust have a huge potential for doing harm to humanity. The Earth could be destroyed and humans driven into extinction. In fact even a small asteroid crashing on Earth can have devastating consequences especially as humans have colonised each and every part of the planet in the last 100 years or so and no matter which part you look at, it is crowded - barring the North and South Poles of course.

While there is fear, there is also fascination too. They can provide us much-needed information into the formation of the solar system. Yes, they are that old too. They may even shed light on how Earth formed over billions of years.

Unfortunately, at the moment, asteroids are known more for the fear that they generate than any information they may have to divulge for the good of humanity. And NASA just added to that fear. Considering that asteroids are very dangerous, one would assume that someone is tracking each and every one of them.

Not so! There are a lot of them. Too many to count. Big and small. In a video, Dr. Amy Mainzer, who is NASA's asteroid expert, explained that the space agency does not track all the potentially hazardous asteroids that could hit the Earth.

To the question, 'Does NASA know about all the asteroids', Dr Manzer gave a reply that will make everyone think of carnage and extinction at the hands of a rogue asteroid. She said, "Well, no." She did have some good news though. She said, "NASA knows where most of the really big ones are."

In fact, she revealed that NASA has found over 90% of these dangerous asteroids. However, that still leaves 10% of big asteroids that no one has any clues about.

That also left out a lot of smaller ones, which too can blast Earth. What were Dr Amy's thoughts on that? There are a lot smaller ones that we havent found, she admitted.

The degree of difficulty is quite high. She said, Its really challenging to find asteroids, even though some of them are as big as mountains, as space is huge.

However, she said NASA is very much on the job and intends to find all the nasty ones while they are still far away so that we can get a lot of time to prepare for them and "to take action if we find one thats really headed in our direction, she concluded.
Tencent Holdings's popular WeChat messaging app will start allowing users to access external links from Friday, days after regulators told the company and its rivals to end a long-standing practice of blocking each other's links. China's technology giants have historically prevented links and services by rivals from being shared on their platforms. On Monday, however, regulators said they were ordering firms to rectify this as the practice affected users' experience and damaged consumer rights.

The move is part of a broader regulatory crackdown on the industry that has wiped billions of dollars off the market value of some of China's largest companies. WeChat said on Friday that it will implement the changes in phases, starting with allowing users to access links in private, one-to-one chats once they upgraded to the latest version of WeChat, although it would continue to follow principles such as preventing excessive marketing.

The plan will be carried out based on legal requirements and with the approval of regulatory authorities, it added. "At the same time, WeChat will also actively cooperate with other Internet platforms to implement this guidance and explore the technical possibilities of using WeChat services on other platforms, to achieve further interconnectivity."

Under the old practice, WeChat users were not able to click directly through links to e-commerce marketplaces such as Taobao and Tmall, which are operated by Alibaba Group. Instead, they would be asked to open the link in a browser like Safari, which many had found problematic.

Tencent has also restricted users from sharing content from ByteDance-owned short video app Douyin on WeChat and QQ, another Tencent messaging app. In February, Douyin filed a complaint with a Beijing court saying it constituted monopolistic behaviour. Tencent has called those accusations baseless.
CONCORD, NH  As a proud partner of the fifth annual Capital Arts Fest in downtown Concord, NH, Concord Community Music School presents its free Arts Fest Open House on Saturday, September 25, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. No musical experience? No problem! The Arts Fest Open House is admission-free and open to everyone, with participatory musical activities and performances. Pop in for a session, or stay the whole time, and dont miss the all-day musical yard sale on the lower level.



SAT. SEPT. 25 - MUSIC SCHOOLS ARTS FEST OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

10:00-10:45am: Music and Movement with Heather Oberheim (Community Room - masks required for guests age 2 and older)

Sing, dance, and play with Miss Heather  all youngsters ages 5 months - 6 years are invited to join the fun with a parent or caregiver.

10:00-11:00am: Folk Jam! (Parkside Stage)

Bring your folk instrument (fiddle, mando, banjo, guitar, etc.) and join us for an easy-going outdoor folk jam, led by faculty fiddler Liz Faiella. We'll play some traditional fiddle tunes together, and chord charts will be provided for some commonly-played jam tunes.

11:15-12:15pm: Meet the Instruments Instrument Show and Tell (Parkside Stage)

If you've ever wondered what an oboe is, or have never heard a French horn, come to our Meet the Instruments show and tell. Current Music School students will show you their instruments, tell you all about them, then play for you. The Instrument Petting Zoo of years past is on hold because of Covid, but we would love to answer any questions you have about woodwind, brass, and string instruments, and satisfy your curiosity about opportunities to play and learn!

1:00-1:45pm: Creative Aging Workshop with Heather Oberheim (Community Room - masks required)

Learn how we can age more creatively and gracefully through movement and music, with techniques used by dance and music therapists that provide neurological benefits for all of us as we age.

2:00-3:00pm: Singing/Improv Workshop with Peggo Horstmann Hodes (Parkside Stage)

3:15-4:00pm: South Asian Traditional Music Performance by Harimaya Adhikari and Prem Sagar Khatiwada (Parkside Stage)

Faculty members Hari and Prem, both originally from Nepal and founding members of Himalaya Heritage Music Group, joyfully share their talent and culture in this expert performance of South Asian traditional music, featuring harmonium, tabla, and voice.

ALL DAY, 10 to 4

Instrument and music sale (Lower Level - masks required)

Here's your chance to scoop up a quality musical instrument, audio equipment, sheet music, and music books at bargain-basement prices, some of it free/by donation! Arrive early for the best selection.

This years Capital Arts Fest, September 24-26, will be the biggest celebration of art and culture that Concord has ever seen. This vibrant multi-arts festival, featuring live music, contemporary and traditional crafts, theater, dance, presentations by authors and poets, takes place on South Main Street and several satellite locations. It is the combined effort of many organizations and businesses around the region, including the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, the NH League of Craftsmen, and many other partners. For a full schedule of activities and sites, visit www.visitconcord-nh.com/capital-arts-fest.

Concord Community Music School is located in downtown Concord, NH, between Wall/Fayette/South/and Chesley streets, and less than a 5-minute walk from South Main Street and the other Capital Arts Fest happenings. Most of the Music School's activities will take place outdoors at the Music Schools Parkside Stage, overlooking Fletcher-Murphy Park on Fayette Street. If driving, please park in the lot at 24 Fayette Street or on any surrounding street. Info: www.ccmusicschool.org.

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About the Concord Community Music School

Concord Community Music School is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and is recognized nationally for program innovation and management excellence. Welcoming adults, teens, and children of all musical abilities, 50 teaching artists reach more than 33,000 people in four states with educational programs, concerts, workshops, and community partnerships. CCMS has received major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Hearst Foundation, New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, Janes Trust, and the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The Music School has earned honors including the Governors Arts Award for Cultural Access Leadership; Riverbends Champion for Mental Health; Greater Concords Favorite Musical Instruction from Parenting New Hampshire Magazine; and New Hampshire Magazines Best Music School for Everyone. Visit www.ccmusicschool.org.
A national budget is, in one sense, no more than a snapshot in time of the fiscal condition of a country and a near term forecast of the future. It can also be viewed as an opportunity for national reflection on longer-term trends and a focal point for discourse about what it would entail to shape a better future.
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A state of emergency is the exceptional power of a government to suspend certain rights or freedoms where some eventusually war, disease or natural disasterthreatens to undermine the very fabric of the state in question.

What is the legal basis for it?
The last train of the second urban railway project in Hanoi was shipped from France to Hai Phong Port on Thursday and will be transported to the capital city soon, the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Management Board (MRB) reported.

This project, the Nhon - Hanoi railway station route, has a rolling stock of 10 trains designed by French manufacturer Alstom, with the first train delivered to the port of Hai Phong City on October 18, 2020.

Each train, with a designed speed of 80 kilometers per hour and a commercial velocity of 35 kilometers per hour, can carry 944 to 1,124 people, with a density of about 6.6-8 people per square meter.

The trains, each of which has four carriages, can operate continuously on the standard gauge railway of 1.435 meters.

The train body is made of aluminum alloy, which is light, durable and environmentally friendly.

With their low floors, the trains are convenient for passengers to get on and off, especially those bringing luggage or using wheelchairs.

Each passenger carriage is 210 centimeters high from the floor, has four benches especially designed to save space and optimize the number of passengers, and is equipped with anti-glare glass.

Every train has a two-way air-conditioning system ensuring the difference in temperature inside and outside is no more than 10 degrees Celsius, a camera system, a fire and smoke alarm system, and LED lights with automatic light intensity controllers.

Currently, the metro projects interlock and automatic protection systems are under trial run.

Upon official operation, eight of the 10 trains will operate continuously while another is put on standby and the other is used in emergency cases.

At present, the installation of information and signal systems, as well as the electricity supply, from station S01 to station S08 has been finished and training on controlling those systems is underway.

As of August, construction had been 74 percent complete while its elevated works had reached a completion rate of 89.41 percent, according to the MRB.

The section, the second route after Cat Linh  Ha Dong in the capital city, is slated to run 12.5 kilometers from Nhon in Nam Tu Liem District to the Hanoi Railway Station in the downtown area.

It will include 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks and four kilometers underground.

Due to the COVID-19 impacts, the contractor is likely to miss the deadline of putting the elevated part of the route into operation at the end of this year, said the MRB.

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Read what is in the news today:

Politics

-- Vietnams legislature has decided to earmark VND2.652 trillion, or nearly US$116 million, to purchase 20 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses to administer to children from 12 to 17 years old.

Society

-- The districts of Co Do, Phong Dien, Thoi Lai, and Vinh Thanh in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have followed social distancing measures under the prime ministers Directive No. 15 while the citys remaining areas are subject to stricter Directive No. 16 from now to September 25.

-- The Peoples Committee of Can Tho City has allowed residents in districts without community COVID-19 transmissions for 14 days to go out for exercise within the premises of apartment or housing complexes and public places located in safe areas.

-- Hanoi police have apprehended a 43-year-old man to facilitate their investigation into the unusual death of the mans 6-year-old daughter.

-- Police in Ho Chi Minh City have arrested and initiated legal proceedings against a 36-year-old man for selling fake travel passes at the price of VND300,000 (US$13) each.

-- A 37-year-old man from the north-central province of Quang Binh has been arrested for setting up a COVID-19 checkpoint and collecting money from commuters.

-- Police in the northern province of Thanh Hoa have captured two men who seriously injured a 28-year-old man over conflict.

-- Police in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho have fined a woman VND7.5 million (US$325) for sharing fake news regarding her privilege to receive a vaccine dose thanks to her acquaintances connections on her Facebook account.

-- As many as 236 people hailing from south-central Ninh Thuan Province, mostly pregnant women, children, the elderly, and people with serious diseases, will return to their hometown from coronavirus-hit Ho Chi Minh City on a repatriation sleeper bus sponsored by Phuong Trang Co..

Education

-- Authorities in Can Tho City have postponed their kindergarten and elementary school reopening until further notice to stem the spread of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

-- The Ca Maus Department of Education and Training has issued a dispatch to stop remote learning at the elementary level to consider more effective models.

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Police in Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi have apprehended a 43-year-old local man to facilitate their investigation into the unusual death of his 6-year-old daughter.

At the police station, the man, Le Thanh Cong, said he had used a chopstick to hit his daughter, L.H.A., at around 11:00 am on Thursday, the district's police told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday evening.

A.s mother fed her congee and medicine at around 4:00 pm on Thursday, but the girl suffered heavy vomiting later and was taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

However, doctors of the hospital confirmed that the child had been dead before arriving there.

As there were signs of abuse on A.s body, they reported the case to the police.

Police officers completed an autopsy on A.s body on Friday afternoon.

Previously, A.s teacher contacted the girls family for her absence from an online class on Thursday evening and was informed that she had passed away.

Local authorities and representatives from A.s elementary school have visited and paid their condolences to the girls family following the happening.

The police are still investigating the case.

The five-story house of A.s family down Alley 323 on Xuan Dinh Street in Xuan Dinh Ward, Bac Tu Liem District has been sealed off and guarded by police officers to facilitate the investigation.

It is reported that the family has lived there for two years and runs a mineral water business.

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Police in the north-central Vietnamese province of Thanh Hoa have captured three men and initiated legal proceedings against two of them for their murder, which led to serious injuries on two others.

Among the three men, Bui Van Thao, 39, residing in Nga Son District, was the last to be arrested on Friday.

The provincial police also searched Thaos house the same day.

Meanwhile, his accomplices, Do Xuan Huong, 26, hailing from northern Hai Phong Province, and Mai Van Lenh, a 30-year-old local resident of Nga Son, were apprehended and indicted on Thursday.

Their two victims are Bui Van Hoc, 26, also living in Nga Son, and his 28-year-old brother, Bui Van Duc.

Hoc came to Thaos house, shouted insults at the latter, and even urinated at the houses gate at around 7:00 pm on September 9 after the two had had a quarrel, according to the initial investigation.

Thao then called Huong and Lenh, both of whom were staying in Nga Son at the time, to prepare knives and iron pipes and ride a motorbike to his house.

Upon the arrival of Huong and Lenh, who covered their faces with masks and their bodies with raincoats, the three men used the prepared weapons to severely hit Hoc and Duc.

Thaos gang fled the scene after the incident, which is considered a serious case that happened during the social distancing period under the prime ministers Directive No. 16 for COVID-19 prevention in Nga Son District, causing worry among local residents.

Thanh Hoa's police managed to arrest Thao, Huong, and Lenh, using professional measures.

Although Hoc and Duc fortunately survived, Thaos group is still subject to the murder charge according to Vietnams penal code as their violent actions could have taken lives.

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The Vietnamese Ministry of Health granted conditional approval for the emergency use of Cubas Abdala vaccine against the novel coronavirus on Saturday morning, making it the eighth COVID-19 vaccine authorized in the Southeast Asian country.

The three-shot vaccine is developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB) and manufactured at AICA Laboraries in Cuba, using the same recombinant protein-based technology as Vietnam's Nano Covax, which is still under development.

It comes in a box of ten vials, each of which contains ten doses of 0.5ml.

The Center for Research and Production of Vaccines and Biologicals (Polyvac) is the Vietnamese unit that proposed the approval of Abdala vaccine.

This is the eighth vaccine authorized for emergency use by the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, following UKs AstraZeneca, Chinas Sinopharm, Russias Sputnik, the UAEs Hayat-Vax, and three U.S. vaccines including Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.

It is reported that the Cuban side has committed to providing Vietnam with ten million doses of Abdala vaccine.

Vietnams health workers have administered about 33 million vaccine doses since inoculation was rolled out on March 8.

Almost 6.2 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.

The Southeast Asian country has recorded 667,650 patients, including 433,465 recoveries and 16,637 deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic first hit it early last year.

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The Vietnamese government has agreed to spend over US$116 million procuring nearly 20 million doses of Pfizer coronavirus vaccine for children amid the raging pandemic.

Under a decision issued on Friday, the government will earmark VND2,652 billion, or some $116.5 million, to buy nearly 20 million doses of BNT162 vaccine from Pfizer for the vaccination of children aged from 12 to 17, as proposed by the Ministry of Health.

The Ministry of Finance is assigned to release the funding from Vietnams COVID-19 Vaccine Fund.

The expenditure, which will also cover expenses related to the vaccination, must be used properly, efficiently, publicly and transparently, the decision requires.

Vietnam has previously signed a contract to buy 31 million COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and has so far received more than 1.2 million doses since the first delivery made in July.

Earlier on August 28, ahead of the new school year, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh asked the ministries of Health and Education and Training to seek supplies of suitable vaccines to inoculate children aged 12 and older, so that fully vaccinated students can go to school instead of attending online classes.

The country has targeted to secure 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to vaccinate two-thirds of its 98-million population, but it has so far got only over 38 million shots of various vaccines from different sources, including COVAX Facility, contract purchases and donations.

To date, the health ministry has approved eight COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use in Vietnam, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Sputnik V, Sinopharm, Hayat-Vax, and Abdala.

Meanwhile, Nano Covax, one of the four vaccines being developed domestically, is going through steps to be licensed for emergency use as the first made-in-Vietnam coronavirus vaccine after several successful trials that began in December 2020.

By Friday evening, the number of people receiving the first and second vaccine shots nationwide had reached over 26.8 million and 6.18 million, respectively, the health ministry reported.

Since the pandemic hit Vietnam in early 2020, the country has registered 667,650 COVID-19 cases, including 433,465 recoveries and 16,637 deaths.

The Southeast Asian country currently ranks 47th among 222 countries and territories worldwide in infection cases while its death toll rate has been 0.4 percentage points higher than the global level.

The coronavirus has so far spread to 62 of the countrys 63 cities and provinces, except Cao Bang, where measures against coronavirus penetration have been applied strictly.

Ho Chi Minh City has become the most affected by the pandemic in the country with 327,315 infections and 12,934 fatalities, followed by its neighbors Binh Duong and Dong Nai Provinces, the ministrys data shows.

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Hoi An ancient city in Vietnams central province of Quang Nam has been named among the 15 best cities throughout Asia by U.S. popular magazine Travel + Leisure.

The magazines Worlds Best Awards survey was open for voting for the top tourist attractions from January to May, as destinations around the globe were gradually lifting COVID-19 restrictions, Vietnam News Agency reports.

Accordingly, Hoi An earned 86.98 points out of 100 to rank 13th in the list of 15 top cities in Asia.

The ancient city has been placed above Singapore and Mumbai, which scored 86.93 points and 86.61 points, respectively,

Hoi An has previously been honored by Travel + Leisure many times, such as the world's best city in 2019, one of the 50 best places to travel in 2019, one of the top 10 Asian cities in 2018, among others.

Located on the central coast, Hoi An ancient town is a paradise for tourists and lovers of photography and food.

In 1999, the city was recognized by the UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage.

Last year, Hoi An claimed the top position with a score of 90.52.

Topping the list this year is the Indian city of Udaipur with 91.63 points, followed by Ubud of Indonesia, Kyoto of Japan, and Chiang Mai and Bangkok of Thailand.

Udaipur, known as the Venice of India with many famous lakes and canals, is a must-visit destination for travelers around the world, Travel + Leisure said.

In addition, India also has two other cities in the top 15, namely Jaipur and Mumbai at the 8th and 15th places, respectively.

The list also honors three Japanese cities, including Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.

In order to select the top 15 tourist cities in Asia, Travel + Leisure has based itself on readers' evaluations according to various criteria, including tourist attractions, culture, cuisine, hospitality, and shopping.

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By Youssef Farhat

With interactive online courses created just for incoming first-year students, the Early Launch program provides an engaging learning community that enhances students' academic success. Launched in 2020, it is designed to ease their transition to the collegiate learning experience during the summer and accelerate their progress toward earning their degree by fulfilling requirements for the Common Academic Program (CAP) or their major.

Introduction to Comparative Politics was offered through the 2021 Early Launch program fulfilling the CAP Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) component. Over eight weeks, an inspiring group of six students reflected on how COVID-19 presented itself as a pandemic bringing new realities and challenges to the world weve always known, and how nations, states, leaders and communities rushed to respond to the crisis in varying wayssome doing better than others.

Through varying activities including reflections, simulations, movie screenings and six case studies, we collectively explored the basic institutions of powerstates, regimes, societies, marketsand how they shape systems of oppression or create conditions to improve communities and peoples capabilities. We focused on a range of forms of political participation, cultures, and identity challenges shaping various societies through a comparative lens yet an examination of our own bias and perspective.

It is often easy to define and identify an artifact perhaps that represents a bad society. But how can we centralize and define what is good? One classroom activity invited us to do so utilizing a visual, whether an image, a painting, or video screenshots. Victoria Rivera took this photo and shared its story. A few summers ago I was working with the Press office of the Senate of Puerto Rico and I got to experience what some of these senators were currently doing for the country. Since my mother is a person who is very involved with the politicians here on the island, I also got to experience some opportunities and encounters with her as well. The picture that I chose is one I took of the mayor of Canovanas. The mayor had a project in which she wanted to restore a section in Canovanas in order to provide a place to the residents of the city, somewhere they could go to be one with nature. This section that she chose was going to be transformed into a parking lot and she wanted to conserve this piece of nature especially for her residents. To me, a good citizen is a citizen that fights for what is right and just. And, a good society is a group of citizens who work hand in hand to help their community in many different ways, and with their actions, they make the world a better place.

Ikeyaira Metcalf found inspiration in The Square, a documentary capturing the Egyptian revolts. Ikeyaira says I think its different when you see something and its hypothetical or fictional, but to watch in real-time people really fighting against their government and fighting for change was inspiring. The story was so powerful because you saw how even though people were being abused and hurt they still went out there everyday to fight back. Because of this documentary and after being in this class, I will leave being more grateful for the rights that I have and will continue to exercise them because not all people in this world have them.

The documentary really put things into perspective. It really opened my eyes to why things are the way they are; why things take so long to change. From now on, I want to stay more informed on social movements and their history says Elizabeth Bornhorst who was also motivated by the weekly news digests. I really liked the weekly news updates, and sitting down each week just to check in and see what's happening in the world made me feel really informed. It's something I'm definitely going to keep doing.

American Factory resonated the most with Zachary Mackewicz. The difference in the working cultures between the U.S. and China was interesting to explore. It impacted my understanding of comparative politics. It also showed me that if you stand up against an oppressive force, you can attempt to make great changes. One change that I will make going forward is to always stand up for what I believe in.

Too many times when people are measuring whether or not a certain community is good, they only look at the economic situation and GDP, and not if the people enjoy the quality of life there. Doughnut Economics inspired Brynn Shoup-Hill because I never really enjoyed learning economics in any of my previous classes, and this model shows all of the things our societies need to be working towards including environmental and social action, in order to achieve equality, prosperity and citizens' well-being.

Reflecting on The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, Grace Valentine underscores how critical it is to never give up and continue our work to better the society, despite all the violence and political turmoil. It impacted my understanding of comparative politics because it goes to show how important it is to look beyond the statistics and understand how communities respond to issues internally in light of the struggles they are facing.

With a responsibility to promote the dignity, rights and responsibilities of all persons and peoples, the Common Academic Program contributes to diversity learning efforts, and does so in a scaffolded way throughout its curriculum and components, but in a more focused way through the Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) component.

Through these short reflections, the 2021 Early Launch students highlight not only the value of DSJ learning at large, but the importance of engaging various dimensions of diversity and social justice including intersectionality, bias, and intercultural competence.

Youssef Farhat, CAP Diversity and Social Justice (DSJ) Coordinator, and Lecturer in the Department of Political Science.
Pork and poultry could be among the food products made harder to come by because of a spike in gas prices, an industry boss has warned.

Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association, told Sky News that Britons could see both "disappear off the shelves in the next couple of weeks".

It's down to an increase in the cost of fuel, which is threatening food production and other industries - prompting the business secretary to hold talks with Britain's energy firms.

Sky News understands Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng is on Saturday talking to senior executives from Ofgem, Centrica, National Grid, Energy UK, Octopus, Ovo, SSE, EDF, Scottish Power, Shell Energy, E.ON, Bulb and SGN.

Mr Kwarteng tweeted that the UK government does "not expect supply emergencies this winter".

It follows reports that some companies that use gas in the production of products have shut down due to the high price of the fuel.

A resulting shortage of carbon dioxide is said to be stoking worries there could be gaps in the supply of meat, as the industry uses CO2 in the slaughter of animals.

But there are also concerns some people will be unable to afford the high cost of heating their homes over winter.

A spokesperson for the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy department told Sky News: "The UK benefits from having access to highly diverse sources of gas supply to ensure households, businesses and heavy industry get the energy they need at a fair price.

"We are monitoring this situation closely and are in regular contact with the food and farming organisations and industry, to help them manage the current situation."

In an unusual move and in a reference to consumers, government officials have written an "explainer" to set out why "the Great Britain (GB) gas system has... sufficient delivery capacity to more than meet demand".

The rise in gas prices has been blamed on high global demand, maintenance issues, and lower solar and wind energy output.

Story continues

A former Ofgem chief told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that Britain is likely to face high energy prices for the rest of the year.

Dermot Nolan said the increases were the result of depleted stocks following a cold winter last winter, reduced supply from Russia, and increased demand for liquefied natural gas from the Far East.

The government has been urged by meat producers to protect the food supply chain after the gas price hike resulted in the industry suffering carbon dioxide shortages.

Fertiliser plants in Teesside and Cheshire, which produce CO2 as a by-product, have halted production as a result of the sudden rise in wholesale gas prices.

Sky's Ed Conway says that in the coming months, we can expect many more industrial plants to temporarily cease production.

Mr Allen told Sky News his industry's concern was "what conversations are going on with this company that shut down these two fertiliser plants".

He said: "We're in the dark about as to what negotiations going on there, but we sincerely hope that something is happening.

"In very simple terms, if we can't humanely slaughter the poultry and pigs, you could see British poultry meat and British pork disappear off the shelves in the next couple of weeks.

"The impact it will have at farm level is absolutely horrendous, from our perspective this is something that really needs to be taken seriously now.

"What's going to happen back at farm level, where these animals are left on the farm? What are the farmers going to do with them? It's unthinkable some of the consequences here, and that's why it's really important the government gets stuck into this, it needs government intervention at some level."
The economy reflects the operation of all 13 southern cities and provinces, and different behaviors of each is hindering economic development.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan

At a webinar on farm and seafood produce supply/demand between HCMC and Mekong Delta held recently, Nguyen Phuoc Thien, Director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, called on local authorities to apply unified anti-pandemic regulations to create favorable conditions for enterprises to collect and distribute farm produce in the localities.

At present, enterprises have to obtain different certificates and licenses to travel because of different regulations applied by cities and provinces.

When an enterprise wants to go to Dong Thap to collect farm produce, Dong Thap provincial authorities will have to ask other provinces if they will allow the enterprises to go through their provinces before giving an answer to the enterprise. It costs enterprises 3-5 days just to ask for permission to travel.

He asked Mekong Delta provinces leaders to sit together and design regulations to be commonly applied in provinces to simplify procedures.

Dinh Thi Phuong Khanh, Deputy Director of Long An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said in the first week of applying social distancing under PM Directive 16, the department received 300 calls a day via the hotline, asking to remove difficulties in goods circulation.

According to Khanh, since the views are not clear enough, the circulation is still stuck though ministries and provincial authorities have released many legal documents.

On the first days of the social distancing campaign, the documents with the signature of Director of Long An agriculture department were not accepted at checkpoints. Goods carrying trucks could only go through checkpoints if drivers could show the documents with the signature of the head of the districts committees for Covid-19 prevention and control, Khanh said.

She said that the closure of Binh Dien, Hoc Mon and other large traditional markets in HCMC had a big impact on farmers.

Long An has 42 slaughterhouses, which provided 4,500 pigs, 6,000 chickens and over 300 buffaloes and cows to HCMC before the pandemic. When social distancing was imposed, 90 percent of the slaughterhouses closed their doors or reduced capacity. As a result, food supply for HCMC was affected, while farmers could not sell their products.

According to Do Quoc Huy from Saigon Co-op, seafood supply is very high in localities. However, processing factories have closed the doors, thus leading to congestion in consumption

Businesses, local authorities in the same boat

Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Investment's Can Tho Director Nguyen Phuong Lam warned that materials will be short in the last three months of the year.

Lam proposed that local authorities allow merchants to travel to collect farm produce in localities. In Mekong Delta, a factory is situated in one locality, but its workers, input materials and markets are in others.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Le Minh Hoan also said because of the pandemic, some people have caused a disruption in goods circulation by intervening in the chain. Its necessary to bring the supply chain to a normal status.

According to Hoan, the problem lies in the disconnection among 13 Mekong Delta provinces. The economic entity doesnt have any administrative boundary, but it is being managed by administrative border principles. The treatment would be different if Mekong Delta was seen as a united entity, and the 13 provinces as 13 separate entities.

Hoan stressed that the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has set a reasonable policy. Social distancing means isolating people from people, communes from communes, districts from districts and provinces with provinces. Every commune and every ward is a fortress to prevent and fight the pandemic.

However, this is just a fortress to fight the pandemic, and must not be an economic fortress. The operation must be seamless and uninterrupted among the 13 provinces. Different behaviors in different regulations will create difficulties for economic activities.

Administrative boundaries are just for state management, not economic management, even under normal conditions, let alone the pandemic," Hoan sai, adding that localities leaders should act as business owners who feel worried when workers leave, distribution gets interrupted, and enterprises lose contracts.

He said that local authorities and businesses are now in the same boat and need to keep a balance to help the boat overcome the storm.

Tran Chung

Agriculture Ministry to open new path for farm produce sales We have to figure out a new farm produce path that allows us to connect fields and markets, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan.
As of September 16, more than 80 universities had announced required benchmarks for admission.

Examinees need to have 2-4 exam scores higher than the previous year on average to be enrolled in universities.

Analysts say that higher required scores are expected, because there are more examinees this year than in previous years, and the high school final exam questions were easier this year.

Hottest majors

The Building Peoples Public Security of the Political Academy of the People's Police of Vietnam is the major which requires the highest exam score  30.34 for female students attending C00 exam group (literature, history and geography).

The next belongs to Security Operations of the Peoples Security Academy  29.99 score, applied to female students in Zone 1 (10 northern mountainous provinces), attending A01 exam group (mathematics, physics and English).

The Korean Studies major at the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanity once again requires 30/30 score (C00 group) this year.

Others majors of the school also require near perfect scores, such as Oriental Studies (29.8) and Public Relations (29.3).

Computing Science and IT continue to be one of the hottest majors. There is no sharp increase in the required benchmarks between this year and last year because the benchmarks were already high.

The lowest benchmark for IT-related majors set by the Hanoi University of Science and Technology is 27.19, and the highest 28.43 (computer science). Meanwhile, the HCMC University of Technology and HCMC University of Natural Sciences require 28 for students registering to study computer science.

Among business schools, Foreign Trade University in Hanoi and HCMC both require more than a 28 score. The highest required benchmark is 28.55, for Economics and Business Administration majors (A00 group  mathematics, physics and chemistry).

Pedagogical schools

Nguyen Van Minh, Rector of the Hanoi National University of Education, said the benchmarks this year generally are not much higher than in previous year, but are high, 28, on average.

However, politics education and citizenship education are an exception as they require benchmarks higher by 9 and 6.75, respectively, than the previous year.

Cao Ba Cuong, Vice Rector of the Hanoi University of Education No2, said the average benchmark this year slightly increased because of the higher number of applicants, especially those applying for the primary education major.

The benchmark for the preschool education major at the University of Education, a member school of Hanoi National University, is 25.05 this year, compared to 19.25 last year.

Thanh Hung - Le Huyen

Reform of high school finals to begin in 2022 Minister of Education and Training Nguyen Kim Son said 2022 will be a transitional year when the educational sector prepares for more comprehensive reform of the organization of high school finals.
According to the national road network planning by 2050, Vietnam will have more than 9,000 km of expressways. The country aims to complete construction of about 5,000 km by 2030.

Vietnam will have about 9,000 km of highways by 2050,

The Ministry of Transport has published on its website the road network plan for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, which was approved by the Prime Minister on September 1.

Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho said that the plan was prepared by the Ministry of Transport based on extensive consultation with 63 provinces and cities, 16 ministries and ministerial-level agencies and relevant organizations.

Under this plan, a system of expressways connecting economic and political centers, key economic regions, seaports and international airports will be formed. At the same time, the national highways will be gradually upgraded to meet standards.

Accordingly, by 2030, about 5,000 km of expressways and 172 national highways will be completed, with a total length of nearly 29,800 km. By 2050, 41 routes of expressways totaling more than 9,000 km will be formed. At the same time, coastal roads will be connected to the national highway system.

Nguyen Xuan Cuong, Deputy Director General of the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam, said that priority road projects will be selected based on the principle that these projects must play the role of a driving force for regional or inter-regional development.

In the 2021-2030 period, the expressways with large traffic capacity to form an inter-regional expressway network and the backbone of the national road system will be the top priority.

During this time, efforts will be focused on the construction of the North-South expressway in the East, a number of expressways in the South, Central - Central Highlands, northern mountainous areas and some urban belt routes in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The specific goal to 2030 is to have more than 5,000km of expressways.

Regarding investment capital, the plan determines to mobilize all investment resources for expressway projects. These projects will be mainly implemented in the form of public-private partnership (PPP), with the state budget capital playing a supporting role.

Vu Diep
NEW HAVEN: The Chinese Lady at the Long Wharf Theatre (Oct. 1231)

This darkly poetic new play by Lloyd Suh recounts the true story of Afong Moy, who is believed to be the first Chinese woman to arrive in the United States when she was brought here in 1834 from Guangzhou. For decades, she was displayed as a sideshow known as The Chinese Lady, and people would come to see what she ate, what she wore and how she walked with bound feet.

Buy tickets: longwharf.org
Love and hate, the two most prevalent human emotions. Every human on the planet, save those afflicted with serious mental health issues, has experienced these feelings. They cannot be legislated and neither emotion is, in itself, considered to be a crime. It is what some people do with their hate that is the problem.

The eruption of hate into criminal behavior resulted in passage of a federal hate crimes law back in 1968. It has been amended several times over the years to include crimes committed against someone based on actual or perceived race, color, religion, sexual orientation, disability or gender identification. All but five states  Arkansas, Indiana, North Dakota, South Carolina and Wyoming  have passed their own version of a hate crimes law. Some of the states passed legislation establishing new hate-fueled offenses, while others enhanced sentences for criminals who were found guilty of acting out of hate when they broke an already existing law.

Even with all these statutes, hate crimes still exist, proving laws dont necessarily curb criminal behavior. And, when you think about it, dont all crimes stem from some sort of hate for others?

Historically, most reported hate crimes targeted African Americans. But after revelations that the deadly COVID-19 virus originated in China, there was a flurry of breathless media stories and pronouncements from politicians about a massive surge in hate crimes against Asians. As an in-depth investigation in Reason Magazine recently reported, Asians do seem to have faced an increase in verbal harassment  and occasionally worse  in some U.S. cities. But increases were far from consistent, and overall incident numbers remained quite small.

Make no mistake, Asians have been singled out for attack, and any racially driven crime should be fully prosecuted. But lets make sure we understand the true motivation for crimes. The medias knee-jerk mention of a possible hate crime often cements public opinion and raises an issue that has no basis in fact.

In Atlanta earlier this year six of the eight victims fatally shot inside three massage spas were Asian women. The media instantly reported the perpetrator likely harbored anti-Asian hate. The idea caught fire and spread nationwide. The confessed shooter later told police he had visited two of the spas, described them as temptations for his sex addiction that he needed to eliminate. The motive was sex, not racial bias.

In January, an elderly Asian man was attacked in San Francisco and later died from his injuries. The family was promptly quoted as saying it was a hate crime. That supposition was roundly accepted. The attackers public defender later said there was absolutely zero evidence of racial bias. It was, the lawyer explained, a break in the mental health of a teenager. Any other narrative is false, misleading and divisive.

In New York, recent reports screamed about an increase in hate crimes against Asians of 833%! The reality? In 2019, there were three anti-Asian crimes reported. In 2020, there were 28. Percentages can be mighty deceiving.

Despite what you may hear, numbers recently released by the Justice Department show hate crimes have not surged. In fact, year-over-year reports of such crimes are up by just 440 cases, not a statistically significant bump in a nation of nearly 333 million citizens. After compiling nationwide data from law enforcement agencies, the DOJ announced that in 2020 states reported just 7,754 hate crime incidents. Most of the events were listed as crimes against persons, which could range from murder to spitting on someone, or crimes against property which could include something as serious as arson or as disturbing as a swastika painted on a synagogue. It should be noted not all law enforcement agencies supplied statistics to the DOJ and hate crimes against fearful victims are believed to be underreported.

As you hear calls for more anti-hate legislation, lets keep in mind there are plenty of state and federal laws on the books. It is already illegal to murder, rape or destroy someones property. There are existing statutes against terrorism, brandishing a weapon, physical or verbal assaults or behaving in an intimidating way.

Somehow we think we can legislate hate. But we cant. It will always be with us, and that is a fact.
After staying stagnant for several months, New Mexicos unemployment rate dropped in August but remained well above the national average.

New Mexico posted a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 7.2% last month, down from 7.6% in July, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. New Mexicos unemployment rate was tied for the fourth-highest in the nation in August, behind California, Nevada and New York, according to the BLS.

The monthly rate is the states lowest since last March  when the pandemic reached New Mexico  but is still higher than the national rate, which stood at 5.2% in August.

Michael ODonnell, acting director of the University of New Mexicos Bureau of Business and Economic Research, said single-month unemployment numbers, which are based on a survey of households, can be unreliable and prone to revision. However, ODonnell added that the overall trend is encouraging for New Mexico after several months of limited movement.

I think that the number, given how much it fell, indicates some improvement in the labor market, he said.

Late summer brought a number of changes for New Mexicos labor market. The state lifted its remaining capacity restrictions on businesses in early July, and announced a back-to-work support payment of up to $1,000 for New Mexicans who returned to work between July 4 and Aug. 28, after businesses reported hiring struggles.

The loss of expanded unemployment programs, which expired at the beginning of September, may have impacted the unemployment rate as well.

Some New Mexicans may have taken jobs knowing the benefits would expire. However, ODonnell noted that New Mexicos overall labor force dropped slightly in August, which he said could indicate that the loss of benefits requiring a weekly job search, alongside existing concerns like finding childcare, inspired some unemployed New Mexicans to stop looking for work last month.

Overall, New Mexico added 10,800 jobs from July to August, and 32,800 jobs since last August, according to data from the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. The states leisure and hospitality sector, which was hit particularly hard early in the pandemic, has added 20,500 jobs since last August, according to DWS.

Given that New Mexico had been trailing other states in residents returning to work, ODonnell said the state had more room to improve relative to some of its neighbors. While he said New Mexicos continued improvement depends on its ability to contain the virus, he added that the drop in the states unemployment rate represents a cause for optimism.

The way that employment has been moving or not moving, I think any kind of positive trend in those  variables is a good sign, ODonnell said.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The percentage of New Mexico adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19 inched closer to 70% on Friday, with the states vaccine administration rate having ticked up in recent days.

In all, 79.2% of New Mexico residents age 18 and older had received at least one vaccine dose, while 69.5% of adults had gotten all shots necessary to be fully vaccinated against the virus, according to state Department of Health data.

The increase in the states vaccine numbers comes after the imposition of a vaccine mandate for New Mexico hospital workers, corrections officers and others employed in group home settings.

State government employees and teachers are also required to either get the vaccine or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing under a state public health order revised this week by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration.

While the vaccine mandates have prompted protests and been targeted by a court challenge, state Department of Health data indicates the overwhelming majority of those who have tested positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks are unvaccinated individuals.

In addition, a total of 88.4% of those hospitalized during a four-week period ending this week were not vaccinated and nearly 98% of those who died of COVID-19 during that time period  or 120 out of 123 deaths  were unvaccinated, a top state health official said this week.

After surging for most of the last month due to the highly contagious delta variant of COVID, the number of new confirmed virus cases across New Mexico has gradually declined over the past week.

State health officials reported 762 new cases on Friday  up slightly from the average of 614 new cases per day over the past week. But that figure was down from an average of nearly 778 new confirmed cases per day the previous week.

Meanwhile, there were 354 individuals hospitalized around New Mexico due to the virus as of Friday  down from 370 people hospitalized a week earlier.

Health officials also reported 13 additional deaths related to COVID-19, which increased the states death toll to 4,675 since the pandemic hit New Mexico in March 2020.

Most of those who have died due to the virus have been elderly residents with underlying health conditions, though the deaths reported Friday included a man in his 40s from Bernalillo County.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

A man is accused of sexually assaulting his daughters friends  aged 12 and 13  after getting them drunk during a sleepover at his South Broadway area home.

Arthur Ruiz, 39, is charged with two counts of criminal sexual penetration, both first and second degree, and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor in the June 6 incident. It is unclear if he has an attorney.

Prosecutors have filed a motion to detain Ruiz, calling him an extremely dangerous person.

The defendants actions show that he is willing to hurt children to satisfy his own sexual desires, the motion states.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court:

The Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office was asked to call the father of a 12-year-old girl alleging abuse. The father had taken the girl to the hospital for a pregnancy, HIV and sexually transmitted disease test after she told him a friends father assaulted her.

The father told deputies he had been working out of state due to the pandemic and his ex-wife had taken her to Ruizs home. The girl told deputies that on June 6, she and another friend went to Ruizs home in the 600 block of Valley High SE for a sleepover.

She said Ruiz  who did hardcore drugs, and had given her cocaine and marijuana previously  bought the girls pink lemonade vodka and they got really drunk. The girl told deputies that the three girls went to bed, and Ruiz assaulted her and then her friend, and that his daughter was awake at the time.

The other friend, a 13-year-old, told deputies Ruiz went back and forth assaulting the two girls and she just froze during the incident. She said Ruizs daughter was so upset after witnessing the abuse that she threatened to run away from home in the morning.

The girl told deputies the abuse made her feel sad and scared, and she has not slept well since the incident. She said she is afraid to go out or go anywhere and is always looking and listening for Ruiz when she is out as she is afraid of him.

When deputies searched Ruizs home, they found a firearm and ammunition in bags shoved under the bed. Ruiz, a convicted felon, was also charged with being in possession of a firearm.

He declined to speak with deputies.
The new year was only a few hours old, and so was my sleep, when the phone rang, too late for revelers to be calling, too early for any good news.

Hi Joline, its me, the familiar, but unexpected, voice said. Can you help me?

Me was a neighbor boy whose family had been close to mine for years. JL and his older sister were friends with my kids when they were in elementary and middle school, and I consider their mother a good friend, both of us commiserating over the unique challenges of raising adopted children who come with emotional baggage no amount of love and therapy can fully heal.

JL was weeks away from turning 18 the morning he called, and the challenges had become so intense that his relationship with his mother was strained, but not broken. He had moved in with a girlfriend and her family, dropped out of military school. His days of hanging out at our house had long been over.

Yet, here he was, calling me at 3 a.m. on a New Years Day.

My number, he said, was the only one he could remember.

He was in trouble, he said, kicked out in the cold by the girlfriend with nowhere to go and no way to reach his mother, who had the odd habit of turning off her phones at night. Could I, he asked, drive to her house, wake her up and have her come get him?

Outside our East Mountains home, snow lay thick on the ground and roads were icy. But off I went because this is what moms do for each other and for their children, no matter how outlandish the request or how strained the relationship.

Its been eight years since that New Years call. I never heard from JL again, except through the occasional social media post. Over the years, he had fallen into addiction and was recovering. He had gone from a scruffy-haired teen to a young man with a shaved head and neck tattoos. He had given his heart away several times, had it broken several more times.

My sense is that he continued to struggle with abandonment and attachment issues that many adopted children are saddled with, no matter how much love and support surrounds them.

His one constant was his mother. No matter how bad things had gotten, she never gave up on him.

This week, he gave up on himself. He was 26 when he ended his life.

Facebook posts from last month show photos of a young man in love who looked like he had finally found his way. But, this month, his posts were somber, bitter. Among his last posts were these words: u deserve someone who never leaves, no matter how dark it gets.

He did deserve that.

His death comes, as it turns out, during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and, this year, state departments have worked together to help reduce the stigma that still surrounds suicide and offer help for those who feel suicidal.

This month, behavioral health responders began answering calls for service involving suicide and other mental health issues under the fledgling Albuquerque Community Safety Department. Such calls are normally handled by law enforcement officers, who are already stretched thin and are not always the best trained to handle mental crises.

This week, Albuquerque Public Schools issued a memo voicing concern over the recent spate of troubling behaviors among its students, likely the aftereffects of what was a lengthy lack of safety net, structure and socializing when schools shuttered because of COVID-19. The memo suggests that the behaviors may also be cries for help.

It is now more important than ever to talk with your students, be aware of their social media activity, listen to their concerns, and access available school wellness resources if needed, Superintendent Scott Elder wrote. We cant ignore our students if they are acting out because they need our help.

These efforts have been especially crucial in these isolating times of pandemic and polarizing rancor. In New Mexico, preliminary numbers suggest that death by suicide has increased in nearly all age groups, from the youngest to the oldest among us.

In July alone, the most recent month for which there is data, the New Mexico Crisis Line reports that it handled 9,806 calls from its various support sources. In July 2020, the number was 5,298.

But one wonders how many people in crisis did not make that call. New Mexico remains a state sorely lacking in enough mental health care providers. Which is to say that, in large part, the onus of suicide prevention remains on us.

Its up to all of us to connect and reach out to our family, friends and neighbors who might be suffering in silence. Simply to let them know they are not alone and that someone cares, said Bryce Pittenger, CEO of Behavioral Health Collaborative, the state cabinet-level group representing 15 state agencies and the governors office. Sometimes, all it takes is just a little word of encouragement for someone suffering in silence to let them know that help is available and that brighter days are ahead.

No matter how hard my friend had tried to convince her son, it appears that JL no longer believed in those brighter days. And I wish  oh, how I wish  that he had still remembered my number, anybodys number, and called it, no matter what time it was.

UpFront is a front-page news and opinion column. Reach Joline at 730-2793, jkrueger@abqjournal.com, Facebook or @jolinegkg on Twitter.

REACH OUT

The New Mexico Crisis and Access Line offers immediate access to mental health professionals and resources anytime at 1-855-NMCRISIS (662-7474), nmcrisisline.com or download NMConnect, a smartphone app.
Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

Unvaccinated federal employees and contractors at Sandia National Laboratories and Kirtland Air Force Base will be required to get vaccinated in the coming weeks after President Joe Biden last week issued sweeping executive orders requiring the COVID-19 vaccine.

But officials at the sprawling military base in Albuquerque, where thousands of people work for such entities as Sandia Labs, the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Department of Energy, said details of how such a policy will be enacted are still being worked out.

A vaccine mandate for federal workers takes effect Nov. 22, which gives people about a month to get the first of the two-shot series of vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, or until early November to get the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, to meet the deadline. Unlike the presidents vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 workers, which allows unvaccinated people to opt instead for weekly testing, the order aimed at government workers and contractors makes no such exception.

Based on the Executive Order requiring federal employees and contractors to be vaccinated against COVID-19, current Sandia employees have been told they should expect the vaccine requirement to apply to them, Troy Rummler, a spokesman for Sandia Labs, said in an email. The details of the implementation of that order are forthcoming.

Sandia workers already have a higher rate of vaccinated employees than the state as a whole. Rummler said that 83% of the labs roughly 14,000 employees and contractors are already fully vaccinated. Statewide, about 69% of adults are fully vaccinated, according to the Department of Healths latest vaccine report.

Rummler said Sandia also has a policy requiring all new employees to be vaccinated.

A spokesman for the Department of Energy said the agency is still developing a new policy based on Bidens executive orders. He didnt say what percentage of DOE personnel at Kirtland are vaccinated.

Last month, the vaccine was required for military personnel, which applies to the roughly 3,300 service members assigned to Kirtland, said James Fisher, a spokesman for the base.

He said the most recent memo the base received that applied to KAFB civilians was on Sept. 8, and it said all workers would need to provide proof of vaccination or a recent negative test to access Department of Defense facilities. Fisher said the base hasnt received an updated memo since Bidens executive orders, which were issued Sept. 9.

He said that the percentage of KAFB employees who are vaccinated is considered an operational security issue and wont be released.

Bidens vaccine orders will also affect the private sector.

In coming weeks, the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration will issue a full order requiring employers with more than 100 employees to ensure their workers are vaccinated or get tested weekly. Until that order is finalized, however, several large employers operating in New Mexico are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Spokespeople from Fidelity Investments and Dions each said their companies are still evaluating the mandate and waiting for specifics before announcing a change to their policies.

Rob Black, president and CEO of the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, told the Journal that some companies are unsure whether employers will cover the costs of regular testing for employees who opt out of vaccination. He added that it remains unclear whether the order determines if companies qualify based on head count or full-time equivalency.

What we are hearing is that there is a lot of uncertainty about what the OSHA rule is actually going to look like, Black said.

Stephen Hamway contributed to this report.
Albuquerque police say they are no longer looking for Catiana Zepeda, the 4-year-old whose mother was found dead on Friday in an apartment in Southeast Albuquerque.

Catiana has been located and she is safe, Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said Saturday morning, roughly nine hours after the agency asked for the publics help in locating her.

Gallegos said officers responded to the unattended death of the childs mother, Cathalena Laughing, in the 500 block of San Pablo SE.

Gallegos said Laughing had been dead for three or four days by the time her body was found. He said the girl was not found at the home and neighbors told police they hadnt seen her in a week.

Gallegos did not say how Laughing died.
PARIS  Frances foreign minister on Saturday denounced what he called the duplicity, disdain and lies surrounding the sudden rupture of Frances lucrative contract to make submarines for Australia in favor of a U.S. deal and declared that a crisis is at hand among the Western allies.

A day after France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian pummeled what he suggested was a backroom deal that betrayed France.

The recalling of its ambassadors signifies the force of the crisis today between the French government and Washington and Canberra, he said in an interview on France 2 television. He said it was the first time ever that France, the United States oldest ally, has recalled its ambassador to the U.S.

The announcement by President Joe Biden of the deal, alongside the leaders of Australia and Britain, for at least eight nuclear-powered submarines has set France in a fury. The French had signed a contract in 2016 for a dozen conventional diesel-electric submarines and the work to make them was already underway. The deal with French majority state-owned Naval Group was worth at least $66 billion.

Diplomatic niceties have gone out the window as French authorities seek to make their anger known.

Le Drian denied reports that there had been advance consultations with France ahead of the announcement, saying this isnt true.

Allies dont treat each other with such brutality, such unpredictability, a major partner like France  So there really is a crisis, Le Drian said.

There are reasons for us to question the strength of our alliance, Le Drian said.

Earlier, Frances ambassador to Australia also strayed from diplomatic language when describing what has been widely billed in France as the contract of the century.

This has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership, French ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault said before flying home to France.

The arms agreement between France and Australia, signed in 2016, was supposed to be based on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity, a fuming Thebault said. I would like to be able to run into a time machine and be in a situation where we dont end up in such an incredible, clumsy, inadequate, un-Australian situation.

He said he found out about the canceled contract in the Australian press.

Le Drian said in a written statement Friday that the French decision to recall its ambassadors  at the request of President Emmanuel Macron  is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made by Australia and the United States.

What French officials have called a complex, multi-layered contract was about more than submarines. It was the underpinning for Frances vision of the critical Indo-Pacific region, where France has a presence and China is looking to bolster its influence.

The Naval Group said in a statement that consequences of the contract cancelation would be analyzed with Australia in the coming days. It noted that teams in France and Australia have been at work on the project for the past five years.

Australian employees working with Naval Group and their families have set up home in the Normandy port of Cherbourg. A union official, David Robin, told BFMTV that employees were informed there may be an option to keep them on.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Paynes office earlier had issued a statement responding to the diplomats recall and noting Canberras regret over its allys withdrawal of its representative.

Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests, the statement said. It added that Australia values its relationship with France and looked forward to future engagements together.

Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton are currently in the United States for annual talks with their U.S. counterparts and their first with Bidens administration.

After the U.S. deal was made public this week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he told Macron in June that there were very real issues about whether a conventional submarine capability would address Australias strategic security needs in the Indo-Pacific.

Morrison has not specifically referred to Chinas massive military buildup, which has gained pace in recent years.

Morrison was in Paris on his way home from a Group of Seven nations summit in Britain where he had talks with soon-to-be-alliance partners Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Thebault said he had also been at the meeting with Macron and Morrison.

Morrison mentioned there were changes in the regional situation, but gave no indication that Australia was considering changing to nuclear propulsion, Thebault said.

Everything was supposed to be done in full transparency between the two partners, he added.

Senior Australian opposition lawmaker Mark Dreyfus called on the Australian government to fix its relationship with France.

The impact on our relationship with France is a concern, particularly as a country with important interests in our region, Dreyfus said. The French were blindsided by this decision and Mr. Morrison should have done much more to protect the relationship.
WASHINGTON  It was an hour President Joe Biden would no doubt like to forget.

On Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged that a drone strike in Afghanistan killed 10 civilians, including seven children, not terrorists. A panel advising the Food and Drug Administration voted to not recommend COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans over age 16, dashing an administration hope. And France announced it was recalling its ambassador to the United States out of anger for being cut out of a secret nuclear submarine deal Biden had struck with the United Kingdom and Australia.

The headlines, all within an hour, underscored the perils for any president from situations that can define a term in office.

Already, Biden has seen public approval numbers trend downward as the pandemic has deepened and Americans cast blame for the flawed U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The administration had hoped to roll out tougher vaccine guidelines, a new international alliance to thwart China and a recommitment to what Biden has done best: drawing on his years on Capitol Hill and knowledge of the legislative process to cajole fellow Democrats to pass the two far-reaching spending bills that make up the heart of his agenda.

Those ambitions are now more difficult to achieve.

Biden has proclaimed defeating the pandemic to be the central mission of his presidency. But the United States is now averaging more than 145,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases per day, compared with a low of about 8,500 per day three months ago.

The president has tried to shift the blame for the resurgence of cases to the more than 70 million Americans who have not gotten a vaccine and the GOP lawmakers who have opposed his increasingly forceful efforts to push people to get a shot. Aides had hoped for full FDA approval for the boosters, yet the advisory panel only recommended them for those over age 65 or with underlying health conditions or special circumstances.

Biden aides in recent days had quietly expressed relief that the Afghanistan withdrawal  like the war itself for much of its nearly two decades  has receded from headlines. That feeling was shattered Friday afternoon when the Pentagon revealed the errant target for what was believed to be the final American drone strike of the war.

Biden had long advocated leaving Afghanistan. Even after a suicide bombing killed 13 American service members, he told advisers the withdrawal decision was correct. He is known for his certitude, a stubbornness that flashed when he dismissed suggestions that he express regret for how the withdrawal occurred.

Aides have since been quick to note that more than 120,000 people have been successfully evacuated and they say U.S. efforts are securing the steady departure of others from under Taliban rule.

The end in Afghanistan was part of an effort to refocus foreign policy on China, an aim that accelerated with the surprise announcement of the agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

But not only did Beijing balk, so did Paris, as France angrily accused the U.S. of cutting France out of the alliance and scuttling its own submarine deal with Australia.

And then France recalled its ambassador after its officials expressed dismay that, in their estimation, Biden had proven to be as unreliable a partner as his predecessor Donald Trump.

The strain with France came just as Biden had hoped to pivot to his ambitious domestic agenda.

But there are ideological divides among the Democrats on Capitol Hill about the $3.5 trillion spending package meant to be passed in tandem with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. And all of Congress will be forced to juggle the White Houses legislation while being swamped with imminent deadlines on the debt ceiling and government funding.

The West Wing is re-creating a legislative strategy that worked to secure passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief in March and pushed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill through the Senate in August, according to a half dozen White House aides and outside advisers who were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

With Biden cajoling lawmakers, the infrastructure bill is to be passed through the House along with the $3.5 trillion spending bill that contains many of the presidents priorities, such as like climate change and child care, and would pass the Senate along party lines.

Because the Senate is in a 50-50 tie and Democrats margin in the House is only a handful of seats, few votes can be lost. It could be a formidable task to unite Democratic moderates such as Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who want a far smaller spending bill, with liberals including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has steadfastly said it could not shrink.

The White House also has begun filling the presidents schedule again with events meant to highlight the need to pass the bills, including linking visits to the sites of natural disasters  fires in California and Idaho, hurricane damage in Louisiana and the Northeast  to the climate change funding in the legislation.

This past Thursday, on what had previously been tentatively planned as a down day for Biden, the White House scheduled him to give a speech from the East Room during which he zeroed in on how tax enforcement to get big corporations and wealthy Americans to pay more would help fund his plan, without offering any new details.

But there are roadblocks. Manchin told Biden that he could not support $3.5 trillion and White House aides have begun signaling that they would settle for a smaller package, even if it raises the ire of progressives.

Bidens advisers believe that, even if there is some unhappiness with the package, no Democratic lawmaker would want to be perceived as undermining the centerpiece of the agenda of a president from their own party.

The White House is also scaling back the presidents travel so he can support the agenda on Capitol Hill, but its led to concerns among some Democratic lawmakers that Biden isnt doing enough to personally sell the legislation to their constituents across the country.

Some aides worry about the exposure level Biden may have faced when he mingled in groups during a recent trip to the West and his three stops to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary, two officials said. Biden, 78, also did not get a summer vacation. His plan to spend time at his Delaware home in August was scuttled by the Afghanistan crisis.

Aides had finally scheduled him a break, a long weekend at his house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.. He reached his home Friday just after 1:30 p.m.

Ninety minutes later, any hope for a quiet weekend vanished.
BUTTE COUNTY, Calif. - Butte County is currently out of ICU beds, this comes as coronavirus cases continue to surge in the local area.

Keep in mind that ICU bed capacity is very fluid and availability can increase or decrease in a matter of hours, Butte County Public Health Communication Manager Lisa Almaguer told Action News Now.

Almaguer said there are no ICU beds available in Butte County shortly before 2 p.m. on Friday.

On the California COVID-19 dashboard, Butte County has 112 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 20 COVID-19 ICU patients. Those numbers were recorded on Thursday.

Enloe Medical Center reported 12 patients are in ICU with the coronavirus and 69 patients are hospitalized, as 78% are not fully vaccinated, as of 8 a.m. Friday.

Enloe said a year ago it had 15 COVID-19 patients.

The Butte County dashboard recorded that 87.2% of coronavirus hospitalizations between April 15 to Aug. 15 were among people not fully vaccinated.

It also reports 88.6% of its cases between those dates were among people not fully vaccinated.

On Monday, Butte County Public Health announced four new COVID-19 deaths with the anticipation that more deaths were going to be announced through the week.

As of Friday, Butte County has reported nine COVID-19 deaths. There have been 226 total coronavirus deaths in Butte County.

Since April 15th, of the 25 deaths in persons below the age of 80, 4% were fully vaccinated, Almaguer said Monday in a news release.
CHICO, Calif. - The Temporary Resting Center near the Chico airport will remain open throughout the weekend, according to city officials.

The Temporary Resting Center was going to close Friday but officials have expended its closing date.

On Monday, a magistrate judge made it clear the site will not satisfy the lawsuit.

There will be another settlement meeting this coming Monday.

This is a developing story. Action News Now will keep you updated with new information on-air and online.
RED BLUFF, Calif. - In Tehama County half of all available ventilators are in use, 30 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized and all ICU beds are full. The county also reported eight new deaths from COVID today.

"Our ICU is full of COVID patients, said Randy Pennebaker, senior director of operations at St. Elizabeth's Community Hospital.

Pennebaker told Action News Now that the ICU beds at St. Elizabeths have been at full capacity for the past two months.

"Folks are able to get out in the community now, and that would lend itself to higher transmission rates, Pennebaker told Action News Now.

That paired with the delta variant has Arlene Odell, who just moved to the area from Sacramento, nervous.

"It scares me for people who just have regular issues. If they have a heart attack where are they going to go if the ICU beds are full?" Odell said.

Now, north state hospitals are seeing sicker and younger patients.

"I have a one-year-old granddaughter and that scares me because she can't be vaccinated yet because it's not available to babies, said Odell. There are people who just don't care."

Odell has been trying to play it safe since she moved here. Aside from her weekly grocery shopping trip and keeping her distance while at work, she tries to stay at home as much as possible.

"Literally not one single human has walked into our house since COVID started, Odell told Action News Now.

Not only is this the highest surge of COVID cases in the ICU St. Elizabeth's has seen so far, but they are also hitting historic highs in all hospitalizations.

"That would include COVID and non-COVID, said Pennebaker. I have seen historically high numbers that I don't think anyone here has ever seen."

The hospital is engaging local, county, regional and state resources to have enough staff to meet the demand.

"It does not appear that the current surge would be ending any time before the middle of October or end of October, Pennebaker said.

Pennebaker said getting vaccinated is the best thing people can do to stay safe.

"If you don't care about yourself, at least care about your fellow humans, Odell told Actions News Now.

For people who want to or need to get tested, the hospital is urging them to go to Walgreens or CVS, not the emergency room.

St. Elizabeth's does transfer patients to other facilities if necessary, and is also making adjustments within the hospital. They are holding ICU patients in the emergency department and med surge patients in the day surgery units.
REDDING, Calif. - Two loaded firearms were found in carry-on luggage at the Redding Municipal Airport Thursday, according to Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

The first firearm was found at 7 a.m. when a TSA officer saw a firearm on the X-ray screen.

This firearm was a .40 caliber Smith and Wesson MP40 loaded with six rounds of ammunition. It was found in a males carry-on heading to Los Angeles International Airport.

The second firearm was found at 2 p.m. and was a loaded .38 caliber Charter Arms gun with five rounds of ammunition.

This gun was found in a carry-on item belonging to a female traveling to Hollywood Burbank Airport.

The discovery of two firearms in a single day at Redding Municipal Airport is significant, said TSA Federal Security Director Sid Hanna who oversees TSA operations at the Redding airport. However, it is a vivid reminder of the message that TSA has repeatedly communicated to travelers: take note of the contents of your carry-on luggage prior to coming to the airport to ensure that you do not bring firearms or other prohibited items to the security checkpoint.

TSA said there was no evidence the two incidents were linked and both people were interviews and allowed to continue their travels.

This is the second and third time TSA has found a firearm this year as they found one on Aug. 18.

People can travel with a firearm only if they are unloaded, packed in a locked, hard-sided case and placed in a checked bag.

The person must go to the airline ticket counter and declare the firearm, ammunition and any firearm parts.
De Beers Forevermark has launched their festive campaign for the Forevermark Avaanti Collection starting this September. The 360-degree multimedia campaign runs across TV, Digital, Print, OOH and Radio. The campaign is driven by the belief that the future can unfold from a single ripple and reiterates that a moment seized in time can start a whole movement leading to the path of greatness.

The Forevermark Avaanti Collection comprises thirty-six stand-out pieces that embody a spirit of possibility, inspiring the wearer to be aware of their power and make a lasting statement every day. The campaign for the collection was planned by De Beers Forevermarks media agency  Luxhub Havas and brought to life by an all-female creative team, including award-winning director, Vicky Lawton and photographer Anya Holdstock. Together they executed the campaigns inspirational film and striking photography.

Each piece in the Forevermark Avaanti jewellery collection represents a ripple and symbolises the start of something new. Each piece features a rare De Beers Forevermark diamond in 0.10, 0.18 and 0.30 carats at the centre. set in 18k yellow, white or rose gold, the clean, circular designs are also available with the added brilliance of pave diamonds. Worn together or alone, these rings, earrings, pendants, and bracelets make a bold statement of confidence, adding verve to your style.

Inspired by the Italian word for forward, the Avaanti collection embodies the spirit of leadership and of building something big from a small ripple, an idea or a spark. Through this campaign, we want to remind women that the power lies with them to mould the future and create a lasting impact in whatever they choose to do. Each ripple can gather momentum and lead to a gigantic wave and so we celebrate and applaud women who are trailblazers in their own, unique right, said Sachin Jain, Managing Director, De Beers  India.

The campaign has a 360-degree media focus that will include digital and traditional mediums. Digitally, the brand will focus on ad spots on OTT platforms, social media, programmatic & audience cohorts, lifestyle, fashion, news, current affairs as well as influencer collaborations. The conventional media platforms include television, radio ads across major channels and print nationally. The campaign will further be supplemented by OOH ads in key city of Mumbai.

The Forevermark Avaanti collection is available for sale at all authorized De Beers Forevermark jewelers across the country.

For further details, please visit www.forevermark.com
In a tribute to a legendary jurist and MP, Ram Jethmalani lecture series is back with its second edition and will be streamed LIVE on NewsX on September 18, Saturday from 5 pm.

Addressing an issue, which has recently found itself at the hotbed of Indian politics in 21st century, India's Who's and Who will share their take on 'Is disruption to parliamentary proceedings an MP's privilege and/or a facet of parliamentary democracy?'

Hon'ble Vice President Of India and Hon'ble Chairman of Rajya Sabha M. Venkaiah Naidu will be the guest of honour at the lecture series and will be joined by other esteemed panelists including Union Cabinet Minister Of Law Kiren Rijiju, Learned Attorney General For India KK Venugopal and Learned Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta.

Union Cabinet Minister For Women & Child Welfare Smriti Irani, Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, Former Solicitor General Of India Gopal Subramaniam, Former Solicitor General Of India Ranjit Kumar, Tughlak Editor S Gurumurthy and Former Rajya Sabha MP Pavan Varma will also mark their presence at the memorial series and share their views on this pertinent topic.

Commenting on the event, Kartikeya Sharma, Founder of iTV Network, said, In tribute to one of India's greatest jurists and MPs I can't think of a more fitting subject that merits the focus of stakeholders in this panel of speakers. Democratic systems often lead to deadlock, but surely there is a way to bring back the poignancy of debate that Ram Jethmalani embodied at the bench, both in court and parliament. The object is to keep India forging ahead. I'm hoping that such efforts to recall whence we came will help us chart whither we go.

Rishabh Gulati, Managing Editor, NewsX, said, The people of India now have great expectations from those who are elected to serve. Parliament has became raucous often times as has the Indian media. We had the opportunity to get some of India's most committed minds discuss the Indian media in the first edition of this memorial lecture series, it's a merit that so many stakeholders are willing to take on a vexatious topic like this. As a journalist, I look forward to listening, rather than talking through this one.

Ahead of the lecture series, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, RS, Majeed Menon shared his take on the topic and said, "Disruption should be, as far as possible, avoided. It is not just the protesting member of the parliament but it is the ruling party. It is the chair also that has to respect the reason for protest and make necessary amends so that the parliament can discharge its duty as required by the constitution and democracy."

PP Chaudhary, Honble Member of Parliament, LS, expressed, "Basically, if there is disruption in the parliament, in my opinion, it is not the privilege but a breach of privilege. The people are electing the member of the parliament."

Apart from NewsX channel, the series will be aired on all our social media channels and major OTT platforms - Zee5, Dailyhunt, JioTV, Shemaroo, Mzaalo, Watcho, Flipkart, Paytm, Tatasky and MX Player.
The Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was tabled in the Legislative Assembly on September 17 to ban online gaming or betting by amending the Karnataka Police Act of 1963, with maximum imprisonment of three years and penalty up to 1 lakh.

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra introduced the Bill, which aims to ban online games, involving all forms of wagering or betting, including in the form of tokens valued in terms of money paid before or after issue of it. It banned electronic means and virtual currency, electronic transfer of funds in connection with any game of chance.

18th September 2021: Most of Indias unicorns are based in Bengaluru, its due to it has progressive policies for start-ups, regulatory certainty and a young and skilled workforce. However, the Karnataka government may hamper this image of Bangalore and probably the overall gaming ecosystem of the country by introducing a law of not prohibiting the online real money skill gaming in its State.

The legal jurisprudence emanating from Supreme Court for over the past 60 years is very clear, that games of skill are not gambling, and offering of games of skill is a legitimate activity protected under the Indian Constitution. This has been reiterated multiple time by various high courts, including the Karnataka High Court.

Despite the clear law and the judgments, multiple states including Tamil Nadu have tried to ban skill based online games. The Tamil Nadu High Court last month gave a detailed judgment striking down the Tamil Nadu law which prohibited online games of skill, as unconstitutional. The Court clarified that any restriction on games of skills, whether online of offline needs to be narrow and the state should try and regulate, instead of ban. The Court also came down heavily on the State government for passing the law as a populist measure in the lead up to state elections, without following the established law. The Court also stated that Entry 34 of the State List under the Constitution, from where the Karnataka amendment traces its power, cannot be used to regulate games of skill, and can only be used to ban/ regulate games of chance.

Commenting on the same, Mr. Roland Landers, CEO, All India Gaming Federation states, India is the fifth largest online gaming market globally and skill-based gaming, a sunrise sector, is giving birth to an increasing number of unicorns within the country, especially Karnataka. The sector has been a strong financial contributor to the Indian economy even during an unprecedented period of slowdown and is further expected to generate revenues in excess of $ 3 billion by 2025. The move by the Karnataka government in tabling the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Compliance Act, 2021 act can be seen as a setback to the states reputation of being a tech-hub and start-up capital.

Skill-based gaming cannot be compared with gambling, and banning is not a solution. Elaborating this further Justice Vikramajit Sen, a former Judge of the Supreme Court & former Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, added, The Indian regulatory framework has clearly differentiated between games of skill and games of chance in India. Just because games of skills may involve an entry fee they cannot be considered gambling. Games of chance are considered gambling as it involves luck rather than skill and thus it is expressly prohibited by the law, wherein games of skill are considered legal across most states including digital & online. The sector needs the support of state governments to promote initiatives towards responsible gaming and recognition of the AIGF Self-regulation Framework. AIGF and its advisory members look forward to an opportunity to engage stakeholders within the state government to make an industry representation on the matter.

The Karnataka Police Act, in line with the laid down law prohibited games of chance. However, now in the garb of including online gambling within its ambit, the government is also trying to slide in games of skill. The draft bill will also prohibit games likes online chess, archery, online quiz games, other Indian games, all digital versions of traditional sports, including games included in Asian Games and Olympic Virtual Series. In the backdrop of Asian Games announcing that 24 medals will be awarded for eSports at the next years edition, this law can be very problematic for the professional gaming players as this may affect the livelihoods and income of these gamers living in that state.

With serious concerns looming from the Karnataka Government's move to ban online gaming, PK Misra, President Players' Association - AIGF and former senior IAS said, The move will affect the online skill-based gaming sector, putting an end to players right to earn their livelihood. There is no clarity on the scope of this law, and we remain in constant fear of the players livelihood being banned at any time without prior information or dialogue.

Spearheading the initiatives of the Players association at AIGF, Mr. Misra has held key positions in Indian bureaucracy. Providing his proven guidance and bringing to the table his decades of experience and a keen understanding of the industry, the AIGF, and its self-regulatory perspectives, he aims at ensuring that the growth is inclusive and monitored regularly for the players and the industry.

Mr. Misra further added, Around 10-12% of Indias gaming community is based in Karnataka, and many of these players who compete at the international level are afraid for not only their livelihoods, but also their ability to pursue their dreams of becoming professional players on international platforms. I certainly hope the state government draws a clear distinction between gambling and games of skill. Since 1957, the Supreme court has reiterated games of skill as a legitimate business protected under article 19(1)(g) of the Indian Constitution, also supported by the Karnataka High Court in multiple judgments.

As the oldest online skill gaming industry body, AIGF has been at the forefront of ensuring global best practices for its stakeholders through the self-regulation skill games charter that cover all aspects of the online gaming business, overseen by an advisory of experts. AIGF and all the professional players sincerely hope that the government of Karnataka is listening to the concerns, and will ensure that skill gaming is not affected by this law.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 18.09.2021 - Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres inaugurated an 11,000-square-metre eco-friendly land art painting on grass created by the artist Saype at the UN headquarters in New York on Saturday. Saype's ephemeral work of art, World in Progress II, symbolises the UN's determination to strengthen international solidarity. The first part of "World in Progress" was unveiled at the Palais des Nations in Geneva in June 2020 to mark the 75th anniversary of the UN.

The world is facing extraordinary challenges that call for a constant renewal of the multilateral system and the creation of appropriate structures to respond to them. In the 76 years since its creation, the UN has undergone several reform processes and continuously adapted to changing needs. "The time has come to commit ourselves to better global governance, greater justice and peace," said Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the FDFA, at the ceremony. Mr Cassis underscored the importance of stepping up prevention efforts and enhancing cooperation between the various stakeholders, be they states, NGOs, academia or the private sector.

Monumental fresco on grass by Franco-Swiss artist Saype

The fresco painted on the UN's north lawn depicts two children working to build the world of tomorrow. It illustrates young people's contribution to making the UN stronger and more effective. It is also in line with the Common Agenda launched by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The Common Agenda  aimed at injecting fresh impetus for greater international solidarity  will be debated at the 76th UN General Assembly, which began on 14 September.

Close ties between Switzerland and the UN

Federal Councillor Cassis stressed that Switzerland would make its extensive expertise available to help implement the Common Agenda. This commitment is in line with Switzerland's candidature for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council and its slogan 'A Plus for Peace'.

In June 2020, Saype created the first part of this giant biodegradable land art painting in the park of the Palais des Nations in Geneva. "This artistic link between the two UN headquarters illustrates the close ties between New York and Geneva. Switzerland is proud to host this UN site," said Federal Councillor Cassis, adding that Geneva provides the added value necessary to develop innovative solutions for a prosperous and sustainable future.

Address for enquiries

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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

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The Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) has turned against Ayn Rand. Our medical system is now completely under the thumbs of the government, and ARI, named for an inveterate enemy of socialism, is explicitly supporting it.

Onkar Ghate, ARIs Chief Philosophy Officer, wrote a paper called A Pro-Freedom Approach to Infectious Disease which he claims is based on Rands conception of liberty. This paper is a mishmash. He admits that healthcare is heavily controlled by the government on the one hand, and then says this fact imposes different responsibilities on the government such as spending more money on hospital capacity. Why is he talking about what the government should do in a government-controlled health care system? Why isnt he talking about why those controls should be eliminated instead? Ghate states: In sum, government should not have the power to lock us down in our homes even during a widespread, uncontained outbreak of an infectious disease But there are valid steps our government should take to increase the capacity of our government-controlled healthcare system (Italics added.) He also states that during a pandemic, the controls that cripple doctors, hospitals, etc. should be suspended. Why not permanently removed? Why no support for the doctors who want controls removed, but have been silenced and vilified, and face the looming threat of losing their jobs and removal of their medical licenses for resisting government controls?

The government should never be involved in medical decisions between doctor and patient -- it is always a violation of individual rights. Before any medical procedure can take place, the patient must give informed consent. Is the Rand Institute fighting the threat of forced vaccine mandates? This year the employees working at ARIs annual Objectivist Conference (OCON) were required to be vaccinated. Attendees were required to either show proof of vaccination or bring proof of a negative result from a COVID-19 test. Since information about alternate treatments is being suppressed, how can anyone who gets the vaccine be said to have been informed before consent? And if not, then how can anyone morally pressure/require anyone to be vaccinated? ARI actually did the immoral thing by requiring the vaccine for their staff. Does this give aid and comfort to those who would require vaccine passports and mandatory medicine for all citizens? It does. What is needed is a robust rejection of this sort of requirement, not a moral collapse in the face of cultural pressure. Has ARI been in California too long?

ARI promotes as their COVID expert, alleged Objectivist Dr. Amesh Adjala, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. On August 28, he spoke at OCON about the pandemic, the only doctor at the conference who spoke about the pandemic. Adalja sings the praises of Dr. Fauci, thinks he is at a genius level in understanding infectious diseases, and is above any criticism. Adalja supports the CDC, thinks they should be more aggressive in telling people what to do, and thinks the government needs to reassure people about the safety of the vaccines. He advocates for the global health bureaucracy, the World Health Organization (WHO), an agency of the taxpayer-funded United Nations, the same United Nations that Ayn Rand opposed.

On September 10, 2021, Adalja described Bidens action of mandating forced vaccinations as laudable, and stated his support for them:

On Thursday, President Biden took a critical step in requiring health care facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs to mandate vaccination as a condition of participation in this taxpayer-funded government health insurance program. It is not ideal that it came to this but, for too long, many hospital administrators have lacked sufficient courage or long-range vision to take this action on their own.

Not ideal? Adalja is fully in favor of vaccine mandates (and passports) and was in favor of government schools mandating vaccinations before the pandemic. He pushes vaccines and only vaccines and does not believe people can choose to be exempt from them other than for a medical reason. In other words, he is opposed to medical freedom. There are physicians in the Objectivist community who disagree with Adalja, but their voices are not heard. Instead, ARI supports a central planning statist.

On September 8, 2021, Harry Binswanger, a former associate of Ayn Rand, founder of ARI, and current member of the board of directors, claimed that there is conclusive evidence that the vaccine is safe and effective. One of his reasons is because Dr. Amesh Adalja, the Objectivist infectious disease specialist, is strongly pro-vaccine. Binswanger also cites a statement by Paul Goepfert, M.D., the director of the Alabama Vaccine Research Clinic, who claims that no vaccine has ever had any long-term negative side effects. This claim is utterly false. The long-term result of the swine flu shot for a woman named Judy Roberts was Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) which left her partially paralyzed. In addition, there were 300 lawsuits filed against the government with claims of deaths from GBS due to that shot. It turns out that funding for Goepferts research of infectious diseases was obtained via the National Institute of Health (NIH), the CDC, and several pharmaceutical companies. Why is Binswanger echoing the government in pressuring us to accept a vaccination? Why isnt he talking about the immorality of vaccine coercion, what it means when information about alternate treatments is suppressed, and what should be done about it?

On September 10, Ben Bayer, an instructor and fellow at ARI, stated on his Facebook page that he doesnt agree with Bidens violation of rights by mandating vaccines, but does he condemn that violation as tyrannical? No, he describes it as foolish. Does he advocate resistance to Bidens mandates? No. He thinks that more companies should require vaccinations as a condition of employment.

Ayn Rand was unwavering and consistent in her stand against government-controlled medicine, or for government of any kind except that as a protector, not a violator of rights, and she was in support of American sovereignty. Does anyone really think she would be for the WHO calling the shots for American medicine? What would she say to an institution with her name on it supporting fascism in medicine? This is not the first time ARI has abandoned Ayn Rands views in so shocking a manner. There is no excuse for this. Supporting and promoting tyranny is not an unknowing mistake -- mistakes of this magnitude are not innocent. The Ayn Rand Institute either needs to be dismantled or needs a complete change in leadership. As it stands now, the institute which bears her name has become a traitor to her legacy.

Image: ARI

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Imagine an agitated person who forms a career railing against doctors after learning of a surgeon who committed gross malpractice. That non-medically trained agitator uses questionable means to eventually become a hospital administrator to implement her radical policies of slashing budgets for medical care and personnel. To appease her, everyone in her hospital must follow her rage and ideology rather than proven medical science.

Who would go to that hospital?

Yet, this principle is what Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) seeks to inflict upon the law-enforcement community. This principle is in play in the wake of the recent ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court. When voters head to the polls, they will decide whether to eliminate the Minneapolis charter requirement of a police department, and replace it with a public safety department that employs a public health approach.

As Omar weighs in on this topic, she brings her considerable inexperience to the world of law enforcement. Once again weaponizing the power provided to her by Minneapolis voters and a sycophantic media, she accelerates as the bus careens off the cliff.

Firmly protected by the shields of others, Omar seems to enjoy a perverse pleasure in tarnishing precinct shields across her district and beyond. Why the people in Minnesotas fifth district elected this woman remains a mystery, but the majority of citizens in her district evidently approve of her rhetoric, behavior, and agenda. Yet, despite her problematic rise to power and anti-Semitic controversies, the media and a woke-obsessed culture allow Ilhan Omar free to spew hateful ideologies with little pushback or consequences.

In the face of the rare challenge to her statements and policies, all Omar must do is cry racism. The pre-printed passes afforded to her flow quickly, and she continues unconstrained.

The rule of law serves as the anchor to a civilized society, and police officers function as the lynchpin for the peace. Entrusted with great authority, law enforcement possesses the ability -- and sometimes the mandate -- to wield lethal force. Sometimes, they get it wrong -- and sometimes, they are wrong.

Contrary to popular opinion, we as a species are not evolving in character. The seven deadly sins continue to plague human beings as they have for eons. The only change is our efficiency in exercising the darker parts of our souls  thus the need for checks and balances. Regretfully, law enforcement officers themselves remain subject to the same vices that afflict the human condition. For example, recent FBI hearings revealing the unchecked abuse of young girls in gymnastics demonstrate that even the highest law enforcement in the land get it wrong -- and lives suffered.

One cannot help but wonder why Omar chooses to not call for the defunding of the FBI on behalf of the lives of so many young girls who will live with lifetime trauma.

Local law enforcement officers are often easy targets for headline-hungry politicians. Maligning a profession based upon the actions of a few is low-hanging fruit to those striding the halls of power. Contrary to what we hope, division still serves as the currency of politics. Split a people, and you can emerge as a savior for one side -- who with the aid of their generous donations allow you to fight against this enemy you helped fabricate. It is a great racket that has made multimillionaires out of marginal people for decades.

Sadly, the nonstop media barrages slamming a fearful population often overpower common sense and critical thinking. Ignorance still exists as Americas greatest liability. Its not as if our education system regularly promotes love of this country, respect for the rule of law, or even esteems the founding principles of the Constitution.

Ilhan Omar fled the poverty, corruption, and lawlessness of Somalia. Sadly, she seems intent on remaking what she left. The Department of States Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) maintains dire warnings about Ilhan Omars native country. As violent crimes and murders hit record numbers in her district of Minneapolis, Omar seems eager to lend her roots of lawlessness and division to the ongoing decline of one of Americas great cities.

Applying her policies to the current challenges in her home country might prove enlightening to all. Until such an exercise is attempted, it seems Omar is content to inflict her ideas on the state of Minnesota and America. The country she represents in Congress takes an unfavorable view of Ilhan Omars birth country. Categorized at Level 4, the State Department indicates travelers should not travel to the country due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, health issues, kidnapping, and piracy.

Sadly, that description sounds eerily like Omars district. Unless voters in Minneapolis wish to find their city and homes receiving warnings like the State Departments against Omars home country, they might want to reconsider whom they entrust with power.

Michael A Letts is the CEO and Founder of In-VestUSA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.

Image: AMISOM Public Information

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In the movie The Karate Kid, martial arts master Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager, Daniel LaRusso. But when Daniel shows up for lessons, he's put to work. He's made to wax a fleet of cars, sand the deck, paint the fence, the house.

After a grueling few days, Daniel loses it, says he's tired of the BS, and stomps off. But Mr. Miyagi calls him back He has Daniel go through the moves to wax, sand, and paint.

Then Miyagi says: "Show me wax on, wax off."

Miyagi throws punches and Daniel finds that the same moves used to wax the car serve to block the incoming blows. Now Daniel understands that the work was his training. The repetition required for each task ingrained moves that translate to karate skills.

Today the globalists use similar tactics  blind obedience and repetition  to train the American people. They issue an order, mask on, then rescind the order, mask off. Then again, mask on, mask off.

A great example is the Pennsylvania school mask policy. At first, masks were optional. So the children start their school year free from the bacteria-ridden gags. Then, wham!

On Tuesday Aug. 17, the Bucks County Health Department updated its guidance for school districts, recommending that school officials require masks for all students when they return to class.

The health department has no authority to order masks; it can only make "recommendations." But for those who defy the "recommendations," there's an official-looking "order" from the secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health "requiring" universal face coverings.

I know it seems a bit odd for a secretary of anything to issue orders, but the secretary's intervention was necessary after Pennsylvanians stripped Governor Wolf of his emergency powers imposed during the COVID-19 outbreak.

But an order's an order, and many reflexively respond by masking up the kids, consequences be damned.

"A year of mask-wearing will scar some of them [kids] psychologically."

"Masks can be breeding grounds for infections from bacteria, mold and fungi."

The bacteria are actually a threat to all ages. In fact, Anthony Fauci co-authored a paper stating that "the majority of deaths in the 19181919 influenza pandemic (Spanish flu) likely resulted directly from secondary bacterial pneumonia."

State media immediately blanketed the airwaves with denials that Fauci had implied that masks cause bacterial pneumonia. After all, it can't have anything to do with the fact that bacteria do collect in masks. And it's just a coincidence that masks were mandated during the Spanish flu and bacterial pneumonia, not influenza viruses, was the greatest cause of death.

But there I go again, questioning the veracity of our dear leaders when I know full well we're not allowed to question any part of this medical and government tyranny.

Can't question why this vaccine is so necessary against a virus with a 99%-plus survivability rate for most age groups.

Can't question why kids can ' t breathe fresh air, have to wear bacteria-ridden masks seven hours a day when they're not at risk from the COVID virus.

Can't question why children "should be endangered through mass vaccination against a disease not dangerous to them."

Can't question why those with natural immunity, which is far more effective than the vaccine, are still required to take a vaccine that can harm them.

Can't question why the government and its corporate and medical allies are forcing an experimental vaccine approved only for emergency use without proof of an existing national emergency.

Can't question why people are being forced "to take a vaccine against an extinct virus."

No, there can be no questions, no argument, no resistance to the training. As Mr. Miyagi told Daniel: "First, we'll make a sacred pact. I promise to teach you karate. That is my part. You promise to learn. I say you do, no questions. That is your part."

Americans were also entered into a sacred pact with globalists, though, unlike Daniel, Americans didn't ask for this training. Yet the unwritten pact is in place, our rulers promise to keep us safe from illness and, in return, we learn to be obedient serfs in the new world order.

The lessons are on. We're taught to wear masks, stay home, stand back, lock down, take the jab, take the booster, show your papers. That is their part.

They say we do, no questions. That is our part.

Now show me mask on, mask off.

"The liberties of our country, the freedom of our civil constitution, are worth defending at all hazards; and it is our duty to defend them against all attacks,. . .It will bring an everlasting mark of infamy on the present generation, enlightened as it is, if we should suffer them to be wrested from us by violence without a struggle, or be cheated out of them by the artifices of false and designing men." Samuel Adams

Image via Pxfuel.

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Talk to me for just a few minutes about my life as a lawyer, and I will tell you that, without question, the worst thing about being a litigator is activist judges. It turns out that Clarence Thomas shares my concern, for he fears the power that the Supreme Court holds.

In a speech at the University of Notre Dame, the brilliant jurist told his audience, "The court was thought to be the least dangerous branch and we may have become the most dangerous," adding, "And I think that's problematic." Indeed.

Article III of the Constitution of the United States establishes a "supreme Court." It lists those matters that fall within the Court's jurisdiction, including "all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution[.]" While Art III limits somewhat the nature of the cases the Supreme Court may hear, it does not impose any checks or balances on the Supreme Court's power.

Then, in 1803, Chief Justice John Marshall extended the Court's power, holding that Article III's grant of authority inevitably gave the Court the power to overturn unconstitutional legislation. The result is a Supreme Court that has freely rewritten the Constitution to achieve political ends  and turned the Court itself from what should be a neutral judicial institution into one that has become the partisan center of D.C.

The problem began with the fact that, while Articles I and II, as well as the Bill of Rights, had roots in long-established British rights, some stretching back as far as 1215 and the Magna Carta, the Founders started from scratch with the Supreme Court. Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist No. 78, believed that the Judiciary would be the "least dangerous branch of government," one that was "feeble" because Congress had legislative power and the people would be the forces behind amending the Constitution.

The one person who clearly saw how the federal Judiciary could become tyrannical was Judge Robert Yates, AKA Brutus, who tackled the Supreme Court in Anti-Federalist 78-79:

The supreme court under this constitution would be exalted above all other power in the government, and subject to no control. [snip] The judges in England are under the control of the legislature, for they are bound to determine according to the laws passed under them. But the judges under this constitution will control the legislature, for the supreme court are authorised in the last resort, to determine what is the extent of the powers of the Congress. They are to give the constitution an explanation, and there is no power above them to set aside their judgment. The framers of this constitution appear to have followed that of the British, in rendering the judges independent, by granting them their offices during good behavior, without following the constitution of England, in instituting a tribunal in which their errors may be corrected; and without adverting to this, that the judicial under this system have a power which is above the legislative, and which indeed transcends any power before given to a judicial by any free government under heaven. [snip] In short, they are independent of the people, of the legislature, and of every power under heaven. Men placed in this situation will generally soon feel themselves independent of heaven itself.

Judge Yates was prescient. Thanks to the Supreme Court's unfettered power to write into the Constitution principles that neither the people nor their Legislature supports, we have unlimited abortion based on emanations of penumbras; same-sex "marriage" based on feelings and self-respect; and transgender rights read into the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because one justice (Gorsuch) thought mental illness is the same as "sexuality" (and again, there is no scientific authority supporting transgenderism as a real phenomenon separate from mental illness).

Those are the biggies that have fundamentally shifted society in ways beloved of Marxists. There are innumerable other, more technical examples in which the Supreme Court has acted as an unelected, uncontrolled legislature.

Kudos, therefore, to Justice Thomas for recognizing that he sits on an institution with dangerously unlimited power  and one, moreover, that has four to five justices (depending on how Chief Justice Roberts rules) who revel in that power to remake society without going through the messy process of convincing the American people to "get with the program."

And as you ponder the Court's already overweening arrogance, consider further that one of the things the Democrats hope to do with their control of the Legislative and Executive Branches is to pack the Court to ensure that it is a permanently leftist institution that will rubber-stamp all Democrat initiatives regardless of constitutional constraints.

Image: Clarence Thomas. YouTube screen grab.

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I'm going to go way out on a limb here and say I suspect that it's not just patriotic deplorables who read the essays in American Thinker. It's not an intergalactic leap to assume that what is written here gets "monitored" by congressional aides, assistant-assistant media editors, and sub-administrative assistants at our tech behemoths, to name just a few of the woke elements that draw the short straw and are tasked with reading our thoughts. They just watch what we're up to, hoping to catch us "insurrecting." So, knowing they're listening, I have a message of vital importance to them.

You probably assume that your zealous and loyal service to the Deep State will "get you a ride" on that "last plane out" or a golden ticket admission to the deep bunker in Mount Thunder or wherever, if and when it all comes crashing down. So, news flash  it won't. You and yours will be left outside in the cold, wailing with the unwashed deplorables as America comes tumbling down. Just ask one Andrew Cuomo.

How do I know this, and why should America come crashing down? It's a poorly appreciated phenomenon called history and an opaque entity called the Chinese Communist Party. In league with the Russian Federation (recall that Xi and Vlad signed a mutual defense treaty this year  akin to what Hitler and Stalin signed in early 1939), the CCP is actively planning America's demise.

If you think otherwise, I have some Confederate war bonds to sell you (worth more since Lee's statue was taken down). So let's just assume that the CCP's creation of fake island bases in the South China Sea, ever-greater military incursions of Taiwanese airspace, and the very recent maritime incursion of Alaska territorial waters might mean perhaps something. Let's assume, too, that the ever-improving missile capability of their stalking horses  the mullahs and Rocket Man  might actually be happening for a purpose.

Where's it all going?

One day  sooner or later  you'll find that your GPS smartphone isn't working, your ATM won't give you any money, your credit cards are useless, and the internet just vaporized. Oh, and your car may not start  ever again  because of that light flash you recently saw almost overhead.

Can't happen, huh? I'll bet all those quasi-Americans we left behind in Kabul think it might. Ask them how much faith they have in Austin, Milley, and Blinken.

Hey! Aside from a four-star military catastrophe in Afghanistan, we just learned that Milley was going to usurp then-president Trump's constitutional authority back in January by openly engaging with the CCP and PLA. How's that for fidelity to the Constitution? This is whom you are banking on to stop a future Armageddon?

So, no more lattes, no more frappes, no more angst over which elite school your kids will attend. No more Met galas. No more National Press Club dinners (the CCP isn't big on these, and neither is Vlad). No more CNN. Just CCP.

Your elite status will evaporate faster than the national supply chain. Nancy, Chuck, Kamala, Tony, maybe even AOC and Ilhan may all be secure in their positions, but you? I dunno. I suspect that even the Trojans who helped push The Horse inside the city gates may not have survived Greek swords the following day. Just a hunch.

So whether it actually is a military sneak attack (brought on by the castration of our own woke military), social collapse engendered by the class hostility you and yours have stoked for thirty-odd years, or a financial collapse triggered by spending like there's no tomorrow (no pun intended)  consider that your new masters will figure you don't count, either.

Every scintilla of privilege that you so eagerly grasped will be gone. In a final moment of clarity, you just might think along with one Judas Iscariot, "What have I done?"

Image: Baker Test atomic explosion during Operation Crossroads on July 25, 1946. Public Domain.

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Being "wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades" is leading America to some very bizarre, uncharted waters.

That's what Joe Biden has wrought, living up to Bob Gates's memorable summary of his record.

This brings us to Biden's latest fiasco: his unprecedented rupture in U.S. relations with France.

So much for "diplomacy is back," the campaign slogan he ran for office on and has repeated a lot since.

Based on this latest example of "diplomacy," Biden's a diplomatic wrecking ball.

According to France24:

France on Friday recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in a ferocious row over the scrapping of a submarine contract, an unprecedented step that revealed the extent of French anger against its allies. President Emmanuel Macron made the exceptional decision due to the "gravity of the announcements on September 15 by Australia and the United States", said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a statement. The rare diplomatic backlash against France's allies came two days after Australia announced the scrapping of a major purchase of French conventional submarines in favour of US nuclear-powered submarines. The announcement represented "unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners", said the statement.

France's foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, called it "a stab in the back."

Wow. That's some diplomacy, Joe. And it's coming from France, a nation that has been very well disposed to Biden. Biden's secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, actually grew up in France and is a fluent French speaker. It takes some doing to wreck things with France from that base, but somehow Joe's managed to do it.

The problem that triggered the rare, unprecedented envoy recall for the first time in the bilateral relationship (normally the sort of thing that goes on with Venezuela) was Biden's management of the relationship.

At issue was the new U.K.-U.S.-Australia alliance to check China in the Pacific, which included a plan to give Australia U.S. nuclear technology for its submarines. That meant that Australia's earlier contract with France for diesel-powered submarines had to go.

Now, it's quite possible that with China rampant and showing all signs of moving to take over the South China Sea, it's a good idea to get Australia onto the nuclear-powered submarine program. Britain and Australia are particularly compatible and tight allies with the U.S., all part of the intelligence-sharing agreement known as "five eyes," and certainly all in it together through most of the 20th and 21st centuries' conflicts.

But France is also an ally and not an unimportant one. France is a big power in its own right and has an actual permanent presence in the Indian and Pacific oceans close enough to the South China Sea action  New Caledonia, et al. Why they couldn't be in on this, too? That they weren't doesn't make much sense.

The mismanagement comes because Biden apparently sprang this on them unawares, with Australia suddenly shifting from its diesel-powered French submarine contracts to an American contract for nuclear-powered submarines, scrapping France's $50 billion to $90 billion in expected contractual revenue. That had to have involved a lot of planning and projecting, based on the stability of the contract and relationship. With Joe Biden, all bets were off, and the U.S. now is as unstable, and France was dumped by the wayside. Why wouldn't they be angry?

It was typical Biden mismanagement, his tendency to make flip decisions (after consulting Jill?) and change course midstream for any crazy reason. If Biden wanted this thing to go off without a hitch, he should have been planning to get France on board one way or another, perhaps by a way to make up for the lost contract revenue to France through some other means or to have France do parts of the project that don't involve nuclear technology, repurposing its contract without making France lose its hard-won contract or projected revenue. At a minimum, France should have been communicated with and reassured. That's called diplomacy.

Biden did none of that any more than he let America's top allies, such as Britain and France (again!) know that he was planning to yank the plug on Afghanistan and skedaddle the U.S. out of there without letting the allies know. Biden refused to take phone calls from Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson for more than 24 hours after the pullout fiasco commenced, effectively telling Britain it didn't matter. France was a similar victim of Biden's on-the-fly, zero-plan decision-making in Afghanistan, which must have made the submarine scrapping the last straw.

This is not how diplomacy is done; this is how crazy dictators like Hugo Chavez and Moammar Gaddafi used to operate.

France is our oldest ally, the ally whose critical contributions were indispensable to our winning the Revolutionary War by 1783  expensive help, which came at a lethal cost to France's own monarchy a decade later. France is the one who sold us the vast territory of Louisiana in 1803, setting the stage for America's continental expansion into a great power. No France, no Manifest Destiny, and definitely no additional territorial acquisitions. France was our ally in two world wars and to this day treats our U.S. servicemen's graves in Normandy with utmost reverence and respect. France supported us in our recent Iraq and Afghanistan excursions, grumbling at times but, unlike a lot of them, walking the walk. More important, France has been our invaluable ally in the global war on terror. Just the other day, France turned the big ISIS terrorist who in 2017 murdered four U.S. servicemen in Niger into a grease spot on the Sahara desert floor. Allies with that kind of commitment and longstanding friendship do not come along easily.

So what does Joe Biden do with that kind of alliance? He turns it into that thing President Trump said "woke" turns everything into.

He yanks their submarine contract and offers them zero communication, and they are now signaling they have had about all they can take. This kind of reaction never happened during the Bush years, when some pinned France for being cowardly on terrorism, and it never happened during the Trump years, when relations were supposedly at their nadir.

But somehow Joe Biden managed it.

This is the nadir for U.S.-France relations, and you can bet China is watching with a concealed smile. Once again, Joe Biden is behind it, same as he botched Afghanistan. Mr. "America's Back" clearly meant that America is on its back. How much more is he going to wreck after this?

Image: Twitter screen shot.

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Death to America.

Shout the Iranian mullahs? No, so says the University of Kansas student body President, Niya McAdoo. And she has no plans to apologize.

Both the @KUPresident and the student senate Twitter account retweeted a September 3rd post reading, Happy Friday everybody. Death to America. Replete with a laughing emoji. Because theres nothing funnier than that.

Ms. McAdoo sent out a follow-up tweet saying, The more you read American history, the more the whole Death to America line sounds less like a terrifying, chaotic sentiment, and more like a perfectly rational, if anything remarkably reserved, statement.

Yes, death to unborn babies, the unvaccinated, infidels, and America. Who could disagree? (Outside of maybe unborn babies, the unvaccinated, infidels, and Trump-loving troglodytes.)

Although I do wonder what shed say if conservatives and patriots pledged, Death to pro-abortionists, the vaccinated, those who disagree with us, and America-haters?

Incredibly, the university has no plans to investigate McAdoo for her comments. Nor will Twitter ban her. Its moronicand vile -- thought arbiters are too busy banning folks who still believe in freedom and personal autonomy, i.e. hate speech. (Like, for example, me. Ive been banned for months now. And for a post I didnt even make and know nothing about.) Threaten to stand up to leftist thugs and Twitter will ban you, possibly for life. Vowing Death to America, however, is perfectly okay.

A K.U. public affairs staffer told The College Fix via email,

We are aware of social media activity by our Student Body President that has caught the attention of some members of the KU community. The opinions in the students post are protected by the First Amendment. In addition, KU is committed to its role as a marketplace of ideas  including ideas that some individuals find offensive.

Yeah, right. Now tell us the one about the three bears.

Death to America has caught the attention of some members of the KU community? KU would never assert that Death to pro-abortionists, the vaccinated, those who disagree with us, and China is protected by the First Amendment. Nor is it -- or any other mainstream university -- truly committed to fulfilling its role as a marketplace of ideas, especially those that progressives find offensive.

The more one knows about the citadels of American higher education, the more one realizes they are vile centers of indoctrination, a clear and present danger to the Republic.

And that is a perfectly rational, if anything remarkably reserved, statement.

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There seems to be a yawning chasm between what is believed by media people and what their viewers/readers/listeners care about when it comes to Covid vaccines. The nonstop barrage of propaganda telling us to get vaxed seems to have convinced many media people that the public has bought into Joe Bidens efforts to demonize those who choose to avoid the experimental gene therapies. (The fact that all 3 major vaccines have just been rebranded with new names suggests that the pharmaceutical companies are detecting a certain level of resistance, but the media are slower to catch on.)

On September 10, the local Detroit TV station WXYZ used its Facebook page to ask families for stories about unvaccinated loved ones lost to COVID for a story were working on. Pretty clearly, the expectation was that they could present tragic stories of those foolish people who ignored the wisdom of Joe Biden (and the medical, media, and corporate establishments) and suffered the tragic consequences.

But thats not what they got -- and they got a LOT, 218,000 comments as this is being written. And the overwhelming majority were stories of adverse reactions to the vaccines, including claimed reports of deaths.

You can search through the comments on the Facebook page here. Brian Shilhavy of the website Vaccine Impact writes:

I dont know if they got any such stories through direct messaging, but the post on their Facebook Page, as of the time of publication today [9/15], had received over 182,000 comments, and they seem to be all comments of those who have lost loved ones after receiving a COVID shot, and comments asking them why they are not covering that story. I paged through many dozens of the comments, and did not see a single one stating that they lost someone to COVID after refusing a COVID-19 shot. People who have been silenced and censored on Facebook and other Big Tech platforms took advantage of the opportunity to share their stories instead. It is amazing that Facebook left these up, but after so many had commented, it would probably have been an even bigger story if they had taken down the post and comments.

Here is a collection of responses from Vaccine Impact:

I have no idea what the statistics are concerning deaths from the unvaxed versus deaths soon after vaccination. I wouldnt trust a lot of official data on Covid-related topics anyway, since we recently learned that half the hospitalizations that were reported as due to Covid were really hospitalizations for other reasons in which people happened to have a positive Covid test. And we know that the CDC is not counting breakthrough infections.

Its true that angry people are much likelier to post comments online than others, so theres no reason at all to suspect that response to the Facebook post is statistically representative of anything. But we do see from the response that a large group of people believes that the vaccines are capable of harm, and are worried and angry at those trying to persuade or coerce them into accepting them.

Trial lawyers are taught to never ask a question when they dont know the answer that will come. The news business is different from trials, of course, but the utter disconnect between the contrasting expectations and results in this little experiment suggests that the media is seriously out of touch with what their audience believes and cares about.

A digression:

I am an amateur student of broadcast history, and WXYZ in Detroit has a notable history as an outstanding local affiliate in both radio and later television production, originating programs that became nationally broadcast. Two iconic radio programs that went on to life on television and the movies, The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet, were nationally broadcast from its studios. And in the early days of television, the Soupy Sales childrens program was broadcast nationally from Detroit. Featuring rapid-fire slapstick, often including a pie in the face of the host, the program gained a national following.

After moving the show out of Detroit (first to Los Angeles, later to New York), a notable incident occurred, which I vividly remember and thought at the time was hilarious. Wikipedia summarizes:

On January 1, 1965, miffed at having to work on the holiday, Sales ended his live broadcast by encouraging his young viewers to tiptoe into their still-sleeping parents' bedrooms and remove those "funny green pieces of paper with pictures of U.S. Presidents" from their pants and pocketbooks. "Put them in an envelope and mail them to me and I'll send you a postcard from Puerto Rico", Soupy instructed the children.[13] Several days later, substantial amounts of money had begun arriving in the mail; Sales stated that the total amount received was in the thousands of dollars but qualified that by stating that much of that was in play money.[14] Sales said he had been joking and that whatever real money had been sent would be donated to charity, but as parents' complaints increased, WNEW's management suspended Sales for two weeks.[15]

The obvious lesson in broadcasting: Be careful what you ask for.

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In the crudest crypto-censorship since dictators made newsprint unavailable, the Biden administration tried to shut down Fox News's coverage of the border crisis by cutting off its drone access for camera shots, depriving the network of the ability to broadcast the actual news in pictures as it was happening on the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has never been misused in this way, claimed its two-week shutoff was all about public safety. Thomas Lifson wrote about the sorry spectacle here.

Here's the real reason: Fox News's original reporting, done by Bill Melugin (a must-follow on Twitter), documented a historic crisis building at the border as tens of thousands of migrants swarmed into the U.S. near Del Rio, Texas. The photos were shocking and embarrassing to the Biden administration. The Bidenites wanted those pictures shut down. Coverage like Fox's was clearly making an impact on public opinion and had the potential to force the Bidenites to take action to halt the unprecedented invasion or else face voter consequences.

It was crude, disgusting, and unprecedented, a true example of a state attack on the freedom of the press and, right there in the same family of repressions, a dictator like Hugo Chavez would do.

While it was disheartening to many, the silver lining is that Fox didn't stand for it. Fox got someone else to get his cameras up there, effectively nullifying Biden's de facto censorship with the drone.

Wasting no time, Fox's Melugin got in touch with local law enforcement, made arrangements for a helicopter ride-along, and got the filming of the historic building border crisis done that way  no drones to howl about.

BREAKING: Just wrapped up a helicopter ride with Texas DPS at the international bridge in Del Rio, TX. What we saw was absolutely stunning. There are at least 10,000 migrants under the bridge who crossed illegally, and a constant stream of hundreds more crossing over. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/IADqBzb3qn  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 17, 2021

BREAKING: Just wrapped up a helicopter ride with Texas DPS at the international bridge in Del Rio, TX. What we saw was absolutely stunning. There are at least 10,000 migrants under the bridge who crossed illegally, and a constant stream of hundreds more crossing over. @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/IADqBzb3qn  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 17, 2021

In so doing, Fox thwarted them. With this quick-footed shift in tactics, the Bidenites retreated on their two-week drone ban, likely recognizing that they had lost their war on news photos and couldn't shut down coverage with that sleazy dictator tactic. Fox got its drones back and, basically, cut Biden's narrative-masters off at the knees. The news was restored. The pictures got out. The public now can make an informed judgment about what is going on.

That's grit. That's winning. That's journalism as it ought to be known. And Fox deserves all the kudos out there for outwitting a band of thuggy de facto censors who thought they could shut off news photos from the public, no matter what was going on.

Fox was practicing what's called "reporting," and it's a refreshing spectacle.

They ought to get an award for this because this is scrappy, top-caliber work. A fitting award would be the Pulitzer's gold medal for service in the public interest because acts like Fox's undercut would-be government censors and make the entire press corps freer. This is what real journalism looks like. Let's hope we see more of it from other agencies. The age of the press sycophant is over.

Image: Twitter screen shot.

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Over in Europe, they're learning a bitter lesson about so-called alternative energy. This is from the Wall Street Journal:

According to the Wall Street Journal yesterday, due to a rare lack of North Sea wind, already high European energy prices are climbing higher.

You say what? No wind? How in the world is Europe going to stay warm this winter? Well, they may have to turn to the politically incorrect power plants. Here is more:

Gas and coal-fired electricity plants were called in to make up the shortfall from wind. Natural-gas prices, already boosted by the pandemic recovery and a lack of fuel in storage caverns and tanks, hit all-time highs. Thermal coal, long shunned for its carbon emissions, has emerged from a long price slump as utilities are forced to turn on backup power sources.

You mean coal comes to the rescue? Everybody in Europe will soon be singing "almost heaven West Virginia" because Dylan was wrong, and the answer for energy is not "blowing in the wind." Yes, West Virginia, coal looks more heavenly every day, and counting on the wind blowing is not what they promised.

Last night, I caught a few clips from an election debate up in Canada. It was climate change and climate change. Indeed, the climate is changing but talking about it or engaging in dreams about renewable energy won't warm those homes in Alberta freezing to death.

What we are watching in Europe, and hopefully will never see here, is that this irrational and hysterical hatred of oil and coal will bring you down if you don't have an alternative plan in place. I am not for or against oil. It is a resource not at all different from any other. At the same time, don't talk to me about alternative energy if there is nothing tangible in place to warm our homes or keep us cool in the summer.

The ghost of "energy future" is pointing his finger at Europe, and we need to change our course.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk).

Image: Pixabay.

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For many years, the American military was the most respected institution in America. In the seven months of the Biden administration, we've learned that the upper reaches of the Pentagon are partisan, corrupt, possibly treasonous, and totally incompetent. The latest evidence of this is General McKenzie's confession that the military didn't really kill an "ISIS-K fighter" after Islamists slaughtered thirteen American troops. Instead, our military drone attack killed an aide worker, seven children, and two other adults. This is unconscionable, and I have a few points to make.

You're probably familiar with the story already, so I won't belabor the facts. Here's General McKenzie making the confession:

A few points, in no particular order:

First: Do you remember back in 2007, when Obama was running for president and he accused the military of "air-raiding villages and killing civilians"? Weird  it turns out he was right  not then, but now. Back then, our military tried to avoid killing women and children. Today, our military needed to take a target out for propaganda purposes after the horribly botched withdrawal and subsequent terrorist attack on our troops. So the Pentagon authorized dropping a bomb on a car filled with water and then told a story to cover for it. Obama corrupted the military, Trump was unable to turn back the tide, and the full rot is both encouraged and revealed under Biden's incompetent, anti-American "leadership."

Second: We all know that, if ordinary troops in the field had killed that aid worker and seven children, they would have been pilloried in the press, court-martialed, and sent to prison for decades. However, although General McKenzie claimed that he was responsible, he didn't resign. Indeed, it appears that nobody is going to be held responsible for this horrific slaughter of the innocents because that's how Biden's military rolls.

Third: If you haven't heard Douglas Murray's totally righteous rant against America's military in 2021, you must. Sadly, I can't find an authorized video of the rant (one may be available later). However, for as long as the following video is available, I've cued up Murray's rant. And if the video is gone, some of the key takeaways are below:

Murray begins by pointing out that Milley's nonstop lies and his colluding with the Chinese have completed degraded the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A decade ago, that was a respected role, and people would have believed the chairman's statements.

Once you begin to politicize an agency that's meant to represent the whole country, continues Murray, that's a terribly self-destructive move. Worse, Milley's not the only one. As far as Murray is concerned, numerous American generals have become political operatives. Michael Hayden is a perfect example. A onetime Air Force general, as well as heading the NSA and CIA, he recently tweeted that there is no difference between Trump-supporters and the Taliban. (This was before the Taliban became our businesslike, reliable partners.)

As far as Murray is concerned, all these military pooh-bahs (my word, not his) have made "total fools of themselves in recent years" (his words, not mine). The American people are right to be disgusted by the military that their taxes have funded for two decades. And the real tragedy is that our young men and women in the military have been paying the price in blood.

Now that the cat is out of the bag and we've seen our military and other agency leaders for the corrupt, partisan, incompetent people they are, says Murray, you can't walk that back. These institutions must be respected to justify their continued existence.

Fourth: Tucker Carlson's rant is pretty darn righteous, too:

Tucker Carlson shreds Biden admin over drone strike that killed civilians | https://t.co/RyUTzX2LBd  Bookwormroom (@Bookwormroom) September 18, 2021

In Biden's America, at the uppermost levels, our military has become an incompetent and morally corrupt institution. This is not the fault of the troops on the ground. They're doing their best to follow orders that put them and innocent civilians at risk, even as the military partners with our enemies and makes enemies of Americans. Under these circumstances, no sane members of the military will stay in, and no sane civilians will enlist. The military can only degrade, becoming a puppet force of uninspired people receptive to the anti-American indoctrination the Pentagon is forcing upon it.

Image: General McKenzie failing to resign. YouTube screen grab.

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A student of the media looking for a textbook case of the perverse manipulation of the news by Big Tech and Big Media had to look no further than the coverage of a Thursday evening incident at Carmines restaurant in New York City.

The headlines from the incident were chum to get the Twitter trolls snapping:

Texas Tourists in NYC Attack Restaurant Hostess After Being Asked for Vaccination Proof Caught on video: Texas woman attacked New York hostess after being asked for proof of vaccination Texas tourists visiting NYC assault restaurant hostess who asked for vaccination proof

True to form, the trolls took the media bait, the tastiest morsel, of course, being the word Texas. With a lot of help from Twitter, Inc., the phrase As a Texan was trending on Saturday morning. Woke Texansor fake woke Texansweighed in by the net full.

Mendur denounced the Texas governor and most of state government for their hatred of non-whites, women, and trans kids.

FightingForWomen posted a Welcome to Texas sign graced with an image from the Handmaids Tale and the message, As a Texan, I hope the hostess and restaurant press charges.

Sohappyitsover volunteered, To anyone in any other state that has vaccine mandates, if you hear a Texas twang and need to ask that person about their vaccine status, call the police beforehand.

IMATXN claimed to be embarrassed by the actions of Texan dickheads, gives us all a bad name. Same goes for Christians, Real Men and I'm not a racist but.....

Damned Proud Democrat laid out the contempt leftists feel for their fellow citizens in some detail. Please accept our apologies, she tweeted, for the actions of few fringe lunatics just happened to be inbred here in Texas where their type seems to be indigenous. They are Abbott Texans, and there no lower form of a Texan than an Abbott Texan!

This damn proud Democrat also showed her inbred instinct for ableism by posting with her tweet an image of Gov. Abbot in his wheelchair above the headline, Come and Take Him.

A second keyword in the headlines, however, was video. Those posting on Twitter had no excuse for not knowing the women charged in the assault were black. Of course, there was a chance the women were Trump supporters. But based on exit polls, that was an 8 percent chance. Smart money says they dont watch Fox News.

Those who did not see the video but read an accompanying article might have noticed that the names of the accused Tyonnie Keshay Rankin, Kaeita Nkeenge Rankin, and Sally Rechelle Lewissuggest they were not likely consumers of right-wing anti-vaxx propaganda.

Finally, for the rest of the story, one of the sane tweeting Texans laid out the real rationale for the brawl: As a Texan, I must point out, missing from the armchair analysis is that they are three Black women whose attorney is claiming "they all had vaccination proof that had been 'questioned arbitrarily and unjustifiably' because they are Black.

Let me suggest a more accurate headline:

3 Black Women Turned Paranoid by Media Race Baiting Go Nuts at NYC Eatery.

Jack Cashills latest book, Barack Obamas Promised Land: Deplorables Need Not Apply, is now widely available. See www.cashill.com for more information.

Image: Twitter screen shot

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Two motor vehicle accident victims are brought to an E.R. Both are bleeding to death. Only one doctor is available.

Who gets treatment? Who decides? Using what criteria?

These questions refer to medical triage of patients, from French trier, meaning to separate out or categorize. The practice started during the Napoleonic wars when decisions were made among multiple sick or injured soldiers: who gets care and lives, and who doesn't get care and dies?

The state of Idaho has just activated its "crisis standards of care" to allow hospitals to ration care (viz., ICU beds or medications) amidst a deluge of COVID patients. This should terrify everyone. In defense of their patients' right to choose, physicians should adamantly oppose hospitals taking over triage.

Crisis standards of care "prioritize survival of the group over survival of an individual patient during disasters." As an emergency physician in Denver said, "[n]ormally, we operate with the individual patient's best interest at heart." But during this pandemic, "You're looking for the most good for the greatest number  it really is a shift."

This is a shift all must vigorously oppose.

Both the Hippocratic Oath and the American ethos reject such a shift. Doctors swear to give the best care possible to the patient before them, not to society at large. If doctors did the latter, they would not provide medical care to a convicted murderer or an injured terrorist, but they do (and they should). Doctors do not make value judgments regarding value to society. If a person is sick, physicians try to heal. Period. No qualifiers.

Americans believe in individualism, not collectivism. One physician is responsible for one patient, not for patients collectively, AKA society. Survival of the group is the group's concern, not the concern of an individual physician with a critically ill patient.

Beware of guidance statements or advisories from state or federal agencies. Bureaucrats may say these are only suggestions, but hospitals turn official suggestions into orders  mandates that take medical decision-making out of doctors' hands.

In Ohio, Jeffrey Smith, 51, is critically ill with COVID on a ventilator and unlikely to survive. His doctor and his wife want to treat him with ivermectin, but the hospital refused to fill the prescription, claiming that the FDA had not approved the drug for that use. One judge ordered the hospital to provide the medication. Two days later, a different judge reversed the earlier order, saying his review of the medical literature did not confirm the effectiveness of ivermectin.

When did judges become experts in medical research and biostatistics?

Who should decide your care, especially in a triage, life-or-death situation: a district court judge, a government bureaucrat, an insurance executive, Big Pharma, a hospital administrator, or some medical committee? None of the above!

The decision-maker for critical care should be the patient, in consultation with the doctor on the scene. If the patient is unable, then the person with medical power of attorney should decide. No one else!

In the summer of 2020, there was a shortage of the drug Remdesivir at a time when COVID patients were flooding hospital ICUs. Pennsylvania had a plan called "weighted lottery." This was undoubtedly the most "woke" and least ethical way to triage care or ration a limited amount of a drug that had proven at least 62 percent effective in treating severely ill COVID patients. The proposed Keystone State lottery  their crisis standard of care  would be weighted to favor people "of color" and the poor, thus weighted against white people and middle-class or wealthy individuals. Medical triage would be decided by skin color and socioeconomic status.

The only proper American crisis standard of care is no standard at all. There is no such thing as "standard" care or medicine that is universally applicable. Every patient and situation is unique unto itself. Medical decisions, most especially life and death ones such as triage, should be made by a committee of two: patient and doctor. Nobody else.

Deane Waldman, M.D., MBA is professor emeritus of pediatrics, pathology, and decision science; former director of the Center for Healthcare Policy at Texas Public Policy Foundation; and author of the multi-award-winning book Curing the Cancer in U.S. Healthcare: StatesCare and Market-Based Medicine.

Image: RawPixel

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British boxer Amir Khan has said he was escorted from a flight in the US by police for no reason.

The 34-year-old, who has also appeared on reality television shows including Im A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, claimed he had been banned by American Airlines.

In a video posted to Twitter, he said he was trying to fly to a training camp in Colorado from New York, but he and a colleague were removed when someone complained his colleagues mask was not high enough.

He spoke of being disgusted by his alleged treatment.

Disgusted to be banned by @AmericanAir and @traveloneworld for not been able to fly to training camp, i got escorted by police off the plane for no reason. I would like to see evidence for any wrong doings! #AAteam #Notallterrorists pic.twitter.com/dL3UfFcYYl  Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) September 18, 2021

Khan said: I was taken off the plane today when I was going to training camp to Colorado Springs by the police.

Obviously a complaint was made by American Airlines staff, they said that my colleagues mask was not high enough and not up, that they had to stop the plane and take me and my friend off when I did nothing wrong.

They kicked us both off, I was sat on 1A, he was sat on 1B  I find it so disgusting and so disrespectful, I was supposed to go to Colorado springs for a training camp and now Im back in New York for another day.

Now I have to reschedule another airplane to travel back to training camp which is really upsetting, for no reason this was and Im just so disgusted that American Airlines would do this to us and ban me from travelling.

Im sure there must be cameras on the airplane that they could see, or someone should see, to see that if my colleague really was bad in anyway or caused a scene in a way where he had to be taken off the plane  Ive never seen this happen before.

An American Airlines spokesman said: Prior to take-off, American Airlines Flight 700, with service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), returned to the gate to deplane two customers who reportedly refused to comply with repeated crew member requests to stow luggage, place cell phones in airplane mode and adhere to federal face covering requirements.

Our Customer Relations team is reaching out to Mr Khan to learn more about his experience and reinforce the importance of policies implemented for the safety of our customers and crew.

It denied that Khan and his colleague have been banned from future travel on American Airlines, and said police were not involved in asking either passenger to deplane.
Police have made several arrests after racist and sectarian singing took place during Orange walks which shut streets across Glasgow and led to condemnation of anti-Catholic bigotry.

Thousands of people took part in processions which shut down city centre roads and prompted counter-protests.

Up to 800 police officers were deployed to manage the event, which saw marches proceed through the city centre and past Catholic churches.

Members of Call It Out, a campaign group that opposes anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bigotry, held vigils outside churches on the routes.

A silent Orange Order band passes by (Robert Perry/PA)

Chief superintendent Mark Sutherland, divisional commander for Greater Glasgow, said: We are aware that on a number of occasions today there have been outbreaks of racist and sectarian singing by some of those attending to support the Orange Order processions, this is utterly unacceptable and we completely condemn this behaviour.

Where possible, we are seeking to take action against those intent on causing harm and dividing our communities, we have already made arrests in connection with various offences and will continue to do so where required.

With large crowds gathering today, our main priority has been public safety and to ensure minimum disruption to the wider public.

Statement from Chief Superintendent Mark Sutherland on today's processions by the County Grand Orange Lodge of Glasgow. READ MORE: https://t.co/HO1QZ0SpFp pic.twitter.com/2b8pSPdcrQ  Police Scotland (@policescotland) September 18, 2021

He added: Once again, we see a number of people intent in causing offence and stirring up hatred by singing unacceptable sectarian and racist songs, I want to again condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms.

It is clear that sectarianism remains a serious, ongoing problem in Scotland and whilst policing has an important role in tackling this type of behaviour, this is a collective problem and needs to be addressed in a collective, collaborative manner.

The Church of Scotland took to Twitter as the marches took place to condemn anti-Catholic bigotry.

It said: The Church of Scotland opposes anti-Catholic bigotry and sectarianism. We have a very close working relationship with the Roman Catholic Church.

Over the years we have worked together to tackle sectarianism and support one another.

We speak to leaders in the Roman Catholic Church every week and greatly appreciate the friendship that exists between our churches and our communities.

A Call It Out banner in Easterhouse (Robert Perry/PA)

Crowds lined the streets in the city centre for the marches including on George Street and West George Street, and there was a large police presence at Glasgow Green where members of the parades gathered in the afternoon.

Glasgow City Council said 32 roads in the city had been closed off for the processions until the mid-afternoon.

In 2018 a Catholic priest was attacked outside St Alphonsus Church in the city as an Orange walk marched past.

Call It Out said its supporters had gathered outside St Benedicts in Easterhouse and Blessed John Dun Scotus in the Gorbals as marches went past to say no to hatred on the streets of Glasgow.

Writing on Twitter, it added: Our resolve is stronger than ever and those willing to stand with us are growing in number. No to anti-Catholic marches past Catholic churches No to institutional anti-Catholicism.
Members of US congress have called on Boris Johnson to scrap his proposals to ban future prosecutions related to the Northern Ireland Troubles.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the US congress members also called for the British Government to reaffirm its commitment to the Stormont House Agreement.

In the letter to Mr Johnson, the members expressed concern that the proposed legacy laws would strain the British-Irish relationship and cement widespread feelings that justice is being denied.

In July, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis announced plans for a statute of limitations which would end all prosecutions for Troubles incidents up to April 1998 and would apply to military veterans as well as ex-paramilitaries.

Raymond McCord speaking outside Belfast City Hall (Liam McBurney/PA)

The proposals, which Mr Johnson has previously said would allow Northern Ireland to draw a line under the Troubles, would also end all legacy inquests and civil actions related to the conflict.

It has been widely condemned by campaigners on both sides of the Troubles and across the political divide.

The letter, led by congressmen Brendan Boyle and Brian Fitzpatrick, has been signed by 36 members.

They said it would be a serious mistake for the British Government to renege on its commitments laid out under the Stormont House Agreement, adding it would lead to major setbacks in the search for justice and reconciliation.

They said they were disappointed that the UK Government plans to introduce new legislation that would modify the Agreements legacy laws.

To be clear, we strongly disapprove these proposals, they added.

We believe that they would not only prevent a pathway to justice, but that they would also strip these families of their legal rights protected under European Law and the Good Friday Agreement.

The issue of legacy killings spans across generations and any continued deprival of justice will only further deepen the wound that this history has on Britain and Ireland.

We are concerned that these legacy laws would strain the British-Irish relationship and cement widespread feelings that justice is being denied.

There is no doubt that the difficult and troubling legacy of the past must be addressed, and we as members of congress will continue to advocate on this issue until good faith action is taken and progress is made.

These legacy proposals require genuine reconsideration. Delivering answers for these bereaved families has been a longstanding priority for Irish-American community and those interested in global peace. We will continue to listen to these families as they await long overdue answers.

Eugene Reavey, Cathy McIlvenny, Julie Hambleton, Raymond McCord, Michael Gallagher, and Billy McManus during a meeting at the HELP (Helping Everybody Live Peacefully) office in north Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA)

We urge you to re-examine these proposals, reverse the decision and reaffirm your commitment to the Stormont House Agreement.

They also expressed concern that the Historical Investigations Unit, set up under the 2014 Agreement, has been slow to investigate legacy cases, describing it as stagnant.

Had the Historical Investigations Unit been provided with the resources and attention it was promised more substantial progress might have been achieved over the past several years, they added.

Part of the push for a statute of limitations is a bid to prevent British Army veterans who served during the Troubles from being dragged before the courts decades later.

Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond Jr was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries, said: The only people who agree with these proposals are the people who are trying to push it through.

Why is Boris and (Northern Ireland Secretary) Brandon Lewis so eager to get this through? If people are innocent, would why they need an amnesty? The only people who need amnesty are people who are guilty.

The letter is a massive step forward because we have the support of the biggest democracy in the world, powerful people in congress.

Boris is being told that he is breaking the Good Friday Agreement.

This is a massive boost, not just for my family, but for all victims.

I really welcome this letter. We have politicians from the main land on board, weve got politicians from Dublin and Northern Ireland on board, and now we have America on board.

Every single one of them rejects the proposals. It will put a lot of pressure on Boris Johnson.

What Prime Minister would want to give an amnesty to murderers?

A spokeswoman for the UK Government said: The Governments deepest sympathies lie with all those who lost loved ones during the Troubles.

The current system for addressing the past is not working well for anybody, most importantly victims and survivors. It is delivering neither justice nor information to the vast majority of families.

The Government wants to deliver an approach which builds on the principles of the Stormont House Agreement and takes account of the feedback we have heard, and continue to hear, from stakeholders and those most affected.

Obtaining information, through thorough and robust investigations, is the cornerstone of the Governments proposals. This would be conducted by an independent body and supported by full disclosure by the state.

The Government continues to engage and reflect on what we have heard, and we are considering our next steps carefully.
Parents should be tolerant of one another when it comes to deciding whether to have their children vaccinated against coronavirus, an expert advising on jabs has said.

Professor Adam Finn said he fears there could be stigma associated with those who do not want to have their child immunised against Covid-19.

The professor of paediatrics and member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said the decision on whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds is not black and white, adding that while it is not essential for them to have a coronavirus jab, it is also perfectly sensible for them to do so.

Some three million children are eligible for the jab across the UK after the chief medical officers of the four nations advised younger teenagers should be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The decision to go ahead came after the JCVI decided not to recommend mass vaccination of 12 to 15-year-olds on health grounds alone.

But they suggested that wider issues, such as disruption to education, should be taken into consideration and examined by the chief medical officers, who subsequently said a single dose of Pfizer will significantly reduce the chance of a young person getting Covid and passing the virus on.

Prof Finn, of the University of Bristol, was asked about possible stigma when it comes to parents deciding not to have their children vaccinated.

He told Times Radio: I absolutely do fear that Ive had a lot of people contact me with very strong views.

Either that they insist that they wish their children to be immunised without delay, or that they would rather die than have their children immunised, so there are plenty of people out there with very strong views, and those could easily translate into quite aggressive attitudes, one way, in one direction or the other.

Healthcare professionals will seek parent or carer consent for anyone aged 12-15 to get the #COVID19 vaccine. Watch @CMO_England Professor Chris Whitty explain how the process will be the same as for existing school vaccination programmes  pic.twitter.com/Bm7DwB7M8F  Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) September 17, 2021

Calling for tolerance, he added: Parents who have their children immunised should be tolerant of those that decide not to and vice versa because the stakes are not high on either side.

He described it as a finely balanced decision.

He said: Its not essential that these children receive the vaccine, but equally its a perfectly sensible thing to do. Its being offered because the benefits do outweigh the risks, and its available for people who want it. And Im afraid thats the truth of the situation.

He said the reason the process for deciding whether to vaccinate this particular age group has been convoluted and complex is because there isnt a completely clear, straightforward answer.

But he added that people should not become too agonised about it, adding: Because the risks on either side are not that high. Its not like these children are at great risk from Covid, or indeed that theyre at great risk from the vaccination.

Parental consent will not be needed if a child is considered competent to make a decision by themselves but Englands Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty has said for the great majority of cases, children and their parents come to the same decision.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 25% of adults have reported drinking heavily on at least one occasion over the past year. On Thursday, the Glenwood Springs City Council supported allocating up to $200,000 annually to help fund a potential detox facility that would be operated by Mind Springs Health.
NVH

Six years after Volkswagen hit the final nail in the coffin of diesel-powered cars in the United States, compression-ignition technology soldiers on in a select few vehicles. Most of them are body-on-frame designs, predominantly trucks and SUVs. The only exceptions come from Land Rover in the guise of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, which use the TDV6, also known as Power Stroke in the 2021 model year Ford F-150 half-ton workhorse.After covering the Duramax family of powerplants for the U.S. market, its high time for us to remember what kind of diesel options Fiat Chrysler Automobiles currently offers. The smallest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit boasts just two under the EcoDiesel and Cummins monikers.The L630 for the U.S. market dates back to 2011 when Italian diesel-making company VM Motori debuted the A630 with 3.0 liters of displacement and a 60-degree V angle. Constructed from graphite iron for the block and lightweight aluminum for the heads, the 10-year-old engine design was found to have emissions defeat devices on MY 2014 through 2016 vehicles.Previously offered in the WK2-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, the L630 is currently found under the hoods of the Ram 1500 light-duty pickup, Jeep Wrangler off-road utility vehicle, and Jeep Gladiator off-road pickup. The 1-2-3-4-5-6 firing order and the 60-degree V angle optimize the firing loads and inertia management, therefore eliminating the need for a balance shaft.Heat-treated individual bearing caps for the aluminum heads reduce friction andlevels. The forged steel used for the connecting rods and crankshaft helps with this engines durability, along with aluminum-alloy pistons that benefit from oil jets. The variable-geometry turbocharger, automatic tensioning single-belt drive, MultiJet common-rail injection, cooled exhaust gas recirculation, selective catalytic reduction, diesel exhaust fluid system, as well as high-temperature glow plugs also need to be mentioned.In the Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator twins, the EcoDiesel develops 260 horsepower and 480 pound-feet or 442 pound-feet (650 or 600 Nm) of torque. Available in conjunction with an eight-speed automatic transmission, this fellow tops 26 miles per gallon (9 liters per kilometers) on the combined driving cycle according to the Environmental Protection Agency.The other diesel engine that Fiat Chrysler sells today is the 6.7-liter Cummins in the Ram heavy-duty truck lineup, a torquey behemoth saddled with an extensive range of emissions control systems. A very different animal from the 5.9 from the good ol days, the 6.7 is offered in two flavors.For the standard-output version, customers are treated to 370 horsepower and 850 pound-feet (1,152 Nm) of torque. The high-output version of the straight-six Cummins turbo diesel tops the heavy-duty truck segment with 400 horsepower and a decidedly outrageous 1,075 pound-feet (1,458 Nm).When properly equipped, the 2500 and 3500 with this engine can tow up to 20,000 and 37,100 pounds (9,071 and 16,828 kilograms). If payload is highest on your list of priorities, the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab is your workhorse.Last updated for the 2021 model year Ram heavy-duty lineup, the 6.7-liter Cummins flaunts new calibration, a.k.a. more boost, for the sliding nozzle variable-geometry turbocharger. The fuel delivery system, which is capable of sustaining 2,000 bars (29,008 psi), was treated to an increased flow rate.One advantage of the straight-six layout over the Duramax V8 and Power Stroke V8 is smoothness. Ram also sweetens the deal with more sound-insulating materials than before, an acoustic windshield, as well as active noise cancellation for top-of-the-line trim levels of the Ram 2500 and 3500.The Cummins-Ram partnership dates back to the 1989 model year when the B-series engine in the Dodge Ram was coupled to the heavy-duty version of the TorqueFlite A727 automatic or a five-speed manual transmission. The 2021 Ram HD with the 6.7-liter mill features two automatics: the 68RFE for the standard-output version and the Aisin AS69RC for the H.O. version.
Horsepower

As hes demonstrated over the years, a classic car auction is a very perilous place for Hoovie to be. That said, the custom twin-turbo 1986 Ferrari Testarossa that Hoovie chose to fawn over would totally justify going bankrupt to own.The Testarossa was lauded in its day for its smooth-revving and fantastic sounding 4.9-liter flat-12 engine was decent enough at the time, with 350 of them on tap. But faster cars made shortly afterward made it look weak by comparison. Clearly, someone decided to fix that.A considerable amount of custom fabrication was needed in order to get the twin-turbo system in perfect working order. A custom carbon fiber engine cover was added, presumably to accommodate the new turbo system.The drivetrain components of the stock Testarossa were not the strongest in the world, as Hoovie points out. But with 38,000 miles (61,155 km) on the clock, the cars certainly seen its fair share of use throughout the years.Barret-Jackson staff were kind enough to let Hoovie ride shotgun as they tootled around the event center and peruse some of the other highly valuable rides the show had on offer through the Ferraris windows.Of course, he couldnt help but ask the employee to do one hard pull. And if he could spot a few bucks for Hoovie to buy it, some things never change.Be sure to check out the broadcast coverage of the Houston action starring Hoovie on the History Channel, and FYI, do that if you want to see more.
And Google seems to be very committed to improving Google Maps on these platforms, with the company rolling out no less than 9 different updates for the app so far this month in both the stable and the beta channels.The latest versions published a few hours ago are Google Maps 10.86.2 for users running stable builds and 10.87.0 beta for those part of the testing program. Worth noting is this is the very first Google Maps 10.87 beta build released for public testing.As it happens every time when Google ships such updates for Google Maps, the company hasnt provided a changelog, so its hard to tell precisely whats been changed in the new versions.Google, however, has two major problems to fix in Google Maps right now.The first of them seems to be resolved in the latest beta build, though Im still waiting for a confirmation to see if this happens for all users out there. Google Maps has suddenly started speaking with an Indian accident in countries like the United States and Canada, with the company itself acknowledging the problem earlier this week and promising a fix as soon as possible.So theres a chance a fix is being tested as part of the latest beta, though once again, this is yet to be confirmed by Google itself at the time of writing.The second major headache with Google Maps concerns the right-hand-drive mode on Android Auto . Users have been complaining that Google Maps suddenly switched from RHD to LHD with no setting to go back, and everybody is now expecting the original configuration to be restored with a new app update.The new versions of Google Maps are already available in the Google Play Store, but you can also download them without waiting using the APK installers available here
EV

The NTSB, in coordination with City of Coral Gables Police Department, is sending 3 investigators to conduct a safety investigation of the fatal Sept. 13, 2021, vehicle crash involving a Tesla Model 3 that departed the roadway and collided with a tree in Coral Gables, Florida.  NTSB_Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) September 17, 2021

The board will send three investigators to collaborate with the Coral Gables Police Department starting on September 20. They want to determine why the Model 3 departed the roadway and collided with a tree. A preliminary report should be ready in 30 days. Hopefully, they will contact Sheldon to get a copy of the video he managed to record.The witness was traveling on Alhambra Circle when the Tesla Model 3 passed by his car. It would have happened at 8:53 PM, although the video footage informed it was at 8:40 PM. Trying to make a yellow light at 8:54 PM, the Model 3 accelerated a bit and hit a bump, which would have made the car jump several feet, according to Sheldon. When thelanded, it suddenly swerved to the left, hit two trees, and caught fire immediately. By 8:57 PM, the vehicle was engulfed in flames.In the video he released on Twitter and YouTube, Sheldon said that batteries were flying from the car as if they were sparks. He later photographed the crash location, and there were cells all over the place. Sheldon later removed the video and the tweet. According to what he posted on Twitter, the families of the two people that died in the crash asked him to do so. Apart from the 20-year-old male driver, a 19-year-old woman also perished.Sheldon suspected the wreck happened due to a suspension problem, something that makes sense. Tesla has been having issues with that in his cars, and NHTSA is already investigating these episodes. Apart from what caused the car to swerve, it is crucial to understand what made it burn so quickly. Thankfully, NTSB may help to answer these two questions this weird crash posed. It wont bring those people back, but it may prevent other folks from dying in similar conditions.
kW

The Chrysler Corporation began researching gas turbine engines back in the 1930s, but road-going vehicles werent on the list of potential applications.Part of the select group of employees who worked on this secretive aircraft-focused project was executive engineer George Huebner, the man who would become famous for building nuclear missiles. But, before he got such grim ideas, he began researching the feasibility of powering a car with one of these powerplants. Shortly after the Second World War, Chrysler became interested in automotive applications, which led to a separate project and naturally, management chose Huebnerled to lead it.After years of innovative work, the research team built a stable prototype. It made its public debut on June 16, 1954, under the hood of an otherwise-stock Plymouth Belvedere . Two years later, the second-generation turbine unit was fitted inside another Plymouth that was driven by the famed engineer from New York City to Los Angeles.By this time, people were taking notice, and the gas turbine enthusiasm was at an all-time high. Ford and GM were working on similar designs, and the latter carmaker even released a crazy concept called Firebird XP-21 , which looked like a fighter jet on wheels.At Chrysler, development continued with the introduction of the engines third iteration. It was used on more of the companys existing models and by the end of the 1950s, an entire turbine-powered fleet was being exhibited at every important auto show on the planet.In the early 1960s, as the fourth-generation turbine unit was completed, management decided to stop experimenting with existing models and create a new car around it. The design was handed down to ex-Ford stylist Elwood Engel whose portfolio includes the Ford Thunderbird . He envisioned a completely new car that would rival both the aforementioned model as well as the Chevrolet Corvette - in terms of looks, at least.That vision turned into reality in 1963 when the revolutionary vehicle uninspiringly dubbed Turbine Car was unveiled at the Essex House hotel in New York City. Chrysler announced a limited production run of 50 units that couldn't be bought but instead would be loaned out to the general public to test its practicality.The hardtop coupe looked good, oozed luxury, and was met with a positive reaction. Its bodywork was handmade, assembled, and painted in Italy by the renowned design studio Carrozzeria Ghia, then shipped back to Detroit, where the powertrain and electronics were fitted. From headlights to hub caps and dashboard gauges, it was a collection of turbine-inspired shapes that culminated with a pair of huge exhaust tips sticking out of its rear end.The A-831 delivered 130 hp (97) at a whopping 36,000 rpm along with 425 lb-ft (576 Nm) of torque that was directed to the rear wheels through a TorqueFlite three-speed automatic. The innovative powerplant - which required a meticulous eight-step procedure to start - used one spark plug and about 80% fewer parts than a conventional piston unit, making it inherently more durable and easier to maintain.Apart from that, another major advantage was its capacity to run on multiple fuels, such as unleaded gasoline, diesel, kerosene, and JP-4 jet fuel. According to the manufacturer, it could also burn a variety of flammable liquids like furnace, peanut, or soybean oils. Furthermore, if those who loaned the car didnt like the way its exhaust gasses smelled, they could pour a few ounces of perfume in the tank, as one of the carmakers representatives demonstrated at a press gala in Paris.Another famous example of using an unusual liquid as fuel comes from former Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateos. The story goes that, after consulting with Chrysler engineers, he emptied several bottles of tequila into the tank and drove the car around without encountering any problems.Nevertheless, the versatile engines kryptonite was leaded gasoline. It was able to burn the fuel, but the lead additive left deposits that would end up damaging its internals, so the people who ended up driving the vehicles were advised not to use this type of gasoline under any circumstance.All fifty cars initially announced were manufactured from 1963 to 1964. They were identical in every way, including the metallic paint called Turbine Bronze. Chrysler gave them to people for three months at no charge, under the condition they kept a diary and provided extensive feedback before turning the car in. The user program ran from 1963 to 1966, with a total of 302 individuals participating. It helped engineers identify a series of issues with the turbine engine, including poor fuel consumption or starter malfunction at high altitudes.While the gas turbine project continued for another decade with no major breakthroughs, most of these awesome cars were destroyed by Chrysler shortly after the user program ended. The company kept two, six were delivered to various museums and one is owned by Jay Leno.Not quite a production car, nor a typical concept, the Turbine Car was as close as ordinary people got to driving a vehicle powered by a jet engine on public roads and one of the coolest cars ever built in the U.S.We recommend that you watch the episode of Jay Lenos Garage that you can find below if you want to learn more about this fascinating car and hear the audacious jet noise as it's being fired up.
FSD

EV

kWh

On September 14, RJ Scaringe announced that the first Rivian R1T for customers was leaving the factorys production lines in Normal, Illinois. The Rivian CEO also mentioned that the company was ready to deliver the electric pickup truck in all 50 states. Until very recently, people were making bets about who would provide an electric pickup truck faster: Tesla or Rivian. The Cybertruck has been postponed to 2022, but Tesla did not say exactly which month.These two facts show that Lucid and Rivian are not only about to deliver their first cars. They are also dropping change in a landscape that trusted solely on Tesla for innovation, energy efficiency, or desirable products on electric mobility. And they are only the domestic startup challengers Tesla will face. Chinese brands are around the corner or already defying the Model 3 and the Model Y in some European countries. Even Elon Musk recognized that, although it looked like a PRs effort to please the Chinese government.Check NIO, for example. This Chinese company has a better reputation in its home market than Tesla , as does Xpeng. Used car customers prefer EVs from these brands to those the American company produces.In NIOs case, that does not have to do exclusively with the higher quality of its cars. NIO also seems to have solved something that bugs people willing to have a daily driver that can also travel long distances. Instead of establishing an exclusive fast charger network, like Tesla, NIO invested in swappable batteries that can be replaced in 3 to 6 minutes. Tesla proposed to do that in the past and quickly gave up on the idea.In Xpengs case, it became the first company ever to launch a vehicle with LiDAR, something Elon Musk called the fools errand. P5 deliveries should start in October , and the XPILOT 3.5 system may beat Teslasby a large margin.Compared to Tesla, all these companies lack sales and production volumes, but legacy automakers may soon beat themaker to that. With all its cars based on MEB and other electric platforms, the Volkswagen Group may quickly sell as many electric vehicles as Tesla currently does. Herbert Diess estimated his company would do so by 2025. Checking the Volkswagen Groups current numbers, he was probably underpromising to overdeliver.Rivian and Lucid will take time to get there because they have started their careers with flagships. These EVs will help them to fund their operations with vehicles with beefier profit margins. However, Rivian is already planning two more factories: one in Europe and one in the U.S. Lucid promised Saudi Arabia  one of its largest investors  that it would have a factory in that country. It would complement the ones it already has in Casa Grande, Arizona. The Saudi Arabian plant would export its production to Europe and Asia.If we get back to innovation, Motor Trend praised Rivians suspension system as one of the best it ever tested. Its vehicles are not as energy-efficient as Teslas due to their off-road use, but it is way more efficient than similar vehicles, as we have already shown in a recent article When it comes to comparable vehicles, the Lucid Air managed to be much superior to any other EV currently for sale. With a battery pack of 113and 520 miles of range, it achieves 4.6 miles/kWh. It even seems that EPA made a calculation mistake related to the Lucid Air.EPA informs it would consume 26 kWh per 100 miles. However, if Lucids battery pack really has a 113 kWh capacity and it achieves 520 miles with it, the car actually uses 21.7 kWh/100 miles. Thats way less than the official number EPA informs for the Tesla Model 3 SR+: 24 kWh/100 miles. However, the Teslas 50 kWh of usable capacity and its 263-mile EPA range would give it a much lower number: 19 kWh/100 miles, or 5.26 miles/kWh.The issue is that the Model 3 SR+ would not be able to achieve this official range in real-life conditions. Edmunds made a test with it and got a range of 230 miles (370 km). With it, the Tesla would have the exact 21.7 kWh/100 miles (4.6 miles/kWh) that the Lucid Air presents in its Dream Range derivative on 19-in wheels. Its messy, I know, but well talk about that in another text.Motor Trend also tested the Air going from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back at highway speeds. Without any concern with saving energy, the car returned a range of 475 miles (764 km). It would probably go much further than its official EPA range if it were driven only in the urban cycle.Tesla promised its cars would have a 500-mile range and didnt deliver that. It said it would achieve full autonomy in 2016 because it was basically a solved problem. Customers that paid for FSD are either still waiting or happily swerving from concrete pillars and pedestrians when the beta software is in control. The Cybertrucks production would start in 2021. On top of all that, Tesla based all of its future vehicles around the 4680 cells . They are still not ready for production.Thats more than enough to realize that the company that was pushing for electric mobility a while ago may soon be trailing behind other brands. When that happens, it will probably lose the status of the most valuable car company in the world.From what we are getting from Lucid Rivian , NIO, Xpeng, and even Volkswagen, that should not take long if Tesla does not improve its game as fast as possible. Trading its promises for palpable achievements and fixing its current quality control and servicing issues would already help a lot.
The idea of vehicles that can conquer multiple environments, from sea to air and land, has always fascinated mankind. Since we cant become amphibians ourselves (except in movies), we want our real-life vehicles to have this superpower. Countless versions of amphibious vehicles have been tried and tested over the course of history.The most common ones today are most likely amphibious airplanes, typically used for search and rescue or firefighting operations, but models for private use are also available. There are even motorhomes that can float on water, like the rare Boaterhome , the fierce Terra Wind, or the French tour bus Marcel. But theres one thing thats missing from all of these  they dont belong on a superyacht.All yachts, from the smallest versions to the giant ones , need boats for fast and easy transition from sea to land and vice versa. From basic dinghies to oversized, premium boats, these things called tenders hide in the bellies of all yachts, like minions waiting to serve their master. Of course, the worlds largest and most expensive superyachts come with several large tenders, and room for a car or two, in their massive garages.This is how the idea of a boat that could also ride on land, was born. As the billionaires of the world set anchor in some magnificent location, they can simply start driving their amphibious car anywhere they want to, then get back to the yacht the same way, seamlessly moving from land to water. And, since this is high class were talking about it, this couldnt be just any old amphibious car, but a limousine.The idea wasnt new, but Boston-based Nouvoyage was the company that actually made it work. In 2013, the Limousine Tender 33 was introduced as the worlds first luxury amphibious craft that was capable of taking guests on both water and land destinations, in the best conditions. The companys Chief Executive Officer, Martin Bodley, noticed that previous amphibious models had limited performance and werent very reliable.By combining technologies from the military, commercial and racing industries, this innovative platform replaced cumbersome, complicated mechanical systems, with one that was simpler, but more effective. Powered by a Yanmar diesel engine and a Remy electric motors, the Limousine Tender was able to reach almost 30 knots at sea, and 85 mph (136.7 kph) on land.Designed with a planing hull (that glides on top of the water, at higher speeds) and what Bodley called a catamaran undercarriage arrangement, the amphibious limo was able to deliver significantly increased speed, increased range both on land and water, optimal maneuverability and better fuel efficiency.The 10-meter (33 feet) long tender, weighing 13,500 lbs (6,123 kg), could accommodate 12 passengers and two crew members. Everything inside was state-of-the-art, from the luxurious seating, to the air conditioning system and onboard restroom  which almost made it an amphibious boat, limo and RV in one. It was also designed with retracting roof and windows, and a gull-wing side entry, for easy access.With a price estimated at a minimum of $2 million, this high-end water toy was meant for superyacht owners and the resort market. As the brand described it, its mostly about making an entrance. After all, whether youre arriving at a film premier in Cannes or a dinner reservation in Les Beaux, your arrival must be unforgettable. A show-stopping superyacht should come with an equally outstanding tender. In this case  the amphibious limousine.The funny thing about this ultra-luxurious water toy is that its still unclear whether its currently under development, or never went past the concept phase. It seems that it will get built by the Nedship Group Shipyard, but theres no confirmation of the project actually going forward. It would be a shame if the Limousine Tender 33 didnt come to life  its one of those outrageous ideas thats worth pursuing just for the fun of it.
The design process for this beautiful machine took one more year to reach full completion. The production phase started in May 2018 and developed into an engineering wonder that makes unique statements in body styling, hydrodynamics, and luxurious interior packaging, proudly wearing the signature trident badge of the British supercar manufacturer. Safety, reliability, all-around visibility, and attention to detail like no other are all key elements that set this Aston Martin Triton project apart.In terms of sheer power, in their own words, its creators set on building a "submersible that dives as an Aston Martin drives." Project Neptune engineers reworked its propulsion system to achieve an impressive four-time better power-to-weight ratio than Triton's flagship model, the 3300/3, ensuring flawless acceleration during underwater journeys, impressive stats that are worth wearing that famous badge.The agile character of an Aston Martin machine envelops the Project Neptune and is a far departure from Triton's usual neutral and flat approach to diving. In other words, the control system suffered major redesigning highlighting extended pontoons or drag-reducing tapered fixture-free surfaces. Project Neptune has unique underwater abilities to tilt as it drives and carve smooth arches while turning, thus offering a wide range of controls and a more involving piloting experience, same as its supercar counterparts.The use of the well-proven DNV-GL certified "Low Profile" (LP) Platform developed by the guys at Triton sets the vehicle up to be a reliable and dependable machine. It can offer a novel diving experience for anyone willing to acknowledge their inner curiosity.The exterior architecture of the Project Neptune incorporates design influences from the Valkyrie hypercar . It would not have been possible without Triton's compact LP platform that enabled the engineering team to curve and sculpt the body with such distinctive proportions, preserving the British brand's DNA in every line and surface.The spherical pressure hull comes encased in an iridium-coated protective shield that offers excellent clarity of vision and contrast when underwater. Not least, the submersible comes fitted with an exposed carbon fiber wing that successfully complements its looks and gracefully hints at its remarkable performance. Physically, this ocean gemstone is pretty lightweight and compact. It measures only 13.45 ft (4.10 m) in length, 9.35 ft (2.85 m) in width, and stands just 6.23 ft (1.90 m) tall, tipping the scale at 9,200 lb (4,200 kg).The unique visual perspective that it displays on the outside continues on when entering its cockpit. The pilot and two other fortunate occupants are enveloped by the exquisite craftsmanship that Aston Martin is known for, which includes fine leather upholstery, contrast hand-stitching, extensive use of carbon fiber, and great attention to every minute detail.Furthermore, everything is assembled in a non-obstructive manner, offering excellent visibility for admiring the panoramic sight-lines below the surface, up to 1 640 ft (500m) deep into the ocean. This approach promotes the Project Neptune as one of the most luxurious submersibles in the industry, a veritable underwater cruiser that offers all the high-class amenities that its owners are accustomed to. Not least, customization and personalization are endless, the vehicle granting access to the British brand's bespoke service, named Q by Aston Martin.Of course, this limited-edition endeavor between the two companies has its cost. You are expected to pay around $4 million to experience the underwater world in a classy manner. For the right people, the chance of expanding their personal collection with such a unique vehicle that offers a sense of freedom otherwise unattainable is priceless.
The 2020 health crisis hit the cruise industry particularly hard. As of the time of press, there still are concerns over whether setting sail on board a giant vessel with hundreds, if not thousands, of strangers is a good idea. Royal Caribbean shrugs those off and announces that Wonder of the Sea will make its debut in the U.S. and Europe next year, instead of China.Wonder of the Sea is the kind of cruise ship that makes you think, were gonna need a bigger ocean. Having just completed sea trials at the end of last month, it is now in for the final refits at a French shipyard, ahead of its early summer debut. It is 1,188 feet (362 meters) long, 210 feet (64 meters) wide, and has 18 decks in total. On 16 of those decks, it can accommodate 6,988 guests. A 2,300-strong crew will be on hand.Wonder of the Seas is Oasis Class and, for the first time in the Royal Caribbean fleet, it features eight different neighborhoods. Its basically an entire town , but it floats. Amenities include the tallest slide at sea (the Ultimate Abyss), a full-scale waterpark for kids and families, plunge pool, 24 elevators, and Central Park, an entire neighborhood lined with real plants and trees. And thats just a handful of the countless amenities planned.Once launched, Wonder of the Seas will cruise at 25 knots. For the sea trials, which covered a distance of 1,550 nautical miles, it was pushed to the maximum, reaching 24 knots. Over 40 sea acceptance tests were completed, and plenty of inspections, as the second video at the bottom of the page reveals.The full schedule has not been announced yet, but Royal Caribbean says that Wonder of the Sea will set from Ford Lauderdale to the Caribbean, before heading to Barcelona and Rome to kickstart the summer holidays in May.
The big picture: Benally would lose his harvest and suffer from secondary health effects, highlighting just one of the environmental dangers some Native Americans, Black Americans and Latinos face from pollution and poor government oversight.

In August 2015, Steve Benally walked out of his Halchita, Utah, home on the Navajo Nation and heard a warning: Don't use the water. The Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, had spilled toxic wastewater into the Animas River watershed.

In August 2015, Steve Benally walked out of his Halchita, Utah, home on the Navajo Nation and heard a warning: Don't use the water. The Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, had spilled toxic wastewater into the Animas River watershed.

The big picture: Benally would lose his harvest and suffer from secondary health effects, highlighting just one of the environmental dangers some Native Americans, Black Americans and Latinos face from pollution and poor government oversight.

Details: Study after study shows communities of color are exposed to more air and water pollution, lead poisoning and toxic waste than more affluent, white neighborhoods. A few examples:

In Michigan, Flint's drinking water was contaminated with high levels of lead in 2014 after the city changed its water source from the treated Detroit Water and Sewerage Department water to the Flint River  causing a long-lasting public health crisis among heavily Black communities.

There are now criminal cases working its way through the court system about the Flint water system, as well as state and national programs aimed at remediation there. The water source was switched back, but the legacy of lead pollution, which is especially hazardous to children, will reverberate for a generation or more.

the Flint water system, as well as state and national programs aimed at remediation there. The water source was switched back, but the legacy of lead pollution, which is especially hazardous to children, will reverberate for a generation or more. Every October, Black residents of Glades, Florida, suffer through "black snow," a thick soot in the air from the burning of nearby sugar cane fields. Studies show residents have high levels of respiratory distress and asthma.

Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico have polluted water supplies, harmed sheep and caused cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency entered into $1.7 billion in enforcement agreements and settlements to clean up the mines.

to clean up the mines. Residents of Hispanic towns near the site of the 1945 Trinity Test of the atomic bomb say they've suffered rare cancers through generations and faced dismissals from government officials who have refused their pleas for help.

dismissals from government officials who have refused their pleas for help. The federal government has never apologized and opens up the Trinity Test site twice a year for tourists. Residents near other testing sites have been compensated.

Susan Black, who lost a son to neuropathy, walks by puddles in depressions of the sandstone on the Navajo Nation near a uranium mine. Photo: Gail Fisher/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Threat level: Research shows that emissions of tiny particles known as fine particulates are one of the biggest and most unequal environmental killers in the U.S.

A landmark study published in April in Science Advances found that Black, Latino and Asian Americans face higher levels of hazardous particulate exposure than white Americans, regardless of income.

This is due to their proximity to industry and construction sites and the associated emissions from cars and diesel trucks, researchers found. Overall, this pollution causes up to 200,000 excess deaths annually in the U.S., researchers found  disproportionately people of color.

In recent years, Democratic presidents  starting with Bill Clinton  have launched initiatives they insisted would address the problems, but there's been little progress.

Now, the Biden administration is putting "environmental justice" into its budget documents, making it a priority across the government.

Biden's EPA defines environmental justice as "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies."

"the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." The administration also says it will devote "at least 40%" of the benefits from federal investments in clean energy to disadvantaged communities.

In addition, the infrastructure bills before Congress include new spending to pay for replacing much of the remaining lead pipes in the country, starting with disadvantaged communities.

Cleophus Mooney looks at cases of water in his home in Flint, Mich. Photos: Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

Yes, but: It's too early to know whether any of this will bring significant changes to the communities that need the most help, or whether any of the new spending will even happen.

Much will depend on whether the administration can get its expansive agenda with numerous environmental justice-related provisions through Congress this fall, including more funding for cleaning up contaminated sites under the Superfund program.

According to a 2020 EPA analysis, 26% of all Black Americans, 29% of all Hispanic Americans and 24% of all households in the U.S. below the poverty level live within three miles of a Superfund site.

Henry Herrera, 87, shows the lack of hair on the back of his head and jaw resulting from cancer treatment years after he witnessed the Trinity Test. Photo: Russell Contreras/Axios

The bottom line: We're a long way from knowing whether "environmental justice" plans will actually make Black Americans, Latinos and Native Americans any safer from environmental threats or repair the damage already done.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Morning clouds will give way to sunshine for the afternoon. High near 80F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies during the evening will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Low 59F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  About 500 Haitians headed toward the U.S. border were ordered off buses by Mexican immigration authorities in the northern state of Tamaulipas Friday, and some tried to continue the journey on foot.

Immigration agents and National Guard officers stopped the buses at a highway checkpoint near the town of San Fernando, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of the Texas border, the state government said in a press release.

Mexico has turned back Haitian migrants trying to walk through southern Mexico. But 8,000 to 12,000 people, mainly Haitians, have already walked across the Rio Grande river and have assembled under and around a bridge in the small Texas border town of Del Rio. Some of those migrants may have already been in northern Mexico for some time.

The migrants stopped in Tamaulipas told local media they had boarded about 15 buses in the city of Poza Rica, Veracruz, and were headed to Reynosa, Tamaulipas, across the border from McAllen, Texas.

Many Haitians have applied for asylum or refugee status in Mexico, but they are not allowed to travel outside the state where they made those applications. About 19,000 Haitians, many who have previously traveled through South America, have applied for asylum or refugee status in Mexico so far this year.

The migrants included some families with children. State police cars accompanied the migrants part of their walk to avoid accidents on the highway.

The town of San Fernando is known for the 2010 massacre of 72 migrants by the Zetas drug cartel. Residents there offered the Haitians food.

On Wednesday, another group of Haitians blocked a roadway in Tamaulipas in protest after they said federal authorities were trying to detain and deport them.
SHREVEPORT, La. (AP)  A fight Friday at the same Louisiana high school where 14 students were arrested a day earlier has resulted in more students facing charges.

Two groups of teenage girls, ages 14 to 17, were involved in the fight at Southwood High School in Shreveport, said Caddo Parish Sheriff's Sgt. Andy Scoggins. In all, eight people were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace by fighting and each has been released to their parents' custody, the sheriff's office said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Bidens decision to form a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain to counter China is angering France and the European Union. Theyre feeling left out and seeing it as a return to the Trump era.

The security initiative, unveiled this week, appears to have brought Bidens summer of love with Europe to an abrupt end. AUKUS, which notably excludes France and the European Union, is just the latest in a series of steps, from Afghanistan to east Asia, that have taken Europe aback.

After promising European leaders that America is back and that multilateral diplomacy would guide U.S. foreign policy, Biden has alienated numerous allies with a go-it-alone approach on key issues. Frances foreign minister expressed total incomprehension at the recent move, which he called a stab in the back, and the EUs foreign policy chief complained that Europe had not been consulted.

France will lose a nearly $100 billion deal to build diesel submarines for Australia under the terms of the initiative, which will see the U.S. and Britain help Canberra construct nuclear-powered ones.

As such, French anger on a purely a commercial level would be understandable, particularly because France, since Britains handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, is the only European nation to have significant territorial possessions or a permanent military presence in the Pacific.

But French and European Union officials went further, saying the agreement calls into question the entire cooperative effort to blunt Chinas growing influence and underscores the importance of languishing plans to boost Europes own defense and security capabilities.

Some have compared Biden's recent actions to those of his predecessor, Donald Trump, under Trump's America First doctrine. That's surprising for a president steeped in international affairs who ran for the White House vowing to mend shaken ties with allies and restore U.S. credibility on the world stage.

Although it's impossible to predict if any damage will be lasting, the short-term impact seems to have rekindled European suspicions of American intentions  with potential implications for Biden's broader aim to unite democracies against authoritarianism, focused primarily on China and Russia.

Just three months ago, on his first visit to the continent as president, Biden was hailed as a hero by European counterparts eager to move beyond the trans-Atlantic tensions of the Trump years. But that palpable sense of relief has now faded for many, and its one clear winner, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is on her way out.

Since June, Biden has infuriated America's oldest ally, France, left Poland and Ukraine questioning the U.S. commitment to their security and upset the European Union more broadly with unilateral decisions ranging from Afghanistan to east Asia. And, while Europe cheered when Biden pledged to return to nuclear negotiations with Iran and revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, both efforts remain stalled nine months into his administration.

The seeds of discontent may have been sown in the spring but they began to bloom in July over Biden's acquiescence to a Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline that will bypass Poland and Ukraine, and a month later in August with the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan that left Europe scrambling to keep up after it had expressed reservations about the pullout.

Then just this week, Biden enraged France and the European Union with his announcement that the U.S. would join post-Brexit Britain and Australia in a new Indo-Pacific security initiative aimed at countering China's increasing aggressiveness in the region.

Unsurprisingly, China reacted angrily, accusing the U.S. and its English-speaking partners of embarking on a project that will destabilize the Pacific to the detriment of global security. But, the reactions from Paris and Brussels were equally severe. Both complained they were not only excluded from the deal but not consulted on it.

The White House and Secretary of State Antony Blinken say France had been informed of the decision before it was announced on Wednesday, although it was not exactly clear when. Blinken said Thursday there had been conversations with the French about it within the past 24 to 48 hours, suggesting there had not been an in-depth consultation.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who in June extolled the excellent news for all of us that America is back, expressed total incomprehension at the announcement of the initiative. It was really a stab in the back," he said. It looks a lot like what Trump did.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki dismissed the comparison. I would say the president doesnt think about it much, she told reporters. The presidents focus is on maintaining and continuing our close relationships with leaders in France, with the United Kingdom, with Australia and to achieving our global objectives, which include security in the Indo-Pacific.

In Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell echoed the French minister's complaints. I suppose that an agreement of this nature was not cooked up the day before yesterday. It takes a certain amount of time, and despite that, no, we were not consulted, he said. "That obliges us, once again  to reflect on the need to put European strategic autonomy high on the agenda.

Indeed, the 27-member European Union on Thursday unveiled a new strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, just hours after the announcement by the U.S., Britain and Australia. The EU said the aim is to strengthen and expand economic relations while reinforcing respect of international trade rules and improving maritime security. It said it hopes the strategy will result in more European naval deployments to the region.

U.S. officials brushed aside the French and EU complaints on Thursday.

There are a range of partnerships that include the French and some partnerships that dont, and they have partnerships with other countries that dont include us, Psaki said. "That is part of how global diplomacy works.

Speaking alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Australian defense and foreign ministers, Blinken said there is no regional divide with Europe over Indo-Pacific strategy. We welcome European countries playing an important role in the Indo-Pacific, he said, calling France a vital partner."

But how closely they will work together remains to be seen.

-

AP writers Darlene Superville, Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  A statue of a Native American that served as a landmark at an intersection in a St. Louis business district was removed Friday after officials determined it did not appropriately honor indigenous communities.

The statue will be donated to the National Building Arts Center, a repository for area architectural artifacts, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Its sculptor, Bill Christman, endorsed the statues removal.
From Texas Sen. Robert Nichols:

This week Hurricane Nicholas made landfall, impacting the coastal region of Southeast Texas and neighboring counties. Though the storm hit as a hurricane, it was later downgraded to a tropical storm and then to tropical depression. There are 19 counties under the disaster declaration and five are in Senate District 3, including Jasper, Liberty, Montgomery, Newton, and Orange Counties. If you have been affected by Hurricane Nicholas, please complete the Self Reporting Damage Survey found on Texas Department of Emergency Managements website to help the state identify damages to private homes and businesses at https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/.

1. Texas Health and Human Services Commission to award $5 million to rural hospitals

HHSC and Governor Abbott announced that the commission will receive $5 million in federal funding for rural hospitals through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The funding is coming through an innovative new program at CMS called the Community Health Access and Rural Transformation (CHART) Model. CHART is aimed at improving health outcomes, ensuring access to telehealth, and addressing health disparities in rural communities. It is a seven-year cooperative agreement for rural communities to address significant barriers in access to health care. The funding will help rural hospitals maintain financial stability due to low patient volumes, higher average fixed costs, and difficulty attracting and maintaining healthcare workers. Eligible communities in Senate District 3 include areas within Angelina, Polk, and San Augustine counties. HHSC may expand eligibility as funding allows.

2. Governor Abbott signs bail reform legislation

This week Governor Abbott signed Senate Bill 6 into law in Houston, finalizing bail reform measures he named as an emergency item in January before the regular legislative session. The Damon Allen Act, as the legislation is known, is designed to make it harder for violent offenders to be released from jail. The bill bans the release of those accused of violent crime on personal bonds. Personal bonds do not require offenders to post any bail, they just require a promise that the accused will appear in court. The problem was that numerous violent offenders would go on to commit more violent crime, even murder, while on personal bonds. For example, a pregnant Houston-area woman was murdered by her estranged husband after he was released on a personal bond after being arrested for attacking her. Keeping these violent offenders behinds bars while their case is being resolved keeps the public safe from further criminal acts.

3. DSHS to award $10 million in grants for local vaccination efforts

The Department of State Health Services announced it is awarding $10 million in grants for local vaccination efforts through the Texas Vaccine Outreach and Education Grant program. They are encouraging education entities, faith-based organizations, government entities, community coalitions, associations, and non-profit groups to apply for grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000. Community groups should be engaged in vaccine education and aiming at increasing the number of vaccinated Texans. Priority is given to rural communities, disability organizations, and communities of color.

4. SFA launches inaugural Aviation Science Program class

This fall, Stephen F. Austin State University is offering a new degree program  Aviation Science. This month the inaugural class began piloting aircraft at A. L. Mangham Airport. The program is a public-private partnership with Nacogdoches-based HCH Aviation and other entities. The City of Nacogdoches is providing the airport, HCH Aviation and Piper Aircraft provide the planes, and HCH Aviation provides the instructors. Aviation Science graduates will be FAA certified upon graduation. The flight training program is open to collegiate and non-collegiate students, as well as those not interested in earning a bachelors degree. Though the program now only has 21 students, program leaders are hoping to expand their offerings to have up to 200 or more students in the program.

5. Texas Veterans Commission grants $1 million to East Texas veterans services

Six veterans services groups in East Texas received a combined $1 million in grants from the Texas Veterans Commission this month. Grants range from general assistance to housing and transportation assistance. The money for these grants comes from veterans cash lottery tickets, vehicle registrations, and hunting and fishing licenses, which all have the option to donate to the Texas Veterans Commission. Through these small donations, the Texas Veterans Commission has been able to award over $33 million just this year. Over 5,000 East Texas veterans receive help from the community organizations that received grants this month. Veterans have access to other important resources through the Texas Veterans Commission and can learn more at https://www.tvc.texas.gov/.
An old poster is seen of suspected Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen militants wanted by the authorities; Ali Kalora is pictured top left.

Indonesian security forces on Saturday said they shot dead a man believed to be an Islamic State-linked militant groups leader, reducing the outfit to four people.

Two bodies, believed to be of Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen (MIT) leader Ali Kalora and one of his followers, are yet to be recovered from the jungles of the mountainous Parigi Moutong regency in Central Sulawesi province, said Brig. Gen. Farid Makruf.

There was an exchange of gunfire and two terrorists were killed, Farid, the deputy chief of an operation to hunt down MIT suspects, told BenarNews.

[They] are suspected to be Ali and Jaka, he said, referring to the other militant suspect Jaka Ramadan.

The operation to hunt MIT suspects, codenamed Madago Raya, conducts regular patrols in Parigi Moutong and surrounding areas.

Still, the militant outfit in the worlds most populous Muslim-majority country has been a thorn in the side of security forces despite its reduced numbers from a high of 40 in its early years. MIT has survived in the mountains and jungles of the province of Central Sulawesi, terrain the group knows well.

The provinces Poso regency  that abuts Parigi Moutong  has long been a hotbed of MIT activity, and is an area that security forces find difficult to penetrate, Inspector Gen. Imam Sugianto, the national police deputy for operations, told BenarNews late last year.

MITs insurgency in the countrys Sulawesi region has its roots in a bloody Muslim-Christian conflict at the turn of the century, which left more than 1,000 people dead between 1998 and 2001.

The outfit pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014. MITs now-dead founder Santoso was the first Indonesian militant to pledge allegiance to IS publicly.

MIT has claimed responsibility for killing many police officers and minority Christians. In May, members of the group killed four farmers in Central Sulawesi. And in November last year, they killed four villagers living in a Christian community in Sigi regency near Poso.

The group is one of two pro-Islamic State groups operating in Indonesia. The other is Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), which authorities have blamed for terror attacks in the archipelago nation during the past five years.

In May, police said MIT had split into two groups in an attempt to elude authorities, with one group led by Kalora, active in Sigi regency, and the other under the leadership of Muhammad Busra, or Qatar, operating in Poso.

Qatar was killed in a security raid in Central Sulawesi province in July, and with Kaloras supposed death, MIT appears to be on its last legs.

Earlier this year, Farid said Ali and his followers wanted to turn themselves in to the authorities but feared reprisals after the faction led by Qatar threatened to kill their families.

Farid said intelligence suggested that Ali and Qatar had been at odds since the death of Santoso, who was killed by security forces in 2016.

Kalora had eluded capture for more than a decade, the Associated Press news agency reported, citing Madago Raya deputy chief Farid.

Ali Kalora was the most wanted terrorist and leader of MIT, Farid said.
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Greg Sukiennik has worked at all three Vermont News & Media newspapers and was their managing editor from 2017-19. He previously worked for ESPN.com, for the AP in Boston, and at The Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass.
GREAT BARRINGTON  The town now is recommending that people wear masks while outdoors amid crowds, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, expanding an earlier advisory to mask up indoors while out in public.

The Board of Healths expanded advisory took effect Friday and encourages mask-wearing where social distancing cannot be maintained, and when attending with anyone outside of your household, according to the boards statement.

The Board of Health recommends that the community take precautions to mitigate the risk of illness as we head into the flu, RSV, and cold season, while still in the midst of a pandemic.

The board is offering signs for businesses, and event planners are encouraged to consult with the Health Department about any large gatherings.

With eyes on two COVID fronts, mask advisory issued for Great Barrington Health officials have more than COVID-19 to worry about, though they hope their advice to wear a mask indoors in public will help. They've also confirmed some cases of rare tick-borne illnesses, as well as food-borne diseases.

The boards decision was influenced by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data that indicates the Berkshires is an area of high transmission. The town Health Department had 17 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Monday. As of Thursday, Berkshire County had 21 new confirmed cases, a 17 percent decline from two weeks ago.

As of Wednesday, eight people who tested positive for the virus were hospitalized, and there was one new death, according to Berkshire Health Systems.
NEWS ON BOOSTERS: A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted Friday to recommend third doses  known colloquially as "booster shots"  to people 65 and older, and those at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The same panel also voted to reject third doses for the general population. An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will meet next week to discuss the details around the third shot.
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.
Reporter

Heather Bellow, a member of the investigations team, joined The Eagle in 2017. She is based in the South Berkshire County bureau in Great Barrington. Her work has appeared in newspapers across the U.S.
D. R. Dusty Bahlman can be reached by mail c/o The Berkshire Eagle, 75 South Church St., Pittsfield, MA 01201, by email at notesandfootnotes39@gmail.com or by phone at 413-441-4278.
The Adams Board of Health during a recent meeting considered a measure that would direct people to wear masks but would fall short of a mandate, and the local officials appeared to be caught off guard by the volume of opposition to the directive.
If the Bible is truly the inerrant Word of God, why are there so many different versions of it? Why do some people insist their translation is the best, and some versions are heretical? Shouldnt there just be one? Why cant Christians even agree on this?

The reasons behind the proliferation of Bible translations are complex, but can be simplified to something very simple: audience and purpose. Many of us have heard that the Bible is the best-selling book of all time, and this is a true statement. In fact, its not even close. It is estimated that a Bible is present in 85% of U.S. households, and that the average Bible-per-house ratio is over four.

All this to say that even with an average of for Bibles per American household, we still continue to purchase millions of Bibles each and every year. Much of the reason for this is that Americans are upgrading Bibles, giving them as gifts, and just as often, we are buying different versions of the Bible.

Why Are There So Many Bible Translations?

To understand this question, we can compare it to Shakespeare. Shakespeares English is often called Old English, but in reality, it is early Modern English. In spite of this, it is often difficult for modern readers like us to understand. To get an idea, lets take a look at this couplet which appears in Act I of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet:

The measure done, Ill watch her place of stand,

And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.

What is Romeo talking about here? What does this mean? Why is there a funny accent mark over blessed?

Now lets say you are teaching this to a ninth-grade class. In order to understand these words, you would probably have to write it differently. SparkNotes translates it as, When this dance is over, Ill see where she stands, and then Ill touch her hand with my rough and ugly one.

This is easier to understand, but most of the words are different, the meter is gone, and the rhyme of stand and hand are gone.

And this is just translating English to English.

Bible translators have the difficult task of translating ancient Hebrew and Greek into readable English. Along with that, they have to consider the audience. Is this Bible suited for a seminary professor? A teenager? Children? Families? Anyone and everyone?

Remember, the English language as Shakespeare knew it would not even exist for well over a thousand years after Paul penned his final letter.

When coming across words that rhyme in the original languages, do translators strive to find similar rhymes in English to keep the poetry, or do they ignore the rhyme to keep the meaning? These decisions are difficult enough when dealing with Shakespeare, but they take on eternal significance when handling the Word of God, theological accuracy, and a clear picture of what it means to be saved.

This is the motivation behind so many Bible translations: they are all essentially seeking a way to present the truth of Gods Word in a way that is the most accurate and yet the most understandable by the most people. This is no simple task, and this is the reason so many have undertaken the effort to make the Bible as readable as possible while remaining as accurate as possible.

Which Bible Translation Is Closest to the Original?

Based on what we now know of how difficult translation is, this is also a difficult question to answer, and it leads to comparing two different translation philosophies. The first is formal equivalence, also called literal or word-for-word equivalence. Formal equivalence strives to stay as close as possible to the actual wording of the original language, striving to translate each Greek or Hebrew word to the closest possible word in English. Think of this reading Shakespeare as Shakespeare wrote it.

The second is dynamic equivalence, or thought-for-thought equivalence. This approach attempts to stay as close to the thought the original writer was trying to convey. Think of this as Shakespeare rendered as an easier-to-understand language for modern English speakers.

Each approach has strengths and weaknesses, and ultimately most translations are a true combination of the two. The versions below are generally considered to be very close to the original.





Photo credit: Unsplash/Sincerely Media

What Are the 5 Most Accurate Bible Translations?

There are other versions that are worthy of attention, but these five are universally considered great for several reasons. First, they are all translated by respected and diverse groups of theologians. Second, they all stay fairly close to one another in attempting to give the best meaning to what the Scripture has to tell us today.

My top 5 (in alphabetical order) are:

1. CSB  Christian Standard Bible

The Christian Standard Bible is a 21st century translation (2017) that is a revision of the HCSB (2004). According to the CSB preface, it seeks optimal equivalence in a commitment to both formal equivalence (which recognizes the importance of the form of the original language textthat is, the words used and the grammatical and rhetorical structures) and functional equivalence (which recognizes the importance of conveying the original message and intent in natural English readily understood by modern readers). It is also unique in being the first translation to use contractions, such as in John 3:10, Are you a teacher of Israel and don't know these things? Jesus replied.

Read more here.

2. ESV  English Standard Version

The English Standard Version is also a 21st century version (2001), and is based on a revision of the 1950s RSV. According to the ESV preface, it is an essentially literal translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. The ESV does not contain the thees and thous of the KJV, but considers itself to be in the stream of translations descended from the KJV. It does manage to maintain the KJV feel while being understandable and readable. Psalm 23:1 is an example of following traditional, yet familiar language, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. The ESV Bible combines word-for-word precision and accuracy with literary excellence, beauty, and readability.

Read more here.

3. KJV/NKJV - King James Version/New King James Version

The King James Version, originally known as the Authorized Version, dates to 1611, is a formal/literal version, and has had just a few language tweaks since written. This version continues to be the version most people consider The Bible, and it has stood the test of time. Although not the first translation into English, the KJV was the first to gain and maintain nearly universal acceptance throughout the English-speaking world, and continues to be quoted and well-known to this day.

Read more here.

The New King James Version was produced in 1982 as a modern update to the KJV that would retain the beauty and poetry of the text, while incorporating modern manuscript discoveries and changes in language. It is successful in doing these things. The preface states that the NKJVs, principle of complete equivalence seeks to preserve all of the information in the text, while presenting it in good literary form. Its strength lies in its closeness to the KJV and extensive textual reference footnotes.

Read more here.

4. NASB  New American Standard Bible

The New American Standard Bible (as the name suggests) is a 1971 revision of the American Standard Bible of 1901. The ASV was so literal that it was difficult to read and understand, and the NASB continues to be among the most literal word-for-word versions available. According to the preface, the four-fold aim is that 1. These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. 2. They shall be grammatically correct. 3. They shall be understandable. 4. They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no work will ever be personalized. The NASB was updated in 1995, and again in 2020, and retains its place as a wonderful Bible for deep study.

Read more here.





Photo credit: Unsplash/Aaron Burden

5. NIV  New International Version

The New International Version is regularly atop the charts of most popular versions, and has been for several decades. It views itself as a balance between the dynamic thought-for-thought and formal word-for-word translations. The NIV translators state that their goal is to ensure that it continues to offer readers an experience that mirrors that of the original audience, and to provide the most accurate text possible in clear, natural English.

Read more here.

Why Are These Five the Most Accurate?

These five translations are considered to be accurate and readable, and present a clear picture of who God is, how we can know Him, and what it means for our lives. They are easily accessible and come in excellent study Bible versions. I highly recommend owning a Study Bible, as no matter which version you are reading, notes and commentary are helpful to understanding, and give full context to what you are reading!

As English-speaking Bible readers, we are blessed with numerous versions, and websites such as BibleStudyTools.com that allow us to engage with multiple versions from our mobile devices. Let us not forget that while we have been blessed with multiple versions of Scripture, many others around the world who speak other languages have one, or possibly none. We must continue to pray for them, and support organizations that are getting the Gospel into the hands of those around the world.

As for us, the best advice that can be given is to own a couple of translations, maybe a dynamic version and a formal version to compare. It is also good to pick one that you will read the most, most likely the one used by your church weekly. Read it daily and start memorizing the Word of God! Every believer who can will benefit from having a physical, print translation that you can study, read, and take notes in (or at least have a Scripture journal). Whatever Bible you have, read it often and let Gods Word dwell in your heart and mind.

Related articles

How Many Books Are in the Bible and How Did They Get There?

Are There Missing Books of the Bible?

How Many Books of the Bible Did Paul Write?



Photo credit: SparrowStock

Jason Soroski is a homeschool dad and member of the worship team at matthias lot church in St. Charles, MO. He spends his free time hanging out with his family, exploring new places, and writing about the experiences. Connect on Facebook or at JasonSoroski.net.
Looking for something to do? Heres a list of local community and nonprofit events. Please check with your club or organization to be certain of meetings, outings and classes, as they may be canceled because of bad weather or other reason. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, contact Julie Norwood at 231-592-8358 or julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com.

 Shred Event: 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 18, at Lerner Csernai Fath Financial, 15505 Waldron Way, Big Rapids. Bring your shred in non-returnable bags/boxes. Donations to benefit Manna Pantry of Big Rapids. For more information, visit mannapantry.org/programs-2.

 Basket Weaving  Scarecrow Basket: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Artworks 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: $55. Contact: 231-796-2420

 Glass Fusion  Glass Heart: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: $75. Contact: 231-796-2420.

 Animal Tales  Australian Kangaroo: 10-11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at Card/Riley Conservation & Wildlife Education Center, 820 Campus Drive, Big Rapids. Learn about Australian Kangaroo with a story and a craft. Cost: Free. Contact: Carrie Weis at weisc@ferris.edu, 231-591-2536.

 Tuba Bach Festival: 4 p.m. Saturdays, Sept. 11-Oct. 17, outside at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 726 Fuller Ave., Big Rapids. A separate concert will be livestreamed online only, as well as on Sunny 97.3 FM at 4 p.m. Sundays. Visit www.tubabach.org. for links.

 Cub Scout Pack 174 Registration Night: 6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, 223 E. 5th Ave., Reed City. Reed City Cub Scout Pack 174 will kick off its 2021-22 season with a Pack Meeting. All new and returning Scouts are invited to attend, and new Scouts can register to join the Pack during the meeting. Open to boys in grades 1-5.

 Wolfy Memorial Tournament: Friday, Sept. 24, and Saturday, Sept. 25. Contact: Cody Wyman at cwyman@cityofbr.org, 231-349-2060. For more information or to register a team, visit wolfymemorialtournament.com.

 Mosaic Mirror: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, at Artworks 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: $80 for Sept. 25 and Oct. 2 sessions; $60 for Sept. 25 session only. Contact: 231-796-2420

 Little Women: 7 p.m. Sept. 24, Sept. 25, Oct. 8, Oct. 9; and 2 p.m. Sept. 26, Oct. 2, Oct. 3 and Oct. 10; at CrossRoads Theatre, 249 W. Upton Ave., Reed City. Tickets are $10 each and can be reserved by calling 231-465-4044.

 Swiss Steak Dinner: 4-6:30 p.m. the last Friday of every month, April-October, at the Barryton Senior Center, 71 Northern Ave., Barryton. Includes dinner and dessert. Everyones welcome.

 Tai Chi: Noon on Wednesdays at Hemlock Park. Improve muscle tone, flexibility, balance and coordination. Newcomers welcome. brpr.org.

 Mecosta Co. Genealogical Society: Open 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. every second Saturday, at 424 N. Fourth Ave., Big Rapids, next to Recycle. Thousands of obits and hundreds of books with history and genealogy for the Mecosta Co. area. Stop by or call Maureen Nelson at 231-250-5555 to set up an appointment.

 Mecosta County Sheriff Posse: 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Mecosta County Jail basement training room, 225 S. Stewart Ave., Big Rapids. This volunteer group is always looking for more members. For more info call 231-250-9241

 Lords Table Food Pantry: 3-5 p.m. Wednesdays at Faith Community Church, 610 Green St., Big Rapids. Everyone is welcome.

 Reed City Food Pantry: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 7, at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 831 S. Chestnut St., Reed City.

 Morley Community Center: The center, at 151 7th St., Morley, hosts weekly pickleball, open gym, indoor garage sales and outdoor market, in addition to monthly ancestry class, craft night and blood drive. For a list of activities, visit morleycenter.org/events or call 231-856-4496.

ARTWORKS ONGOING CLASSES, EXHIBITS

106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids / 231-796-2420 / artworksinbigrapids.org

 After School Arts: 3:45-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 1-29. Drop-ins welcome on a first come, first serve basis, but registration recommended. Register at Artworks gift shop or by calling 231-796-2420 the Monday before each session.

 Open Pottery: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $10 per session, $60 for an eight-session punch card. (Additional firing fees apply. Clay may be purchased in bulk for $20 per 25 lbs.) Call 231-796-2420 to schedule your session.

 Hand Built Pottery Fall Session: 6-8 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 13, 20, 27, and Oct. 4, 18, 25. Cost: $150. Register by calling 231-796-2420 or online at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/pottery.

 Beginning Wheel Fall Session: 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept. 15, 22, 29, and Oct. 5, 12, 26. Cost: $150. Register by calling 231-796-2420 or online at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/pottery.

 Fundamentals of Photography Beginner Course: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 15-Oct. 19. Cost: $75. Register by calling 231-796-2420 or online at www.artworksinbigrapids.org/photography.

 Exhibit  Joyful Journey: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, Aug. 30-Oct. 3. Exhibit features artwork Hope Network and MOISD students.
DEL RIO, Texas (AP)  Haitian migrants seeking to escape poverty, hunger and a feeling of hopelessness in their home country said they will not be deterred by U.S. plans to speedily send them back, as thousands of people remained encamped on the Texas border Saturday after crossing from Mexico.

Scores of people waded back and forth across the Rio Grande on Saturday afternoon, re-entering Mexico to purchase water, food and diapers in Ciudad Acuna before returning to the Texas encampment under and near a bridge in the border city of Del Rio.

Junior Jean, a 32-year-old man from Haiti, watched as people cautiously carried cases of water or bags of food through the knee-high river water. Jean said he lived on the streets in Chile the past four years, resigned to searching for food in garbage cans.

We are all looking for a better life, he said.

The Department of Homeland Security said Saturday that it moved about 2,000 of the migrants from the camp to other locations Friday for processing and possible removal from the U.S. Its statement also said it would have 400 agents and officers in the area by Monday morning and would send more if necessary.

The announcement marked a swift response to the sudden arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a Texas city of about 35,000 people roughly 145 miles (230 kilometers) west of San Antonio. It sits on a relatively remote stretch of border that lacks capacity to hold and process such large numbers of people.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Friday that the U.S would likely fly the migrants out of the country on five to eight flights a day, starting Sunday, while another official expected no more than two a day and said everyone would be tested for COVID-19. The first official said operational capacity and Haitis willingness to accept flights would determine how many flights there would be. Both officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Told of the U.S. plans Saturday, several migrants said they still intended to remain in the encampment and seek asylum. Some spoke of the most recent devastating earthquake in Haiti and the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, saying they were afraid to return to a country that seems more unstable than when they left.

In Haiti, there is no security, said Fabricio Jean, a 38-year-old Haitian who arrived with his wife and two daughters. The country is in a political crisis.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating 2010 earthquake. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.

Jorge Luis Mora Castillo, a 48-year-old from Cuba, said he arrived Saturday in Acuna and also planned to cross into the U.S. Castillo said his family paid smugglers $12,000 to take him, his wife and their son out of Paraguay, a South American nation where they had lived for four years.

Told of the U.S. message discouraging migrants, Castillo said he wouldn't change his mind.

Because to go back to Cuba is to die, he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed off vehicle and pedestrian traffic in both directions Friday at the only border crossing between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna to respond to urgent safety and security needs" and it remained closed Saturday. Travelers were being directed indefinitely to a crossing in Eagle Pass, roughly 55 miles (90 kilometers) away.

Crowd estimates varied, but Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said Saturday evening there were 14,534 immigrants at the camp under the bridge. Migrants pitched tents and built makeshif t shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.

It is unclear how such a large number amassed so quickly, though many Haitians have been assembling in camps on the Mexican side of the border to wait while deciding whether to attempt entry into the U.S.

The number of Haitian arrivals began to reach unsustainable levels for the Border Patrol in Del Rio about 2  weeks ago, prompting the agencys acting sector chief, Robert Garcia, to ask headquarters for help, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Since then, the agency has transferred Haitians in buses and vans to other Border Patrol facilities in Texas, specifically El Paso, Laredo and Rio Grande Valley. They are mostly processed outside of the pandemic-related authority, meaning they can claim asylum and remain in the U.S. while their claims are considered. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement makes custody decision but families can generally not be held more than 20 days under court order.

Homeland Securitys plan announced Saturday signals a shift to use of pandemic-related authority for immediate expulsion to Haiti without an opportunity to claim asylum, the official said.

The flight plan, while potentially massive in scale, hinges on how Haitians respond. They might have to decide whether to stay put at the risk of being sent back to an impoverished homeland wracked by poverty and political instability or return to Mexico. Unaccompanied children are exempt from fast-track expulsions.

DHS said, our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey.

Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion, the agency wrote. Irregular migration poses a significant threat to the health and welfare of border communities and to the lives of migrants themselves, and should not be attempted.

U.S. authorities are being severely tested after Democratic President Joe Biden quickly dismantled Trump administration policies that Biden considered cruel or inhumane, most notably one requiring asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court hearings.

A pandemic-related order to immediately expel migrants without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum that was introduced in March 2020 remains in effect, but unaccompanied children and many families have been exempt. During his first month in office, Biden chose to exempt children traveling alone on humanitarian grounds.

Nicole Phillips, legal director for advocacy group Haitian Bridge Alliance, said Saturday that the U.S. government should process migrants and allow them to apply for asylum, not rush to expel them.

It really is a humanitarian crisis, Phillips said. There needs to be a lot of help there now.

Mexico's immigration agency said in a statement Saturday that Mexico has opened a permanent dialogue with Haitian government representatives to address the situation of irregular migratory flows during their entry and transit through Mexico, as well as their assisted return."

The agency didn't specify if it was referring to the Haitians in Ciudad Acuna or to the thousands of others in Tapachula, at the Guatemalan border, and the agency didn't immediately reply to a request for further details.

In August, U.S. authorities stopped migrants nearly 209,000 times at the border, which was close to a 20-year high even though many of the stops involved repeat crossers because there are no legal consequences for being expelled under the pandemic authority.

___

Lozano reported from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico and Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Ben Fox, Alexandra Jaffe and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.
Zebra study reveals plans to mobilise urgent care teams, automate workflows, and regain control of supply chains

Zebra Technologies Corporation, an innovator at the front line of business with solutions and partners that deliver a performance edge, released the findings of its latest healthcare vision study. The 'Smarter, More Connected Hospitals' Global Report reveals a stronger commitment to advanced technology tools as acute care providers strive to become more resilient and digitalise the patient journey.

89 per cent of executive decision-makers and 83 per cent of clinicians surveyed agree real-time intelligence is essential for optimal patient care, and hospitals are increasingly investing in clinical mobility tools, real-time location systems (RTLS) and intelligent workflow solutions to support smarter, more connected workflows. However, more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of hospital executives still dont feel their organisations are investing enough to maximise staff efficiency and more must be done moving forward.

The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the efficiency of both clinical and administrative workflows, said Chris Sullivan, Global Healthcare Practice Lead, Zebra Technologies. As a result, todays healthcare leaders face the challenge of recalibrating technology systems to better support the needs of clinicians and patients.

The majority of respondents (84 per cent) believe the quality of patient care would improve if nurses, physicians and non-clinical healthcare workers had access to collaboration tools and the convenience of using their mobile devices to access healthcare applications.
Understanding the need for proactive cyber risk assessment and security posture to combat cyber attacks

The phrase 'prevention is better than cure', often attributed to the Dutch Northern Renaissance philosopher Desiderius Erasmus forms the fundamental principles of our approach to modern healthcare and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Technology has today made deep inroads into the healthcare sector transforming the practice of modern medicine. Health care systems are now leveraging the potential of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) and Internet-connected devices are being designed to enhance efficiencies, diminish costs, and drive better results.

The Medtech industry has been one of the key contributors to the healthcare ecosystem playing a strategic role in fostering the change of health care delivery towards better health outcomes. With India being ranked among the top 20 markets for medical devices worldwide, according to IBEF, the current market size of the medical devices industry in India is estimated to be nearly $10 billion and poised for significant growth in the next five years, it is expected to reach $50 billion by 2025.

That said, the proliferation of connected smart medical equipment devices such as pacemakers, insulin pumps, drug infusion pumps, cardiac implants, or other vital monitoring systems, are also making healthcare more prone to cyberattacks and data breaches that directly endanger the patients privacy and safety. As per McAfees Cloud Adoption and Risk Report  Work From Home Edition released in May last year, healthcare is the second most target industry followed by manufacturing when it comes to external cloud threats.

Vital yet vulnerable

McAfees Enterprise ATR team recently partnered with Culinda and identified a set of vulnerabilities that could be used by a malicious actor to modify a pumps configuration while the pump is in standby mode in the B Braun Infusomat Space Large Volume Pump and the B Braun SpaceStation. These vulnerabilities could permit the hacker to conduct remote network attacks which resulted in a modified and unexpected amount of dose being given to a patient.

What makes the security of these devices a pressing issue is the network effects associated with connected platforms without proper cybersecurity controls. This can lead to catastrophic security breaches, as the majority of them use multiparty code including open source without actually analysing them for vulnerabilities. Denial of service attacks, theft of the patients data, lateral access to other parts of the organisations network, and device malfunction leading to patient death in some cases are some of the most common types of cyber-attacks that stem from device vulnerabilities. Further, the medical devices that are currently used by healthcare organisations were potentially designed, way before the MedTech industry critically started looking at it from a cybersecurity standpoint. As a result, hospitals today, are using older devices with outdated software, hardware, and protocols, unprotected from vulnerabilities yet holding sensitive, personal, and life-sustaining information.

The complexity and size of hospital operations, coupled with the existence of outdated systems, further hinder the employment of effective cybersecurity strategies. The obvious question, therefore, is how to change the landscape of cyber threats in MedTech and combat attacks as there is more at stake than the privacy of data? The answer lies in ensuring security at every level, making it a significant and critical component of the entire infrastructure.

Building cyber resilience

With the advent of technology, it has become convenient to identify medical devices, understand their vulnerabilities, and provide non-intrusive security on the network. Some key methods that can be followed are:

Security is key - Security must now be baked into the entire process of manufacturing a medical device, and to be effective, security protocols need to be adhered to by all the businesses that will use the solution across the entire lifecycle of a device

Assess and address device vulnerabilities- Access to home peripherals, including home IoT devices, should be scrutinised closely. The objective is to lessen the threat profile for VPN-connected devices to maximise user security while also minimising user disruption and ensuring a smooth user experience

Controlled access to valuable data - It is essential to know whos been granted access to sensitive data. Monitor and audit actions of privileged users closely

Provide breach training  Every employee must be trained on handling security breaches and the accurate ways to report them, as well-timed action by an informed employee can help thwart data from being compromised further

Invest in cybersecurity - Upgrading systems and processes is the need of the hour as most of the cybersecurity systems utilised by healthcare organisations are outdated and incapable to fend off cyberattacks

Marching ahead to secure the future

Just how healthcares goal is prevention and wellness, cybersecuritys is avoidance and resilience. Information sharing in a hyper-connected world is a new reality, thus making data security critical for device manufacturers, care providers, and health consumers. Like the adage prevention is better than cure, they too will have a crucial task of upping their security measures before their patients data or trust is compromised.

Venkat Krishnapur, VP of Engineering and Managing Director, McAfee Enterprise India, Bengaluru
Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain
When the residents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa go to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20, theyll have six candidates spanning the political spectrum to choose from.

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When the residents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa go to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20, theyll have six candidates spanning the political spectrum to choose from.

Incumbent Conservative candidate Dan Mazier will look to keep his job while Green candidate Shirley Lambrecht, Liberal candidate Kevin Carlson, Maverick candidate Lori Falloon-Austin, NDP candidate Arthur Holroyd, and PPC candidate Donnan McKenna try to unseat him.

SUBMITTED Kevin Carlson, seen here with his grandson, is running for the Liberals in Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa.

To help voters in the riding gain a better idea of each candidate and their partys policies, the Sun sent them six questions, for which they provided written responses.

Answers were received from all candidates except for the NDP and have been edited for length, clarity and style. Please note that The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse or agree with the opinions expressed by participating candidates.

A Q-and-A with Brandon-Souris candidates was published Friday.

Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawas federal Liberal candidate is Kevin Carlson. Though Carlson lives in The Pas, he grew up in Winnipegosis, approximately 60 kilometres northeast of Dauphin. Carlson, who is Metis, is the executive director of The Pas Friendship Centre.

1. Agricultural producers are being hit hard by dry conditions this year. What would you and your party do to assist struggling farmers?

A Liberal government has committed $100 million to AgriRecovery initiatives in Western Canada. The Manitoba government will provide the mechanism to distribute the funding to ranchers in the province through supports for purchasing hay and a plan for the ability to restock the herd in the event of a quick sell-off this fall.

2. Canada has seen a lot of extreme weather this year, causing drought, flooding, wildfires and massive storms. What would you and your party do to tackle climate change and its effects on Canadians?

A re-elected Liberal government will work with provinces, territories, and farmers  including Indigenous and young farmers  to update business risk management agriculture programs to fully integrate climate risk management, environmental practices and climate readiness.

Develop an investment tax credit of up to 30 per cent for a range of clean technologies including low-carbon and net-zero technologies with input from external experts on what technologies should be covered.

Build on existing advisory services for emerging clean technology firms to guide them, from formation to export, on the opportunities and challenges before them.

Provide support and incentives for domestic procurement of Canadian clean technology. By partnering with other levels of government and existing large companies, we can help emerging Canadian clean technology firms secure customers here in Canada.

Triple funding for clean tech on farms, including for renewable energy, precision agriculture and energy efficiency.

Partner with post-secondary institutions and Indigenous organizations to accelerate the creation and growth of Indigenous clean technology businesses.

3. What will you and your party do to meaningfully address reconciliation and racism?

A re-elected Liberal government will provide funding towards the construction of a permanent home for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. We will also provide sustained financial support for the centre for core operations in fulfilling the mandate issued by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with dedicated support for the work on missing children and unmarked graves; commit an additional $1.4 billion for a distinctions-based mental health and wellness strategy with First Nations, Inuit, and the Metis Nation, expanding on our recent commitment of $597.6 million, for a total investment of $2 billion over five years. We understand that this work will take time and will need to be guided by communities, survivors, and their families.

4. How do you think the idea of vaccine mandates and immunization cards should be handled?

I believe vaccine mandates should be delivered by a government that follows the direction and advice of scientists and doctors/nurses. A federal government should work with the province to ensure the plans of seamless integration of provincially driven vaccine cards occurs. In other words, a card processed in Manitoba should be recognizable and accepted in B.C., just as a card produced in Quebec should be easily accepted here.

5. There have been instances of political candidates getting threatened or having things thrown at them on the campaign trail. What do you believe should be done in response to these incidents?

The response should be handled by the RCMP and/or local police, and those individuals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

6. Gun control has been a hot topic during the campaign. What are your and your partys stances on how the government regulates firearms?

A Liberal government will toughen our laws on banned assault weapons by making it mandatory for owners to either sell the firearm back to the government for destruction and fair compensation or have it rendered fully and permanently inoperable at government expense. Our government will crack down on high-capacity magazines and require that long gun magazines capable of holding more than five rounds be permanently altered so that they can never hold more than five rounds.

 The Brandon Sun
When the residents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa go to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20, theyll have six candidates spanning the political spectrum to choose from.

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SUBMITTED Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawas Green Party of Canada candidate is Shirley Lambrecht.

When the residents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa go to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20, theyll have six candidates spanning the political spectrum to choose from.

Incumbent Conservative candidate Dan Mazier will look to keep his job while Green candidate Shirley Lambrecht, Liberal candidate Kevin Carlson, Maverick candidate Lori Falloon-Austin, NDP candidate Arthur Holroyd, and PPC candidate Donnan McKenna try to unseat him.

To help voters in the riding gain a better idea of each candidate and their partys policies, the Sun sent them six questions, for which they provided written responses.

Answers were received from all candidates except for the NDP and have been edited for length, clarity and style. Please note that The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse or agree with the opinions expressed by participating candidates.

A Q-and-A with Brandon-Souris candidates was published Friday.

Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawas Green Party of Canada candidate is Shirley Lambrecht. Hailing from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Lambrecht originally comes from the Regina area and has family ties to the region.

1. Agricultural producers are being hit hard by dry conditions this year. What would you and your party do to assist struggling farmers?

We need to ensure a support structure or safety net remains in place to assist farmers during extreme weather which impacts their crop yields and subsequently their incomes.

We will reprioritize investment in research, development, and infrastructure to develop local and regional value chains by the National Food Policy. From the $3 Billion Next Policy Framework (2023 to 2028), we will reallocate dollars from industrial agriculture to supporting ecologically sound small farming operations. Industrial agricultural models that focus on high production monocultures have a significant impact on the land, biodiversity loss, water and air pollution, increase vulnerability to pests and disease, reduce the quality of care for livestock, and generate increased greenhouse gases. Our support needs to be directed to the small farms which are more focused on sustainable land stewardship practices, animal welfare, and plant health.

We will develop a model that assists small or family farms to transition into low-impact farming such as regenerative farming or permaculture practices that preserve subsoil moisture and nutrients; invest in and develop green technologies which support low-impact farming, as well as support existing and new farmers wishing to enter the agricultural sector through strategic partnerships, financing, and land matching or other acquisition opportunities. The cost of land and equipment are significant barriers to small farmers entering the industry currently. Climate change adds a significant level of risk to the equation which needs to be assessed and mitigated through a series of strategies. Climate change mitigation and adaptation are two sides to the same coin.

2. Canada has seen a lot of extreme weather this year, causing drought, flooding, wildfires and massive storms. What would you and your party do to tackle climate change and its effects on Canadians?

The Green Party of Canada has a comprehensive plan to aggressively tackle greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Approximately 52 per cent of our GHGs are directly attributable to the oil and gas industry. A steady transition away from our reliance on oil and gas is our first but not our only line of defence. Every industry needs to embrace and participate in the green economy. We will provide incentives to those industries implementing green solutions.

In our platform (available at greenparty.ca) we have an exhaustive plan detailing how to ramp up green technology and infrastructure, create a green economy we can be proud of, and transition workers out of the oil and gas industry into good-paying green jobs. These transitions will not occur overnight, although some are already in motion. In 2019, green job growth was already outpacing oil and gas six to one. A green economy is where a sustainable future lies.

The Green Party has set a target of 60 per cent GHG reduction from 2005 levels, which is the most ambitious target of all of the federal parties. We plan to update the Environmental Protection Act, Develop and National Forest Strategy, and engage Indigenous peoples and their governance systems in leadership roles to guide in the stewardship of the lands and the waters.

3. What will you and your party do to meaningfully address reconciliation and racism?

To address systemic racism we will audit our governmental policies, procedures, and practices within all of our government departments and service organizations, from health to justice to education, intergovernmental affairs, etc., to dismantle systemic discrimination in public institutions. We need to review any complaints and establish a tribunal that can assess concerns and complaints individually through reform measures. We will work with the RCMP to educate officers.

We will implement the Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Calls for Justice from the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the recommendations of the Report of the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent on its mission to Canada. The Green Party of Canada will seek to implement an Employment Equity Act which was only introduced in 2021 immediately prior to the election.

4. How do you think the idea of vaccine mandates and immunization cards should be handled?

I support the use of immunization cards as a means for businesses and organizations to limit the risk of COVID-19 exposure to their employees and customers. The pandemic has placed unusual demands on both governments and businesses to protect the public.

The science is overwhelmingly clear: vaccination does provide a significant layer of defence to both the vaccinated and those around them sharing air space. Vaccinated individuals experience lower rates of infection, less serious illness, and spread less of the contagion. The newer variants such as the delta strain are more prolific and more contagious.

We always need to balance the rights, freedoms, and safety of the individual with that of the common good. An individual needs to have the right to determine what is done to their body and assess their own risk versus benefit. The public has a right to expect that our governments will do everything in their power to keep us safe from harm.

5. There have been instances of political candidates getting threatened or having things thrown at them on the campaign trail. What do you believe should be done in response to these incidents?

I have a zero-tolerance policy for violent and abusive behaviour. I understand that individuals may have fearful emotional responses to situations that seem beyond their realm of control. This does not give anyone the right or permission to assault another human. Certainly, we should make every attempt to de-escalate an individual if their behaviour is aggravated. However, we set a dangerous precedent when we accept or make allowances for abusive behaviour. Assault needs to be treated as such.

6. Gun control has been a hot topic during the campaign. What are your and your partys stances on how the government regulates firearms?

The position of the party is to crack down on the smuggling of illegal handguns across the US-Canada border, enact stricter storage and transportation laws for both individuals and retailers, and increase requirements needed to obtain a possession and acquisition licence. My position is to use evidence-based decision-making to form policy with respect to firearms.

I was raised on a farm and acknowledge the need for guns as a tool of the trade to protect livestock from predators such as coyotes, badgers, and other rabid or diseased animals. I also acknowledge there are safe recreational gun owners and hunters. Again, we need to strike a balance between public safety and the needs of the user community.

 The Brandon Sun
When the residents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa go to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20, theyll have six candidates spanning the political spectrum to choose from.

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When the residents of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa go to the polls for the federal election on Sept. 20, theyll have six candidates spanning the political spectrum to choose from.

Incumbent Conservative candidate Dan Mazier will look to keep his job while Green candidate Shirley Lambrecht, Liberal candidate Kevin Carlson, Maverick candidate Lori Falloon-Austin, NDP candidate Arthur Holroyd, and PPC candidate Donnan McKenna try to unseat him.

SUBMITTED Lori Falloon-Austin is the Maverick Partys candidate for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa.

To help voters in the riding gain a better idea of each candidate and their partys policies, the Sun sent them six questions, for which they provided written responses.

Answers were received from all candidates except for the NDP and have been edited for length, clarity and style. Please note that The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse or agree with the opinions expressed by participating candidates.

A Q-and-A with Brandon-Souris candidates was published Friday.

Hailing from Foxwarren, Lori Falloon-Austin is the Maverick Partys candidate for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa and the partys only candidate in Manitoba. A stay-at-home mom, Falloon-Austin has served her local emergency services organization for the last 15 years as head of social services and registrar and writes stories for her local newspaper.

1. Agricultural producers are being hit hard by dry conditions this year. What would you and your party do to assist struggling farmers?

The right approach here is to give our producers what they need and to get it to them now. There needs to be clear and concise communication between the producers and both the federal and provincial levels of government and all the ag sectors involved. Your member of Parliament should be working hard for you on this issue. Communication is key in getting things to happen and the clearer and broader the communication is, the faster things are apt to happen and speed is of the essence right now. I am a firm believer that ag should be recognized as a global superpower and that Canada should be at the forefront of this movement.

2. Canada has seen a lot of extreme weather this year, causing drought, flooding, wildfires and massive storms. What would you and your party do to tackle climate change and its effects on Canadians?

First of all, the Maverick Party does not support carbon taxes of any kind. What we advocate for instead, is a market-based approach that will have a positive effect on both consumers and the environment. There is a market out there for "green practices." It may be in its infancy, however, it is growing every day as our environment needs immediate attention and it will be at the forefront of industry sooner rather than later. In this regard, the Maverick Party fully supports the idea of increased investment in innovation and research of new technologies being developed. And for any existing facilities that are found to be heavier emitters, we advocate for upgrading their systems to help reduce their footprint. The Maverick Party supports the advocacy of delivering clean energy such as nuclear, thermal, liquified natural gas and carbon and hydrogen capture. We also support the idea of exporting our clean energy technology to the heaviest emitters around the world. By following through with these innovations, we will create more employment and start to lessen our environmental impact.

3. What will you and your party do to meaningfully address reconciliation and racism?

First and foremost, the need for recognition that racism exists daily for our Indigenous population is imperative. Racism is learned and the trick is to "unlearn" it and what is the best way to do that is the question. Everyone has their own thoughts on how to achieve this, and my thoughts are to let us hear from our Indigenous friends and neighbours on what they need from us. In turn, we all need to listen and act accordingly. I feel strongly that before reconciliation has any chance of happening, the native [Indigenous] populations plight needs to be recognized first and that comes down to constructive communication between all of us. We all need to listen and then move forward in ways that support both communities.

4. How do you think the idea of vaccine mandates and immunization cards should be handled?

The "I" in the Maverick logo is "freedom" spelled vertically. The Maverick Party firmly believes in ones right to choose. Having the freedom of choice is part and parcel of overall freedom and if you dont agree with ones choices, then you are exercising your own right to choose just like the rest of us and that right needs to be respected. Not shamed privately, or publicly. We have a race going on at the provincial government level that bears watching closely as, at the time of this writing, one of the leadership candidates has publicly stated that they do not support the vaccine mandate of any kind and neither does the Maverick Party.

5. There have been instances of political candidates getting threatened or having things thrown at them on the campaign trail. What do you believe should be done in response to these incidents?

Throwing things, racial insults, full-on assaults at any candidate are absolutely unacceptable and need to be punished to the full extent of the law. I have been fortunate enough to receive nothing but a positive welcome as people are ready to hear my message of change and balance of power. My 13-year-old son accompanies me on some of my campaign swings and he would be mortified if anyone treated his mom like what some candidates have experienced. So, I will take this opportunity to thank you all for the respect you have treated me with on this campaign trail.

6. Gun control has been a hot topic during the campaign. What are your and your partys stances on how the government regulates firearms?

The Maverick Partys stance on gun control is quite simple. Keep your hands off of our guns. These gun grabs do nothing but showcase the ignorance Ottawa has shown us rural people. I feel they are purposely misleading people with the use of such words as "semi-automatic assault weapons." These guns fire a single shot. They do not spray bullets as the label would have you believe. They are accomplishing instilling fear by using the words "assault" and "semi-automatic" lumped together like that. Its a marketing tool, fear-mongering, and that is misleading and therefore unfair. The Maverick Party advocates for a chief firearms officer that would be headquartered in the West and would have jurisdiction over the four Western provinces instead of being dictated to by the current whim of Ottawa.

 The Brandon Sun
Trans Mountain representatives are attempting to track down the heirs of James C. Kavanagh, Brandons first postmaster, to help finish the multibillion-dollar expansion.

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JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS A snapshot of a Trans Mountain facility near Hope, B.C., on Aug. 22, 2019.

Trans Mountain representatives are attempting to track down the heirs of James C. Kavanagh, Brandons first postmaster, to help finish the multibillion-dollar expansion.

His descendants could be the key to accessing two small plots of land that are impeding the companys $12.6-billion expansion project.

While Kavanagh, who lived from 1850 to 1922, has been dead for almost a century, hes still listed as the registered owner of this land located in the township of Langley, B.C., according to a pair of notices that were published in several newspapers, including the Vancouver Sun, on Thursday.

In order to gain access to this land, Trans Mountain must file a right of entry application with the Canadian Energy Regulator and consult with the official landowner as well.

Thursdays notices stated that Trans Mountain will pay the landowners a total of $378,000 if they help along with this process, especially since the company needs the right of entry by Dec. 1.

If no agreement with the landowners can be reached, the Canadian Energy Regulator can still ultimately grant Trans Mountain the right to enter the property anyway.

According to a 2017 report from Trans Mountain, Kavanagh originally bought these plots of land back in 1911, right before Canadian National Railway tracks were being laid in that part of British Columbia.

However, before moving to the west coast, Kavanagh made his money as a hotelier in Winnipeg, while also serving as Brandons first postmaster in 1881 and a city alderman in 1884.

Even though Kavanagh died in 1922, the Manitoba Historical Society believes that he fathered six children, whose descendants may be living somewhere in Canada or the United States.

Because of this, Trans Mountain has been searching for Kavanaghs heirs since at least 2017, attempting to track them down by working alongside forensic genealogists from a company called Gen-Find Research Associates Inc.

While Trans Mountain eventually determined that Kavanaghs closest living kin are his granddaughters Kay Fabbri-Benham and M. Doreen Appleby, company officials werent able to make contact with them at their last known residences, which were located in Norwalk, Conn. and San Diego, Calif., respectively.

The federal government formally approved the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in late 2019, with the aim of twinning an existing pipeline between Alberta and British Columbia, thereby drastically increasing its capacity to ship crude and refined oil to the coast.

The township of Langley is situated roughly 50 kilometres from the Pacific Ocean, making Kavanaghs two plots of land another potential obstacle for an expansion project that has undergone many delays and setbacks since it was first announced in 2013.

The Trans Mountain Expansion Project has also been subject to criticism from environmentalists and First Nations, who believe that the pipeline ignores Indigenous rights and represents a threat to Canadas natural ecosystems.

 kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
The Berejiklian government has temporarily suspended its unpopular bid to renegotiate the office leases of some of Sydneys leading festivals and arts companies in the midst of the sectors worst downturn.

Last month, the governments arts agency, Create NSW, called for expressions of interest for tenants of the Arts Exchange building in The Rocks in a move slammed by the NSW opposition as downright unfair.

The Arts Exchange Building at The Rocks Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

The building is home to the offices of the Sydney Festival, Sydney Writers Festival, the Australian Ballet, the Biennale of Sydney, the Sydney Festival, and seven other not-for-profits.

Who calls for an expression of interest from not-for-profit arts groups in the current climate? Labors arts spokesman Walt Secord said.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size In many respects 2020 was a year in which the rule book was not so much re-written as simply torn up and thrown out the window. It is true for many aspects of our lives, and it is certainly true for the annual Emmy Awards. American televisions entrenched night of nights, which honours the best and the brightest, has historically leaned into the safest and most well-established among televisions blue chip shows. Glancing back, there are few surprises on Emmy night. This years two most nominated programs  The Crown and The Mandalorian, with 24 nominations each  are also no surprise. Both have already scooped a bunch of awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, held a week ahead of the telecast, which is more or less the grand final of a three-month long for your consideration race. Pedro Pascal as the title character in The Mandalorian, which is the equal leader with 24 nominations. Pascal, however, was not nominated. Credit:Disney+ But the competition nipping at their heels is very much different this year when compared to preceding years. It is a swarm of first-time nominees including Bridgerton, Lovecraft Country and The Boys (in drama) and Cobra Kai, Emily in Paris, Hacks, Pen15, Ted Lasso and The Flight Attendant (in comedy). Can the Emmy game finally be changing? The nights other strongest contenders - in terms of breadth of nomination - are WandaVision (with 23 nominations), The Handmaids Tale (21), Saturday Night Live (21), Ted Lasso (20), Lovecraft Country (18), The Queens Gambit (18) and Mare of Easttown (16). What is more, this years Emmys are as noteworthy for those not included, as they are for those who scored the nod.

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Case in point: what is Emily in Paris doing with a comedy series nomination? This is, after all, the show whose mediocrity in the face of a Golden Globe nomination drew wide eye-rolling. And where is Steve McQueens Small Axe? Come to that, where is Thuso Mbedus nomination for The Underground Railroad? Or Nicole Kidmans for The Undoing? Or Pedro Pascals for The Mandalorian? Ted Lasso (starring Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis and Nick Mohammed) is another Emmys favourite, while Mare of Easttown (starring Kate Winslet) has 16 nominations. Credit:Colin Hutton/Apple TV+, Michele K. Short/HBO Some Emmy mysteries are easier to solve. Where is Succession? The answer: production was delayed by COVID-19, pushing the shows air dates out of the eligibility window. And what is Hamilton even doing there? The answer: the eligibility criteria do not preclude filmed performances of five-year-old Broadway musicals from falling through the cracks. Even the Oscars insist on one new song. This years Emmys are as noteworthy for those not included, as they are for those who scored the nod. Australias other Emmy nominees this year - visual effects supervisor Julian Hutchens for his work on The Boys, and main title designers Patrick Clair, Raoul Marks and Ken Taylor  were not successful. Their categories were announced at last weeks creative arts Emmys, the visual effects Emmy going to The Mandalorian and the main title design Emmy to The Good Lord Bird. Australias Yvonne Strahovski is nominated for her performance as Serena Joy Waterford in The Handmaids Tale. It is her second Emmy nomination. Credit:Sophie Giraud/Hulu There was, however, a glimmer of good news. Australian director Felix Thompson won an Emmy for his work on the Netflix series The Letter for the King. The series was nominated in the directing team for a daytime fiction program category at the Daytime Emmys in Los Angeles in July.

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So, ahead of Mondays telecast, Australia still has two contenders: actress Yvonne Strahovski, nominated for her turn in The Handmaids Tale, and New Zealand-born director Jessica Hobbs, who has worked extensively in Australian television, nominated for her work on The Crown. And what clues can we divine from the Creative Arts Emmys, which hand out awards in a range of craft categories a week before the main show, including production design, wardrobe, editing, directing, writing, guest actor, main title design, sound, special effects and stunt performance. Jean Smart, who stars as stand-up legend Deborah Vance in Hacks, is favourite to win lead actress in a comedy. Credit:HBO Max Apple TV+s Ted Lasso won an early Emmy for outstanding casting for a comedy series, which would seem to give it some steam, certainly in the outstanding comedy category. But then there is HBO Maxs Hacks, which has emerged as the most buzz-worthy comedy of the year. Ted Lasso still looks solid for the program category, but Hacks star Jean Smart will surely take out the lead actress in a comedy statue for her brilliant work. Drama is a somewhat more straightforward race. Off the back of its best season since the first, The Crown is expected to take out the Emmy for outstanding drama, and the awards for lead actor and actress should fall to Josh OConnor and Emma Corrin, who elevated the story of Charles and Diana from mere telemovie to celluloid magic. Which is where things get a little sticky for Australias solitary acting nominee: Yvonne Strahovski, for her work on The Handmaids Tale. Its a rock solid performance in a rock solid show, but against Gillian Andersons portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Crown? Its a hoary old cliche on awards nights, but its Gillians year. Is this Gillian Andersons year? The acclaimed actress is nominated for her performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown. Credit:Des Willie/Netflix

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And all of that said, the Creative Arts Emmys were not without micro-scandals of their own. The most noticeable: that the outstanding guest actress in a drama series award went to Claire Foy, who made a cameo in the latest season of The Crown, reprising the role of young Queen Elizabeth II in a flashback. Loading Given it amounted to less than two minutes of screen time, and that Foy has already won the lead actress Emmy for the role (plus two Screen Actors Guild awards), it does somewhat make a mockery of the purpose of the category. Particularly when the other nominees were guest actors in The Handmaids Tale, Ratched and other noteworthy programs. Some of this is pure guesswork: is Emma Corrin really better than Olivia Colman? Or is it just an alignment of the stars, media buzz and the opinions of Emmy voters who have just binged the last season of The Crown on Netflix? And some of it is just a measure of a shows moment in the cultural consciousness. Think Jean Smarts Deborah Vance in Hacks, whose frustration with ageism, sexism and the injustices of a hollow life are an easy note for an audience to find harmony with. Or Kathryn Hahns performance as Agatha in Disney+s WandaVision, which was simply magnificent. Singalong: Whos been messing up everything? / Its been Agatha all along / Whos been pulling every evil string? / Its been Agatha all along. Kathryn Hahn was magnificent as Agnes in WandaVision, which has 23 nominations. Credit:Marvel Studios If youre surprised that WandaVisions shocking twist, and the catchy jingle that came with it, stuck in the audiences mind like some kind of magic spell, dont be. The clue is in the songwriter credit: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the same couple who wrote those crack-for-kids masterpieces Frozen and Frozen II. Whos been messing up everything? / Its been Disney all along.

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Ultimately, the Emmys are a strategic marketing war between the key players on the television industry chessboard. Despite a decade of tectonic landscape change, the dual-identity HBO (and its streaming offspring HBO Max) lead the nominations with 130. The industrys gauntlet-throwing challenger, Netflix, is a whisker behind with 129. Then you have the still-fattening (and relatively new) streaming behemoth Disney+ with 71 nominations and the only free-to-air network to make the cut in the top five, NBC, with 46. Completing the top five is Apple TV+ with 36 nominations. On the night there will be tears, frocks and - for the first time in a long while - a vaccinated and negative-Covid-tested red carpet. But like all things in television, behind the facade of high fashion and product placement, it comes down to a numbers game. The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will air Monday, September 20, live at 10am AEST on Foxtel. Join our live Emmy Awards blog and red carpet coverage from 8am on Monday. The contenders: the 10 battleground categories Outstanding Comedy Series

Black-ish (ABC)

Cobra Kai (Netflix)

Emily in Paris (Netflix)

The Flight Attendant (HBO Max)

Hacks (HBO Max)

The Kominsky Method (Netflix)

PEN15 (Hulu)

Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

Who will win? Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) Outstanding Drama Series

The Boys (Prime Video)

Bridgerton (Netflix)

The Crown (Netflix)

The Handmaids Tale (Hulu)

Lovecraft Country (HBO)

The Mandalorian (Disney+)

Pose (FX)

This Is Us (NBC)

Who will win? The Crown (Netflix)

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On the fashion landscape, the AFL Brownlow Medal red carpet sits beside the Logies, in a nicer part of town than school formals but on the far outskirts of the polished Emmys, Oscars and The Met Gala. This years showcase for fake tans, bouncy blowouts and bare skin, alongside sporting achievement, has moved even further afield, crossing the Nullarbor Plain to Perths Optus Stadium on Sunday evening, because of lockdown restrictions in Victoria.

Lace trim and lame in hand, west coast designers are ready to bask in the fashion focus that has shone on the event since Rebecca Judds 2004 red carpet appearance in a provocative Ruth Tarvydas red gown that tested the limits of Hollywood Tape.

Perth designer Jonte Morgan, with Lorna McNabb, has been busy with Brownlow Medal dress requests. Credit:Stefan Gosatti.

It was all up in the air until they confirmed Perth as the host a few weeks ago, said designer Jonte Morgan, of Jonte Designs, who has catered to the flamboyant requests of the gala-hopping denizens from Perths affluent suburbs of Peppermint Grove and Dalkeith since 2012. Normally, we would have months to prepare. Fortunately, I created a capsule collection and kept it under wraps, just in case.

Morgan is preparing to dress a number of players partners, including Brownlow debutante Lorna McNabb, girlfriend of West Coast Eagles player Oscar Allen.
The Australian Medical Association has cautiously backed the national plan for reopening and says there is no need to vaccinate children as a prerequisite to ending lockdowns, but warned cities with major outbreaks may need to reopen slower than planned to prevent overwhelming hospitals.-

In what it describes as a middle ground position paper released on Sunday, the peak medical body broadly backs the Doherty Institutes thresholds for reopening the country once 70 and 80 per cent of the population aged 16 and over is vaccinated.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison during a press conference following a national cabinet meeting. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

However, it warns policymakers that easing restrictions with a large number of new infections each day risks overloading contact tracers and hospitals, and calls for the maintenance of high-impact public health measures for longer in Sydney and Melbourne.

Theres a lot more at stake here than just our ability to go back to our normal lives and go out for dinner, AMA federal president Omar Khorshid said.
A man is in hospital after he was found with stab wounds on the side of a road in Sydneys west following an apparent abduction.

Police and emergency services were called to Wellington Road in Birrong about 7.15pm to respond to reports of the injured man lying outside the Birrong Leisure and Aquatic Centre.

The man had suffered stab wounds to his upper body. He was barefoot and wearing black tracksuit pants.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the man before taking him to hospital in a serious condition.

It is alleged he was abducted and stabbed at an address near Rickard St Merrylands, before he was dumped in Birrong.
More than 140 inmates at the privately-run Parklea Correctional Centre have contracted COVID-19, sparking concerns about a lack of transparency around the management of the virus in prisons.

Relatives of COVID-positive inmates have also complained they are unable to contact sick prisoners.

There have been 144 COVID-positive inmates at Parklea, including 89 active cases. Ten staff who work at Parklea, which can house a maximum of 1350 inmates, have also been diagnosed with COVID, according to St Vincents Health Network, which provides healthcare at the prison.

There have been 144 cases of COVID-19 at Parklea Correctional Centre. Credit:Janie Barrett

In comparison, 82 adult inmates and 2 youths had contracted COVID in the states public-run prisons as of September 15.
AMA president Omar Khorshid pitches the communique as a middle ground approach between strong views. One side is pushing too hard to open up now, he says, while on the other side there were Chicken Littles who wanted to wait until the country reached extreme levels of vaccination. Health Minister Greg Hunt, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and president of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Omar Khorshid, at a COVID press conference in Canberra earlier this year. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen What were saying is if you do the right things, if you follow the Doherty report properly and not just pick the bits you like, there is a path out of this, Khorshid says. If we follow the science, there is a safe way forward. The latest cautionary voice to enter the debate is OzSAGE, which formed in August to proffer well-researched and robustly debated independent expert advice among what it recognises as a sea of competing views about managing the next phase of the pandemic. The group has significant academic and clinical heft. Its 11-person executive includes University of Melbourne professor Nancy Baxter, Burnet Institute deputy director Professor Margaret Hellard, UNSW economics professor Richard Holden, field epidemiologist Kamalini Lokuge and University of Sydney public health professor and deputy vice-chancellor Lisa Jackson Pulver.

Another executive member, Professor Lidia Morawska of Queenslands University of Technology, was last week named among Time magazines 100 most influential people of 2021 for her work recognising the importance of aerosol transmission [of COVID] and marshalling the data that would convince the World Health Organisation and other authoritative bodies to do the same. OzSAGE member QUT Professor Lidia Morawska has been named on Times annual 100 most influential people list. Other big names have also signed up as OzSAGE members, including ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt, Burnet Institute chief executive Brendan Crabb, epidemiologist Tony Blakely, Medical Journal of Australia editor-in-chief Nick Talley, former MP Dr Kerryn Phelps and dozens more. Among the groups seven principles is that Australia should aspire to elimination of COVID-19, like with measles, where occasional incursions are contained without significant community spread. It argues this can be achieved through booster jabs and other health measures, while continuing our normal lives. One of the groups core arguments is that vaccination is not enough to curb the Delta variant. It wants other provisions in place, too: improved ventilation in public spaces, particularly classrooms; enhanced contact tracing; and prolonged, widespread use of masks. It calls this suite of measures vaccines-plus.

One of OzSAGEs executive members, Melbourne-based doctor Benjamin Veness, says the group is not against reopening, but wants a plan that does not lead to the health system being overwhelmed. Wed really like to avoid that boom and bust cycle of lockdowns and instead have a path to reopening thats sustainable from the outset, he says. That concern is not without foundation. OzSAGE members have spent the past week pointing to the rising number of cases in Canadas Alberta province, where 71.5 per cent of the population over 12 is fully vaccinated. Premier Jason Kenney declared a public health emergency on Wednesday, warning the province could run out of ICU beds and staff. He also reimposed restrictions including vaccine passports and a work-from-home order. [There were 896 people in hospital in Alberta on Friday, and 222 in ICU, from a population of 4.4 million. Paediatrician Greg Kelly, another member of the OzSAGE executive, tweeted that the province was COLLAPSING BEFORE OUR EYES.] OzSAGE urges Australia to model its plans more closely on Singapore, where 90 per cent of over-12s are now vaccinated. Even that country is grappling with a rising number of cases, although the proportion of people becoming seriously ill is low due to the highly effective vaccines.

In the midst of this, NSW has announced one of the worlds most cautious reopening plans. Only those who are fully vaccinated will be able to visit venues and events, and home gatherings will initially be limited to just five vaccinated people. Schools will return under a staggered start; masks, QR code check-ins and contact tracing will remain. OzSAGE has been quick to warn the NSW and national plans to open up when 70 and 80 per cent of the 16+ population is fully vaccinated is too fast and too risky, but it has been less willing to put a number on exactly when the reopening should occur. While nobody disputes the aim of vaccinating as many people as possible, as long as the countrys two major cities are in long, harsh and unsustainable lockdowns, the key question is when and how to make them end. Ending these kinds of lockdowns will take vaccination plus other measures, especially improved ventilation, Veness says. I think the answer is you cant just sit there and say X, Y and Z are definitely going to happen. You have to treat it a little bit like a dance; you relax a bit and see what happens.

OzSAGE has quickly attracted critics. Daily Telegraph political editor James Morrow branded it the umbrella group for the COVID alarmist wing of the countrys scientific community, overly cautious and puritanical about crushing the virus. Former deputy chief medical officer Nick Coatsworth said the group was on the extreme end of the risk spectrum. I think there is a genuine concern among OzSAGE that the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 is not over, he said. They are genuinely worried about the potential for further waves in the Australian community. However, the position of their academics on risk has consistently overplayed the consequences of COVID spread, underplayed the negative effects of COVID restrictions, and frankly their thinking belongs in 2020. Veness says OzSAGE has shared its advice with governments but is yet to directly brief any leaders. The group, based on the UKs Independent SAGE, has successfully courted some mainstream media coverage, generating 23 mentions in print and online so far this month according to media monitor Streem.

Loading Many of its members are prominent COVID commentators in their own right; Streem found Blakely, Baxter and Crabb have each been mentioned more than 200 times this year in the major print and online titles (this doesnt include radio and TV). University of NSW epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws, who had 740 mentions and is well known for her cautious approach to COVID, declined an offer to join OzSAGE. I think its a great initiative but I just dont have the time, she says. McLaws shares many of the groups concerns about hospital capacity, vaccine coverage and quarantine facilities, though she places more emphasis on the need for Australia to embrace rapid antigen testing as a tool to help reopen quickly and safely. And while she thinks Australia should aim for 95 per cent vaccination, she says its not possible to keep society locked down until then. You do need to get people out of lockdown, McLaws says. Even from my perspective of where I was - I was fully supportive of the governments elimination [strategy] - but this is Delta now, and weve got rapid antigen testing and weve got good masks.
Theyre just having a sook.

Its a sentence that has been heard a few times over the past 48 hours, as Coalition MPs rubbish any suggestion that Australia has seriously harmed itself in infuriating France over dumping the $90 billion submarine deal.

Its a thuggish mentality, devoid of humility, that encapsulates everything that is wrong about Australian foreign policy at the moment. The idea that we couldnt have done this any other way is laughable for a number of reasons.

First, the Morrison government should not have given France the impression that the submarine deal was back on track over the past six months.
DOYLESTOWN >> The Bucks County Historical Society (BCHS) will launch a new program series this month exploring the history of the notorious Doan Gang of Bucks County, offered throughout October and November. The series will feature three virtual programs and one in-person program that highlight artifacts and archives related to the gang and their history. At the time of the...
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India on Sunday reported a net decrease of 8,481 in active cases to take its count to 332,158. Indias share of global active cases now stands at 1.82 per cent (one in 54). The country is seventh among the most affected countries by active cases. On Saturday, it added 30,773 cases to take its total caseload to 33,448,163 from 33,417,390  an increase of 0.1%. And, with 309 new fatalities, its Covid-19 reached 444,838, or 1.33 per cent of total confirmed infections.

With 8,542,732 more Covid-19 vaccine doses being administered on Saturday, Indias total count of vaccine shots so far reached 804,372,331. The count of recovered cases across India, meanwhile, reached 32,671,167  or 97.68 per cent of total caseload  with 38,945 new cured cases being reported on Sunday.

Now the seventh-most-affected country by active cases, third by deaths, second by total cases, and first by recoveries, India has added 209,060 cases in the past 7 days.

India now accounts for 1.82% of all active cases globally (one in every 54 active cases), and 9.48% of all deaths (one in every 10 deaths).

India has so far administered 794,287,699 vaccine doses. That is 2376.86 per cent of its total caseload, and 56.92 per cent of its population.

Among Indian states, the top 5 in terms of number of vaccine shots administered are Uttar Pradesh (98247405), Maharashtra (76602858), Gujarat (59622780), Madhya Pradesh (59071759), and Rajasthan (57649534).

Among states with more than 10 million population, the top 5 in number of vaccine shots per one million population are Kerala (1005267), Uttarakhand (933467), Gujarat (924041), Delhi (898602), and Karnataka (802814).

Backwards from here, the last 1 million cases for India have come in 28 days.

The count of active cases across India on Saturday saw a net increase of 1,583, compared to net increase of 3,867 on Friday. States and UTs hat have seen the biggest daily net increase in active cases are Kerala (2741), Mizoram (407), Meghalaya (148), Andhra Pradesh (89), and Tamil Nadu (87).

With 33,798 new daily recoveries, Indias recovery rate stands at 97.65%, 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 (2.13%). The rate in as many as 16 is higher than the national average.

Indias new daily closed cases stand at 34,079  281 deaths and 33,798 recoveries. The share of deaths in total closed cases stands at 0.82%.

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 649.2 days, and for deaths at 1096.2 days.

Overall, five states with the biggest 24-hour jump in total cases are Kerala (23260), Maharashtra (3586), Tamil Nadu (1669), Mizoram (1476), and Andhra Pradesh (1393).

Among states with more than 100,000 cases, the five with worst recovery rates at present are Kerala (95.24%).

India on Friday conducted 1,448,833 to take the total count of tests conducted so far in the country to 550,780,273. The test positivity rate recorded was 2.1%.

Five states with the highest test positivity rate (TPR)  percentage of tested people turning out to be positive for Covid-19 infection (by cumulative data for tests and cases  are Dadra & Nagar Haveli-Daman & Diu (14.74%), Goa (13.59%), Kerala (13.19%), Sikkim (12.54%), and Maharashtra (11.48%).

Five states with the highest TPR by daily numbers for tests and cases added  are Mizoram (18.9%), Kerala (18.06%), Manipur (7.67%), Meghalaya (6.32%), and Sikkim (6.2%).

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 (1433120), J&K (1044055), Kerala (948932), Karnataka (680909), and Telangana (654510).

The five most affected states by total cases are Maharashtra (6515111), Kerala (4469488), Karnataka (2966194), Tamil Nadu (2642030), and Andhra Pradesh (2036179).

Maharashtra, the most affected state overall, has reported 3586 new cases to take its tally to 6515111.

Kerala, the second-most-affected state by total tally, has added 23260 cases to take its tally to 4469488.

Karnataka, the third-most-affected state, has reported 1003 cases to take its tally to 2966194.

Tamil Nadu has added 1669 cases to take its tally to 2642030.

Andhra Pradesh has seen its tally going up by 1393 to 2036179.

Uttar Pradesh has added 15 cases to take its tally to 1709643.

Delhi has added 55 cases to take its tally to 1438428.
In a step that will help in sustaining its fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft, the (IAF) has signed a contract to buy phased out Mirages of the French Air Force, as per government sources.

This is the second such agreement that the has signed for buying okayed airframes that will help one of the most potent aircraft fleets to continue for longer in service.

"A squadron of the French Mirage jets had been phased out some time ago. On August 31, a contract was signed for acquiring these phased-out planes to improve the spares and airframe capability to help improve the serviceability of the around 50 Mirage-2000s in the Indian fleet," government sources said.

None of these aircraft would be used for flying, sources said. The aircraft would be supplied in containers to the

Earlier also, India had signed a contract with French companies for supplying old Mirages which reached Gwalior last year and have helped in significantly improving operational availability, the sources said.

The French Air Force has been replacing its old fleet of Mirages with new Rafale fighter jets.

India had acquired these aircraft from France in the 1980s and they have been one of the most potent fleets of aircraft despite being over three decades old.

The aircraft had taken part in the Balakot airstrikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan and destroyed a camp there. The aircraft had fired their Spice-2000 bombs accurately to take out targets deep inside Pakistan territory.

(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 CBDT on Saturday alleged that actor Sonu Sood and his associates evaded tax of Rs 20 crore and claimed that after the Income Tax Department raided him and a linked Lucknow-based infrastructure group it was found that he routed his "unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities".

It also accused Sood of violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising donations from abroad.

The department had launched searches against the 48-year-old actor and the Lucknow-based group of industries involved in infrastructure on September 15 and the CBDT said the action was continuing.

"During the course of search at the premises of the actor and his associates, incriminating evidence pertaining to tax evasion has been found.

"The main modus operandi followed by the actor had been to route his unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) claimed in a statement.

It added that, so far, use of 20 such entries has been found and the providers of which, on examination, have "accepted" on oath to have given "bogus" accommodation entries (transaction entries in accounts).

"They have accepted to have issued cheques in lieu of cash. There have been instances where professional receipts have been camouflaged as loans in the books of accounts for the purpose of evasion of tax," the policy-making body for the tax department said.

These bogus loans, it said, have been used for "making investments and acquiring properties."



"The total amount of tax evaded unearthed so far, amounts to more than Rs 20 crore," the statement and official sources said about Sood.

It also talked about his charity organisation that was established during the COVID-19 outbreak last year.

"The charity foundation incorporated by the actor on July 21, 2020 has collected donations to the tune of Rs 18.94 crore from April 1, 2021 till date, out of which it has spent around Rs 1.9 crore towards various relief work and the balance of Rs 17 crore has been found lying unutilised in the bank account of the foundation till date," it said.

It is seen, the statement alleged, that funds to the tune of Rs 2.1 crore have also been raised by the charity foundation from overseas donors on a crowdfunding platform "in violation" of regulations.

It said the actor had entered into a joint venture with the Lucknow located infrastructure group and "invested substantial funds", and said the taxman has unearthed "incriminating" evidence pertaining to tax evasion and irregularities in the account books.

"The search has revealed that the said group is involved in bogus billing of sub-contracting expenses and siphoning off of funds.

"Evidence of such bogus contracts found so far are to the tune of over Rs 65 crore," it said.

Evidence of unaccounted cash expenses, unaccounted sale of scrap and digital data evidencing unaccounted cash transactions has also been found.

The infra group "has entered into dubious circular transaction to the tune of Rs 175 crore with an infrastructure company based in Jaipur".

"Further investigations are being carried out to establish the full extent of tax evasion," it said.

The CBDT said Rs 1.8 crore cash has been seized during the raids and 11 lockers have been placed under "prohibitory orders".

A total of 28 premises in Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, and Gurgaon are being covered as part of the search operation.

(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.)
Finance Minister K N Balagopal on Saturday pitched for extending the beyond June next year as he highlighted that the state is already grappling with significant revenue shortfall.

Addressing the media here, the minister said the state is not getting its due in the wake of the 15th Finance Commission devolution recommendations.

will be receiving GST (Goods and Services Tax) compensation of over Rs 13,000 crore and another one-time grant of over Rs 19,000 crore in the current fiscal ending March 2022, he noted.

In case the ends next year, then the state will face further revenue shortfall, he said and expressed hope that the compensation regime would be extended.

The regime of paying compensation to states for revenue shortfall resulting from subsuming their taxes such as VAT in the uniform tax GST will end in June next year.

However, the cess which is currently levied on top of the GST rate on certain luxury and sin goods to fund the compensation amount for states will continue to be levied till March 2026. The collections will be used to pay off the borrowings that had to be done since 2020-21 to pay for state compensation.

(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.)
All schools in district were closed for 15 days from Saturday after reported 71 fresh cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day rise in the past over two months, taking the overall infection tally to 20,702, officials said.

A majority of the new cases were detected from Druk Padma Karpo School Shey, prompting the District Development Commissioner (Leh) Shrikant Balasaheb Suse to notify the school campus as a containment zone to stop further spread of the infection, they said.

Suse, who is also the chairman of district disaster management authority, ordered closure of all government and private schools in the district for 15 days from September 18 to October 2.

In an order issued late Friday, the district magistrate said the decision was taken in view of reporting of fresh COVID-19 cases in schools and in the interest of the public health and safety.

However, the order, said online classes would be encouraged with Covid standard operating procedures (SOPS).

Leh's chief medical officer and chief education officer have been directed to ensure that the students leaving from residential schools or hostels for their homes are mandatorily screened for RT-PCR test.

The students have to undergo home quarantine along with their family members for seven days irrespective of their results, the order said, adding that "any violation of the directions shall invite strict action under relevant sections of DM Act, 2005."



Of the 71 new cases, the officials said 70 case, including dozens of students were detected in and one in Kargil.

There are now 109 active cases in Ladakh, including 106 in Leh and three in Kargil, they said.

The officials said three Covid patients -- two in Leh and one in Kargil - were discharged after successful treatment, taking the total number of cured patients to 20,386.

has registered 207 COVID-related deaths -- 149 in Leh and 58 in Kargil -- since the outbreak of the pandemic last year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lanka's Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the nationwide quarantine curfew came into effect late August, has been extended till October 1 in an effort to curb the furtherspread of Covid-19.

Following a meeting between the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Friday, Rambukwella said the latter had decided to extend the quarantine curfew till 4 a.m. on October 1, reports Xinhua news agency.

Rambukwella however said government essential services impacting the economy will be allowed to function during the curfew.

"As per President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, I will be consulting with Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa to decide which government institutions will be kept open as essential services that contribute to the economy," the Health Minister said.

"While the lockdown is in progress, I urge all citizens to get the available vaccines as soon as possible," he added.

was to lift the ongoing quarantine curfew on September 21 but extended it following a recommendation from the health experts.

According to health experts, is facing a rapid spread of the Delta variant.

Since March last year, the island nation has reported a total of 498,694 Covid-19 cases and 11,817 deaths.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has endorsed a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine six months after full inoculation in people above 65 years and for individuals at high risk for severe disease.

The decision late Friday came after members of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted against advising the agency to approve boosters for anyone 16 and older after hours of debate, reports Xinhua news agency.

Members of the committee expressed doubts about the safety of a booster dose in younger adults and teens, and said they wanted to see more data about the safety and long term efficacy of a booster dose.

A decision about boosters from the FDA is expected in the next few days.

Meanwhile, another advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also scheduled to meet next week on how to apply the FDA's eventual decision and can fine-tune the recommendation.

President Joe Biden's administration have recently announced a plan to begin administering booster doses to the general population during the week of September 20, pending sign-offs from the FDA and CDC.

The CDC published data on Friday showing that all three Covid-19 vaccines available in the US -- Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson -- still provide strong protection against hospitalisation.

Moderna's vaccine provided 93 per cent protection against hospitalisation, Pfizer's was 88 per cent and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine was 71 per cent, said the CDC study.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
officials will be holding a series of meetings with college principals to finalise the cut-off schedule that is likely to be released by next week, officials said on Saturday.

The university plans to release its first cut-off on October 1 to accommodate students who are appearing for improvement or compartment exams, they added.

Professor Rajeev Gupta, chairman of the university's admission committee said, "We will finalise the cut-off schedule very soon. October 1 is a tentative date for the first cut-off. We plan to release the cut-off on that day. We will be holding meetings with college principals and nodal officers to finalise the schedule."



He said they plan to release a cut-off schedule for at least five cut-offs by next week.

A college principal, requesting anonymity, said they have started holding meetings at their level to analyse the cut-off trend.

Another principal said they are yet to receive the data of applications from the university and will decide accordingly.

Most of the principals were unanimous in saying that the cut-offs are going to be higher this time, with more students scoring above 95 per cent this year in the Central Board of Secondary (CBSE) Board exams.

Over 2.87 lakh students have applied for Delhi University's undergraduate courses, down from 3.53 lakh applications last year, with the maximum aspirants from CBSE.

Over 2.29 lakh applicants are from CBSE-affiliated schools, followed by Board of School Haryana (9,918), Council for the Indian School Certification Examination (9,659) and UP Board of High School and Intermediate (8,007).

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Secretary of State spoke with newly appointed UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss on Friday and discussed issues including Afghanistan, China and Iran.

In a press statement, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price informed that Blinken congratulated Truss on her appointment and highlighted the importance of the US-UK bilateral ties.

The US State Secretary also reaffirmed their partnership in supporting democracy, the rules-based order, and open societies worldwide, the spokesperson said.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss. Secretary Blinken congratulated Foreign Secretary Truss on her appointment and highlighted the importance of the United States-UK bilateral relationship in supporting democracy, the rules-based order, and open societies worldwide," Price said in a statement on Friday.

Both leaders also discussed shared foreign policy priorities including Afghanistan, the People's Republic of China, Iran, and multilateral engagement to tackle the climate crisis, Price said.

This comes as US President Joe Biden and leaders of two other nations launched the newly-formed AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) defence partnership pact on Wednesday that focuses on the Indo-Pacific.

Experts believe it is a veiled way of confronting China's growing military aggression in the region.

Indo-Pacific region is largely viewed as an area comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and its efforts to advance into the Indian Ocean are seen to have challenged the established rules-based system.

(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.)
Under fire for allegations that it bowed to pressure from China and other governments, the has dropped a popular report that ranked countries by how welcoming they are to businesses.

The report is important to many companies and investors around the world: They use the World Bank's Doing Business report to help decide where to invest money, open manufacturing plants or sell products.

Eager to attract investment, countries around the world, especially developing economies, have sought to improve their rankings in the World Bank's report.

Sometimes, nations would pursue substantive policy changes by, for example, making it easier for businesses to pay taxes, obtain loans or enforce contracts. Sometimes, they would take a more aggressive tack: Like pushy high schoolers cajoling a teacher for a higher grade, they would lobby the to provide a higher score on the Doing Business report



Countries that have scored a high ranking have often touted their success. In 2017, for example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to celebrate India's big improvement in 2017. In Rwanda, the country's development board employs a Doing Business economist.''



But the has long been accused of using sloppy methodology and of succumbing to political pressure in producing the Doing Business rankings. This week, the bank dropped the report after investigators had reviewed internal complaints about data irregularities'' in the 2018 and 2020 editions of Doing Business and possible ethical matters" involving World Bank staff members.

In an investigation conducted for the bank, the law firm WilmerHale concluded that staff members fudged the data to make China look better under pressure from Kristalina Georgieva, then the CEO of the World Bank and now head of the Monetary Fund, and the office of Jim Yong Kim, then the World Bank's president.

Here is a closer look at the controversy:



___



WHAT IS THE WORLD BANK?



Founded in 1944, the 189-country World Bank makes grants and loans, often to finance big public works projects, and offers economic advice, mostly to developing nations. The bank, based in Washington, has also pledged to reduce poverty around the world.

___



WHAT IS THE DOING BUSINESS REPORT?



In 2002, the bank introduced the report, whose annual rankings highlight which countries have adopted policies favorable to businesses and which haven't and how much they're improving or regressing. The bank, which collects information from about tens of thousands of accountants, lawyers and other professionals in 190 countries, assesses how easy it is to do such things as start a business, obtain a construction permit or connect to the electrical grid. Last year, New Zealand ranked No. 1 and Somalia No. 190. The United States was No. 6.

___



WHY WAS THE REPORT IMPORTANT?



Its rankings have been interpreted by the media and by investors as a proxy for how much countries welcome foreign investment.

Any quantitative model of country risk has built this into ratings, says Timothy Ash, an emerging market strategist at the fixed income manager BlueBay Asset Management. Money and investments are allocated on the back of this series.

___



WHY DID DOING BUSINESS COME UNDER FIRE?



Questions surrounding the report date back to at least 2018, when Paul Romer, then the chief economist of the World Bank, who would go on to win a Nobel Prize in economics for his earlier work, resigned after complaining about how Doing Business treated Chile.

As a result of methodological tinkering, the South American country had plunged in the rankings while socialist Michelle Bachelet occupied the presidency, rebounded under conservative Sebastian Pinera, then slumped again when Bachelet returned to power. The ups and downs occurred despite little actual change in policy, according to a summary of events by the Center for Global Development think tank, which called then for the bank to ditch'' the report.

Justin Sandefur, a senior fellow at the center, contends that the rankings have always reflected a bias against government intervention in the economy. He said, for example, that the rankings have failed to properly assess any benefits from state spending or worker and consumer protections.

It came from a very strong anti-regulatory anti- tax, get-the-state-out-of-the-way-so-the-private-sector-can-thrive approach, Sandefur said. That was the original sin. It is deep in the DNA'' of the report.

WilmerHale delivered another blow to the World Bank and the Doing Business rankings. World Bank staffers who were compiling the 2018 report were preparing to knock China down to No. 85 in the rankings from No. 78 the year before. The downgrade would have come at a time when the World Bank was trying to raise capital an effort in which Beijing, the bank's No. 3 shareholder, was expected to play a key role,'' according to the law firm's report.

The investigation found that Georgieva became directly involved in efforts to improve China's ranking.'"



According to the investigation, she also lambasted the bank's China director for mismanaging'' the bank's relations with Beijing and for failing to appreciate how important the Doing Business rankings were to the Chinese leadership. Under pressure from the top, the investigators found, the bank staff decided to give China more credit for a new law involving so-called secured transactions typically, loans that involve collateral.

The upshot was that China ended up back where it was the rankings No. 78. (Other changes affected the rankings of Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.)



WilmerHale concluded that bank staffers knew that the changes to the report were inappropriate'' but feared retaliation including dismissal if they expressed concern. The law firm referred to a toxic culture'' at the bank.

In a statement, Georgieva rejected the report: I disagree fundamentally with the findings and interpretations of the Investigation of Data Irregularities as it relates to my role in the World Bank's Doing Business report of 2018."



Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University, said the Doing Business report was already losing favour:



In recent years, the increasing politicization of the report's presentation and analysis of data had already undercut its credibility and diminished its value to investors.''



The incident also highlights China's growing willingness to throw its weight around in organizations such as the World Bank and the World Health Organization.

China is clearly not shy about using its rising clout in international organizations to control the narrative about its economy and its government's policy choices, Prasad says. For international institutions trying to remain relevant in a fast-changing world, keeping a major shareholder such as China happy can sometimes override more objective analytical considerations.

(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.)
By Andrea Shalal and David Lawder

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva on Friday denied allegations that she pressured staff to alter data to favor China during her time as CEO, as the IMF's executive board launched a formal review of the matter.

Georgieva used a previously scheduled meeting with the IMF's 2,700-strong staff to address findings contained in an independent report issued on Thursday on data irregularities in the World Bank's now-canceled "Doing Business" rankings of country business climates.

"Let me put it very simply to you. Not true. Neither in this case, nor before or after, I have put pressure on staff to manipulate data," Georgieva told staff, according to a transcript of the meeting provided to Reuters.

Her remarks went further than she did in a statement issued on Thursday https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/world-bank-kills-business-climate-report-after-ethics-probe-cites-undue-pressure-2021-09-16 that said she fundamentally disagreed with the findings of the report, prepared by the law firm WilmerHale at the request of the World Bank's ethics committee.

The report found that Georgieva and other senior officials applied "undue pressure" on staff https://www.reuters.com/business/sustainable-business/world-bank-kills-business-climate-report-after-ethics-probe-cites-undue-pressure-2021-09-16 to boost China's ranking in terms of business climate.

Georgieva told staff that she highly values data and analysis and does not pressure staff to change it, according to the transcript.

WilmerHale said it is working on a second report that will address "potential misconduct of staff members" in connection with the data irregularities.

The IMF's executive board ethics committee is reviewing the report, spokesman Gerry Rice said on Friday. Georgieva briefed the board on the World Bank allegations on Thursday.

"As part of the regular procedure in such matters, the ethics committee will report to the board," Rice added, but gave no timetable for any conclusions.

The World Bank, a Washington-based multilateral lender, was seeking China's support for a big capital increase at the time - an effort that Georgieva, as its CEO, and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim were overseeing.

Georgieva has led the IMF and its roughly 2,500 staff since October 2019, playing a key role in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic while securing support for a $650 billion distribution of IMF monetary reserves to the Fund's 190 member countries.

Some IMF member countries, which fund its emergency lending and other projects aimed at alleviating poverty and bolstering global financial stability, voiced concern and said they are reviewing the ethics report. These included the United States, France, Britain and Japan.

The World Bank said on Thursday it would cancel the "Doing Business" report series, which has run since 2003 - dismaying investors who rely on it to help them assess country risk while handing a victory to civil society groups that saw it as a troubled and politicized instrument that worsened inequality.

'HELD ACCOUNTABLE'

The cancellation and allegations were felt on Wall Street and Washington.

"Those complicit should be held accountable, and free nations need to seriously re-evaluate the role we allow Beijing to play in global institutions," Senator Marco Rubio of Florida said in a statement to Reuters.

Senator Bill Hagerty, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee's trade and finance subcommittee, asked for "restoration of this valuable report under conditions we can trust rather than its cancellation."

Discontinuing these annual reports could make it harder for investors to assess where to put their money, some investors told Reuters https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/bad-business-world-bank-china-rigging-scandal-rattles-investors-2021-09-17.

Paul Romer, a former World Bank chief economist, said Georgieva "sidelined" him from making the improvements for which he was hired to the bank's research integrity. Romer told Reuters that Georgieva "whitewashed" his concerns about the "Doing Business" report's data for Chile, which he said may have shown bias against a former socialist government.

Romer, a Nobel laureate economist at New York University, left the bank over the controversy in 2018.

"There was a willingness to do whatever worked or whatever seemed appropriate at any point without any guiding principles," Romer said of Georgieva.

A World Bank spokesman declined to comment on Romer's remarks.

The news and any fallout is likely to dominate the IMF and World Bank annual meetings that are held concurrently in Washington the second week of October.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington and Leigh Thomas in Paris; Additional reporting by David Lawder; Writing by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by Catherine Evans, Will Dunham and Heather Timmons)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghanistan's new rulers set up a ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice" in the building that once housed the Women's Affairs Ministry, escorting out World Bank staffers Saturday as part of the forced move.

It's the latest troubling sign that the are restricting women's rights as they settle into government, just a month since they overran the capital of Kabul. In their first period of rule in the 1990s, the had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Separately, three explosions targeted Taliban vehicles in the eastern provincial capital of Jalalabad on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 20, witnesses said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS insurgents would further stretch their resources.

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the women's affairs ministry, announcing it was now the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Staff of the World Bank's USD 100 million Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Programme, which was run out of the Women's Affairs Ministry, were escorted off the grounds Saturday, said programme member Sharif Akhtar, who was among those being removed.

Mabouba Suraj, who heads the Afghan Women's Network, said she was astounded by the flurry of orders released by the Taliban-run government restricting women and girls.

Meanwhile, the Taliban-run education ministry asked boys from grades 7-12 back to school Saturday along with their male teachers but there was no mention of girls in those grades returning to school. Previously, the Taliban's minister of higher education minister, had said girls would be given equal access to education, albeit in gender-segregated settings.

"It is becoming really, really troublesome. ... Is this the stage where the girls are going to be forgotten? Suraj said.

I know they don't believe in giving explanations, but explanations are very important.

Suraj speculated that the contradictory statements perhaps reflect divisions within the Taliban as they seek to consolidate their power, with the more pragmatic within the movement losing out to hard-liners among them, at least for now.

Statements from the Taliban leadership often reflect a willingness to engage with the world, open public spaces to women and girls and protect Afghanistan's minorities. But orders to its rank and file on the ground are contradictory. Instead restrictions, particularly on women, have been implemented.

Suraj, an Afghan American who returned to in 2003 to promote women's rights and education, said many of her fellow activists have left the country.

She said she stayed in an effort to engage with the Taliban and find a middle ground, but until now has not been able to get the Taliban leadership to meet with activists who have remained in the country to talk with women about the way forward.

We have to talk. We have to find a middle ground, she said.

Also on Saturday, an flight by Pakistan's national carrier left Kabul's airport with 322 passengers on board and a flight by Iran's Mahan Air departed with 187 passengers on board, an airport official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said the two flights departed Saturday morning. The identities and nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

The flights were the latest to depart Kabul in the past week as technical teams from Qatar and Turkey have worked to get the airport up to standard for commercial aircraft.

A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, according to Washington's peace envoy, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic U.S. troop pullout from the country.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A US federal judge on Wednesday (local time) turned down Trump-era changes to H-1B visa rules that were to deter US companies from replacing American workers with cheaper foreign labour.

Nicholas Iovino, writing in Courthouse News Service, a nationwide news service for lawyers and the news media said that the rules restricting H-1B visas were found invalid because they were issued under a Department of Homeland Security acting secretary who was unlawfully appointed to the role.

Businesses and universities complained that the Trump administration switch to the H-1B visa system from a lottery that selects applicants at random to one that prioritizes higher-wage jobs would make it harder to hire and recruit highly skilled foreign workers and students, reported Courthouse News Service.

The rules applied to tech industry workers as well as doctors, accountants, professors, scientists and architects.

Senior US District Judge Jeffery White temporarily blocked the rules in December last year after a coalition of business groups and academic institutions led by the US Chamber of Commerce sued to stop them reported Courthouse News Service.

Judge White also last year halted a separate attempt by former President Donald Trump to suspend certain types of non-immigration work visas, finding he lacked authority to make those sweeping changes in a presidential proclamation.

The Chamber of Commerce and its co-plaintiffs argued the rules violated the Immigration and Nationality Act, which states that noncitizens should be issued H-1B visas "in the order in which petitions are filed for such visas", said Iovino.

A system that ranks and selects visa petitions based on wage levels conflicts with the text of that statute, the plaintiffs contended.

(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.)
Asserting that America's Indo-Pacific pivot is in full swing under the administration, experts believe that the first-ever in-person Quad summit involving Australia, India, Japan and the United States at the White House next week is a natural culmination of a process restarted in 2017.

Biden will host the summit on September 24 that will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga, signalling Washington's focus on the Indo-Pacific region in the face of China's growing economic and military clout.

They will discuss promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, address the climate crisis and deepen their ties and advance practical cooperation on areas like combatting COVID-19. Talks about partnering on emerging technologies and cyberspace would also be held.

Mukesh Aghi president of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum told PTI, "The Quad Summit will leverage the economic potential of trade while strengthening supply chains and enhancing vaccine diplomacy to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change -- the two greatest challenges of our time."



The rampant pace at which the Quad has moved from idea to inception to inspiration is a testament to the shared vision and priorities of all four democracies, he said.

"Particularly within the group, we see India and the US emerge as strong partners, who realize that apart from advancing strategic interests, there is a need to mitigate regional threats and secure a free and open Indo-Pacific," Aghi said.

According to Dhruva Jaishankar, the executive director of think-tank Observer Research Foundation America, this Quad leaders' summit is a natural culmination of a process that was restarted in 2017, which witnessed a gradual elevation of a partnership among four like-minded and capable democratic powers in the Indo-Pacific.

"Now the challenge is to implement various joint action plans, starting with vaccine production and distribution but also extending to technological collaboration, climate change, maritime security, infrastructure financing, secure supply chains, and possibly even educational initiatives," Jaishankar told PTI



Rick Rossow, the Wadhwani Chair in the US India Policy Studies at the Centre for Strategic and Studies think-tank told PTI, "The pivot to the Indo-Pacific is certainly in full swing under the Biden Administration. The Quad's prominence has further increased, leading up to the first-ever in-person leaders' summit in Washington on September 24."Noting that China's steps to destabilize Asian security have accelerated during the Covid pandemic, he said the need for like-minded nations to work to reinforce global norms is crucial.

"It will be fascinating to get hints as to how the new Australia-UK-US security partnership will interact with the Quad. I also hope the Quad leaders can expand existing working groups to include cooperation on regional infrastructure," he said.

According to Rossow, for India's interest, China's advances in investing in strategic infrastructures, such as ports along the Indian Ocean are among the most pressing security threats.

"Cooperation among Quad members is crucial," he stressed.

Anish Goel, a senior fellow at New America and former White House senior director for South Asia said the White House is making good on its commitment to elevate the status of the Quad, and this meeting comes at a critical time.

All four countries are currently facing numerous security crises, such as North Korea, Afghanistan, and China, that are threatening regional and even global stability, he said.

"Strong, coordinated leadership on these issues will help mitigate any potential calamities. Additionally, their joint leadership will be welcome on global issues such as COVID-19 and climate change which are also both at critical stages right now," Goel said.

The Quad summit also comes right on the heels of the announcement of AUKUS, the new security alliance between Australia, the UK, and the US, he noted, adding that while the attention has been on nuclear submarine technology cooperation, AUKUS is much more than a defence trading alliance, he said.

"It is another mechanism to help ensure global stability and security. With these back-to-back developments, these five countries, led by the United States, are making a strong case that robust, secure democracies can work together for the global good," Goel said.

Further, the bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President is also an important opportunity to collaborate on regional issues that will have a big impact on both countries.

"The presumed agenda for the summit, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and the Indo-Pacific region, demonstrates that the relationship is now evolving from one that focused on bilateral irritants to global issues.

"These are signs of a strong, mature partnership. Biden and Modi both have an interest in building on this foundation, and hopefully, the summit will demonstrate that," Goel said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
There is a simple way to explain the shift of naval power in East Asia over the past two decades: The region was handed to Beijing on a platter. Back in the year 2000, Chinas defence expenditure in relation to the US outlay was in the ratio of 1:11. By last year, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, that ratio had changed dramatically to 1:3.in his weekly column in this context notes, anyone within range of Chinas expanding navy will have to build capabilities faster and/or work more closely with the US, as Australia has just announced. Ordinarily, India, with its longstanding goal of strategic autonomy, would not want to be pushed into a western naval embrace, but it already has to some degree. Having bumbled along while China built bigger and better, there is now no alternative. READ MORE...

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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.

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If its the 50th, 60th, 75th or even the 70th, we can understand. But why such extraordinary celebrations for the 71st? Now, who is to answer that question, particularly under a dispensation that claims great, and justifiable, pride in not letting anyone, not even the self-proclaimed Shankaracharyas of political punditry, get a whiff of whats on its ...

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
Congress veteran Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned as the chief minister of Punjab, capping months of a power tussle that had polarised the ruling party in the state headed for elections in just about four months.

"I feel humiliated," Singh told reporters outside the Raj Bhawan after submitting his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

"I have resigned, let them make anyone (next CM)," he further said.

He submitted his resignation along with that of his council of ministers, his media adviser said.

Singh's resignation came just ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party on Saturday evening.

"I spoke to the Congress president in the morning and I told her that I am resigning today," Amarinder told reporters.

"They called the MLAs to Delhi twice and now convened a CLP here in Chandigarh today," he said.

"I think if there is an element of doubt on me that I could not run (the government) or if there was something else, I feel humiliated the way things have happened," he said.

Asked about his future course of action, he said, "As far as my future is concerned, there is always an option and I will use that option when time comes."

To a question on joining any other party, he said, "Whatever you have to say, you can say. I can only tell you that I have been a chief minister from the Congress. And I am in the Congress and I will consult my colleagues and then we will decide the future course of "

"I have only resigned for myself," he said to another question.

"I hereby tender my resignation as the chief minister, and that of my council of ministers," the one-line resignation letter said.

Singh was accompanied by his wife and MP Preneet Kaur and son Raninder Singh when he submitted his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Ravneet Singh Bittu, AG Atul Nanda and Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar were also present.

"I am proud to accompany my father to Raj Bhawan when he submits his resignation as CM of and leads us as head of our family into a new beginning," Raninder Singh said in a tweet earlier.

Amarinder Singh, who was Captain during the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War, took the oath as the 26th Chief Minister of in 2017 after Congress won the Assembly Elections with the majority.

He served as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee from 2010 to 2013.

Singh had served as a member of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for five terms representing Patiala (Urban) thrice and Samana and Talwandi Sabo once each.

In 2015, he was again elected as President of the Punjab Congress. Singh resigned from Lok Sabha on November 23, 2016, and fully dedicated himself to Punjab polls and the party came in power in the state with a majority.

(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 BJP on Saturday named Union ministers and L Murugan as its candidates for the bypolls in Assam and Madhya Pradesh respectively, according to a party statement.

Both leaders were recently inducted into his Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, necessitating their elections to Parliament in six months.

Their election to the is all but certain as the BJP has a majority in the both state assemblies.

In Assam, a seat fell vacant after Biswajit Daimary resigned to become the assembly speaker.

In Madhya Pradesh, the vacancy emerged after the then Union minister Thaawarchand Gehlot resigned following his appointment as Karnataka governor.

(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.)
Governance in Punjab has been the biggest casualty in the party's 'Game of Thrones', the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said on Saturday after Chief Minister Amarinder Singh resigned following months of a power tussle in the ruling party.

In a video message, spokesperson Raghav Chadha said the issues of Punjab have been put on the back burner amid a power struggle in the ruling party.

" has cheated the people of Punjab. They do not care about the welfare of Punjab, but their own personal happiness. is a drowning Titanic that neither has vision nor commitment or performance," Chadha said in Punjabi.

He tweeted, "Governance in the state of Punjab has been the biggest casualty in Congress's 'Game of Thrones'."



Singh on Saturday resigned as chief minister of Punjab, capping months of a power tussle that had polarised the ruling party in the state headed for elections in just about four months.

"I feel humiliated...," Singh told reporters outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan after submitting his resignation to the governor.

(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.)
Over 50 legislators from Punjab have written to party president seeking that Amarinder Singh be replaced as chief minister, highly placed party sources said on Saturday ahead of a crucial meeting of the Legislative Party in Chandigarh.

As crisis intensifies once again in the Punjab unit of the party, Amarinder Singh is also learnt to have talked to Gandhi and expressed his anguish over his repeated "humiliation". There was no official confirmation about the chief minister calling Gandhi.

Sources said the current crisis is "serious" with so many MLAs seeking the chief minister's replacement just a few months ahead of assembly elections in Punjab.

The MLAs in their letter to Gandhi sought the convening of the CLP meeting, being held at 5 pm on Friday at the Bhawan in Chandigarh. The high command has deputed senior party leaders Ajay Maken and Harish Chaudhary as central observers.

AICC general secretary in-charge for Punjab affairs of the party Harish Rawat will also be present during the meeting.

Sources said anything could happen at today's CLP meeting considering the MLAs' demand and the urgency of the meeting. If the MLAs insist on their demand, the change might happen at the CLP meeting itself, they said.

Amarinder Singh's bete-noire and PCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu, who is eyeing the chief minister's post, however, is not in the list of probables for the chief minister's replacement, the sources said.

Trouble between the two factions has been brewing for long and Amarinder Singh was strongly opposed to Sidhu's appointment as PCC chief.

Sidhu has been at loggerheads with Amarinder Singh ever since he quit the Punjab cabinet as a minister in 2019. He had become more vocal in his views in the last some months.

Last month, four ministers and around two dozen party legislators had raised a banner of revolt against the Punjab CM and said that they had no faith in Amarinder Singh's ability to honour unfulfilled promises.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress veteran Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned as chief minister of Punjab, declaring that he feels "humiliated" and said he won't accept state Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu as the next CM or the party face in the Assembly polls.

The development has come amid a power tussle that polarised the ruling party in the state headed for elections in just about four months.

Sidhu was made the state Congress chief earlier this year despite opposition by Amarinder Singh.

"I feel humiliated," Amarinder Singh told reporters outside the Raj Bhawan after submitting his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

"I have resigned, let them make anyone (next CM)," he further said.

The Congress leader, however, in another interaction with the media said he won't accept Navjot Singh Sidhu as the chief minister, describing him as "a total disaster".

The man who could not handle one ministry, can never run entire Punjab, he said.

Replying to a question, he said he will never agree to Navjot Singh Sidhu as the next chief minister.

#WATCH | For sake of my country, I'll oppose his (Navjot Singh Sidhu) name for CM of Punjab. It's a matter of national security. Pakistan PM Imran Khan is his friend. Sidhu has a relation with Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa: Amarinder Singh in an exclusive interview to ANI pic.twitter.com/imeuoyDxem  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2021

"He is a total disaster. When he was a minister (in Amarinder cabinet), he could not even run one ministry, now can he run entire I know that man has no capability at all," said Amarinder Singh.

If Sidhu is made the face of the Congress for the Punjab polls, Singh said he will oppose him "tooth and nail".

Earlier in the day after submitting his resignation, when asked about his next course of action, Singh told reporters, "There is always an option and I will use that option when time comes."

"I have been in for the past 52 years and I have been a chief minister for nine-and-a-half years. I will talk to my colleagues, supporters," he said.

He submitted his resignation along with that of his council of ministers, his media adviser said. The resignation has been accepted by the Governor.

He is going to be a disaster. I will oppose his name for the next CM face. He has a connection with Pakistan. It will be a threat to security

Singh's resignation came hours before a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) on Saturday evening, pre-empting what was widely being seen as a move to remove him from the CM's post.

In the meeting, Punjab Congress MLAs authorised party's president Sonia Gandhi to pick a new CLP leader and in a unanimously passed resolution praised Amarinder's contribution for Punjab and the Congress.

"I spoke to the Congress president in the morning and I told her that I am resigning today," Amarinder Singh told reporters.

"They called the MLAs to Delhi twice and now convened a CLP here in Chandigarh today," he said.

"I think if there is an element of doubt on me that I could not run (the government) or if there was something else, I feel humiliated the way things have happened," he said.

To a question on joining any other party, he said, "Whatever you have to say, you can say. I can only tell you that I have been a chief minister from the Congress. And I am in the Congress and I will consult my colleagues and then we will decide the future course of "

"I have only resigned for myself," he said.

"I hereby tender my resignation as the chief minister, and that of my council of ministers," the one-line resignation letter said.

In another interaction with the media later, Amarinder Singh said he had already told Sonia Gandhi during his meeting with her a few weeks back that he should be relieved of the charge.

"I had told her that you relieve me of this charge because I cannot work in this way where Mr Sidhu is pulling right and I am pulling left. In that meeting, Congress general secretary (Harish) Rawat was also present. Soniaji then said no I want you to carry on, said Amarinder Singh.

The Congress leader said he performed his duty to the best of his ability.

"I have been in for 52 years, so I don't care about these things, I am in politics and I will remain in politics," he said when asked about the circumstances in which he had to resign.

"In politics, options are always there, they are never closed. I can tell you one thing, I am not going to leave it like this," he said.

Politics is a very fast moving game, he said replying to another question.

Singh was accompanied by his wife and MP Preneet Kaur and son Raninder Singh when he submitted his resignation to Governor Banwarilal Purohit.

MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Ravneet Singh Bittu, AG Atul Nanda and Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar were also present.

"I am proud to accompany my father to Raj Bhawan when he submits his resignation as CM of Punjab and leads us as head of our family into a new beginning," Raninder Singh said in a tweet earlier.

(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 investigation arm of Competition Commission of India (CCI) has accused US tech giant of adopting anti-competitive, unfair and restrictive trade practices in the mobile operating system and related markets.

A two year probe ordered by the found that India was guilty of stifling competition and innovation in the market to maintain its dominance in search, music, browser, app library and other key services, reported TOI.

The probe also accused of imposing one sided contracts on devices and on app makers to ensure that its own products and applications maintained primacy in consumer usage and came in pre-installed as well as default options for highest user preference.

"Google is found to be contravening the provisions of Section 4(2)(a)(i); Section 4(2)(b); Section 4(2)(c); Section 4(2)(d) and Section 4(2)(e) of the Competition Act, the probe report, reviewed by TOI said.

The probe report has been placed before the for consideration and if found guilty, Google could face penalties or be asked to discontinue such practices.



Google has faced and is facing such investigations across the globe from the US, European Union, Germany and Japan.
TV, the platform from the search engine giant, could soon get support for free

According to a report from Protocol, is in talks with free and ad-supported streaming television providers about the possibility of adding those channels to its platform. It will have a similar feel to the traditional TV with commercial breaks.

It is being speculated that the free streaming channels could get launched on TV in the coming weeks or months, but the company may wait to announce the initiative with its partners sometime early next year, reports Gizmo China.

As for the usage, the users will likely be getting a dedicated live TV menu to browse through the channels.

On smart TVs, the streaming channels are expected to be presented alongside over-the-air programming that can be accessed with an antenna.

Google first forayed into the free TV streaming category when it unveiled the Android TV platform in 2014.

Google TV is based on the Android operating system and is powering devices like Chromecast as Smart TVs.

--IANS

vc/bg

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese tech giant has published a patent for 'Method and Equipment for Realizing Seismic Monitoring of Mobile Devices' with publication number CN113406696A.

The patent describes a system that is capable of reading/monitoring seismic activity from a mobile equipment. This technology would be used in detecting earthquakes, reports GizmoChina.

The 'mobile device' would transfer key data obtained to send it to an processing center.

The system would also permit the underlying processor to identify and predict events based on multiple readings, the report added.

earlier patented a foldable smartphone solution to reduce crease in the foldable devices.

The company filed this patent with the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration).

This patent is titled "Support Structure of Flexible Screen, Flexible Screen Structure and Terminal Equipment".

According to the documentation, the design includes two supporting structure for the flexible display panel.

The second structure, which is close to the screen is deformable. Hence, when the device is closed, the display has a low chance of getting affected by a larger crease in the long run.

--IANS

wh/ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo readapt to Earths gravity in chairs outside the landing module on Friday. Photo: Xinhua

Three Chinese astronauts have completed the nations longest-ever manned space mission, returning to Earth after a 90-day stretch helping to build the Tiangong, the countrys first permanent space station.

Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo landed safely aboard the Shenzhou-12 return module at 1:34 p.m. Friday, touching down in the Gobi Desert in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

The landing marked the end of China's seventh crewed mission into space.

Preliminary physical checks showed the three astronauts were in good health, state-run Xinhua News Agency reported (link in Chinese). They emerged from the capsule at around 2:10 p.m.

In an interview with state-run CCTV, Liu, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, said: Thank you for your concern and best wishes. I wont forget this birthday as long as I live.

The universe is vast and beautiful and fascinating, Liu added.

Photo: Xinhua

During the mission, which departed on June 17, the astronauts carried out two space walks, installing equipment and performing other tasks.

The team tested key technologies, techniques and materials for the space stations construction and operation, according to Chinas Manned Space Engineering Office.

China hopes to complete construction on the Tiangong within two years, Hao Chun, head of the China Manned Space Engineering Office, said in May.

If all goes to plan, the mission will be followed by the Shenzhou-13 manned spacecraft, which is scheduled to be sent into space in October and remain there for six months. The Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft will deliver supplies to the Tianhe core module later this month.

Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (ziyitang@caixin.com) and editor Flynn Murphy (flynnmurphy@caixin.com)

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China has rejected claims that its application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is connected to a newly-formed AUKUS security partnership among the U.S., the U.K. and Australia.

I want to emphasize that China is a staunch advocate for trade liberalization and facilitation, and an important participant in cooperation and economic integration in the Asia-Pacific, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a Friday press conference, saying the move had no connection with the AUKUS pact.

You just tried to build a connection between the two issues, Zhao said in response to questions. People can tell that what China works for is economic cooperation and regional integration. What the U.S. and Australia push for is wars and destruction, he said.

The remarks came one day after Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao handed an official letter to the trade minister of New Zealand requesting to join the multilateral trans-Pacific trade pact. Many observers believe China was attempting to counter the potential influence of AUKUS, which was launched Thursday. The pact will allow Australia to obtain nuclear-powered submarines for the first time using American technology.

The CPTPP, formed in 2018, is a free trade agreement among 11 members  Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. U.S. President Barack Obama conceived it as an economic bloc to counter Beijings growing power, but his successor Donald Trump withdrew from the pact.

In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced Chinas intent to favorably consider joining the mega trade deal. Then in early June, the CPTPP decided to begin talks about having the U.K. join the pact, drawing fresh attention.

As depository for the CPTPP, New Zealand has shared Chinas request with other members, a spokesperson for New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Thursday. All 11 CPTPP parties together, including Japan which is chairing the commission this year, will determine how to proceed, the spokesperson said.

In response to a reporters question about whether China would discuss its bid to join the CPTPP with Australia, Zhao said China will follow relevant procedures of the CPTPP to have necessary consultations with the members.

Australias trade minister Dan Tehan told the Australian Financial Review in an interview that the country will demand China to end its trade restrictions to Australian goods and reopen trade talks. That will be a prerequisite for Australia to enter negotiations with China on the CPTPP, the minister said.

Japanese politicians held different attitudes towards Chinas application. Taro Kono, the Minister for Administrative Reform and Regulatory Reform, said Chinas trade policies mean it cannot fulfill the requirements of the CPTPP. Taro Kono is a candidate for Japans ruling Liberal Democratic Partys upcoming presidential election. Japan's deputy finance minister Kenji Nakanishi said Chinas policies, including its subsidies for state-owned enterprises, mean it has no chance of joining the pact.

Seiko Noda, another candidate for the ruling partys presidential election, said Japan must actively consider agreeing to Chinas application in order to promote global economic stability.

Contact reporter Tang Ziyi (ziyitang@caixin.com) and editor Flynn Murphy (flynnmurphy@caixin.com)

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The Ever Given, the massive container ship that blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March after running aground and causing a logjam in global shipping, berthed at a shipyard in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on Monday for repairs. The ship had been anchored in the waters off Qingdao after arriving on Sept. 18 while awaiting its turn to enter the port. Most of the damage was sustained to the bow, which will need more than 20 days to fix

Oct 06, 2021 05:31 PM
[This kind of entity], which was relevant several decades ago, has lost its effectiveness today. If in the turbulent 1990s  the state prioritized enhanced control over especially valuable assets, now it is interested in the progressive development of a number of enterprises, increasing their economic efficiency, and [an] actively growing animation industry is no exception. SMF Studio [Soyuzmultfilm] intends to become a significant player in the world market in the coming years, and in the conditions of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise, the conclusion of large partnerships both on the national and international markets is an impossible task.

The Russian federal state will retain the rights to works created at Soyuzmultfilm between 1950 and 2003, which the studio will be able to use on a licensing basis. The company will own works created after 2003.

Soyuzmultfilm is responsible for many classics of world animation over the decades  particularly in the Soviet years, when state funding for the arts was at its peak. It produced works by acclaimed auteurs like Yuri Norstein, Ivan Ivanov-Vano, Lev Atamanov, and Nina Shorina. Its archive of classic Soviet films is known as the golden collection.

Following a decline in production during the post-Soviet turbulence of the 1990s, the studio was reconstituted as a Federal State Unitary Enterprise in 2002. It has since remained active in animation production, with an emphasis on childrens films and series.

Lately, Soyuzmultfilm has also been expanding its activities outside production. Initiatives include the development of an animation cluster in the eastern territory of Khabarovsk Krai and the creation of Soyuzmultparks, multimedia hubs inspired by the studios history and works.

Image at top: Yuri Norsteins Hedgehog in the Fog (1975)
In 1955, Jolliffe traveled to the U.K., where she sought a job with Halas and Batchelor, then the countrys preeminent animation studio, but was turned down; she was told that women dont animate, as she later recalled.

Undeterred, Jolliffe returned to her homeland and found work with the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization) Film Unit, where she made educational and scientific animated films for the Australian government. Equipped with a grounding in animation production, she applied to the animation studio launched in Melbourne by John Wilson GTV9 network.

She got a job  in the ink and paint department, where women were thought to belong, even though Jolliffe was one of the only applicants with prior animation experience. Only after appealing (and passing a test no male employees were given) did she get to join the animation team. I realized then, Jolliffe said in a 2005 interview, that even though women do animate, they have to work about six times harder than men, and have to battle all the way through.

She is generally claimed to be the first woman animator working professionally in Australia.

Returning to London, Jolliffe was taken on by Halas and Batchelor at the second time of asking, but left when she realized her less experienced male colleagues were being paid more than her. She moved to TVC, where she worked on the series The Beatles and subsequent feature Yellow Submarine. For a while, she was the best-paid animator in the city, according to The Encyclopedia of Women and Leadership in Twentieth-Century Australia.

After giving birth to her son, Jolliffe encountered discrimination in the industry as a young mother. In stepped Godfrey, her idol, who offered her a job and a welcoming atmosphere at his studio. She served as an animation director on Great, his half-hour film about legendary civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, which went on to win an Oscar.

Jolliffe moved back to Melbourne in 1979. She animated on Grendel Grendel Grendel, a reimagining of the Beowulf legend, which was only Australias second animated feature. Relocating to Sydney, and later Blackheath, she opened her own studio, Jollification, hoping to find a measure of creative freedom through the endeavor.

Jollification was successful for a time in finding commissioned work. Jolliffe directed two major projects for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the kids series Bunyip and half-hour film The Maitland and Morpeth String Quartet. She developed numerous projects with female protagonists, including her alter ego, the spacefaring housewife Mrs. Cosmos.

In later years, funding for these projects became increasingly elusive. The advent of computer animation transformed the industry, and Jolliffe was reluctant to adopt the new technology. A stroke in 2011 left her unable to draw, effectively ending her career, which remains a beacon of achievement against the odds for female animators everywhere.

Jolliffe is survived by her son Ned Jolliffe; her grandchildren, Noah and Maya; and her partner of the past two decades, Janet Ramsay.

Photo credit: Cam Ford.
Photo: Maria Rantanen

A senior B.C. public health official says the province is approaching a transition phase in its fight against COVID-19  a point where health officials stop counting cases like we have for this past 18 months.

The comments, made by BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) deputy provincial health officer Dr. Reka Gustafson, were heard Sept. 14 during an online seminar to help physicians and nurses navigate the pandemic across the province.

Instead of counting cases, Gustafson said B.C. needs to move to a much more important measure  hospitalizations, deaths and vaccination rates.

Others on the expert panel noted that B.C. is not quite at the point where it can stop counting cases, and that vaccination rates still need to improve to treat the virus as an "endemic" disease.

Glacier Media reached out to the provinces COVID-19 task force to confirm whether the province has a plan to draw down testing, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The comments come as COVID-19 case data from the BCCDC suggests the provinces mask mandate and other public health measures have curbed transmission of the virus in the Interior, a hot spot over the summer.

And in recent weeks, the announcement and roll-out of the BC Vaccine Card  required to enter bars, restaurants and several public gatherings  has led to a spike in unvaccinated people seeking out a first dose.

Thats all positive news. But according to modelling released Sept. 15 from the BC COVID-19 Modelling Group, there remain many blind spots. Growth in cases in northern B.C. remains concerning and its not yet clear what effect school reopening will have on transmission.

And while the announcement of the BC Vaccine Card nearly doubled the rate of unvaccinated people seeking out their first jab, full vaccination of eligible British Columbians is still far off, said Caroline Colijn, an infectious disease modeller at Simon Fraser University and researcher with the BC COVID-19 Modelling Group.

According to the rates that we have seen in the past week or so, it'll still take a couple of months to get half of the people currently eligible and unvaccinated to be vaccinated, said Colijn.

THE CASE FOR CONTINUED TESTING

While it's not clear when and how the province would move away from counting cases, Colijn said moving away from regular testing could reduce public healths ability to track the effects of COVID-19 in three important ways.

First, reducing widespread testing would hamper public healths ability to see whats coming.

I do think there's a case for counting cases because it gives us an earlier warning of what's happening than looking at hospitalization, she told Glacier Media.

It takes time for an infection to take hold and a person to get tested, and only tracking hospitalizations would likely lead to a two-week delay, said the researcher.

Second, Colijn said tracking cases helps the public health system understand breakthrough infections, or those that occur in fully vaccinated individuals.

Do breakthrough infections that don't cause hospitalization still give people a risk of long COVID? Because we might want to know that, and if we don't have the cases, and the testing, we aren't going to be able to know that, she said

Third, as the virus evolves, Colijn said not testing widely will limit B.C.s ability to understand if breakthrough infections are linked to a dangerous new mutation more severe or more transmissible than even the Delta variant.

If you don't test, you don't have samples of the virus to sequence, so you can't sequence them and then you can't see how the virus is evolving.

CONTACT TRACING AND ISOLATION

Alberta chief medical health officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw has been criticized for signing off on a plan to reopen the province too early.

After reopening on Canada Day, Premier Jason Kennys best summer ever quickly turned into a public health crisis as cases surged.

Later, the province would move to eliminate testing, as well as contact tracing and mandatory isolation.

On Tuesday, Vancouver Coastal Health public health nurse Nomi Mate, who coordinates COVID-19 vaccines for inner-city vulnerable populations, signalled to the expert panel that the health authority had already moved to reduce contact tracing and mandatory isolation.

We are not isolating all of our contacts anymore. Theres very few people that are being isolated now, and its only pretty much if they havent been vaccinated or just recently vaccinated, she said, adding her teams were only completing initial contact tracing.

I dont know what the magic answer is around the testing, added Mate, signalling Gustafson and other health officials on the call, but they have mentioned a shift in not necessarily testing to find every single case.

Contrary to Mates comments, Marielle Tounsi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, said contact tracing has fluctuated throughout the pandemic as needed, and that in the last number of weeks, more people have been hired to deal with rising cases.

Tounsi also said that while all test-positive cases are contacted, the most intensive case and contact management is now prioritized to support individuals at highest risk of severe outcomes.

The goal to complete contact tracing and notification remains at 24 hours, said Tounsi.

We are achieving this goal in most cases around the province, she wrote in an email.

Would dialling back contact tracing and mandatory isolation put B.C. at risk for an Alberta-like wave? Not likely, said Colijn.

For one, the province has an indoor mask mandate and vaccine passport system in place, as well as a higher vaccination rate than its neighbour (86.3 per cent of eligible British Columbians have received their first dose compared to 79.6 per cent of Albertans).

While Colijn is quick to criticize any plan to curtail testing, shes more open to reducing contact tracing and mandatory isolation. Thats because reopening public life in B.C. makes contact tracing increasingly expensive and infeasible  the more people visit schools, friends, colleagues and other businesses, the number of calls a contact tracer has to make starts to balloon, she said.

Maybe instead of just abandoning the idea and importance of contact tracing, we should be saying to people who test positive, It is very important, but not mandatory, that you isolate, it is very important, not mandatory, that you inform your contacts, she said.

We could be exploring wider use of rapid testing instead.

SCHOOLS: A WILDCARD?

Despite a number of cases in B.C. schools last year, multiple studies have found transmission remained low among students and staff. But those studies were conducted before the more infectious Delta variant took hold in B.C. With a large share of the population over 12 years old already vaccinated, it's likely children will make up a greater percentage of those infected.

Still, Gustafson stressed structured activities like school, post-secondary institutions and workplaces carry very little risk.

"Returning to normal societal function is a priority, its a health priority, its a societal priority and its an economic priority," she said.

In one question to the panellists, a physician asked what can be expected when vaccinations are finally approved for children under 12.

Dr. Manish Sadarangani, head of the Vaccine Evaluation Centre at BC Children's Hospital, said vaccine approval would likely come in stages, with those between six and 11 likely approved first because that's who is furthest along in the mRNA vaccine trials. Younger cohorts, he said, would come later.

"The earliest could be one to two months," said Sadarangani, stressing the timeline could easily be extended. "I dont know what our recommendation will look like. It could be a universal recommendation, it could be a high-risk-group-only recommendation."

Gustafson, meanwhile, warned that a vaccine recommendation for all children under 12 was not a certainty.

"This is an infection of everybody but an illness of adults, and particularly older adults," she said. "So it is not a given that even if a vaccine is approved, it will necessarily be recommended or universally recommended."

In the United States, where some have been alarmed over a rise in cases among children, the number of kids dying of the disease remains a mere fraction of the total deaths. Of the 545,000 deaths due to COVID-19 across the country, less than 550 occurred in people under 17 years old. That's less than 0.1 per cent.

In Canada, federal health authorities have recorded 15 COVID-19 deaths among those under 19, accounting for about 0.1 per cent of the total deaths.

But for SFU's Colijn, relatively low risk in a global pandemic does not mean no risk, as was seen Sept. 17 in Ontario with the death of a child under 10.

They are at less risk than adults. But if the risk for adults is kind of terrible, then being less than that doesn't actually mean it's low, you know, low enough that you don't worry about it, said Colijn.

A LARGER CULTURAL SHIFT

Asked how long COVID-19 will threaten B.C., Gustafson said British Columbians will need to learn to live with the virus.

Even if the province can achieve significantly higher vaccination rates, the health official said the best we can hope for is that it will become an endemic disease like influenza.

In the meantime, more people need to get vaccinated.

Were still at a stage where its too risky to have natural infection because of its potential to overwhelm our hospitals and intensive care units, said Vancouver Coastal Health's deputy chief medical health officer Dr. Mark Lysyshyn.

Testing, said Lysyshyn, needs to still be available in the near term.

But as Gustafson put it, such heightened surveillance will have an end date.

Were in a transition phase where our perception of the risk of COVID is causing as much destruction to society as COVID itself, she said.

We have focused solely on COVID-19 for so long. It is on BCCDCs dashboard  with cases being the number one thing and I apologize for that.
Photo: Contributed NDP Party of Canada Leader Jagmeet Singh (top left), Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders (top right), former U.S. President Barack Obama (bottom left), Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau (bottom middle) and former U.S. Secertary of State Hillary Clinton (bottom right).

Some major endorsements from American politicians for Canadian party leaders ahead of the Sept. 20 vote have caught the eye of many  but do they violate election acts?

Liberal Party of Canada Leader Justin Trudeau received a strong endorsement from former U.S. President Barack Obama via Twitter yesterday (Sept. 16), where the 44th president said Trudeau "has been an effective leader and strong voice for democratic values."

Less than a day later, another ringing endorsement was given to Trudeau by former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, also on Twitter.

"I have seen my friend @JustinTrudeau show leadership in the fight for accessible child care, protected reproductive rights, and ambitious climate action. I'm wishing him and our progressive Canadian neighbors the best in Monday's election," she wrote.

This morning, Burnaby South candidate and NDP Party of Canada Leader Jagmeet Singh got a vote of confidence from American Senator Bernie Sanders, who said "there's one leader who has the courage to make the wealthy pay their fair share so everyone gets the medication they need. That's why I support the @NDP and @theJagmeetSingh."

Obama and Clinton no longer hold positions in any government office, while Sanders is the U.S. Senator for Vermont.

Many on social media have asked if the comments from the trio are foreign election interference or if it's appropriate for American politicians to be endorsing candidates in Canada's election.

Elections Canada told the NOW all individuals, whether Canadian or non-Canadian, are free to express their views on any topic during an election. Comments don't necessarily mean interference, the organization said.

"A foreign citizen commenting about the election does not by itself constitute an instance of undue foreign influence under the Canada Elections Act," Elections Canada spokesperson Andrea Marantz said in an email.

"Whether someone incurred expenses, who that person is, and for what reason that person spent the money would be among the factors that need to be considered before determining if undue foreign influence has taken place.

"Investigation and enforcement of the act are the mandate of the Commissioner of Canada Elections and are mainly based on complaints received by the commissioner."

Hamish Telford, an associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, told the NOW while he's not a lawyer, he believes the endorsements from Sanders, Clinton and Obama don't violate the Canada Elections Act.

"I think these endorsements would be more problematically politically  if not legally  if they came from sitting heads of state or government," he said.

"I am sure our leaders are accepting these endorsements because they think they will be helpful, but if Canadians tell them otherwise, they may refrain from seeking and accepting these endorsements in the future."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called an early, snap election on Aug. 15, 2021.
Photo: The Canadian Press Jagmeet Singh

There will be no let up in campaigning today as the main party leaders count down the remaining hours and minutes to Monday's federal election.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party leader Anamie Paul are heading to B.C. Saturday, with a planned stop in Cranbrook Saturday evening for Singh.

He starts his day in Saskatoon, before meeting this afternoon with Indigenous leaders and youth in Pense, Sask. Prior to arriving in Cranbrook, he will meet with health-care workers in Edmonton, who are on the verge of being overwhelmed by Alberta's escalating COVID-19 crisis.

While Paul's website says she'll be in Toronto through the weekend, it appears she's made a change of plans, posting to Twitter Saturday morning to say she's "heading out to BC this morning to support our candidates during the final stretch of the election."

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is scheduled to make an announcement this morning in Aurora, Ont., just north of Toronto.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole will also campaign in Ontario, with an announcement planned this morning in Dundas, Ont., followed by a meet and greet this evening in Kitchener, Ont.

Meanwhile, the People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier is spending his last weekend before the election in Alberta.

On Friday, the federal party leaders made a plea for voters to go to the polls even though they debated whether the election in the midst of the pandemic was needed at all.

The latest polling suggests Trudeau's Liberals and O'Toole's Tories are in a virtual dead heat with neither likely to land a majority mandate on Monday.
Amidst the constant bombardment of vaccination headlines and total blitz our politicians push to have Americans do nothing but fantasize the euphoric paradise that is a 100 percent vaccinated populous constantly  above any alternative priority  I feel obliged to come forward and explain why me, and many of my close friends, are not only choosing not to be vaccinated, but finding it highly honorable to make such a decision.

The COVID obsessed would like you to believe Kung Flu is the new leprosy or the 21st century equivalent of the Bubonic Plague. Theyd also like you to believe being unvaccinated is an obvious moral failure  justifying nothing short of an inquisition. Such beliefs are absurd  yet the rhetoric fails any metric of balance. Polarization is the idol of the constant news cycle.

Many forget that at the beginning of the pandemic, trust in the government was already so low that doubting COVID was real at all was considered by some to be a reasonable position. Were shamelessly lied to at a constant rate. I dont presume to know the truth, but Im not stupid enough to ignore when I know Im being lied to  and nothing makes me mad like knowing Im being lied to. It immediately provokes my disrespect towards the liar.

Many forget a vaccine is completely based on trust. And many arent willing to do anything to acknowledge the lack of trust. I applaud my darker skinned brothers who remember their sterilized ancestors who were told its a vaccine for your good  and I remember too well how much the leftists hate the lighter skinned people now. Theres always a vulnerable sub-population anywhere you look. Ill learn from my brothers and realize their story is my own warning. Trust is earned, not given. Yet our politicians think trust is in abundant supply  what a fantasy. Its not that the vaccine was bad its that they werent given the vaccine. Even if you prove the vaccine is great and flawless, which you havent, you are still going to have to prove the needle in their hand is indeed the vaccine  which you cant. Remember all those academics who preach the world is overpopulated? All those green freaks who believe humanity is a curse on the planet. Youd be wise not to trust them with anything. These are the same noble liars who would gladly line up smokers and execute them for the sake of public health. They even brag about how noble they are at lying. Should you trust someone who brags about how much they lie?

Many forget the senseless recall on the vaccine. Many forget the reasons given for it - less than 10 cases of error justified a recall? Ive remember Fight Club. I remember the difficulties of a recall. And I remember the wisdom in realizing then that we are being lied to about the vaccine. What a shattering of trust. I recommend looking up vaccination acceptance in America. Youll notice a the decline in new vaccinations right at the April 14 mark - not a coincidence. And one thats never been recovered since.

Many forget that the highest percentage of the unvaccinated population for months was those who have a graduate school education level, followed by those who havent graduated high school. Theyd love to have you believe being unvaccinated is the uneducated position  how wrong they are.

Many forget that the virus has only killed .2 percent of Americans  a number thankfully lower than the 3-4 percent originally projected. When youre off by a magnitude of a logarithmic scale, the appropriate response is thanksgiving and rejoicing, not fear and tyranny.

Many forget that there are those who were willing to die violently for our freedoms. Those who sacrificed their precious blood for us will be valued  and the freedom they valued will be valued higher than any fear of a horrible disease  let alone such a pathetic virus as this. That freedom is a higher value to me than my own life. Many forget there are things better than life  and worse than death. The freedom they died for is worth it. The threat of tyranny towards any end will be met with hesitation and resistance  honorably. I will not comply with anything that encroaches upon that sacred right  no matter how much you believe its for my, or your, benefit. And I should strive to defend that freedom in anyone else I disagree with.

Many forget the Black Lives Matter riots where suddenly politics was following the science of hypocrisy. Many forget how much Biden and Harris hated the vaccine as long as it was Trumps. Many forget how, almost immediately, Fauci was expected to have funded the virus in a Chinese Lab. That was all just a conspiracy  nothing to see here. Bats and Bush meat. But now we know that wasnt a conspiracy  and that Fauci lied under oath, yet via corruption walks free. Im reminded again how God hates a proud look Yet Im supposed to trust the CDC and the government while he is honored? I dont think so.

Many forget Sweden and how different their successful approach was to ours. They now enjoy a powerful natural immunity seemingly better than the vaccine. They enjoy almost no COVID because they earned it the hard way. Id rather have COVID, suffer through it for a few days, than risk a political vaccine  one in which the president is hellbent on making more political each day. Remember those parents who bring their kids over to play with the one who has chicken pox? Lets get this over with. Thats how many of us feel. We trust COVID more than we trust the politicians and doctors. Many of us also think COVID is that lame - because many of our friends who have had it have barely noticed it. Experience beats the news cycle. Experience is not aligning with the news cycle either.

Many forget ivermectin, monoclonal antibodies, fluvoxamine, arguably hydroxychloroquine, and of living healthy, not being fat, exercising, etc. They want any fix other than self-responsibility. Many forget Joe Rogans quick turnaround and positive attitude. I found honor in his approach. Many forget vaccination isnt the only viable option.

Many forget COVID doesnt at all look like Polio and that the COVID vaccine doesnt operate as well as the polio vaccine against COVID, but they certainly remember to shame you like Polio and COVID are identical. Does the Polio vaccine wear off over time. Do you need a third Polio booster shot once every six months?

Many forget that being asymptomatic absolves any guilt of wrongdoing towards transmitting any disease. Many forget that its nothing more than the cost of living. To overreact is to dampen life itself. And anything with a risk of only .2 percent isnt close to being worth it.

Many forget we were promised two weeks when the two weeks became two months became 200 days became Australia and New Zealand.

Many forget The Hangman by Maurice Ogden, believing standing up for the rights of those who choose not to be vaccinated isnt any of their business.

The scaffold was raised for none but you.

Honorable? To stand tall for your rights. To not live in fear. To live bravely and courageously. To abhor cowardice. To value your potential offspring. To look at the data and come to your own conclusion. To distrust liars. To recognize hypocrisy and say not me. To honor others who value your freedoms. To respect alternative approaches to complex problems. To live in a manner that values human connection and relationships. To live in mutual respect with those who disagree with you. To seek subtlety and doubt anything that is touted as absolute  especially when its a politician telling you its absolute. To believe church is essential. To believe any job you have is essential because youre the one who has it and because you are essential intrinsically. To breathe fresh air. To sing without a muzzle. To trust only that which is trustworthy. To say Heck No to some old fart who makes a power grab towards being a king in a land with an awesome constitution. To think about something else To think about anything else

Yes. Id say being unvaccinated is quite honorable. As for me and my house, we will roll our own dice  dice that arent any of your business.

Stephen Sells

* * *

Mr. Sells,

You wasted a lot of time and effort just to tell everyone that you're an incredibly selfish person. There's absolutely no honor in that. Time to take a long hard look at yourself and grow up.

Amanda Jenkins

* * *

Maybe if all the honorable unvaccinated people would get vaccinated, all of the children wouldnt have to.

Larry Carlton

* * *

Mr. Sells, I admire your willingness to share your personal decision. I discussed my decision with my doctor and ultimately chose to get vaccinated, but its no one elses business.

Having served in the military and being vaccinated for a possible Desert Storm deployment, my shot record already looks like a legal pad. So, I thought two more (or three) might not hurt. Again its no ones business.

Liberals Including deeply Catholic Joe Biden believe when it comes to abortion that decision should be made by the mother in consultation with her physician and not her government, a judge, or her employer. Why doesnt that logic apply to vaccinations? And I hope no one responds because abortion doesnt kill like COVID does.

Brian Watson

* * *

Mr. Sells,

I'm going to take this opportunity to disagree with pretty much every word of your comment. In my way of thinking - there is nothing honorable about ignoring science and medicine. Personally - I don't get my information regarding COVID from Washington. I choose to seek the advice of experts - experts in science and medicine. Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Ted Cruz, Matt Gaetz, etc. are not those experts. In fact - they are the last people on this planet I would ask for advice on any topic.

I've seen friends and family get sick with COVID. Witnessing their suffering and knowing my taking a vaccine might help prevent one other person - if not hundreds - from getting sick with it - I am happy and excited to do, what I believe, is my duty to help get rid of it. I believe this as an American and I believe it as a human being.

I'm originally from Memphis - home of the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Quite possibly the most inspiring place on the planet. Maybe all of us should take a trip to a children's hospital and see for ourselves the pain of an innocent child suffering. I do not see any honor in ignoring the vaccine and frankly, I don't understand how you can.

We know it is safe and we know it works. I don't need to know anything else.

George Parker

* * *

If you have been vaccinated why should you worry even though many COVID-vaccinated citizens are getting COVID and dying.

Makes no sense. What good was the vaccine to them?

In America you are supposed to have a freedom of choice and not mandated to. I mean dictated to.







Michael G. Mansfield

* * *

So very well expressed Mr. Sells and I for one stand with you.

For many who place their faith in a mandate to force vaccinations on all let me point you to the testimonies given Friday at the FDA for the attempted approval of the next round of boosters of this so-called vaccine which was voted down 16 to 2.

Although the testimony was eight hours long, many clips can be found of front line doctors expressing their concerns and experiences up to and including their opinion that the risks of cardiac and neurological damage do not outweigh the benefits nor the unknown side effects down the road.

Furthermore, there is testimony and references to the use of Ivermectin and other treatments other than the iron-handed mandates put forth as treatments which in my opinion are not as effective as what they are doing and seeing results in Third World Countries. Just as one doctor's testimony concerning vaccine hesitancy he made the comment that those of us who will not take this vaccine are more informed than those who are willing to roll up their sleeves all for a virus that is no more deadly (percentage wise) than any other flu which weve had to endure since the Spanish Flu.

Be blessed and ready,

Jay Reed
Hamilton County Commissioner Geter is correct in her statement, raising the thought or issue of a county nepotism audit?

The focus on our Hamilton County district attorneys marriage has wasted more ink than the Times Free Press could apparently afford. It seems that members of the county commission now may be opening a nepotism Pandoras box. I anticipate that a nepotism examination of the county general government, and their constitutional officer, would certainly deliver public interest.

The TFP continues ink attacks on one constitutional office when the issue raised is systemic throughout all county offices. The TFP has conducted half-baked reporting, and in the process overlooking the scope and depth of the nepotism issue they have raised in print, after reprint, another print, one to grow on print, nothing else to print so print it, and finally reorder words to have a new print. The saga of reprints on the same subject matter is exhausting. Yet, the TFP never once took a look at the other constitutional offices.

I would also like to know how political names get jobs created for them or their family members, such as the unadvertised attorney position for Zach Wamps daughter in the sheriffs department. How special is that?

How many regular county residents think that the county government or constitutional offices would create a job just for their family member with low experience attainment, and bypass an entire field of seasoned criminal attorneys?

Do you think the county general or constitutional offices would create a job for your child?

Nepotism abounds, possible second to the area of hiring the political or powerful, described above. Why wasnt the attorney job in the sheriffs office advertised so other young attorneys could compete for the position. Why? It was a rigged deal.

During this Wednesdays county commission meeting, it was suggested that the commission vote to reduce public funding of one constitutional office as a punitive measure for alleged nepotism. Punish the district attorney, cry the few, is what is being suggested. It is alleged that the district attorneys office should lose some degree of funding as punishment for General Neal Pinkston for daring to fall in love at work, like that has never happened before.

The wisest in the room, a Democrat, Commissioner Geter stated the following according to the Timed Free Press.

Commissioner Katherlyn Geter, D-Chattanooga, said it would be a good time for the commission to consider looking for similar instances of employees paid by relatives in the county. Taylor said it was possible to do something similar in other constitutional offices, but would not be as easy in county general government.

What a brilliant idea, Commission Geter, by all means perform a detailed audit of nepotism in all the county constitutional offices, and please include general government. County Attorney Taylors, suggestion that a nepotism audit would not be as easy in general government, makes me absolutely certain that the audit should begin in general government. Yeah, let the nepotism audit start at the point of most resistance, county government.

Oh yes, let the count commence.

Commission Geter, you are brilliant. Please pass a resolution to conduct the nepotism audit. This will ensure that the punitive nepotism is applied justly, not as a political target.

As my elders use to say, if it aint broke, dont fix it. However, if the leaders want to count, let them count.

I believe the constitutional offices are run in a professional manner, and this is not necessary, but targeting one constitutional office and omitting the others will not fly.

Thank you for your wisdom, Commissioner Geter, and I wish you great success in future pursuits.

Best wishes to all, please stay safe from COVID exposure.

April Eidson


The Chattanooga Mocs' indoor volleyball team began action in their final preseason tournament on Friday afternoon with a three-set victory over the Lamar Cardinals. The Mocs fell in the final match of the day in five sets to Eastern Kentucky inside the Wellness Center.The match was competitive from the start with the first set featuring seven ties and two lead changes. The back-and-forth first frame stayed close at the beginning until the Mocs took the largest lead of the match, a four-point advantage up 18-14.Lamar was able to inch back, cutting its deficit to as little as two, but never came within one point of the Mocs. UTC hit .370 in the first set with 12 kills, led by Coniah Davis with four. Both teams recorded a block and two aces in the opener.After another back-and-forth start to a set, Lamar took charge in the second set forcing Chattanooga to use its first timeout of the match down 14-11. The Cardinals held a 21-16 lead and the Mocs found their spark. Gylian Finch started the comeback with a kill which was followed by a Sophia Bossong ace. After Lamar won the next two points, the Mocs were down five again, 23-18. After two Cardinal attack errors and two Kate Neill kills, the Mocs were within one. The Mocs were called in the net which gave Lamar its first set point of the match with a two-point cushion. Maia Rackel led the charge, fending off both set points with back-to-back kills. After a Lamar kill, Aleya Kennedy and Davis came together for a block at the net to tie the set at 25. A solo stuff by Rackel and another Lamar attack error gave the Mocs a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mocs defense came up strong in the set with four blocks and 18 digs.The third set was tied at 12 when the Mocs went on their biggest run of the match. With Neill behind the service line, UTC won the next seven points to give UTC a 19-12 edge. The run consisted of two UTC blocks, four Lamar errors, an ace from Neill and a kill from Kennedy. Lamar came within three, down 22-19, but Liz Tomlin slotted an ace followed by back-to-back kills by Finch to give the Mocs set point. Kennedy gave the Mocs the sweep with her fourth kill of the afternoon.The first set between the two was tightly contested throughout. Both teams had multiple 3-0 runs, but neither held a lead larger than three. EKU took its first lead since the early stages at 19-18 and from that moment, both sides exchanged the next six points. Leading 23-22, the Colonels held their first set point. The Mocs won the next point but could not fend off another set point. The set consisted of 14 ties and six lead changes.UTC was the first to take a big lead in the match with the Blue and Gold holding a 15-10 advantage in the second. After an EKU timeout, the Colonels won four straight to come within one of the Mocs lead. They tied the set at 17 but were never able to regain the lead. Finch capped off the set with a kill and her first ace of the match.Eastern Kentucky held a two-to-three-point lead in the beginning of the third. Up 17-15, the Colonels scored seven straight points to hold set point and ultimately took the set, 25-17.Like the first and second set, the beginning of the fourth frame was close with the two teams exchanging the first 30 points. After the first 30, UTC led 16-14 and EKU called its first timeout. The Mocs capped off its 5-0 run with Ekeler behind the service line with kills from Rackel and MacKenzie Saitta. The Colonels inched close, like they did in the second set, but the Mocs held their lead. The Blue and Gold forced a fifth set with her ninth kill of the match. Rackel led the team with five kills in the fourth frame. The Mocs hit a match-best .243 in the set.The fifth set had the same start as the rest with the teams being tied at seven. The 7-7 lock was the seventh tie of the set. The Colonels took the lead 8-7 and UTC was unable to tie the match again. EKU hit .381 in the fifth with 10 kills on 21 swings.Finch led the Mocs with 18 kills. She was perfect in serve-receive with no errors on 29 chances. The seniors line was completed with two blocks and eight digs.Rackel was the other Moc with double-digit kills with 13. Davis added nine and four blocks, a mark that was shared with Kennedy for second best on the squad.Michelle Baez-Carlo led the team with five blocks. Pin hitters Chloe Bryan and Saitta both registered four kills and a block.As they did in the first set, Ekeler and Bossong split the setting duties. Ekelers 24 assist-14 dig performance was the first double-double of her career. Bossong added 22 helpers. Gallentine completed the back-row effort with a team-best 16 digs.EKUs outside hitters, Molly Michalak and Sarah Mitchell hit 18 and 24 kills, respectively. Mitchell led the match with a .400 attack clip.The Mocs conclude action at the Southern Miss classic against the hosts tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST.
Police responded to the Publix, 400 N. Market St., for a cat locked inside a vehicle not running. A woman told police she observed the plight of the cat and began contacting McKamey. She said the cat had been in the vehicle for approximately 20 minutes before the owner returned. Police spoke with the cat's owner, who said she was inside Great Clips for no more than 20-25 minutes before returning to her vehicle. Police told the woman it was way too hot outside to leave an animal inside a vehicle not running and a report was being made concerning this incident.



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While on routine patrol, police observed a Jeep Compass, TN tag, parked on the sidewalk at 647 E. 11th St.. The vehicle was run, found to not be stolen and stickered to be towed within 48 hours.



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An assistant manager at 4900 Brainerd Road told police there were several individuals on the property that were causing issues with customers. When police arrived, the individuals were no longer on the property.



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A woman on East Main Street told police her 2016 Mercedes was parked behind her residence and locked. She said sometime between 2 and 10:30 a.m. someone broke into her vehicle and stole her purse and its contents. She said there was no damage to her vehicle and she does not know how the person gained entry.



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A business owner at 5953 Brainerd Road told police he would like a person who was sleeping there, banned from the property. Police spoke with the man after waking him up. He was made aware of owner's wishes and police told him that he could go to jail if he returns to the property.



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Police responded to a shoplifting at 345 Northgate Mall Dr. Mall Security told police about two females who had shoplifted from Burlington. The women were detained and the merchandise was recovered. Burlington chose not to prosecute. Mall Security trespassed the women from the property.



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A man on Manor Road told police that a roommate who recently moved out of his residence did not get all of his belongings before leaving. He said he he did not want the belongings there and demanded the ex-roommate get them out. The officer explained to him that police could not forcefully make the person get the belongings out of the residence and he would have to give them sufficient time to do so.



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An investigator notified the Chattanooga Police Traffic Division of property damage to his Chrysler 300 (unmarked/undercover vehicle). He said the vehicle was parked on the back lot of the Police Service Center when the damage occurred. The investigator said he was in the office between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. the day before. He observed the damage that morning and made contact with the Traffic Division to report it. The vehicle suffered a door ding approximately two inches in size on the driver's side rear door. At the time of notification, police observed white paint transfer along with the dent. No other information is available.



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A disorder was reported at the Motel 6, 7707 Lee Hwy. The owner wanted two homeless people to leave the premises. He did not want them trespassed; he just wanted them to leave. Police spoke to one of them and told him that the owner wanted him to leave. At his request, police gave him a ride to America's Best Value Inn on Lee Highway.

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The manager at Huddle House, 5611 Brainerd Road, told police that one of her employees received a counterfeit $20 bill. She said she is uncertain who used the bill. Police will take the $20 bill to Property.



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A woman at 960 Highway 27 southbound told police that someone threw a bottle out of their vehicle while she was traveling on Highway 27. She said the bottle struck her windshield, causing an approximate six-inch crack.



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Police were called to an RV with property damage from slipping off the roadway in a sharp curve at 700 Ochs Hwy. The owner called Doug Yates Towing prior to police arrival and the vehicle was pulled back onto the roadway then driven away. The RV had damage to the rear passenger side.



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A man on Cooley Street told police that he found a bike that appeared to be stolen in a ditch nearby. He said he wished to turn the bike over to police. At the time, the only car in district did not have a bike rack or room to take the bike to property. Police told the man they would return to get the bike when they were able.



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While on patrol, police found a 2017 Ram 1500 truck with TN tag parked in the 3900 block of Jasmine Street. This vehicle had been reported stolen out of Hamilton County, and was recently described as a suspect vehicle from a felonious incident at 2100 Hamilton Place Blvd. Due to this, the vehicle was towed to CPD Property for further crime scene processing. The owner was notified by dispatch of the vehicle's recovery, and the vehicle was removed from NCIC as stolen.



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Police responded to a verbal disorder on Cypress Street Court. A woman there told police that a man slapped the backseat window of her vehicle. The man said he did not commit this act and has instructed the woman to leave him alone. He showed police where she had texted him multiple times and he had blocked her from multiple other numbers. The woman said she has the same issues with him. Police instructed both of them to cease any further communication with each other to avoid any future incidents. Both said they would comply with police instructions.



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A disorder was reported on Sharp Street. A man told police that they needed to speak with the people out front. Police spoke with a man out front who said that nothing was going on. Officers spoke with the man who called in and he said he wanted the man out front to stay quiet. Everyone agreed to remain quiet and leave each other alone.



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A Mercury Cab driver on Hickory Valley Road told police a man refused to pay for the services provided after he gave him a ride to that location. Police spoke with the man who said he was trying to get the money to pay the driver. A few minutes later, the man was given money by his cousin, who was on site, and he was then able to pay for the services provided.



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A man was reported dumpster diving at MYE Notary Signings, 410 W 25th St. Police identified the man and he did not show any extraditable warrants. He was asked to leave and did so without issues.



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A woman on E. 20th Street told police that her Nissan Versa had been stolen. She said the GPS placed it around 2129 E. 27th St. Officers arrived in the area and were able to locate the vehicle. Officers were able to get in touch with the woman and she was able to come to her vehicle and have the tire changed, and was able to drive it away. There is no suspect information in regards to this auto theft.

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One of the staff members at a dialysis clinic at 2300 E. 23rd St. said that a white male in a maroon robe or jacket had refused to leave and was yelling at him. This same staff member pointed out that this man, later identified, had left headed west. Officers found the man approximately one block west walking in the road, and reminded him to please stay on the sidewalk. The man argued with officers about cracks in the sidewalk, and they again reminded him to not walk in the street.
James Lee Humberger, 85, of Ooltewah, Tennessee, passed away peacefully on September 14, 2021, at his home surrounded by family.

Jim was born in Clyde, Ohio to Roy and Nellie Humberger. Along with his parents, Jim was preceded in death by his first wife Shirley Pollock; brothers Donald and Robert; and his son Doug.

Jim is survived by his wife Ann Humberger; sisters Virginia Cullen, Carolyn Albright, Margaret Burns, and Marie Archer; brothers Howard and Frank Humberger; children David Humberger, Dianna (Chris) Mahoney and Dennis (Julie) Humberger; stepchildren Brent Massey and Cheryl (Jeff) Viar; grandchildren Megan (Corey), Will, Jacob (Morgan), Caleb, Sarah, Rachel, Tori (Jordan), Haley, Braden, Tyler, and Gavyn; and great-grandchildren Cameron, Tyliegh, Briar, Haven, and Bryson.

Jim served in the Navy and attained the rank of Machinist Mate First Class before finishing his enlistment in 1956. Jim loved his country and was proud of his sons and grandsons military service.

Jim was an avid automotive enthusiast and had a special love for tractors. Every time there was a tractor for sale on the side of the road, Jim was there to check it out. He had a reputation for always wanting to take the backroads and made sure to direct each of his grandchildren on their first road trips with him.

Jim, better known as Grampy, to his family, greatly loved spending time with his children and grandchildren when they came to visit. All who knew him could attest to his love for his family and how proud he was of each and every one of them.

Jim spent many years working for Saint John United Methodist Church where he was known as Mr. Jim to the children who attended the preschool.

Jim enjoyed hard work, getting his hands dirty, and imparting his knowledge of how things work. His family and friends have many stories to share about projects they had done together.

Jim was a loving husband, brother, father, grandfather, and friend who will be dearly missed by all who loved him.

Visitation will be held at the Valley View Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory & Florist, 7414 Old Lee Highway, on Thursday Sept. 23, from 4-8 p.m. Interment will be Sept. 24, at 1 p.m. at the National Cemetery, Chattanooga.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: ST. JUDES St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital (501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105).
For nearly three decades, Alanis Morrissette has entertained listeners everywhere with her music as well as her acting career. 25 years after the release of her groundbreaking album Jagged Little Pill in 1996, Morrissette is looking back on the album and that time in her life in a new HBO documentary, Jagged. But dont expect Morrissettes blessing on the film.

Alanis Morissette | Sven Hoppe/picture alliance via Getty Images

Alanis Morrisette filmed a new HBO documentary, Jagged

Jagged premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2021 and is due for release on HBO on November 19. The movie is directed by Alison Klayman, known for her documentaries on artist Ai Weiwei and former White House figure Steve Bannon, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry and The Brink.

The movie follows Morrissettes life, from her early days as a musician in Canada to worldwide superstar, all thanks to her seminal 1995 album Jagged Little Pill. Morrissette gave interviews for the production, offering her real-life experiences for viewers to learn from.

Alanis Morissette | CBS via Getty Images

Alanis Morrisette isnt pleased with how Jagged turned out

Ahead of the films release at TIFF, however, Morrissette released a statement blasting the film and admitting that it doesnt have her stamp of approval.

I agreed to participate in a piece about the celebration of Jagged Little Pills 25th anniversary, and was interviewed during a very vulnerable time (while in the midst of my third postpartum depression during lockdown), she said. I was lulled into a false sense of security and their salacious agenda became apparent immediately upon my seeing the first cut of the film. This is when I knew our visions were in fact painfully diverged.

This was not the story I agreed to tell, she continued. I sit here now experiencing the full impact of having trusted someone who did not warrant being trusted.

She added that she wont be supporting the film in any way. I have chosen not to attend any event around this movie for two reasons: one is that I am on tour right now. The other is that, not unlike many stories and unauthorized biographies out there over the years, this one includes implications and facts that are simply not true, she said. While there is beauty and some elements of accuracy in this/my story to be sure  I ultimately wont be supporting someone elses reductive take on a story much too nuanced for them to ever grasp or tell.

RELATED: Alanis Morissette Reveals Shes Struggling With Postpartum Depression for the Third Time

Jagged Little Pill is still a big part of Alanis Morrisettes career

While Morrissettes disapproval of the film is surely disappointing to fans of hers, the legacy of Jagged Little Pill lives on. Morrissette began working on a new musical based around the songs on the album in 2013, and the musical opened on Broadway in 2019.

Before Broadway shut down due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Jagged Little Pill was one of the hottest new shows on the Great White Way. Its nominated for 15 awards at the 2021 Tony Awards  the most of any at the ceremony.
Aubrey Plazas on-screen portrayal of absurdly funny characters, like April in Parks and Recreation or as Darius in the 2012 film Safety Not Guaranteed has garnered her a reputation as a comedy star. With Happiest Season and Black Bear in 2020, she expanded the range of her movies.

Michael Caine, on the other hand, is known for his classic comedy roles in The Muppet Christmas Carol, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Hannah and Her Sisters  for which he also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting actor in 1986.

With their peculiar styles of comedy, the two actors have united for a comedy-drama called Best Sellers. The movie will open the Raindance Film Festival, one of Britains largest independent film festivals that will begin on Oct. 27.

Aubrey Plaza | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The Raindance Film Festival is in a hybrid format this year

After a gap of a year, several film festivals returned to their in-person or hybrid formats this year. These festivals give a platform to artists from all across the globe to showcase their films. Further, they help films find an audience and find resources to help promote their film.

They facilitate a healthy interaction between different stakeholders of cinema. Most importantly, they serve as incubators for new movie ideas and experiments that begin with the engagement at the festival.

Raindance Film Festival, which was conducted in a virtual format last year, will be conducted in a hybrid format this year with the motive of presenting independent movies that do not have the backing of big production houses.

Best Sellers was also an official selection at the Berlin International Film Festival. Due to the pandemic, the festival was delayed by a year with all the selections for this year to be presented in 2022.

Michael Caine Starrer Best Sellers to Open Hybrid 2021 Raindance Film Festival- Global Bulletin https://t.co/LgIPrNaiin  Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2021

What is Best Sellers about?

The Lina Roessler movie revolves around a young book editor Lucy Stanbridge, who is trying to save the publishing house her father left her. On the other hand, yesteryear author, Harris Shaw  played by Cane  who once helped to build Stanbridges publishing house, is under debt. Drinking away whats remaining of his life, Shaw writes a manuscript of a new novel.

When both Stanbridge and Shaw realize that they can use each other to resolve their problems, they decide to work together. Stanbridge also forces Shaw to go on a book tour to promote the book. But the journey is not easy. An unruly and drunk Shaws behavior troubles Stanbridge.

Despite their hilariously dysfunctional dynamic, the duo also unexpectedly opens up to each other as their journey takes a dramatic turn.

Roessler felt incredibly lucky to have Caine and Plaza in the film

The movie director Roessler, who also directed The Vow, in an earlier interview with Variety revealed how she cast the movie.

Michael was always a dream choice, but we werent sure if he would be interested, Roessler said.

When the British producer Cassian Elwes, who is a producer on the movie, showed the script to Caine, he immediately said yes to the movie.

This was obviously fantastic news, and once we had him on board we were able to reach out to Aubrey[Plaza], Roessler said. Cassian[Elwes] had recently seen her[Plaza] host the Independent Spirit Awards, and we all knew shed be perfect as Lucy.

The movie also stars Scott Speedman, Ellen Wong, and Cary Elwes. Anthony Grieco wrote the screenplay of the film, which won a 2015 Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting award.

The movie will release in theaters in the US and Canada on Sep. 17.

RELATED: Parks and Recreation: Aubrey Plaza Reveals She Suffered From Impostor Syndrome Before Getting the Role of April
Frank Grillo, established himself as an action movie actor in Marvels Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. The actor played the antagonistic SHIELD agent secretly working for HYDRA in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also starred in several other action movies like The Purge series, Zero Dark Thirty, Hitmans Wifes Bodyguard.

In his new movie Copshop, where he stars alongside Gerard Butler, the actor tries a different kind of action movie role. Grillo plays the role of a conman in Copshop.

NEW YORK, NY  OCTOBER 25: Actor Frank Grillo attends the Build Series to discuss FightWorld at Build Studio on October 25, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)

Grillo also co-owns a production company

Grillo and Copshop director Joe Carnahan together own WarParty Films. Their company has produced several films over the years. From Wheelman in 2017 to Hulus Boss Level this year. With Copshop the company marks yet another 2021 release and this might just be their biggest one yet.

Set in a tiny rural police station in a town called Gun Creek, Nevada, Copshop revolves around Grillos conman Teddy. In trouble with powerful mob members, Teddy decides to punch a rookie police officer Valerie Young, played by Alexis Louder, to wind up in a jail cell  where he thinks hell be safe.

Bounty hunter Viddick, played by Butler, is tasked with catching Teddy. Recognizing Teddys tactic, Viddick also gets himself arrested and lands in the cell opposite Teddys. From there begins a showdown between the two.

The situation gets uglier when a hitman, played by Toby Huss, attacks the station. Now the rookie cop, the bounty hunter, and the conman have to deal with the hitman before they can deal with each other.

Grillo and Butlers great on set dynamic helped their characters in Copshop

In an interview with We Got it Covered, Grillo revealed that the movies director Carnahan, Butler, and he discussed the movie and their characters thoroughly beforehand. Carnahan, who also wrote the script, made adjustments to Grillo and Butlers characters according to their physicality.

The process became easier because the duo also had a lively relationship on set.

We had a lot of fun, Grillo said.Me and Gerry[Butler], we had a great relationship on set, back and forth with all the banter.

The interesting thing about Butler and Grillos characters, Grillo believed is that they played roles that they were not expected to play.

Butler thought he would play Teddy, the con artist

The article revealed Butlers interest in playing Teddy in the movie. Grillo, on the other hand, said he could have played either of those roles.

I think its easier for me to play the assassin, you know? But Ive seen that in my stuff too many times, so I wanted to have fun with this, Grillo said. I dont know if Id ever see big bad Gerard Butler as a weaselly Teddy Murretto!

But they always talked through their disagreements, Grillo said.

We didnt always agree, Gerard thought my character should be a little bit more mysterious and not such a badass, and I had some different opinions, and Joe[Carnahan] had some different opinions, so at the end of the day we kind of mixed it up and tried different stuff, Grillo said.

In a script that became a melting pot of three different perspectives, Carnahan, Grillo, and Butlers chemistry added the charm.

We had a really great chemistry, the three of us, Grillo said. Actually, all of us, everyone in the crew and cast.

Copsop hits theaters on Sep. 17.

RELATED: Copshop: Gerard Butler Feels Horrible About Injuring 3 People on Set in 1 Day
Courtney Veale from Below Deck Mediterranean said she truly had no idea Mzi Zee Dempers had a crush on her even though they kissed quite a few times this season.

Veale shared with deckhand Lloyd Spencer that she and Dempers had a playful friendship, dishing only hours after Dempers decided to express his interest in her with a scheduled flower delivery. Of course, months later, Veale now realized Dempers had a crush on her only after viewing the footage.

Courtney Veale didnt want a Below Deck Mediterranean boatmance

Spencer told Dempers that Veale put him in the friend zone before their crew night out. The flowers were already scheduled to arrive and Dempers drank a copious amount of alcohol before the bouquet arrived. Veale had a sweet reaction to the delivery, and still treasures her friendship with Dempers.

Courtney Veale and Mzi Zee Dempers from Below Deck Mediterranean |Laurent Basset/Bravo

I thought Zee was great, she told Decider. I thought all the guys were great. Ive been in sticky situations on boats before with boatmances and I didnt really want to get into that. So I was just trying to see them all as friends.

And then tequila got involved, she laughed. Zee was a great guy, and I knew he was from the get-go. I didnt know about this crush that Ive seen now, these clips that hes speaking about me and stuff. Obviously, its really nice to see but yeah, I thought it was more of a joking thing for him as well.

But Courtney Veale and Mzi Dempers did kiss on Below Deck Med

Veale acted surprised when asked about that first kiss too. She said she truly didnt remember that they kissed. Literally, I had no recollection of it which was really bad, she said. We were just at a crew meal, we werent even allowed out because of COVID so were just partying on the boat and we still managed to let way too loose and go wild. Things happen, but nothing too bad happened which is good.

RELATED: Below Deck: Courtney Veale Reveals What Lexi Wilson Was Really Like and Which Crew Members She Bonded With Most

Showbiz Cheat Sheet asked Dempers about that infamous kiss but he wouldnt kiss and tell when it came to how their boatmance played out. I think that will all unfold on the show, he laughed.

Mzi Dempers romanced another Below Deck crew member in the past

And while Veale and Dempers are just friends, Dempers is quite the ladies man. He had a romance with Georgia Grobler from Below Deck Sailing Yacht in the past, which he dished about with Showbiz Cheat Sheet. He said they didnt exactly date, but more like hooked up for a while. I wouldnt say it was necessarily dating, but it was like hooking up every now and then over a period of time, he shared.

They met in 2017 through mutual friends. She was a formal date of mine, he added. Its just something that we do back here in South Africa. Its like you live with a whole bunch of people and then have a big dinner. And then your friends invite your date for you.

RELATED: Below Deck Mediterranean: Courtney Veale Doesnt Think Hannah Ferrier Would Have Liked Her and She Was Scared Her

So did Dempers ask Grobler for advice before joining the show? We didnt speak much before the actual show, he recalled. Obviously, trying to keep everything under the wraps. But then we reconnected afterward and sort of spoke about the experience afterward. Adding, We basically spoke about the differences in our seasons.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a group formed in the mid-1960s and lasted three years. The band was one of the most well-known names in psychedelic rock. The band solidified itself into the rock and roll canon with hits such as Hey Joe and Purple Haze, the band solidified itself into the rock and roll canon. It consisted of three members: Jimi Hendrix on lead guitar, Noel Redding on bass, and Mitch Mitchell on drums. But, what happened to the members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience?

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was born on November 27, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. By the age of 15, he was playing guitar daily, and by the time he was 18, he was looking for ways to play professionally. He started playing in Nashville, which is where he met Little Richard. He joined that band for a while but soon moved on to Curtis Knight and The Squires, which led him to London in 1966.

A few months later, Hendrix had officially formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The bands first three singles include some of their most well-known hits: Hey Joe, Purple Haze, and The Wind Cries Mary.

On September 6, 1970 The Jimi Hendrix Experience headlined the Love & Peace Festival on the Isle of Fehmarn in Germany. Recordings from the show have been preserved on the Dagger Records exlusive release. Learn more here: https://t.co/ay4EUV1vDX#JimiHendrix #DaggerRecords pic.twitter.com/mfYWbb7ruQ  Jimi Hendrix (@JimiHendrix) September 6, 2021

With the band, Hendrixs career took off. He and the Jimi Hendrix Experience performed at some of the most iconic concerts and festivals of the late 1960s, including The Monterey Pop Festival and The Isle of Wight Festival.

Hendrix was a solo act when he performed at Woodstock in August 1969, where he famously played the national anthem. On September 18, 1970, he died due to asphyxia caused by an overdose of prescribed sleeping pills.

Noel Redding

On September 2, 1968 Jimi Hendrix wrote the liner notes to The Experience's forthcoming album, Electric Ladyland while in a hotel room in Denver. The story titled: "Letter To The Room Full Of Mirrors" is featured in the 50th Anniversary box set. #JimiHendrix #ElectricLadyland pic.twitter.com/BZU5wDuMCk  Jimi Hendrix (@JimiHendrix) September 2, 2021

Noel Redding met Jimi Hendrix as he was beginning to form a band of his own. Redding was a British musician and joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience as the bass player. Throughout the bands existence, Hendrix did have a habit of playing with other musicians and failed to consult his bandmates to expand the group with more musicians. Redding decided to quit the band on June 29, 1969. In 1970 the band was to be reunited, but Redding was not asked back to play bass. Instead, he was replaced by Billy Cox.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was not the only band that Redding was involved with. He was also the founding member of Fat Mattress. He completed only one album with the band. He also went on to form the Noel Redding Band in the early 1970s. He continued to play music throughout his life, though he wouldnt succeed as in his early career. Redding died in May 2003, just a few weeks after his mother had passed.

Mitch Mitchell

Along with Redding, Mitch Mitchell was a British-born musician. Mitchell was also a child actor, starring in the childrens television show Jennings at School. Through a part-time job at a drum shop, Mitchell learned how to play the drums and became a touring and session musician for various bands. Just before Mitchell met Hendrix, he was playing with Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames.

Mitchell joined the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1966, but he wasnt asked to join based solely on his talent. He was competing with Aynsley Dunbar, and Mitchell won his spot in the band through a simple coin toss. Even when Redding left, Mitchell stayed a part of the band, joining Hendrix on stage for his Woodstock performance.

Mitchell also joined the Dirty Macs short-lived band, the one-off supergroup created for The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus. Other band members included John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards.

After the death of Hendrix, Mitchell continued to work on producing and releasing the last of Hendrixs incomplete recordings. After that was completed, Mitchell only occasionally played and recorded music for the rest of his life. He died in 2008 of natural causes while participating in the Experience Hendrix Tour.

These great artists will forever be remembered for their work with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and their contribution to the music industry.

RELATED: The Only Jimi Hendrix Experience Songs Written by Hendrixs Bandmates
When Meghan Markle married Prince Harry in 2018, only one member of the duchesss family attended the ceremony and that was her mother, Doria Ragland. This brought about a lot of questions regarding the rest of her family.

Prior to her wedding to the Duke of Sussex, Meghans half-siblings were in the news and it became clear that they didnt have much of a relationship with Harrys bride. Royal fans were under the impression that Meghans father was going to attend his daughters nuptials and walk her down the aisle. However, that all changed hours before Meghan and Harry said I do and today the former Suits star and her dad remain estranged. But what about Meghans other relatives who dont talk to the press? What do we know about them and do they speak to the Duchess of Sussex?

Meghan Markle photographed at the 2018 U.K. Team Trials for the Invictus Games Sydney | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan Markles father, half sister, and half brother have talked to the media on numerous occasions

Meghans half sister, Samantha Markle, was one of the first family members to publicly bash the duchess in the media before admitting they havent had much contact for years. She also wrote a book about her sibling and slammed Meghans character in TV interviews.

Meghans half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., later followed suit going public with ill feelings about his younger sister. And his son, TJ Dooley, talked to The Sun after the royal engagement was announced and said hed attend the wedding, whether invited or not. Id probably come to the U.K. for the wedding  even if Im not invited, Meghans nephew told the publication. Although Dooley didnt score an invite, no gate-crashing took place on the big day.

Meghans father, Thomas Markle Sr., has been on talk shows numerous times since the whole world learned who his daughter is. When Meghan was growing up Thomas worked as a lighting director on Married With Children, The Facts of Life and General Hospital. Because he continues to speak to the press today, many believe his relationship with the duchess is beyond repair.

"I don't want to be a stalker, I don't want to do anything like that"



The Duchess of Sussex's estranged father Thomas Markle Senior says he won't take legal action to meet his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. pic.twitter.com/0ewHeJkvRO  Sunrise (@sunriseon7) September 14, 2021

Meghans other family members who dont speak to the press

Meghans mother, Doria, was born on Sept. 2, 1956, in Cleveland, Ohio. She has two older maternal half siblings, Joseph Jr. and Saundra Johnson, and a younger paternal half brother, Joffrey Ragland. Dorias parents moved to Los Angles shortly after her birth.

Inside Edition noted that some of Raglands family members live in Georgia where Meghans third great-grandfather, Steve Ragland, was born into slavery in 1848.

While Meghans relatives on her fathers side were threatening to gatecrash the royal wedding, her relatives on her mothers side have stayed out of the spotlight and are just proud to be related to the Duchess of Sussex.

Meghan Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland, arrive at Cliveden House Hotel the night before duchesss wedding to Prince Harry | Steve Parsons  Pool / Getty Images

Do they ever hear from the duchess?

Some of Meghans cousins learned just before the wedding that they were related to the former actor and are hoping that the Sussexes will visit them in Georgia someday soon. We would love to have you at our reunion and Harry  and the queen, one cousin said.

The Raglands stated that they were very happy for Meghan. Were all proud, proud to be a part of it and we just wish her the best  we really, really do, another cousin added.

As for Meghans aunts and uncles, Joseph said they havent heard much from her after she landed a starring role in Suits but hes also very proud of her. She started doing her own thing and got so successful, he told Express Digest just before his niece and Harry tied the knot. Weve always been so proud of her. The idea our little Meghan is going to be a princess is something none of the family ever even dreamed of.

RELATED: Meghan Markle Is Completely Unrecognizable From the Woman Harry Met and Fell in Love With, Royal Author Claims
Shark Tank is set for its season 13 premiere in October. The popular reality show continues to bring in huge ratings and is recognized by industry peers. Racking up several Emmy Awards over the years and nominated in various categories for 2021, the show is a massive draw for ABC.

Yet despite the accolades from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Shark Tank panelist Kevin OLeary takes even greater pride in another award of which hes been a two-time winner.

Kevin OLeary of Shark Tank | Christopher Willard via Getty Images

Mr. Wonderful earned Best Male Villian award  twice

When speaking of Shark Tanks success, OLeary noted the shows numerous awards since premiering in 2009. Yet he admitted that his recognition in a very specific category brings him the most pride.

Weve won four Emmys and countless other awards, OLeary said, according to Cleveland.com. But the one Im most proud of  I actually have it on my desk right now  is my Reality Television Award for Best Male Villain. So, Im the most hated man on television and have won it twice now, thank you very much. I want to keep on winning it.

Despite often going by the moniker Mr. Wonderful, OLeary is known for his cutting remarks and refusal to spare someones feelings. Frequently telling a pitching entrepreneur to take their idea behind the barn and shoot it, OLearys winning this particular honor is no surprise.

Im the only person whos won it twice so I have no competition, the Shark Tank investor said of the award. Im in a league of my own. If I can snag a third, my legacy is secured. It just shows you that telling the truth can get you in a lot of trouble. But, as my mother taught me, if you always tell the truth, youll never have to remember what you said.

RELATED: Shark Tank: How Kevin OLeary Can Tell in 30 or 40 Seconds if an Entrepreneur Will Be Successful

Kevin OLeary credits a fellow Shark for his nickname

Apparently, OLearys now-famous nickname originated from one of his Shark Tank co-stars and has become an international sensation.

Barbara Corcoran gave it to me facetiously years ago and it kind of stuck, OLeary explained. Its sort of surreal today because its not just domestic. I was on a train between Geneva and Zurich last year pre-pandemic and an Austrian couple came up to me asked if I was Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank. I said yes and they said, Everybody hates you in Austria. Can we get a picture? I love being the villain.

While he may be called by the moniker across the globe, OLeary revealed he doesnt hear that name at home, admitting, I assure you my wife doesnt call me Mr. Wonderful.

RELATED: Shark Tank: Kevin OLearys Throwback Post Ignites Fan Reaction on His Hair

Shark Tank heading into season 13

OLeary has been on the Shark Tank investors panel since its debut in 2009, and has no intention of vacating his seat.

Im never bored on Shark Tank, he remarked. Its so engaging and its different every year. Its really the essence of American entrepreneurship. The deals are 36 months ahead of the economy. So, when you see the products being presented, its where the puck is going to be in three years. Its just that interesting.

While Mr. Wonderful may covet his Best Male Villain awards, he clearly takes great pride in the success of Shark Tank.

Most shows dont last five years, so 13 is Herculean, OLeary said. I think I had hair when I started it.
The Neverending Story movie captivated audiences over 35 years ago and continues to gain a following with each generation that follows. The story of a young boy, Bastian reading a storybook about this fantasy world, appropriately named Fantasia, has something that will touch any person who watches.

Tami Stronach in The NeverEnding Story | KPA/United Archives via Getty Images

The Neverending Story, originally a novel by Michael Ende, generated two sequels and even an animated series. One character in particular that mesmerizes audiences to this day, the Childlike Empress played by Tami Stronach.

The Childlike Empress is beloved by audiences

Call my name! Bastian, please! Save us!

Its a line that can be quoted by an entire generation, and the climax of 1984s The Neverending Story. The Childlike Empress, played by Tami Stronach, only appears in a couple of scenes and is one of only a handful of female characters. Viewers still remember her as a beloved character that stands out above the rest.

Vice reports that Stronach spent her early childhood in Iran where she lived with her Scottish father and Israeli mom. Her father won a Scottish lottery and used his winnings to move to Iran where he could work as an archeologist. Stronach grew up speaking both English and Persian while watching archeological digs.

She enjoyed growing up in Iran thanks to all the cosmopolitan experiences it provided. That is until the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when the Israeli government evacuated Jewish citizens and Stronachs family was able to board a plane to Tel Aviv and then eventually, Berkeley.

It was in Berkeley, where her father worked as a professor at UC Berkeley, that Stronach got involved in theater classes at a local acting school. It was at that school where a casting agent for The Neverending Story found Stronach.

Stronach went through several rounds of auditions and even beat out Heather ORourke of Poltergeist fame to play the part of the Childlike Empress. From there Stronach and her mom took off for Germany for a summer of filming.

Tami Stronachs role as a child star was short-lived

Tami Stronach nailed her role as the Childlike Empress in The Neverending Story at the young age of 10. She actually celebrated her 11th birthday while on the set. It was her first movie role and her last for quite a number of years. Stronach can thank her parents wisdom and protection for this decision.

She told Addicted to Media:

  my parents were really wary of me getting chewed up by the Hollywood machine, which can be really hard on kids. Weve heard a lot of stories from 80s child actors about some of the bad things that could happen in the industry. That was real, and we saw glimpses of that and felt it was better I steer clear. I dont regret that. I love that we wanted me to grow up with a good foundation.

Child fame lasted for the summer. Stronach appeared on German talk shows to help hype the movie to German viewers who also loved the book. Stronach was offered a record deal by a German music producer. Her mother was adamant the record is recorded in time for their flight back home to Berkeley which was in three days.

The music team rallied, Stronach recorded her album, and then flew home. By the time she returned to school in the Fall, her life was back to normal. It really was like she left for a summer camp for three months and then returned to her regular life. Stronach said about her time in the limelight:

I did not desperately want to be a star. I desperately wanted to act. Those are two different things.

Where is Tami Stronach now?

Tami Stronach did her part for The Neverending Story and then packed it all up and put it away as she lived out her teen years and became an adult. After graduating from high school, Stronach moved to New York where she could pursue a career in dance without the pressures of stardom. That was her life for the next two decades, dancing and performing for live theater in New York.

She directed her own dance company, taught as a dance professor at Marymount Manhattan College, and taught yoga. This previous child movie star never stopped acting. She just moved her acting skills to the theater instead of the movies. Stronach and her husband, Greg Steinbruner, created the Paper Canoe Company, a childrens content company.

Tami Stronach stars in the upcoming Man & Witch, an homage to 80s vintage fantasy film, with a high-powered cast including Christopher Lloyd, Sean Astin, and Rhea Perlman, according to IMDb. The film is currently in post-production, with Deadline reporting it will be released by Christmas 2021 or early 2022.

RELATED: How The Neverending Story Truly Never Ends, Explained
In this July 9, 2020, photo, a sign marking the 1960 Winter Olympics is seen by a chairlift at Squaw Valley Ski Resort in Olympic Valley, California. A popular ski resort whose name included a derogatory term for Native American women will be called Palisades Tahoe, resort officials announced Sept. 13, 2021, completing a new name search that began last year amid a reckoning over racial injustice.
Hillsongs Brian Houston steps down from church boards amid charges

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Pastor Brian Houston, the lead pastor of the global multisite Hillsong Church who was charged last month with allegedly concealing sex abuse committed by his father decades earlier, has said he is stepping down from his role on various church boards so that they can continue to function to their fullest capacity.

I ... wanted to let you know that Ive made a decision to step aside from my role on the Hillsong Church boards that oversee the governance of our operations, Houston, the senior pastor of the Australia-based congregation, wrote in an email, according to The Roys Report.

I did this so that these boards can function to their fullest capacity during this season. This doesn't change my role as Global Senior Pastor. I thought it was important to let our church family know in the interests of transparency, and I wanted you to hear it from me directly, added the 67-year-old leader of the Sydney-based megachurch.

Police officials announced last month that Houston was being charged with concealing child sex offenses, The Associated Press reported at the time.

Police will allege in court [that Houston] knew information relating to the sexual abuse of a young male in the 1970s and failed to bring that information to the attention of police, stated Australian authorities, as quoted by the AP.

In a statement to The Christian Post through Hillsong, Houston expressed shock at the charges. These charges have come as a shock to me given how transparent Ive always been about this matter, Houston said. I vehemently profess my innocence and will defend these charges, and I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight.

The church also provided a statement to CP, explaining that they were disappointed that Pastor Brian has been charged, and asked that he be afforded the presumption of innocence and due process as is his right.

He has advised us that he will defend this and looks forward to clearing his name. Given that this matter is now before the court, neither Pastor Brian or Hillsong Church will be making further statements, Hillsong added.

The probe into whether Houston tried to cover-up an incident in which his late father, Frank Houston, sexually abused a minor in the 1970s was initiated years ago. In 2014, in response to that probe, Houston denied knowing anything about the $10,000 compensation payment made to a man who his father sexually abused as a child.

Houston said he was totally devastated to learn about his fathers abuse and he had to come to terms with the fact that the person I looked up to was not who I thought he was.

After Houston was charged, his church said in a statement: We ask that he be afforded the presumption of innocence and due process as is his right. He has advised us that he will defend this and looks forward to clearing his name. We thank all who are a part of our church for their support and prayers at this time.

Recently, some serious leadership problems also surfaced at the United States-based Hillsong East Coast, especially regarding the financial and sexual scandals surrounding Carl Lentz, including an affair.

Other Hillsong resignations that followed Lentz included Darnell Barrett, creative director of Hillsong Church Montclair in New Jersey, and Reed and Jess Bogard from Hillsong Dallas, which has since closed.
Federal judge denies Biden DOJ's emergency demand to block Texas' 6-week abortion ban

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A federal judge has rejected the Biden administrations emergency request to block a Texas abortion law, marking the latest setback for abortion advocates seeking to overturn the pro-life measure.

In a one-page opinion released Thursday, U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman rejected the request of the U.S. Department of Justice to issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against Texas Senate Bill 8. The law, which went into effect Sept. 1, bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, usually around six weeks gestation. It also allows private citizens to sue individuals who perform abortions and those who help women obtain illegal abortions.

This case presents complex, important questions of law that merit a full opportunity for the parties to present their positions to the Court, wrote Pittman, appointed by former President Barack Obama to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED that the United States Opposed Motion for Expedited Briefing Schedule  is DENIED.

Pittmans ruling comes two days after the DOJ filed its motion for a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against the Texas law. Accusing Texas of preventing women from exercising their constitutional rights, the DOJs request asserted that this relief is necessary to protect the constitutional rights of women in Texas and the sovereign interest of the United States in ensuring that its States respect the terms of the national compact.

The DOJ cited the U.S. Supreme Court cases Roe v. Wade, which determined that the U.S. Constitution protects a womans decision whether or not terminate her pregnancy and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed a womans right to terminate her pregnancy before viability as evidence that SB 8 was unconstitutional. The term viability refers to a baby's ability to survive outside the womb.

The decision by Pittman to deny the DOJs request to strike down the law is the latest setback pro-abortion activists have faced when attempting to challenge the law using the judicial branch. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court rejected a request filed by abortion groups to block the law.

A majority of justices on the court agreed that their decision to allow the law to remain in place is not based on any conclusion about the constitutionality of Texas law. They argued that the plaintiffs did not have a strong enough legal case to justify judicial intervention because enforcement of the law was left to private citizens rather than state officials.

Attorney General Merrick Garland first announced the U.S. governments intentions to challenge the law in court at a press conference last week. In a filing submitted Sept. 9, the DOJ sought a declaratory judgment that S.B. 8 is invalid under the Supremacy Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment, is preempted by federal law, and violates the doctrine of intergovernmental immunity.

Tuesdays filing was an attempt to convince a judge to block the law immediately, before both the U.S. and Texas had a chance to make their arguments in court. While all attempts to put the law on hold have failed thus far, the legal battle surrounding Texas SB 8 will continue for the foreseeable future.

On Wednesday, before deciding whether or not to grant the DOJs Tuesday request to immediately put SB 8 on hold, Pittman scheduled a hearing on the matter for Oct. 1.

Pittman agreed to the states request to hear arguments before ruling, according to The Texas Tribune.

As litigation over SB 8 continues, congressional Democrats are vowing to codify Roe v. Wade into federal law in an attempt to nullify pro-life laws passed at the state level. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., vowed that upon returning from recess, the House will bring up Congresswoman Judy Chus Womens Health Protection Act to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.

Public opinion polling indicates that the American people remain divided in their opinions on SB 8. A poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports earlier this month found that 46% of likely voters approve of the measure while 43% disapprove. However, 46% of respondents expressed support for President Joe Bidens vow to launch a whole-of-government effort ... to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions.

Polling conducted exclusively among Texans revealed slightly stronger support for banning abortions after six weeks gestation. In April, before SB 8 was signed into law, 49% of Texans surveyed told pollsters at the University of Texas at Austin that they supported banning abortions more than six weeks into a pregnancy while 41% opposed.

The litigation surrounding SB 8 comes as the Supreme Court is scheduled to rule on the constitutionality of Mississippis 15-week abortion ban in its upcoming term, which begins next month. A ruling in favor of the state of Mississippi, which is asking the justices to uphold the ban, would significantly weaken the precedent set by Roe and Casey and give states more latitude to regulate abortions before viability.
Kids younger than 16 will be allowed to take puberty blockers without parents consent, says UK court

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In a controversial case concerning the use of puberty blockers for children who are confused about their gender, the British Court of Appeal ruled Friday that doctors can prescribe such experimental drugs without parental consent.

Overturning a High Court ruling, which had concluded last year that it was highly unlikely that a child aged 13 or younger would be able to consent to taking puberty blockers, the court said Friday that doctors, not the courts, will decide whether their patients can properly consent to taking such treatment, The Telegraph reported.

The court was not in a position to generalize about the capability of persons of different ages to understand what is necessary for them to be competent to consent to the administration of puberty blockers, the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett, with Sir. Geoffrey Vos and Lady Justice King, said in the judgment, The Times reported. It placed patients, parents and clinicians in a very difficult position.

The high courts decision was appealed by the nations sole gender clinic, the Tavistock and Portman National Health Service Trust in London, in June. And the Trust is now in talks with NHS England to ascertain the rulings impact on its practice.

The original case was brought about in part by Keira Bell, a 23-year-old detransitioned woman who underwent the experimental treatment at the Trusts facility as a teenager.

Bell had her breasts amputated as a young adult and then wound up regretting the entire gender transition later in her life. Bell argued in her case that she was incapable of understanding the risks of the medical interventions and that she is now likely not able to ever have children because of how the drugs compromised her fertility.

Bell was quoted as saying that she was surprised and disappointed by the decision of the appeal court but doesnt regret having filed the lawsuit. It has shone a light into the dark corners of a medical scandal that is harming children and harmed me, she said, adding that she plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

The high court ruling last year, which now stands overturned, required doctors to obtain what is known as a best interests order from a judge before they could prescribe such drugs to youth. At issue in the case was the Gillick competence test, which holds that parental rights in the United Kingdom pertaining to medical treatment end when the child achieves enough understanding and intelligence to understand what is being proposed.

The Gillick standard, from which the competence phrase is derived, centers around a 1985 case that was decided in the House of Lords. In Gillick v. West Norfolk and Wisbech Area Health Authority, lawmakers debated whether an under-16 minor could be prescribed contraception without parental consent.

In March, the high court ruled that parents would be allowed to give consent for their minor children to take puberty-blocking drugs without having to gain a judges approval.

The use of synthetic hormones to block the puberty processes of children experiencing gender dysphoria has faced increased scrutiny in recent years.

A study published in PLOS One followed a cohort of youth treated at the Tavistock clinic and found that the use of puberty blockers was shown to have stunted their bone growth. Of the 44 children who went on the puberty-suppressing drugs, 43 continued to cross-sex hormones.

Last June, the NHS updated its policy on puberty blockers by removing the claim that the experimental drugs prescribed to transgender-identifying youth are fully reversible, and said its unknown what the short-term and long-term effects will be on a person's bones, physical body and mental health.
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For the last several decades, it has been common to hear America described as a post-Christian nation. This does not mean that America can never turn back to some of its very Christian roots. Rather, it means that what used to be Christian-based, cultural norms are no longer norms today.

The implications of this are massive, representing a seismic cultural shift. It is imperative that we respond rightly.

A few years ago, I was speaking to a black pastor in Charlotte, North Carolina. He told me that when he was growing up, any adult in the neighborhood who saw a child misbehave could correct that child or even discipline him. Doing that today might get you shot.

He also said that the older generation would commonly admonish the younger generation to act with respect and dignity, pointing to the example of Dr. King. Now, he said, the young people hardly know who King is. Things have really changed.

Of course, not all of this is a matter of being post-Christian. But it does reflect some of the seismic shifts we are witnessing.

I have often cited the findings of psychologist David Myers who noted that, Had you fallen asleep in 1960 and awakened today (even after the recent uptick in several indicators of societal health) would you feel pleased at the cultural shift? You would be awakening to a:

Doubled divorce rate.

Tripled teen suicide rate.

Quadrupled rate of reported violent crime.

Quintupled prison population.

Sextupled (no pun intended) percent of babies born to unmarried parents.

Sevenfold increase in cohabitation (a predictor of future divorce).

Soaring rate of depression  to ten times the pre-World War II level by one estimate.

Need I say that things have continued to change since 2000? Need I say that, 21 years ago, the idea of the Supreme Court redefining marriage or the White House being lit up in rainbow colors would have sounded like madness? Or that the idea that the Olympic icon Bruce Jenner would be named Woman of the Year by GlamourMagazine and, as a woman, would run for governor of California would have sounded like a cruel joke?

My colleague Prof. Darrell Bock has noted that, in times past, we could say to people, We know this is true because its in the Bible. Now, he notes, we must say, This is in the Bible because its true.

What was taken for granted is no longer taken for granted. And that means that we make a grave error to take certain truths as self-evident and widely accepted. That is not the case anymore.
Persecution watchdog documents over 100 incidents of Chinas crackdown on Christians in 1 year

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A U.S.-based persecution watchdog says it has documented more than 100 incidents of Christian persecution in China between July 2020 and June 2021 as the country's communist regime seeks to forcefully convert independent religious groups into mechanisms of the Chinese Communist Party.

A significant trend throughout the past year was an increase in church raids, says a report published by International Christian Concern. It notes that "not only were churches shut down or demolished, but pastors and church attendees were often arrested.

One example of this crackdown happened earlier this month when more than 30 officials from the CCP, including SWAT officers, police officers, religious affairs bureau officials and local school district administrators raided Maizi Christian Music High School in Harbin city in Chinas Heilongjiang province, the U.S.-based rights group China Aid reported at the time.

In August, officers from Chenghua District Mengzhuiwang office in Sichuan province forcibly entered the home of a church member, He Shan, where the small group of Early Rain Covenant Church members were meeting for worship, CBN News said at the time.

ICC has also tracked 23 incidents of authorities demolishing religious structures and symbols during its reporting period. The CCP has torn down, destroyed, and removed numerous churches in China, especially those that refused to submit to its control, the report says.

The persecution watchdog adds in the report that it recorded 14 cases of Sinicization, which is a state campaign to forcefully assimilate religious groups into CCP-defined Chinese culture.

As an example, ICC highlights the plight of a church bookstore that was forced to display Mao Zedongs Little Red Book instead of the Bible. The Administration for Religious Affairs also ordered Christians to study President Xis book and memorize his speeches.

Chinese authorities are also removing Bible apps and Christian WeChat public accounts as new highly restrictive administrative measures on religious staff went into effect earlier this year.

The ICC report says that almost every province in China has seen an increase in Christian persecution, and this rise has been especially apparent in Sichuan, Hebei and Fujian provinces.

China tightening down on people of faith comes as no surprise to observers, says Gina Goh, ICCs Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, in a statement about the report.

What is concerning is the depth and width of persecution and that it continues to expand. From Xinjiang to Sichuan, from state-sanctioned groups to underground churches, from verbal threats to imprisonment, believers in China are constantly watched and persecuted, Goh adds.

Under the direction of President Xi Jinping, officials from the CCP have been enforcing strict controls on religion, according to another report released in March by China Aid.

Open Doors USA, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, estimates that there are about 97 million Christians in China, a large percentage of whom worship in what China considers to be illegal and unregistered underground house churches.

Christians are not the only religious minority to face persecution at the hands of the CCP.

Estimates suggest that as many as 1 million to 3 million Uyghur and other ethnic Muslims have been subject to internment camps in the western Xinjiang province, where they are taught to be secular citizens who fall in line with the CCP. In January, the U.S. State Department recognized China's treatment of Uyghurs as a genocide.

China has also reportedly violated the rights of Falun Gong practitioners and Tibetan Buddhists.
FAA allows Fox News drone to document border surge after flight restriction draws criticism

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Following criticism, the Federal Aviation Administration said it will allow Fox News to fly a drone in the airspace above Del Rio International Bridge in Texas, exempting the news outlet from temporary flight restrictions.

Fox News has used the drone to document the surge of illegal immigration in the border town of Del Rio at the southern border with Mexico.

On Friday, the FAA tweeted that Fox News "has received clearance to operate from now until the end of September in the restricted airspace."

Bill Melugin, a Fox News correspondent who has covered the situation at the border extensively, confirmed that FAA has cleared @FoxNews to fly our drones in the restricted airspace around the international bridge in Del Rio.

BREAKING: FAA has cleared @FoxNews to fly our drones to fly in the restricted airspace around the international bridge in Del Rio. https://t.co/zegGdXrr3M  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 17, 2021

On Thursday, Melugin tweeted that the FAA had implemented two-week temporary flight restrictions over the International Bridge in Del Rio for a "special security reason."

The restrictions, which had the temporary effect of blocking the Fox News drone from entering the airspace above the Del Rio International Bridge, sparked outrage and allegations of censorship by the Biden administration.

NEW: Weve learned that the FAA just implemented a two week TFR (Temporary Flight Restrictions) over the international bridge in Del Rio, TX, meaning we can no longer fly our FOX drone over it to show images of the thousands of migrants. FAA says special security reason. pic.twitter.com/aJrjAPO2Pz  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 17, 2021

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, appeared on Fox News Hannity Thursday night from Del Rio, alleging that partisan motives played a role in the FAAs decision to issue temporary flight restrictions.

The drone footage started this morning, and people across the country were horrified," Cruz said. "And I guess the political operatives at the Biden White House saw that and decided the last thing they want is Fox News actually reporting on whats happening down here.

The FAA said in a statement that the Border Patrol "requested the temporary flight restriction due to drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border."

"As with any temporary flight restriction, media is able to call the FAA to make requests to operate in the area," the statement assured.

Meluguin told Fox News Tucker Carlson on Thursday that the news network had been at the border for the "better part of seven months now."

"Weve been using the drone the entire time," he said. "Its never been an issue. All of a sudden, the last 24 hours, we start showing these images at this bridge, and a TFR goes up."

Melugin maintained that the agents on the ground are completely overwhelmed and need some serious help right now. Through his coverage, Melugin has provided updates on the number of migrants who are living under the bridge in Del Rio.

As of his most recent update, posted Friday morning, there are now at least 10,500 migrants underneath the international bridge, with more coming by the hour. Melugin also reported that intel is up to more than 10,000 coming.

More migrants are arriving here in Del Rio, TX after crossing a dam in the Rio Grande and entering the United States illegally. There are now at least 10,500 migrants underneath the international bridge, with more coming by the hour. Intel is up to 10,000 more coming. @FoxNewspic.twitter.com/0qjvq8Uqa7  Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) September 17, 2021

The surge of migrants in Del Rio comes as U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported 208,887 encounters between law enforcement officials and illegal immigrants at the southwest border in August.

While the number of encounters dropped slightly from July to August, more than 1.5 million people have crossed the border illegally in the fiscal year 2021, with the fiscal year 2022 set to begin on Oct. 1.

Critics of the Biden administration attribute the astronomical number of border crossings to the reversal of Trump-era policies designed to curb illegal immigration.

On Sept. 8, the Biden administration made a political decision. They announced that they were no longer going to fly deportation flights back to Haiti," Cruz said in a statement. "Eighty-five percent of the people under [the bridge] are from Haiti.

The senator contended that the policy change encouraged a wave of migration.

There were about 900 Haitians who were getting ready to board the flights when the political operatives in Washington canceled the flights," Cruz said. "Well, what happened? Those 900 people, they all pulled out their cell phones, and they emailed their friends, and they emailed their families, and they texted their friends and their families.

Cruz recalled how earlier in the year, when he toured a migrant detention facility in Donna, Texas, they wouldnt allow Fox News to come in.

The senator noted that this forced him to go in with my cell phone and photograph and take videos of the overcrowded conditions caused by the border surge.

As he tried to document the conditions in the Donna facility, a woman he identified as a senior advisor to the Biden administration stood in front of the camera and attempted to block him from capturing the footage. At the time, Cruz concluded that the woman was instructed to ask us not to have any pictures taken here  because the political leadership at [the Department of Homeland Security] does not want the American people to know it.

Every poll aggregated by RealClear Politics since the end of June has shown Bidens approval rating on the issue of immigration underwater or tied.

Currently, the RealClear Politics average of polls asking voters to assess Bidens performance on immigration finds that 56% of Americans disapprove of his handling of the issue, while 37.3% say they approve.

By contrast, the current RealClear Politics average measures his overall approval rating at 45.3% and disapproval rating at 49.8%.
Genocide of Christians in Middle East 'Must' and 'Will End,' Says VP Pence at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

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WASHINGTON  The persecution of Christians in the Middle East carried out by the Islamic State is a "genocide" the depletion of Christianity from its ancient homeland "must" and "will" end, according to Vice President Mike Pence.

Speaking before approximately 1,300 guests of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast at the Marriott Marquis Hotel Tuesday, Pence praised the contributions Catholics in the United States have made to American life before segueing into the plight of persecuted Christians in the Middle East, many of whom are Catholic.

While Islamic terrorists have savagely targeted religious people from every background, including versions of Islam that are not their own, Pence said, "it seems that the practitioners of terror harbor a special hatred for the followers of Christ, and none more so than the barbarians known as ISIS."

Likening their atrocities to savagery not seen since the Middle Ages, the Vice President said that he believes that the group "is guilty of nothing short of genocide."

Throughout the region in the past few weeks and months examples of this brutality are increasing.

On Palm Sunday, Pence noted, Coptic Christians were attacked in two separate cities in Egypt; in Syria Christian communities are being burned to the ground and Christians are fleeing in massive proportions.

"In Iraq we see ancient churches demolished, priests and monks beheaded, two millennia old Christian traditions in Mosul virtually extinguished," Pence said.

"Christianity faces unprecedented threats in the land where it was given birth and an exodus unlike it since the days of Moses."

He recounted a story he heard of a bishop from Mosul he met who returned to his home parish to celebrate Easter Sunday.

Although the church no longer had a roof and the walls were falling down, "the anthems of faith rose," Pence said, "it had to be a glorious service."

"Whether in Mosul, Iraq or Syria, followers of Christ have fallen 80 percent in the last decade and a half."

"This must end. This will end," the vice president said emphatically.

Religious freedom is a "foreign policy priority" for this administration, "and under President Donald Trump, America will continue to condemn persecution of any faith in any place at any time," he continued.

"We will confront it with all of our might," he said, adding that the United States would not relent "until we drive the cancer of terrorism from the face of the earth."

Pence, an evangelical born and raised in a devout Irish Catholic family, praised Catholicism in his speech, saying that the faith has made an "indelible mark on the American spirit."

Faithful American Catholics should consider President Donald Trump an "ally," he said, "and President Donald Trump stands with the most vulnerable: the aged, the infirm, and unborn."

Pence concluded his remarks by saying that it was the greatest privilege of his life to serve as vice president but that he was most proud to serve alongside a man who "stands without apology for the sanctity of human life," to which he received sustained applause and a standing ovation.

The accomplishments of the Trump administration in his first few months in office, such as reinstating the Mexico City policy and expanding it to apply to billions of foreign aid dollars, and the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, have delighted many Catholic leaders who are arguably the main bulwark of the pro-life movement.

"Life is winning in America again," Pence said.

In late March Pence was the tie-breaking vote in the United States Senate to pass legislation undoing an Obama executive rule that forbade states from defunding Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider.

In January, just days after the inauguration, Pence was the first ever sitting president or vice president to appear in person and speak that the annual March for Life.
Why Owen Strachan thinks critical race theory is a threat to the Church

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As a student at Bowdoin College in Maine, Grace Bible Theological Seminary Provost and Research Professor Owen Strachan was so deeply interested in diversity and societal fragmentation he almost minored in Africana Studies.

His interest in the subject never drove him to become an academic expert in the discipline, but in recent months, Strachan has emerged as an expert on social justice and wokeness and a strident opponent of critical race theory.

The controversial ideology is defined by the Southern Baptist Convention  Americas second-largest denomination and the worlds largest Baptist denomination  as a set of analytical tools which can aid in evaluating a variety of human experiences.

Secular scholars define it as a framework through which they seek to understand how victims of systemic racism are affected by cultural perceptions of race and how they can represent themselves to counter prejudice. Scholarship on the theory traces racism in the U.S. through the legacy of slavery, the civil rights movement and recent events.

Kimberle Crenshaw, a founding critical race theorist and a law professor at UCLA and Columbia universities, explained the idea to CNN last year.

"Critical race theory is a practice. It's an approach to grappling with a history of white supremacy that rejects the belief that what's in the past is in the past and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it," she said.

Strachan, who is also a senior fellow with the Family Research Council who once served at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, sees the idea as demonic."

And in his new book, Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement Is Hijacking the Gospel - and the Way to Stop It, he seeks to save the American church from the slithery hiss that he believes to be a threat to Christians and white people.

In seven chapters, spread over 270 pages and a strong foreword from California megachurch Pastor John MacArthur, Strachan presents a studied exploration of critical race theory. He argues it produces a mindset of wokeness that seeks to exact reparations from white people for the sins of their forebears. He also goes as far as contending that unrepentant church leaders who embrace it should be excommunicated.

I think the major problem with wokeness that requires excommunication is that its anti-Gospel when you really examine it as a system. It compromises the unity of the truth. It lies about the human person. It says that white people in America are fundamentally oppressors of people of color and thats not a biblical truth," Strachan told The Christian Post in a recent interview about his book published by Salem Books in July.

"Thats not found in Scripture. Thats injurious and unjust toward white people, and it will violate and compromise the unity of the church."

In the book, he wrote that [w]okeness is first and foremost a mindset and a posture."

"The term itself means that one is awake to the true nature of the world when so many are asleep," the book reads. "In the most specific terms, this means one sees the comprehensive inequity of our social order and strives to highlight power structures in society that stem from racial privilege. In intellectual terms, wokeness occurs when one embraces  Critical Race Theory.

Strachan says pastors embracing wokeness is problematic because the ideology unfairly maligns innocent white people.

I know a prominent example of a pastor of a megachurch who took [to] the pulpit and told the congregation that white people should repent for their complicity in white supremacy," he told CP.

"And this was said to a wide range of people, including white people, who had adopted numerous children out of desperate circumstances that had different skin colors than them and were very much trying to love those children and had not been white supremacist toward them in any known way whether in word or deed. That is an example of the evil nature of wokeness. I am here to stand against it, call it out and say it is anti-Gospel."

He said that if he ever heard someone preach like that in front of his family at his church, he would pursue "excommunication."

If a man stood up in a pulpit and said that before me and said that before my family, I would attempt to talk to him. And I would attempt, if he did not repent of that, to talk to the elders and encourage them to ask him to repent of that. And if he did not do that, I would pursue excommunication as much as I could as a church member. And I would do so with a 100% clean conscience, he continued. I pray many people who read this book [will] pursue that action because that is the action that is fitting."

In the Church, he warns that "wokeness is spreading like a cancer and it's training so-called white people who have no racial prejudice in their heart."

"They are literally at great cost, physically, financially and otherwise adopting children out of Christian love and then [a] pastor brings mans law, not Gods law, into the Church and condemns them as evil," he stressed. "And that is the doctrine of demons, and Im here to call it out. I do so unequivocally and unapologetically.

The example was a very personal one for Strachan because his family adopted his sister from South America. He said, her skin color was not exactly like mine or like several people at our small church, but that did not matter a bit, he wrote in his book.

My father and mother loved her, I loved her (and always will), and she loved us. God gave our family a blessing in the form of my sister  a Christian and a woman who loves and serves her family well. And I am so thankful for my parents commitment to adoption, he explained.

Along with his independent research on race, this family dynamic is one of the reasons why Strachan feels he is in a good position to openly discuss an issue that has divided denominations along racial lines.

At their 2020 annual session, the SBCs Council of Seminary Presidents, comprised of six seminary heads, voted to reject critical race theory as incompatible with their faith while condemning racism in any form. The vote caused some black pastors who disagreed with the wholesale rejection of the concept to leave the denomination.

In the wake of that controversy this summer, Southern Baptist messengers affirmed their commitment to racial reconciliation and the sufficiency of Scripture to address issues of race by adopting a resolution that avoided the contentious debate over critical race theory. There had been concerns that messengers would have rescinded Resolution 9 On Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality.

In sharing his thoughts on Resolution 9, Strachan believes his book can alleviate the confusion about critical race theory among Southern Baptists.

There is a lot of confusion among Southern Baptists, like evangelicals, like American citizens more broadly, which is why I wrote the book, he said. I dont think most or many Southern Baptists understand what the convention affirmed. Resolution 9 was passed in 2019 under tremendous confusion. And no small amounts of opposition. And the confusion has only continued. The wording analytical tool, it certainly appears to me based on James Cones black liberation theology, which is anti-Gospel theology.

Most people dont know what it is, and it can sound in neutral terms like it could be a tool. But my prayer is that the Southern Baptist churches will understand the true nature of critical race theory. Its not a tool of analysis. Its a tool of division formed by the enemy of the Church.

In his book, Strachan argues that academic theory and social activism should not supplement Christian thought and practice as the Bible is sufficient for these things.

Simply put, the Bible gives us exactly what we need to find unity, hope and justice in this world. The Bible, furthermore, fuels a life of scriptural reasoning  of thinking well about all things according to the conviction that God is God, and everything else is not, he wrote.

When asked why he quoted 18th-century writer Edgar Allan Poe, who he notes was an atheist, to illuminate the vengeance of the human conscience but criticizes Christians who use critical race theory to try to explain how racism works, he admitted that unbelievers will see different elements of the truth.

So someone like me, being a Christian, Im not necessarily a brilliant economist just because Im a born-again believer and I have a redeemed mind. God has allowed me to learn through a range of sources, and so the problem with critical race theorists is not that they are not Christian," he added.

"The problem with woke voices is not that theyre not Christian. Some of them are born-again. The problem is that they are not getting the truth right. They are operating by the wrong system. They are operating by a secular system that is godless and bankrupt, Strachan said.

Im not saying you would never quote an unbeliever. That would be fundamentally inconsistent for me to do, given who I quote in my book. Im saying unbelievers cant give you the ultimate solution. [There is] no unbeliever you can find, however brilliant  who can give you the ultimate answer to the problem of unity. There are unbelievers who are going to get different things right about our world."

A new study from Arizona Christian University published earlier this month showed an estimated 176 million American adults who identify as Christian, just 6% or 15 million, hold a biblical worldview. More than half of self-identified Christians also reject a number of biblical teachings and principles, including the existence of the Holy Spirit.

And among the 6% that qualified as holding a biblical worldview, strong minorities of that group hold unbiblical views.

For example, 25% say there is no absolute moral truth; 33% believe in karma; 39% contend that the Holy Spirit is not a real, living being but is merely a symbol of Gods power, presence or purity; 42% believe that having faith matters more than which faith you pursue; and 52% argue that people are basically good.

Asked if he would excommunicate these Christians for their unbiblical views, Strachan said he would first try to disciple them.

There are many people that profess to be Christian who are not truly born again. And so, I think part of what this poll could be capturing is the compromised nature of todays church."

He said there are "many people today in the Church who say they are a Christian, who believes that white people are fundamentally oppressors of people of color. So thats an anti-Gospel position, he insisted.

While his book has received praise from some of his supporters online, Christianity and Wokeness: How the Social Justice Movement Is Hijacking the Gospel - and the Way to Stop It, Strachan rejects one critic online who argues that the book is a masterpiece in straw man arguments."

I actually have labored to not produce a book that is a strawman book. Somebody can think that I have done that. I can't control how anyone thinks. What I have tried to do is not live up to the stereotype that if you are unwoke, you simply burn down who you believe are. And thats why I think a fair assessment of my book would not say that it is a strawman compilation, he stated. I hope that they will read my book and see that Im trying to respect and understand the other side.
Scottish teachers told to allow 4-year-old kids to change gender identity without parents consent

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The Scottish government has issued new LGBT inclusivity guidelines advising schools to allow children, including those as young as 4, to change their name and gender identity without their parents consent, claiming that it's possible to come out as transgender at any age.

The 70-page document published this week orders teachers to address students by their desired pronouns, should they choose to identify as the opposite sex, The Telegraph reported, adding that it calls for posters challenging gender stereotypes to be displayed in classrooms.

The document claims that trans-identified individuals may come out at any age and advises teachers not to tell students that it's just a phase if they say they're transgender, according to The Times.

Teachers should respect a young persons wishes and use the name/pronoun they have asked to be used, it reads. If a young person comes out to you, its also important not to deny their identity, or overly question their understanding of their gender identity.

LGBT advocacy groups that helped the government draw up the guidance included Stonewall, which has received over $4 million (3 million) of U.K. taxpayers dollars in the past three years, according to The Christian Institute. Stonewall celebrated the guidelines, claiming they will help children thrive.

Many conservative groups have warned against the dangerous ideology the document is based on.

It shows a failure in safeguarding and a removal of parental rights, Marion Calder, co-director of the For Women Scotland campaign group, was quoted as saying. It used to be commonly understood that children should be able to play and experiment with gender roles, with clothing, their likes and dislikes.

Calder continued: Those children are now being encouraged on to a medical pathway, potentially for the rest of their lives. We should not be teaching children, and especially primary school children, that you can change sex, because you cannot change sex.

The guidelines also recommend a list of books for primary schools to promote "trans inclusivity."

Bernadette Wren, a consultant clinical psychologist at the Gender Identity Development Service clinic in London, had warned in 2018 that schools act within minutes to register a child as the opposite sex.

Schools might wait for the parents to approach them before changing things like names in the register, uniforms, pronouns, toilets, sports, she said at the time. If a school just gets a whisper of a child who may be querying their gender and within minutes they are doing everything to make sure that child is regarded as a member of the opposite sex right from the word go  that may not be the best for that child.

In 2017, the Church of Scotland issued an apology for what it said was historic discrimination against lesbian and gay people, but it maintained on its website that the definition of marriage is between one man and one woman.

A few months later, the church issued a 30-page booklet, titled Diverse Gender Identities and Pastoral Care, which showcased stories of trans and nonbinary-identified Christians while insisting it was not making a theological statement on the issue.

The church explained in a press release at the time that the booklet was supposed to be a resource to help congregations be more sensitive to the needs of the community.

The Christian Institute revealed in a report in 2018 that as many as 222 children, some as young as 6, had been referred to specialist services the previous year  a 21% increase.

The Scottish government are either being disingenuous or are seriously confused. Either way, theyve got themselves in a mess, Ciaran Kelly, a deputy director at The Christian Institute, said at the time.
Texas CPS declares trans surgeries for minors 'child abuse' after governor's request

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After a request from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the states Department of Family and Protective Services has declared that performing sex reassignment surgeries on minors with gender dysphoria constitutes child abuse.

In a letter published Wednesday, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Jaime Masters asserted that genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery is child abuse, subject to all rules and procedures pertaining to child abuse.

According to Masters, Such mutilation may cause a genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child.

Masters agreed with Abbotts earlier assessment that this surgical procedure physically alters a childs genitalia for non-medical purposes potentially inflicting irreversible harm to childrens bodies.

The state official clarified that when medically necessary, this surgical procedure may not constitute abuse.

It may be warranted for the following conditions including, but not limited to, a child whose body parts have been affected by illness or trauma; who is born with a medically verifiable genetic disorder of sex development, such as the presence of both ovarian and testicular tissue; or who does not have the normal sex chromosome structure for male or female as determined through genetic testing, she added.

Masters outlined the legal requirements for professionals such as teachers, nurses, day-care employees, doctors and other state employees that work with children who have cause to believe that a child has experienced any form of abuse, including genital mutilation.

Specifically, they must report that belief to DFPS within 48 hours of first suspecting the abuse. Failure to do so could result in a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine of up to $4,000.

Masters vowed that allegations involving genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery will be promptly and thoroughly investigated and any appropriate actions will be taken.

Earlier this week, the governor wrote to Masters requesting that her agency issue a determination of whether genital mutilation of a child for purposes of gender transitioning through reassignment surgery constitutes child abuse.

Abbott announced in a tweet Wednesday that the determination and subsequent enforcement of Commissioner Masters conclusions are effective immediately.

Masters determination follows an unsuccessful attempt by the Republican-controlled Texas legislature to pass a bill banning chemical and surgical sex change procedures for minors with gender dysphoria. While the Texas Senate approved the bill, it stalled in the states House of Representatives.

"Genital mutilation of a child through reassignment surgery is child abuse..." - Commissioner Jaime Masters, @TexasDFPS



The determination and subsequent enforcement of Commissioner Masters' conclusions are effective immediately.https://t.co/EVLp44zi41pic.twitter.com/HSTc9T9hQA  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 11, 2021

Supporters of the effort to ban the genital mutilation of minors allege that pressure from corporate America caused Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives to derail the measure. Before the Senate approved the bill, nearly four dozen companies that do business in Texas expressed opposition to the effort to criminalize or ban best-practice medical care that is proven to save lives.

The Republican-controlled Arkansas legislature passed a similar bill over the objections of the states Republican governor, but it was later struck down by a federal judge.

Texas embrace of the idea that transgender surgeries for minors are a form of child abuse could put it on a collision course with the Biden administration.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in a lawsuit against the Arkansas law, indicating that it views efforts to restrict minors access to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones as unconstitutional.

Federal law bars the State of Arkansas from singling out transgender minors for specifically and discriminatorily denying their access to medically necessary care based solely on their sex assigned at birth, the department argued. Such action would violate the Equal Protection Clause.

Critics of such legislative efforts claim that children are not undergoing sex reassignment surgeries as the Endocrine Society recommends not having surgeries until they at least hit the age of 18. Puberty-blocking drugs are not prescribed until minors start puberty. Critics contend that the recommendation for young children with gender dysphoria is to begin social transitioning.

Members of the executive branch have explicitly expressed support for allowing minors to undergo gender transitions. When questioning Dr. Rachel Levine, who now serves as assistant secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., noted that the trans-identified cabinet official had supported allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty as well as surgical destruction of a minors genitalia.

Paul discussed the situation of Keira Bell, a 23-year old British woman who was confused with her identity and was prescribed puberty blockers in addition to having her breasts amputated.

The senator explained that Bell later regretted making such drastic changes to her body, which she retrospectively characterized as a brash decision she made as a teenager. During the confirmation hearing, Levine refused to directly answer Pauls question about whether minors have the capacity to make such life-changing decisions.

According to the American College of Pediatricians, additional side effects of puberty blockers include osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility. Others who regretted undergoing gender transitions testified on a recent episode of the CBS newsmagazine program 60 Minutes that the operations they underwent made their mental health worse, not better.
Babylon Bee joins legal battle in support of Florida law fighting social media censorship

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The Babylon Bee, a popular Christian satire website, has joined a legal battle over a new Florida law that, among other things, seeks to prevent social media platforms from censoring certain viewpoints.

Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 7072 into law that protects users by prohibiting social media sites from censoring or deplatforming people or organizations they disagree with and requires big tech companies to comply with federal and state laws, among numerous other compliance standards.

Babylon Bee LLC and Not the Bee LLC, the latter being a straight news website, filed an amicus brief on Wednesday in the case of NetChoice LLC, et al. v. Attorney General of Florida, et al.

In their brief, The Bee and Not the Bee expressed support for the Florida law, with the Christian sites noting their own history of being censored by major social media outlets.

They also stated that they support a desire for an intellectually diverse social media universe in which all Americans  including those of the religious center-right  have an equal platform to advocate their views.

At a minimum, Amici want social media platforms to transparently announce and evenhandedly apply their content standards, as Floridas Senate Bill 7072 requires them to do, the amicus brief continued.

The two Christian websites are being represented by the First Liberty Institute, a conservative law firm based in Plano, Texas.

Social media giants have lied to the public about allowing intellectual diversity on their platforms and are selectively applying their standards to censor disfavored conservative and religious speech, said FLI Senior Counsel Jordan Pratt in a statement released Wednesday.

Floridas law is a basic consumer-protection regulation that simply holds social media platforms accountable to the image of neutrality that they project, and it is consistent with federal law and the First Amendment.

Also known as The Stop Social Media Censorship Act, DeSantis said in a statement back in May that the new law would ensure that We the People  real Floridians across the Sunshine State  are guaranteed protection against the Silicon Valley elites.

Many in our state have experienced censorship and other tyrannical behavior firsthand in Cuba and Venezuela, the governor said earlier this year.

If Big Tech censors enforce rules inconsistently, to discriminate in favor of the dominant Silicon Valley ideology, they will now be held accountable.

The Act was scheduled to take effect on July 1, however, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle of the Northern Districtof Florida issued a preliminary injunction against parts of the law.

The legislation compels providers to host speech that violates their standards  speech they otherwise would not host  and forbids providers from speaking as they otherwise would, wrote Hinkle.

The governors signing statement and numerous remarks of legislators show rather clearly that the legislation is viewpoint-based. And parts contravene a federal statute.
Bleak future ahead for majority of Americans due to lower education: study

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Americans who dont have a college degree are now facing a bleak and deadlier future compared to those who do, according to Princeton researchers who recently found increasing deaths by drugs, alcohol and suicide, known as deaths of despair, are largely concentrated among this group while a college degree appears to act as a talisman against them.

In their working paper, The Great Divide: Education, Despair and Death published this month, husband and wife research team, Anne Case and Nobel Prize winner Angus Deaton, build on previous research examining the relationship between mortality and education in America.

Deaths of despair, morbidity and emotional distress continue to rise in the U.S. The increases are largely borne by those without a four-year college degree  the majority of American adults, the researchers wrote in the paper published this month. For many less-educated Americans, the economy and society are no longer providing the basis for a good life. Concurrently, all-cause mortality in the U.S. is diverging by education  falling for the college-educated and rising for those without a degree  something not seen in other rich countries.

Some 32.1% of the population 25 years of age and older holds at least a bachelors degree, according to data from the American Community Survey. In recent reports, however, as college-educated women grapple with the diminishing returns from degrees, many men, some who have cited these diminishing returns, are now completely choosing to forgo college.

If I was going to be a doctor or a lawyer, then obviously those people need a formal education. But there are definitely ways to get around it now, Daniel Briles, 18, who graduated in June from Hastings High School in Hastings, Minnesota, told The Wall Street Journal in a recent report. There are opportunities that werent taught in school that could be a lot more promising than getting a degree.

Case and Deaton cited data showing that the age-adjusted alcohol-related mortality rate among non-Hispanic whites between the ages of 25 and 74 increased by 41% between 2013 and 2019. At the same time, the suicide rate for this group rose by 17% as the drug-related mortality rate skyrocketed by 73%.

After 2010, deaths of despair also began increasing among black Americans and Hispanics without a bachelors degree. For both groups, drug-related mortality more than doubled between 2013 and 2019 as the suicide rate increased by one-third. Additionally, alcohol-related mortality rates increased by 30% for blacks without a bachelors degree and 24% for Hispanics.

These statistics are for the period leading up to the COVID epidemic. Unfortunately, if (when) vaccinations control the virus, there is no reason to expect that these deaths of despair among less-educated Americans will decline, the researchers said.

The Princeton academics also highlight how the progress in the fight against deaths from cardiovascular disease, which led to increases in life expectancy in the final quarter of the 20th century, has now leveled off, even for those with the degree, while reversing for those without.

To highlight the nature of the disparity in the quality of life between the educated and the less educated, Case and Deaton pointed to the suicide rate, which they report is currently at its highest level since 1938.

Contrary to what was long believed, suicide rates in the U.S. are higher among those with less education. While the age-adjusted suicide rate almost doubled from 1992 to 2019 among WNHs ages 2574 without a BA, increasing from 17.6 to 31.1 per 100,000, there was almost no increase among those with the degree, the researchers note in their study.

Suicide rates were declining between 1990 and 2010 for less-educated Hispanics and BNHs, but rates began to rise after 2010, increasing from 7 to 10 per 100,000 (age-adjusted 25-74) between 2010 and 2019.

In their final thoughts on the situation, Case and Deaton noted that Growing inequality in America since 1970 includes diverging fortunes for those with and without a four-year college degree. The evidence on growing mortality and morbidity that we first highlighted in 2015 continues up to and into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even if the opioid epidemic is brought under control  itself a very difficult task given that so much of the supply is now illegal  the underlying despair is likely to remain, they concluded. The prospects for less-educated Americans remain bleak unless there are fundamental changes in the way that the American economy operates.
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Even as the front pages of newspapers have noticeably shifted away from focusing on Afghanistan, reports trickling in from that country are increasingly troubling.

Recent reports tell us: Taliban fighters have hunted down and killed four elite Afghan counterterrorism agents from American and British-trained units. The Talibans new acting government is comprised of many of the same characters the United States and our allies kicked out of power in 2001. The United Nations has warned that one million Afghan children face possible starvation in a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions.

The effects of President Bidens decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan are still unfolding. Biden would no doubt love for his role in the Afghanistan debacle to fade quietly into history. We cannot let that happen.

Afghan women are perhaps the largest group of people to endure immense suffering in the fallout of the clumsy withdrawal and the subsequent Taliban takeover.

Countless women and girls in Afghanistan are facing an impossible future, with reports surfacing that women must be segregated in universities, women may no longer work alongside men, and women may be prevented from playing sports. These are disastrous steps backward for womens rights in a country that made a lot of progress in the past 20 years. And its happening under Bidens watch.

The Left has long styled themselves as the champions of womens rights. So, what does the Biden administration have to say about the rights of Afghan women?

When asked about the future of womens rights in Afghanistan during a Senate hearing this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that ever since the Taliban takeover, the U.S. government has worked to rally the international community to set very clear expectations going forward to include the expectation that it will uphold the rights of women and girls as well as minorities.

Its unlikely that these lackluster diplomatic efforts will comfort the millions of women in Afghanistan who have just been sent back to the dark ages.

Presumably, the minorities Blinken referred to include religious minorities, such as Christians, Hazara Muslims, Hindus, and Sikhs. Those who have not managed to flee are in great danger.

Eric Patterson wrote in Providence that Christians and other religious minorities are fearful of venturing out in public, despite their needs for groceries, medical assistance, and other basic necessities. Patterson also heard reports that Taliban spies collected the names of possible Christians by infiltrating crowds of people outside the Kabul airport hoping to escape.

Instead of working to help vulnerable Christians, the Biden administration made it more difficult for believers to flee. Private charities are still trying to help rescue vulnerable religious minorities and other at-risk Afghans with their own flights out of Afghanistan. Those involved in private rescue efforts say that the State Department has hindered efforts to rescue vulnerable Afghans.

Its a life-and-death situation for those on the ground; what justification could there possibly be for blocking private flights not even headed to the United States?

In addition, the State Department also neglected to make religious minorities eligible for the Priority 2 (P-2) designation granting them access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Conversion from Islam is a crime punishable by death under the Talibans interpretation of Sharia law, and Christian converts face almost certain death for their religious views. Even though there were only a small number of Afghan Christians to begin with (several thousand), they were not prioritized by the Biden administration.

Bidens disastrous withdrawal will also forever affect the families of the 13 U.S. military members who died in a suicide attack from ISIS-K at the Kabul airport in the chaotic last days of the evacuation. The grief of their families will not soon subside. Although they volunteered to serve our country knowing the risks, poor strategic decisions unnecessarily put them in harms way.

Some commentators have noticed that the newsiness of the Afghanistan withdrawal is over. But not so for those whose lives have been forever changed. In his public comments, Biden seems to coldly evade that fact.

Bidens disaster in Afghanistan is not over by a long shot. The suffering of millions of people will far outlast the news cycle. And so should our collective memory.

Originally published at the Family Research Council.
(Bloomberg) -- The Covid-19 vaccine booster shot proposed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE should be given to older Americans and those at high risk, a panel of expert advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said, rejecting a request for broader distribution.

While the recommendation isnt binding, its a blow to the Biden administrations plan to deliver third doses to all American adults in the coming weeks to stave off the viruss spread. The FDA will have to decide in the coming days whether to follow suit or overrule its trusted scientific advisers and proceed with a broader booster authorization.

Pfizer had originally proposed approving a booster shot for everyone 16 and older. But the advisers rejected that idea out of concern that the data to support such a broad application was thin and there could be risks, especially for younger people.

Its not clear to me that the data were seeing right now is applicable or necessary for the general population, said National Institutes of Health scientist Michael Kurilla. Another panelist, Paul Offit of the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said he wanted to see more data on the risk of heart inflammation in younger men.

Instead, the panel voted 18-0 in favor of an emergency-use authorization -- a more limited clearance than a full approval -- for people 65 and older or individuals at high risk of severe Covid-19. The vote didnt specify what was meant by high risk, though panelists later agreed the authorization could include people who may be exposed to Covid-19 because of their jobs, such as health-care workers.

We Can Tweak

The move is a setback to a sweeping plan from the Biden administration to roll out booster shots to a broad population next week. In August, the president had said everyone whod been vaccinated would be able to receive a third dose at least eight months after their most recent dose.

Still, the administration called it an important step toward its fight against the pandemic. We stand ready to provide booster shots to eligible Americans once the process concludes at the end of next week, White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said.

Peter Marks, head of the FDAs vaccine program, made clear to panelists Friday that the agency will make its own decision.

We are not bound at FDA by your vote, just so you understand that, he said. We can tweak this as need be.

Pfizer said it will work with the FDA following todays meeting to address the committees questions, as we continue to believe in the benefits of a booster dose for a broader population.

If the FDA follows the advisers recommendation, U.S. health officials would still be able to target third doses at people at highest risk of getting seriously ill or dying from Covid-19 -- at least those who took Pfizers vaccine. Moderna has also applied to the FDA for emergency authorization of a third dose booster, while the agency is still waiting for data backing an additional dose from Johnson & Johnson.

The FDA may make its decision on Pfizer in the coming days. An outside advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also make detailed recommendations for the use of the booster shot at a meeting next week.

Shares of Pfizer declined 1.3% at the close in New York, and BioNTech shares were down 3.6%. Shares of Moderna Inc., maker of a similar Covid vaccine, were down 2.4%.

Changing Data

Arnold Monto, acting chair of the advisory committee, also left the door open for the group to recommend emergency use authorization for boosters in younger people later, when more information becomes available about potential side effects and effectiveness.

Thats the beauty of an EUA, he said. It can be changed based on changing data.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The airport, generally speaking, is not a peaceful place. Stressed-out strangers rush to take off their shoes at security, put on their shoes afterward and power-walk through terminal mazes to their gate.

And while heading to the airport can be an exciting time for travelers, "people are not always traveling to go on vacation to Cancun," aid Cristina Alcivar, founder and editor of Vane Airport Media, a website dedicated to airport wellness. "There are people traveling for work. People are traveling because of mourning. People are breaking up. . . . People say goodbye forever inside of airports."

That is more true than ever as people navigate travel during a global health crisis and with a dramatic increase of unruliness in the skies.

Sure, you could drown your travel anxieties at the airport bar or spend a fortune on an airport massage, but some airports have an even better option: Airport therapy dogs.

If you're lucky enough to encounter one, airport therapy dogs can be just the thing to soothe those anxieties. Here's what you need to know about them and where they can be found.

- - -

_ First of all, what's an airport therapy dog?

It turns out that bringing dogs to airports makes people really happy. Not guide dogs or emotional support dogs, but specifically airport therapy dogs.

"They create a better experience for passengers," Alcivar said. "They humanize your experience."

Through her website and social media, Alcivar has been getting the word out about airport therapy dogs and what the animals can do for their nerves. She would like more people to know about the science that shows dogs can enhance your mood, and therapy dogs can calm you at places that tend to cause stress, such as hospitals, courts and airports.

Just after 9/11, San Jose International Airport (SJC) in California was the first airport to introduce therapy dogs to its terminals. The airport's chaplain volunteer Kathryn Liebschutz asked to bring to work her trained therapy dog, Orion, in hopes of easing traveler anxiety in the wake of the attacks. SJC saw the positive impact Orion made and started an official program.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) followed San Jose's lead, and it was the second airport to start a therapy dog program. The LAX Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP) program has grown to be the largest in the country, with 121 therapy dogs before the pandemic and about 5,200 volunteer hours logged in 2019.

Heidi Huebner developed the PUP program in 2013 and continues to manage it. She is now an expert on airport therapy dog programs and has helped 70 other airports launch theirs. Perhaps the most important information Huebner teaches is that not all dogs can become airport therapy dogs.

"You can't train a dog to have this type of temperament; they have to be born with it," she said. "Their natural personality is a dog that's very outgoing and loves people and doesn't get scared by lots of activities and loud noises."

Aside from temperament, airport therapy dogs must have other qualifications, such as having at least one year experience working with a recognized dog therapy organization, being registered with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and passing an initial meet-and-greet walk-through test. Dogs can be different breeds, sizes and ages. Their handlers are fingerprinted and badged, and they must commit to at least one shift weekly.

- - -

_ Where can I find them?

According to Alcivar, therapy dog programs are a growing trend for airports in the United States, but unfortunately for traveling dog lovers, they aren't as prolific as Cinnabon or Starbucks.

From Alcivar's research, 87 airports in North America had programs before the pandemic hit. After suspending programs in 2020 because of safety concerns, airports are slowly reinstating therapy dog volunteers. Alcivar made this chart to highlight the 35 airports with dogs back in action.

Many programs have reduced volunteer numbers as dogs have retired out of the system. Some programs also changed the way they operate with pandemic protocols.

At Nebraska's Lincoln Airport (LNK), "we now have a designated area where the handler and the dogs hang out and it gives passengers the ability to approach them," said Rachel Barth, a spokeswoman for the airport. "It makes [handlers and travelers] feel safer."

There is no database on where and when you can find airport therapy dogs. And because programs are powered by volunteers, even if an airport has therapy dogs, they probably will not be there all day, every day.

Travelers can Google the name of an airport they are visiting and "therapy dog" to see if a program exists. Some airports have social media accounts that mention their programs, or accounts for the programs themselves that post when and where their dogs will be on duty.

_ Who should pet them?

Young, old, solo, business - there isn't one kind of traveler who can benefit from petting an airport therapy dog.

Tara Hoover, who heads the Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) therapy dog program, PIT PAWS (Pups Alleviating Worry and Stress), has seen adults lie on the floor for better petting access, and elderly fliers clamor for selfies with Juno, her certified therapy dog.

Volunteers like Tara and Juno can be a godsend for travelers with fear of flying.

"My very first day - I'll never forget it - we sat with a passenger in tears," Hoover said. "She was so scared and nervous . . . I sat with her for a while and she just sat there and was petting [Juno] just talking, trying to pass the time."

Passengers have told Hoover that they didn't have to take anxiety medicine such as Xanax before their flight because they were so soothed after spending time with Juno. The dogs are also a big hit with families - kids are overjoyed to pet a dog, and parents welcome the distraction.

The dogs can be just as therapeutic for airport staff, whether they are TSA agents or concession-stand cashiers.

"That comfort is important also for the employees. They really missed the dogs and they are happy to see them back," Huebner said. "We have these little trading cards . . . and the employees love collecting them. They know when there's a new team. They'll be like, 'I've never seen this dog before.' "

At Denver International Airport (DEN), spokesperson Stacey Stegman said she hopes that their therapy animals can reach as many travelers as possible. Their therapy dog program, ironically called CATS (Canine Airport Therapy Squad - although they do have one therapy cat on staff that is walked around on a leash), is a positive contribution to the world that gives people unconditional love at a time when everyone needs it.

Next time you're flying, keep your eyes peeled for a volunteer, and get ready to give the animal a pet.

"We know that when you're traveling, it's busy, it's stressful, and let's add covid into the mix which makes it even more crazy," Stegman said. "When you see some of these animals, I would say take a moment, pause, feel a little bit of joy. It's just going to make your trip that much better."
A Porter man investigated by the FBI seven years ago is now accused of disseminating hundreds of images of child pornography and requesting sexually explicit material from minors on TikTok, according to charging documents.

Frank Rosas, 47, is being charged with promotion or possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony, according to Montgomery County district clerk records. Rosas is currently out on a $30,000 bond, district clerk records show.

A so-called cybertip  a reported instance of suspected child exploitation on the interet  was made by Yahoo's parent company to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) about an email account that was eventually linked to Rosas. According to the affidavit filed Sept. 1, approximately 651 images and videos of child pornography was distributed.

A Montgomery County Precinct 2 Constables officer in the Montgomery County District Attorneys internet crimes division found Rosas sent two photos and a video in June that constituted child pornography, the probable cause affidavit shows.

A June 3 cybertip, reviewed June 28 by the Precinct 2 officer, included child porn images involving girls between 4 and 8 years old, according to the affidavit.

The same cybertip included a two-minute and 21-second video of a Samsung cell phone playing a video depicting the sexual assault of a child. A mans face is visible multiple times in the phones reflection during the video, which the investigating officer determined closely resembled Rosas Texas drivers license photo, the affidavit continues.

The cybertip also showed the phone number was associated with a third Yahoo account that included frankrosas in its username, which was found to have been created in the Houston area. Its user-provided information included frank rosas and a birth date, later confirmed by a database search to be Rosas. A database search located Rosas through his Porter home address, according to charging documents.

The investigating officer on June 14 confirmed with AT&T that the phone number yielded in the investigation belonged to Rosas. His drivers license includes the address linked to the phone number, which was verified by Montgomery County property records, charging documents show.

A search warrant executed Aug. 31 at Rosas home found a Samsung phone with a cracked screen similar to the one in the video from the cybertip. The District Attorneys digital forensics lab found the device was linked to the phone numbers provided by Yahoo and AT&T. Also found were multiple images determined to be from the video in the cybertip as screenshot on April 13, according to the affidavit.

Rosas work schedule indicated he drove a commercial Volvo truck, which Precinct 2s investigating officer previously determined was the vehicle seen in the cybertips video. Rosas employer confirmed he was driving the truck on April 13, the affidavit continues.

Additionally, the investigation found other cybertips reporting that a TikTok user with the same username Rosas used for an email account was soliciting sexually explicit imagery from underage users on the app, according to charging documents.

The investigation found Houston FBI agents executed a November 2014 search at Rosas address in an online child pornography investigation where the Porter man admitted to viewing online child pornography, charging documents show. A review of Texas Department of Public Safety records show Rosas was not charged in that case.

As of Friday afternoon, district clerk records show no attorney listed for Rosas.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance.

Durst, 78, was not in court for the verdict from the jury that deliberated about seven hours over three days. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus.

Durst, who faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman. She was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000 as she was prepared to tell police how she helped cover up his wifes killing.

Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Dursts longtime confidante who told friends she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didnt think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Bermans killing with Kathie Dursts suspected death and the 2001 killing of a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and hes been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes. We just feel really gratified that hes been held accountable, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.

Lewin met with jurors after the verdict and said they thought prosecutors had proven Durst had killed his wife and had murdered both Berman and his Texas neighbor in an effort to escape justice.

He said jurors did not find Durst credible as a witness.

Hes a narcissistic psychopath. He killed his wife and then he had to keep killing to cover it up, Lewin said.

Lewin said he hoped Durst understands what its like to be held accountable  even if it took 40 years. Considering what hes done, he got a lot more of a life than he was entitled to," the prosecutor said.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession.

Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: There it is. Youre caught.

Dursts decision to testify in his own defense  hoping for a repeat of his acquittal in the Texas killing  backfired as he was forced to admit lying under oath, made damning admissions and had his credibility destroyed when questioned by the prosecutor.

Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Friday they believed there was substantial reasonable doubt and were disappointed in the verdict. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

The conviction marks a victory for authorities who have sought to put Durst behind bars for murder in three states. Durst was never charged in the disappearance of his wife, who has never been found, and he was acquitted of murder in Galveston, Texas, where he admitted dismembering the victims body and tossing it out to sea.

The story of Durst, the estranged scion of a New York real estate developer, has been fodder for New York tabloids since his wife vanished. He provided plot twists so numerous that Hollywood couldnt resist making a feature film about his life that eventually led to the documentary and discovery of new evidence in Bermans slaying.

Durst ran from the law multiple times, disguised as a mute woman in Texas and staying under an alias at a New Orleans hotel with a shoulders-to-head latex mask for a presumed getaway. He jumped bail in Texas and was arrested after shoplifting a chicken sandwich in Pennsylvania, despite having $37,000 in cash  along with two handguns  in his rental car.

He later quipped that he was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

Durst escaped close scrutiny from investigators when his wife disappeared. But his troubles resurfaced in late 2000 when New York authorities reopened the case.

His lawyer told him to be prepared to be charged in the case, and he fled a life of luxury to Galveston, Texas, where he rented a cheap apartment as Dorothy Ciner, a woman he pretended couldnt speak. He eventually dropped the disguise after mishaps that included walking into a mens restroom and igniting his wig at a bar while lighting a cigarette.

Just before Christmas, he testified that he traveled to LA to visit Berman for a staycation with plans to see some of the tourist sites.

Durst, who had long denied ever being in LA at the time of Bermans death, testified at trial that he found her dead on a bedroom floor when he arrived.

Berman, a writer who had been friends with Durst since they were students at the University of California, Los Angeles, had serious financial problems at the time. Durst had given her $50,000, and prosecutors suggested she was trying to leverage more money from him by telling him she was going to speak with the cops.

Nine months after her death, Durst killed his Galveston neighbor Morris Black, in what he said was either an accident or self-defense. Durst said he found Black, who he had become friends with, in his apartment holding Dursts .22-caliber pistol.

Durst was acquitted after testifying the 71-year-old was killed in a struggle for the gun. Durst then chopped up Blacks body and tossed it out to sea. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

After the trial and the ghastly evidence of the dismemberment, Durst found he was a pariah, he said. Despite an estimated $100 million fortune, he was turned away by multiple condominium associations and said the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wouldnt take his money unless he donated anonymously.

Durst thought a 2010 feature film based on his life, All Good Things, starring Ryan Gosling as him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, had been largely accurate and painted a sympathetic portrait, despite implicating him in three killings. He only objected that he was depicted killing his dog  something he would never do.

He reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to sit for lengthy interviews for a documentary. He encouraged his friends to do the same and gave the filmmakers access to boxes of his records.

He came to deeply regret his decision after The Jinx aired on HBO in 2015, calling it a very, very, very big mistake.

The documentary filmmakers discovered a crucial piece of evidence that connected him to an anonymous note sent to police directing them to Bermans lifeless body.

Durst, who was so confident he couldnt be connected to the note, told filmmakers only the killer could have written the note.

Filmmakers confronted him with a letter he sent Berman a year earlier. The handwriting was identical and Beverly Hills was misspelled as Beverley on both. He couldnt tell the two apart.

The gotcha moment provided the climax of the movie as Durst stepped off camera and muttered to himself on a live microphone in the bathroom: Killed them all, of course.

During 14 days of testimony that was so punishing Judge Mark Windham called it devastating, Durst denied killing his wife and Berman, though he said he would lie if he did.

He tried to explain away the note and what prosecutors said was a confession during an unguarded moment.

For the first time, Durst admitted on the witness stand that he sent the note and had been in Los Angeles at the time of Bermans death.

Durst said he sent the note because he wanted Berman to be found but didnt want anyone to know he had been there because it would look suspicious.

He acknowledged that even he had difficulty imagining he could have written the note without killing Berman.

Its very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman, Durst testified.

A prosecutor said it was one of the truest things Durst said amid a ton of lies.
U.S. envoy John Kerrys diplomatic quest to stave off the worst scenarios of global warming is meeting resistance from China, the world's biggest climate polluter, which is adamant that the United States ease confrontation over other matters if it wants Beijing to speed up its climate efforts.

Rights advocates and Republican lawmakers say they see signs, including softer language and talk of heated internal debate among Biden administration officials, that Chinas pressure is leading the United States to back off on criticism of Chinas mass detentions, forced sterilization and other abuses of its predominantly Muslim Uyghur minority in the Xinjiang region.

But the White House took a step this past week that could further deepen the U.S.-China divide, forming a security alliance with Britain and Australia that will mean a greater sharing of defense capabilities, including helping equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.

President Joe Biden came out strong from the start of his presidency with sanctions over China's abuse of the Uyghurs, and his administration this spring called it genocide. But the U.S. desire for fast climate progress versus China's desire that the U.S. back off on issues such as human rights and religious freedom is creating conflict between two top Biden goals: steering the world away from the climate abyss and tempering Chinas rising influence.

It would be disastrous in the long term for the United States government to backtrack, tone down, let the Chinese manipulate the issue," said Nury Turkel, a Uyghur advocate and the vice chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an advisory panel that makes policy recommendations to the White House and Congress.

Chinese leaders repeatedly linked the issue of climate change and their complaints over perceived U.S. confrontation on human rights and other issues during Kerry's most recent China trip this month, Kerry told reporters in a call.

The Chinese complained specifically about sanctions the administration has put on China's globally dominant solar panel industry, which the U.S. and rights groups say runs partly on the forced labor of imprisoned Uyghurs.

"My response to them was, 'Hey, look, climate is not ideological, its not partisan, its not a geostrategic weapon or tool, and its certainly not, you know, day-to-day politics,'' said Kerry. He told reporters in a call after the talks that he could only relay China's complaints about the sanctions to Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

China in 2019 pumped out 27% of climate-eroding fossil fuel fumes, more than the rest of the developed world combined. T he United States is the second-worst offender, at 11%.

That makes China central to the world's fast-evaporating hopes of cutting fumes from use of petroleum and coal before catastrophic climate change becomes inevitable and irreversible.

Kerry, the former secretary of state and Biden's global climate envoy, has led repeated calls, online meetings and visits to Chinese officials before November's U.N. climate summit in Scotland. He has urged the Chinese to move faster on steps such as cutting their building, financing and use of dirty-burning coal-fired power plants.

He and others see that summit as a last chance to make significant emissions cuts in time. Climate efforts will also be a theme of leaders at the U.N. General Assembly this coming week.

China under President Xi Jinping has said it will hit peak climate pollution by the end of this decade and then make China climate pollution neutral by 2060, a decade later than the U.S. and other countries have pledged.

As China asserts its economic influence and territorial claims, and tension and competition rise with the United States, Xi and his officials have shown no desire to be seen as following the U.S. line on climate or anything else.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.S. diplomat in a video meeting on Kerry's latest China trip that China-U.S. cooperation on climate change cannot be divorced from the overall situation of China-U.S. relations.''

The U.S. should take positive actions to bring China-U.S. relations back on track, Wang added, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

The Chinese believe that the U.S. needs cooperation from China more than China needs the United States, and like others see the United States as weaker now than in the past, said Bonnie Glaser, an expert on Asia and Asia security matters at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

U.S. global climate objectives in that context are another point of leverage, and they are trying to use that to get the United States to back off some policies they find particularly objectionable, including U.S. pressure on human rights, Glaser said.

Kerry has said no country is as committed to human rights as the United States and that his climate discussions with China's leaders have been constructive.

But there's talk China's pressure on the human rights-climate front is having effect.

An account circulating in China policy and human rights circles in Washington claimed Kerry had a forceful debate with other administration officials on the matter before his most recent China trip. Some claim administration influence in a bipartisan bill on Uyghur forced labor that stalled in the House after easily passing the Senate.

The State Department declined comment on the two matters.

Uyghur and human rights advocates say they believe administration officials are softening their tone on social media and in other public comments on China and human rights.

They point to a White House statement on a call between Xi and Biden on Sept. 9 that made no mention of human rights.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States continues trying to make progress on areas of both shared interest and mutual disputes with China.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who with Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is the main author of the Uyghur forced labor bill, said in a statement that administration officials' single-minded focus on climate led them to downplay the genocide in Xinjiang."

People working to end the genocide are horrified at what we observe" in the administration, said Julie Millsap of the Campaign for Uyghurs advocacy group. No one with knowledge of China would expect a one-off "dialogue using human rights issues as leverage for climate change is going to work," she said.

The standoff is an agonizing one for climate advocates.

Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, hesitated when asked about the matter. She wouldnt trade human rights for emission cuts, she said, but there is a way to do both.

Asked how, Clarkson said, I dont tell John Kerry how to do his job. But of course, its important we hang on to the fundamental principles.

___

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
ATHENS, Greece (AP)  Against the backdrop of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the top U.S. military officer is meeting in Greece with NATO counterparts this weekend, hoping to forge more basing, intelligence sharing and other agreements to prevent terrorist groups from regrouping and threatening America and the region.

Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the meeting of NATO defense chiefs will focus in part on the way ahead now that all alliance troops have pulled out of Afghanistan and the Taliban are in control.

Milley, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and American intelligence officials have warned that al-Qaida or the Islamic State group could regenerate in Afghanistan and pose a threat to the United States in one year to two years.

The U.S. military has said it can conduct counterterrorism surveillance and, if necessary, strikes in Afghanistan from over the horizon  meaning from assets based in other countries. But they have made it clear that surveillance flights from bases in the Persian Gulf are long and provide limited time in the air over Afghanistan. So they have talked about seeking basing agreements, overflight rights and increased intelligence-sharing with nations closer to Afghanistan, including some neighbors.

In recent months, however, U.S. officials have reported little progress in any negotiations on any basing agreements.

Milly said he will be talking to his military counterparts to see what the possibilities are and then bring them back to U.S. defense and diplomatic leaders for additional discussions. Then, he said, officials will see what they can turn into a reality.

We are going to talk about over the horizon capabilities and where allies think appropriate that they can make a contribution , were certainly open to that, Milley told reporters traveling with him to Greece. There are opportunities where alliance members may choose to work closely with us on these over the horizon capabilities.

He said allies are concerned about counterterrorism and how to ensure an effective defense against terrorists.

At the opening of the morning session Saturday, NATO military leaders made it clear that avoiding a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan is a key goal for the alliance.

Greece's defense minister, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, told the group that allies must ensure the safety and security of at-risk Afghans who remain in the country and must prevent a humanitarian crisis.

More than 120,000 Americans, Afghans and others were flown out of Afghanistan during the chaotic and massive airlift operation in the days after Kabul, the capital, fell to the Taliban. But thousands more were left behind, with many fleeing to the borders and seeking help from aid agencies and ad hoc groups struggling to find ways out of the country.

Human rights and refugee groups are urging the European Union to step up its help for people trying to flee Afghanistan. The EUs asylum agency said that asylum applications by Afghans numbered 7,300 in July, before the government fell, and that was a 21% increase over June. Almost 1,200 were unaccompanied minors. More than half of asylum applications by Afghans in Europe are rejected.

We are going through a period of significant challenges in Afghanistan, said Panagiotopoulos, adding that a key risk is the migration flow toward Europe. He said allies need to provide support to those countries in the immediate neighborhood and must avoid a migration crisis at our borders.
Texas congressman declares war on electric car charging stations 'I'm about the oil and gas industry,' the freshman congressman said on Fox News.
SEATTLE (AP)  The family of Manuel Ellis, a Black man who died while being restrained by Tacoma police officers who have since been charged criminally, has filed a federal lawsuit over his death.

Attorneys for Ellis sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, and mother, Marcia Carter, filed the civil rights and wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tacoma late Friday against the city of Tacoma, Pierce County and several individual officers.

Neither the city nor the county immediately responded to emails seeking comment.

Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died March 3, 2020, just weeks before George Floyds death triggered a nationwide reckoning on race and policing. Police stopped him while he was walking home from a convenience store with a box of doughnuts and a bottle of water, the complaint noted.

He was deemed suspicious by the officers and they beat, tased, choked, and hogtied him as a result of their false perceptions of Manuel Ellis that are irretrievably linked to his race, the lawsuit said.

Ellis repeatedly told the officers he couldnt breathe as he was restrained. Three officers who were charged in May have pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder or manslaughter.

We will not let Manny be forgotten, attorney Matthew A. Ericksen Sr. said in an email announcing the lawsuit. We are 100% committed to holding people accountable for his killing and doing our best to effect change in Tacoma and the nation.

Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson charged Tacoma police officers Christopher Burbank and Matthew Collins, who are white, with second-degree murder after witnesses reported that they attacked Ellis without provocation.

Officer Timothy Rankine, who is Asian, faces a charge of first-degree manslaughter. He is accused of kneeling on Ellis back and shoulder as Ellis repeatedly told them he couldnt breathe, according to a probable cause statement filed in Pierce County Superior Court.

The Pierce County medical examiner called Ellis death a homicide because of a lack of oxygen caused by restraint, with an enlarged heart and methamphetamine intoxication as contributing factors.

The death made Ellis name synonymous with pleas for justice at protests in the Pacific Northwest. His final words  I cant breathe, sir!  were captured by a home security camera, as was the retort from one of the officers: Shut the (expletive) up, man.

Ellis, who loved playing drums in his church band and had reportedly been doing well in the months before his death, had a history of mental illness and addiction. In September 2019, he was found naked after trying to rob a fast food restaurant. A sheriffs deputy subdued him with a Taser after he refused to remain down on the ground and charged toward law enforcement.

His family's lawsuit said it was seeking immense damages, but it did not include a specific amount. The family previously suggested it was seeking $30 million.

The officers charged in his death could face up to life in prison if convicted. But the standard sentencing range is 10 to 18 years for second-degree murder with no prior criminal history and 6.5 to 8.5 years for manslaughter.

The officers have been released on bond pending their trials.
Every night in yet another house in Afghanistans capital, a U.S. green card-holding couple from California take turns sleeping, with one always awake to watch over their three young children so they can flee if they hear the footsteps of the Taliban.

Theyve moved seven times in two weeks, relying on relatives to take them in and feed them. Their days are an uncomfortable mix of fear and boredom, restricted to a couple of rooms where they read, watch TV and play The Telephone Game in which they whisper secrets and pass them on, a diversion for the children that has the added benefit of keeping them quiet.

All of it goes on during the agonizing wait for a call from anybody who can help them get out. A U.S. State Department official contacted them several days ago to tell them they were being assigned a case worker, but they havent heard a word since. They tried and failed to get on a flight and now are talking to an international rescue organization.

We are scared and keep hiding ourselves more and more, the mother said in a text message to The Associated Press. Whenever we feel breathless, I pray.

Through messages, emails and phone conversations with loved ones and rescue groups, AP has pieced together what day-to-day life has been like for some of those left behind after the U.S. militarys chaotic withdrawal -- that includes U.S. citizens, permanent U.S. resident green-card holders and visa applicants who aided U.S. troops during the 20-year war.

Those contacted by AP -- who are not being identified for their own safety -- described a fearful, furtive existence of hiding in houses for weeks, keeping the lights off at night, moving from place to place, and donning baggy clothing and burqas to avoid detection if they absolutely must venture out.

All say they are scared the ruling Taliban will find them, throw them in jail, perhaps even kill them because they are Americans or had worked for the U.S. government. And they are concerned that the Biden administrations promised efforts to get them out have stalled.

When the phone rang in an apartment in Kabul a few weeks ago, the U.S. green card holder who answered -- a truck driver from Texas visiting family -- was hopeful it was the U.S. State Department finally responding to his pleas to get him and his parents on a flight out.

Instead, it was the Taliban.

We wont hurt you. Lets meet. Nothing will happen, the caller said, according to the truck driver's brother, who lives with him in Texas and spoke to him afterwards. The call included a few ominous words: We know where you are.

That was enough to send the man fleeing from the Kabul apartment where he had been staying with his mother, his two teenage brothers and his father, who was in particular danger because he had worked for years for a U.S. contractor overseeing security guards.

They are hopeless, said the brother in Texas. They think, Were stuck in the apartment and no one is here to help us.' Theyve been left behind.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testified to Congress this past week that the U.S. government had urged U.S. citizens and green cards holders to leave Afghanistan since March, even offering to pay for their flights.

Blinken said the U.S. government does not track U.S. green card holders in Afghanistan but he estimated several thousand remain in the country, along with about 100 U.S. citizens. He said the U.S. government was still working to get them out.

As of Friday, at least 64 American citizens and 31 green card holders have been evacuated since the U.S. military left last month, according to the State Department. More were possibly aboard a flight from Mazar-e-Sharif on Friday, but the administration did not release figures.

Neither the U.S. nor the Taliban have offered a clear explanation why so few have been evacuated.

That is hardly encouraging to another green card holder from Texas, a grandmother who recently watched from a rooftop as militants pulled up in a half-dozen police cars and Humvees to take over the house across the street.

The Taliban. The Taliban, she whispered into the phone to her American son in a Dallas suburb, a conversation the woman recounted to the AP. The women and kids are screaming. Theyre dragging the men to the cars.

She and her husband, who came to Kabul several months ago to visit relatives, are now terrified that the Taliban will not only uncover their American ties but those of their son back in Texas, who had worked for a U.S. military contractor for years.

Her son, who is also not being named, says he called U.S. embassy officials in Kabul several times before it shut down, filled out all the necessary paperwork, and even enlisted the help of a veterans group and members of Congress.

He doesnt know what more he can do.

What will we do if they knock on the door? the 57-year-old mother asked on one of her daily calls. What will we do?

Nothing is going to happen, replied the son.

Asked in a recent interview if he believed that, the son shot back, exasperated, What else am I supposed to tell her?

The Taliban government has promised to let Americans and Afghans with proper travel documents leave the country and to not retaliate against those who helped the United States. But U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said there is evidence they are not keeping their word. She warned Monday that the country had entered a new and perilous phase," and cited credible reports of reprisal killings of Afghan military members and allegations of the Taliban hunting house-to-house for former government officials and people who cooperated with U.S. military and U.S. companies.

AP reporters in Afghanistan are not aware of any U.S. citizens or green card holders being picked up or arrested by the Taliban. But they have confirmed that several Afghans who worked for the previous government and military were taken in for questioning recently and released.

The California family, which includes a 9-year-old girl and two boys, ages 8 and 6, say they have been on the run for the past two weeks after the Taliban knocked on the door of their relatives apartment asking about the Americans staying there.

The family moved to Sacramento four years ago after the mother got a special immigrant visa because she worked for U.S.-funded projects in Kabul promoting womens rights. Now, the mother says both she and her daughter have been wearing burqas each time they move to their next prison-home.

The father, who worked as an Uber driver, has been having panic attacks as they wait for help.

I dont see the U.S. government stepping in and getting them out anytime soon, said the childrens elementary school principal, Nate McGill, who has been exchanging daily texts with the family.

Distraction has become the mothers go-to tool to shield her children from the stress. She quizzes them on what they want to do when they get back to California and what they want to be when they grow up.

Their daughter hopes to become a doctor someday, while their sons say they want to become teachers.

But distraction is not always enough. After a relative told the daughter that the Taliban were taking away small girls, she hid in a room and refused to come out until her dad puffed himself up and said he could beat the Taliban, making her laugh.

The mother smiled, hiding her fear from her daughter, but later texted her principal.

This life is almost half-death.

___

Condon reported from New York, Watson from San Diego. Kathy Gannon in Kabul and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
He finds himself in a house in Kabul. Its his parents home, he thinks, though it looks different than he remembers. He hears a commotion outside, steps through the front door. Dark clouds block the sun. The Taliban has flooded the city, and the fighters know who he is: To them, he is a traitor. His legs and arms are stone. He opens his mouth, but the scream catches in his throat. Gunmen surround him, grab him by the elbows and drag him away. This is the end, he knows, and he can do nothing to stop it.

It goes this way every time. Then he wakes up.

The night the Taliban surrounded Kabul, Aug. 14, Ajmal sat in his Tampa home and typed out an email to a high-ranking U.S. Army official.

He knew how busy the official was, he began. He hadnt wanted to bother him. But nothing else was working.

Sir, recently the news from Afghanistan is nothing but disappointment, he wrote. Unfortunately, my wife and 2 daughters are still in Afghanistan.

For weeks, the U.S. had been withdrawing from his home country, where it had waged war for 20 years. As the Taliban overran city after city, Ajmal had sought a path to America for his wife and girls, ages 3 and 1. His wife had applied for a visa in 2017, he wrote, and been waiting ever since. Two of his brothers, two of his sisters and their families still lived in Kabul, too.

His wife hadnt worked with the U.S. military or government, unlike many of the hundreds of thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country. But Ajmal, 36, reminded the official of his own service: He started as an interpreter in 2003, when he was a scrawny teenager. After six years working alongside American soldiers, he moved to the U.S. on a visa, joined the Army Reserve and became a citizen. (The Tampa Bay Times is withholding Ajmals last name and the names of his family to protect the safety of those still in Afghanistan.)

What Ajmal left unwritten was that his proud service now made him even more afraid. He had always defended the war: He acknowledged its toll, thousands dead, but he also pointed to the expansion of womens rights, economic growth, modern technology. His own role in the conflict had led him to a more stable life than hed imagined as a child.

But if Kabul fell, his service would place his family in danger from a Taliban seeking retribution against those whod aided the U.S.

He sent the email and drifted off to sleep.

Early the next morning, his phone rang with a video call from his wife. When he answered, he saw the view from her balcony: Trucks rolled down a city street, white flags billowing from their tailgates.

The Taliban had invaded Kabul while he slept. The first neighborhood it took was his familys.

Waiting

Three days after the fall of Kabul, Ajmal had typed so many emails and text messages his fingers felt stiff. He couldnt remember if hed eaten breakfast. His appetite was gone, anyway.

A half-hour drive south, a four-bedroom house sat nearly empty with an American flag flying over the driveway. Ajmal bought it a few years ago. He rented it out for a while to supplement what he made in the Reserve, government jobs and a small translation business he ran on the side.

More than income, the house was a promise to himself that he would someday make a home. As an interpreter, he came of age in American military culture but was, at least initially, an outsider among troops. In the U.S., he moved from base to base, job to job. He considered himself more American than Afghan, but he could never be at home without his family.

The house needed work, and he needed something to do. As he waited for news, he went to Lowes and picked out pale pink paint for his daughters room.

Meanwhile, in the apartment building where Ajmals whole family lived, his brothers grew their beards, stowed their jeans and donned traditional clothing. The women in the family had always worn hijabs, but now they added burqas, the full-body veils Ajmal knew they found imprisoning. The older brother did the grocery shopping for two dozen family members. Their survival depended on their ability to fade into the background.

For days, the family had been unable to access its bank account. Ajmals older brother confided that he feared their savings were gone.

The family mostly kept to the apartment even in more stable times  they worried about suicide bombings and, as a family of some means, kidnappings. Now even trips to the neighborhood park or the gym were canceled.

The 3-year-old didnt understand why she couldnt go out to ride her bike. All six seasons of her favorite cartoon, a Russian series called Masha and the Bear, only kept her occupied for so long. On the phone that Wednesday night, she begged to come to him.

Why arent we getting on a plane? she asked.

The girls call him baba  daddy. He calls the little one Chubby, for her lingering baby fat, and the older one jigar, a word he loosely translated to my heart.

I need you to be a soldier to them, he told his 24-year-old wife. When you have ranking soldiers under you, no matter how scared you are, you try not to show nobody.

He knew how badly she wanted to get to America: A black belt in karate, shed already made friends in Florida through martial arts groups on social media, even though she spoke little English. He loves her toughness and independence, but she bottles up stress until it bursts. The sight of men with guns terrified her. She couldnt cry in front of the girls, he told her. She couldnt get sick.

He could no longer take his own advice. He knew, for the first time, that she heard the fear in his voice.

Im afraid we will lose the kids

Hope came in the attachments of an email Ajmal received on Aug. 19, four days after the fall. Visas.

He texted his wife. I have good news but you have to call.

She screamed in joy. He stayed on the phone while she filled a bag with food, water, diapers, clothes. The family photo album was too heavy, he told her. They argued. In the end, she left it behind.

She, the girls and both of Ajmals brothers climbed into a taxi. They kept him on the line until they approached the last checkpoint before the airport. They needed to focus on the road, his older brother said. He promised to call as soon as they had news.

An hour passed. Then two. He called her, called again. Four hours. His phone rang.

He heard a wall of noise behind her, his daughters wailing.

Im stuck between thousands of men, she said. Everybodys pushing me. Im afraid we will lose the kids.

The trouble had started when the taxi had to pass through a Taliban checkpoint, she explained. She lied to a soldier and said they were headed to a home on the opposite side of the airport.

If the driver dropped the family at the airport, the soldier warned, he would riddle the cab with bullets upon its return.

The driver refused to go farther. The family got out and walked.

Half an hour later, they found the airport inundated. Concrete walls topped with loops of razor wire met the empty sky. Outside the Abbey Gate, where U.S. forces screened those trying to flee, thousands of people carried paperwork offering some connection to the American government. Everyone had to pass by one window, staffed by one American soldier. Ajmals wife told him she saw a family whod been turned away clinging to the edge of the gate, pleading.

She sent Ajmal a video stream posted to social media from someone else at the airport: A crowd surged outside the gate. In its midst, a uniformed man fired an automatic rifle into the sky. People stumbled backward, tripping over one another. A child screamed.

Some people had slept outside the airport for four nights, they told Ajmals wife. She and the girls were sunburned and dehydrated. The sun was falling, and staying at the airport overnight didnt feel safe. They walked back through the Taliban checkpoints until they could catch a cab home.

It was late morning in Tampa. Ajmal had been up all night. He called his wife and told her to put their older daughter on speakerphone. He asked the one question he thought would cheer her up.

You want to come to Daddy, to America?

Her defeated reply: No.

His older brother called later. The Taliban were killing people trying to get to the airport, he said, searching phones for evidence that they or their families had worked for the Americans.

His brother was the familys great optimist, but he had been at the airport that day, too. He didnt believe theyd have a better chance the next day, or the day after that.

I dont think we can get out, he said.

I may have a lead on that

As Jake Klonoski watched Afghanistan fall from his home in Alexandria, Va., he thought of Ajmal.

They met in 2013, in the western Afghan city of Herat, while working on a survey for natural gas deposits. Klonoski, who had served in the Navy, was a project coordinator for the Department of Defense. Ajmal was an adviser, adept in smoothing the jagged edges of Afghanistan, as Klonoski put it.

While Ajmals job then kept him out of physical danger, the Americans in the field took gunfire. Equipment was set ablaze. The U.S. military, contractors and local residents and officials each had their own agendas. Ajmal understood all sides and conveyed them, translating not just words but cultures and emotions.

Klonoski hadnt kept in touch with Ajmal after he came home in 2014, but he remembered Ajmal telling him about his family in Afghanistan. Klonoski had never repaid Ajmal for, as he saw it, keeping him alive.

Wanted to reach out to see how things were going and if there is anything I could do to help, Klonoski typed into a LinkedIn message window a week after Kabul fell.

Ajmal responded 20 minutes later. His family was eligible for evacuation, he explained. He just couldnt get them to the airport.

I may have a lead on that, Klonoski wrote back.

He had been in touch with an ad-hoc military group  some veterans, some stateside active-duty  informally working to get people out of Afghanistan.

The group bridged a gap left by overwhelmed State Department and U.S. forces, but it had to be choosy, Klonoski warned. It helped that Ajmals daughters were American citizens. As an interpreter, Ajmal had weathered monthlong missions and searched thousands of compounds, taken fire and seen soldiers die. How could the group say no?

Signal

The plan: Ajmals older brother would accompany Ajmals wife and daughters to the gate. Another interpreter, also trying to flee to America with his family, would travel with them after that; he would help Ajmals wife communicate with American troops. They had to get near the U.S. checkpoint and give a signal.

In Kabul, it was a Monday evening, warm and clear. Outside the gate, men turned to stare at new arrivals.

In Tampa, Ajmal paced around the house, his phone dinging with WhatsApp messages from the military group, the interpreter and American personnel on the ground.

His 3-year-old, wearing a pink, flowered shawl and a small frown, rode on the interpreters shoulders. She carried a bundle of balloons in the colors of a sunset.

That was the signal.

It was too conspicuous. The crowd, anticipating an opening, surged toward the gate. People ripped the balloons from the girls hand. Dozens of screaming U.S. soldiers emerged, firing into the air and dropping smoke grenades. When the haze cleared, the family was gone.

Ajmals phone rang. His brother was crying.

There was a huge stampede, he said. I cant find them.

Ajmals body revolted. His feet gave out, and he steadied himself on a chair. His throat burned. He must have done something awful, he thought, to earn Gods wrath.

Dont do it to my family, he prayed. Ill take it myself. Just dont do it.

He sent a panicked message to the group chat. Anger welled up in him. Time crawled. His phone dinged: a photo.

His wife stared at the camera, her eyes huge. His baby girl rested on the meager luggage theyd carried, her head swiveling in confusion. His 3-year-old looked away, one of her favorite yellow shoes propped in front of her, the other missing.

They were terrified and disheveled and alive.

Refugees

After a night in the airport, they were supposed to go to Uganda.

The group whod arranged the evacuation had gotten Ajmals wife and kids seats on a chartered flight. Instead, a group of Marines rushed them onto a military cargo plane bound for Qatar. The plane was packed so tightly, Ajmals wife couldnt move her feet.

In Qatar, his wife found hangars and tents filled with thousands of people, all claiming spots on the floor with what few belongings theyd carried. Refugees waited hours in line for toilets or food. When she stepped out of the tent, she stared at the ground to avoid feces.

On the first night, Ajmals wife sent him a picture from inside the tent. Masses of sleeping people, many men, surrounded his family.

On the second day, she told him about a crush of refugees running toward a flight departing for Europe.

Everybodys so sick and tired of this place, she said. We all want to go to Germany.

Germanys not home for us, he responded. Youll have the same problems there.

On the third day, she waited in line for two hours for food and water. Men pushed past her, and she returned empty-handed. On the phone, his 3-year-old begged for rice.

I will buy you so much rice when you get here, he said.

Hed subsisted for days on water and coffee. In his kitchen, he cracked eggs and cooked a vegetable omelet. He carried it to the table.

He couldnt stop thinking, though, about something his wife had said: I wish I was still in Afghanistan.

He picked up his plate and took his meal, untouched, back to the kitchen.

Scattered

Ajmals brothers and sisters, their spouses and children remained in Kabul. Ajmals older brother had barely survived an attack in his office two years earlier, when a group of Taliban fighters beat him with the butts of their guns and strangled him with rope. All the siblings had worked with the U.S. government, and as the deadline for the U.S. withdrawal ticked down to a week, Ajmal grew more anxious.

The same group agreed to arrange missions to get the rest of them out. On Aug. 24, with a similar plan but a more subtle signal  baseball caps instead of balloons  Ajmals younger brother and his wife and sons made it into the airport. A day later, they landed in Kuwait.

Attempts to evacuate the rest of the family were thwarted by bomb threats and dense crowds at the airport. On Aug. 26, a pair of suicide bombings, attributed to ISIS-K, killed more than 100 people and sapped Ajmal of hope.

The same day, Ajmals wife and daughters boarded a plane in Qatar. The crew told them they were bound for America. Instead, they let everyone off in Germany.

They were still trying to reach America four days later, the day the U.S. military officially left Kabul. Ajmals younger brother had landed in Texas with his family. The rest of the family, 19 terrified people, had fled to the north, where they hoped to hide out while finding a way over the border.

Ajmals family was scattered across three continents  safe, in danger, in flux. His home country, he thought, now lay in the rubble of a shattered promise.

He still believed in the American people, the American dream. Toward the American government, he felt betrayal.

Homecoming

Ajmal sat cross-legged on the terminal floor, the balloons hed bought at an airport kiosk floating overhead. I Love You, one said. The others: USA. He kept looking at the blue privacy curtain, the last border.

Youll be the first person they see, one of the volunteers helping the evacuees reassured him.

It was Friday, Sept. 3, nearly three weeks after the fall of Kabul. At Dulles International Airport outside Washington, D.C., six hours rolled past, but they felt like nothing. He could wait a little longer.

Then the curtain shifted, and he stood, and his wife buried her face in his neck, her bracelets rattling against his back. Ive got it from here, he said into her ear. His older daughter threw her arms around him, closed her eyes. The younger one had been 3 months old the last time he saw her. Now, her curly hair was almost to her shoulders.

At the airport Comfort Inn, they showered and ordered Persian take-out. Ajmal ate two meals. The girls jumped on the beds until they fell over in sudden sleep.

Thank God, his wife kept saying. Our own place.

They flew to Tampa the next night, and in the morning, they drove to the house in the suburbs. It was still a work in progress. They would have to paint the living room, cut the thick grass in the backyard. They would need a bed to replace the master suites lonely armchair, where Ajmal had drifted some nights into fitful sleep. But he could see it as it would be, smoke rising from barbecues and a family cat weaving between their legs and the promise that he could wake in the morning and know exactly where everyone was.

They passed under the American flag and into their home, imperfect and safe and more than just a dream.

How to help

Ajmals wife and daughters arent the only people landing in Tampa Bay after fleeing Afghanistan. Groups helping resettle refugees from Afghanistan and elsewhere are looking for donations and support, including landlords willing to work with them on rental housing. Here are some of them:
AMES, Iowa (AP)  An 57-year-old Iowa man has been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing his roommate during a fight over the cost of a video game.

David Sean Hunter, of Ames, was sentenced Friday for first-degree murder in the November 2019 death of 37-year-old Christopher Swalwell, The Ames Tribune reports.

The stabbing happened after Hunter gave Swalwell his credit card information in order to create an account for a game on Swalwells Xbox. While Hunter thought the charge would be $1, the charge was actually $15.99.

Assistant Story County attorney Tiffany Meredith said Hunter was so angry over the charge that he went to confront Swalwell in his room. When Swalwell responded that he was sleeping, Meredith said that Hunter brought in a kukri machete and picked a fight.

Swalwell sustained around 40 hits from the knife, according to the state medical examiner.

Swalwells mother, Nancy Croker, said in a statement that was read in court that her son was butchered" over nothing.

Sixteen miserable dollars, Croker lamented.

Hunter immediately appealed. His attorney Christopher Kragnes had argued in court Friday that his client has always said he acted in self-defense.

Hes not denying that Mr. Swalwell died at his hands, he has just maintained that he was justified," Kragnes said.
HONOLULU (AP)  Adoptive family members of a missing Hawaii girl have been fully cooperative with police and consented to a full-day search of their home, an attorney for them said in a statement.

Isabella Kalua was last seen asleep Sunday night in her home in Waimanalo, on the eastern end of the island of Oahu, Honolulu police said.

Volunteers from across the island, along with city, state, federal and military agencies, have been searching for the girl. On Thursday, a garbage bag containing items was found in a canal.

It is too premature to say whether the items are related to this investigation, Lt. Deena Thoemmes of the Criminal Investigation Division, said Friday. She didn't disclose what items were in the bag.

Sonny Kalua said he and Lehua Kalua adopted the girl in January. He said detectives have instructed the family not to speak with reporters.

The statement from attorney William Harrison said he and police instructed them not to communicate about the case because the family has received blocked telephone messages and anonymous social media death threats.

That's also why they have been instructed to stay home and not participate in the search, so as not to detract from the efforts and for safety concerns," Harrison said. In their place other family members have been out assisting in the search and bringing food and water, paid for by the Kalua family, to help in the effort.

The Kalua family allowed police to retrieve electronic data from home cameras and door equipment, Harrison said.

Thoemmes said police haven't been able to contact some friends and family members.

There are too many unanswered questions to rule out foul play, she said.

Harrison noted that Isabella has been home-schooled for two years. A state Department of Education spokeswoman said Isabella attended kindergarten at Waimanalo Elementary last school year via distance learning. In June, the adoptive parents filed paperwork to withdraw her to home-school her, said Nanea Kalani, a spokeswoman for the department.

The Kaluas are extremely grieved by the situation and have not given up hope for finding Isabella, Harrison said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP)  A judge has opted against prison time for a Kentucky man who pleaded guilty to shipping low-level nuclear waste to a Kentucky landfill without proper labeling.

A federal judge handed down a five-year probation sentence Wednesday for Cory David Hoskins, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Hoskins pleaded guilty in February to two charges punishable by up to five years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

Mail fraud charges related to checks for shipping the waste were dismissed within the plea deal, the newspaper reported.

Hoskins company, TENORM, contracted to haul and dispose of oil and gas industry waste in 2015 and 2016, his plea agreement says.

He arranged to ship the waste from West Virginia to the Blue Ridge Landfill in Estill County, which was not rated to handle it, the agreement says.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tashena Fannin wrote in a sentencing memorandum that testing so far hasn't shown any damage from the waste, the newspaper reported.

Fannin added that the landfill, the workers who hauled it or worked around it, and the residents of Estill County are left with concerns about whether harm will manifest in the future."

Hoskins agreed to pay $25,000 to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, court records show.
OFALLON, Mo.  A Missouri cave containing Native American artwork from more than 1,000 years ago was sold at auction this week, disappointing leaders of the Osage Nation who hoped to buy the land to protect and preserve our most sacred site.

A bidder agreed to pay $2.2 million to private owners for whats known as Picture Cave, along with the 43 hilly acres that surround it near the town of Warrenton, about 60 miles west of St. Louis.

Bryan Laughlin, director of Selkirk Auctioneers & Appraisers, the St. Louis-based firm handling the auction, said the winning bidder declined to be named. A St. Louis family thats owned the land since 1953 mainly had used it for hunting.

The cave was the site of sacred rituals and burying of the dead. It also has more than 290 prehistoric glyphs, or hieroglyphic symbols used to represent sounds or meanings, making it the largest collection of indigenous peoples polychrome paintings in Missouri, according to the auction website.

Thats exactly why Carol Diaz-Granados opposed the sale. She and her husband, James Duncan, spent 20 years researching the cave and wrote a book about it. Duncan is a scholar in Osage oral history, and Diaz-Granados is a research associate in the anthropology department at Washington University in St. Louis.

Auctioning off a sacred American Indian site truly sends the wrong message, Diaz-Granados said. Its like auctioning off the Sistine Chapel.

The Osage Nation, in a statement, called the sale truly heartbreaking.

Our ancestors lived in this area for 1300 years, the statement read. This was our land. We have hundreds of thousands of our ancestors buried throughout Missouri and Illinois, including Picture Cave.

The cave features drawings of people, animals, birds and mythical creatures. Diaz-Granados said various means were used to create the art. Charred botanical material was used to draw. For one depiction of a mythical being, the artist created a white figure by scraping off the brown sandstone.

Diaz-Granados said the intricate details set the Missouri cave apart from other sites with ancient drawings.

You get stick figures in other rock art sites, or maybe one little feather on the top of the head, or a figure holding a weapon, she said. But in Picture Cave you get actual clothing details, headdress details, feathers, weapons. Its truly amazing.

Years ago, analytical chemists from Texas A&M used pigment samples to determine the drawings were at least 1,000 years old.

The cave has other history, too, Laughlin said. European explorers visited in the 1700s and wrote the ship captains name and names of some crew members on the walls. Its also the year-round home to endangered Indiana gray bats.

Laughlin said there are plenty of reasons to believe the cave will remain both protected and respected. For one, he said, Selkirk vetted potential buyers.

Then theres the law.

Missouri Revised Statute 194.410 states that any person or entity that knowingly disturbs, destroys, vandalizes, or damages a marked or unmarked human burial site commits a class D felony. The statute also makes it a felony to profit from cultural items obtained from the site.

Finally, theres the location.

You cant take a vehicle and just drive up to the cave. You have to actually trek through the woods to higher ground and enter through a 3-foot-by-3-foot opening, Laughlin said.

Diaz-Granados is holding out hope that the new owner will donate it to the Osage Nation.

Thats their cave, she said. Thats their sacred shrine, and it should go back to them.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP)  Mourners in California said prayers and their final goodbyes Saturday to three Marines killed in last months bombing in Afghanistan.

Family and friends of Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui packed a church in Riverside to celebrate the life of the 20-year-old Marine from Norco.

He was one of 13 U.S. troops killed in a horrific suicide bombing at Afghanistans Kabul airport, which also claimed the lives of more than 160 Afghans, on Aug. 26.

Nikoui sent videos to his family hours before he died, showing himself interacting with children in Afghanistan.

Phil Wozniak, pastor of Grace Fellowship Church Norco, said Nikoui pulled three families to safety and went back to the airport to rescue a child when the bomb went off.

It didnt surprise me that those were his last moments, his sister Shyler Chappell said.

She said her brother had wanted to become a Marine for as long as I can remember and went on to join the Junior ROTC at his high school.

At a memorial service in Palm Springs for Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, mourners noted his final heroic act  rescuing children from a rioting mob before the blast took his life.

He died a hero saving the lives of those he did not know, Riverside County Sheriffs Lt. Tim Brause said.

Lopez was part of a special crisis response team sent to provide security and help U.S. State Department officials evacuate thousands of Americans and Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban as the 20-year war drew to a close, the Riverside Press Enterprise reported.

He had planned to follow in the footsteps of his parents and embark on a career in law enforcement after his military deployment. As a teen, he had been in the Explorer program at the Riverside County Sheriffs Department, where his mother is a deputy and his father is a captain.

Our family is overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and condolences weve received in the wake of Hunters sudden passing, the parents said in a statement. Please know that Hunter wore the United States Marine uniform with love and pride, and it is very apparent that the community will never forget his sacrifice and our family.

In Northern California, the aunt of Sgt. Nicole Gee remarked on the iconic photo of her niece cradling an Afghan baby in her arms. Cheryl Juels told mourners gathered in a Roseville church that the image was taken near the end of a long, sleep-deprived shift, when someone handed Gee a baby to comfort.

To calm the baby down amid the chaos at the airport, Gee blew softly on the little girls face and smiled at her.

She loved that she was making a difference, and she honestly wouldve given her life for that one single baby, Juels said.
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP)  Shannon Magenheimer has become the princess she always dreamed about.

As a child on trips to the county seat from the family farm in Longshop, Magenheimer said she would imagine a magical life in The Oaks mansion, long a centerpiece of the downtown historic district at East Main and Park streets.

I thought a princess lived here, Magenheimer said.

Home from a long stint in the Pacific Northwest with husband and Oregon native Jason, Magenheimer has reopened The Oaks Victorian Inn.

The couple spent months meticulously cleaning the ornate original interior, from its grand central oak staircase to every inch of its five reconfigured and updated guest suites. They have upgraded the HVAC system, replaced a rooftop deck and staircase, revitalized the landscaping and refurbished a detached cottage and sitting area, which also is available for guests.

The pair lives on the third floor with a view over the neighborhood.

Theyre even managing a koi pond, featuring two outsized gentlemen named Pepion and Milton  the latter after a beloved boss who died, Magenheimer said.

I never thought I could get attached to a fish, but this guy has just been so entertaining, she said. Hes like a puppy.

The Magenheimers have a long history in Montgomery County. Not only is Shannon from here originally, together the couple founded New River Coffee Company in 2002, which had locations in the mall and what is today LewisGale Montgomery Hospital.

They sold that business  which continues to operate in the Uptown Mall  when Shannon got offered a job at a resort in Washington state. Jason eventually took a position at a high-end boutique hotel in downtown Bend, Oregon, where he worked for a dozen years in luxury hospitality.

Theyve brought their extensive hospitality experience to The Oaks, where Jason has instituted a soap menu for guests featuring artisan products imported from Oregon.

A pillow menu is also in the works, so guests can choose what will give them the best nights sleep, he said. And The Oaks has its own custom bathrobes made for plush comfort.

Jason can still pull an excellent espresso shot, too  a service he provides for guests. The Oaks serves a cafe menu breakfast with baked goods and gourmet coffee roasted by Brugh Coffee in Christiansburg, all made fresh on the premises and delivered to the rooms.

The idea is to work with as many local businesses as possible, Jason said. And to build relationships with the guests.

The coffee shop proved it, right? Jason said. I think we built our clientele on just relationship building ... because people were coming into the hospital for coffee. Who goes to the hospital for a cup of coffee?

Built between 1889-93 by William H. Pierce, The Oaks Queen Anne Victorian mansion is the oldest house in its present-day historic neighborhood. And it is the only structure left there dating to the 19th century, according to the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Originally sitting on a 5-acre lot, the Oaks today is surrounded by 1.2 acres. The Pierce family occupied the house until 1981, naming it after the 10 or so original white oak trees that graced the property. Today four remain.

Pierce was a large landowner and well-known figure in Montgomery County, founding the Pierce Insurance Agency and serving in Rotary, according to the Montgomery Museum of Art and History.

The house was named a state and national historical landmark in 1994.

Past owners Tom and Margaret Ray converted the house into a bed and breakfast in 1989. Other owners ran it until the Magenheimers purchased it in May for $755,000, according to town land records.

The couple said bookings have been growing by word of mouth since they opened in late summer, with some important Virginia Tech dates already filled up.

For more information, visit https://theoaksvictorianinn.com.
MANHEIM, Pa. (AP)  Mark Heller, of Manheim, wanted to paddle 444 miles down the Susquehanna River for a sense of adventure.

A year of COVID-19 claustrophobia and a similar yearning for exploration did it for the Rev. John Laughlin, a Millersville resident and pastor of Salem United Methodist Church in Manheim.

Follow the exploits, adventures and journey of four guys who want to do something a bit bigger than themselves, wrote Todd Roy, of East Petersburg, who created the trip and is founder of the Conestoga River Club.

Like hiking the Appalachian Trail, plenty of people have paddled the length of the Susquehanna from Cooperstown, New York, to Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the mouth of the mighty Chesapeake Bay. Thats hardly the point. Its about finding and testing oneself and the community that unfolds along the way.

So on the crystal clear morning of May 15, five men in colorful, single touring kayaks set off across Otsego Lake and disappeared down a ribbon of water that would gather strength across three states. But first, they would navigate the rivers North Branch.

Within a half-mile, they had the first of 13 sometimes arduous and tricky portages around dams. The last three on the lower Susquehanna, Safe Harbor, Holtwood and Conowingo, the utilities drove them around.

Their strongest memories of the rivers first tentative stretch was gin-clear water where the bottom, even 12 feet or so below, always was visible.

This might be a good point to dispel the notion that a 444-mile trip downstream on the Susquehanna is an effortless tubing float. There were days of no current, white caps and face-first wind that made progress a draining workout.

This was not a casual sojourn, Laughlin says.

But most days were spent in a reverie as the men contemplated what it must have been like for early settlers and Native Americans plowing these same waters in birch bark and dugout canoes. Spring had not yet sprung in upstate New York, but later they glided past phlox blooming on the shore and locust trees coming to life with their yellow-green coats.

They had read Jack Brubakers Down the Susquehanna to the Chesapeake and knew of the logging, coal mining and many other uses that would enlist the river through the centuries.

After a tentative first few days, they found their paddling legs and rhythm and for the rest of the 18-day journey moved across the water at 5 mph  up to 39 miles a day. At night, they would find a river island, cut down the grass with a sickle and pitch tents. At first they built wood fires to cook their freeze-dried meals but switched to a gas stove to reduce their impact.

From the islands, they were lulled to sleep by the murmur of water and watched the stars at night. Often they were not alone. One morning, a buck on an island snorted them awake. On the tip of an island near Mehoopany, they saw a black bear.

A few times they walked into a town for a hearty meal. Once they called and ordered delivery pizza, but workers were too suspicious to deliver it when asked to take it to rivers edge. Their best meal: a burger and a beer. One day, when he felt his energy reserves were getting low, Laughlin bought and ate an entire box of Capn Crunch cereal.

On day three, Roy had to drop out for health and boat issues. His friend who had accompanied him, Nick Yorty, of Pittsburgh, also left. Joe Haney, a York County man who had learned about the trip on Facebook, completed his predetermined section and soon Laughlin and Heller were alone.

We looked at each other and decided to finish it, Laughlin recalls. Months earlier, he had called Heller, a member of his congregation, to see if he could give sermons on the couple Sundays he would miss. No, Heller replied, I want to go too.

Both men had grown up around rivers. What most worried Laughlin was whether he could sleep in a tent for two weeks.

They found that mans use of the river as an ally and enemy through the centuries is clearly distinguishable. Whats impressive is how much we as humans worked at containing that river, says Heller, 64, a retired landscape architect and telecommunications specialist. There is riprap, canal walls, dikes and what the railroad did to make sure the banks were stable. We seem to fight the river at every turn. They saw acid mine drainage seeping into the river.

People they met along the way were gracious and kind. A restaurant opened an hour early for them. On Poplar Island, off the shore of Middletown, they pulled up on a busy Memorial Day weekend in search of a place to pitch their tents. They were greeted by friendly cottagers, who call themselves the Poplar Island River Rats, offering a beer and an invite to sleep in the yard.

One day, they livestreamed to a fifth grade class where Laughlins daughter is a teacher. They were ready to recount the history of the river but the kids had a more pressing question: where do you go to the bathroom? Answer: In the weeds with a camp shovel. Inquiring young minds also wanted to know how in the world they kept their cellphones charged on the water. Answer: A solar-charging device.

Four of the five paddlers tipped at some point on the trip, usually when encountering trees across the water, known as strainers. But Heller and Laughlin said being on the river was the safest part.

John and I had no worries in the water, Heller notes. I almost hurt myself the eight times I was on land portaging kayaks.

The last few miles of the trip the pair encountered something they did not anticipate going down the Susquehanna: paddling against an incoming tide.

Moving slowly and silently made for incredible wildlife observations on the trip. They saw eagles, osprey, egrets, swallows skimming the surface in front of them, owls, a peregrine falcon, deer, a bear, beaver, muskrat and lots of waterfowl.

Laughlin came to savor being disconnected. It was nice not to listen to any news for 18 days and to be cut off and have quiet time. And to not have the noise of society. Being unplugged was nice, and I am still largely unplugged and enjoy it.

Adds Heller, It was an experience that I cherish  and I dont use that word lightly  and one that makes you want to do it again.

And they are doing it again. They plan to spend 10 days paddling the 228 miles of the West Branch of the Susquehanna.

To follow their journey down the North Branch and the main stem of the Susquehanna in more detail with videos, photos and diary posts, go to the Four guys 444 page on Facebook and mayorheller on Instagram.

___

Online:

https://bit.ly/3nuzqkW
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  One of two men suspected in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in Wisconsin has been arrested in Arizona, authorities said.

Antoine Darnique Suggs, 38, turned himself in to police in Gilbert, Arizona, on Friday and will be extradited to Wisconsin, the Star Tribune reported.

His arrest came two days after St. Paul police arrested Suggs father, 56-year-old Darren Lee McWright, who has been charged with helping hide the victims bodies. There have been no descriptions yet of who shot the victims or where the shootings took place, but authorities said in court documents that Suggs was seen at a St. Paul bar with victim Nitosha Flug-Presley and two of her friends hours before they were found dead along with a fourth victim.

Flug-Presleys mother and aunt told investigators that Suggs had been dating her during visits to St. Paul from his Arizona home, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dunn County (Wisconsin) District Court. The two were last seen together by several witnesses at the White Squirrel bar early Sunday morning, according to the criminal complaint.

Flug-Presleys father, Damone Presley Sr., said Friday that he was relieved to hear the news about Suggs' arrest.

I am excited that he is arrested because it could have been somebody elses family that was going to pay a price for his devilish deeds, he said.

The bodies discovered Sunday afternoon by a local farmer near Wheeler, Wisconsin, were identified as Flug-Presley, 30, Matthew Pettus, 26, Jasmine C. Sturm, 30, and Loyace Foreman III, 35. Each had been shot at least once in the head and left in a black Mercedes driven into a cornfield.

McWright, of St. Paul, was arrested Wednesday and charged with four felony counts of hiding a corpse. Surveillance video taken from a gas station in Wheeler, Wisconsin, showed Suggs and McWright there but in separate cars, one of which was the Mercedes found Sunday.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers set up a ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice" in the building that once housed the Women's Affairs Ministry, escorting out World Bank staffers on Saturday as part of the forced move.

It was the latest troubling sign that the Taliban are restricting women's rights as they settle into government, just a month since they overran the capital of Kabul. During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Separately, three explosions targeted Taliban vehicles in the eastern provincial capital of Jalalabad on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 20, witnesses said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State group's militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS militants would further stretch their resources.

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the women's affairs ministry, announcing it was now the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Staff of the World Bank's $100 million Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program, which was run out of the Women's Affairs Ministry, were escorted off the grounds, said program member Sharif Akhtar, who was among those being removed.

Mabouba Suraj, who heads the Afghan Women's Network, said she was astounded by the flurry of orders released by the Taliban-run government restricting women and girls.

On Friday, the Taliban-run education ministry asked boys from grades six to 12 back to school, starting on Saturday, along with their male teachers. There was no mention of girls in those grades returning to school. Previously, the Taliban's minister of higher education minister, had said girls would be given equal access to education, albeit in gender-segregated settings.

"It is becoming really, really troublesome. ... Is this the stage where the girls are going to be forgotten? Suraj said. I know they dont believe in giving explanations, but explanations are very important.

Suraj speculated that the contradictory statements perhaps reflect divisions within the Taliban as they seek to consolidate their power, with the more pragmatic within the movement losing out to hard-liners among them, at least for now.

Statements from the Taliban leadership often reflect a willingness to engage with the world, talk of open public spaces for women and girls and protecting Afghanistan's minorities. But orders to its rank and file on the ground are contradictory. Instead of what was promised, restrictions, particularly on women, have been implemented.

Suraj, an Afghan American who returned to Afghanistan in 2003 to promote women's rights and education, said many of her fellow activists have left the country.

She said she stayed in an effort to engage with the Taliban and find a middle ground, but until now has not been able to get the hard-line Islamic group's leadership to meet with activists who have remained in the country, to talk with women about the way forward.

We have to talk. We have to find a middle ground, she said.

UNESCO's Director General Audrey Azoulay on Saturday added her voice to the growing concern over the Taliban's limitations on girls after only boys were told to go back to school.

Should this ban be maintained, it would constitute an important violation of the fundamental right to education for girls and women, Azoulay said in a statement upon her arrival in New York for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly.

A former advisor to the women's ministry under the previous Afghan government sent a video message to The Associated Press from her home in Kabul, slamming the Taliban's move to close the ministry.

It is the right of women to work, learn and participate in politics on the national and international stage," said Sara Seerat. Unfortunately, in the current Taliban Islamic Emirate government there is no space in the Cabinet. By closing the women's ministry it shows they have no plans in the future to give women their rights or a chance to serve in the government and participate in other affairs."

Earlier this month the Taliban announced an all-male exclusively Taliban Cabinet but said it was an interim setup, offering some hope that a future government would be more inclusive as several of their leaders had promised.

Also on Saturday, an international flight by Pakistans national carrier left Kabul's airport with 322 passengers on board and a flight by Irans Mahan Air departed with 187 passengers on board, an airport official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said the two international flights departed in the morning. The identities and nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

The flights were the latest to depart Kabul in the past week as technical teams from Qatar and Turkey have worked to get the airport up to standard for international commercial aircraft.

A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic U.S. troop pullout from the country last month. The State Department said Saturday that there were 28 U.S. citizens and seven permanent residents on board the flight from Kabul, and thanked Qatari authorities for their help.

Also Friday night, a flight by Kam Air, Afghanistan's largest private carrier, took off from Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, with 350 passengers on board, according to two employees there.

The flight was headed to Dubai, said the two, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. They said the plane carried foreigners but it was not clear if and how many Americans were on board.

___

Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP)  More than 200 people have marched to the Wichita State University police station to protest the handling of a reported rape in a dormitory.

The Wichita Eagle reports that students gathered Friday at Shocker Hall, where the sexual assault is alleged to have occurred Sept. 12. They then marched to the campus police station. Some carried signs reading We deserve a rape-free campus and WSU, do better.
DEL RIO, Texas (AP)  The U.S. plans to speed up its efforts to expel Haitian migrants on flights to their Caribbean homeland, officials said Saturday as agents poured into a Texas border city where thousands of Haitians have gathered after suddenly crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it moved about 2,000 of the migrants who had gathered under and near a bridge in the border city of Del Rio to other locations on Friday for processing and possible removal from the United States. It also said it would have 400 agents and officers in the area by Monday morning and was prepared to send more if necessary.

The announcement marks a swift response to the sudden arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a city of about 35,000 people that's roughly 145 miles (233 kilometers) west of San Antonio and sits on a relatively remote stretch of border that lacks capacity to hold and process such large numbers of people.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Friday that operational capacity and Haitis willingness to accept flights will determine how many there will be. The official said progress was being made on negotiations with Haitian authorities.

The official said the U.S would likely fly five to eight planes a day, starting Sunday, while another official expected no more than two a day and said all migrants would be tested for COVID-19. Both officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions Friday at the only border crossing between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, to respond to urgent safety and security needs. Travelers were being directed indefinitely to a crossing in Eagle Pass, 57 miles (91 kilometers) away.

Crowd estimates varied, but Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez said Friday that there were about 13,700 new arrivals in Del Rio. Migrants pitched tents and built makeshift shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.

The flight plan, while potentially massive in scale, hinges on how Haitians respond. They might have to decide whether to stay put at the risk of being sent back to an impoverished homeland wracked by poverty and political instability or return to Mexico. Unaccompanied children are exempt from fast-track expulsions.

DHS said our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey.

Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion, the agency wrote. Irregular migration poses a significant threat to the health and welfare of border communities and to the lives of migrants themselves, and should not be attempted.

Stephen Miller, the main architect of former President Donald Trump's hardline policies and a frequent critic of the Biden administration, expressed doubt that Haiti's government would agree to the number of flights for a large-scale operation. He recounted daily calls with U.S. State Department officials last year over Haiti's resistance to flights, with Haiti relenting only under the threat of sanctions.

About 500 Haitians were ordered off buses by Mexican immigration authorities in the state of Tamaulipas, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of the Texas border, the state government said in a news release Friday. They continued toward the border on foot.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating earthquake in 2010. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.

It is unclear how such a large number amassed so quickly, though many Haitians have been assembling in camps on the Mexican side of the border to wait while deciding whether to attempt to enter the United States.

U.S. authorities are being severely tested after Biden quickly dismantled Trump administration policies that Biden considered cruel or inhumane, most notably one requiring asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court hearings.

A pandemic-related order to immediately expel migrants without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum that was introduced in March 2020 remains in effect, but unaccompanied children and many families have been exempt. During his first month in office, Biden chose to exempt children traveling alone on humanitarian grounds.

Mexico has agreed to take in expelled families only from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, creating an opening for Haitians and other nationalities.

Mexico's immigration agency said in a statement Saturday that Mexico has opened a permanent dialogue with Haitian government representatives to address the situation of irregular migratory flows during their entry and transit through Mexico, as well as their assisted return."

The agency didn't specify if it was referring to the Haitians in Ciudad Acuna or to the thousands of others in Tapachula, at the Guatemalan border, and the agency didn't immediately reply to a request for further details. The statement just added that the goal of the new dialogue is to address the causes of migration in Haiti and provide an orderly, safe and regular migration."

In August, U.S. authorities stopped migrants nearly 209,000 times at the border, which was close to a 20-year high even though many of the stops involved repeat crossers because there are no legal consequences for being expelled under the pandemic authority.
Appearing on the set of Real Time for the first time since the California recall election concluded, Bill Maher did not lack for material in his opening monologue. He riffed on the cost of the election itself, Larry Elders political future and the states return to normalcy  which in this case meant an abundance of fires, earthquakes and murders. Also up for discussion was the FDAs advice on COVID-19 booster shots  leading Maher to call them the extended warranty.



Also discussed? Bob Woodward and Robert Costas new book Peril. Mahers description was succinct: Take everything you thought you knew about Donald Trump  and keep thinking it. And the looming rally in Washington, D.C. to support the people who breached the Capitol earlier this year gave Maher plenty to talk about, including some demonstrators concerns over the event.

You knew this would eventually happen right? said Maher. That they would eventually get too paranoid to attend their own paranoid rally.

Anne Applebaum was the episodes first guest. Given that Applebaums recent work has included a book on authoritarian impulses on the political right and a long article about cancel culture for The Atlantic, it seems as though there would be no shortage of topics for the two to discuss. And his first question, given Applebaums areas of expertise, was straightforward, and addressed the recurring refrain from some high-profile Republicans about elections being stolen. How do we get back to a more normal place, Maher wondered.

Applebaum didnt offer any easy answers. She pointed out that pushing back against election results and institutions is a common tactic from authoritarians, and argued that Northern Ireland might be a model of what to look for in terms of finding a way past broad political differences.

In the second half of their conversation, the subject shifted towards cancel culture, with Maher making an argument about the somewhat arbitrary nature of who gets canceled. Charlie Sheen gets a Super Bowl commercial, Maher said. He did a lot worse things than Louis CK. (Maher didnt elaborate, but he was likely referring to this.)

The episodes panel consisted of Dan Save, author (most recently) of Savage Love from A to Z: Advice on Sex and Relationships, Dating and Mating, Exes and Extras, and Gillian Tett, author of Anthro-Vision: A New Way to See in Business and Life. Here the subject returned to the events recounted in Peril regarding the waning days of the Trump administration. Savage argued that Trump had started a Cold Civil War, which was greeted with enthusiastic applause.



From there, the conversation shifted to homelessness  specifically, homelessness in California, and the number of voters in the recall who argued that it was a substantial issue for them. Savage quickly pointed out that the same voters whod say this might also be opposed to multi-family housing in their neighborhoods. And Tett pointed out that homelessness has risen over the decades  and the lack of empathy innate to NIMBYism.

Maher segued from there to a discussion of the Met Gala, where he zeroed in on a specific piece of optics from it. The celebrities attending, he pointed out, were largely unmasked; the staff working on the event were uniformly masked. Theres something about this thats not liberal to me, he said. Savage concurred to a point, noting that it seemed security theater-esque to him  but also pointed out that some masking was better than none at all.



Lets just make the help wear the masks? Thats the liberal approach? Maher said. And Tett agreed that the juxtaposition sent a worrying message.

In the second half of the panel discussion, talk turned to Alexandra Ocasio-Cortezs recent comments on the Texas abortion ban and her use of the phrase people who menstruate. This led to a moment when Savage offered Maher an explanation of why, for instance, trans men could be affected by the ban as well. Maher responded with his recurring theme of is this going to alienate voters; Savage countered that it would not.

And then it came time for New Rules. Maher dubbed the current state of school board meetings as open mic nights for the mentally deranged and invoked the Florida man who caused a car wreck shortly after getting married. The main event, however, found Maher taking on the Texas abortion ban  specifically, the aspect of it that empowered, in his phrase, citizen snitches.

When did West Texas become East Germany? Maher asked. Though he quickly pivoted from there to a broader attack on peoples old tweets and conversations being used against them, citing both Mike Richards and Rachel Nichols as examples. He went on to assail this mindset where everyone is an amateur secret policeman and tattling is a virtue, which he argued was a bipartisan phenomenon  and which he felt distracted from the work of whistleblowers whod taken actual risks over the years. Will that argument hit home with anyone on the political right or left? That remains to be seen.

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Third Eye Blind and frontman Stephan Jenkins will drop their seventh album on Sept. 24. There's also a documentary coming that followed the making of Our Bande Apart.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said the government is exploring ways to make airline operations "viable," as he stressed carriers continue to suffer due to present travel rules.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines, and budget airlines Cebu Pacific and AirAsia Philippines met with government officials two days ago to discuss measures aimed at reviving their businesses, Concepcion said during a virtual briefing Saturday.

"Right now, the mobility of tourism is kinda restricted... We have to make sure our airlines are viable," he said.

Concepcion warned that if the government will continue to implement stringent travel restrictions, airlines may be forced to shut down their operations.

If this were to happen, a negative domino effect will hit the tourism sector given the country's archipelagic state, he added.

"We have no choice but to save our airlines sector," Concepcion said.

He also said airlines wanted the quarantine period for incoming travelers to be cut from 10 days to seven days.

Concepcion earlier called for travel requirements to be eased, especially for domestic trips. Expensive COVID-19 testing and long quarantine periods for international passengers have been considered as problems for travelers.

On Friday, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat said the department is studying the strategy of the Thai government in opening Phuket Island to fully vaccinated foreign tourists while also dropping quarantine rules.

"This is the group that we're trying to help kasi (because) they're in danger right now, the way I see it of business viability," Concepcion said.

Airlines have been bleeding financially, losing billions of pesos in revenues since the pandemic started last year.

Just this month, PAL sought bankruptcy protection in the US, allowing the flag carrier to continue its operations while under restructuring.

READ: Philippine Airlines files for bankruptcy protection as COVID continues to drain financials
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion is hopeful the government can give its go signal for the reopening of gyms in Metro Manila.

In a virtual briefing on Saturday, Concepcion said they have proposed to allow gym operations as the capital is on track to make 80% of its target population fully vaccinated by mid-October.

This, as the government has started testing the COVID-19 alert level system in the National Capital Region, allowing other business establishments to resume limited operations.

READ: EXPLAINER: What you need to know about the COVID-19 alert level system in NCR

Concepcion said the government can impose a 10% limited capacity at gyms, exclusive for fully vaccinated individuals.

On Friday, a group said the government's refusal to keep gyms from operating even for only fully vaccinated individuals is pushing the industry to the brink of death.

Mylene Mendoza-Dayrit, Gold's Gym Philippines president and CEOrepresenting the Philippine Fitness Alliancesaid they expected that the government would implement a "vaccine bubble" and subsequently greenlight the operations of gyms in NCR.

"When we talked to our headquarters in the US for Gold's Gym, we are definitely the worst because we have been closed the longest," she told CNN Philippines' The Exchange.

"We are already going on the 20th month of the quarantine next month and out of which, we are only open for five whole months, so we are really dying here," Dayrit added.

Dayrit also said gym operators are willing to impose two- to three-meter physical distancingjust like what is being practiced in the US and Singapore.

Wearing of face masks will also be strictly implemented, she added.

"We hope that we could start being adaptive and start opening up, even 5% to 10% and continue to operate because what if COVID will not go away?" Dayrit said.

The group earlier said the claim that gyms can trigger a faster spread of the virus has been "debunked by our experience and those of our peers abroad."

"The gyms we represent had more than 600,000 member check-ins in the months we were open, and to date, we had zero club transmissions of the virus!" it said, referring to brands such as Anytime Fitness, Celebrity Fitness, Fitness First, Gold's Gym, Slimmers World, and UFC Gym.

Meanwhile, Concepcion was also bullish that the capacity for restaurants and salons will be increased as more Filipinos secure their coronavirus shots.

"Hopefully, as we move forward this will go up to 30% and eventually 50% moving higher for the vaccinated," Concepcion said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18) The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday appealed to hospitals to submit regular data on their admission rates  as the agency cited challenges faced by the government in obtaining the statistics.

"Ang atin po ngayong challenge is the compliance of hospitals to submitting this emergency room data. So kami po ay nanawagan sa mga hospital na sana, we can regularly get your data on emergency room admissions para maisama po natin ito dito sa ating mga tinitingnan," Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during the government's Laging Handa briefing.

[Translation: Our challenge now is the compliance of hospitals in submitting this emergency room data. So we're calling on our hospitals that hopefully, we can regularly get your data on emergency room admissions so we can add these to our database.]

Vergeire made the comment in response to the statement of medical group Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19, which raised concerns on supposed insufficient hospital admissions data  one deciding factor in the government's new COVID-19 alert level system.

The Health official said the government faces a big task as it takes into consideration all healthcare centers around the country.

"Ang ating (Our) health professionals, they look at their specific hospitals. We look at the whole country. So pagkaganito, 'yung challenges, napakadami po (Because of this, we have more challenges)," Vergeire noted.

RELATED: DOH eyes standard metric for hospital occupancy rate under alert levels

The DOH on Saturday reported 23,134 new infections  the second highest single-day tally  pushing the total COVID-19 cases in the country to 2,347,550.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  Former Commission on Audit (COA) chairperson Grace Pulido-Tan raised "red flags" in the transaction between the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) and Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation.

In an online webinar, Pulido-Tan questioned the agency's procedures in dealing with the firm.

Citing information from the Senate investigation, she asked why the PS-DBM allowed Pharmally to deliver face masks when there was no notice of award yet.

"Why should there be a delivery? And why did the agency accept the delivery when there was not even an approval to purchase? Or a decision to purchase? Bakit inanticipate nung nagdeliver na yun na yun? Diba? Red flag yun. So kung itutuloy-tuloy yung audit na yun we would see the red flags," Pulido-Tan said.

[Translation: Why would the supplier who made the delivery anticipate that the deal was done? Right? That's a red flag. So if the audit would continue, then we would see the red flags.]

Former budget undersecretary Lloyd Lao and Pharmally official Krizle Mago revealed that 500,000 face masks were delivered the same day a request for quotation was made.

RELATED: Senators quiz Pharmally's supposed same-day delivery of 500,000 face masks

The former COA chief also questioned why there was a need for the 'Bayanihan' laws to exempt certain provisions in the procurement law, when there are existing rules for emergencies.

"Hindi naman palaging kailangan ang bidding because there are certain exemptions. For example, if it is an emergency purchase, hindi kailangan ng bidding kasi mahabang proseso yang bidding eh. Bakit hindi nalang nila ginamit yun?" she said.

[Translation: Bidding is not always needed because there are certain exemptions. For example, if it's an emergency purchase, you don't need bidding anymore because it's a lengthy process. Why didn't they just use this?]

Pulido-Tan, however, reiterated the need to follow minimum standards in procurement.

COA chairperson Michael Aguinaldo told House lawmakers, the resident auditor of PS-DBM is looking into the issues raised in the Senate hearings.

He said a report on the government's deals with Pharmally can be expected in a month.

Pulido-Tan also asked why the Department of Health (DOH) turned to the PS-DBM to buy medical supplies for pandemic response when it has its own procurement service.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said they acted "out of urgency" and in accordance with the law.

Further audit needed on DOH, PS-DBM deals?

Pulido-Tan said a fraud audit may be opened if there are indications or "badges" of fraud in transactions or deals involving government funds.

Based on a January 2020 circular, any person, government agency or official, or the Office of the Ombudsman can file a complaint or request for fraud audits.

The former COA chief said auditors can make the recommendation to open a fraud audit.

Before taking action, COA will evaluate requests if they fulfill the following requisites:

1. They must be in writing whether paper or electronic form

2. They must allege fraudulent or anomalous disbursement or receipt of public funds and/or use of government property

3. The transactions involved must be described sufficiently

4. They must not merely solicit a general audit of all transactions of the agency complained of

READ: COA Circular 2020-005

COA will endorse its fraud audit report to the Office of the Ombudsman or Justice Department/Prosecution Service for further evaluation and filing of complaints.

CNN Philippines is reaching out to Aguinaldo to clarify if they have received such requests.

Ex-COA chief on issue of 'overpricing'

Pulido-Tan echoed the statement of her successor on the purchase of allegedly overpriced face masks and face shields.

"There was nothing in the report that mentioned overprice. One of the issues really was inventory management," Aguinaldo earlier made the clarification before House lawmakers.

RELATED: COA chief: Audit report on PS-DBM did not state overpricing

Pulido-Tan cited a possible reason COA did not mention overpricing in its report.

"When we make a finding of overpriced, it is in reference to something else. May comparison diba para masasabi mo na overpriced. In other words, meron kang nakita na dapat piso lang ito merong dalawang piso pero bakit yung tatlong piso yung binili nila? But in this case walang comparator because there was only one price, there was only one supplier," she said.

[Translation: When we make a finding of overpriced, it is in reference to something else. There needs to be a comparison so you can say something is overpriced. In other words, there is (a product that should be) 1 and there's also 2 but why did they buy the one worth 3? But in this case, there's no comparator because there was only one price, there was only one supplier.]

Lao has said Pharmally offered the "cheapest" price at that time, and was among the firms referred by embassies.

Pharmally was awarded billions of pesos in contracts - which included the procurement of allegedly overpriced face masks and face shields - despite having an initial paid-up capital of just 625,000.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 18)  The Department of Health said the rise in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila has not reached a peak yet, contradicting an opinion earlier aired by an OCTA researcher.

"At this point, hindi pa nakikita na nagpi-peak na tayo sa mga kaso. Pinagaaralan nating maigi," DOH Undersecretary and spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said Saturday in a Laging Handa briefing.

[Translation: At this point, we have yet to see the cases peaking. We are studying this closely.]

Vergeire was reacting to an observation made by OCTA Research fellow Guido David, who tweeted that "early indications are that the surge may have already peaked in the NCR."

But David cautioned in an email to CNN Philippines that people need to wait "a few more days to make sure" infections have indeed peaked.

"Efforts must be sustained because trends may still reverse," he said.

The capital region's COVID-19 reproduction number is down to 1.22, according to David's estimates. The reproduction number was 1.39 in the previous week, David said two days ago.

The ideal reproductive number should be one or less, as anything higher means there is still significant community transmission, medical experts have earlier said.

NCR logged around 9,000 new COVID-19 cases last Saturday, the highest since the pandemic started, according to David.

Metro Manila so far has 753,347 cases, of which 52,561 are currently ill, data as of Friday showed. Of the total, 691,460 cases were tagged as recovered, while 9,326 resulted in deaths.

David also pointed out that there are days when infections in Metro Manila could still increase due to reporting backlogs.

Risk classification

Vergeire tagged the following regions as under high risk for COVID-19: Metro Manila, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, Caraga, and Soccsksargen.

The risk classification is based on the two-week growth rate and the average daily attack rate (ADAR).

"Ibig sabihin mataas pa rin po ang kanilang ADAR, at saka meron ho silang positive na two-week growth rate," the DOH official said.

[Translation: This high-risk classification means they have a high ADAR and positive two-week growth rate.]
(CNN)  The French government has immediately recalled its ambassador to the US for consultation in response to the recently announced national security partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia.

Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the US, confirmed the news when reached for comment.

In a statement, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, said Friday that the move was made at the request of President Emmanuel Macron.

"This extraordinary decision reflects the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on September 15 by Australia and the United States," Le Drian said. "The abandonment of the ocean-class submarine project that Australia and France had been working on since 2016 and the announcement of a new partnership with the United States aimed at studying the possibility of future cooperation on nuclear-powered submarines constitute unacceptable behavior among allies and partners; their consequences affect the very concept we have of our alliances, our partnerships, and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe."

It's believed to be the first time the French have resorted to such a move in modern times, a French official told CNN.

The New York Times was first to report the news of the recalls.

The French government said earlier this week that it felt betrayed when Australia pulled out of their existing multi-billion dollar defense deal, agreeing instead to attain nuclear-powered submarines through a new deal with the United States and the United Kingdom.

The effort to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines -- a major step toward countering China as President Joe Biden works to build international backing for his approach to Beijing -- is part of a new trilateral partnership among the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, dubbed "AUKUS."

France stands to lose the equivalent of $65 billion US dollars from an existing deal to provide Australia with conventional, diesel-powered submarines.

The canceled deal with France, a major global weapons exporter, is expected to make a significant economic impact on the French defense sector. France also stands to lose out strategically in the Indo-Pacific, where the country holds significant interests.

On Thursday, after the nuclear-powered submarine deal with the US and the UK was announced, Australia formally announced it would be withdrawing from its previous contract for conventional submarines with France.

The deal with Paris had been in the works for years.

Australia previously planned to acquire 12 conventional attack-class submarines from the French shipbuilder Naval Group, which successfully beat out competing German and Japanese bids in 2016.

The Americans and the Australians have indicated that the French government wasn't blindsided by the reneging of the original contract, saying high-ranking French officials were made aware of the decision by the Australian government.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "France recalls its ambassadors to the US and Australia over new national security partnership."
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
1unblock.com scored 49 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2.5/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 4 Jan 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

1unblock.com is very popular in Facebook. It is liked by 24 people on Facebook and it has 1 twitter shares.

The total number of people who shared the 1unblock homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the 1unblock homepage on Twitter + the total number of 1unblock followers (if 1unblock has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the 1unblock homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the 1unblock homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if 1unblock has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the 1unblock homepage on Delicious.

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE #1 Site Unblocker! | Unblock Youtube | Unblock Facebook DESCRIPTION Guide to online privacy and anonymous web surfing and the most comprehensive list of working web-based proxies, updated daily. KEYWORDS online privacy, web privacy, personal privacy, anonymous web surfing, proxies, online anonymity, anonymous surfing OTHER KEYWORDS



The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server. The language of 1unblock.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Type of server and offered services.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for 1unblock.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

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Twitter account link

TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND
80%

Website kondis.no uses latest and advanced technologies. It is very popular on the web, it's within the 1 million most visited websites of the world at position 372909 by Alexa. It supports HTTPS and GZIP compression. The main html page has a size of 164230 bytes (160.38 kb uncompressed) and 30120 bytes (29.41 kb compressed).

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2021-09-18, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.
Yourcity.ir scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 16 Feb 2015, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the yourcity homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the yourcity homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the yourcity homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if yourcity has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the yourcity homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the yourcity homepage on Twitter + the total number of yourcity followers (if yourcity has a Twitter account).

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE browser - Please update to a modern browser DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS browser, modern browser, please, modern, browser please update to a, browser please update to, browser please update



The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage.

Domain and Server

DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE Persian UTF-8Persian DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache (PHP/5.3.28) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Type of server and offered services. The language of yourcity.ir as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) Character set and language of the site. Operative System running on the server.

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for yourcity.ir by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

Facebook link

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Twitter account link

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As real estate mogul Robert Durst was found guilty Friday of murder, his former wifes family is still seeking closure in her disappearance that was at the center of the Los Angeles homicide trial.

After several days of deliberations, the jury found Durst, 78, guilty of the 2000 homicide of Susan Berman, his close friend who California prosecutors said was killed because she was about to come forward with information in the disappearance of Kathie Durst.

Kathie Durst, who graduated from what was then known as Western Connecticut State College in Danbury, vanished on Jan. 31, 1982. The 29-year-old disappeared after leaving a friends house in Newtown to return to the couples home in South Salem, N.Y., authorities have said.

Robert Durst has not been charged in his wifes death or disappearance.

However, the disappearance was central to the evidence presented during his California trial, which began in March 2020 and was paused for 14 months due to the pandemic before it resumed in May.

Durst was charged in Bermans homicide in March 2015 as the final episode was set to air for the HBO six-part series, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, which chronicled the millionaires life and connection to three peoples deaths over four decades.

Durst, who was acquitted in the 2001 homicide and dismemberment of one of his neighbors in Texas, was alone in a bathroom in the HBO series when a live microphone caught him saying, What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course.

Berman was a close friend to Durst who defended him when allegations surfaced after his wife was reported missing.

Berman was found shot dead in her Los Angeles home in December 2000, according to prosecutors, who said she was about to come forward with information in Kathie Dursts disappearance.

Robert Durst had contended he dropped off his wife at the train station in Katonah, N.Y., on the night of Jan. 31, 1982. He had said his wife was going to stay at their Manhattan apartment because she had class the next morning at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx.

In August, Robert Durst testified during his trial that he lied to a police detective when he said he spoke to his wife on the phone days after he dropped her off at the train station.

"That was a lie," Durst testified. "I wanted to convince him that Kathie had gotten back."

He also testified that hes no longer sure if he saw her get on the train.

"Everyone has asked me that question, and I have changed my mind maybe a dozen times," Durst said under questioning from his attorney Dick DeGuerin. "Did I actually see Kathie walk through the doors and onto the train? The answer is no. But there is no place else to go."

Authorities have said they believe Robert Durst never took his wife to the train station and that she likely was killed at home in South Salem, which is just over the Ridgefield border in northern Westchester County.

Robert Dursts attorney challenged the strength of the prosecutions case, arguing there was no evidence of Kathie Durst's death. DeGuerin said the case also lacked forensic and direct evidence linking his client to the disappearance.

While authorities have contended Berman impersonated Kathie Durst to call out sick from the medical school the day after the disappearance, DeGuerin said prosecutors failed to prove that happened. Authorities have said the call was intended to make it appear that Kathie Durst was still alive.

In May, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah said her office had assigned the investigation to a newly formed cold case unit that would reexamine DNA and other evidence.

She said statements publicly made by the suspect and additional witnesses coming forward have made the case a priority again.

We want to do it right, Rocah said. The family wants and needs closure and the community needs closure.

In 2017, a judge declared Kathie Durst dead. However, her family appealed the ruling, which declared her dead five years after her disappearance. The family sought to have her death officially listed as the day she disappeared, court documents stated.

In 2018, an appeals court sided with the family, overturning the ruling and declaring Kathie Dursts death as Jan. 31, 1982.

Kathie Durst was about to finish medical school to become a pediatrician when she vanished, her family said. She was close to her mother and her siblings and did not have a reason to suddenly break contact with them and vanish, the appeal documents said.

Even Durst himself acknowledges that Kathie was close with her friends and family, especially her mother and her siblings and was in constant contact with people she loved, an attorney for the family said in court documents. There was no evidence presented as to why Kathie would inexplicably cut off communication with her loved ones.

In the weeks before her disappearance, Robert Durst had physically abused her so severely she required hospitalization, the family said in the court documents. He also admitted he had a physical confrontation with his wife in their home on the evening she disappeared, court documents said.

Robert Durst moved to divorce his wife ex-parte after she disappeared and filed an affidavit that neither he, nor her family, had seen her since Jan. 31, 1982.

Kathie Dursts family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in 2019, close to 40 years after she disappeared, but it was thrown out by a New York judge because the statute of limitations ran out 35 years earlier.

The judge told the family they could refile if Robert Durst is charged with his missing wifes homicide.

In May when the Westchester County District Attorney reopened the case, Rocah said domestic violence investigations have evolved since Kathie Durst disappeared.

At the time of this alleged homicide occurred, we didnt have a good understanding of domestic violence, Rocah said.
WEST HARTFORD  A bear high in a tree in the backyard of a North Quaker Lane house on Thursday is a reminder of the increasing frequency of the animal sightings in town, officials said.

Though this was the first time Gordon Binkhorst had actually seen a bear in his neighborhood, hes heard tales from neighbors who have witnessed them many times.

Ive heard stories from neighbors all the time, Binkhorst said. This is the closest Ive gotten. While this might seem like a busy area now, in the middle of the night, theyre uninhibited.

Binkhorst said he isnt too concerned about the bear impacting the neighborhoods safety based on what animal control has told him.

Animal control said theyre generally friendly and more interested in eating peoples garbage and what have you, Binkhorst said. But Im not going to bring children or small dogs out here.

The bear had been in the tree since the previous night, neighbors said, and had even climbed higher than it was earlier that day. The police suspected the bear may be sick.

Capt. Eric Rocheleau said the police departments job is to monitor the bear, while decisions on what to do with the animal are made by the states Department of Energy and Environmental Protection

We started monitoring it (Thursday), recognizing it was sick and watched it for hours and hours, Rocheleau said. We had animal control check back in on it several times. Weve been in constant contact with DEEP. The last I knew is that theyll let it stay up overnight.

Animal control Office Helen Lee, who was on the scene monitoring the bear Thursday afternoon, said the department had been in contact with DEEP.

Were advising them every step of the way and asking them for help, Lee said. Were checking on it in the meantime just to make sure its not getting any worse.

Lee said the North Quaker Lane area has had multiple calls for bears over the last few weeks.

We have so many bear sightings all the time, Lee said. We have nonstop bear sightings in town. This one, it has been [reported for] a couple weeks if its the same one in the area, which it probably is. But theres so many its hard to say.

Rocheleau said they receive multiple calls every single day about bear sightings in West Hartford.

We do get a lot of bear calls. It seems to have picked up, Rocheleau said. Its going to be a busy season, theyre getting ready to rest for the winter, so they are bulking up and will be more active eating and getting stored up.

The main attraction for these bears, Rocheleau said, are garbage cans left outside. He said anyone who can should store their garbage cans inside. If not, there are some preventative measures that can be taken.

The big one here ... its difficult but people leave their trash cans out and thats what they are attracted to, the smells, he said. We had one attracted to the hamburgers cooking on the barbecue and wouldnt leave it alone. Its difficult, I understand, but the DEEP recommends spraying ammonia or bleach.
PHOENIX (AP)  Board members overseeing Arizonas most populous county reached an agreement Friday evening with the Republican-controlled state Senate that will end a standoff over a Senate demand that they hand over computer routers for use in an unprecedented partisan election review.

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors announced that a special master will take questions from the Senates election review contractors and provide them with information contained on the routers they say they need to finish the election review.

Supervisor Bill Gates said the deal will protect sensitive information contained on the routers while avoiding a massive penalty the county faced if they had not complied.

Gates called the deal a win for transparency and its also a win for protecting sensitive data in Maricopa County.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a decision last month that the county must comply with the subpoena issued by Republican Senate President Karen Fann or lose about $700 million in yearly state funding.

The county agreed to drop a $2.8 million claim it filed with the Senate after election equipment it handed over to the auditor was decertified and needed to be replaced.

Fann said the county settled under the threat of losing state money and called it a victory for election integrity and the Arizona taxpayer. She also said there was no damage to the election machines and that they were improperly decertified by Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

Hobbs said she concluded the machines could no longer be used after consulted with experts at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and others before making her decision.

Fann had signed documents vowing to pay for any costs the county incurred when they handed over the vote counting machines earlier this year. Gates said in July that county taxpayers should not be forced to pay to replace the machines decertified because of the Senate.

But the deal completely waives that agreement, and the county will pay the costs of the router review by the special master and a team of experts he will hire.

Fann said former Congressman John Shadegg, a Republican, will serve as the special master.

The Senate will finally get the answers to questions asked for in subpoenas issued to the County months ago, Fann said in a statement.

The board has four Republicans and one Democrat. Gates and other Republicans were muted in any criticism of the Senate and said they hope the agreement ends the fight. But Democratic Supervisor Steve Gallardo did not hold back; he was the lone no vote on the deal.

Were dealing with bullies, Gallardo said. There is nothing we can do to satisfy any of the (GOP) Senators pursuing the audit.

The review of the 2020 election results was prompted by unsubstantiated claims made by former President Donald Trump and his supporters that he only lost because of fraud. The county says the election was property run and President Joe Biden simply got more votes.

County officials balked at handing over the routers that connect data countywide, contending that there was a grave risk to the security of law enforcement and other sensitive information.

The threat by Brnovich put massive financial pressure on the board to turn over the items the Senate says it needs as it prepares to release the election recount next Friday.

No evidence of fraud has been found in any states after a series of lawsuits filed by Trump backers or reviews by election officials.

But Republicans who lead the Senate say a deep dive is needed to look at all aspects of the election, and its contractors did a hand-recount of all 2.1 million ballots, took possession of vote-counting machines, computer servers and huge amounts of data handed over by the county under earlier subpoenas.

County officials have stood by the accuracy of their vote count, and outside reviews done by certified election auditors back them up. They said the Senates vote review funded by pro-Trump donors is being run by incompetent grifters hired by the Senate.

The company hired by the Senate to oversee the election review, Florida-based Cyber Ninjas, has no prior election review or auditing experience. Its CEO is Doug Logan, a Trump supporter who has promoted conspiracy theories about the election.

The Senate and Cyber Ninjas have themselves fought in court over whether they need to turn over records of the election review to a watchdog group and the Arizona Republic newspaper. The Senate was ordered to release its records and mainly complied. The state Supreme Court earlier this week upheld lower court decisions that said records held by Cyber Ninjas and other contractors conducting the audit must be made public.

The audit that began in April was originally set to take about 60 days, but there have been repeated delays. Most recently, Cyber Ninjas canceled plans to submit its report last month saying several of its team members contracted COVID-19 and had serious symptoms.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  Robert Dursts long, bizarre and deadly run from the law ended when a Los Angeles County jury convicted him in the murder of his best friend more than 20 years ago.

The 78-year-old New York real estate heir, who was long suspected but never charged in the disappearance of his wife in New York in 1982 and acquitted of murder in the 2001 killing of a neighbor in Texas, was found guilty Friday of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman.

Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and hes been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said outside the Inglewood Courthouse. Considering what hes done, he got a lot more of a life than he was entitled to.

Durst, who is sick and frail and sat throughout the trial in a wheelchair, was not present when the verdict was read. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus, an odd twist on the jury's final day.

The global pandemic significantly altered the course of the trial, suspending it in March 2020 after only two days of testimony. After a 14-month break, possibly the longest in the U.S. legal system, the case resumed in May for four more months of testimony.

Durst faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18.

The jury found Durst ambushed Berman and killed her because she was a witness to a crime, which prosecutors said was the suspected killing of Kathie Durst, who has never been found. Berman was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000.

Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Dursts longtime confidante who, at the time of her death, was prepared to tell police she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didnt think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Bermans killing, Kathie Dursts disappearance and the 2001 killing of Morris Black, a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

He killed his wife and then he had to keep killing to cover it up, Lewin said.

Lewin, who met with jurors after the verdict, said they believed prosecutors proved Durst killed Kathie Durst and murdered Berman and Black.

The defense said they believed there was substantial reasonable doubt and were disappointed in the verdict, attorney David Chesnoff said. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

In many ways, Durst had only himself to blame for an investigation that took on new life after he rejected the advice of lawyers and everyone he knew to participate in an incriminating documentary about his apparent bad luck of having people close to him go missing or get knocked off.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession.

Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: There it is. Youre caught.

Lewin credited filmmakers Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling with getting the case rolling.

Without them having conducted the interviews we wouldn't be where we are, Lewin said. That was the starting point, no question.

The verdict gives some justice to the family of Kathie Durst, Jarecki said in a statement, "as Kathies murder will now likely also be prosecuted.

Dursts decision to testify in his own defense  hoping for a repeat of his acquittal in the Texas killing  backfired as he was forced to admit lying under oath, made damning admissions and had his credibility destroyed when questioned for nine days by Lewin.

There has never been a defendant that I'm aware of that has perjured himself so may times about so many different things in such a short period of time, Lewin said. It was absolutely shocking.

The story of Durst, the estranged scion of a New York real estate developer, has been fodder for New York tabloids since his wife vanished. He provided plot twists so numerous that Hollywood couldnt resist making a feature film about his life that eventually led to the documentary and discovery of new evidence in Bermans slaying.

Durst ran from the law multiple times, disguised as a mute woman in Texas and staying under an alias at a New Orleans hotel with a shoulders-to-head latex mask for a presumed getaway. He jumped bail in Texas and was arrested after shoplifting a chicken sandwich in Pennsylvania, despite having $37,000 in cash  along with two handguns  in his rental car.

He later quipped he was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

Durst escaped close scrutiny from investigators when his wife disappeared. But his troubles resurfaced in late 2000 when New York authorities reopened the case and his lawyer told him to be prepared to be charged in the case.

He fled a life of luxury to Galveston, Texas, where he rented a cheap apartment as Dorothy Ciner, a woman he pretended couldnt speak. He eventually dropped the disguise after mishaps that included igniting his wig at a bar while lighting a cigarette.

Just before Christmas, he traveled to LA to visit Berman for a staycation with plans to see some of the tourist sites, Durst testified. He found Berman dead on a bedroom floor when he arrived.

Berman, a writer who had been friends with Durst since they were students at the University of California, Los Angeles, had serious financial problems at the time. Durst had given her $50,000, and prosecutors suggested she was trying to leverage more money from him by telling him she was going to speak with the cops.

Nine months after her death, Durst killed Black. Durst said he came home to find Black, a friend, in his apartment holding Dursts .22-caliber pistol.

Durst was acquitted after testifying the 71-year-old was killed in a struggle for the gun. Durst then chopped up Blacks body and tossed it out to sea. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

After the trial and the ghastly evidence of the dismemberment, Durst said he became a pariah. Despite an estimated $100 million fortune, he was turned away by multiple condominium associations and said the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wouldnt take his money unless he donated anonymously.

Durst thought a 2010 feature film Jarecki made based on his life, All Good Things, starring Ryan Gosling as him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, had been largely accurate and painted a sympathetic portrait, despite implicating him in three killings. He only objected that he was depicted killing his dog  something he would never do.

He reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to sit for lengthy interviews for a documentary. He encouraged his friends to do the same and gave the filmmakers access to boxes of his records.

He came to deeply regret his decision after The Jinx aired on HBO in 2015, calling it a very, very, very big mistake.

The documentary filmmakers discovered a crucial piece of evidence that connected him to an anonymous note sent to police directing them to Bermans lifeless body.

Durst, who was so confident he couldnt be connected to the note, told filmmakers only the killer could have written the note.

When filmmakers confronted him with a letter he sent Berman a year earlier  with identical handwriting and Beverly Hills misspelled as Beverley on both  he couldnt tell them apart.

The gotcha moment provided the climax of the movie as Durst stepped off camera and muttered to himself on a live microphone in the bathroom: Killed them all, of course.

During 14 days of testimony that was so punishing Judge Mark Windham called it devastating, Durst denied killing his wife and Berman, though he said he would lie if he did.

He was forced to admit for the first time that he had written the note and had been in LA around the time of Berman's death.

Lewin said jurors told him they didn't believe Durst's explanations for the note or the apparent confession during an unguarded moment.

Durst claimed the hot mic didnt catch his full thought, which he said was: Theyll all think I killed them all, of course.

That's exactly what the jury concluded, Lewin said.
PHOENIX  Arizona reported more than 100 daily coronavirus deaths for the second time since February.

The 108 confirmed deaths and 2,742 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday. Hospitalizations dropped below 2,000 for the first time in nearly three weeks, with 1,981 COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds on Friday.

Thats down from the current surges high of 2,103 on Sept. 11.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University data showed drops in the seven-day rolling averages of daily cases and deaths in the past two weeks. The daily cases dropped from 3,152 on Sept. 2 to 2,732 on Thursday. The daily deaths dropped from 39 to 33 during the same period.

Phoenix officials say the citys two mobile COVID-19 vans and other city testing locations will begin offering vaccines. The city will use federal pandemic relief money to pay for adding vaccinations to the testing program.

Arizona has reported a total of 1.06 million confirmed cases and 19,487 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Schools without mask mandate get brunt of latest virus wave in South Carolina

 Floridas daily coronavirus cases drop from last month

 UN using honor system to check vaccinations for New York meeting

 Nonprofit started by Sean Penn aids Georgia vaccine drive

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 See AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ROME  Italy is reporting up to a 40% increase in the number of people getting a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine following a government decree requiring a health pass for all workers, public and private, starting Oct. 15.

The office of Italys coronavirus czar says theres been a 35% one-week rise in first doses compared to last Saturday. Italian regions nationwide reported upticks of 20% to 40% for appointments this week to get the shot.

On Thursday, Italy became the first major European economy to require all workers to present a Green Pass to work next month. It requires proof of vaccination, a recent negative test, or contracting the virus in the past six months.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza says the requirement is aimed at boosting the vaccine campaign while creating safer workplaces. Italy, once the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe, has fully inoculated 75% of its population ages 12 and older. Italy has reported more than 130,000 confirmed deaths, the third-highest toll in Europe after Britain and Russia.

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ORLANDO, Fla.  Florida reported 11,275 new daily cases on Friday, about half the number from last month.

Florida was averaging more than 21,000 cases a day in August.

Epidemiologists say the states rates of vaccination has outpaced the national average, but it hasnt been enough to keep the highly contagious delta variant at bay because of the Floridas large elderly population and low vaccination rates among younger groups.

AdventHealths Central Florida Division says the number of COVID-19 patients at its hospitals stands at 850 people, several hundred patients fewer than this summer.

Florida has reported nearly 3.5 million confirmed cases and 51,240 confirmed deaths.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.  Two of Gov. Gavin Newsoms children have tested positive for the coronavirus.

A statement issued Friday says Newsom, his wife and two other children have since tested negative for the virus.

All four of the governors children are under 12, the age when children can be vaccinated.

The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic, said a statement from Erin Mellon, spokesperson in the governors office.

The announcement comes only days after Newsom handily defeated an effort to recall him, partly driven by the impact of the pandemic.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly is relying on a vaccine honor system for world leaders before they speak at next weeks meeting.

Presidents, premiers, monarchs and other dignitaries wont have to show vaccination cards or other proof of inoculation. Assembly President Abdulla Shahid says theyll simply attest to being vaccinated by swiping their ID badges.

The U.N. has been wrestling with how to implement a New York City vaccination requirement for convention centers. Russia has criticized the policy, and the first scheduled speaker, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, says he doesnt plan to get vaccinated anytime soon. He contracted the coronavirus in July 2020.

Shahid told members earlier this week he supported the New York City policy but didnt give details on how it would work. Shahid, a 59-year-old Maldivian, was elected president of the U.N. General Assembly in June.

Next week, more than 100 heads of state and government and over 20 foreign ministers have signed up to speak in person. Other nations are participating by video for the speeches, where leaders discuss global issues, spotlight domestic ones and use the world stage to court allies or assail foes. The coronavirus pandemic forced the assemblys top-level annual meeting to go mostly virtual last year.

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ATLANTA  A disaster relief organization founded by actor Sean Penn is helping Georgias drive to vaccinate people against the coronavirus.

CORE, or Community Organized Relief Effort, has offered vaccines at hundreds of pop-up clinics around the state, including schools, farmers markets and meat plants.

Only 46% of the state is fully vaccinated, well below the national average of 54%. Its a big factor in Georgias nearly three-month surge in COVID infections and hospitalizations.

CORE offers vaccines for free. Funding for community outreach comes from a foundation backed by the billionaire owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. The group plans to spend more time offering vaccines to employees at work sites, where turnout is better, said Margaret Herro, COREs Georgia director.

CORE is also offering vaccines in Washington, D.C., Oakland, California, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and a county in North Carolina. Penn started the organization in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake killed thousands in Haiti.

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COLUMBIA, S.C.  South Carolina is setting records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, and new cases are approaching the peak levels of last winter.

Since ending South Carolinas state of emergency on June 7, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has maintained that parents alone should decide if children wear masks in schools, even as the states new cases soared from 150 a day on average to more than 5,000.

Now teachers, students and parents are struggling with the fallout as more young people contract the delta variant, forcing nearly two dozen schools and two entire districts back to online learning within a month of returning in person.

State health and education officials say the statewide mask ban in schools took away one of their best tools to stop the spread of COVID-19. The state hit nearly 2,600 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in early September, a record.

We spiked the football too early. Instead of continuing to listen to medical professionals and interpreting the data, he has been guided by Republican Governors Association talking points, Democratic state Sen. Marlon Kimpson of Charleston said.

Some lawmakers from both parties are pushing for a special session to repeal the rule and allow local governments to make decisions. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit over whether the mask provision is legal.

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DUBAI  The capital of the United Arab Emirates has ended a policy requiring those coming in from other emirates to have a recent negative coronavirus test.

Abu Dhabi made the announcement Saturday, saying that people from the UAEs six other emirates could enter the capital from Sunday without getting a test.

For months, oil-rich Abu Dhabi had restricted travel, even as neighboring Dubai rapidly opened itself up to tourists.

Abu Dhabi also has implemented a requirement that people prove their vaccination status to enter some public places  a stricter requirement than the countrys other emirates.

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NEW DELHI  India gave out 25 million doses during a special COVID-19 vaccination drive organized on Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday.

The campaign took place Friday as Modi turned 71. The Health Ministry said Saturday the special drive had raised Indias overall vaccinations to more than 790 million.

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called the feat  a golden chapter  written in the history of the country and the world.

Only China has administered more. The Chinese government said this week it had given more than 2.16 billion shots and that 1 billion Chinese people were fully vaccinated.

India, a country of nearly 1.4 billion people, has given at least one dose to more than 62% of eligible adults and two doses to about 21%. Health ministry officials say they plan to administer over a billion shots by mid-October.

India has reported more than 33 million coronavirus cases and 444,529 deaths. The country is recording over 30,000 new COVID-19 cases a day.

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MELBOURNE, Australia  Police used pepper spray to subdue protesters Saturday at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne, Australias second-largest city.

About 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the suburb of Richmond after the location of the protest was changed at the last minute to evade authorities.

There were minor scuffles as well as a violent confrontation involving a handful of protesters. Several protesters were arrested.

Most of the demonstrators defied regulations by failing to wear masks.

Some 2,000 police officers were deployed at road checkpoints and barricades, and on roving patrols, to try to stop the rally going ahead in breach of public health orders.

Melbournes sixth lockdown began on Aug. 5. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state, which on Saturday reported 535 new infections and one COVID-19 death in the latest 24-hour period.

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JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska  Military leaders on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson have declared a public health emergency in response to increasing COVID-19 cases in Alaska.

They also encouraged all personnel to avoid places that do not require masks or social distancing, officials said.

U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar said Friday that the declaration will remain in effect for 30 days, but could be shortened or extended based on cases and community transmission of COVID-19.

Hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases across the state have increased as a result of the highly contagious delta variant. Alaska on Friday reported more than 1,200 newly confirmed cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.

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PAGO PAGO, American Samoa  American Samoa reported its first case of coronavirus on Friday.

The U.S. territorys acting governor and health officials said the islands first case of COVID-19 was of a resident who returned to American Samoa from Hawaii this week.

The infected traveler flew in on Monday, the first day of newly resumed commercial flights from Honolulu to Pago Pago. The route had been suspended since March 2020.

Officials say the resident was fully vaccinated and had traveled to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. They say the traveler tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the flight back to American Samoa.

American Samoa requires all travelers to be vaccinated and to quarantine.

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BATON ROUGE, La.  A child is among the latest to die from COVID-19 in Louisiana, state health officials said Friday.

Heath department figures showed the state death toll from the illness grew by 52. One of the victims was a child between the ages of 5 and 11. Fifteen people younger than 18 have died in Louisiana since the pandemic began. And its the sixth pediatric death since a fourth surge began this summer.

Coronavirus hospitalizations continued to drop. They fell to 1,367 in Fridays figures, 64 fewer than the previous day. Hospitalizations are down from a peak of more than 3,000 in August but still well above the pre-surge levels of mid-summer.

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WASHINGTON  The White House says President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit next week aimed at calling the world to account on defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting, to take place on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, is meant to encourage more countries to do more to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 and improve coronavirus treatments.

Press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden will be asking participants to commit to of a higher level of ambition on global vaccinations and therapeutics, along with preparing for the next pandemic.

The U.S. has committed to donating the more COVID-19 vaccine doses than any other nation to the rest of the world, and Biden is expected to ask other well-off nations to make bolder vaccine sharing commitments.

The White House says world leaders, philanthropists, industry representatives and non-governmental organizations will participate.

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WASHINGTON  After overwhelmingly rejecting a plan to give Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, an influential federal advisory panel has approved the extra shots for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.

The decision was made by a committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration.

The vote recommending the booster shots for older Americans and other high-risk groups helps salvage part of the White Houses plan but is still is less than the sweeping plan proposed by Biden administration to offer booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to nearly all Americans eight months after they get their second dose.

Members of the panel questioned the value of offering boosters to nearly everyone. The World Health Organization has encouraged wealthier nations to hold off on boosters, except for the most vulnerable people, until other countries have received their first shots.

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GREENWICH  Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, southwestern Connecticut ranked as one of the worlds top destinations for financial-services firms. Amid the upheaval of the past 18 months, the area has solidified its status as an industry hub.

The resilience is reflected in the trajectory of hedge funds, a branch of the financial-services sector whose Connecticut-based firms cumulatively account for thousands of jobs and several hundred billion dollars in assets under management. Hedge fund advocates see the potential for even more local growth, with the upcoming Greenwich Economic Forum highlighting the states prominence in the investing community.

I think COVID has done more to help the local financial scene than anything right now, Bruce McGuire, president of the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association and co-founder of the Greenwich Economic Forum, said in an interview.

There are many people that even if their office wasnt here in Greenwich, they lived here in Greenwich and they would commute every day into New York City, he said. Many of those people arent going to go back to New York City. The number of people and firms who are going to set up a satellite office or work from home in Greenwich is going up.

We are doing very well

In contrast with the fallout from the global financial crisis of 2008, the U.S. financial services sector has not been decimated by the pandemic.

Since the beginning of the global public health crisis, hedge funds on aggregate  did not fall as far and recovered faster than public markets, according to a 2021 report by Preqin, a data and analytics provider for the financial services industry. Returns across the asset class totaled nearly 17 percent for the past year.

As alternatives to (hedge funds) become more widespread, the lure of the incumbents becomes a little less shiny, Lawrence J. White, a professor of economics at New York University, said in a recent interview. But the hedge funds are not going away  thats for sure.

In Connecticut and elsewhere, hedge funds have benefited from the continuity provided by their employees ability to work remotely in the past year-and-a-half. As specialists in alternative investments, hedge funds invest across numerous categories, including stocks, bonds, currencies, derivatives and real estate.

Among the states, Connecticut hosts the fifth-largest number of hedge fund managers, with a total of 256, according to Preqin. Only California, New York, Texas and Florida have more.

If you go The Greenwich Economic Forum will be held Tuesday through Thursday. The events on Tuesday and Wednesday will be held in person at the Delamar hotel in Greenwich, while the program on Thursday will be held entirely online. GEF speakers will include: Ray Dalio, founder, co-chief investment officer and chairman of Bridgewater Associates Annie Lamont, co-founder and managing partner of Oak HC/FT and the first lady of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve and senior adviser at RockCreek Steve Case, CEO and chairman of Revolution Marcie Frost, CEO of CalPERS Daniel Loeb, CEO and chief investment officer of Third Point For information about the Greenwich Economic Forum, visit greenwicheconomicforum.com/ See More Collapse

Westport-based Bridgewater Associates ranks as the worlds largest hedge fund by assets under management, with a total of $152 billion, according to Preqin. Its investor base includes sovereign wealth funds, public and corporate pension funds, university endowments, charitable foundations, foreign governments and central banks.

Ray Dalio, founder and co-chief investment officer of Bridgewater, will speak Tuesday at the Greenwich Economic Forum. The Greenwich resident has participated at each edition of the GEF since its 2018 launch. The GEF is resuming in-person programming this year at the Greenwich Delamar hotel after it was held in an all-online format last year because of the pandemic.

Our vision is to create in Greenwich a Davos-like event that has, at its core, finance and alternative investments  meaning the hedge fund, private equity and venture capital world, McGuire said. As far as our ability to bring in the worlds top investors, we are doing very well.

Among other initiatives, Bridgewater announced last month a partnership with financial-technology firm iCapital Network. Through the alliance, iCapital plans to provide a customized technology platform enabling registered investment advisers and family offices to access Bridgewaters strategies for ultra-high-net-worth clients in the U.S.

In an unrelated undertaking, iCapital Network announced in June plans to open offices in downtown Greenwich and bring about 200 jobs to the state.

Creating opportunities forby wealth advisers and their qualified clients to access institutional-quality investments has always been our core mission at iCapital, Lawrence Calcano, CEO and chairman of iCapital, said in a statement. We are excited to partner with such a prominent team as Bridgewater to bring access to these strategies to the wealth management community.

A hedge fund hub

About 7,650 workers are employed at Connecticut-based hedge funds, according to data from Preqin and the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association.

Bridgewater operated with about 1,600 full-time employees as of June 2019, according to the most recent data available from the state Department of Economic and Community Development. At the same point, Greenwich-headquartered AQR Capital had about 740 full-time positions, according to DECD.

The Steven Cohen-founded Point72 employs more than 1,650 worldwide. Headquartered in Stamford, it has a local workforce of about 550. It ranked as the citys 14th-largest employer in the second quarter of this year, according to Stamfords Office of Economic Development.

While the state remains a hedge fund hub, employment in financial services is still significantly lower than before the financial crisis. Financial activities accounted for about 118,000 positions statewide in August  19 percent less than the sectors 145,000 workers at the start of the 2008-10 recession, according to the Department of Labor.

Concerns that Connecticut could potentially lose more finance jobs contributed to the decision of then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloys administration to approve eight-figure subsidies for Bridgewater and AQR Capital through First Five Plus. Launched in 2011, the program has provided subsidies to major companies in return for them keeping jobs and hiring in Connecticut.

The state awarded a $17 million loan to Bridgewater  with about $8.3 million forgiven and the balance also eligible for forgiveness. The firm also received a $5 million grant and could additionally earn up to $30 million in tax credits.

AQR received a $28 million loan  all of which is eligible for forgiveness  and a grant of up to $7 million.

Messages left for Bridgewater and AQR were not returned.

Some critics of hedge funds have questioned why firms such as Bridgewater Associates and AQR Capital needed to receive state subsidies given that their founders are billionaires and since their employees frequently earn compensation well above state averages.

Industry backers counter that the taxpayer-funded incentives are justified because Connecticut has faced competition in recent years from other states willing to offer subsidies to persuade hedge funds to relocate.

Its very important for Connecticut to have big firms like AQR and Bridgewater here to maintain its position as one of the hedge fund capitals of the world, McGuire said. And some of the junior people in a firm graduate and decide, I want to set up my own shop. To have those people living and working here is good for Connecticut.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; Twitter: @paulschott
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean this weekend in Mexico is the latest sign of that country flexing its diplomatic muscle as it looks to assert itself as the new mediator between the region and the United States.

Whether or not Saturdays meeting in Mexico City of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, culminates in a rumored mass exodus from the Organization of American States, Mexico has signaled that it wants a leadership role in Latin America after years of focusing almost exclusively on its bilateral relationship with the U.S.

It was precisely the closeness of that relationship that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador cited in July in proposing Mexico help the region open a dialogue with the U.S. government to reorient a relationship based on a 2-century-old model he said has no future.

Turning their backs on the United States was also not an option, Lopez Obrador said. It is time to express and explore another option: that of a dialogue with U.S. leaders and to convince and persuade them that a new relationship among the countries of America is possible.

The president said Mexicos proposal was for something closer to the model of the European Union. In that spirit, you mustnt rule out the substitution of the (Organization of American States) with a truly autonomous body, a lackey to no one, he said.

Enter the CELAC.

Mexico was the organizations president last year and its membership voted that Mexico continue in that role this year.

CELAC has only existed for 10 years and is more left-leaning, having remained on good terms with countries including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was one of its biggest proponents. But for long stretches, it did not even meet.

Unlike the OAS, the United States and Canada are not members, nor is Brazil, which withdrew in January 2020.

Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has been outspoken on the inequality and disparities in access to COVID-19 vaccines and CELAC became a vehicle for Mexicos efforts on that subject.

Mexico pursued a multipronged strategy of direct purchases and participation in the multilateral efforts to obtain vaccine. But at the same time, Ebrard worked through CELAC to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine in the region  Argentina and Mexico  and distribute it here.

Late last month, Ebrard turned to the OAS. The organization, he said, became out-of-date because the world changed, he said.

Goodbye OAS, in its interventionist, interfering and hegemonic sense, Ebrard said to applause.

Hence the speculation that Mexico could lead other countries in leaving the OAS.

Along with its vaccine efforts in the region, Mexico has hosted a new round of dialogue between the Venezuelan government and that countrys opposition in Mexico City. Lopez Obradors administration had resisted pressure to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was one of the unexpected leaders who arrived late Friday in Mexico City for the meeting. This is his first trip outside Venezuela since the U.S. government indicted him on drug trafficking and terrorism charges in March 2020, and offered a reward of up to $15 million for him.

Mexico's president has cooperated with both the Trump and Biden administrations on immigration, deploying Mexican security forces to try to contain migrants in southern Mexico and allowing the U.S. to return non-Mexican asylum seekers to await their cases in Mexico. Lopez Obrador has asked the Biden administration to support the expansion of two of his signature social programs to Central Americas Northern Triangle to address the root causes of migration.

On Thursday, Lopez Obrador hosted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and railed against the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba. Mexico recently sent ships with food, medicine and fuel to the island.

Ana Vanessa Cardenas Zanatta, a political science professor at Monterrey Technological and Anahuac universities in Mexico City, said on one hand, Mexicos move to take a greater role in Latin America is positive.

For the first time this government is assuming a position in terms of foreign policy and Latin American leadership that had been demanded of Mexico many times and it had not responded to, Cardenas said.

But leaving the OAS would be a great risk, noting the organization has the membership and financial support of major economies like the U.S., Canada and Brazil, and still struggles financially. She said it is hard to imagine the CELAC being much more than a rhetorical and symbolic tool in the near future.

The debate was aired during an OAS meeting Friday.

Colombia Foreign Affairs minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said talk of replacing the OAS was worrisome.

Of course the answer must be no, she said. The OAS and CELAC can be complementary.

During the meeting, Mexico's representative, Luz Elena Banos, criticized the OAS for its policy of interference, arguing the organization had deepened the political conflict between countries.

Rafael Elias Rojas, a professor of History at Mexico College and an expert in Latin American diplomacy, said Mexico is trying to lead.

I dont think it is improvised, theyve been working for awhile, Rojas said. But he expressed doubts due to how polarized the region is. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall there has never been a moment so low for Latin Americanism.

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AP writers Claudia Torrens in New York and Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  Early voting got underway in Minneapolis on Friday on a contentious ballot question over whether the city where George Floyd was killed should replace its police department with a new Department of Public Safety.

Supporters of the proposed city charter amendment, led by the Yes 4 Minneapolis campaign, say it's the only way to fix an intransigent culture of brutal policing that culminated in Floyd's death last summer after white Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the Black mans neck for about 9 1/2 minutes as Floyd was facedown on the pavement, pleading for air.

Opponents, including Mayor Jacob Frey, say too many questions remain about how the new department would work.

Among the first-day voters was attorney Chris Henjum, who said he was enthusiastically in favor of the amendment and would like a more nuanced and tailored approach to public safety. Changes to how authorities respond to mental health calls and low-level traffic stops would both protect residents but also protect police from preventable incidents, he said.

I think the citys seen a clear track record of unrest, and its time to change the status quo to make public safety accountable to its residents, Henjum said.

Laurie Schlosser, a child psychologist, voted against the amendment, calling it too vague and too quick. She lives on the citys north side, where several residents have died in shootings in the past year, including children who were unintended targets of gun violence between rival gangs, according to police. She agreed the city needs a public health approach to public safety, as amendment advocates envision, but she would like to see those programs built up and working first.

Our children are traumatized, our teens, our adults, our families are grieving and suffering, and being down 200 officers is not working, Schlosser said. We need to build up the public health approach before having any chance of being able to decrease the number of officers.

Voting concludes Nov. 2. Yes 4 Minneapolis has raised over $1 million in cash and nearly $500,000 worth of in-kind donations from across the country, according to campaign finance reports filed last month. The much newer All of Mpls, which opposes the amendment, raised more than $100,000 in its first few weeks, mostly locally.

The Minnesota Supreme Court cleared the way for the policing amendment to go forward Thursday, ending a bitter court fight over ballot language. Amendment supporters were blocked in their effort to get a version on last year's ballot.

The proposal has its roots in the defund the police movement, which gained momentum after Floyds death sparked a national reckoning on racial justice. However, support and opposition doesnt break down neatly along racial lines, with some Black leaders opposed.

The amendment does not use the term defund, but it would remove the city charters requirement that Minneapolis have a police department with a minimum staffing level. The City Council would decide later how the new department would be structured, led and funded.

Dozens of supporters attended a rally Friday near Minneapolis City Hall. Minister JaNae Bates led them in chants, including Black lives they matter here and Show me what democracy looks like, before several activists, union members and elected officials addressed the group.

The speakers touted Thursdays court decision as a victory for residents and for democracy, and urged people to vote for the proposal, which they say has attracted the ire of wealthy interests.

The wealthy and the powerful have tried to stop us  the corporations, the faceless actors putting their thumb on the scale. ... They tried to manipulate the will of the people," said Aurin Chowdhury of the Minnesota Youth Collective. They tried to suppress our vote. But at every step we said no.

Meanwhile, All of Mpls launched a canvassing campaign on the north side  which has one of the city's largest Black communities - to build on a door-knocking drive it began five weeks ago.

Residents want to see real solutions for transforming the Minneapolis Police Department and not a vague promise with no plan from the same City Council that promised a year ago to defund the police," campaign manager Leili Fatehi said.

Regardless of the vote, the police force is the subject of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into whether it has a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing. Such investigations usually result in court-ordered changes.

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Mohamed Ibrahim 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)  In a city still on edge after the Jan. 6 insurrection, law enforcement bore down in large numbers on the Capitol on Saturday over concerns that a rally in support of the jailed rioters would turn violent. It didnt.

The crowd was sparse and incidents were few. The only clear parallels to the riots more than eight months ago by supporters of Donald Trump were the false claims put forth by the rally organizers about the violence that January day when Congress met to certify the election of Joe Biden.

The low turnout also called into question whether such rallies will have any staying power as the organizers attempt to tap into the rage of Jan. 6 without the presence of the former president.

Law enforcement had prepared for a confrontation by erecting temporary fencing around the Capitol and deploying heavy dump trucks to ring the rally site. Local police departments and the U.S. National Guard were on standby.

The security might have been unnecessary in the end, but the volatility around the lie that the 2020 election was stolen and the presence of extremists and white nationalist groups on Jan. 6 have made it impossible to predict how such events will go.

U.S. Capitol Police said they received intelligence information leading up to the weekend that was similar to what was missed in January, when law enforcement was only expecting a free speech protest and Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol.

Republican lawmakers, including those who had voted that day to challenge Bidens election, avoided Saturdays rally. Rally organizer Matt Braynard took elected officials to task for not backing up those now in jail and introduced candidates who are running for elected office.

Counterprotesters stood by and jeered. Some held anti-Trump signs and one man who had confronted some of the pro-Trump protesters was quickly removed by police, who used bicycles to shield him from the crowd as they escorted him down the street.

One person was arrested in the crowd for carrying a knife and a second man was arrested after someone reported to officers that they saw him carrying what appeared to be a handgun, police said. Two other people who police say were wanted in Texas  for a firearms charge and probation violation  were also arrested after being pulled over near the Capitol Saturday morning.

Braynard, a former Trump campaign staffer, opened in calm and deliberate tones. He said the event was for the defendants held behind bars.

On Jan.6, dozens of law enforcement officers were left bloodied and and beaten as the crowd of pro-Trump rioters, some armed with pipes, bats and bear spray, charged into the Capitol, quickly overrunning the overwhelmed police force. One officer was beaten and shocked with a stun gun repeatedly until he had a heart attack; another was foaming at the mouth and screaming for help as rioters crushed him between two doors and bashed him in the head with his own weapon.

The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of court and jail records for the Capitol riot defendants to uncover how many were being detained and found roughly 63 held in federal custody awaiting trial or sentencing hearings.

At least 30 are jailed in Washington. The rest are locked up in facilities across the country. They have said they are being treated unfairly, and one defendant said he was beaten.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has set standards for judges to apply in deciding whether to jail a Capitol riot defendant. A three-judge panel of the appeals court ruled in March that rioters accused of assaulting officers, breaking through windows, doors and barricades, or playing leadership roles in the attack were in a different category of dangerousness than those who merely cheered on the violence or entered the building after it was breached.

Among the rally speakers was the girlfriend of Jonathan Mellis, who was seen on camera on Jan. 6 using a stick to attack officers who were outside the Capitol trying to hold back the mob, authorities said.

Mellis was heard saying knock their masks off, and video shows him repeatedly striking and stabbing at officers with the stick, according to court documents. Authorities said in court documents that he appeared to be trying to hit the officers necks between their helmets and body-armor, where they had no protection.

Other defendants ordered locked up while they await trial include a man accused of dragging a police officer down steps to be beaten by an American flag and another man accused of leading a group of rioters up the Capitol steps to confront officers.

But judges have released the vast majority of the defendants, including more than a dozen members and associates of the Oath Keepers, a far-right group, who are charged in perhaps the most serious case brought so far in the attack. Only three people charged in the Oath Keepers conspiracy case remain locked up after judges said they appeared to play a leadership role in the alleged conspiracy.

Authorities have said the Oath Keepers prepared in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6 as if they were heading to war, came to Washington ready for violence and dressed that day in battle gear, wearing helmets and tactical vests.

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Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Michael Kunzelman, Mary Clare Jalonick, Jacques Billeaud, Lisa Mascaro, Amanda Seitz, Ashraf Khalil and Robert Burns contributed to this report.
Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

Police are investigating two separate incidents of people reporting they were robbed by men with guns in Bridgeport early Saturday, said Scott Appleby, the director of Bridgeports Office of Emergency Management.

The Bridgeport Emergency Communications Center received a call for the first robbery about 10 minutes after midnight. The caller said three men took a white 2020 Dodge Durango from the 1100 block of Hancock Avenue, Appleby said.
Banks continue to fight old, settled battles as Americas credit unions remain focused on improving members financial well-being, CUNA Chief Advocacy Officer Ryan Donovan wrote Friday in Morning Consult. Donovan notes that banks still continue to claim that banks deciding to sell to credit unions (which has happened 42 times, compared to 2,343 instances of banks purchasing banks) are impacting tax revenue.

Outrage over these transactions ignores the real issues at hand: Too many consumers are hurting, too many lack convenient access to safe and affordable financial services and too many small financial institutions  banks and credit unions alike  have found it impossible to keep up with the cost and complexity of compliance with an ever-increasing regulatory burden flowing out of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other regulators, Donovan wrote.

This forces the leaders of struggling banks to either close or to fulfill their fiduciary duty to shareholders by taking the best offer available  whether it comes from a megabank, local competitor or credit union, he added.
A few days ago the Prime Minister was approached in the House of Commons by one of his party grandees. 'I wonder if you can help me with my reading of the classics,' the MP said.

'Of course,' Boris answered. 'Well,' said his colleague, 'it's about Brutus. Is it true he betrayed Caesar, was then forgiven and brought back into the fold, only to then betray him again and stab him to death?'

'Er yes. Why do you ask?' the perplexed PM asked. 'Oh,' replied the backbencher wryly, 'It's just you might want to think about that when it comes to Michael Gove and your reshuffle.'

Boris didn't think about it. Or if he did, he chose to ignore the grey-bearded soothsayer's warning of the Ides of September.

The reshuffle was literally that. An essentially random reordering of the Ministerial pack, with little clear structure or political direction.

But there was one big winner. The Minister for the sprawling new department, set to be renamed the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Gove now has responsibility for almost all of the key planks of the Government's electoral agenda: delivering for the Red Wall. Neutralising Nicola Sturgeon. Reversing the backlash against planning reform. Fixing the housing crisis. Pictured: Boris Johnson and Michael Gove celebrate after the 2019 General Election

In the hours after the announcement, a number of Gove's numerous critics wishfully attempted to spin his move as a demotion. He had been booted out of the Cabinet Office, the engine-room of Government, they claimed.

And to an extent, they were right. Gove now has responsibility for almost all of the key planks of the Government's electoral agenda: delivering for the Red Wall. Neutralising Nicola Sturgeon. Reversing the backlash against planning reform. Fixing the housing crisis.

So it's true, he isn't in the engine room any more. He's up on the bridge, with his hands firmly on the wheel.

Which is alarming even some of his fellow Cabinet Ministers. 'Michael is the most untrustworthy man in Government,' one of them told me. 'He just can't help himself. Look at how he operates. Whenever anyone gets into any sort of trouble he'll suddenly start moving in on their patch. You'll start reading in the papers how he's got this great plan to fix this, or solve that, even though it's not his brief.'

This tendency to trespass on the political territory of colleagues  then attempt to bury them six feet under it  is one of the reasons Boris opted to move him to his beefed-up department.

With its own significant Levelling Up and Shared Prosperity Fund budgets, along with more clearly delineated policy streams, the hope is it will encourage Gove to demonstrate greater self-discipline, especially as he'd admitted to allies he'd become bored and frustrated at the Cabinet Office (at least when not out dancing to hard-core techno in his native Aberdeen).

Yet suspicions within Tory ranks over his loyalty remain. Partly this is based on his long-standing relationship with Dominic Cummings, who is currently embarked on a bitter revenge mission against Boris and his inner circle.

'Gove let the snake into the nest,' one Tory MP told me. But the Minister insists he has broken off relations with Cummings, even going so far as to tell friends he has genuine concerns over his former advisor's mental health.

Another problem is Gove's perceived proximity to the so-called 'Carrie Clique'  the group of No 10 aides who have formed an alliance with the Prime Minister's wife and are seen, rightly or wrongly, to exert a strong and not always healthy influence over his Government.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is seen alongside Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings at the Vote Leave HQ on June 24, 2016

'All the briefing against Priti [Patel] came from them,' one ally of the embattled Home Secretary told me. 'Look at all this stuff about pushing back the boats. She had one meeting with Boris to discuss some new ideas, then the next second it was all over the papers.

'She said to me, 'I don't know what to do. They just keep pressing this stuff out there without even discussing it with me'.'

But No 10 officials reject these claims, especially what they see as the cliched caricature of a manipulative alliance between Gove and Symonds. At one point, there was even an attempt to frame the events of the last week  including Gove's elevation  as 'The Carrie Reshuffle'. A narrative that was fatally undermined when one of her closest friends, John Whittingdale, was sacked from his job as Media Minister.

But the power Gove now wields is not in dispute. As one No 10 insider told me: 'Whenever Boris has an important decision to make, he looks to use Michael as a sounding board. That's been the way they work for a while now. And you can see the nature of their relationship by the way he's just entrusted so many important pieces of his agenda to him.'

The question Tory MPs are asking is whether Boris has been too trusting. There's little doubt Gove is someone who can deliver. But at what price?

As Education Secretary, Gove made headway in tackling 'The Blob', those Left-wing elements of the education establishment intent on absorbing and devouring much-needed reform. But in the process, he made so many enemies, and used up so much political capital, David Cameron decided he had no option but to sideline him.

Allies of Gove say a better model for the strategy he intends to deploy within his new fiefdom can be found in his management of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. There, his patient engagement with a range of stakeholders, many of whom were traditional Conservative opponents, won him plaudits. 'The first thing he'll be doing is stepping back and listening,' said an ally.

But the reality is there is only one stakeholder relationship that matters. And that's the one between Michael Gove and his Prime Minister.

However much he may value his counsel, Boris has never forgotten or forgiven Gove's betrayal of him in the middle of the 2016 Tory leadership election. Unlike the famous 'Granita Pact', which saw Gordon Brown and Tony Blair sit down and set aside  temporarily  their differences, Gove and Boris have never engaged in a proper process of reconciliation. They have just muddled on together.

It's true that a recent Chequers birthday party for No 10 adviser Henry Newman delivered the spectacle of Boris zooming around the grounds on his motorbike, as Gove clung doggedly to his waist.

But that was the product of a social event brokered by Carrie, rather than a genuine political rapprochement. What now binds Boris and his new Levelling Up Secretary is not affection, but necessity.

The Prime Minister knows he has to deliver on his promises to the Red Wall, safeguard the Union and win back the support of Tory MPs and voters enraged by planning reform. And Michael Gove realises this is his last opportunity to leave a lasting imprint on the nation.

The two men may not especially like, or even trust, one another. But they need each other. As do the Government, the Conservative Party and the country.

Although the reshuffle was supposed to breathe fresh life into Boris's administration, there was a sour and fractious mood at Westminster last week.

Tory stalwarts remain distressed and disillusioned by the tax hike. Modernisers are alarmed by a lack of vision. Red Wallers worried by an absence of direction and clarity. And if the new axis between Boris and Gove fractures, then there's a danger everything could fall apart.

Caesar has ignored the warnings. Brutus has been welcomed back into the fold. Boris  and Britain  had better hope that his faith is properly repaid.
To his considerable credit, Prince Charles has raised millions of pounds for charity. The Prince's Trust alone has returned 1.4 billion in benefits to society by helping more than 870,000 disadvantaged youngsters.

Such achievements are a proud symbol of a lifetime's work.

But now very serious issues about aspects of his fundraising have led to Charles facing a crisis, with his judgment being questioned.

By any measure, this could not have come at a worse time for Britain's next monarch. And, the brutal truth is that this calamity is entirely self-made.

Charles's friendships with foreign billionaires have long raised eyebrows  those holidays on Greek tycoons' yachts and his free use of a Texan financier's private jet, for example.

But his links with sleazy 'cash-for-access', as revealed by The Mail on Sunday over the past four weeks, risk becoming an indelible stain on the Prince's reputation.

To his considerable credit, Prince Charles (pictured last week) has raised millions of pounds for charity. The Prince's Trust alone has returned 1.4 billion in benefits to society by helping more than 870,000 disadvantaged youngsters

For it has been shown he has happily let wealthy foreign donors fund some of his most treasured projects and, on occasion, be promised help in securing an official honour.

Disturbingly, rather than manfully facing down the allegations himself, Charles appears to have allowed the staff involved to be thrown under the proverbial bus.

First, Michael Fawcett, his long-time confidant and the Prince's Foundation's chief executive, temporarily stepped aside. Then, amid mounting evidence of questionable practice, the charity's chairman Douglas Connell stood down and executive director Chris Martin temporarily stepped aside.

All three are tarred by irrefutable evidence that foreign tycoons were lured into donating millions to Charles's charities in return for meeting and dining with him, having rooms, benches and even forests and woods named after them on the Dumfries House estate, and  in the most serious cases  the promise of an honour and help obtaining British citizenship.

Most embarrassingly for Charles, Mr Connell went so far as to describe as 'rogue activity' and 'serious misconduct' the evidence that the Prince had agreed to meet a Russian banker and Saudi businessman in return for donations.

First, Michael Fawcett (left), his long-time confidant and the Prince's Foundation's chief executive, temporarily stepped aside. Then, amid mounting evidence of questionable practice, the charity's chairman Douglas Connell stood down and executive director Chris Martin temporarily stepped aside

Charles has denied any knowledge that his employees made such promises in return for money. But in doing so, rather than tackle the deeply damaging allegations head on, he has distanced himself.

In fact, it was stated on his behalf that the Prince 'is not involved in the governance of his charities' and that 'members of the charity executive team are not 'aides' to the Prince of Wales' but, instead, 'executives'.

Yet did he never ask why so many foreign magnates were clamouring for his favour? Did he never demand that rigorous due diligence was done with regard their business histories?

The Prince may have been blind to the perils, but Buckingham Palace courtiers have always disdained elements of his money-raising activities and have been shocked by a lack of transparency.

As Charles's biographer, I discovered that some close to the Queen were deeply concerned that, apart from the risk of having donors whose backgrounds were inadequately researched, the Prince was displaying signs of naivete.

Key among those voices was Prince Philip's. He agreed with senior Palace aides who were worried about the perception that his son was party to a 'rent-a-Royal' scheme. But Charles ignored his father's warnings.

A reluctance to take advice, though, has always been the Prince's way. Meanwhile, his relationship with Mr Fawcett, his indispensable aide-turned-'executive', has jeopardised his reputation.

Perilously close to dismissal twice  for example, over allegations that he sold off royal gifts (he was cleared by an internal inquiry of any financial misconduct)  Fawcett has always survived.

Royal biographer Tom Bower is pictured

Some might praise Charles's loyalty. However, I know I am not alone in seeing it as misplaced and ill-advised. Judge a man by his friends  and passions  is a well-worn but justified phrase.

Undoubtedly, Dumfries House is his passion. He bought the 1750s, Palladian mansion in 2007 and it needed millions to refurbish it.

But this was an immense challenge for a man who has always spent more money than he could raise and who has refused to accept advice to save cash by forsaking one of his six large homes.

Though lacking in self-knowledge, it is surprising that an intelligent man who is sensitive to many matters seems reluctant to ponder the contrast between his concern for the disadvantaged and his own personal extravagance.

He is not helped by sycophantic staff. Fawcett once told a charity donor: 'His Royal Highness lives modestly. He hasn't got a yacht and doesn't eat lunch'. In truth, aides know very well that unwelcome advice risks dismissal.

Too often, Charles has exploded with anger when told a home truth. Accordingly, no one dared warn him not to buy Dumfries, although its restoration required accepting money from dubious sources.

When advised on one occasion by an accountant that a proposed design was unaffordable, 'because you haven't got the money', Charles, I'm told, said to an assistant: 'I never want to see that man again!'

With such belligerence and only a rudimentary understanding of household management, Charles's latest troubles began.

Despite the Queen's opposition to his use of Buckingham Palace to raise money, Charles identified dates when his mother would be in Scotland and asked Fawcett to invite as many as 120 guests to Buckingham Palace to drum up money for Dumfries House and other charities.

At one such party, after wealthy Americans were given a private tour of the State Rooms, the Prince made a speech in which, cheekily, he declared: 'When the cat's away, the mice will play.'

In the Queen's opinion, her son blithely ignored the inviolable requirement to put boundaries between his work for charities and his position as future king in which impartiality is absolutely crucial.

That said, the results of the money-raising on his behalf were spectacular. Charles has raised in excess of 300 million over 20 years to fund his charities and buildings.

The Prince may believe raising money for good causes is a moral commitment that trumps everything  but it has come at a huge price.

Charles has survived repeated scandals because, with his mother's robust health, the idea of Charles III has been a distant prospect. But with Prince Philip's passing and the Queen celebrating her 96th birthday next year, it will become a reality sooner or later.

No one should be in any doubt: Charles's position is precarious.

His plight is compounded by his brother Andrew finding himself subject to a claim of sexual assault on an underage girl, and his son Harry writing a memoir that's expected to illustrate what he has described as a 'lot of hurt' between himself and his father.

Now, as never before, the spotlight is trained on the man who will be king.

Notorious among his staff as 'an Olympian whinger', the 72-year-old is, worryingly, still struggling to complete the apprenticeship for a job he has known would be his ever since he was in short trousers.

Even in his pampered cocoon, Charles, as a man who strives to do so much that is good, being linked to a cash-for-access controversy bodes badly for his future as king.

l Tom Bower is the author of Rebel Prince, The Power, Passion And Defiance Of Prince Charles.
Even by Prime Ministerial standards it's been a relentless week for Boris Johnson. First the reshuffle, and the unpleasant business of prising Ministers out of their departments like molluscs out of shells; then France throwing a tantrum about the new security pact between the UK, US and Australia.

Then last night there was dinner at Chequers, to celebrate the centenary of the country house's donation to the nation, in the company of his predecessor Theresa May.

Other surviving PMs were invited but all pleaded prior engagements. I can just picture them, can't you, sniggering at the prospect of Boris having to wine and dine his nemesis in splendid isolation. Then, today, it's off to America to butter up Biden.

Such is the unforgiving culture of modern politics, with all the pressures of social media and the constant and unrelenting attacks from all sides, that he cannot afford to betray even the slightest weakness

Charlotte Johnson Wahl passed away aged 79 at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on Monday. Her death was, we are told, 'sudden but peaceful'

But another major event took place in the PM's life this week, one that proves what a brutal business politics really is. His mother, to whom Boris was very close, died.

Charlotte Johnson Wahl passed away aged 79 at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington, London, on Monday. Her death was, we are told, 'sudden but peaceful'.

Of course there were expressions of condolence from various public figures, including Keir Starmer. And I'm sure friends and colleagues wrote warm and very welcome letters.

But, other than that, nothing changed. The notion that poor Boris should take a few days off to process this seismic event in his life didn't seem to cross anyone's mind, not even for a second.

Dead mother or not, it was business as usual. Indeed, even more than usual.

That such an emotional earthquake should result in no visible impact on the pace of politics is, for me, really weird. She was his mother, for heaven's sake.

If my mum passed away, I wouldn't be able to speak, let alone stand up and answer PMQs as Boris had to on Wednesday.

Yet that's what Boris did, and the awful thing is I can understand why.

Such is the unforgiving culture of modern politics, with all the pressures of social media and the constant and unrelenting attacks from all sides, that he cannot afford to betray even the slightest weakness.

Then last night there was dinner at Chequers, to celebrate the centenary of the country house's donation to the nation, in the company of his predecessor Theresa May

Our politicians are no longer allowed to be human. They cannot, like the rest of us, have good days and bad days, ups and downs, highs and lows. They are not allowed to have the same emotions as ordinary people: happiness, sadness, grief, guilt.

And yet they ARE, of course, human. They do feel all these things. Or at least they do when they start off.

But if they achieve even a modicum of success, they soon learn that if they show even the tiniest crack in the armour, they won't survive. And so, over time, they learn to bury their feelings, to stifle their emotions. And it wreaks havoc, not just on them, but also on their loved ones. More than that, it's not good for the nation. Politicians need to be able to feel things, or else how can they do their jobs properly?

I'm sure Boris would have loved to have taken a couple of days off to process his mother's death, to be a little kind to himself and his family. But how could he amid the absurd macho culture of Parliament?

And yet this is a man who has worked tirelessly for almost two years, with barely any sort of proper break. Look what happened when he tried to go to the West Country in the summer. He managed one day before having to get the train home. He's been gravely ill, has become a father (with another on the way), got married  and now he's lost a parent.

These days, people never stop talking about mental health. And yet when it comes to arguably the most important person in the country, and his mental health, no one gives a fig. But if anyone deserves a break, it's Boris. In more ways than one.

Trans lobby's win is heartbreaking

As the case of Keira Bell  who brought the original case against the Tavistock  proves, some youngsters do change their minds and sometimes a desire to change sex does not turn out to be gender dysmorphia, but an expression of something else

Last week the Court of Appeal overturned a landmark ruling banning the prescribing of hormone blockers to children under 16 without the consent of their parents.

This effectively gives the green light for clinics such as the NHS-run Tavistock (which challenged the ban) to put children as young as ten on the path to gender reassignment  without having to worry about their parents obstructing that decision.

It's being claimed as a mighty victory for trans activists who believe there should be no obstacles to a person's desire to change sex, regardless of their age or mental competence, and that to even question that decision is an act of wicked prejudice.

But, as the case of Keira Bell  who brought the original case against the Tavistock  proves, some youngsters do change their minds and sometimes a desire to change sex does not turn out to be gender dysmorphia, but an expression of something else.

The idea of a young woman ending up permanently scarred and infertile  as with Keira  because they had mistakenly embarked on a path of gender reassignment is, to me, heartbreaking. And just as wrong as a trans person being forced to live a lie.

 If there's a Fleabag-shaped hole in your life may I recommend Alma's Not Normal on on the BBC iPlayer.

Written and starring Sophie Willan - Bolton's answer to Phoebe Waller Bridge  it's based on her own life as the child of a heroin addict who turns to prostitution to make ends meet.

That makes is sound grim: it's not. It's one of those shows that finds comedy in the darkest corners of life, a joyous celebration of the gruesome - and one of the most simultaneously heart-wrenching and uplifting things I've watched in ages.

 Images of grown officers crouching down to speak to eco protesters on the M25 as though they were naughty toddlers and not dangerous fanatics make my blood boil. Apparently they were 'concerned for the safety of the group'.

THEIR safety? I always thought the police's job was to protect the public from crim- inals, not the other way round.

 How desperate to read that Afghan interpreters are having to resort to people smugglers to escape the clutches of the Taliban.

Meanwhile, the man largely responsible for that fiasco, Dominic Raab, seems more worried about whether or not he's going to keep his grace and favour house in the country, Chevening, now that Liz Truss has taken over as Foreign Secretary. First world problems, eh?

Prince Philip's final wishes are to be locked away for 90 years to protect the 'dignity' of the Queen and 'close members of her family', the High Court has ruled. Pity we can't do the same with Harry and Meghan.

Apps that are a pain in the A***

The DVLA is considering scrapping physical driving licences and replacing them with digital ones, to be accessed via an app on your phone. Once again, the relentless march of digitisation, allegedly designed to make our lives easier, is actually just a monumental pain in the you-know-what.

The other day I had to rescue a tearful friend from a car park where she had become trapped after her payment card was stolen. Being fully digitised, there was no parking attendant and no way of paying in cash  so I had to physically hand her my card to get her out.

Needless to say, in the time it took for me to come and rescue her, the tariff had doubled.

 Freya Fox, 19, Bake Off's first vegan contestant, has been trolled because she rides horses. That's 'rides', not 'eats', you kale-munching dullards.

 Worrying mood music emanating from No 10 on the prospect of another lockdown.

Last week Environment Secretary George Eustice let slip that a potential national shutdown is in the Government's toolbox should the virus manage to 'get around' the jabs.

If that's the case, good luck finding anyone left to pay for that huge National Insurance hike that's supposedly going to put the NHS back on track.

Come to think of it, good luck finding anyone left to pay for anything.

 It may be true that most millennials have never heard of toad-in-the-hole and think spotted dick is a made-up dish. But when it comes to inter-generational culinary confusion, they're not the only ones.

Whenever my younger brother goes to stay with my parents, Dad rings me up and rants about 'this overpriced green gunk your brother insists on having on toast for breakfast'. Bless. I think you mean avocados, Dad.

Forgotten your skirt, Penny?

Did she forget to put her skirt on when posing for this pic with husband Rod Stewart?

There's no question that, at 50, Penny Lancaster still has fabulous pins. But did she forget to put her skirt on when posing for this pic with husband Rod Stewart last week?

 Apparently the fear of touching 'tainted' Tube handrails is leading to agonising escalator falls. Can't help feeling that's something of a metaphor for this entire pandemic.
Queen Letizia of Spain made a bold sartorial statement last night as she stepped out in an eye-catching black leather dress.

The royal mother-of-two, 49, sported the 298 belted frock from & Other Stories when attending the Famelab 2021 final in Madrid, which is an international scientific talks competition.

She first opted for the statement garment in February 2019 during the opening of the 38th edition of the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO Madrid.

Looking good: Queen Letizia of Spain made a bold sartorial statement last night as she stepped out in an eye-catching black leather dress

Stylish: The royal mother-of-two, 49, sported the 298 belted frock from & Other Stories when attending the Famelab 2021 final in Madrid, which is an international scientific talks competition

Looking effortlessly glamorous, Letizia teamed her recycled outfit with a pair of nude heels to elongate her sun-kissed legs.

Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, she finished her stylish outfit with a set of silver hoop earrings.

Letizia, who sported a white face mask, completed her look by wearing a slicked back hair style and a smattering of glamorous makeup.

Thrifty style! She first opted for the statement garment in February 2019 during the opening of the 38th edition of the International Contemporary Art Fair, ARCO Madrid

Commanding attention: Looking effortlessly glamorous, Letizia teamed her recycled outfit with a pair of nude heels to elongate her sun-kissed legs

All about the accessories: Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, she finished her stylish outfit with a set of silver hoop earrings

The Famelab Monologues Contest is an international competition that sees scientists explaining their research in three-minute presentations.

The competition, which began at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK, aims to promote the communication of science to non-scientists.

Letizia has been a long-standing supporter of the scheme, attending previous Famelab events in the past.

It comes after Letizia was the picture of elegance as she and her husband King Felipe received the President of Colombia and his wife on Thursday.

Radiant: Letizia, who sported a white face mask, completed her look by wearing a slicked back hair style and a smattering of glamorous makeup

The Famelab Monologues Contest is an international competition that sees scientists explaining their research in three-minute presentations. Pictured, Letizia, right

The competition, which began at the Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK, aims to promote the communication of science to non-scientists. Pictured centre, Letizia

The Spanish monarch hosted a lunch at the Royal Palace in Madrid for the President of Colombia Ivan Duque Marquez and wife Maria Juliana Ruiz.

Looking typically polished, the 49-year-old donned a red silk gown by Massimo Dutti featuring button detailing on the sleeves and a cinched waist teamed with a pair of matching slingback heels.

Letizia most recently wore the dress during the launch of the 'Spain For Sure' Campaign at the Prado Museum in Madrid in June 2020.

She was effortlessly chic as she received the guests, keeping her look simple with some dainty teardrop earrings and no handbag.

Letizia (pictured) has been a long-standing supporter of the scheme, attending previous Famelab events in the past

It comes after Letizia (pictured right) was the picture of elegance as she and her husband King Felipe received the President of Colombia and his wife on Thursday

Her brown tresses were styled straight, loose around her shoulders and for her make-up look the mother-of-two opted for a subtle smokey eye and a touch of bronzer.

Maria, 43, opted for a white knee length dress with a ruffled hemline, cinched in with a black leather belt and styled with a pair of black court heels.

The First Lady of Colombia also wore a face covering while chatting with Letizia, carrying a black clutch and finishing her look with elegant pearl earrings and a gold bangle.

King Felipe, 53, cut a handsome figure in a navy blue suit, paired with a white shirt and yellow silk tie. He also wore a white face covering throughout the event.
Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her family have enjoyed a weekend trip to the Swedish island of Gotland alongside Norway's Prince Haakon, Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra.

The heir to the Swedish throne, 44, holidayed with her husband Prince Daniel, 48, and their two children, Princess Estelle, nine, and Prince Oscar, five, last weekend.

They were joined on the vacation by Norway's future monarch Prince Haakon, 48, and his wife Mette-Marit, 48, and their daughter Ingrid, 17, who is second in line to the throne.

The families, who are known to be very close, shared a group photograph from their time together and posted it to their social media accounts today.

Sweden's Princess Victoria (pictured left), Prince Daniel (pictured centre) and their children Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar (pictured standing together in front of the adults) have enjoyed a weekend trip to the Swedish island of Gotland alongside Norway's Prince Haakon (pictured centre right), Princess Mette-Marit (pictured centre left) and Princess Ingrid Alexandra (pictured right)

Opting for a causal look, Victoria donned a striped pink shirt with a pair of grey wash jeans and white trainers.

She completed her look by slicking her hair back, and sporting a sophisticated silver watch.

Standing next to Victoria, Mette-Marit appeared equally low key in a black puffer jacket, white shorts and matching trainers.

Prince Daniel, pictured centre, also donned a pair of shorts with a black jacket, while Haakon wore a black coat and light blue shirt.

Estelle and Oscar were standing front and centre, with the former sporting blue jeans and a brown jacket, while her brother donned a white shirt and grey shorts.

In April 2021, the future monarchs of Sweden, Denmark and Norway and their respective spouses had a catch-up over a video call (pictured), and posted a snap of it online

With her arms wrapped around Estelle, Ingrid, dressed in a black shirt and matching trousers, couldn't help but smile at the camera.

Taking to Instagram, the Norwegian royal family said: 'The Crown Prince Couple and Princess Ingrid Alexandra spent some beautiful late summer days on Gotland in the Baltic Sea last weekend, together with the Swedish Crown Princess family.

'The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have close and intimate contact with the Scandinavian Royal Houses, and greatly appreciated the visit to Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel.'

Meanwhile, the Swedish royal family wrote: 'Last weekend, the Crown Princess family spent some beautiful late summer days on Gotland together with the Crown Prince, Crown Princess and Princess Ingrid Alexandra of Norway.

'The Scandinavian heirs to the throne keep in close contact with each other. The Crown Princess family appreciated being able to spend time with their Norwegian friends and relatives, as well as having the opportunity to show them this unique part of Sweden.'
A mum-of-four has revealed how she has sold up to $30,000 worth of DIY lash and eyebrow kits each week to women stuck at home during Australia's lockdowns.

Luxe Lashes entrepreneur Jean Peters, 28, told FEMAIL she initially developed the at-home kits for time-poor mums and people who can't afford regular trips to the beautician.

But since the first Covid lockdowns in March 2020, the Perth businesswoman has seen huge spikes in sales from locked-down areas as women search for ways to keep up their appearances while beauticians are forced to close.

Mum-of-four Jean Peters has revealed how she has sold up to $30k worth of DIY lash and eyebrow kits each week since Australia went back into lockdown

The Luxe Lashes entrepreneur told FEMAIL she developed the at-home kits for time-poor mums and people who can't afford regular trips to the beautician

'It has been amazing because now lots of women are coming to us because their salons are closed and they need to maintain their look,' Jean said.

'Women who never would have thought about doing their own lash lifts and brow laminations have had to.'

Like most businesses across the country, the first round of lockdowns came as a surprise. But Jean took advantage of the 'new normal' and developed an eyebrow kit to sell alongside her eyelash range.

'Last year sales went up 1400 per cent some weeks, it was incredible and we absolutely did not expect it,' she said.

'We realised people would also need something for their eyebrows so we brought out the lamination kit - which works in a similar way and is now one of our top sellers.'

In August, when the NSW Government announced the extension of the state's lockdown, Jean sold $27,000 worth of kits almost overnight.

The brow laminations are a new product which promise polished, fuller-looking brows

The lash kits are the original hero product - this before and after shows how they make eyes pop and lashes appear longer and thicker

The 28-year-old mum has been inundated with orders after NSW went into an extended lockdown she is pictured here with two of her kids, posting off some orders

Each eyebrow kit can be used for five applications - or for about six months.

'The instructions are super clear and are step-by-step so anyone can use them, which is why they have been so popular,' she said.

'There are cheaper Chinese ones available but I think people are more comfortable using locally made products on their faces.'

Jean developed Luxe Lashes for two years before launching the business in 2018, when she was juggling her accounting degree while caring for her two young children.

'I wanted every woman to have access to beautiful eyelashes, that's how this all started,' she said.

The busy mum said even if she could afford $100 lash extensions and regular $80 in-fills as a university student, she couldn't make the time for them with her parenting duties.

'I am super proud because I created this all by myself but I am still always open to making the product even better,' she said.

Luxe Lashes now have seven staff who operate out of a warehouse in Perth and are looking forward to being available in a national retail store by the end of the year.
Anna Ross grew up in a town of just 64 people in the New Zealand city of Dunedin and is the mastermind behind vegan and cruelty-free cosmetics brand Kester Black

A young woman has revealed how she managed to turn just $50 of savings into a global beauty empire that's now raking in more than $1million every year.

Anna Ross grew up in a town of just 64 people near the New Zealand city of Dunedin and is the mastermind behind vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand Kester Black.

What started as a hobby making jewellery over ten years ago turned into an ethically made cosmetics line which now sells close to 50 shades of nail polish, along with lipsticks and eyeliners.

Ms Ross said she was living from paycheck to paycheck when she first started out and risked going bankrupt to launch her business.

She had just $50 saved from her job in retail to put into her first jewellery order, using the profits to buy more and eventually switch to nail polish.

'If I can do this anyone can. I'm not special, I can't do maths and I can't spell because I'm dyslexic - what's driven it to this point is just sheer determination and grit,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Kester Black sells close to 50 shades of nail polish along with lipstick and eyeliner - all ethically made, vegan and cruelty-free

Ms Ross said she never thought she would succeed professionally because she struggled to spell and was dyslexic

After studying fashion design in university in New Zealand, Ms Ross decided to move across the ditch to Melbourne in 2009.

She said she started making jewellery that same year because she couldn't afford to bring her sewing machine with her from home.

An interest in nail polish developed in 2012 when she started researching enamel paints to use on her jewellery and noticed there was a huge gap in the market.

'I introduced six nail polishes and the business tripled in three months,' she said.

It was then that she decided to leave the jewellery aspect behind, focusing solely on nail polish.

Ms Ross said her first order for the product cost her $3,000, which she admits would have 'totally bankrupt me' if it hadn't worked out.

Ms Ross was eventually selling jewellery before switching to nail polish in 2012

Her brand is loved around the world due to its ethically made and vegan nature

But fortunately it did and the brand Kester Black was officially launched two years later in 2014.

At the time there was a major lack in cruelty-free and vegan nail polish brands, Ms Ross said, which inspired her to pursue the company.

'I wasn't vegan at the time and I didn't want to stop people who weren't from buying the products so we were quite subtle with the branding at the start,' she said.

What now sets her brand apart is the high level of certifications she has including her products being carbon neutral and B-corporation certified - the highest standards of social and environmental performance.

'There are definitely more ethical brands out there now but I don't think any of them have gone through the hoops we have to get certified,' she said.

'Not one other brand I know has got two accreditations, where we have six.'

Despite the incredible success Ms Ross now has from the business, she admits she didn't take it seriously for the first few years which in her eyes were 'wasted'.

'I was 21 at the time and I was just thinking like a 21-year-old,' she said.

'I never thought of myself as an entrepreneur and I didn't see it as a business, I'd been working at an optometrist and it was just a hobby.'

It wasn't until 2016 when Ms Ross was awarded the Telstra Young Businesswoman of the Year that she decided to 'get serious' and put everything she had into Kester Black.

She credits being able to know how to write a press release for her success, adding that when she first started out she would send countless releases to beauty and lifestyle magazines to feature her work.

Ms Ross won the Telstra Young Businesswoman of the Year award in 2016 which only inspired her to see how far she could take her dream

Now Kester Black is worth an estimated $20million, something Ms Ross even struggles to wrap her head around.

'I've definitely felt times of immense pressure, there was about six months where I would just cry everyday and say ''who am I to run a business, this is too hard'',' she said candidly.

'But I just knew the products were beautiful and the brand was good so I just couldn't bring myself to let it go.'

Kester Black now has more than 17,000 loyal customers with fans including Australian model Elle MacPherson and Rebecca Judd.

The brand can be found on the shelves of high-end London department store Liberty London, Dover Street Market in Paris and Nordiska Kompaniet in Stockholm - just to name a few.

The Kester Black team consists of Ms Ross, her partner Fergus and one part-timer with 70 per cent of their revenue coming from Australia.

'I want Kester Black to become the number one beauty brand in the world and with that I want customers to think about how they purchase their items,' she said.

'I think it's pretty funny because my school teachers thought I would amount to nothing so I'm super proud of what I've accomplished.'
Anyone who grew up with a childhood pet will know exactly how deep the bond goes and just how upsetting it is when something separates you.

But for one British woman, her dog being taken away during childhood was an event she was never able to overcome - or forgive her parents for.

The 23-year-old, now living in the US, anonymously posted on the popular Reddit forum 'Am I The A******', asking whether she was in the wrong for banning her parents and brother from her wedding.

Her reasoning was that 14 years ago, when she was nine, they gave away the family golden retriever she had a special bond with because of her brother's allergies.

She told the forum her parents are devastated and her brother has branded her 'evil' and she didn't find much support from commenters, who quickly sided with her family.

A British woman, 23, now living in LA, anonymously posted on the popular Reddit forum 'Am I The A******', asking whether she was the one in the wrong for hanging on to the grudge (stock photo)

Explaining the background she wrote: 'My parents rescued a golden retriever puppy from the shelter, named Harry. My family quickly fell in love with Harry, however, I feel as though my bond with him was extra special.

'This changed when my older brother began complaining about allergies, which we later found out was due to Harry. My parents told us that we'd have to re-home Harry, but assured us that he'd be going to a good home.'

The original poster went on to explain that she asked her mother, now 45, and father, now 47, if her brother could regularly take allergy medication in a bid to keep the dog.

Her parents declined on the basis that they were worried about the potential long-term affects of taking the medication, and subsequently made sure the dog went to a loving home.

The woman banned her brother and parents from her wedding for giving away the dog her sibling was allergic to

The woman, who admitted to resenting her parents for their decision, left for a US college to be further away from her family while also accepting their offer to pay for her tuition and a monthly $1,500 towards her $3,000 Los Angeles rent.

'My family didn't take the news lightly,' said the bride-to-be. 'When they asked me why, I explained to them that I hadn't forgiven them for re-homing Harry, and that their presence would make things awkward for me.

'My parents are apparently really upset about this according to my older brother, who called me "evil" for doing what I'm doing.'

Commenters were left gobsmacked by her story, and one started off by mentioning her complete disregard for her brother's health.

'I'm allergic to pets, more so to cats than dogs. When I was in 8th grade my mom and I found a puppy abandoned by the side of the road and brought her home. I took allergy medicine. I even got allergy shots,' she said.

Commenters were outraged at her decision and branded her uncaring for holding such a ridiculous grudge

'About six months later I came down with pneumonia and missed three weeks of school. Two weeks after going back, I was in the hospital with asthmatic bronchitis. The doctor explained to my parents that while the dog wasn't making me sick, per se, the stress on my lungs was making me more likely to get ill.'

'As an allergy sufferer, "just take allergy medicine" is one of the most uncaring things I can be told.'

Another branded her as chronically uncaring saying: 'This part is especially nauseating: "However, I feel as though my bond with him was extra special." This is the problem. You think you're special and no one else matters.'

A fellow commenter was horrified and wrote: 'There's so many people who haven't seen or talked to their parents in years because of childhood trauma and your issue is they gave away a dog because if made your brother sick.'

'You don't seem to have resentment problems when they keep writing checks for you. Pay for your home and education. But all of a sudden you can't stand to see them. Your brother's right. You're evil.'

A fourth, seeing the funny side in the chaos simply said: 'I started dying of laughing when she mentioned how she had a deep connection with her dog. I knew where it was going from there.'
A young woman has revealed how a stern warning from a doctor in a mental health ward left her furious enough to turn her life around.

Alana Mitchell, 34, went from being unemployed and $45,000 in debt to rebuilding her corporate career, running a side hustle and owning her own home in Sydney in just two years.

Alana told FEMAIL she was deeply upset after the frank conversation during her fifth stay in the psychiatric ward but is now grateful the doctor spoke his mind.

Alana Mitchell, 34, went from being unemployed and $45,000 in debt to rebuilding her corporate career, running a side hustle and owning her own home in Sydney in just two years

Alana said her mother, left, and father, right and her brother have both been very supportive through her mental health battles - especially when she found the courage to ask for help

'He told me the way I was going I would be homeless in six months,' Alana said.

'I was dumbfounded because the thought of being without a job and homeless had never occurred to me, I was always a high achiever.

'And of course I have a wonderful mum and dad, so I would never have been homeless, but the words still shook me.'

Alana had been suffering poor mental health since she was 26.

She was initially diagnosed with psychotic depression before doctors told her she had schizophrenia during her last stay.

Over a six-year period Alana had five admissions to the ward, staying from four days to four weeks.

The visits started the same, with Alana needing to be sedated because she was psychotic followed by endless hours of colouring in and yoga to pass the time while being observed by staff.

Alana said she was shocked when her mental health battles seemingly came from nowhere.

'The first time it happened I was working a stressful corporate job,' she said.

But it wasn't until she quit her high-pressured role to start her own business that things really began to spiral.

'I had clients immediately but it wasn't enough to sustain a business,' she said.

'Looking back I realise it just wasn't my time.'

Alana started using her savings to keep the business going before finally closing it down.

'I wasn't living extravagantly, but I was putting all my living expenses on my credit card so I could pay my rent with cash,' she said.

'I was still trying to be strong and independent but I really needed help.'

She finally called her dad who lent her money to pay her rent which had doubled after she asked her housemate to leave during a psychotic episode.

Now Alana is working on paying it forward and has a fund set up for her baby niece

'I would have a breakdown, go onto medication and then I would start doing okay and come off my medication and crash again,' she said, revealing the vicious cycle.

Shortly after reaching out for help from her family she found herself back in hospital, for the fifth and final time.

'When that doctor told me I was going to be on the street in a matter of months I saw the full picture,' she said.

'My initial reaction was like ''how dare he say that'' but now I am so grateful because when he said that it activated my will.'

Alana went on the hunt for work, landing three casual jobs which meant she could finally pay her rent.

A side-hustle selling coffee bags at the markets shortly after her last stint in hospital helped her get back into the corporate world after a former manager noticed her social media

'When I got the first job, even though it was only a few hours a week, it was a huge deal because I was no longer under that unemployed banner,' she said.

'I was no longer going backwards. Soon I was working seven days a week - as a barista at two different cafes and at an organic shop.'

Once she got into a rhythm with work and felt she was in a good place with her mental health, she found another housemate and even rented out the garage space.

'I cut out all luxuries so I could pay off my debt. There were no holidays, I didn't splurge on anything new and I didn't have a car,' she said.

Alana saved enough for a deposit on a property, and also started a side hustle at a local market - which wasn't terribly successful as a business venture - but did get her noticed.

'I was contacted by a guy I used to work with, we met up for a coffee and I was offered a contract job - based off the social media content I had built around that coffee business,' she said.

'There is this idea that mental health and thriving are opposite ends of the same spectrum, but I want people to know they can succeed even after a mental health diagnosis,' she said

She is still with the same corporate company today, working in a full-time role after rebuilding her confidence.

Alana, who now earns a six-figure salary, said she is unafraid to ask for what she is worth when negotiating with her superiors and knows that having a mental health condition doesn't stop her from doing well.

'There is this idea that mental health and thriving are opposite ends of the same spectrum, but I want people to know they can succeed even after a mental health diagnosis,' she said.

'I will be on medication for the rest of my life, but I am thriving, I am living a normal life which is wonderful.

'But I know if I stopped my medication I would be back where I was in six months.'

What are Alanna's three tips to turning your life around? 1  Know you are valuable despite the situation. Dont think less of yourself because of your finances  this is key when it comes to salary negotiations  when you're not earning your true value you perpetuate the problem. 2  When you are in a place where you can afford it it is important to give to create. This means you should be generous with yourself and others. Self care can be inexpensive with things like yoga, meditating and journaling. When you look after yourself you can get to a space where you can look after others. It is important to accept support if you need it, like I did with my mum and dad. 3  We are not simply individuals we are part of a bigger community, a collective. It is important for our financial wellbeing that we pay it forward. For example I now save money every fortnight for my niece. That will go towards a gift from me when she is 18. Advertisement

The businesswoman has written a book detailing her experience with mental illness, her spiral into poverty and her return to the top.

'There are things happening in my life now that I never thought possible,' she said.

'And that's why I am talking about it - because I have gone beyond belief and I want other people to do that too.

'You are not your condition, mental illness doesn't define you.'

Being Brave: From trauma to joy by Alana Mitchell ($24.99) is out now.
To say Im close to my friend Sarah would be an understatement. Weve known each other for about nine years  shes honorary auntie to my four-year-old son Milo, and shes the first person I call if Ive had a fight with my ex-partner, or if I need help deciding what to cook for dinner.

Since we met through friends, at a cocktail bar, shes accompanied me on all my biggest adventures  from learning to kickbox in Thailand to hiking in the Sherwood Forest.

But for the past four months, and for the first time in our relationship, Ive hidden something from her. My secret? Ive had the Covid-19 vaccine. Two doses. AstraZeneca.

Nilufer Atik, left, has had two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but was afraid to tell her friend Sarah, right, because the 40-year-old photographer believes that eating healthily and exercising will protect her from the killer virus

At this point, 90 per cent of British adults have had at least one jab, so its not exactly a controversial decision. Except for Sarah, it is.

A 40-year-old photographer from North London, she is one of the ten per cent of British adults whove not been vaccinated. And even though shes been eligible since early summer, she has no intention of getting jabbed.

Sarah considers herself to be spiritual. She distrusts modern medicine  even refusing to take painkillers when she has a headache. It was no different with the vaccine: she thought it was just another example of drug companies pushing medication on us for profit.

As far as shes concerned, she looks after herself with a stringent routine of exercise and eating fruit and veg, and this provides all the protection she needs. But I fear this is hugely misguided.

You might wonder how two people with such different approaches to life have ended up friends in the first place. But her views havent been entirely incompatible with my own, at least, until now.

We both have a passion for healthy living. We spend much of our time together at the gym.

According to Nilufer, her friend Sarah, right, considers herself to be spiritual. She distrusts modern medicine  even refusing to take painkillers when she has a headache. It was no different with the vaccine: she thought it was just another example of drug companies pushing medication on us for profit

But then, amid the rollout of the Covid vaccine  something Id longed for, like most sensible people, as it would protect us personally and also signal the end of the pandemic  she starting posting anti-vaccine messages on social media. On Facebook, Sarah would share graphics describing the jab as dangerous, and when we spoke she started denying Covid was that serious.

I was concerned, given that she knew Id had the disease and ended up in hospital.

In November, within the space of two weeks I went from having a scratchy cough to hardly being able to stand or talk.

In hospital, I was diagnosed with pneumonia and treated with intravenous antibiotics.

Even now Im still hard of hearing in my right ear, my hair has fallen out and theres been permanent change in my sense of taste and smell. But Im alive, at least. Did my friend think Id made the whole thing up?

Deep down, I was also terrified for Sarah.

Id seen what this illness could do, and although its unlikely shell get seriously ill, its not impossible.

Despite this, every time the subject of Covid came up, Id move the conversation elsewhere. It just felt so unbelievably awkward.

I was angry too, of course, but I just couldnt face a showdown.

It all came to a head a few weeks ago, during a trip to a health spa. Sarah and another friend (also unjabbed) were embroiled in another one of their discussions, exchanging falsehoods about how the vaccine rollout was a big ploy by the drug companies to make money. She went on to suggest people who get a jab are just looking for a quick fix rather than taking a long-term approach by getting fit and eating well.

Id never put that poison in my body, she concluded.

At that point, I snapped. Ive had the vaccine, I announced. I eat healthily and exercise daily, but I still got Covid and it nearly killed me. So I dont agree with you.

Sarah looked like Id revealed a life-threatening diagnosis  but for me, the floodgates had opened: The problem with most anti-vaxxers, is that most of them havent a clue what its like to get Covid, or lose someone they love to it.

For perhaps the first time in our nine-year friendship, I felt like we were on different pages. I quickly shut down the conversation, saying we should agree to disagree

Its easy to sit there and say people shouldnt be having the vaccine, but until youve had Covid, and seen what it can do, I dont think you can really comment.

Sarah gave as good as she got. She said shed accept some people get ill and die from Covid, but its not as many as the Government is making out. By taking the jab, youre doing exactly what the Government wants you to. And if the vaccine worked, why are so many vaccinated people still dying of Covid?

For perhaps the first time in our nine-year friendship, I felt like we were on different pages. I quickly shut down the conversation, saying we should agree to disagree.

I didnt want to fall out. After that day, I couldnt stop thinking about our conversation, and what it would mean for our friendship.

Im uncomfortable that Sarah, the loving, generous and kind person I knew, was choosing to put other people at risk by not having the jab.

Of course, what she says about the people whove been double-jabbed still catching Covid and dying is true. But it doesnt mean what anti-vaxxers think it does. The vaccine isnt perfect. It doesnt offer 100 per cent protection, but nobody ever said it would.

Some people whove had it will still get very sick. And some people, for reasons unknown, will just not mount an immune response to the jab, and so will remain vulnerable. But these people remain a small minority.

In England, between January 2 and July 2, there were 51,281 Covid deaths. Of those, 640 occurred in people who were fully vaccinated  and this includes people who had been infected shortly before or after they were vaccinated, so werent immune.

Differences in hospitalisations between the pre-vaccine period and now prove the point further. While infection rates now are comparable to the first and second waves, when Covid hospitalisations increased by roughly nine per cent every day, over the past few weeks theyve been relatively stable, increasing by just 0.1 per cent. And studies show youre significantly less likely to spread the virus if youre jabbed, too. The more people vaccinated, the less virus is floating about.

Again, it wont eradicate Covid completely, but at least were all trying to do our bit.

It was all too horrible and difficult. Im ashamed to say, I avoided Sarahs calls for a while after that. Im sure many people are grappling with the same situation.

In Sarahs age group, which is 35 to 49-year-olds, its about one in five whove not taken a jab

Overall, vaccine uptake is stellar  in older age groups, its nearly 100 per cent. But about a third of 18 to 29-year- olds are yet to have a dose. And in Sarahs age group, which is 35 to 49-year-olds, its about one in five whove not taken a jab. Its a problem thats clearly affecting families, too. Some top legal firms have begun publishing advice for divorced parents at loggerheads about vaccinating their children.

With Covid hospitalisations now reaching about 1,000 a day  most of which are unvaccinated people  and threatening to overwhelm the NHS in the busy winter months, is it our civic duty to do our bit to persuade them?

Lucy Thompson, a 22-year-old student from London, told me she was horrified to learn her former housemate and close friend Madeline had not only decided not to take the vaccine, but had also spent the best part of the pandemic pretending to be exempt from mask-wearing. We went to an exhibition a few months ago and it was in a really small space, so they enforced mask wearing, she told me.

In England, between January 2 and July 2, there were 51,281 Covid deaths. Of those, 640 occurred in people who were fully vaccinated  and this includes people who had been infected shortly before or after they were vaccinated, so werent immune

I couldnt believe it when she told the attendant she couldnt wear one due to health conditions, which I knew was a lie. The attendant apologised and gave her a wristband, to signify she was exempt.

I said, I get you dont want the jab and thats your choice. But the least you can do is wear a mask! 

She turned her nose up and we had to drop the subject, otherwise wed have had a bust-up.

Lucy has gone from seeing her friend at least three times a week to a couple of times a month.

It creates a strange tension because we both know theres this big topic we cant talk about, she says. Were both equally stubborn and when we speak about it, we just end up shouting facts at each other to prove our point. Or, in her case, stuff shes read on social media about jabs not being tested properly, which isnt based on fact.

So what should we do about people in our lives who take a passionate stance against the vaccine?

Ive been more compelled to challenge Sarahs views in the past week, as the threat of a winter lockdown looms  linked to unjabbed people increasing demands on hospitals. But she has a bogus fact to counter everything I say.

Studies by Oxford University have found that those like Sarah, who are vehemently against vaccines, are a small minority. Of those who havent been jabbed, only about one in ten are strongly against it

Studies by Oxford University have found that those like Sarah, who are vehemently against vaccines, are a small minority. Of those who havent been jabbed, only about one in ten are strongly against it. Most arent anti-vax, but scared of what could go wrong. This makes them open to different ideas, says Dr Nilufar Ahmed, a psychologist at Bristol University.

She adds: For many people, its the unknowns that makes them wary  not knowing what this vaccine will do. They range from it being developed too quickly, to causing infertility. But you have to listen very carefully to their concerns and then perhaps present them with easy-to-understand facts which alleviate their anxieties.

Dr Ahmed says its easy to tell if someone can change. When someone feels strongly about something, they generally dismiss facts that challenge them, and might not even listen. So if someone rejects pro-vaccine information, calls it nonsense, or becomes defensive if challenged, its not a fight you are going to win.

This rings true for Sarah. Last week we agreed to discuss our disagreement on The Mail on Sundays Medical Minefield podcast. I challenged her claim that she doesnt know anyone who got very ill with Covid, and therefore that it isnt that serious.

You do know someone  me, I said. To which she responded, I didnt know youd been so unwell  you never told me!

This is partly true, I underplayed it to my friends, as I didnt want them to worry. But then she continued: Of course I dont want you to be sick. I want everyone to be well. I just dont think the vaccine is the way to do it, and thats my decision.

She went on to suggest one of the reasons why I became so unwell could have been because I was emotionally unwell, having recently gone through a break-up.

Dr Ahmed had told me: The worst thing you can do is blame people for their views, or judge them. Often those views have come from someone they respect, so by passing judgment you are disrespecting their relationship with that person. This is why it can quickly become emotional, and cause friction.

But faced with the sort of ludicrous things Sarah was saying to me, how could I not judge her? It seems weve reached a stalemate, of sorts. The frustrating thing is that we do get on brilliantly  as long as we dont talk about Covid

But faced with the sort of ludicrous things Sarah was saying to me, how could I not judge her? It seems weve reached a stalemate, of sorts. The frustrating thing is that we do get on brilliantly  as long as we dont talk about Covid.

So I dont want to abandon our friendship. I think of all the good times and the things weve shared. The birth of my son and his birthdays, our weightlifting sessions in the gym and laughing together over stupid cat videos on Instagram.

Covid has already taken a lot from me. And if Sarah and I cant agree to disagree, Im worried our friendship will become another victim of this blasted pandemic.
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Foundation

There have been several attempts to bring Isaac Asimovs series of epic, sprawling Foundation novels to the screen and Apple TV+, which has been quietly building a bank of first-rate shows, has finally succeeded.

The first ten episodes of Apple's adaptation of Isaac Asimovs series of epic, sprawling Foundation novels, featuring Leah Harvey (above), are visually stunning

The first ten episodes of what Apple hopes will be the new Game Of Thrones, featuring Leah Harvey, are visually stunning. Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) has developed a new science that allows him to predict the fall of the Galactic Empire, so he plans to ensure civilisation survives by preserving knowledge. But the Empire isnt best pleased. Apple TV+, from Friday

Mr. Mayor

Ted Danson plays retired LA businessman Neil Bremer, who runs for mayor to prove hes still got it. However, after he triumphs, Bremer has to figure out what he stands for in Americas second-weirdest city, and then win the respect of his biggest critic  the deputy mayor (Holly Hunter).

Ted Danson plays retired LA businessman Neil Bremer (above with Kyla Kenedy as his daughter), who runs for mayor to prove hes still got it in Mr. Mayor

He also needs to connect with his teenage daughter (Kyla Kenedy). Sky/NOW, from Friday

Being James Bond

Daniel Craig has long been equivocal about his stint as 007. On the one hand, its a nice little earner. On the other, its not much of an acting challenge playing a secret agent running from one action sequence to the next, although he has brought new depth to the role. Ahead of the release of No Time To Die later this month, this documentary looks at his tenure and features an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview with Craig  and includes the moment when he films his final scene as James Bond. Apple TV+, available now

Dian Fossey: Secrets In The Mist

Sigourney Weaver, who played Fossey in the 1988 movie Gorillas In The Mist, narrates this series examining the researchers life and legacy.

Sigourney Weaver narrates Dian Fossey: Secrets In The Mist which includes archive film of Fossey (above) and images, and hears from those who knew the researcher best

It includes archive film of Fossey and images, and hears from those who knew her best, including Wayne McGuire, who was convicted in absentia of her murder. Disney+, from Wednesday

The White Lotus

Acerbic comedy drama set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, following three sets of wealthy, privileged guests whose unthinking behaviour is excruciating to watch.

Connie Britton and Steve Zahn (above) star in The White Lotus, an acerbic comedy drama set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, following three sets of wealthy, privileged guests

Starring Connie Britton and Steve Zahn, and a brilliant Murray Bartlett as Armond, the White Lotuss increasingly stressed-out manager, who is being driven to the edge Sky/NOW, available now

The New Statesman

There have been many comparisons between the current British Government and this un-PC 1980s comedy, but even the boldest parliamentarian doesnt come close to matching Rik Mayalls ultra hard-line Alan BStard.

As well as offering a satirical look at the government of the time, The New Statesman also showcased Rik Mayalls (above) considerable comic  and dramatic  talents

Created by Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks, the show chronicles the efforts of the MP as he does whatever it takes to further his career. As well as offering a satirical look at the government of the time, it also showcased Mayalls considerable comic  and dramatic  talents. Michael Troughton plays Alans assistant, the hapless Piers. BritBox, from Thursday

The Green Knight

Arty fantasy film inspired by the enigmatic Arthurian tale of Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, told in the 14th Century poem of the same name. Dev Patel plays the impetuous would-be hero who takes up the gauntlet thrown down by the emerald-skinned Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) at Camelot and, consequently, a year later, has to journey to meet the knight at the Green Chapel to honour the promise he has made. This looks beautiful and has a dreamlike air of mystery. Amazon, from Friday

Y: The Last Man

Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer) is the only man left in a world populated by women after a cataclysmic event results in the death of every mammal with a Y chromosome  apart from him and his pet monkey, Ampersand. How can the survivors, led by Yoricks mother, Jennifer Brown (Diane Lane), who just happens to be the new president, build back better? Disney+/Star, from Friday

NETFLIX, ALL 4 & ACORN TV

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Based on a series of best-selling novels by Kerry Greenwood, this is a mystery-of-the-week format show in which glamorous, beautifully dressed Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis) is a sexually liberated, modern-minded miss who works as a private detective in 1920s Melbourne; a sort of Sherlock Sheila.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries follows the glamorous, modern-minded Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis, above) as she works as a private detective in 1920s Melbourne

Phryne is a charming, vivacious character, and fans will love the romantic tension she has with DI Robinson. Acorn TV, from Monday

The Inner Circle

Anything dubbed Swedens House Of Cards has to be worth a look, but dare we say, this excellent drama is actually the equal of the English-language shows. It follows the political bloodbath that ensues after Elvira Kropp, the countrys prime minister, decides to step down.

The Inner Circle, dubbed Swedens House Of Cards, follows the political bloodbath that ensues after the prime minister tips David Ehrling (Niklas Engdahl, above) as her successor

She appears to tip David Ehrling, enterprise minister, as her successor, but singling him out from the pack makes him a target for all manner of unsavoury characters. Niklas Engdahl and Nanna Blondell star. All4/Walter Presents, from Friday

Destroyer

Nicole Kidman is almost unrecognisable in a masterful performance as Erin Bell, a cop consumed with guilt over a past mistake.

Nicole Kidman (above) is almost unrecognisable in a masterful performance as Erin Bell, a cop consumed with guilt over a past mistake in Destroyer

When the chance comes to put right that wrong, she goes after justice with a grim obsession. BBC iPlayer, available now

Dear White People

Fans of this smart show will be holding back the tears as the final season gets under way. It follows a group of black students at the predominantly white Winchester University. Creator Justin Simien, who was behind the 2014 film of the same name, is making sure they go out with a bang, serving up the series first musical offering. Netflix, from Wednesday
The Radical Potter

Tristram Hunt Allen Lane 25

Rating:

When Catherine the Great of Russia ordered a dinner service from Josiah Wedgwood in 1773, the industrialists pottery had already become a byword for sophistication around the world. Naturally, the Empress was keen to outshine every other king, princess or duke of her acquaintance, so she stipulated a 944-piece service, each item to be decorated with views of England. It was the biggest order that Wedgwood had ever received, and so exquisite that fashionable London society was urged to buy a ticket in order to view the marvellous sight before it was dispatched to St Petersburg.

This was a stunning endorsement for a working man who had grown up in Burslem, Staffordshire, a muddy town mostly associated with making sturdy earthenware. Within 30 years, and thanks to his unique blend of scientific know-how, artistic flair, managerial rigour and knack for publicity, Wedgwood had turned his familys crocks and pots business into a global phenomenon.

Tristram Hunt's The Radical Potter is a a rich portrait of Josiah Wedgwood (above, an item of his signature Jasperware) who made Georgian Britain the most stylish country in the world

By the 1780s, foreign sales accounted for 80 per cent of the companys production. From the salons of Paris to the drawing rooms of New York you would now find Wedgwoods exquisite dinner plates, vases and medallions, in everything from black basalt and Etruscan red to the delicate blue glaze and off-white of his signature Jasperware. Tristram Hunt reckons that Wedgwoods inter-disciplinary dazzle qualifies him as the Steve Jobs of the 18th Century.

What makes Wedgwoods achievement all the more remarkable is that he was disabled. Smallpox swept through the Potteries area when he was a child, leaving him with a damaged right leg that had to be amputated in 1768. This meant that he was unable to work the potters wheel that was the foundation of the modest family fortune. Rather than holding him back, he was spurred on to even greater achievements.

In addition to coming up with innovatory glazes and artistic shapes, he introduced modern industrial discipline to the workforce and pioneered the building of Britains canals and turnpike roads. This transformed the country from a series of sleepy rural communities into a hyper-connected, ultra- productive economic powerhouse.

Hunt is exquisitely alive to all the contradictions in Wedgwoods achievements. For while the potter ruled his workers with an iron hand, imposing fines for latecomers and poor workmanship, he was also passionately opposed to the Atlantic slave trade on which Britains economic boom depended.

At his own expense he designed and distributed medallions with a chained African slave bearing the famous abolitionist slogan: Am I not a man and a brother? And despite his own weak spot for royalty  the Queen had her own signature Queens- ware  he was also a passionate supporter of the American and French revolutions with their calls for a republic and an end to aristocratic rule.

This is tricky territory but Hunt, director of the Victoria & Albert Museum and ex-MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, is the ideal person to guide us. The result is a rich portrait of the charismatic but contradictory man who made Georgian Britain the most stylish country in the world. Until, that is, Queen Victoria arrived and things started to turn ugly again.

The Joy Of Sweat

Sarah Everts W.W. Norton 19.99

Rating:

It is the ultimate temperature-control system, essential to our survival as a species but little understood. We can each release up to ten litres of the stuff every day. It can be a source of shame, embarrassment and discomfort, and in order to combat it we spend tens of billions every year on antiperspirants and deodorants. Welcome to the world of sweat.

The top note found in armpit aroma, apparently, is either a marriage between ripe tropical fruit and onion or a rancid, goat-like stench with a hint of stinky cheese. There is even such a thing as the smell of fear. The first trademarked deodorant  Mum  launched in 1888. There are three million saunas in Finland for a population of five million. Who knew?

Sarah Everts, a science journalist, takes us on a global tour of the sweat industry in The Joy Of Sweat. Everts has charm and enthusiasm and, along the way, debunks a number of myths

Sarah Everts, a science journalist, takes us on a global tour of the sweat industry: from a smell dating event in Moscows Gorky Park to sauna theatre in Amsterdam, and Berlin, where she meets an odour artist who can recreate historical smells  First World War trenches anyone? At Sheffield University she discovers the developing world of forensic sweat fingerprinting and, at the London Museum, the fashion curator enlightens her about the problems of historical sweat stains.

Everts has charm and enthusiasm, writes breezily and, along the way, effectively debunks a number of enduring myths: women do not merely glow; sweating like a pig is a complete misnomer; saunas do not detox (they are good for your heart); the sports-drink industry is, unsurprisingly, largely a triumph of marketing over substance.

What it all adds up to, Im not entirely sure, but this journey through one of the more arcane areas of human biology is fun, entertaining and full of interesting facts, whatever your levels of hidrosis.

Simon Humphreys
A total of 67 suspected fraudsters were arrested in the first half of this year in the battle against the growing tide of financial fraud.

Several of those arrested were involved in scams exploiting the pandemic, according to the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit (DCPCU), a specialist fraud team funded by the banking and finance industry.

The unit prevented around 85million from being stolen from the public, up from 20million for the whole of last year. In addition, 24 organised criminal gangs were 'disrupted'.

Coronavirus fraud: Several of those arrested were involved in scams exploiting the pandemic, according to the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit

The DCPCU is made up of officers from the City of London Police and Metropolitan Police Service and staff from banking industry association UK Finance.

They have been fighting a growing number of fraud cases as criminals seek to profit from the pandemic.

One criminal was sentenced to more than four years in prison for sending thousands of scam texts purporting to be from the NHS about a vaccine, which he then used to harvest people's personal and financial details.

Cases of scams, which involve fraudsters pretending to be from a bank or official organisation, have more than doubled in the first half of this year, to 33,115.

A total of 129.4million was stolen through th

is type of fraud alone, up from 57.9million over the same period last year. Temporary commander Clinton Blackburn, from the City of London Police, warns that criminals continue to use the pandemic to prey on people's fears. He says: 'It's essential the public remains vigilant before parting with any money or personal details.'

The Mail on Sunday has fought for more resources to be employed in our 'Nail the scammers' campaign.
Parked up in the new Genesis G70, I was frequently approached by fascinated bystanders demanding to know what it was and how much it cost.

Thats because the new saloon from the premium arm of Koreas Hyundai Group looks fantastic. Smart, sophisticated and a touch flashy. Its packed with kit.

Theres definitely a nod to BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Bentley. Just look at the big grille.

Class from Korea: The Genesis G70 is smart, sophisticated, a touch flashy and packed with kit

Grand aspirations: Genesis is the premium arm of Koreas Hyundai Group with the new G70 taking a nod to BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Bentley

But its a tempting package that offers value for money. Its comfortable inside, the satnav is good and the digital dashboard nicely blends proper buttons and dials.

This was the first diesel car Id driven in some time and it was mightily pleasing. While clocking up a good few hundred miles, I had to keep checking the barely shifting fuel dial to make sure the gauge wasnt stuck.

At one stage of not particularly eco-driving, I was hitting over 55 mpg, though with more engaged driving was hovering around 45 mpg. Are we missing a trick here? Seems theres still life in the old diesel dog yet.

Value: G70 prices start from a tempting 33,850 for the petrol 2-litre T version in Premium Line, rising to 39,300 for Luxury Line and 40,480 for Sport Line

Oil burner: The Euro6D 2.2-litre diesel starts from 35,860, rising to 38,510 for the Luxury Line  which I was driving  and 40,030 for the Sport Line

Price is an interesting topic, too, as G70 prices start from a tempting 33,850 for the petrol 2-litre T version in Premium Line, rising to 39,300 for Luxury Line and 40,480 for Sport Line.

The equivalent Euro6D 2.2-litre diesel starts from 35,860, rising to 38,510 for the Luxury Line  which I was driving  and 40,030 for the Sport Line.

My car was also loaded with an additional 8,000 of extras including 1,130 for the eye-catching Bond Silver paint; 960 for the sunroof; 3,250 for a high-tech Innovation pack; 1,850 for the luxury Comfort Seat pack; 790 for the Lexicon Audi system. This took the final price to 46,490.

Affordable luxury: The Genesis is comfortable inside, the satnav is good and the digital dashboard nicely blends proper buttons and dials

Equipment: Extras on the G70 include 960 for the sunroof; 3,250 for a high-tech Innovation pack; 1,850 for the luxury Comfort Seat pack; 790 for the Lexicon Audi system

My G70 had a good lick of speed going from rest to 62 mph in 7.2 seconds up to a top speed of 143 mph.

And there are clever safety twists. My favourite is a rear-view live image on the dashboard so you see whats behind, left or right when you indicate.

Genesis has a whole series of new cars coming into the market and its exciting because the company is certainly offering a business-class service at premium economy prices.

Beaulieu launches 007 exhibition The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is set to launch a new exhibition featuring cars, gadgets and costumes from the latest 007 film. The Bond in Motion: No Time To Die exhibition opens on October 15, shortly after the films UK release on September 30. The Bond in Motion: No Time To Die exhibition opens at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu on October 15, shortly after the films UK release on September 30 It will be the first chance to see the folding-wing glider from the film as a full-size model, which will be suspended above the iconic Aston Martin DB5 (doing doughnuts above) complete with new LED numberplate and machine guns as driven by Daniel Craig. Also on display will be the Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, driven in the film by new agent Nomi. Fans of four-wheel drives will enjoy Bonds Land Rover Series III and the Land Rover Defender 110. For tickets and details, visit beaulieu.co.uk or phone 01590 612345.

Leon wins top tow award

Caravan and trailer fans take note: Spanish car firm Seats sunny Leon Estate FR, pictured, has just been crowned Tow Car of the Year 2021.

The practical 150 hp 1.5-litre TSI won the accolade yesterday in the awards organised by the Caravan and Motorhome Club at the Royal Automobile Club in London.

Pulling power: Seats sunny Leon Estate FR, pictured, has just been crowned Tow Car of the Year 2021

The car also triumphed in its section for towing caravans in the 1,100 kg to 1,200 kg category after 32 vehicles were driven around the motor industrys UTAC Millbrook Proving Ground.

Vehicles were tested on a variety of road types, including at speeds of up to 55 mph on an alpine route.

Judges tested whether car boots could swallow the bulky accessories normally needed on a caravan trip, and carried out a raft of technical and towing tests.

Full results at: camc.com/towcar/
Preaching about the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda has become the lodestone of big investors.

Similarly, companies and their boards respond with ever more detailed ESG reports and endless bromides about purpose.

Yet when there is money on the table, ESG principles rarely trouble flaccid boards of directors or big battalion shareholders who are only too willing to take the cash and scram.

Moral cowardice: If there was any board which should have held firm on social and governance grounds alone it was that of Vectura, which has sold out to tobacco giant Philip Morris

It is not just ethics and governance which are tossed to one side, but fiduciary duty is compromised.

By often accepting the first offer on the table, only to see rival bidders drawn in at substantially higher prices, the very best deal for investors can be lost.

Amid recent takeover frenzy, one of the few boards to put up a fight over price and ownership was that of security group G4S, at the time headed by John Connolly.

The outcome may have been the same, in the shape of a private equity-dominated buyout, but a proper defence of a hostile offer, ending in an auction, resulted in a better price and a robust airing of all the arguments.

If there was any board which should have held firm on social and governance grounds alone, it was Vecturas, which has sold the pass to Philip Morris, one of the least socially desirable companies in the world.

Tobacco firms are death machines  just look at the warning on any cigarette packet. Virtue signalling, by buying into the healthcare pioneer Vectura, is not going to change the dial.

There can be no guarantee that Vectura R&D and science isnt going to be used for the wrong purpose.

Adopting a dated stock market practice, the Marlboro cigarette group effectively fixed the outcome by grabbing 29 per cent of the shares in the open market.

Even so, a board, with an experienced life sciences chairman in the hot seat, the Frenchman Bruno Angelici, could have followed the example of a fellow French citizen Pascal Soriot at Astrazeneca and told buyers to take a hike.

Instead, Vectura found itself in the uncomfortable position of conducting an informal auction between big tobacco and private equity giant Carlyle. The fact that Marlboro man was only able to muster 45.61 per cent of the minority holders speaks for itself.

The fury of medical groups such as British Thoracic Society, which represents asthma sufferers (including my own family), should have been taken much more seriously by the board and those shareholders taking the poisoned shilling.

Rightly, Vectura will never be allowed anywhere near such groups any longer. As we report, Axa is among those investors honest to their ESG principles in speaking out against the deal.

The moral case against Philip Morris overrides all other factors. What it does demonstrate is that company chairmen and boards cave in far too quickly to marauders without even doing the sums properly.

The phenomena is not confined to the UK. The board of German-quoted pet food supplier Zooplus bit the hand of buyout firm Hellman & Friedman, but eventually acceded to an 18 per cent higher bid from the same party having initially failed to get a good deal for shareholders.

Both UDG Healthcare and St Modwen Properties both accepted the first offer from financial buyers Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Blackstone respectively. In effect, they were made to look foolish when the prices were forced higher.

In both cases dissident shareholders made enough noise for the offer prices to be raised. By allowing themselves to be seduced by low-ball offers, the directors opted for a simple life.

Thats before anyone even engaged in any ESG aspects of the offer such as governance and transparency and the social impact of falling under private equity ownership. In almost every case there is another buyer in the wings.

It emerges now that KKR, with the experience of UK-based Pets At Home, was a potential rival bidder for Zooplus, but stepped aside after the board accepted the first sub-octane offer.

A better process would be for boards to announce that they have an offer, in effect acknowledging they are up for sale, and test the waters to see if an auction develops. This is what tends to happen in the US.

A flawed bidding process is bad enough. What is intolerable is an ethical vacuum which is allowing big tobacco to take control of Vectura.
Refund: ABTA delayed in deciding who was liable for the axed cruise

Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

P.W. writes: We booked through JTA Travel for a trip with Cruise and Maritime Voyages. Because of the pandemic, the trip was cancelled, and we agreed with JTA Travel to rebook for a later date, but then Cruise and Maritime ceased trading.

We were told we would get a full refund of the 2,670 cost as customers were protected by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

However, ABTA itself says JTA Travel must repay us, so we are caught between the two.

Tony Hetherington replies: It is never nice to be trapped between two businesses, with each agreeing you are entitled to a refund, but at the same time blaming each other for failing to fork out the cash.

What this comes down to is the question of whether JTA Travel was acting as a travel agent or a tour operator. If it was just a booking agent, then ABTA's compensation scheme would cover your losses.

But if JTA Travel went beyond this and organised far more than just your cruise booking, then it could be classed as a tour operator, and since it is still in business from its Birmingham base, it would be responsible for refunding you.

ABTA's verdict was that JTA Travel should foot the bill. It explained: 'Our decision was based upon the travel documentation which confirmed that JTA were acting as the tour operator, and as such they retain full liability for your travel arrangements or any refund due to you.'

Not surprisingly, JTA Travel was unhappy with this. It would not pay up, and said it was consulting its lawyers. And all it would tell me was that it was having 'ongoing conversations' with ABTA. It refused to accept your version of events, but at the same time refused to say what was wrong with what you told me.

Surely though, ABTA has the power to order JTA Travel to pay up or face expulsion and the loss of the valuable reassurance that ABTA membership offers its customers? This is a simple question, but trying to get a simple answer from ABTA was like trying to nail jelly to the wall.

ABTA pointed me towards its code of conduct. This runs to 16 pages with two further documents on top, and a 47-page guide which is where I eventually found that ABTA expects refunds to be issued within 14 days, and certainly no later than 30 days.

But then ABTA pulled the rug out from under its own feet, admitting to me that despite ruling that JTA Travel was a tour operator and should issue a refund, in fact it was still in discussions with the Birmingham business.

Holidaymakers rely heavily on ABTA to regulate its members and, if necessary, enforce its rulings. Failing to enforce its decisions, and then having second thoughts, is not reassuring.

ABTA gave you the clear impression it had made up its mind and ordered JTA Travel to repay you. But it beat about the bush when I asked about its enforcement powers. And finally it went back to chewing this over with JTA Travel, just as it was doing months ago.

Then, at the very last minute, along has come an unexpected fairy godmother in the shape of Tesco Bank. You paid for the cruise with your Tesco Bank card, and strictly speaking, you are far too late to ask the bank to snatch back the cash. But this is exactly what the bank has done.

Because you have been messed about by both ABTA and JTA Travel, Tesco Bank is going to credit your card with the full 2,670.

The bank will then fight it out with JTA Travel, and you have told me you will help with all the evidence that is needed. Whoever wins that fight, it strikes me that ABTA will be the real loser in terms of its reputation.

Why all this hassle to axe bank's insurance?

L.B. writes: For many years we have had a Lloyds Bank current account which came with free insurance for mobile phone, travel, AA breakdown and card loss.

We have never used the insurance, so when Lloyds said it intended to charge 14.95 a month in future, we decided to cancel the cover.

However, our branch says we need to close the account and open a new one, and that first we must make an appointment to discuss this with a consultant.

Options: According to Lloyds, the insurance can be cancelled via internet banking, or by telephone

Tony Hetherington replies: According to Lloyds, the insurance can be cancelled via internet banking, which you do not have, or by telephone, though you found the number was permanently engaged. The third option was cancellation of the insurance by going to your branch, but when you did this the manager and staff said they could not simply delete the insurance. You would have to have a meeting with a 'consultant', who I imagine is a salesperson.

I asked the bank to explain, and a spokesman told me you could switch to a Classic Account with the same sort code and account number, so all your direct debits and similar arrangements would be unchanged.

But you still had to make an appointment to see a consultant, even though the bank itself was shifting the goalposts and a meeting might involve time off work.

The bank's complaints department has now credited your account with 30 by way of saying sorry for poor service, and if you wish to stay with Lloyds, staff say they will arrange to call you rather than expect you to call them.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Palm oil is a controversial commodity, but Indonesia-based plantation owner MP Evans prides itself on sustainable production, planting with care, treating workers properly and supporting local communities.

The company strives to look after investors too, maintaining or increasing its dividend every year for the past quarter of a century.

This year will be no exception. Last week, unveiling a 588 per cent increase in half-year profits to $41million (30 million), chairman Peter Hadsley-Chaplain announced a doubling of the interim dividend to 10p and pledged to increase the annual payout by 36 per cent to 30p.

Controversial: MP Evans prides itself on sustainable production, planting with care, treating workers properly and supporting local communities

Further increases are expected in subsequent years. The palm oil price is rising and MP Evans is in growth mode, increasing production, opening new mills and buying more land to ensure continued expansion.

Hadsley-Chaplain joined the company in 1988 after his father had already been there for 41 years.

This near 80-year connection gives him a particular perspective, focused on steady and consistent expansion.

Midas verdict: Midas tipped MP Evans in 2011 when the shares were 4.20. The price has waxed and waned since, but closed last week at 7.88, with investors having enjoyed decent dividends. Existing shareholders should stick with the firm. New investors could dip their toes in too.

Traded on: AIM Ticker: MPE Contact: mpevans.co.uk or 01892 676146
Airlines, hotels and other holiday stocks received a boost after the Government relaxed rules on international travel ahead of the half-term break.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said that from October 4 travellers who have had two doses of the vaccine will no longer need to take a pre-departure Covid-19 test before arriving in England from a country that is not on the Government's 'red list'.

He added that later that month travellers will be able to replace a PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

Cleared for take-off: From October 4 travellers who have had two doses of the vaccine won't need to take a pre-departure Covid test before arriving in England from red list countries

The traffic light system is also being scrapped, with the green, amber and red lists being replaced with a single red list, effectively creating 'go' and 'no-go' countries for travellers.

Additionally, eight countries currently on the red list, including tourist hotspots Turkey and the Maldives, will be removed next Wednesday.

Shares in British Airways-owner IAG climbed 4.9 per cent, or 7.04p, to 149.5p to the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard amid hopes of a surge in demand.

Stockwatch - Safestay Hostel chain Safestay got a bump after it revealed a possible takeover approach. The business, which owns around 20 hostels across ten countries in Europe, said it had received a 'highly conditional approach' from an unnamed potential buyer. Safestay added that it is commencing a review of the business as it attempts to repair the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. It caused revenues and guest numbers to plunge in 2020. Even when its facilities were open, occupancy rates only reached 38 per cent. The company's shares jumped 10 per cent, or 2p, to 22p.

Budget carrier Ryanair rose 1.7 per cent, or 0.29, to 16.92 while shares in rival Easyjet gained 3.9 per cent, or 23.8p, to 630.4p and Wizz Air bounced 2.6 per cent, or 128p, to 5056p.

Other firms in the sector rode the wave of optimism, with package holiday group Tui jumping 6per cent, or 17.1p, to 302.7p while On The Beach Group surged 8.5 per cent, or 27.5p, to 350p.

Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza-owner IHG was also a winner, rising 2pc, or 90p, to 4650p. Rolls Royce, meanwhile, which makes engines for passenger aircraft, edged up 1.8 per cent, or 1.94p, to 111p.

Newsagent WH Smith, which has multiple locations in airports and train stations, also jumped 1.7pc, or 27p, to 1651p while SSP, the owner of outlets such as Upper Crust and Ritazza often found in airports and train stations, added 4.5 per cent, or 11.4p, to 266.4p.

Things were looking less rosy for the wider market, with the FTSE 100 dropping 0.9pc, or 63.84 points, to a six-week low of 6963.64.

The mid-cap FTSE 250, meanwhile, dipped early on but managed to recover to close up 0.1 per cent, or 26.1 points, to 23658.94.

The sell-off may have been sparked by surging bond yields, with UK five-year gilts hitting their highest levels since March 2020.

Blue-chip miners were also weighing on the FTSE 100 as iron ore prices continued to collapse. Anglo American was the biggest faller in the FTSE 100, dropping 8.1 per cent, or 227.5p, to 2591p, while BHP Group fell 4.8 per cent, or 94.4p, to 1873.8p, and Rio Tinto sank 3.6 per cent, or 180.5p, to 4829.5p.

Prices of iron ore, a key ingredient in steel-making, plunged to an 11-month low on Thursday amid fears of lower steel output from China.

Matters were not helped by analysts at UBS, who downgraded their rating on Anglo American, while cutting target prices for both BHP and Rio Tinto.

Elsewhere, investors in Virgin Wines toasted a new partnership with online greeting card group Moonpig, sending the shares up 2.7 per cent, or 5.5p, to 210p.

Under the deal, Virgin will launch a new range of 32 wines, some of which will be exclusively available on Moonpig's website as part of the latter's gift offering.

Moonpig shares inches up 0.8 per cent, or 3p, to 380p.

Accsys Technologies, a maker of wood-based building materials, was flat at 155p despite flagging 'strong sales and revenue growth' in the five months to the end of August, helped by rising demand and higher prices.

Solar power investor Nextenergy was a bright spot, ascending 1.5 per cent, or 1.5p, to 100p after unveiling a joint venture with Eelpower, a leading UK battery specialist, to develop power storage projects.

Blue-chip banks were boosted by upgrades from Barclays, with HSBC rising 1.9 per cent, or 7.15p, at 376.05p and Standard Chartered adding 0.2 per cent, or 0.7p, to 442p.
A Sword of Damocles hangs over small businesses in the vital run-up to Christmas, experts warned.

In a stark warning, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said that supply chain hold-ups, staffing shortages and tax rises threaten to squeeze firms.

The lobby group has urged ministers to ease the pressures faced by the thousands of firms making up the backbone of Britain's economy.

Warning: The Federation of Small Businesses, which is calling on ministers to ease the pressures faced by the thousands of firms making up the backbone of Britain's economy

They are battling through a litany of problems caused by the pandemic, the FSB said, and companies which have struggled through Covid could now be forced into insolvency if the Government pushes ahead with tax hikes and the withdrawal of support.

Chaos caused by the pandemic in global trade means shipping costs are soaring, while some goods are stuck in ports because there are too few lorry drivers to move them to warehouses.

Toy company Character Group, told the Mail its shipping costs had rocketed by as much as six times over the past year.

Other companies, from retailers to restaurants, are struggling to hire staff, as university students are less likely to take on part-time work and many overseas workers have gone home.

And now businesses have another hurdle approaching, as the Government has increased the rate of National Insurance which they must pay from next year.

This week alone, tonic maker Fever Tree, hobby group Hornby, and figurine firm Games Workshop have all warned of pandemic-related problems.

Mike Cherry, national chairman of the FSB, said: 'Supply chain problems are hitting hard alongside spiralling employment costs and staff shortages, while the consumer-led recovery could be losing steam.

'News that the Government's regressive jobs tax will place 50,000 people out of work could not come at a worse time.

'Retail businesses are nervous about their peak Christmas season, with an opaque winter Covid plan likely to see trade restrictions installed at just a week's notice. It feels to many like a Sword of Damocles with a difficult winter ahead.'

Kiran Shah, managing director of Character Group, said businesses were facing a 'perfect storm'.

The company would usually expect to make the first delivery of its Christmas toys to retailers in August.

'We just don't have sufficient goods to supply,' he said. 'Freight rates and shipping costs are through the roof.

'A 40-foot container from the Far East to the UK cost $3,000 to ship last November. This month it's $18,000.'

Cherry has urged the Government to raise the Employment Allowance, money which small firms can claim to offset their National Insurance contributions.

He has also called on ministers to give further help exporters, get their goods across the UK border.
Sales in Britains shops fell for the fourth month in a row in August, as consumers switched their spending to restaurants, bars and events.

Retail sales slipped by 0.9 per cent, following a 2.8 per cent fall in July, marking the longest period of decline since records began in 1996, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

A large part of the fall was due to food store sales sliding 1.2 per cent as households started eating out again following the lifting of lockdown restrictions.

Hitting the town: Food store sales slid 1.2 per cent as consumers switched their spending to restaurants, bars and events

And department stores saw a particularly sharp 3.7 per cent decline.

Online shopping appears to be here to stay even following the end of lockdown. It now accounts for 27.7 per cent of the market.

The ONS suggested some of the slow-down may have been due to supply chain problems, as 6.5 per cent of retailers reported issues sourcing goods, services or materials.

But retail sales were still 4.6 per cent higher than their pre-pandemic level, suggesting Britons are keen to spend the cash they have built up during lockdown.

ONS statistician Jonathan Athow said: Sales fell again in August, though not nearly as much as in July and, overall, remained above their pre-pandemic level.

Meanwhile, motor fuel sales increased on the month as people ventured out more, but they remained below pre-pandemic levels.

Emma-Lou Montgomery, associate director at investment firm Fidelity International, said: With fewer than 100 days until Christmas, retailers will be desperately hoping to see the boost in sales that traditionally goes hand in hand with the festive period.
GAP has gained a new lease of life on the High Street after announcing a tie-up with Next.

The US retailer decided earlier this year to close its 81 UK and Ireland stores following a period of sliding sales.

But a deal with Next will see the brand  which first came to the UK in 1987  keep a physical presence in town centres.

Tie-up: Gap clothes will be offered within selected Next stores and Next's Total platform will also host Gap's online shopping business

Gap clothes will be offered within selected Next stores. And Next's Total platform will also host Gap's online shopping business.

The joint venture will be 51 per cent owned by Next, and 49 per cent by Gap.

Mark Breitbard, chief executive of Gap Global, said the company was planning to 'meet our customers in UK and Ireland where they are shopping now'.

Gap's decision to close its 81 stores came as little surprise to experts in the fashion industry.

The brand, once famed for offering American classics like jeans, khakis and hoodies at affordable prices, struggled to stay relevant in a market where retailers like Uniqlo and Weekday were better at keeping up with the trends.

But it was still a blow to the High Street, which in recent years has lost brands such as Topshop, Debenhams and Cath Kidston.

Store boy: Lord Wolfson joined Next as a sales consultant in its Kensington store in 1991, rising quickly through the ranks before becoming chief executive in 2001

Online retailers Asos and Boohoo respectively own the Topshop and Debenhams brands.

Next, which has around 500 stores in the UK and Ireland, has been moving fast to innovate.

It struck a deal with US lingerie brand Victoria's Secret to run its UK business, and just months ago snapped up a 25 per cent stake in upmarket Reiss, to whom it will provide warehouse and distribution services.

It expects to make a 750million pre-tax profit this year.

Chief executive Lord Wolfson, 53, said: 'Next is delighted at the prospect of its Total platform supporting Gap on the next stage of development of their world-renowned brand in the UK and Ireland.'

Wolfson  who joined Next as a sales consultant in its Kensington store in 1991, rising quickly through the ranks before becoming chief executive in 2001  has been leading the firm's transformation from a tired High Street chain to a retail behemoth with an online presence to rival Asos and Boohoo.

Its online marketplace hosts third-party brands such as River Island, Ted Baker and Superdry.
Vecturas 1billion takeover by the makers of Marlboro cigarettes faced a growing backlash from medical experts and politicians last night.

Philip Morris International sealed its buyout of the Chippenham-based inhaler company this week after almost 75 per cent of Vecturas investors backed the deal.

Philip Morris  which also sells Parliament and Chesterfield cigarettes  only needed 50 per cent backing for the 165p-per-share offer to go through.

Anger: Philip Morris International sealed its buyout of the Chippenham-based inhaler company this week after almost 75 per cent of Vecturas investors backed the deal

The company said the Vectura takeover would speed up its efforts to become a broader healthcare and wellness group.

But the deal triggered outrage among health professionals, campaigners and politicians, who warned the inhaler-maker could be blacklisted and shut out of industry research.

Tory MP Bob Blackman, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, said it was deeply disappointing that shareholders had backed the deal.

For years, major City institutions have said they are only keen to invest in companies committed to high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.

The Vectura takeover was seen as a key test of this ethically minded approach, which many now think the big battalion investors failed.

Blackman said: It is deeply disappointing that institutional shareholders have fallen for Philip Morriss rhetoric, rather than examining the facts.

Philip Morris continues to make the vast majority of its profits from selling cigarettes, and marketing them to young people, particularly in low and middle-income countries where 80 per cent of smokers now live.

Bosses to share 5m bonanza Windfall: Vectura chief executive Will Downie (pictured) could pocket around 1.5million Vectura's bosses stand to make close to 5million from the sale to Philip Morris. Chief executive Will Downie could be in line for around 1.5million for his holding and the more than 900,000 shares he has in an unvested, long-term performance plan detailed in the companys annual report. Downie  a fan of 1970s punk bank Joy Division who started his career as a medical sales representative  joined Vectura in 2019. Finance boss Paul Fry, who has been at the group since 2018, could earn 3.3million.

A City source said: Social  or the s in ESG  has always been the ugly duckling and principles on social issues often fall by the wayside.

Danni Hewson, financial analyst at AJ Bell, said: However good Philip Morriss intentions the bottom line is with this acquisition its playing both sides, making money from tobacco which makes people sick and inhalers which help them feel better.

Philip Morris, which is worth 115billion and traces its origins back to 1847, still makes 75 per cent of its revenues from selling cigarettes.

Vectura makes inhalers and nebulisers  but it also works with major pharmaceutical companies to convert their medicines into powdered forms that can be inhaled.

The group was founded in 1997 by students from the University of Bath and joined the stock market in 2004.

The backlash against Vectura being owned by a tobacco group has already become clear after a major medical conference barred it from taking part.

Vectura had previously been listed as a sponsor and participant at an Oxford Global event on inhaled drug delivery next month.

The British Thoracic Society last night said it would never engage with Vectura and that the company would never be able to attend its conferences and events.

Axa, a top ten investor, said it agreed to sell its 4 per cent because it did not want to be a minority shareholder.

Axa said it was uncomfortable with the ethics behind a tobacco groups purchase of an inhaler manufacturer.
Rolls-Royce is developing a nuclear reactor that it hopes will be capable of powering mining operations on the Moon and even Mars, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Dave Gordon, head of the company's defence division, said it is studying how a micro-nuclear reactor could be used to propel rockets while in space at huge speeds. He revealed that Rolls-Royce is investigating whether that technology could then be redeployed to provide energy for drilling, processing and storage for socalled 'Moon mining'.

Valuable natural resources on the Moon include water, which can be converted to rocket fuel, and rare elements and metals that are used in energy production and electrical goods back on Earth.

The nuclear technology could eventually pave the way for 'Mars mining', Gordon added. Once developed, Rolls-Royce will likely hunt for specialists in rockets and mining with which to partner.

The British engineering giant launched a joint study into nuclear power options for space rockets with the UK Space Agency earlier this year.

As part of this, Rolls-Royce set itself an ambition to halve journey times to Mars to three months.

Gordon said the project had shot up Rolls-Royce's agenda thanks to space exploration work by billionaires Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon, and Elon Musk, the brains behind Tesla electric cars.

'If we were having this conversation a couple of years ago, you'd have looked at me in a bemused way,' he told the MoS at the Defence and Security Equipment International arms fair in London.

'But now because of the work that companies like [Bezos's] Blue Origin, and [Musk's] SpaceX are doing, it suddenly becomes not just credible, but actually there's a demand there.' He added: 'We're the only company on the planet that does mechanical, electrical, and nuclear. We're the only one that does a full end-to-end lifecycle of nuclear capability.'

Gordon said Rolls-Royce could draw on its experience in developing nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Navy for 60 years.

He added that submarines were similar to spacecraft as they are 'non-air breathing environments, long endurance, super reliable with a very dense power source'.

The engineer's nuclear-powered submarine capabilities were in focus last week as Britain and the US announced they would help Australia build eight new vessels, angering China and France.

Rolls-Royce and fellow UK firm BAE Systems are seen as contenders to work on the subs.

Hot stuff: The Rolls-Royce micro reactor connected to power to a moon base

The Moon's main resources include helium-3, a rare element used in industries such as nuclear fusion which could power onward journeys deeper in to space, using the Moon as a refuelling station.

The Moon also boasts water, which could be used to sustain life and can be converted to rocket fuel, and rare earth metals used in electronics such as smartphones and the latest cars. Currently 90 per cent of the world's rare earth metal supply comes from China.

Methods of storage and transportation of resources mined on the Moon back to Earth is a key debate among researchers.

Gordon said: 'There's a huge shortage of rare earth metals. We know they exist on other planets because they all formed from the same thing. This genuinely isn't rocket science. So mining asteroids, the Moon and Mars will happen, hopefully, in my lifetime.'

The nuclear reactor would only be used in space. It would be launched from Earth as payload on a normal rocket up to earth orbit. Then, the reactor system would then be 'switched on' to provide propulsion to travel from earth orbit to Mars.

A big space ship can be constructed in earth orbit in a similar way to the international space station, using several normal rocket launches to take everything up there. When completed, the reactor would be used for super high speed propulsion to Mars.

No nation can claim sovereignty of the Moon under the Outer Space Treaty, signed in 1967, but the US and Soviet Union brought back lunar soil samples in the 1960s and 1970s. Nuclear systems have been used on the Moon before. In 1969, the crew of Apollo 12 used a generator to provide the electricity to operate scientific instruments.

Gordon, 53, said nuclear power was the obvious choice of power source, particularly in exploration: 'The further you go away from the sun, solar is less useful. If you've got a dense, reliable source [like nuclear], it seems credible. So we've been speaking to the UK Space Agency about it.'

Designs for the micro-reactor, seen by The Mail on Sunday, show a device powered by a 'poppy seed' size of uranium coated in silicon and housed in metal and connected to a Stirling engine allowing the heat to be converted into electricity.

Gordon admitted that to bring the project to fruition would take 'hundreds of millions of pounds', but that early stage work could be achieved for far less.

Rolls-Royce hopes to produce a demonstration vehicle by the end of the decade. It says it could lead to 10,000 jobs being created across the UK supply chain.

China's already on the dark side

China's involvement in the race to mine on the Moon should put Western nations 'on alert', MPs and academics have said.

Beijing has launched a series of unmanned trips to the dark side of the Moon to collect samples, including the Chang'e 5 mission late last year.

The Communist state has also said it wants to build a human-friendly lunar base between 2036 and 2045, which could be used for mining.

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative chairman of the Commons defence select committee, said: 'We are in a soft power war. China can cause huge amounts of damage in space  taking out satellites used for navigation, communication and financial transactions. They're beginning to mine the dark side of the moon and you cannot trust their intentions.'

Dr Mark Hilborne, of the Space Security Research Group at King's College London, added: 'You do not want China to get a stranglehold on the Moon's assets. Western powers should be on alert.'
Shareholders in British Airways owner IAG should be worried about a looming crunch for BA's giant 30billion (25.8billion) pension scheme, industry experts have warned.

The trustees of BA's pension scheme agreed the airline could defer 450million of pension contributions over the past year as it faced Covid travel restrictions.

But that deal expires at the end of September and BA is set to resume paying contributions of 41million each month from October 1.

Heading into turbulence: Shareholders in British Airways owner IAG should be worried about a looming crunch for BA's giant 25.8billion pension scheme

The huge bill will pile pressure on BA's battered finances at the worst possible time as speculation mounts that it could have to raise further cash from shareholders.

Separately, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that major hedge funds have turned against the company.

Marshall Wace has more than halved its holding in IAG to 1.3 per cent, down from 3 per cent last October. Meanwhile, US giant Citadel has built up a major short position against IAG since the spring, betting 54million on the share price falling.

IAG's shares are now 149.5p, down 31 per cent since April.

John Ralfe, an independent pensions consultant, said: 'The pensions agreement was always a short-term fix and the problem hasn't gone away.

'This should be a real worry for shareholders because when you look at the size of the pension liabilities, it's more than the value of the entire company. So BA can't keep kicking this issue down the road.' BA's 25.8billion pension liabilities  the estimated value of payouts it will need to make to retired staff  dwarf IAG's 7.07billion stock market value.

Its two retirement schemes  the 8.5billion Airways Pension Scheme (APS) and the 22.2billion New Airways Pension Scheme (NAPS)  are among the country's largest, corporate, defined benefit schemes, with 85,000 members between them. They closed to new members in 1984 and 2018 respectively.

BA's pension contributions are based on a valuation of its schemes every three years. The latest valuation, in 2018, showed a 2.7billion deficit in its NAPS and a 683million surplus in the APS. The next valuation, due by next June, will be used to calculate the repayment plan for the contributions deferred during the pandemic.

In July, IAG's finance chief Steve Gunning said it was still 'early days' for discussions on the remaining BA pensions deficit and the recovery plan.

IAG contributed 32million to its pension schemes over the six months to June 2021, compared to 182million in the same period last year, and has committed to paying 1.28billion to NAPS over the next five years.

BA's pension scheme is run by US investment giant BlackRock. IAG's latest annual report for 2020 showed assets in the NAPS scheme are invested across classes including private equity, hedge funds, property and derivatives.

As part of BA's agreement with the NAPS trustees to defer payments over the last year, BA agreed that it would not pay a dividend to parent company IAG before 2024.

When BA resumes paying a dividend to IAG from 2024, it will have to pay a pension contribution equivalent to 50 per cent of the dividend until the deferred 450million has been paid off.

IAG has returned almost 4.1billion to shareholders since 2015 but has frozen shareholder payouts since last April. In July, IAG chief executive Luis Gallego said the group is 'determined' to resume payouts as soon as possible.

A BA spokesman said last night: 'The next triennial valuation is due to be completed by June 2022 and we will make an announcement at the appropriate time.'

BA's pensions crunch comes as analysts at Credit Suisse and HSBC say parent company IAG could launch a rights issue after easyJet's recent 1.2billion cash call.

Hedge funds Marshall Wace and Citadel declined to comment.

Pilots reject BA airline deal at Gatwick

British Airways faces a setback over its plans to launch a short-haul airline at Gatwick after talks on pilots' pay broke down.

Pilots represented by the Balpa union had opened a vote this month on proposed contracts for around 160 pilots who could be employed by BA's new airline from next summer.

But last night Balpa said it had withdrawn its support for the deal because BA had 'refused to produce a satisfactory employment contract' for pilots. BA captains at Gatwick typically earn around 100,000 a year and First Officers earn around 50,000.

As part of cost-saving moves by BA, they are being asked to agree to flexible contracts that are expected to see pilots working part-time or on a seasonal basis. BA boss Sean Doyle warned this month that the airline could sell its short-haul take-off and landing slots at Gatwick if it cannot agree a deal with unions.

BA said it remains 'committed to dialogue with all interested parties'.
The music industry's most powerful executive has claimed Universal Music Group is 'at the very beginning of the next wave of growth' ahead of its $40billion stock market listing this week.

Sir Lucian Grainge told The Mail on Sunday online music streaming had revived the sector and the Amsterdam listing of the label  home to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry  validated his determination to persist in an industry which had repeatedly been written off as doomed.

He hit back at suggestions that Universal's stock market debut could be its peak as a business, saying: 'I see a long runway ahead both for paid and ad-supported streaming.

Music to the ears: Sir Lucian Grainge said online streaming had revived the sector

'And then when you look at all the new ways we're generating revenue for artists  in games, health and social  and you combine that with opportunities to monetise so-called 'superfans' in e-commerce, merchandise, non-fungible tokens and digital goods  it's easy to see that we're at the beginning of the next wave of growth.'

Grainge, 61, said the listing 'represents a validation of the belief I've had in this industry since I began my career'. He added: 'I can't tell you how many times people told me the music business was over. Call me an optimist, but I just knew they were wrong.

'So when in the face of a declining industry, when people were running for the hills, we doubled down on artist investments, on expanding globally, on acquiring amazing assets like EMI... I just knew it would come back.'

Grainge, who will net a 123million cash bonus from the listing, has led UMG for a decade and last year recovered from near death after contracting coronavirus.

The float comes at a delicate time for the UK music industry.

After an inquiry into the streaming market, MPs on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee called for a 'complete reset of streaming that enshrines in law [artists'] rights to a fair share of the earnings' from streaming, claiming they receive 'pitiful returns'.

It recommended Government order a full investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Grainge declined to discuss the inquiry, but said: 'Streaming has fundamentally changed the industry's financial profile and the size of the addressable market for music. Fans' listening and engagement are increasing and, as the industry grows, the rewards of success for artists increase as well.

'And we believe that we dramatically increase the odds for an artist's success. The results speak for themselves.'

This week's listing will see French conglomerate Vivendi spin out UMG. The newly-listed group will count American hedge fund manager Bill Ackman's Pershing Square and China's Tencent among its investors.
Santander's prolonged search for a new chief executive could force Nathan Bostock to stay in the role beyond the end of the year.

The process for finding the next boss is under way, but one headhunter said a replacement for current chief Bostock is 'unlikely' to be in place before 2022.

Santander, Britain's fifth-largest bank, had originally said in April that Bostock 'will step down as CEO towards the end of the year and start his new role when a successor has been appointed'.

Change of plan: Santander had originally said in April that Nathan Bostock 'will step down as CEO towards the end of the year

He is set to become head of investment platforms at Banco Santander, the bank's Spanish parent company. However, this move will be delayed if his replacement is not found before January.

The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this year that Tony Prestedge, who was deputy chief executive and was widely tipped for the top job, had left the bank.

Before joining Santander last September, Prestedge had held the same position at Nationwide Building Society and had seemingly been lined up as Bostock's successor.

His mysterious departure after less than a year at the bank is understood to have thrown Bostock's succession plans into turmoil. Santander chairman William Vereker, who was Theresa May's UK business envoy, is leading the selection process.

Susan Allen, who was chief executive of retail and business banking, was another contender. However, she left in the summer to join Barclays.

Santander said: 'The search for our CEO is ongoing and progressing well.'
The UK economy could take a 30billion hit and see a worsening of supply shortages if the Government imposes another lockdown, economists have warned.

Boris Johnson has vowed that Britain will not be plunged into another full lockdown, but has refused to rule out a 'Plan B' option featuring 'light touch' measures, such as vaccine passports, masks and working from home.

Panmure Gordon chief economist Simon French said: 'The unlikely but unofficial Plan C is a full lockdown, if a vaccine-beating variant emerges. That would knock the bottom out of commuter hubs and cause even more problems with supply chains as people switch away from spending on services and towards buying products.'

Signing off: Boris Johnson has vowed that Britain will not be plunged into another full lockdown, but has refused to rule out a 'Plan B' option

French forecasts seven per cent growth in GDP  about 140billion  for 2021 if the Covid situation does not worsen. He said a Plan B approach would hit spending on businesses from cinemas to hairdressers, knocking up to 10billion off output, and a hard lockdown similar to the first three months of the year could cost 30billion.

Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, said: 'The economy has become more resilient to lockdowns and the impact will be milder than with the first lockdown.'

GDP plummeted by 20.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2020  during the UK's toughest lockdown  but dropped by only 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Nomura chief UK economist George Buckley does not expect the economy to return to pre-pandemic health until next spring.
Investing in a company when it issues shares to the public for the first time can provide a great opportunity to grow your wealth. The company is usually at the beginning of its corporate journey and can have years of high growth ahead of it.

But while this process of issuing shares on the stock market is called an Initial Public Offering (IPO), more often than not there is little about it that is 'public'. This is because ordinary investors like you and me can be unfairly excluded from buying shares.

Companies nearly always offer first dibs to huge institutional investors who have more financial muscle and buy large chunks of shares. Ordinary investors are invariably only given a look in once the company has listed and shares can be bought and sold on the secondary market.

Locked out: Ordinary investors can be unfairly excluded from buying shares when companies float on the stock exchange

The Treasury has woken up to the fact that this system is unfair. It is currently consulting on changes to the IPO process that would make it easier for ordinary  often referred to as retail  investors to get invited to the IPO party.

Writing in the consultation, which is due to close this Friday, Economic Secretary to the Treasury John Glen says the Government wants to facilitate wider participation in the ownership of public companies.

'Doing so will allow a broader cross-section of society to benefit from their growth,' he explains. 'It will also enable companies themselves to access a broader investor base, as well as improve market functioning overall by increasing the liquidity of markets.'

How investors can benefit from an IPO

IPO activity in the UK is booming. It went quiet through the first months of the pandemic, but has since bounced back magnificently. Darktrace, Deliveroo, Dr Martens, Moonpig and PensionBee are among the companies that have floated on the London stock market this year.

In the first quarter of this year, IPO activity reached levels not seen since 2007, with 5.6 billion raised.

Oxford Nanopore, which provides rapid Covid-19 tests to the NHS, has just announced plans to float  and there are rumours of flotations from companies including Brewdog, Gousto, Oaknorth, PureGym and Starling Bank.

However, of the IPOs, so far only Deliveroo and PensionBee have allowed ordinary investors to take part from the word go.

Of course, not all IPOs lead to bumper returns for investors. But research from investment analyst Stockopedia suggests that shares tend to rise after the initial float  reaching a high around six months later.

It also found that over the past five years, smaller companies that went public tend to have the greatest success rate, alongside those in the health and technology sectors.

One of the more recent IPO successes was software development firm Dev Clever, which has seen its share price rise by more than 300 per cent to 33p since its listing in January 2019.

Why are ordinary investors left out?

So why does it matter whether ordinary investors can invest from day one or are forced to wait at the back of the queue? After all, share prices can fall as well as rise in the first few days of trading.

First, it's a matter of fairness. At the moment, ordinary investors are treated as second class, having to wait until their bigger cousins have had their fill before getting a look in.

Dan Lane, senior analyst at investment platform Freetrade, says: 'Quite rightly, retail investors are asking why there's one rule for them  the people often using and promoting the products and services behind these stocks  and another for the big banks and investment funds swooping in, seeing through the IPO and making the biggest returns.

Why should every-day investors be left with the dregs after institutions have had their fun and made their money by the time retail investors can finally buy?'

Excluding ordinary investors can also hinder capital markets.

Richard Wilson is chief executive of wealth platform Interactive Investor, which last week won a shareholder engagement award from investment trust trade body the Association of Investment Companies.

He believes that cutting out ordinary investors can hurt entrepreneurship. 'We're disabling the economy by constraining the match between supply and demand,' he says. 'And we are frustrating the entrepreneurial process by restricting the flow of capital into businesses that should succeed.'

Allowing ordinary investors a look in can also offer advantages to the company that is listing  as well as its customers.

For a start, ordinary investors are likely to be in it for the long haul and be loyal shareholders, unlike professional investors who may be more geared to trading to make a quick buck.

Romi Savova is chief executive of pension provider PensionBee, which offered its customers the chance to invest when it floated on the London Stock Exchange in April. She says PensionBee has seen numerous benefits.

'Our IPO was such a momentous part of our journey that we wanted to make sure customers could participate,' she says. 'It's one of many actions we've taken to bolster our long-term customer relationships.'

Savova adds that more than 9,000 customers participated in the IPO and they had been with PensionBee for a year and a half on average when they bought shares.

She believes that being able to invest at an IPO is another way people can assert power over the companies they interact with. She adds: 'Individuals are becoming more interested and engaged with corporate society around them. People do a lot to signal their values  through the food they eat, where they shop and what they teach their children.

'Being an active shareholder is another way you can channel your views on the impact you have on the world around you. It allows you to become engaged in corporate society  by being a shareholder you get a vote.'

Rules set in Brussels are getting in the way

Mike Coombes is head of external affairs at PrimaryBid, a technology platform that helps ordinary investors to access IPOs. He believes that the barriers are 'down to archaic rules as much as anything rational'.

He says: The system has not changed in several decades. There are rules previously imposed by Europe that no longer make sense. The Treasury and industry bodies are forging a path away from the rules set in Brussels.'

One of the rules up for change requires firms to publish a prospectus if they raise more than 8million (6.8million) by issuing new shares. But if ordinary investors are excluded, they can raise considerably more  up to 20 per cent of their share capital  without having to issue a prospectus.

This may not seem like a particular hindrance until you see what issuing such a prospectus entails.

They are often great volumes, with regulatory requirements so severe that there are jail terms for those who get it wrong. Prospectuses may be designed to offer transparency to investors about what they're buying, but in reality they are full of legalese and generally impenetrable.

Coombes adds that the management teams of companies set to list are also not incentivised to include retail investors. He says: 'Advisers tell them not to bother, and since they are unlikely to have managed an IPO before, the management team know no better and steer clear.'

So what needs to be done to end unfairness?

The Treasury is currently consulting on an overhaul of the prospectus process, which it believes could help to level the playing field between institutional and ordinary investors.

While Interactive Investor's Wilson says such a move would help reduce the friction to involving ordinary investors, it isn't the solution.

He says: 'We could spend a lot of time sweating over simplifying prospectuses, only to find that, lo and behold, after two years of rowing hard to fix it, the result has no beneficial impact.

'Companies still won't open to retail investors because they are advised by banks that are incentivised not to see the money go to retail investors.

'The vast majority of chief executives going to market have either done zero or one IPO before and rely on the experts for their advice.

'If retail is not part of the pitch, it will not be included.'

Wilson believes that a quota system would mean that companies were obliged to involve ordinary investors when they float.

Coombes agrees, and points out that in France a mandatory ten per cent allocation is made to ordinary investors, while in Singapore it is 25 per cent.

Savova suggests companies that list should be forced to 'comply or explain'  either open up their offering to ordinary investors or else explain why they are not doing so.

That way, the default position shifts from opting in to opting out.

Shackled: While the process of issuing shares on the stock market is called an Initial Public Offering, more often than not there is little about it that is 'public'

For now, investors are still missing out

The City's regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, warned last week that there are nearly 8.6million savers currently holding more than 10,000 in cash that could be put to better use if it was invested. It aims to cut this figure.

At the same time, it warned that too many people are investing in higher-risk products that are not aligned with their financial needs.

Yet investors are being cut out of one of the most regulated investment environments in the world  the London Stock Exchange.

Public equities are the most democratic asset class,' says Coombes. 'They are highly regulated and offer all investors equal and full disclosure.

'Investors get bombarded with adverts for everything except stocks and shares.'

Not all shares issued at IPO will be appropriate for ordinary investors  some may be too niche, even for sophisticated investors.

And investors who buy shares need to ensure they have a balanced portfolio so they are not overexposed to the fortunes of a small number of companies.

However, if we want to encourage share ownership among ordinary investors, it's time to level up the playing field.
Reopening after lockdown should have been a time for business owners to get all-important income flowing back into their bank accounts. But the recruitment crisis, which has led to vacancies running at record levels, is hampering the efforts of many small and medium-sized enterprises.

According to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, the hardest-hit sectors include lorry drivers, nurses, IT workers, care staff, nursery teachers, chefs, cleaners, carpenters and retail assistants.

The pandemic and post-Brexit regulations are the two main reasons for the dearth of potential recruits.

Fears: Lauren Prentice needs more teachers for her after-school cookery firm

Last week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed job vacancies rose above one million in the three months to August, the first time since it started monitoring job adverts 20 years ago.

Sharon Birch, 55, director of Footprints Learning for Life nursery in Hartlepool, says: 'It's a huge problem. I'm recruiting for staff and had 50 applications.

'I invited ten for interview and only three turned up. It's so frustrating. I can spend weeks recruiting just one staff member and only after months of looking was I able to find and recruit a cook.'

Several long-standing staff reassessed their life goals during the pandemic and moved on, which Sharon says she understands. But she adds: 'It's a big loss for the business, especially when it is so difficult to get replacements.'

Former police officer Sharon spends 70 to 80 per cent of her business's income on staff wages, but with margins so tight she can only afford to pay just above the minimum wage. It is more than most of her competitors, but not enough in a sector which requires nursery staff to have two years' training, good GCSE grades, and is highly regulated.

To attract candidates, Sharon has refreshed her website, promotes the company on social media and offers staff perks such as childcare discounts, flexible working hours and nights out.

She even buys staff occasional cakes and chocolate. 'We're poor in assets, but rich in ambition,' she says. 'You'd never go into this sector for the money.'

Lauren Prentice, 31, founded Nutritional Ninjas in 2017 to provide after-school cookery clubs to primary schools around London and the South East.

'Children aren't taught to cook in primary school,' says Lauren. 'Yes, it's part of the National Curriculum, but pupils can end up just doing occasional classes. It's not nearly enough, so we provide hour-long cookery lessons after school. The schools love it, the parents love it and, of course, the kids really enjoy it.'

While the teaching job pays well  25 an hour  Lauren is struggling to find staff. She explains: 'We thought it would be easy to recruit after lockdown, so we're not sure why we're finding it so difficult. I have ten teachers, but I need at least five more.

'As a result, we're having to turn down work. The lack of new recruits is holding us back.' Lauren has stepped up her efforts by running adverts on social media as well as using recruitment agencies and asking teachers for referrals. But she is running into the same problems as nursery owner Sharon.

She says: 'People don't turn up for interviews or will accept a job and then not turn up, often without telling me.'

When Neil Sheth graduated from university, salary was the only thing he cared about. Now, the former investment banker and founder of digital marketing business Bubbli Digital and Writefully is changing his recruitment process and company's working practices to try to attract employees.

'We're really having problems recruiting,' he says. 'So we're putting a lot of time and effort into LinkedIn, approaching people directly.'

Neil is also testing out headhunting app Workable and asking business partners for referrals. 'There is no point in trying to attract people on salary alone,' says London-based Neil, now 37.

'These days, 21- year-olds want a more rounded experience  they want to be happy at work. So, we offer core working hours which are 11am to 3pm and then people can work their remaining hours around that.'

Emma Jones, founder of business network Enterprise Nation, says: 'My advice to small business owners is to join a small business network where you can find other entrepreneurs who are more than happy to help out.'
North Carolina judges struck down the states latest photo voter identification law on Friday, agreeing with minority voters that Republicans rammed through rules tainted by racial bias as a way to remain in power.

Two of the three trial judges at Wake County Superior Court in Raleigh declared the December 2018 law is unconstitutional, even though it was designed to implement a photo voter ID mandate added to the North Carolina Constitution in a referendum just weeks earlier.

They said the law was rushed and intentionally discriminates against black voters, violating their equal protections.

The law 'was motivated at least in part by an unconstitutional intent to target African American voters,' Superior Court Judges Michael OFoghludha and Vince Rozier wrote in their 102-page order.

'Other, less restrictive voter ID laws would have sufficed to achieve the legitimate nonracial purposes of implementing the constitutional amendment requiring voter ID, deterring fraud, or enhancing voter confidence,' the judges added.

The majority decision, which followed a three-week trial in April, will be appealed, Republicans at the legislature said. A state appeals court had previously blocked the laws enforcement last year. The law remains unenforceable with this ruling.

With a similar lawsuit in federal court set to go to trial this January and another state court lawsuit now on appeal, its looking more unlikely that the current voter ID law will be enforced in the 2022 elections.

North Carolina's 2018 voter ID law was overturned at Wake County Superior Couty, pictured, on Friday after it was deemed racist

Attorney Allison Riggs, pictured in red, led the effort to repeal the law, and welcomed Friday's ruling

Allison Riggs, the plaintiffs' lead attorney, praised the decision. Riggs said the ruling reflects 'how the states Republican-controlled legislature undeniably implemented this legislation to maintain its power by targeting voters of color.'

Republicans have said voter ID laws are needed to build public confidence in elections and to prevent voter fraud.

Many Democrats see the mandates as attempts at voter suppression.

In July 2016, a federal appeals court struck down several portions of a 2013 North Carolina law that included a voter ID mandate, saying GOP lawmakers had written them with 'almost surgical precision' to discourage voting by black residents, who tend to support Democrats.

Lawyers for the voters who sued over the 2018 law said it suffered from similar racial defects as the 2013 law - following a long effort by North Carolina elected officials to weaken African American voting as a way to retain control the General Assembly. The 2013 law was carried out briefly in 2016 primary elections.

The law was overturned after it was deemed to unfairly target black people, who tend to swing towards the Democrats. Voters are pictured in Charlotte on November 3

GOP legislative leaders and their attorneys disagreed, saying the latest ID rules were approved with noteworthy Democratic support and improved to retain ballot access while ensuring only legal citizens can vote.

The categories of qualifying IDs were greatly expanded compared to the 2013 law to include college student and government-employee IDs. Free IDs also were made available, and people without IDs can still vote if they fill out a form.

Sam Hayes, an attorney for House Speaker Tim Moore, said 'liberal judges have defied the will of North Carolinians on election integrity' with the decision. Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger are among defendants in the lawsuit.

'Photo voter ID laws are designed to bolster confidence in elections. Calling this law irredeemably racist does the exact opposite,' Sen. Paul Newton of Cabarrus County said.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, blasted the law, which was forced through by the state legislature's Republican majority

In the dissenting opinion, Judge Nathaniel Poovey wrote there was 'not one scintilla of evidence' presented that any legislator acted with racially discriminatory intent.

The plaintiffs evidence relied 'heavily on the past history of other lawmakers and used an extremely broad brush to paint the 2018 General Assembly with the same toxic paint,' Poovey wrote.

But the panel's majority wrote that while they found no legislator harboring racial animus toward Black voters, Republicans targeted voters 'who, based on race, were unlikely to vote for the majority party' as the federal court also ruled in 2016.

About three dozen states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls, and about half want photo ID only, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Six voters - five Black and one biracial - sued in Wake County court on the same day GOP lawmakers overrode Democratic Gov. Roy Coopers veto of the 2018 voter ID bill.

Some plaintiffs testified at trial about difficulties obtaining an ID or voting when the earlier photo ID law was in effect. Lawyers for the GOP said all voters would continue to be able to vote under the 2018 law.

The plaintiffs case emphasized the state's history of discriminatory voting laws, as well as an analysis from a University of Michigan professor who said Black voters are 39% more likely to lack a qualifying photo ID than white registered voters. The analysis, however, left out data on some categories of qualifying IDs.

Changes to these and other voting procedures in North Carolina once needed federal preapproval. But a 2013 U.S. Supreme Court ruling meant such 'preclearance' actions were no longer required. The 2013 voter ID law was approved shortly after that ruling.
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The Pentagon has finally admitted that it killed an innocent aid worker and seven children in a bungled drone strike, marking a disastrous intelligence failure for the Biden administration.

A detailed timeline released by the Pentagon on Friday, when compared against prior reporting on how aid worker Zemari Ahmadi spent his day in Kabul on August 29, reveals the mistaken assumptions and tremendous errors that led up to the disaster.

Ahmadi, 43, worked for US-based aid group Nutrition and Education International, and US officials now admit he appears to have had no connection to ISIS-K terrorists. His fatal mistake, it appears, was driving a white 1996 Toyota Corolla.

In the wake of a suicide attack that killed 13 US troops at the Kabul airport, US officials had intelligence that just such a vehicle was involved in planning another attack, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said at a briefing on Friday afternoon.

The following account is based on the timeline that McKenzie provided as well as prior reporting on Ahmadi's movements in the hours leading up to the drone strike, some of which comes from the New York Times.

On the morning of August 29, Ahmadi left the compound near the Kabul airport where he lived with his children, two brothers and nieces and nephews.

'It was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology,' Head of US Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie said

On his way to work, Ahmadi picked up a coworker to carpool, before stopping at the home of NEI's director at 8:52am to pick up a laptop.

The director's home had been under intense surveillance by MQ-9 Reaper drones, and McKenzie continues to insist that solid intelligence links the home to ISIS-K.

However, a Times reporter visited the NEI director at his home, and met with members of his family, who said they had been living there for 40 years.

'We have nothing to do with terrorism or ISIS,' said the director, who also has a U.S. resettlement case. 'We love America. We want to go there.'

Seeing the white Corolla that matched intelligence reports visiting the supposedly suspicious home, US officials latched on to the vehicle, tracking its every move. Everything they saw seemed to feed into their false theory that they were tracking a terrorist.

At 9.05am, Ahmadi picked up a second co-worker not far from the director's home, and the three of them rode together to the NEI offices a few miles south.

At 9.35am, Ahmadi and his two co-workers arrived at the offices of NEI, a California-based non-profit that promotes the cultivation of soy crops in Afghanistan. The Pentagon believed the offices to be another 'suspicious compound'.

PICTURED: The 10 victims mistakenly killed by a US drone strike which was targeting ISIS-K in Afghanistan

Drone surveillance captured Ahmadi and his colleagues unloading 'bags and jugs' once they arrived at the office, likely referring to empty water jugs that Ahmadi filled at work to bring home to his family.

A few hours later, at 11.22am, Ahmadi and some co-workers left the offices and drove to the 10th District Police station, which was controlled by the Taliban, to request permission to distribute food to displaced Afghans in a park.

McKenzie says that at around the same time, US forces received a 'sensitive intelligence collection indicating that an ISIS-K cell leader in Kabul was dropping off supplies,' and apparently jumped to conclusions connecting the information to Ahmadi.

Ahmadi and his colleagues arrived at the police station at 12.11pm and stayed for about an hour, leaving to return to the NEI office at 1.27pm.

Ahmadi spent the afternoon at the non-profit offices, and as he prepared to go home for the day, filled up several large jugs with water from a hose to take home, as water service in his neighborhood had been cut.

Witnesses helped him load the jugs, and surveillance video shows that they were filled with water. But the Pentagon believed it was witnessing bombs being loaded for an imminent attack.

At 3.47pm, Ahmadi departed the office with three coworkers, giving them a ride home. They later told the Times that it was a normal commute, filled with laughing banter and jokes.

The one difference from normal was that Ahmadi did not turn on his car radio to listen to pop music as he usually did, for fear of running afoul of the Taliban's harsh restrictions.

At 4.11pm Ahmadi dropped off his first colleague, then made two additional stops to drop off the others. The Pentagon noticed with alarm that the final drop-off, at 4.39pm, was just blocks away from the supposed 'ISIS-K compound' where surveillance on the car was first initiated.

At 4.51pm, Ahmadi arrived home and began backing his car into the gated courtyard. A gaggle of children, nieces and nephews, ran outside to greet him.

Drone footage shows the fireball from the courtyard, which the Pentagon believed was proof of explosives in the car. They now say that a nearby propane tank was likely ignited by the missile

A damaged vehicle is at the site of the U.S. airstrike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan

Relatives and neighbors of the Ahmadi family gathered around the incinerated husk of Ahmadi's car

Ahmadi's home is roughly three kilometers from Kabul airport, where US forces were holed up attempting an evacuation, and where a suicide attack had killed hundreds of Afghans and 13 Americans on August 26.

'We were very concerned that the vehicle could move quickly and be at the airport boundary in a matter of moments,' McKenzie said.

As the children greeted Ahmadi, his adult cousin Naser walked outside to help him bring the water jugs inside. US forces immediately assessed Naser to be a 'co-conspirator' and launched the strike, claiming that they did not see children in the area.

A Hellfire missile detonated inside the Corolla at 4.53pm. Killed were Ahmadi and three of his children, Zamir, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 10; Ahmadi's cousin Naser, 30; three of Ahmadi's nephews, Arwin, seven, Benyamin, six, and Hayat, two; and two three-year-old girls, Malika and Somaya.

The Pentagon initially claimed that a secondary explosion proved that the Corolla was carrying explosive materials. McKenzie admitted on Friday that the missile likely ignited a propane tank near the car, which created a large fireball spotted on drone surveillance.

McKenzie claimed that upon review of the drone footage, 'a few partially obscured forms were briefly visible moving in the compound'.

'The strike was a tragic mistake,' McKenzie said.

Emal Ahmadi shows a photo of his family member who was killed during a U.S. drone strike on their home

Ramal Ahmadi, centre, is supported by family members at the mass funeral of the 10 victims killed in the drone strike

McKenzie apologized for the error and said the United States is considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims.

'I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that strike,' McKenzie said. 'Moreover, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to U.S. forces,' he added.

McKenzie said that the order to carry out the strike was given by the commander of the over-the-horizon strike team, who has not been named publicly.

For days after the August 29 strike, Pentagon officials asserted that it had been conducted correctly, despite immediate reports from the ground that as many as seven children had been killed.

'This was a righteous strike,' said Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark A. Milley days later, claiming that Ahmadi was an 'ISIS facilitator'

Biden left DC shortly before the Pentagon briefing on Friday, heading to Delaware to spend the weekend in seclusion

'This was a righteous strike,' said Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark A. Milley insisted days later, insisting that Ahmadi was an 'ISIS facilitator'.

Days after the attack, President Joe Biden gave a speech in which he marked the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan by the August 31 deadline. He touted America's ability to strike terrorists and targets without boots on the ground.

But he failed to mention the high civilian casualty rate from the August 29 drone strike, and he failed to mention that children had been killed.

'We struck ISIS-K remotely, days after they murdered 13 of our service members and dozen of innocent Afghans. And to ISIS-K, we are not done with you yet,' he said in his speech.

On Friday, Biden left DC before the Pentagon briefing to spend the weekend at his home in Delaware. He has not yet publicly addressed the disastrous intelligence failure.
President Joe Biden has fled Washington DC to hole up at his Delaware mansion for an extended weekend, even as multiple crises engulf his administration.

Biden left the White House before noon on Friday, hours before the Pentagon held a late-afternoon briefing to reveal that US forces had badly botched a drone strike in Kabul, killing 10 innocent civilians.

Meanwhile as the day unfolded, France recalled its ambassador to the US in outrage over the new AUKUS security pact, the US Food and Drug Administration rejected Biden's call for widespread COVID booster shots, and a squalid camp of 12,000 Haitian migrants continued to grow near the border in Texas.

The Secret Service dropped Biden off at his mansion in Rehoboth Beach at 1.37pm, and he plans to spend the weekend there with the First Lady, with no events on his public schedule.

Biden arrives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Friday for an extended weekend, even as multiple crises engulf his administration

A relative throws himself and weeps over the casket of Farzad, 12, who was one of 10 civilians killed by U.S. drone airstrikes

Haitian migrants use a dam to cross to and from the United States from Mexico on Friday in Del Rio, Texas. Thousands of Haitian migrants have assembled under and around a bridge in Del Rio

The migrants have set up a make-shift camp after successfully crossing from Mexico

DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House for comment.

White House press Secretary Jen Psaki has said in the past that presidents never fully go on vacation, noting that Biden travels with a national security aide and gets regularly briefed when he is out of the White House.

Before skipping town to get an early jump on the weekend, Biden did work from the Oval Office in the morning, convening a forum on climate change and receiving his daily intelligence briefing.

On his show, Sean Hannity said Biden 'needs to get off his a** and get to work

Fox's Sean Hannity criticized Biden's commitment to the nation on Friday by deciding to go to the beach while the US deals with an influx of immigrants from Haiti, the ongoing problems in Afghanistan and the fallout between America and France over the Australian nuclear submarine deal.

'Someone in the administration needs to remind Joe that he's the president of the United States  he needs to get off his a** and get to work,' Hannity said.

'If he's too weak and frail and slow to handle the job seven days a week, he should step down and retire because right now... there are serious crises on multiple fronts.'

Hours after Biden arrived in Rehoboth Beach, the Pentagon made a stunning and embarrassing reversal, admitting that the August 29 drone strike in Kabul killed an innocent aid worker and nine of his family members, including seven children.

'Our investigation now concludes that the strike was a tragic mistake,' said the head of U.S. Central Command, Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie.

Hannity criticized the operation, saying 'Did you get that, Joe? Your "over the horizon" drone strike killed seven innocent children - Joe Biden has blood on his hands.'

US officials had for weeks defended the botched strike, with Joint Chiefs Chairman General Mark A. Milley calling it 'righteous' when pressed on civilian casualties.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrain announced the move to recall the ambassador Friday, saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured)

The French embassy event was supposed to commemorate the 1781 'Battle of the Capes when the French Navy delivered a decisive blow to Britain's Royal Navy in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Virgina Capes shows British forces on the right and French on the left

Then, a dramatic and unprecedented diplomatic crisis erupted between France and the United States, with Paris recalling its top envoy in Washington DC for the first time in history.

France was the first country to formally recognize the United States government with a treaty in 1778, and the two republics have long had close and friendly diplomatic relations.

But the French government is furious with the new security pact between Australia, the US and the UK, which saw Canberra cancel a $90 billion submarine contract with Paris.

Instead of French conventional diesel-electric submarines, Australia will now pursue nuclear-powered subs through the trilateral security pact known as AUKUS.

Ambassador Philippe Etienne tweeted the AUKUS arrangements are 'directly affecting the vision we have of our alliances, of our partnerships and of the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.'

'It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed,' said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. 'This is not done between allies.'

French officials also canceled a gala planned for Friday night in DC, intended to celebrate the French navy's aid to America's fight for independence in 1781.

In another embarrassing blow to the administration, an FDA panel announced that it would not recommend COVID booster shots for the general population, after Biden had spent weeks vowing to begin administering boosters on September 20.

President Joe Biden steps out of a motorcade vehicle Friday before boarding Air Force One on the way to spend the weekend at his home in Rehoboth Beach

An FDA panel announced that it would not recommend COVID booster shots for the general population, after Biden had spent weeks vowing to begin boosters on September 20

An FDA advisory panel voted on Friday to recommend COVID-19 vaccine booster shots only for Americans 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness, after overwhelmingly rejecting a call for broader approval.

Biden, who stoked the ire of FDA officials before announcing a mass booster campaign before the plan had regulatory approval, had touted the imminent start of COVID boosters as recently as a few days ago.

The White House attempted to put a positive spin on the FDA decision, framing it as one step in the march toward universal boosters.

'Today was an important step forward in providing better protection to Americans from COVID-19,' White House spokesperson Kevin Munoz said. 'We stand ready to provide booster shots to eligible Americans once the process concludes at the end of next week,' he said.

The FDA is expected to make its final decision on the third round of shots soon. It is not bound by the panel's recommendation, but it is highly unlikely to break with it.

Finally, at the border in Texas, shocking scenes of human misery unfolded as a surge of 12,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, gathered in a huge camp seeking asylum in the US.

Migrants are seen by the International Bridge between Mexico and the U.S., in Del Rio, Texas

Haitian migrants use a dam to cross to and from the United States from Mexico on Friday in Del Rio, Texas. Thousands of Haitian migrants have assembled under and around a bridge

Thousands have used the dam presenting the Biden administration with a fresh and immediate challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching U.S. soil

Many of them did not come directly from Haiti, but had been living in South America for years, reports suggest. The surge came after word got out that the Biden administration would not deport Haitians who enter the country illegally, following an earthquake in that country.

Thousands of Haitians have been wading daily across the Rio Grande at Del Rio, Texas, arriving faster than they can be processed and detained.

In the sweltering heat, they have set up camp under the International Bridge, waiting to be processed by US Customs and Border Patrol. The camp, where food and water are in short supply, now equates to a third of the population of Del Rio.

The city's Democratic mayor issued a public appeal on Friday, calling the situation a 'nuclear bomb alarm' that is 'no longer sustainable'.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced he was sending National Guard troops and officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety to the state's ports of entry to 'deter crossings' as he compared the migrant crisis to the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

'The Biden administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan,' he said.

US President Joe Biden arrives in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on Friday, where he will remain over the weekend with no public events on his schedule

Migrants wait Thursday under and around the international bridge between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico to be processed

Countdown to death: Minute by minute, how the Pentagon meticulously tracked innocent aid worker in Kabul before killing him and seven children with a Hellfire missile in catastrophic intelligence failure

The Pentagon has finally admitted that it killed an innocent aid worker and seven children in a bungled drone strike, marking a disastrous intelligence failure for the Biden administration.

A detailed timeline released by the Pentagon on Friday, when compared against prior reporting on how aid worker Zemari Ahmadi spent his day in Kabul on August 29, reveals the mistaken assumptions and tremendous errors that led up to the disaster.

Ahmadi, 43, worked for US-based aid group Nutrition and Education International, and US officials now admit he appears to have had no connection to ISIS-K terrorists. His fatal mistake, it appears, was driving a white 1996 Toyota Corolla.

In the wake of a suicide attack that killed 13 US troops at the Kabul airport, US officials had intelligence that just such a vehicle was involved in planning another attack, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said at a briefing on Friday afternoon.

The following account is based on the timeline that McKenzie provided as well as prior reporting on Ahmadi's movements in the hours leading up to the drone strike, some of which comes from the New York Times.

On the morning of August 29, Ahmadi left the compound near the Kabul airport where he lived with his children, two brothers and nieces and nephews.

On his way to work, Ahmadi picked up a coworker to carpool, before stopping at the home of NEI's director at 8:52am to pick up a laptop.

The director's home had been under intense surveillance by MQ-9 Reaper drones, and McKenzie continues to insist that solid intelligence links the home to ISIS-K.

However, a Times reporter visited the NEI director at his home, and met with members of his family, who said they had been living there for 40 years.

'We have nothing to do with terrorism or ISIS,' said the director, who also has a U.S. resettlement case. 'We love America. We want to go there.'

Seeing the white Corolla that matched intelligence reports visiting the supposedly suspicious home, US officials latched on to the vehicle, tracking its every move. Everything they saw seemed to feed into their false theory that they were tracking a terrorist.

At 9.05am, Ahmadi picked up a second co-worker not far from the director's home, and the three of them rode together to the NEI offices a few miles south.

At 9.35am, Ahmadi and his two co-workers arrived at the offices of NEI, a California-based non-profit that promotes the cultivation of soy crops in Afghanistan. The Pentagon believed the offices to be another 'suspicious compound'.

PICTURED: The 10 victims mistakenly killed by a US drone strike which was targeting ISIS-K in Afghanistan

Drone surveillance captured Ahmadi and his colleagues unloading 'bags and jugs' once they arrived at the office, likely referring to empty water jugs that Ahmadi filled at work to bring home to his family.

A few hours later, at 11.22am, Ahmadi and some co-workers left the offices and drove to the 10th District Police station, which was controlled by the Taliban, to request permission to distribute food to displaced Afghans in a park.

McKenzie says that at around the same time, US forces received a 'sensitive intelligence collection indicating that an ISIS-K cell leader in Kabul was dropping off supplies,' and apparently jumped to conclusions connecting the information to Ahmadi.

Ahmadi and his colleagues arrived at the police station at 12.11pm and stayed for about an hour, leaving to return to the NEI office at 1.27pm.

Ahmadi spent the afternoon at the non-profit offices, and as he prepared to go home for the day, filled up several large jugs with water from a hose to take home, as water service in his neighborhood had been cut.

Witnesses helped him load the jugs, and surveillance video shows that they were filled with water. But the Pentagon believed it was witnessing bombs being loaded for an imminent attack.

At 3.47pm, Ahmadi departed the office with three coworkers, giving them a ride home. They later told the Times that it was a normal commute, filled with laughing banter and jokes.

The one difference from normal was that Ahmadi did not turn on his car radio to listen to pop music as he usually did, for fear of running afoul of the Taliban's harsh restrictions.

At 4.11pm Ahmadi dropped off his first colleague, then made two additional stops to drop off the others. The Pentagon noticed with alarm that the final drop-off, at 4.39pm, was just blocks away from the supposed 'ISIS-K compound' where surveillance on the car was first initiated.

At 4.51pm, Ahmadi arrived home and began backing his car into the gated courtyard. A gaggle of children, nieces and nephews, ran outside to greet him.

Drone footage shows the fireball from the courtyard, which the Pentagon believed was proof of explosives in the car. They now say that a nearby propane tank was likely ignited by the missile

A damaged vehicle is at the site of the U.S. airstrike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan

Relatives and neighbors of the Ahmadi family gathered around the incinerated husk of Ahmadi's car

Ahmadi's home is roughly three kilometers from Kabul airport, where US forces were holed up attempting an evacuation, and where a suicide attack had killed hundreds of Afghans and 13 Americans on August 26.

'We were very concerned that the vehicle could move quickly and be at the airport boundary in a matter of moments,' McKenzie said.

As the children greeted Ahmadi, his adult cousin Naser walked outside to help him bring the water jugs inside. US forces immediately assessed Naser to be a 'co-conspirator' and launched the strike, claiming that they did not see children in the area.

A Hellfire missile detonated inside the Corolla at 4.53pm. Killed were Ahmadi and three of his children, Zamir, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 10; Ahmadi's cousin Naser, 30; three of Ahmadi's nephews, Arwin, seven, Benyamin, six, and Hayat, two; and two three-year-old girls, Malika and Somaya.

The Pentagon initially claimed that a secondary explosion proved that the Corolla was carrying explosive materials. McKenzie admitted on Friday that the missile likely ignited a propane tank near the car, which created a large fireball spotted on drone surveillance.

McKenzie claimed that upon review of the drone footage, 'a few partially obscured forms were briefly visible moving in the compound'.

'The strike was a tragic mistake,' McKenzie said.

Emal Ahmadi shows a photo of his family member who was killed during a U.S. drone strike on their home

Ramal Ahmadi, centre, is supported by family members at the mass funeral of the 10 victims killed in the drone strike

McKenzie apologized for the error and said the United States is considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims.

'I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that strike,' McKenzie said. 'Moreover, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to U.S. forces,' he added.

McKenzie said that the order to carry out the strike was given by the commander of the over-the-horizon strike team, who has not been named publicly.

For days after the August 29 strike, Pentagon officials asserted that it had been conducted correctly, despite immediate reports from the ground that as many as seven children had been killed.

'This was a righteous strike,' said Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark A. Milley days later, claiming that Ahmadi was an 'ISIS facilitator'

Biden left DC shortly before the Pentagon briefing on Friday, heading to Delaware to spend the weekend in seclusion

'This was a righteous strike,' said Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark A. Milley insisted days later, insisting that Ahmadi was an 'ISIS facilitator'.

Days after the attack, President Joe Biden gave a speech in which he marked the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan by the August 31 deadline. He touted America's ability to strike terrorists and targets without boots on the ground.

But he failed to mention the high civilian casualty rate from the August 29 drone strike, and he failed to mention that children had been killed.

'We struck ISIS-K remotely, days after they murdered 13 of our service members and dozen of innocent Afghans. And to ISIS-K, we are not done with you yet,' he said in his speech.

On Friday, Biden left DC before the Pentagon briefing to spend the weekend at his home in Delaware. He has not yet publicly addressed the disastrous intelligence failure.
A anti-vax couple from Alabama who ran a popular YouTube channel that saw them resell vintage items and antiques, have both died from the coronavirus.

Dusty and Tristan Graham from Huntsville were both staunchly anti-vaccination and passed away from the virus within weeks of one another.

The husband and wife team, known as the 'Alabama Pickers,' had openly discussed how they believed the jab was an affront to their human rights and had no intention of receiving it in their YouTube videos.

Dusty and Tristan Graham, known for their staunch opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine have both died from the disease within weeks of one another

Dusty died from the disease on Thursday, three weeks after his wife 'passed suddenly in her sleep' following complications from the coronavirus.

'Unfortunately Dusty and Tristan have both passed away,' the couple's daughter, Windsor Graham wrote on a GoFundMe page. 'Thank you for all the kind words and helping us during this difficult time.'

In one of their final videos posted earlier this year, the married couple openly discussed their anti-vaccine stance and shared their opinion on local mask mandates.

'Still haven't gotten the you know what. Still not planning on getting it' Dusty said.

'But if you want to, bully for you,' Tristan chimed in as she supported her husband.

The couple's channel had 10,000 subscribers before it was removed from YouTube

Dusty then went on to state how he had his 'own passport', referring to his birth certificate and the U.S. Constitution, that he said 'allowed him to travel wherever he wanted without trouble.'

'I think this will be all behind us in a couple years,' Dusty predicted. 'Then they'll be like, "You don't need that anymore."'

He compared the COVID-19 vaccine's predicted slip from relevancy to smallpox and yellow fever and even spelled out the word 'vaccine' declaring it to be a form of 'immunity therapy'.

Dusty said that he had managed to survive without a vaccine for the past year and knew of friends who contracted the virus together with two of their children.

In late August, Dusty pleaded for funds to help pay for his wife's funeral expenses while he was in the ICU himself. Tristan is pictured here

In late August, Dusty pleaded for funds to help pay for his wife's funeral expenses while he was in the ICU himself.

'Dusty here from Alabama Pickers,' the fundraiser read. 'Tristan passed suddenly in her sleep on Wednesday, due to Covid complications. I'm currently in ICU myself, battling it out, but will be looking at multiple Expenses within the next week: Medical, Funeral, Burial Plot, Expenses, Casket, etc!

'I would like to have a little left over to help Gabe and Windsor out,' the post continued. 'Anything you can find in your heart, will be SO APPRECIATED!! We love you guys!!'

Windsor wrote on Facebook how her father had been placed on a ventilator in recent days and asked for prayers for the family.

'I want to thank everybody that reached out to check on my brother and I,' she wrote. 'For now, it's just waiting and praying his body relaxes.'

The couple also described other things they had survived including, in Tristan's case, bone cancer.

COVID is known to be more dangerous to people who've previously battled serious health conditions that have compromised their immune systems.

Statistics show that having a COVID vaccine does not prevent all infections from the virus, but dramatically reduces the chances of falling seriously-ill with it, or dying.

News of their deaths was shared on a GoFundMe page that was originally started last month to help pay for Tristan's funeral bills after she died from the virus
The first shipment of Moderna vaccines have arrived in Australia, with one million doses expected to be in the country from this weekend.

Moderna is the third type of Covid-19 vaccine to be used, with national first dose figures for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca jabs now cracking the 70 per cent milestone.

The Moderna shipment arrived in the country on Friday night, with a second expected soon after.

The first shipment of Moderna vaccines have arrived at Sydney International Airport on Friday night

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Moderna doses meant more GP clinics would be able to administer the vaccine to the public.

'These are very important because they simply provide not only more vaccines, but more points of access for Australians everywhere,' the minister said.

'My hope is that everybody who has not yet taken the vaccine will come forward over the coming days and weeks and there is sufficient vaccine for every Australian before the end of October, if not slightly earlier.'

Australia is set to have one million Moderna doses in the country this weekend as a second batch is expected to arrive soon

Epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws said the new vaccine would be crucial to lifting the vaccination rate of young Australians.

'The young who have been placed at the back of the queue can actually get Moderna into themselves very fast, and they can be doing it for Pfizer as well,' she told ABC.

'I'm really pleased for Australians to get Moderna, because it doesn't need ultra-cold storage, which basically means that GPs can roll it out easily, pharmacies can roll it out.'

The vaccine rollout was a major talking point at the latest national cabinet meeting, which was held on Friday afternoon.

The national plan to transition away from lockdowns once vaccination targets are reached was also discussed, along with updated Doherty Institute modelling and the situation in virus-affected jurisdictions.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the arrival of Moderna doses meant more GP clinics would be able to administer the vaccine to the public

The most recent federal figures showed Australia is now at 70.5 per cent of over 16s having received their first vaccine dose, while more than 45 per cent are fully immunised.

However, the figures for young age groups remain significantly lower, with just 22 per cent of 25 to 29-year-olds and 19 per cent of 20 to 24-year-olds being fully vaccinated.

It comes as home quarantine trials are set to begin for fully vaccinated returning Australians.

The four-week trial will see 175 people who have received two vaccine doses spend seven days in quarantine at home, rather than two weeks in a hotel.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said he wanted to see home quarantine as soon as possible to allow more fully vaccinated people to return to Australia from overseas.
More than 2,000 police officers will be ready for scores of anti-lockdown protesters planning to storm Melbourne's CBD from 12pm on Saturday.

Officers were out in full force on Saturday morning setting up a series of roadblocks on the outskirts of the city.

And despite the closure of Victoria's public transport network from 8am-2pm - as well as the threat of $5,500 fines for unlawful entry into the CBD - protest organisers have confirmed the march will go ahead.

'With all Victorians best interests in mind we will be announcing a new location from 12pm,' a protesters' message read on social media early this morning.

'The new location will be announced via our website and Telegram channel so stay tuned and look out for updates.'

The Melbourne Freedom group have since stated the location of the protest from 12pm will be at the corner of Bridge Rd and Swan St in Richmond - although this could be a deliberate ploy to confuse police.

Public transport will be temporarily shut for six hours to thwart protesters planning to attend another anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne's CBD this Saturday

Police will be out in force in Victoria's CBD on Saturday ahead of another planned anti-lockdown protest (pictured, police operating a roadblock on Saturday morning)

More than 2000 police officers will be in Melbourne's CBD ahead of a planned anti-lockdown protest from 12pm on Saturday

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said police would be patrolling trains to ensure commuters had legitimate reasons to disembark.

The development comes as Ballarat re-entered another lockdown after a surge of cases in regional Victoria, with fears a large number of people gathering could worsen the state's outbreak.

'The risk is so great from a convergence of thousands of people, as we saw recently,' Mr Patton told the Herald Sun.

With more than 2,000 officers on hand in the CBD, 20 police stations will be closed to the public as law enforcement are pulled away from their daily duties to assist in the major operation.

Police will also be highly visible on public transport and have the right to issue fines of $5500 for unlawful entry to the CBD (pictured, a roadblock near Melbourne's CBD)

Buses, trams and trains will be stopped from entering the CBD in an effort to prevent unlawful access to Melbourne CBD (pictured operating the roadblock early on Saturday)

Police were out on Saturday morning across Victoria conducting a series of roadblocks (pictured)

'We realise people are fatigued and this is a significant step for us. We didn't take this lightly but given the circumstances and where we are with Covid, we cannot afford to allow transmission to occur,' Patton said.

'We are planning for the worst and hoping for the best.'

Trams have ceased operating entirely, while buses will bypass the city and trains will be barred completely from entering the CBD until 2pm.

Ubers and taxis will be slapped with travel restrictions preventing them from entering the city unless passenger's have an essential reason.

A hard border surrounding the CBD has been established with barricades, traffic blocks and an increased police presence to block protesters from unlawfully gathering.

Essential workers who are required to travel will still be able to enter the city but need to carry their workers permit to gain access.

Trains have been stopped in Melbourne in a bid to halt numbers from the planned protest (pictured, a deserted Flinders St Station)

Protestors will be fined $5500 by police if they enter Melbourne's CBD unlawfully (pictured, police ahead of the planned march)

More than 2,000 Victorian Police officers will be deployed for the major operation with Chief Commissioner Shane Patton 'planning for the worst and hoping for the best' (pictured, residents rally through Melbourne streets in August)

In Sydney, NSW police have promised an equally 'highly visible' operation to prevent protesters from gathering in large numbers for another march.

Metropolitan Field Operations deputy commissioner Mal Lanyon also said police would be ready to respond to any last-minute location changes.

'We are continuing to monitor online commentary and have put in place an extremely mobile police operation with significant resources, to respond to whatever situation we are faced with,' he said.

Victoria Chief Commissioner Patton warned there would be a heavy police presence and urged people not to bother turning up in a bid to stop protesters and avoid 'any confrontation at all'.

The heavy-handed measures come just weeks after Patton labelled the August 21 protests as 'one of the most violent the city has seen in 20 years'.

Officers had no choice but to use non-lethal weapons to defend themselves from an angry mob that came armed and appeared intent on attacking them.

NSW Policev(pictured) will also be out in force ahead of a separate anti-lockdown protest planned for Saturday afternoon

The riot squad (pictured) were spotted on Saturday morning in Sydney on the outskirts of the CBD

Police were at Sydney Park on Saturday (pictured) ahead of another expected anti-lockdown march

Fines of $5500 will be issued by NSW police if residents are unlawfully in the CBD

Police from the Eastern Beaches LAC (pictured) will be ready to combat anti-lockdown protestors on Saturday

Tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets were used on demonstrators in Melbourne and more than 200 people were arrested after the anti-lockdown rally descended into a riot.

More than 4,000 people turned up to the 'freedom rally' despite Premier Dan Andrews warning the state was on the verge of a Covid catastrophe.

The protests resulted in six officers being hospitalised - including two with suspected broken noses, one with a broken thumb and the others with concussions.

Victoria recorded 423 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number of active cases in the state to 4,038

Mr Patton said he hoped officers would not have to use crowd control equipment such as capsicum spray and rubber bullets this Saturday but assured all police had nonlethal options on hand to prevent any violence.

Victorians have already spent an agonising 226 days in lockdown since the pandemic began with fears it could continue well into Christmas.

Residents have lived through the toughest lockdown measures in Australia, with other states choosing not to close local playgrounds and skate parks or impose curfews.

Other draconian rules such as only one parent accompanying children to playgrounds and eating being prohibited at the community venues have only been implemented in Victoria.
Friends of doctor charged with murdering her three young daughters say the accused mother was grateful to have a family after a lengthy fertility battle.

Lauren Dickason, 40, from South Africa, has been accused of killing two-year-old twins, Maya and Karla, and their six-year-old sister Liane at a home in Queen Street, Timaru, on New Zealand's South Island, on Thursday night.

The family's friends and former neighbours in Pretoria said Ms Dickason 'adored' her girls.

The three children were found dead just days after the family finished completing their hotel quarantine in New Zealand.

The Dickason family's former friends and neighbours from Pretoria have opened up about the tragedy

The girl's mother Lauren was charged with the murder of her three daughters and is due to appear in the Timaru District Court on Saturday. Pictured: Police tape protects the scene on Queen Street in Timaru, New Zealand's South Island

They left South Africa at the end of August to relocate to New Zealand for work.

Natasja le Roux said the family waited years to conceive after a long fertility struggle, the Times Live reported.

'The nicest person [pregnancy] could happen to is that woman; she was really just a nice person, she and her husband.'

Another neighbour to the Dickason family from Pretoria said they were well-loved.

The childrens' father Graham Dickason, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, had returned to their Timaru home at around 10pm on Thursday where he discovered the children's bodies. Pictured: Graham and Lauren

South African neighbours and friends remember the family as kind

'They absolutely adored those children. They were so grateful for having them because they struggled to get pregnant and when they finally got the children, they loved them,' she said.

'Police would like to reassure the community that this was a tragic isolated incident and we are not seeking anyone else,' a New Zealand Police statement said.

Dickason was due to face court in Timaru on murder charges on Saturday.

Husband Graham Dickason discovered the bodies of his three children after returning home around 10pm, and was heard by neighbours screaming: 'Is this really happening?'

Graham, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, and Lauren, also a doctor, had just moved their family to New Zealand in order to start a new life.

The family arrived in New Zealand in late August and had finished their 14-day hotel quarantine stay days before the tragedy unfolded.

South African doctor Lauren Dickason, 40, has been charged with the murder of her two-year-old twins, Maya and Karla, and their six-year-old sister Liane (pictured together)

A photograph posted on social media on August 30 shows the three girls happily clutching little kiwi cuddly toys with beaming smiles as they arrived in the country.

According to reports, a neighbour heard someone 'wailing' outside the property, on Queen Street in the suburb of Parkside, 15 minutes before police arrived.

'The first noise we heard was somebody sobbing, and then we heard a loud thud like someone just slammed a door,' the neighbour Jade Whaley told Stuff.

'We could see someone through our fence wandering behind the house and wailing.'

Another resident, Karen Cowper, described hearing a man crying and saying 'is this really happening?'

The young family (pictured together) had just moved to New Zealand from Pretoria, South Africa and recently finished their 14-day hotel quarantine

'We asked him if he was OK. He did not respond to us and was screaming and crying hysterically,' Ms Cowper said.

The girl's mother Lauren was taken to the nearby Timaru Hospital on Thursday, where she is in a stable condition.

The girls' grandmother said the family was struggling to comprehend what had happened.

'It hasn't actually sunk in yet. We're in a terrible state of shock. We are devastated,' she told Stuff.

Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent John Price said the family appeared to have few contacts in New Zealand.

A photograph posted on social media on August 30 (pictured) showing the three girls happily clutching little kiwi cuddly toys with excited smiles as they arrived in the country

Earlier this month the mother took to social media asking for help as they prepared for the move.

She had asked for advice about buying furniture in Timaru and wanted to know which schools would be best for her children.

Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said NZ Police was 'speaking with people from the address and no-one else is being sought at this time'.

The deaths are the second tragedy in as many months to befall the South Island community.

Last month, five teenage boys were killed in a one-car crash in which only the 19-year-old driver survived.
The BBC has offered six-figure damages to the former nanny of Prince William and Prince Harry over false claims made by Martin Bashir to obtain his interview with Princess Diana, according to reports.

Tiggy Legge-Bourke, now known as Tiggy Pettifer, was offered the payout after the former BBC journalist, 58, told Princess Diana that her husband was 'in love' with their children's nanny in order to secure his 1995 Panorama interview.

Mr Bashir is also said to have suggested that Prince Charles and Ms Pettifer, 56, had flown off on a secret two-week holiday together.

The journalist went on to claim that the royal nanny had gone on to have an abortion and showed the Princess of Wales a fake receipt for the procedure, the Daily Telegraph reports.

The BBC has offered six-figure damages to Tiggy Legge-Bourke, now known as Tiggy Pettifer, the former nanny of Prince William and Harry

The BBC has now offered the former nanny 'significant' damages for the distressing smears.

It is reported that a speedy settlement is likely to be agreed by the end of this month with the broadcaster thought to have offered more than 100,000.

Mrs Pettifer, 56, who was the nanny to the two princes between 1993 and 1999, is now in charge of a bed and breakfast business in Wales.

A source told the Daily Telegraph: 'Tiggy Legge-Bourke was right at the centre of Bashir's manipulation and it is right that the damage caused to her is recognised by the BBC.'

In 1995, Princess Diana sent shockwaves around the world when she famously told BBC journalist Martin Bashir there were 'three of us in this marriage' during an interview on Panorama.

The 60-minute interview, which was watched by some 23 million people, saw the royal speak of Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles and the lack of support she felt from the royal family.

Earlier this year Prince Harry blasted the BBC Panorama interview as 'unethical' while Prince William said Mr Bashir's 'lurid and false claims' to secure it fuelled the 'paranoia and isolation' of their mother's final years.

Lord Dyson's inquiry into the events surrounding Mr Bashir's Panorama programme with Princess Diana found he had acted in a 'deceitful' way to obtain the interview.

Mr Bashir has strongly denied spreading smears about the nanny.

It was previously reported that the BBC was already planning to pay 1.5million to a charity of choice selected by the royals as way of making amends for the damage caused by the Panorama programme.

This was said to include 1.15million, which was the amount the bombshell interview had earned the BBC from international rights.

Matt Wiessler, the graphic artist who blew the whistle on Mr Bashir around the time of the broadcast, is also understood to be receiving between 750,000 and 1million in compensation. He was forced out of the broadcaster and never worked for it again.

Earlier this week Scotland Yard dropped its investigation into Mr Bashir's Panorama interview. Detectives decided there was 'no evidence' of any crime.

The decision came four months after the Dyson report into the Panorama interview was published in May. The retired judge's findings prompted criticism of the BBC by both Prince William and Harry for the impact it had on their mother's life.

There had been calls for Scotland Yard to launch a criminal investigation from Diana's brother Earl Spencer and others.

Mr Bashir told Princess Diana that her husband was 'in love' with their children's nanny in order to secure his 1995 Panorama interview

Tiggy Legge-Bourke with Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles at Zurich Airport

Across 127 pages published in May, Lord Dyson's report savaged Mr Bashir and several senior BBC executives over their handling of the interview.

The report said 'deceitful' Mr Bashir had used fake bank statements to gain access to Diana, and then played on her fears to spin a web of lies to trick her into being interviewed.

His dishonest tactics had 'seriously breached' BBC editorial rules  yet top brass reacted by launching a cynical cover-up to protect their rogue reporter.

The report also blasted ex-BBC chief Lord Hall over a 'woefully ineffective' attempt to investigate complaints about Mr Bashir's conduct, and accused the corporation of burying the scandal.

Of the 38 points Earl Spencer noted down in his 90-minute meeting with Mr Bashir in September 1995, which the reporter used to peddle lies about senior royals and courtiers to gain Diana's interest, Mr Dyson declared himself 'satisfied Mr Bashir said most, if not all' of them.
Boris Johnson gave his overhauled Cabinet a 'half-time pep talk' yesterday as he hinted at the possibility of an early election.

The Prime Minister said it was time to 'spit out the orange peel' and get on with delivering on his manifesto promises.

At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Downing Street officials briefed ministers on plans to use data to show the public how well they are performing against the Government's targets.

The meeting was the first since the reshuffle when Gavin Williamson, Robert Jenrick and Robert Buckland were all sacked. New Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan took their seats around the table for the first time.

Boris Johnson gave his overhauled Cabinet a 'half-time pep talk' yesterday as he hinted at the possibility of an early election

Dominic Raab, demoted to Justice Secretary, looked uncomfortable next to his successor as Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss.

Mr Johnson, who was in a buoyant mood, told his team it was time to redouble their efforts to deliver for the public. 'I'm just thinking about delivery... I've seen a few delivery rooms, probably seen as many delivery rooms as anybody in this room... with the possible exception of Jacob (Rees-Mogg, the Commons Leader).'

Mr Johnson's wife Carrie is pregnant with their second child but he refuses to say how many children he already has  although it is thought to be six  while Mr Rees-Mogg has six children.

The PM added: 'I know that delivery normally involves a superhuman effort by at least one person in the room. But there are plenty of other people in that room who are absolutely indispensable to that successful outcome.

The Prime Minister said it was time to 'spit out the orange peel' and get on with delivering on his manifesto promises

'To mix my metaphors, this is, if you like, the half-time pep talk.

'This is the moment when we spit out the orange peel, we adjust our gum shields and our scrum caps. We get out on to the pitch in the knowledge that we're going to have to do it together and we're going to have to do it as a team.'

Presenting himself as head of a government that can take on issues that have 'bedevilled' other administrations, Mr Johnson pledged they would 'get social care done' and would enable the NHS to 'bounce back from the pandemic'.

He said: 'We are going to fulfil our fundamental project of uniting and levelling up across the whole country, because that is what the mission is. And by sheer force of argument and sweet reason, we are going to prevail against those who want to break up our country and I know we are going to strengthen our Union.'

At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Downing Street officials briefed ministers on plans to use data to show the public how well they are performing against the Government's targets

The next election must be held by May 2024, but it is thought Mr Johnson could go to the country earlier, and yesterday's 'half-time pep talk' will do nothing to dispel those suspicions.

Mr Johnson told his Cabinet they must 'work even harder' to deliver on the Government's priorities following the reshuffle.

In a briefing afterwards, his spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by congratulating members on their appointment, saying he was delighted to have such a strong team in place to build back better from the pandemic and deliver on the priorities of the public.'

The Cabinet received an update from Emily Lawson, the head of No 10's delivery unit, 'who provided an overview of how her team will help drive forward the work needed to deliver the people's priorities, including health and social care, crime, skills, climate change and levelling up'.

It also emerged yesterday that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will commit to stop borrowing to fund day-to-day spending within three years as part of a Treasury crackdown

The spokesman added: 'Cabinet agreed that shared data would be vital to this work, enabling ministers and the public to clearly see what progress is being made on each challenge.'

It also emerged yesterday that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will commit to stop borrowing to fund day-to-day spending within three years as part of a Treasury crackdown.

Mr Sunak is said to be planning to use next month's Budget to set out new fiscal rules to demonstrate Tory discipline with the public finances ahead of the next election.
The owner of 'Gigantic Signs' has banned shoppers who have received the vaccine from entering his store.

Peter King placed a sign in the storefront window of Gigantic Signs on King William Street in Kent Town, Adelaide.

A warning is written in bold red letters telling vaccinated residents they are no longer welcome.

'Do not enter if you have been Covid-19 vaxxed,' the sign reads.

The sign has sparked outrage in the community with residents labelling it unfair. But a legal expert has warned the store owner has not broken the law.

A store owner has banned shoppers who have received the vaccine from entering his shop

University of South Australia emeritus professor Rick Sarre said no discrimination laws around vaccination status have been made.

'They can do whatever they like in terms of discrimination law because there's no grounds of discrimination based on vaccination status,' he told 7 News.

Mr King, the director of Gigantic Signs, said Australia's vaccination campaign was 'tantamount to murder'.

'I'm simply making a statement,' he told news.com.au.

'We have here in Adelaide a company that said they did not want to have any people going to their winery that weren't vaxxed and I thought that was grossly unfair and intimidating.'

Outraged shoppers have sworn to boycott the business with many airing their frustration on social media.

'I'd say Gigantic Signs have made a gigantic mistake by displaying a not so gigantic sign in the front door,' one person wrote.

'Don't carry on and ask for help when the business takes a gigantic nose dive.'

Another person added: 'I pledge not to enter your establishment, ever. I promise. I will never darken your door with my patronage. Choices and consequences.'

The store owner refused to comment further when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.

The sign adds to the growing debate over the power of businesses to refuse service to unvaccinated shoppers.

The owner has placed a sign in the storefront window of Gigantic Signs on King William Street in Kent Town, Adelaide

NSW and Victoria intend to rollout a vaccine passport allowing the double-jabbed to return to hospitality venues and retail stores when the states begin to reopen at 70 per cent vaccination.

Unvaccinated residents have been told they will be unable to enjoy the same freedoms as their vaccinated counterparts.
New research suggests that the story which the 12 Angry Men writer claimed inspired him is actually a work of fiction.

The 1957 film, which was written by Reginald Rose, focused on the story of 12 members of a jury as they debated whether to convict of acquit an 18-year-old defendant.

Henry Fonda stars as the lone individual attempting to convince his fellow jury members to acquit the teenager of the killing of his father.

The film wrestles with issues such as morality, racism and the legal concept of reasonable doubt.

New research suggests that the story which the 12 Angry Men (pictured) writer claimed inspired him is actually a work of fiction

Professor Phil Rosenzweig

However, Professor Phil Rosenzweig, who is penning an upcoming biography, managed to identify the court case which the film is allegedly based on - only to discover Rose did not serve on the jury, The Telegraph reports.

The business professor at the Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, used clues previously mentioned by Rose to identify the case - he believes Rose was talking about.

Rose never directly named the case his story was claimed to have been based on.

But Professor Rosenzweig believes the case in question was the trial of The People v. William Viragh, at Foley Square courthouse in spring 1954.

Professor Rosenzweig could not find Rose listed as a juror for the trial, and speaking about his findings, said that Rose could have been summoned for jury service but ultimately not picked for the trial in question.

He said: 'He must have been at court to even know about this case because it involves the death of a very obscure person.

'It was not reported in newspapers. As a good dramatist, he used his imagination.'

Professor Rosenzweig's research is set to be published in Reginald Rose and the Journey of 12 Angry Men on September 28.

Professor Rosenzweig, who is penning an upcoming biography, managed to identify the court case which the film is allegedly based on - only to discover Rose (pictured) did not serve on the jury

In 2012, Jack Klugman became the last of the actors who portrayed the dozen jurors from the seminal Hollywood classic to die.

Klugman portrayed juror number five - none of the 12 men are named in the film except two at the very end - whose slum upbringing gives him an insight into the case that none of the other men have.

He starred alongside acting heavyweights and Oscar winners such as Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam and Ed Begley.

It was the first film directed by Sidney Lumet, who went on to direct a string of hit films, including Dog Day Afternoon, Network and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

In 2007, 12 Angry Men, which was adapted from a play, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'.
Only ten people knew about the landmark AUKUS deal in which Britain and the U.S. will collaborate in providing Australia with its first ever fleet of nuclear submarines.

Boris Johnson, President Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced the new pact on Wednesday night, provoking uproar from China and France, who recalled its ambassador to America shortly afterwards.

The announcement resulted in the cancellation of a multi-billion-pound contract for Australia to buy diesel-powered French submarines.

According to The Times, the AUKUS deal was codenamed Operation Hookless inside Number 10 and was the most closely guarded secret inside government for many years.

Among the tiny number of people in the know  besides the PM  were outgoing Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, National Security advisor Sir Stephen Lovegrove and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

The clandestine discussions were said by a defence source to be like a scene from a John Le Carre novel.

Only ten people knew about the landmark AUKUS deal in which Britain and the U.S. will collaborate in providing Australia with its first ever fleet of nuclear submarines. Above: The deal was struct between Boris Johnson, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and President Joe Biden

Among the tiny number of people in the know  besides the PM  were outgoing Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, National Security advisor Sir Stephen Lovegrove and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin (pictured)

Defence sources familiar with the discussions told the newspaper that Australia had decided that the submarines which it had agreed to buy from France were not enough to ward off the threat posed by China.

They instead wanted nuclear-powered ones which are faster and stealthier and not in need of regular refuelling.

Another man who was reportedly in the top-secret loop of decision-makers was John Bew, Mr Johnsons foreign policy advisor.

Those who were aware are said to have been ordered to sign a paper vowing to not speak of the secret discussions outside of the group.

The revelations come after French foreign minister Jean-Yves LeDrian announced the move to recall ambassador Philippe Etienne Friday night, saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron.

He cited the 'exceptional seriousness of the announcements'  which caught France off guard and resulted in the cancelation of multi-billion dollar contracts for Australia to build and purchase French diesel submarines for its defense.

France also recalled its ambassador to Australia  but not to the UK, although a diplomat also dinged Britain for acting 'opportunistically.'

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrain announced the move to recall ambassador Philippe Etienne Friday night, saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured)

He called the nixing of the 47billion sub contract 'unacceptable behavior.'

Le Drian said in a statement: 'At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately recall our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.'

The move, reported by the Associated Press, comes amid a huge backlash in France over the move.

A French diplomatic source also lashed out at Britain, telling Reuters: 'The UK accompanied this operation opportunistically. We do not need to consult in Paris with our ambassador to know what to think and what conclusions to draw from it.'

A top French diplomat told the AP Macron got a letter from Australian PM Scott Morrison announcing the sub deal's cancellation on Wednesday morning. The French reached out to Washington 'to ask what was going on,' but the resulting discussions occurred just hours before Biden announced the deal in a video conference with the two key allies.

AU REVOIR: French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne has been recalled amid a diplomatic row over a new US-UK-Australia alliance

Le Drain on Thursday called the move a 'stab in the back.'

'We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed. This is not done between allies.'

The U.S. during regular diplomatic events with French diplomats points to France's essential support for the U.S. during the American Revolution, and numerous US presidents have taken part in annual commemorations of the Normandy invasion that attest to the close historical bonds between the two nations.

The stunning diplomatic slap comes a day after France made a lesser statement by nixing a planned gala at its luxurious embassy in Washington that was meant to celebrate the U.S.-French relationship, while also ditching another event in Baltimore.

The embassy gala was to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, when the French Navy fought the Royal Navy of Britain during the Revolutionary War.

It all came at the end of a week where President Joe Biden announced a new agreement between the US, the UK, and Australia, in a move meant to counter China and bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (l) described President Biden's deal as a 'unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision' amid French fury that it triggered cancelation of an Australian agreement to buy French diesel powered submarines

America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China's naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)

The French embassy event was supposed to commemorate the 1781 'Battle of the Capes when the French Navy delivered a decisive blow to Britain's Royal Navy in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Virgina Capes shows British forces on the right and French on the left

Under the terms, Australia for the first time would purchase US-made nuclear submarines, which are quieter, faster, and must come to port less frequently than diesel or electric boats.

The move infuriated France, which said it had not been informed long in advance.

Biden, who ran in part trumpeting his deft touch in diplomacy after helming the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now finds himself at the center a diplomatic row with a key ally.

It comes at a time when his handling of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is also under scrutiny.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said France had been informed in advance of the move, and tried to put the best light on the state of relations.

'France in particular is a vital partner on this, and so many other issues,' he said.

The diplomatic slap came just minutes after the US military had to admit that a US drone strike in the final days before the US pullout in Afghanistan had mistakenly hit an aid worker, killing nine family members, including seven children.

Australia had been relying on French shipbuilder Naval Group to construct its disel submarine fleet, set to be delivered in the mid 2030s.

The move also piqued the government New Zealand, which has a longstanding opposition to nuclear energy, and which was not included in the agreement.

The pact does not make the design of Australia's new submarines clear, but they will be based on previous US and UK designs. Pictured above is a cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

Australia's defence minister has today admitted that war with China is possible in the South China Sea (pictured) with Taiwan (top) as the likely flashpoint. China claims control over the whole of the sea, which other nations dispute

Australia will acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines and a host of other advanced military technology from the UK and US after singing an historic deal aimed at countering China's growing power

Why is Australia building nuclear-powered submarines? Why nuclear submarines? Nuclear submarines are powered by nuclear reactors which produce heat that creates high-pressured steam to spin turbines and power the boat's propeller. They can run for about 20 years before needing to refuel, meaning food supplies are the only limit on time at sea. The boats are also very quiet, making it harder for enemies to detect them and can travel at top speed - about 25mph - for longer than diesel-powered subs. The first nuclear submarines were put to sea by the United States in the 1950s. They are now also in use by Russia, France, the United Kingdom, China, and India. A senior US defense official told reporters in Washington DC: 'This will give Australia the capability for their submarines to basically deploy for a longer period, they're quieter, they're much more capable.' Will Australia have nuclear weapons? Scott Morrison made it clear that the nuclear-power submarines will not have nuclear missiles on board. Australia has never produced nuclear weapons and signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1973 which prevents non-nuclear states which don't already have them from developing nuclear weapons. Mr Morrison also said the Australia has no plans to build nuclear power stations which are widely used around the world. 'But let me be clear, Australia is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons or establish a civil nuclear capability,' he said. Are they safe? The nuclear reactors are shielded from the rest of the submarine in a separate section to protect the crew from dangerous radiation. The US has an excellent safety record with its nuclear-powered fleet although early Russian subs suffered a few accidents which caused 20 servicemen to die from radiation exposure between 1960 and 1985. At the end of their 20-year lifetimes, the contaminated parts of nuclear reactors need to be disposed deep underground in special waste storage cells. Anti-nuclear campaigners say any leaks of radioactive waste could lead to an environmental disaster. Why now? Australia needs to replace its six ageing Collins-class submarines. In 2016 it signed a deal with French Company Naval Group to build 12 diesel-electric attack subs - but the parties were in dispute over the amount of building that would be done in Australia. That deal has now been torn up in favour of nuclear powered subs aided by the US and UK who will provide the technology to Australia. The West is becoming increasingly concerned about the growing assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific region where it has made huge territorial claims in the South and East China seas, clashed with Indian troops and repeatedly flown planes over Taiwan. Advertisement
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has claimed Britain will avoid an energy emergency in the coming months despite warnings of a 'black swan event' after Russia was accused of rigging gas prices.

Kwarteng said he did 'not expect supply emergencies this winter' as he prepared for talks with chief executives of the UK's largest energy suppliers and operators to discuss the global gas situation today.

It comes amid warnings of a 'black swan event', an unpredictable episode with often severe consequences, after global gas prices surged due to high global demand, maintenance issues and lower solar and wind energy output.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng has claimed Britain will avoid an energy emergency in the coming months despite warnings of a 'black swan event' after Russia was accused of rigging gas prices

The business secretary said energy security was 'an absolute priority' as he was set to discuss the extent of the impact of surging prices with chief executives.

Mr Kwarteng spoke to chief executives from energy suppliers and operators to discuss the extent of the impact of surging prices.

He tweeted: 'Today, I've held a series of individual meetings with senior executives from the energy industry to discuss the impact of high global gas prices.

'I was reassured that security of supply was not a cause for immediate concern within the industry.

'The UK benefits from having a diverse range of gas supply sources, with sufficient capacity to more than meet demand. The UK's gas system continues to operate reliably and we do not expect supply emergencies this winter.'

Mr Kwarteng added that protecting customers from huge price rises was 'an absolute priority'.

He said on Twitter: 'The Energy Price Cap exists to protect millions of customers. Initiatives such as the Warm Home Discount, Winter Fuel Payments and Cold Weather Payments will help further.'

The Business Secretary added he was confident energy security could be maintained while increasing the usage of renewables.

He said: 'Energy security is an absolute priority. We are confident supply can be maintained.

'Our largest single source of gas is from domestic production, and the vast majority of imports come from reliable suppliers such as Norway. We are not dependent on Russian oil and gas.

'However, our exposure to volatile global gas prices underscores the importance of our plan to build a strong, home-grown renewable energy sector to further reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. Renewable energy has quadrupled since 2010, but there is more to do.'

Mr Kwarteng said he would meet industry regulator Ofgem again on Sunday before organising a roundtable with industry leaders on Monday to 'manage the wider implications of the global gas price increase'.

The country's state-owned energy firm, Gazprom, is now facing an investigation into the rise in price. Lawmakers said they were suspicious of the company's 'effort to pressure' Europe to agree a fast launch to its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (pictured)

Four more small energy firms could go bust amid the UK's rocketing energy prices One million customers could be set for a new energy supplier as four small firms could go bust as early as next week amid skyrocketing energy prices. The rising cost of supplying energy has left the four firms unable to power their customer's homes. The four suppliers have requested larger businesses to prepare for a takeover of their supply, reports the BBC. Earlier this week, People's Energy, based in Edinburgh, and Utility Point from Dorset announced they had ceased trading. More than 570,000 customers and 1,000 businesses will have been affected by the change. At the start of 2021, there were 70 suppliers providing energy to homes across the UK - although experts anticipate this number dropping to 10 by 2022. Industry group Oil & Gas UK warned wholesale prices for gas have risen 250 per cent since January - with a 70pc boom since August. Advertisement

It is understood Mr Kwarteng has meetings on Saturday with senior executives from Ofgem, Centrica, National Grid, Energy UK, Octopus, Ovo, SSE, EDF, ScottishPower, Shell Energy, E.ON, Bulb and SGN.

The talks come after Russia was accused of rigging the prices of gas to damage Britain's economic recovery from Covid and shortages that could ruin food chain supply in just two weeks.

The country's state-owned energy firm, Gazprom, is now facing an investigation into the rise in price.

And more than 40 MEPs last night signed a letter to the company in which they accused it of 'deliberate market manipulation'.

A former head of the regulator Ofgem warned Britain is likely to face high energy prices for the rest of the year.

Dermot Nolan, a former Ofgem chief executive, said the increases were the result of depleted stocks following a cold winter last winter, reduced supply from Russia, and increased demand for liquefied natural gas from the Far East.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'It is not obvious to me what can be done in the very short run. Britain does have secure relatively diverse sources of gas, so I think the lights will stay on.

'But I am afraid it is likely in my view that high gas and high electricity prices will be sustained for the next three to four months.

'It is very difficult to see what the Government can do directly in this regard.'

Government ministers last night were in emergency talks with food producers to try and tackle the issue.

Two fertiliser plants were forced to close down in the north of the country due to a lack of carbon dioxide available in the food industry which has a devastating effect on the product of lots of products including meat.

And food supply chains are already under a significant amount of strain due to a shortage in delivery drivers caused by test and trace systems forcing isolation and some drivers leaving the UK after Brexit.

Meat industry workers warned last night that the disruption in supply mean carbon dioxide stocks would run out within two weeks, meaning it can't be used to stun pigs and chickens prior to being killed.

A group of European Parliament lawmakers has asked the European Commission to investigate Gazprom's role in soaring European gas prices, saying the company's behaviour had made them suspect market manipulation.

Gas prices in Europe have surged in recent months, helping to drive European electricity costs to multi-year highs.

Electricity prices in the UK skyrocketed to 11 times above normal levels on Monday.

And more than 40 MEPs last night signed a letter to the company in which they accused it of 'deliberate market manipulation'. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin

In a letter to the EU's executive Commission around 40 of the Parliament's 700 lawmakers said they suspected Russia's Gazprom had acted to push up gas prices.

'We call on the European Commission to urgently open an investigation into possible deliberate market manipulation by Gazprom and potential violation of EU competition rules,' said the letter.

In response to the accusations, Gazprom said it supplied its customers with gas in full compliance with existing contracts.

The European Commission said it had received the letter and would reply in due course.

The lawmakers said they were suspicious of the company's 'effort to pressure' Europe to agree a fast launch to its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which still has to clear regulatory hurdles that could take months to complete.

Gazprom announced last week that it had completed construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany, doubling its gas exporting capacity via the Baltic Sea.

Nord Stream 2 has faced sanctions from the United States and criticism from other countries wary of the EU increasing its reliance on energy imports from Russia

The EU lawmakers cited incidents including recent shut-ins of some of Gazprom's production and said the company had refused to book gas transport capacities through existing pipelines.

'All these factors allow to suspect that the record natural gas price surge in Europe in the recent weeks may be a direct result of Gazprom's deliberate market manipulation,' the letter said.

Nord Stream 2 has faced sanctions from the United States and criticism from other countries wary of the EU increasing its reliance on energy imports from Russia.

Tobias Ellwood, a former minister and chairman of the defence committee, told the Telegraph: 'This attempt to manipulate gas prices is an example of grey zone conflict where economies are directly targeted to cause political strife and raise civil unease. An example of the constant competition we now face from authoritarian regimes.'

Chris Bryant, a member of the foreign affairs committee, told the publication: 'Russia has been abusing the energy market in Europe for years, holding countries to ransom and forcing up prices. We need a strong united front with other European countries to stop this cynical abuse. Boris Johnson needs to guarantee our energy security without relying on Russia.'

Gazprom released a statement saying: 'Gazprom delivers gas under consumer requests fully in line with contract obligations.'
Vegan options be gone! It seems meat pies are still best.

A meat and potato pie was named winner of the prestigious British Pie Awards last night, beating a record number of vegan entries.

The champion, by Nottinghamshire-based Bowring Butchers, was hailed 'truly scrumptious' by judges.

A meat and potato pie was named winner of the prestigious British Pie Awards last night

It was crowned best of more than 800 pies, including 70 from the vegan category  the most popular in this year's awards.

Vegan pies were controversially introduced to the awards in 2019 when the overall winner was a curried sweet potato, butternut squash and spinach pie.

The annual celebration is held in Melton Mowbray, home of the pork pie.

Host Matthew O'Callaghan, who is also chairman of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, said: 'Each and every year it is fantastic to see the range of delicious pies submitted to the British Pie Awards and this year was no different.

The champion, by Nottinghamshire-based Bowring Butchers, was hailed 'truly scrumptious' by judges

Robert Bowring (right) and his son George, from Nottinghamshire based Bowring Butchers who won the award with a Meat and Potato Pie

'Bowring Butchers submitted a truly scrumptious pie, and it was agreed across the board that their classic meat and potato masterpiece was the supreme champion of 2021.'

The winners were announced yesterday after the contest, at St Mary's Church, was postponed in March because of Covid.

Some 150 judges inspected entries across 23 categories.
A churchgoing doctor who struggled for years to get pregnant appeared in court last night charged with murdering her three young daughters.

Lauren Dickason, 40, stood silently in the dock at Timaru District Court in New Zealand, where she and her husband Graham, an orthopaedic surgeon, had moved from South Africa just weeks ago with two-year-old twins Karla and Maya and their older sister Liane, six.

Mr Dickason discovered the tragedy shortly before 10pm on Thursday when he returned home after attending a work function at Timaru Hospital.

In court on Saturday morning, his wife was led from the cells wearing a light grey hoodie and black trousers to make a brief appearance to hear the charges for the first time.

She looked drawn and distressed as she entered no plea and was remanded to a secure mental health unit until her next appearance, at Timaru High Court on October 5.

Mrs Dickason did not speak during the hearing and did not enter a plea. She nodded briefly when listening to her solicitor, Kelly Beazley.

The couple, married for 15 years, had only been released from 14 days enforced Covid quarantine in a hotel following their life-changing flight from South Africa to start a new life days before the alleged murders.

There was nothing in the couple's background to suggest a troubled family, according to their long-standing nanny in Pretoria, Mendy Sibanyoni.

Both parents had 'loved their kids like nobody's business,' said Mrs Sebanyoni, who Mrs Dickason had described in a Facebook as an 'angel'.

Just four months ago, Mrs Dickason had paid a loving public tribute to her husband on Facebook, writing: 'Happy 15th wedding anniversary ... What an adventure,' she wrote.

'We have truly created a beautiful family and had many good times together. May the next years be more blessed, more happy and may the kids let us sleep.'

Churchgoing doctor Lauren Dickason, who struggled for years to get pregnant, appeared in court last night charged with murdering her three young daughters. Above: Mrs Dickason with husband Graham, two-year-old twins Karla and Maya and their older sister Liane, six

Just four months ago, Mrs Dickason had paid a loving public tribute to her husband on Facebook, writing: 'Happy 15th wedding anniversary ... What an adventure,' she wrote

Through her lawyer, she initially applied for name suppression but withdrew the application after media objections.

Many details were suppressed under New Zealand law and no cause of death for any of the three girls has emerged.

Judge Dominic Dravitzki ordered a report under New Zealand's Crimes Act to ascertain Mrs Dickason's state of mind at the time of the killings.

'I'm torn apart. Part off me is gone,' Mrs Sebanyoni told South African media. 'And it's like those kids, they are my kids too because I raised them. They were such nice children.

'I don't know what to do about this because the only question that I've got now is, what happened? What went wrong?

'I never saw any fight in that family or anything. We treated each other as family. I was family too. There was nothing wrong.

Mrs Sebanyoni, who had tried unsuccessfully to contact Mr Dickason in New Zealand, said the three girls were all polite and well-mannered. '

'They listened when you told them not to do that, and when they wanted something they would ask,' she said.

'We used to play outside and take a walk on the streets. When I come in they used to be excited that Mendy is here. They would say goodbye to their mother and 'we are going to play with Mendy.'

Many details were suppressed under New Zealand law and no cause of death for any of the three girls has emerged. Above: Mrs Dickason's children

A photograph posted on social media on August 30 (pictured) showing the three girls happily clutching little kiwi cuddly toys with excited smiles as they arrived in the country

Mrs Dickason was described as 'very humble' and 'the nicest person', by a former neighbour in Pretoria.

'I cannot comprehend what happened - she is a medical doctor and she wasn't arrogant or anything like that.

'She was very humble,' former colleague and neighbour, Natasja le Roux, told the Sunday Times in South Africa.

'She was really just a nice person, she and her husband.'

According to information on her Facebook page, Mrs Dickason went to Pretoria High School for Girls before reading medicine at Cape Town University.

She graduated in 2004. In 2007 she became a GP at Pretoria East Hospital Orthopaedic Theatre.

A former neighbour said the couple had struggled to conceive their children and were dedicated and loving parents. Pictured: Police tape protects the scene on Queen Street in Timaru, New Zealand's South Island

The former neighbour said the couple had struggled to conceive their children and were dedicated and loving parents.

'They waited years for those children because she had troubles with fertility and stuff, so it really is a big shock,' Mrs le Roux said.

Another former neighbour, who did not want to be named, said the couple were very 'grateful' for their children.

'They absolutely adored those children. They were so grateful for having them because they struggled to get pregnant and when they finally got the children, they loved them,' the neighbour said.

There was nothing in their background to suggest a troubled family, according to their long-standing nanny in Pretoria, Mendy Sibanyoni

'Something just doesn't add up. I don't know if it's the stress from New Zealand, moving there, being quarantined for so long and everything - just not coping with that going on. So I think whatever happened is not normal, it wasn't normal circumstances,' the neighbour said.

The only sign of distress in Mrs Dickason's life came in a Facebook post in March which referred to mental illness suffered by Hollywood stars Demi Lovato, Robin Williams and Carrie Fisher.

Underlined in red was a section which read: 'Unfortunately we live in a world where if you break a bone everyone comes to sign the cast but if you tell people you're depressed they run the other way.'

Neighbours in Timaru have described distressed wailing shortly after Mr Dickason arrived home on Thursday night and watched as he was consoled by another doctor who lived next door.

His wife was taken to hospital after police arrived minutes later.

Mr Dickason was heard by neighbours screaming: 'Is this really happening?' when he arrived home.

The children's father Graham Dickason, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, had returned to their Timaru home at around 10pm on Thursday where he discovered the children's bodies. Pictured: Graham and Lauren

A photograph posted on social media on August 30 shows the three girls happily clutching little kiwi cuddly toys with beaming smiles as they arrived in the country.

'The first noise we heard was somebody sobbing, and then we heard a loud thud like someone just slammed a door,' the neighbour Jade Whaley told Stuff.

'We could see someone through our fence wandering behind the house and wailing.'

Another resident, Karen Cowper, described hearing a man crying and saying 'is this really happening?'

The young family (pictured together) had just moved to New Zealand from Pretoria, South Africa and recently finished their 14-day hotel quarantine

'We asked him if he was OK. He did not respond to us and was screaming and crying hysterically,' Ms Cowper said.

The girls' grandmother said the family was struggling to comprehend what had happened.

'It hasn't actually sunk in yet. We're in a terrible state of shock. We are devastated,' she told Stuff.

Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent John Price said the family appeared to have few contacts in New Zealand.

Earlier this month the mother took to social media asking for help as they prepared for the move.

She had asked for advice about buying furniture in Timaru and wanted to know which schools would be best for her children.

Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said NZ Police was 'speaking with people from the address and no-one else is being sought at this time'.

The deaths are the second tragedy in as many months to befall the South Island community.

Last month, five teenage boys were killed in a one-car crash in which only the 19-year-old driver survived.
A naked fight with a woman who was helping him with his divorce, a violent attack on a man who brushed into him at a gas station and frequent threats to kill people are all in the past of one of the suspects in the Wisconsin murders-in-the-cornfield case, DailyMail.com has learned.

And a no-contact order was issued against Darren McWright on the day he was arrested for the quadruple killings, according to official court papers.

McWright, 56, was nabbed shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday in St. Paul. His son Antoine Suggs, 38, turned himself in to police in Arizona  where he now lives  on Friday. Both have been charged with four counts of hiding a corpse

McWright was on bail awaiting trial for the brutal beating of Seth Whitman, who had brushed into him at a gas station in his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota, according to court papers.

A judge in St. Paul ordered on Thursday that he must stay away from Whitman and must have no contact, whether direct or indirectly through others, by telephone, or in writing with him.

It was not clear from court papers whether the judge knew at the time that McWright was a quadruple murder suspect. He has so far been charged in Wisconsin with four counts of hiding a corpse.

Court files show both McWright, who is now being held for the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in an SUV in a cornfield across the state border in Wisconsin, and Suggs, 38, have extensive criminal records.

McWright  who also uses the last name Osborne  is still awaiting trial for the alleged May attack on 48-year-old Seth Whitman at a Speedway gas station in St. Paul, the court papers show.

Seth Whitman, pictured, was stomped in the head at a gas station by a man now arrested over the brutal killings of four people found dead in a Wisconsin field

The vicious attack is said to have happened at this Speedway in St Paul on May 18 this year

DailyMail.com has obtained a probable cause statement detailing the horrific attack

McWright was also arrested in 2015 for trying to strangle a naked ex, with further details shared in this probable cause statement

Darren Lee McWright, left, was arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of four friends in Wisconsin. His son Antoine Darnique Suggs, right, was also being sought by cops, and handed himself into police on Friday

The two men entered the store at the same time and appeared to have an exchange, the report said.

When they walked out Whitman  who is identified in the papers by his initials SJW  took out his phone and took a picture of McWright.

The suspect (McWright) then approached SJW aggressively, tackled him to the ground and stomped on SJWs head four times, before getting into the passenger side of a gold Ford Explorer which drove off.

The owner of the Speedway store told officers  SJW was unconscious for five minutes following the assault and prior to police arrival.

SJW vomited several times upon regaining consciousness, the report states.

He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for a fractured cheekbone, loss of consciousness and bruising.

When contacted by DailyMail.com Whitman expressed surprise that the man that had beaten him so badly is now a suspect in a mass killing.

Suggs also has a lengthy criminal record, obtained by DailyMail.com He and his father have so-far been charged with concealing a corpse

No-one has told me that, he said. He declined further comment.

Minnesota court records show McWright has a history going back to 1996 when a charge of disorderly conduct against him was dismissed. Charges against him include three DUIs and several domestic assaults.

In March 2015 he was arrested for trying to strangle a woman in a third-floor apartment in Minneapolis.

When officers arrived at the scene, they could hear a woman crying hysterically; they also heard her say I dont want to die, or words to that effect, the police report states.

This is the home in St Paul where McWright lived prior to his arrest over the killings

Both McWright and the woman  a former lover who was helping him with his divorce paperwork  were naked, cops say.

Victim explained that she and Defendant (McWright) began to argue and that Defendant slapped her in the face, which split Victims lip.

Defendant then strangled Victim  once with his arm and a second time with his hand. Victim said that the pressure Defendant put on her neck led her to believe she was going to die because she was unable to breathe.

After his arrest McWright said he was intoxicated and he didnt remember trying to strangle the woman. He was sentenced to 90 days in the Hennepin County Workhouse but it was stayed for two years.

In a case from December 2013, a woman identified as EMW, who said she was McWrights live-in girlfriend, said he had been drinking heavily and started arguing with her at 5 a.m. before he went out to work as a snowplow operator.

McWright became enraged after asking EMW for gas money. McWright threw a ceramic bowl at her face, then hit her with a storage bin cover on her head, arms and hand.

McWright then bloodied EMWs nose by striking her face with his hands. The woman told police he had threatened to kill both her and her daughter.

In another case he allegedly sent threatening text messages to his wife, son and daughter.

McWrights son, Suggs, had stayed out of trouble in Minnesota since 2014 when a case of aggravated first-degree robbery against him was dismissed because the victim had left the country and could not give evidence in court.

The police report says Suggs was staying with the victim at a Hilton Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota. He brought a second woman up to their room and the two women started fighting.

Victims Jasmine Sturm (left) and Matthew Pettus (right) were half-siblings, and worked together at Shamrocks Irish bar and grill in St. Paul

Victim Loyace Foreman III (left) was Sturm's boyfriend, while Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley (right) was a friend of Sturm

The four friends whose deaths McWright and his son were last seen alive at this bar in St Paul, Minnesota, last weekend

As they clawed at each other, Suggs allegedly took at least $1,200 from the first womans purse and ran out of the room.

He was also sentenced to a year in jail in 2002 for illegal weapons possession and 36 months in 2008 for the same offense.

Recently Suggs has been living in Scottsdale, Arizona. A search of court records there show he accepted a plea deal on an assault charge in 2019. No details of the case were immediately available

McWright and Suggs are suspected in the deaths of Jasmine Sturm, 30, her brother Matthew Pettus, 26, boyfriend Loyace Foreman III, 35, and close friend Nitosha Flug-Presley, 30.

The four bodies were found in an abandoned 2008 Mercedes Benz GL in a cornfield in Sheridan, Wisconsin, 70 miles east of the Twin Cities.

Police have not revealed any possible motive for the killings.

Flug-Presley and Suggs were earlier seen together at the White Squirrel bar in St. Paul, where she bought him a tequila shot.

According to a police complaint in Wisconsin, Flug-Presleys aunt said her niece had a thing for the man who is now suspected of being involved in her murder.

He frequently flew back to Minnesota from Arizona, she allegedly said.

On Thursday, Flug-Presleys father, Danone Presley, explicitly denied to DailyMail.com that she was romantically involved with Suggs, although he said she knew him and he had been at her sons birthday party earlier this year.

Presley, 30, Matthew Pettus, 26, Loyace Foreman III, 35, and Jasmine Christine Sturm, 30, were found murdered inside the car in a field in Sheridan, rural Wisconsin, Sunday afternoon. Pictured the scene taped off

Street camera footage outside the White Squirrel showed a dark SUV at 2:08 a.m. Sunday. The footage showed Sturm run into the passenger side of the vehicle. A witness said she saw Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus get into a black SUV in the early morning hours.

All four victims were shot once in the head, according to the complaint. Flug-Presley was found in the front passenger seat of the Mercedes and the other three victims were in the backseat.

Surveillance video at the Bridgestop convenience store near Sheridan Town Hall in Wheeler, Wisconsin, showed the Mercedes pulling up to a gas pump just after noon on Sunday. A minute later, a black Nissan Rogue is seen pulling up to another pump. Police traced the Rogue to the mother of Darren Suggs, who told authorities that his brother, Antoine Suggs, uses the vehicle when hes in town.

The two male victims also had criminal records. Minnesota court records show Foreman had served at least three jail terms for crimes including burglary and possession of burglary tools.

In 2018 he was involved in a high-speed car chase through the streets of St. Paul which ended when he ran off and police dogs found him hiding in a tree.

Pettus had a record including domestic assault and drug offences. In 2017 he was convicted of domestic assault by strangulation. A charge of cocaine trafficking against him was dismissed.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged following a double stabbing that killed one teenage boy and left another in a serious condition with gashes to his chest and hip.

Emergency services were called to a home on Parbury Road in the NSW seaside town of Swansea on Friday at 8.20pm where they found two 16-year-old boys with several stab wounds.

Paramedics treated one 16-year-old after nearby witnesses provided assistance but he died at the scene.

Emergency services were called to a home on Parbury Road, Swansea at 8.20pm and found two 16-year-old boys with several stab wounds to the chest

The second boy was suffering significant blood loss and was rushed to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition where he underwent surgery.

He remains in a serious but stable condition.

Police established a crime scene and began an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged double stabbing.

Following a search of the area, police located a 16-year-old boy an hour later in the backyard of a home on Parbury Road.

The boy was arrested and taken to Belmont Police Station where he has since been charged with murder and attempted murder.

He is due to appear in children's court on Saturday where police will allege the boy stabbed the other teenage boys after a verbal argument outside the Parbury Road property.

Inquiries into the alleged incident are continuing.
Pfizer has recalled its popular anti-smoking drug Chantix after it was found to contain high levels of cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines.

According to a notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) website Thursday, the drug maker is 'voluntarily recalling all lots of Chantix 0.5mg and 1mg tablets to the patient level due to the presence of a nitrosamine, N-nitroso-varenicline (NDMA), at or above the FDA interim acceptable intake limit'.

Then, in an update posted on Friday, the FDA advised 'patients taking recalled varenicline to continue taking their current medicine until their pharmacist provides a replacement or their doctor prescribes a different treatment'.

'The health benefits of stopping smoking outweigh the cancer risk from the nitrosamine impurity in varenicline,' it added.

Pfizer has recalled its popular anti-smoking drug Chantix for containing high levels of cancer-causing agents called nitrosamines

in an update posted by he Food and Drug Administtration (FDA) on Friday, it advised 'patients taking recalled varenicline to continue taking their current medicine until their pharmacist provides a replacement or their doctor prescribes a different treatment'

Pfizer paused distribution of Chantix back in July after finding elevated levels of nitrosamines in the pills and announced it was recalling 12 lots of the anti-smoking drug.

The drug giant - currently best known for its COVID vaccine - insisted there was no immediate risk to patients taking this medication' and said the recall is out of an abundance of caution.

In the past the US drug regulator has reached out to companies whose drugs had NDMA over accepted levels.

Chantix was approved by the FDA in May 2006 as a prescription medication which helps adults aged 18 and over quit smoking and is used for 12 to 24 weeks.

Pfizer said in its July 2021 release that people who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer than people who do not smoke.

Nitrosamines are naturally-occurring organic compounds found in a variety of foods, including meat, dairy and vegetables, according to the FDA. Everyone is exposed to the chemicals at some level.

However, if ingested in high amounts over long periods of time, nitrosamines could increase someone's risk of developing cancer.

The FDA began asking pharmaceutical companies to test their drugs for nitrosamines after high amounts were found in several different kinds of blood pressure medications three years ago.

Pfizer paused distribution Chantix back in July after finding elevated levels of nitrosamines in the pills and announced it was recalling 12 lots of the anti-smoking drug

Last year, the FDA found high levels of nitrosamines in the popular diabetes drug, metformin, Bloomberg reported. In 2019, Sanofi SA recalled its heartburn drug Zantac for having high amounts of the carcinogenic ingredient.

Pfizer didn't indicate how the nitrosamines got in Chantix. The source of the chemicals in medication could come from its manufacturing process, its chemical structure or even the conditions under which they are stored and packaged.

Pfizer first announced that it was planning a recall of the drug on June 24 after discovering the likely carcinogen. Then, on July 2, it listed a recall on nine lots of the drug that were impacted and sitting in warehouses.

The July 16 recall, however, included 12 more lots of the drug, which were already distributed to wholesalers in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between June 2019 and June 2021.

The company released a list of the lot numbers and urged consumers to check if their prescription is affected. They include 00019213, EC6994, EA6080, EC9843, 00020231, 00020232, 00020357, 00020358, 00020716, ET1600, ET1607 and ET1609.

The FDA approved Chantix in 2006 as a prescription medication for adults, 18 and older, to use for 12 to 24 weeks to help quit smoking

'Patients currently taking Chantix should consult with their doctor to confirm if they received an affected lot, and if appropriate, about alternative treatment options,' the company said, adding, 'To date, Pfizer has not received any reports of adverse events that have been related to this recall'.'

Chantix sales dropped 17 per cent in 2020, from $1.1billion to $919 million, after the company lost protection on one of its main patents in the United States in November, according to Bloomberg.

While 'generic competition for Chantix has not yet begun, it could commence at any time,' Pfizer said in its quarterly report in May.
Hundreds of police spread across Sydney to shut down planned anti-lockdown demonstrations on Saturday, as protesters tried to outsmart officers by finding alternative routes and protest locations.

NSW Police arrived at Sydney Park, St Peters, in at least five busloads on Saturday morning and were ready on cycles, on horseback and on foot to prevent demonstrators massing there, as a police operation blocked roads leading to the park.

Several arrests were made at Sydney Park, with protesters placed in police paddy wagons.

The city-wide operation recreated a 'ring of steel' surrounding the CBD which worked for them last month, consisting of checkpoints on major roads leading to the centre of Sydney.

But protesters are attempting to use the real-time traffic alert app Waze to select alternative routes without heavy police presence.

They have also planned protests at suburban locations, including Bass Hill, near Bankstown.

One post from 'Worldwide Rally for Freedom' organisers planning to converge on Bass Hill read, 'Bring your friends and arrive early. Blend in. Be ready to join the crowd at 12.00pm'.

NSW Police arrived at Sydney Park, St Peters, in busloads on Saturday morning and were ready on cycles and on foot to prevent demonstrators massing, as a police operation blocked several roads in the area

NSW Police engaged their 'ring of steel' around the city again on Saturday, which succeeded in minimising the number of protesters entering the city by car last month. But it is understood protesters were using the Waze app to find alternative routes

NSW Police hit the streets on Saturday morning, gathering at Sydney Park, but also attending Victoria Park and Hyde Park as they tried to stop anti-lockdown protests getting underway

There were reports of NSW police swarming on Bass Hill Plaza just before midday Saturday.

The city-wide police operation also prevented trains from stopping at St Peters or Redfern, at any City Circle stops or at Martin Place for five hours.

Ride-sharing services were also banned from dropping passengers off too.

Neighbours and users of popular Sydney Park, which is adjacent Newtown and Alexandria, said the heavy policy presence was keeping them home.

Around 10am Saturday one local man tweeted 'Came to Sydney Park for some recreation with my daughter. There is an insane police presence here! Apparently about a protest happening here later.'

Another local reported police helicopters had been deployed, possibly to identify groups of protesters gathering.

NSW Police were determined to prevent an anti-lockdown protest forming in Sydney on Saturday and focused on Sydney Park, St Peters

Police arrive at Sydney Park, St Peters on Saturday morning to try and prevent an anti-lockdown protest forming

NSW Police used drones to try and track the movements of suspected anti-lockdown protesters on Saturday

'I got 20 cops standing directly across the road from my house having a meeting and can hear the chopper flying overhead,' he tweeted.

Police were also using drones to spot protesters' movements.

NSW Transport warned the public to follow police instructions when using roads in the area, to be patient as traffic would be slow southbound on Euston Road near the park.

The police Minister David Elliott warned protesters to stay home or face the consequences - and to 'take a good look at themselves'.

'Weve seen past protesters end up contracting COVID-19, so anyone who is still considering protesting needs to take a good hard look at themselves.'

Police also focused on another possible protest site nearby, at Victoria Park, where they managed to break up an anti-lockdown protest before it gained any momentum last month

NSW Police action at Victoria Park at the edge of the Sydney CBD, prevented an anti-lockdown protest from achieving a critical mass in late August

NSW Police also focused on another possible protest site nearby, at Victoria Park, where they managed to break up an anti-lockdown protest before it gained any momentum last month.

On that occasion police succeeding in preventing groups of protesters gathering to form a critical mass, partly through their 'ring of steel' tactic.

On Saturday the ring of steel was again set up, with officers checking motorists' reasons for driving towards the city.

Trains were also prevented from stopping at any stations in or around the city between 9am and 2pm, including all CBD stations, St Peters and Redfern.

NSW police promised an equally 'highly visible' operation to prevent protesters from gathering in large numbers for another march.

NSW Police gathered early around Sydney Park and made arrests, before protest organisers moved their attention to Bass Hill around midday

NSW Police suceeded to breaking up planned protests at Victoria Park in late August

Officers head to Sydney Park on Saturday with an anti-lockdown protest planned

Metropolitan Field Operations deputy commissioner Mal Lanyon also said police would be ready to respond to any last-minute location changes.

'We are continuing to monitor online commentary and have put in place an extremely mobile police operation with significant resources, to respond to whatever situation we are faced with,' he said.

Meanwhile the leaderless anti-lockdown protests in NSW are diverting an enormous amount of police resources that could otherwise be used to help with the COVID-19 crisis.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says anti-lockdown protests are wasting valuable resources that could otherwise be diverted to help with the state's escalating COVID crisis.

On Tuesday police broke up almost 100 small anti-lockdown protests across NSW, arresting more than 150 people and issuing 570 fines.

Last month 1500 police turned out in force in Sydney to quell protests which followed a larger violent protest in the CBD in July.

Mr Fuller told a NSW budget estimates hearing on Wednesday that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there had been around 1000 protests a year, which were generally peaceful, well organised and with very few arrests.

'But obviously the COVID protests are very different,' he said.

Because the anti-lockdown protests were illegal 'you don't tend to have protest organisers, you just have a group of people ... a rabble if you like turning up'.

'It's using up an enormous amount of police resources that could well be used assisting health at the moment,' Mr Fuller said.

'I just think people underestimate the risks they take coming together in such big numbers.

'It just makes no sense - there are so many other ways people can protest at the moment without actually having to turn up.'
Australia says it 'understands France's deep disappointment' after it recalled its ambassador from Down Under and the United States over a new military pact between the two nations and Great Britain.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian announced the move to recall its ambassadors to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, and the US, Philippe Etienne, on Friday night saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron.

He cited the 'exceptional seriousness of the announcements'  which caught France off guard and resulted in the cancelation of multi-billion dollar contracts for Australia to build and purchase French diesel submarines for its defense.

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the decision to scrap the $90 billion submarine project with France in favour of a new alliance with the US and UK to build nuclear powered subs at home was due to national security.

'Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests,' she said.

'Australia values its relationship with France, which is an important partner and a vital contributor to stability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. This will not change.'

Australia says it 'understands France's deep disappointment' after it recalled its ambassador from Down Under and the United States over a new military pact between the two nations and Great Britain

Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the decision to scrap the $90 billion submarine project with France in favour of a new alliance with the US and UK to build nuclear powered subs at home was due to national security

Mr LeDrian called the nixing of the $90 billion sub contract 'unacceptable behavior.'

He said in a statement: 'At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately recall our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations.'

'This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.'

He called the nixing of the $90 billion sub contract 'unacceptable behavior.'

The move, reported by the Associated Press, comes amid a huge backlash in France over the move.

A French diplomatic source also lashed out at Britain, telling Reuters: 'The UK accompanied this operation opportunistically. We do not need to consult in Paris with our ambassador to know what to think and what conclusions to draw from it.'

A top French diplomat told the AP Macron got a letter from Australian PM Scott Morrison announcing the sub deal's cancellation on Wednesday morning. The French reached out to Washington 'to ask what was going on,' but the resulting discussions occurred just hours before Biden announced the deal in a video conference with the two key allies.

French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne has been recalled amid a diplomatic row over a new US-UK-Australia alliance

Le Drain on Thursday called the move a 'stab in the back.'

'We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed. This is not done between allies.'

The U.S. during regular diplomatic events with French diplomats points to France's essential support for the U.S. during the American Revolution, and numerous US presidents have taken part in annual commemorations of the Normandy invasion that attest to the close historical bonds between the two nations.

The stunning diplomatic slap comes a day after France made a lesser statement by nixing a planned gala at its luxurious embassy in Washington that was meant to celebrate the U.S.-French relationship, while also ditching another event in Baltimore.

The embassy gala was to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, when the French Navy fought the Royal Navy of Britain during the Revolutionary War.

It all came at the end of a week where President Joe Biden announced a new agreement between the US, the UK, and Australia, in a move meant to counter China and bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (l) described President Biden's deal as a 'unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision' amid French fury that it triggered cancelation of an Australian agreement to buy French diesel powered submarines

America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China's naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)

The French embassy event was supposed to commemorate the 1781 'Battle of the Capes when the French Navy delivered a decisive blow to Britain's Royal Navy in the Revolutionary War. The Battle of Virgina Capes shows British forces on the right and French on the left

Under the terms, Australia for the first time would purchase US-made nuclear submarines, which are quieter, faster, and must come to port less frequently than diesel or electric boats.

The move infuriated France, which said it had not been informed long in advance.

Biden, who ran in part trumpeting his deft touch in diplomacy after helming the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now finds himself at the center a diplomatic row with a key ally.

It comes at a time when his handling of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is also under scrutiny.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said France had been informed in advance of the move, and tried to put the best light on the state of relations.

'France in particular is a vital partner on this, and so many other issues,' he said.

The diplomatic slap came just minutes after the US military had to admit that a US drone strike in the final days before the US pullout in Afghanistan had mistakenly hit an aid worker, killing nine family members, including seven children.

Australia had been relying on French shipbuilder Naval Group to construct its disel submarine fleet, set to be delivered in the mid 2030s.

The move also piqued the government New Zealand, which has a longstanding opposition to nuclear energy, and which was not included in the agreement.

The pact does not make the design of Australia's new submarines clear, but they will be based on previous US and UK designs. Pictured above is a cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

Australia's defence minister has today admitted that war with China is possible in the South China Sea (pictured) with Taiwan (top) as the likely flashpoint. China claims control over the whole of the sea, which other nations dispute

Australia will acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines and a host of other advanced military technology from the UK and US after singing an historic deal aimed at countering China's growing power

Why is Australia building nuclear-powered submarines? Why nuclear submarines? Nuclear submarines are powered by nuclear reactors which produce heat that creates high-pressured steam to spin turbines and power the boat's propeller. They can run for about 20 years before needing to refuel, meaning food supplies are the only limit on time at sea. The boats are also very quiet, making it harder for enemies to detect them and can travel at top speed - about 25mph - for longer than diesel-powered subs. The first nuclear submarines were put to sea by the United States in the 1950s. They are now also in use by Russia, France, the United Kingdom, China, and India. A senior US defense official told reporters in Washington DC: 'This will give Australia the capability for their submarines to basically deploy for a longer period, they're quieter, they're much more capable.' Will Australia have nuclear weapons? Scott Morrison made it clear that the nuclear-power submarines will not have nuclear missiles on board. Australia has never produced nuclear weapons and signed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1973 which prevents non-nuclear states which don't already have them from developing nuclear weapons. Mr Morrison also said the Australia has no plans to build nuclear power stations which are widely used around the world. 'But let me be clear, Australia is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons or establish a civil nuclear capability,' he said. Are they safe? The nuclear reactors are shielded from the rest of the submarine in a separate section to protect the crew from dangerous radiation. The US has an excellent safety record with its nuclear-powered fleet although early Russian subs suffered a few accidents which caused 20 servicemen to die from radiation exposure between 1960 and 1985. At the end of their 20-year lifetimes, the contaminated parts of nuclear reactors need to be disposed deep underground in special waste storage cells. Anti-nuclear campaigners say any leaks of radioactive waste could lead to an environmental disaster. Why now? Australia needs to replace its six ageing Collins-class submarines. In 2016 it signed a deal with French Company Naval Group to build 12 diesel-electric attack subs - but the parties were in dispute over the amount of building that would be done in Australia. That deal has now been torn up in favour of nuclear powered subs aided by the US and UK who will provide the technology to Australia. The West is becoming increasingly concerned about the growing assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific region where it has made huge territorial claims in the South and East China seas, clashed with Indian troops and repeatedly flown planes over Taiwan. Advertisement
Former education secretary Gavin Williamson is being tipped for a knighthood after he was axed from the Cabinet in a dramatic reshuffle.

The MP for South Staffordshire, who has also served as defence secretary, is set to appear on the Prime Minister's honours list, Whitehall sources told the Daily Telegraph.

It comes after Boris Johnson hailed his new Cabinet and replaced Mr Williamson with the former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi in a Cabinet reshuffle this week.

Mr Williamson's sacking came after he faced mounting calls to resign over the fiasco around grading of GCSE and A-level students amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Following his departure Mr Williamson tweeted: 'It has been a privilege to serve as Education Secretary since 2019.

Gavin Williamson is being tipped for a knighthood after he was axed from the Cabinet this week

'Despite the challenges of the global pandemic, I'm particularly proud of the transformational reforms I've led in Post 16 education: in further education colleges, our Skills agenda, apprenticeships and more.

'This programme will create better life opportunities for pupils and students for many years to come. I look forward to continuing to support the Prime Minister and the Government.'

Before his tenure at the Department for Education, Mr Williamson, worked as a managing director for the fireplace manufacturer Elgin & Hall in North Yorkshire.

He was elected Conservative MP for South Staffordshire in May 2010 before going on to become chief whip from 2016 to 2017.

He later served as defence secretary from November 2017 to May 2019.

In 2019, he was sacked from this position following an inquiry into the leak of information from a National Security Council meeting about Chinese telecoms firm Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G mobile network.

Mr Williamson denied being the source of the leak.

In 2017, Mr Williamson's pet tarantula was given its marching orders - after apparently terrifying a senior official.

Mr Williamson famously kept the spider - named Cronus - on his desk in the Commons when he was chief whip, and it accompanied him when he was promoted.

But he was forced to move it out of the department after it emerged an official suffered from arachnophobia.

Mr Williamson, who was elected Conservative MP for South Staffordshire in May 2010, was chief whip from 2016 to 2017

Boris Johnson replaced Mr Williamson with the former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi in a Cabinet reshuffle

This week Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, the largest teaching union in the UK, said: 'We can't pretend we are sorry that Gavin Williamson has gone.

'He failed to engage with our suggestions on how to make schools safer during Covid  leading to unnecessary disruption to children and young people's education.

'His CO2 monitors won't arrive until very late this term, his laptops took months to reach the children who needed them and he had to be dragged kicking and screaming into providing for children going hungry during school holidays.

'The exam debacle in 2020 and 2021 caused huge stress to parents, students and teachers. Many parents and students will never forgive Williamson for this.'

During his reshuffle the PM also replaced Dominic Raab as Foreign Secretary with Liz Truss and axed Robert Buckland and Robert Jenrick.

Amanda Milling was also ousted from co-chair of the Conservative Party.

Oliver Dowden took over that post, with health minister Nadine Dorries elevated to his former job as Culture Secretary.

Michael Gove was shifted sideways to the housing department, and also given responsibility for 'levelling up' and defending the Union in a nod to the separatist threat posed by Nicola Sturgeon.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel remain in post.

Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace were also safe along with Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey, Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg and Suella Braverman as Attorney General.
NSW residents have poked fun at the new and shorter Covid-19 daily updates delivered by video link after they replaced the hour-long press conferences.

NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty announced there had been 1,331 new cases and six deaths during the brief update live streamed on social media on Saturday.

The video lasted no longer than five minutes. The runtime was noticeably shorter than the hour-long - sometimes 90 minute - press conferences previously helmed by premier Gladys Berejiklian.

Social media users, expecting an in-depth announcement about the new case numbers, panned the shorter video update. Many took issue with Dr McAnulty's delivery, saying he appeared rushed.

'Wow, could he talk any faster? Must be off for a picnic,' one person commented.

Another added: 'Could he have mumbled the new cases any quieter or faster'.

NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty announced there had been 1,331 new cases and six deaths during the brief update live streamed on social media on Saturday

Social media users, expecting an in-depth announcement about the new case numbers, panned the shorter video updates

Other social media users said they were disappointed by the new video link updates.

'Is that it?' one person wrote.

'Pre recorded... it's just not the same,' another social media user added.

Other social media users said they preferred the shorter video and praised Dr McAnulty for sticking to the facts.

'Love him speaking without the media interruptions,' one person wrote. 'Just the facts.'

Another added: 'Such a calming voice and straight to the point. Doing a great job.'

'NSW Health are doing a great job helping all of us thank you,' another person said.

The update was delivered as Sydneysiders made the most of relaxed outdoor gathering rules and police increased their presence ahead of planned anti-lockdown rallies.

Residents stepped out to exercise with friends and family in the first weekend of eased restrictions on Saturday.

On Monday, outdoor gatherings were relaxed allowing up to five vaccinated people to gather if they were living outside the 12 local government areas of concern.

Residents living in the LGAs are only allowed to leave with members of their household - and for only two hours at a time.

Of the new deaths, one was a person in their 40s, another in their 60s, two in their 70s and two in their 80s. Three were unvaccinated, while the remainder had received only one dose.

There have now been 228 deaths since the latest outbreak began on June 16, and 284 since the pandemic started.

NSW Health administered 32,994 vaccines and conducted 120,954 tests in the last 24 hours.

The majority of cases continue to be recorded in western and south-western Sydney suburbs.

There were 400 linked to the south sestern Sydney Local Health District, 326 to the Western Sydney LHD, 164 to the South Eastern Sydney LHD and 160 to the Sydney LHD.

Police have also increased their presence across Sydney ahead of planned anti-lockdown rallies.

NSW is also gearing up to test a pilot home-quarantine program that, if successful, could expedite the return of international arrivals

The new cases come as police prepared arrived at Sydney Park, in the inner west, ahead of planned anti-lockdown rallies

Officers arrived at Sydney Park, in St Peters, in busloads and were ready on cycles and on foot to prevent demonstrators massing, as a police operation blocked several roads in the area.

Bystanders say they saw several buses, reserved for police, parked around the area. Officers were also seen riding bicycles and monitoring on foot.

The police presence was described as a 'ring of steel', the phrase used throughout the pandemic to describe operations preventing unwanted movement of the public along major roads.

Police also focused on another possible protest site nearby, at Victoria Park, where they managed to break up an anti-lockdown protest before it gained any momentum last month.

NSW police promised an equally 'highly visible' operation to prevent protesters from gathering in large numbers for another march.

Residents stepped out to exercise with friends and family in the first weekend of eased restrictions on Saturday

NSW police promised an equally 'highly visible' operation to prevent protesters from gathering in large numbers for another march

Metropolitan Field Operations deputy commissioner Mal Lanyon also said police would be ready to respond to any last-minute location changes.

'We are continuing to monitor online commentary and have put in place an extremely mobile police operation with significant resources, to respond to whatever situation we are faced with,' he said.

Meanwhile the leaderless anti-lockdown protests in NSW are diverting an enormous amount of police resources that could otherwise be used to help with the COVID-19 crisis.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says anti-lockdown protests are wasting valuable resources that could otherwise be diverted to help with the state's escalating COVID crisis.

On Tuesday police broke up almost 100 small anti-lockdown protests across NSW, arresting more than 150 people and issuing 570 fines.

Last month 1500 police turned out in force in Sydney to quell protests which followed a larger violent protest in the CBD in July.

NSW is also gearing up to test a pilot home-quarantine program that, if successful, could expedite the return of international arrivals.

The test run, announced by the state government on Friday, involves 175 vaccinated people quarantining at home for seven days, monitored by geolocation and facial-recognition technology.

The police presence was described as a 'ring of steel', the phrase used throughout the pandemic to describe operations preventing unwanted movement of the public along major roads

NSW police promised an equally 'highly visible' operation to prevent protesters from gathering in large numbers for another march

If successful, it is expected the NSW government would move to rapidly scale-up the program to allow many more international arrivals.

Hotel quarantine arrangements would remain for unvaccinated people under the plan.

There are more than 40,000 Australians stranded overseas due to border closures, and Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters on Friday she hoped many of them could be home for Christmas.

The Business Council of Australia has welcomed the plan, saying the nation needs to get rid of bottlenecks, such as hotel quarantine, that stop Australians returning home and prevent skilled workers entering the country.

'We urge all state and territory leaders to follow the NSW example, put the nation first and start planning to re-join the rest of the world,' BCA Chief Executive Jennifer Westacott said in a statement.

NSW passed another milestone on Friday, with half of the state's population now fully vaccinated.

But several regional areas will spend this weekend back in lockdown.

The Glen Innes Severn council area, inland from Coffs Harbour, will be under a week-long lockdown from Saturday after a COVID-19 case was detected there.

Syndeysiders exercising at Centennial Park as the city continues to push through a hard lockdown

As a result, Queensland has reinstated border restrictions with the region.

The Hilltops local government area in the state's south, which encompasses the town of Young, is also under seven-day restrictions.

Albury and Lismore had been sent back into a week-long lockdown on Thursday.

There are 1245 COVID-19 patients in hospital in NSW, with 228 patients in intensive care and 112 on ventilators.
Theranos scientists were forced to sleep in their cars overnight following a backlog with delays blood testing machines which the company's founder, Elizabeth Holmes, was rushing to get them into Walgreens pharmacies.

Erika Cheung, a lab associate, detailed how quality control failures in the lab were so frequent that substantial delays built up in test results for patients.

'We had people sleeping in their cars because it was just taking too long,' Cheung testified. 'Every few days we were having to run samples over and over again.'

Former Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes (L) walks with her mother Noel Holmes (R) as they arrive for court in San Jose, California on Friday morning

Holmes goes through security after arriving for court at the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building in San Jose, California

Holmes is facing charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud investors with the Theranos blood testing lab services

Former lab associate Erika Cheung detailed how quality control failures in the lab were so frequent that substantial delays built up in test results for patients.

Cheung told the court how she told Theranos bosses that the company's technology should not be used on patients, and the results it produced were about as reliable as 'flipping a coin.'

'Youd have about the same luck flipping a coin as to whether your results were right or wrong,'

Later on Friday, a former Theranos scientist took to the stand in the San Jose federal court, testifying how Holmes pressured her to validate blood test results from the company's specialized equipment, known as Edison machines, in order to speed up a rollout in Walgreens, despite there being known problems with the device's accuracy.

Surekha Gangakhedkar worked as a senior scientist at Theranos for eight years and reported directly to Holmes.

She told the court on Friday how after returning from a vacation in August 2013 she was learned how Theranos was about to launch its Edison blood-testing devices in Walgreens stores despite there being basic errors in the machine's operation.

'I was very stressed and unhappy and concerned with the way the launch was going. I was not comfortable with the plans that they had in place so I made a decision to resign and not continue working there,' Gangakhedkar said.

Gangakhedkar told of details of a meeting with Holmes in September 2013 about the issues before her resignation.

Holmes was charged with ten counts of wire fraud, two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces up to 20 years in jail if convinced

Surekha Gangakhedkar, a former senior scientist at Theranos quit following concerns over blood-testing technology. She described how Holmes would pressure employees to validate lab tests before they were ready to be used on patients

Gangakhedkar said that she didn't believe the Edison 3.0 and 3.5 machines were ready to be used for patient testing, adding 'there were problems with getting consistent results', but she noted Holmes was pressuring the team to validate the tests despite 'in my opinion she was aware,' of accuracy issues.

'At that time she mentioned that she has promised to deliver to the customers and didn't have much of a choice then to go ahead with the launch,' Gangakhedkar said.

'Ms. Holmes said she didn't have much of a choice?' asked Robert Leach, an assistant U.S. attorney.

'Yes,' she replied.

Gangakhedkar had signed a non-disclosure agreement but decided to print out some documents to take home because she was 'worried about the launch, I was actually scared that if things do not go well I would be blamed.'

She was was granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for her testimony.

Gangakhedkar is the third witness in what will likely be a more-than-three-month-long trial.

Holmes grabbed headlines with her vision of a small machine that could draw a drop of blood from a finger prick could run a range of tests more quickly and accurately than those in conventional laboratories. She is pictured here in 2014

Holmes, who is charged with ten counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud faces up to 20 years in jail if convinced of the felony charges in a case that has captivated Silicon Valley and the biotech world.

The firm is accused of lying that it was able to diagnose a multitude of health conditions with a simple blood test, and further lying to Walgreens in order to set up a partnership which saw testing deployed at the retail giant's drugstores.

Holmes was a Stanford University dropout who started Theranos in 2003 when she was just 19.

She grabbed headlines with her vision of a small machine that could draw a drop of blood from a finger prick could run a range of tests more quickly and accurately than those in conventional laboratories.

Her defense attorney said Holmes was an ambitious young woman who had made mistakes but did not commit a crime.
The hitman that disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh paid to kill him in a failed suicide-for-hire plot was his primary oxycodone supplier.

His alleged co-conspirator Curtis Eddie Smith, who is facing more serious firearm and assault charges, supplied Murdaugh, 53, with oxycodone throughout his addiction, the disgraced lawyer told police.

At his bond hearing on Thursday Murdaugh's lawyer described his client's 20-year opioid addiction while he fell from grace and current ruinous financial state following the murder of his wife and son.

In a moment of drama Dick Harpootlian appeared to play to the press, who crowded the courtroom, as he gestured to his gaunt client and said: 'If anyone wants to see the fact of what opioid addiction does, youre looking at it.

Hitman Cirtus Eddie Smith (left), who disgraced South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh (right) paid to kill him in a failed suicide-for-hire plot was his primary oxycodone supplier

Alex Murdaugh was granted $20,000 bail to return to rehab immediately after his attorney revealed he is broke and has been addicted to opioids for 20 years

Murdaugh shooting suspect Curtis Edward Smith, 61, is seen at his bond hearing Thursday morning at Hampton County Detention Center where his bail was set at $55,000

In a moment of drama his attorney Dick Harpootlian appeared to play to the press who crowded the courtroom as he gestured to his gaunt client and 'if anyone wants to see the fact of what opioid addiction does, youre looking at it

Harpootlian went onto claim that the June 7 murder of Murdaughs wife, Maggie, 52, and younger son, Paul, 22, at the family's hunting lodge put him over the edge'.

The attorney also pointed to his clients previous blemishless character and appealed to the judges sympathies saying: He has fallen from grace. But before any of this falling happened his wife and son were brutally murdered and that has had an extraordinary effect on him.

'We ask you to allow him to go and heal himself. His financial situation is ruinous.

Harpootlian continued: This is a 20-year-addition. Something hes struggled with for years.

On September 4 Murdaugh was allegedly shot by his 61-year-old drug supplier while changing a tire. Smith told authorities he was hired by the prominent lawyer to kill him so that his son Buster would received a $10million insurance police.

Murdaugh didn't think the insurance company would pay any money if he died by suicide.

Shortly after 4pm yesterday Murdaugh shuffled into the courtroom at Hampton County Detention Center and sat beside his attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin while wearing prison scrubs and shackles on his hands and feet.

He cast his eyes down and his mouth worked constantly and nervously behind his mask as he sat before the judge for three charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false report.

Murdaugh remained masked throughout the proceedings and the gunshot wound Harpootlian earlier insisted he had sustained was conspicuously absent.

In fact, his appearance seemed to bear out South Carolina Law Enforcements categorization of his injury as superficial as the only trace of an injury was a small swirl in his hair.

Harpootlian once again claimed that there had been an entry and exist wound and maybe a fractured skull and minor brain bleed resulted from the roadside shooting that Murdaugh has now admitted to orchestrating on September 4.

Bond was set at $10,000 for the insurance fraud and $5,000 each for conspiracy and filing a false police report totally $20,000  a fraction of the $55,000 bond set for his hitman, Smith.

Craig Waters for the Attorney Generals office asked for Murdaugh to surrender his passport, which sat before him on the table. Waters also asked him to waive extradition, which he did, as he is attending an out of state rehab center.

He also requested a bond of $100,000 and for Murdaugh to wear a GPS tracker stating: Sometimes those who have everything and then suffer a potential fall from grace are actually more cause for concern than a hardened criminal.

Smith snarled at photographers as he was escorted to Hampton County jail Thursday. He is accused of shooting Murdaugh and disposing of the gun as part of the plot

But Judge Tanji Alexander was not persuaded by this, granting a much lower bond and declining to insist on Murdaugh wearing an ankle monitor.

When asked how Murdaughs surviving son Buster was doing Harpootlian said he was holding up'.

He added that the potential beneficiary of Murdaughs $10million life insurance policy was a trooper'.

Murdaugh was filmed being driven to Hampton County jail in a pewter-colored SUV accompanied by a police escort Thursday morning after he agreed to surrender to authorities.

He emerged from the vehicle sporting bright red sneakers, gray trousers and a light-colored shirt.

He was booked at the Hampton County Detention Center ahead of the bond hearing that afternoon.

The legal scion, whose family has ruled the county's justice system for almost a century, now finds himself on the other side of the criminal justice system after investigators made the shocking allegation Tuesday that he orchestrated his own shooting with alleged accomplice Smith earlier this month.

The claim that Murdaugh paid the hitman to shoot him in the head and kill him so that his surviving son could collect a life insurance payment came after a catastrophic few months where his other son and wife were murdered and he was exposed for allegedly embezzling millions from his law firm to pay for his drug addiction.

The high-powered South Carolina attorney, 53, was filmed being driven to the jail in a pewter-colored SUV accompanied by a police escort. He emerged from the vehicle sporting bright red sneakers, gray trousers and a light-colored shirt

Paul and Maggie (together left) were shot dead on June 7. Now police say that Alex Murdaugh (center) orchestrated a separate shooting to kill himself with the help of a hitman, in a scheme to deliver a $10 million life insurance payout to his other son Buster (right) as the elder Murdaugh faced investigation over misallocated funds

This marks just the latest twist in the Murdaugh family saga, which gained national attention when Murdaugh's wife Maggie and son Paul were shot dead at the family's hunting lodge on June 7.

Three months on, their deaths still remain a mystery with no arrests made and no suspects or persons of interest named.

Questions have swirled that the motive could be tied to one of three mysterious past deaths connected to the Murdaugh family - two of which police have opened investigations into. On Wednesday, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) launched a criminal investigation into the 2018 'trip-and-fall' death of the family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield and the subsequent handling of her estate.

Satterfield, 57, had been the Murdaugh housekeeper and nanny for around 25 years when she suffered a fatal brain injury following a mystery fall inside the Murdaugh family home. She died several weeks later on February 26, 2018.

SLED said that hit had opened a criminal investigation inter Satterfield's death based on a request from the Hampton County Coroner, as well as 'information gathered during the course of our other ongoing investigations involving Alex Murdaugh.'

Murdaugh settled a wrongful death claim with the housekeepers family for $500,000 in 2018.

However Satterfield's family sued Murdaugh, Wednesday claiming he had not paid out 'one single dime' of the settlement.

Meanwhile, at the time of his murder, Paul was awaiting trial for the 2019 death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed as a passenger in a boat he crashed while allegedly heavily intoxicated.

Police have also investigated the family for possible ties to the 2015 death of gay teen Stephen Smith, which was ruled a hit-and-run, though no suspects have ever been named or charged.

SLED has also reopened the investigation into Smith's death in the wake of Paul and Maggie's murders.

SLED confirmed in a press release Thursday morning Murdaugh had been arrested and charged 'in connection to the shooting incident on Sept. 4 in which he conspired with Curtis Edward Smith to assist him in committing suicide for the explicit purpose of allowing a beneficiary to collect life insurance.'

SLED Chief Mark Keel said in a statement 'that SLED agents will continue working to bring justice to anyone involved with any criminal act associated with these ongoing investigations,' calling the arrests 'only the first step in that process'.
A Los Angeles school classroom has been pictured covered in flags and posters that include the messages 'F*** the police' and 'F*** America.'

Pictures posted to social media detail anti-America propaganda on the walls of Alexander Hamilton High School located in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

They also included a pride, transgender pride, Black Lives Matter and Palestinian flag. Meanwhile, a stars and stripes flag could be seen flung over a piece of wooden furniture in the corner of the room.

Although the pictures were taken by a pupil at the school, they were seen by a parent who called them a 'disgusting brainwashing of students with taxpayer dollars.'

Los Angeles high school classroom was decorated with with anti-police posters, Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ pride flags

Meanwhile, the Stars and Stripes can be seen flung over a piece of furniture

Other decorations included a poster condemning Americans for occupying 'native land' and another that read 'F*** the police'

Alongside an anti-police poster, an anti-American poster depicts Christopher Columbus and the U.S. as being tied to the Ku Klux Klan, the New York Post reported.

One poster states 'F*** Amerikkka, This is Native Land' while the anti-police poster goes into some detail as to the stance.

'Policing is a violent, anti-black settler institution that originated as slave patrols,' the poster reads.

'Their primary mandate is to protect property and to militarily enforce white supremacist capitalism. They are doing their jobs as they are trained and paid to do. You can't fix what isn't broken. That's why we fight for police and prison abolition. F*** the Police.'

Pictures from classroom at Alexander Hamilton High School in LA were posted to Twitter

A number of reactions on Twitter revealed dismay over the classroom display

Some on social media are calling for the teacher who put up the flags and posters to be fired while some simply believed the symbols may simply have been part of a lesson.

A statement from the school took a more cautious approach over the purpose of the display while explaining that the paraphernalia has since been removed from the walls.

'Any displays that are determined to be overtly and objectively political or otherwise run afoul of our policies of inclusion and respectful treatment of others will be taken down and will be handled administratively,' read a statement from LAUSD.

'Nevertheless, not every subjective belief that any one display is 'political' can be accommodated in a district as large and diverse as L.A. Unified.

The district made no comment over who put up the posters or if any action was to be taken against that person.

Other responses on social media appeared to be more supportive of the teacher behind it

Earlier this week, in a high school in Portland, a teacher removed the American flag from her classroom, saying it represented 'violence and menace and intolerance' in protest of a new ban on Black Lives Matter and Pride symbols.

The Newberg School Board recently introduced a ban which prohibits 'political' symbols in classrooms, which was passed by the board to stop staff flying Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ symbols such as pride flags in classrooms.

In response the new resolution, Gail Grobey removed the American flag from her classroom at Newberg High School 'because that's the most political symbol there is,' according to The Newberg Graphic.

'That symbol doesn't stand for freedom or justice or equality anymore. It stands for violence and menace and intolerance, and I will not fly that in my room.'

Gail Grobey removed the flag in protest of a controversial school board policy banning 'political' symbols in the classroom claiming it 'doesn't stand for freedom or justice or equality anymore. It stands for violence and menace and intolerance'

Two other teachers in California have been put on administrative leave and are set to be fired after they displayed controversial flags in their classroom.

Kristin Pitzen, of Newport Mesa School District in Orange County caused a stir when she posted a since-deleted TikTok video claiming that the American flag made her 'uncomfortable' and had her students say the pledge of allegiance to the gay pride flag.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Gipe, of Inderkum High School in Sacramento, faced complaints from parents when a student reported that the Antifa flag and Chinese Communist Party poster that he hung in his classroom made them uncomfortable.
Queensland's 'super Pfizer weekend' has got off to a rocky start, with extensive delays and a shortage of the vaccine in some parts of the state.

Some hubs have been so overwhelmed with walk-up numbers in Brisbane's south that people were turned away.

On the Sunshine Coast, frustrated residents were warned to expect huge wait times.

'Our University Hospital clinic is (currently) at capacity with wait times of more than four hours,' the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service said in a statement.

'If you don't want to wait, head on up to our clinic at Gympie Civic Centre. It has plenty of availabilities.'

Residents seen lining up to receive a vaccination for Covid-19 at the Boondall mass vaccination hub in Brisbane on Saturday

All week the Queensland government heavily promoted the 'super Pfizer jab' weekend - when some were turned away after vaccinations ran out, they were understandably seething (pictured, people waiting at Boondall)

At nearby Capalaba, more than 500 people - some who waited for more than three hours - were told by police to move on after all supplies of the vaccine were exhausted.

Alison Kubler, who took her two teenage daughters to be vaccinated, labelled the situation 'a disgrace'.

'It was clear Queensland Health was unprepared - how can they run out of vaccines? It's preposterous,' Ms Kubler told the Courier Mail.

'Worst of all there were frail elderly people on walking frames and families with special needs kids... and at no point did anyone from Queensland Health come out and talk to us.

'It's a disgrace that not one government staffer bothered to take the most vulnerable people first. I would have happily given up my place.'

Despite Saturday's early dramas, the extensive turn out for 'Super Pfizer weekend' has been described as 'unbelievable' by chief health officer Dr Jeannette Young.

Some residents lined up from 4am at certain hubs, which didn't open their doors until 8.30am.

It comes after Queensland residents were encouraged to turn up at mass vaccination centres - without bookings - to get a first or second jab.

Dr Young has since pledged to continue the 'mass jab' option for upcoming weekends and that the government 'will use every dose of vaccine that we possibly can.'

More than 25,000 vaccines have been administered in the last 24 hours in the Sunshine State.

Queensland's lone local Covid case overnight is linked to the Sunnybank cluster. The infected individual was in home quarantine the entire time, posing no community risk.

At some vaccination hubs, people in Brisbane lined up at 4am to receive their jab ahead of the doors opening at 8.30am (pictured, people waiting at Boondall in Brisbane's north)
Cops in Hawaii have refused to confirm they have found a bag of shoes and toys on a riverbed while hunting for a missing six year-old girl.

Isabella Kalua went missing on September 12 and her adopted parents - who fostered and adopted her within the past year - told police they last saw her 9pm Sunday sleeping in her bedroom.

Her adopted parents changed her name from her birth name, Ariel Sellers. They have received anonymous death threats via phone and email, and have been banned from joining in the search for Isabella over fears they'll be attacked.

The Honolulu Police Department blocked off the road to the Bellows Air Force Base Thursday after making a discovery but officers would not confirm if Isabella's backpack or bag of toys and slippers was found, as reported by the Honolulu Star Advertiser.

They confirmed that a bag of items had been recovered, but did not say what, and added that it was too early to link them to the missing child.

Isabella Kalua (pictured) went missing on September 12 and her adopted parents - who fostered and adopted her within the past year - told police they last saw her 9pm Sunday sleeping in her bedroom

The Honolulu Police Department blocked off the road to the Air Force Base Thursday after making a discovery but officers would not confirm if Isabella's backpack or bag of toys and slippers was found

HPD Homicide L Deena Thoemmes, who oversees the Missing Persons Section, said in a written statement that 'foul play has not been ruled out' and the case is still a missing persons case

HPD Homicide L Deena Thoemmes, who oversees the Missing Persons Section, said in a written statement that 'foul play has not been ruled out' and the case is still a missing persons case.

Thoemmes added: 'There are still individuals, to include acquaintances and family members, who have yet to come forward to be interviewed.'

Isabella's biological mother Melanie Joseph told the Star Advertiser that she couldn't comment on the backpack or bag.

On Thursday hundreds of volunteers combed a region of the Hawaiian island of Oahu in search of the missing six-year-old girl as it was revealed her adoptive parents Sonny and Lehua pulled her out of school for a week.

Sonny and Lehua reportedly filed paperwork citing homeschooling as the reason for their daughter's withdrawal, a Department of Education representative told Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Further information on when Isabella was withdrawn have not been shared.

Private investigator Steve Lane said the lack of oversight over homeschooled children is problematic.

Isabella's adoptive parents reported her missing on Monday and said that they last saw her when they put her to bed on Sunday night at their Waimanalo home (pictured)

Private security camera footage showed a blurry image of a child and two adults walking down the street, as depicted by the fuzzy white space above the box

'There's not requirement to check if the parents are qualified. That's why kids die,' he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

He cited a different case of another homeschooled Hawaiian girl who was starved to death by her parents and grandmother.

Homeschooled children have lower chances of someone recognizing evidence of abuse or neglect, according to Lane, which is even more important in Isabella's case considering her adopted father has been convicted of two second-degree assaults, an attempted second-degree assault and a first-degree terroristic threatening, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Yet Sonny has been approved to foster four of Joseph's daughters after she lost her children due to drug abuse.

'How did those kids ever get that house?' Lane said to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 'You can't put kids in that kind of household.'

Video footage of a small child walking outside at 12.45pm and being followed by two adults may show Isabella's abduction.

The clip showed cars continuously going around the neighborhood where she lives in Kailua.

As of Wednesday, Honolulu Interim Police Chief Rade Vanic said that the department '[doesn't] have sufficient evidence' to show that Isabella 'Ariel' Kalua has been abducted, according to Hawaii News Now.

'We're hoping she's not in immediate danger,' he told the outlet.

Isabella stands at 3-foot-3, weighs 46 pounds and was wearing a black hoodie, leggings, colorful socks and Nike slides with pink bottoms when she was last seen
California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement confirming that two of his children have tested positive for Covid-19.

Spokesperson Erin Mellon said that the governor, his wife and their two other children tested negative. An update on their conditions has not been shared.

The couple have four kids - Montana, 12; Hunter, 10; Brooklyn, 8; and Dutch, 5. It was not confirmed which two came down with the virus or if Montana is vaccinated.

All children aged 12 and up can currently receive Pfizer's two-shot vaccine in the United States.

As per California law, no child under 12 can get vaccinated but Mellon said in the statement that 'the family is following all Covid protocols,' as reported by Fox 2.

Two of California Gov Gavin Newsom's children have tested positive for Covid It's unclear if their daughter Montana, 12, is vaccinated. Hunter, 10; Brooklyn, 8; and Dutch, 5, are not as children under 12 haven't been approved for the vaccine

Spokesperson Erin Mellon said that the governor, his wife and their two other children tested negative

'The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic,' she added.

The news comes after the governor survived Tuesday's recall election and said his success proved that Democrats need to 'lean in' to coronavirus safety restrictions.

'What I'm saying here is, be affirmative,' Newsom told CBS when asked what he would tell national Democrats.

'Don't be timid. Lean in. Because at the end of the day, it's not just about formal authority of setting the tone and tenor on masks  on vaccines and masks. But it's the moral authority that we have: that we're on the right side of history and we're doing the right thing to save people's lives.'

He added that Democratic leaders need to 'stiffen our spines and lean in to keeping people safe and healthy'.

The liberal governor admitted that the recall effort against him was 'in no small degree because of our approach to this pandemic'.

California was hit hard by the COVID pandemic and thus had some of the strictest prevention policies in the country. Many schools were shut down for over a year and back-and-forth lockdown measures left businesses frustrated.

Images of Newsom dining a the luxe French Laundry restaurant with a large group of people while indoor dining was closed catalyzed the recall effort.

He looked ripe for ousting at certain points ahead of the recall election but ultimately held onto his seat with nearly two-thirds of Californians voting against recalling him.

Conservative radio host Larry Elder had emerged as a frontrunner among Republican challengers. He promised to repeal Newsom's COVID protocols, including his mandate for state workers to get vaccinated or face weekly testing.

Biden too said that Newsom's success was a win for strong COVID measures.

'This vote is a resounding win for the approach that he and I share to beating the pandemic: strong vaccine requirements, strong steps to reopen schools safely and strong plans to distribute real medicines - not fake treatments - to help those who get sick,' the President said in a statement.

Vaccine mandates are popular in California with 61 per cent of adults in the state in favor of some kind of mandate, according to a survey conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California conducted late last month.

Biden also signed an executive order requiring all businesses with over 100 employees to mandate vaccination or weekly testing. Another order requires federal workers to get vaccinated with no option for testing.

Exit polls showed that about a third of voters - 31 per cent - rated coronavirus as their top issue. Of those who said that, about 80 per cent voted in favor of Newsom staying in the job.

Nationally, however, a pro-vaccine mandate stance could be more problematic.
A pregnant Southern California mom who was beaten by the Taliban as she attempted to flee Afghanistan has left the country.

California GOP Rep. Darrell Issa announced that the 25-year-old mom, identified only as 'Nasria' has escaped Afghanistan.

She was forced to leave behind her husband who she married in Afghanistan.

In a news release, the congressman confirmed that 'his team has successfully facilitated the release of Nasria, a pregnant American citizen, from Afghanistan.'

Nasria (pictured) was among the hundreds of Americans who were left stranded in Kabul after the final US forces left on August 30

According to Issa, Nasria (pictured) had 'braved beatings and harassment by the Taliban trying to get past their checkpoints to return to the US'

Further details of how she escaped have not been shared, and it is unclear when she will make it back to the United States.

Issa first heard of the 25-year-old's plight to flee Afghanistan through friends who contacted his office, FOX 5 reported.

'The congressman and his team immediately established communication channels with Nasria and began coordinating her safe return,' Issa said in his news release.

'Weeks of work and countless hours of coordination paid off,' the release said.

Issa previously tweeted that Nasria had 'braved beatings and harassment by the Taliban trying to get past their checkpoints to return to the US.'

She was among the hundreds of Americans who were left stranded in Kabul after the final US forces left on August 31, despite Biden's promise to evacuate every citizen before the withdrawal deadline.

California GOP Rep. Darrell Issa (pictured) announced that the 25-year-old mom, 'Nasria' has escaped Afghanistan

According to Issa, the 25-year-old made 'multiple trips' to the airport and was attacked by Taliban forces as she attempted to make her escape from the country.

'She was kicked in the stomach, but she was kicked in the stomach well after - as she got through the first checkpoint for hours, waiting for those people at the south point to supposedly come and get her,' the Republican lawmaker told FOX News last month.

Issa remained in contact with Nasria as they came up with an alternative way to get her out of Afghanistan.

'We've agreed that she's going to stay sheltered in place, hiding her identity and hoping that her friends will continue to bring her food and keep her secret until frankly we can come up with something new,' Issa told FOX.

A plane carrying Americans and other evacuees left Kabul and landed in Doha, Qatar, on Friday but it wasn't immediately clear if Nasria was aboard that plane, FOX News reported.

Nasria told Voice of America earlier this month that Taliban fighters have been 'hunting Americans' since U.S. troops left the country, and are allegedly 'going door-to-door  trying to see if anybody has a blue passport.'

Her escape was announced the day after it was confirmed an American couple in their 80s had also fled the war-torn country.

The couple, who weren't named to avoid putting other relatives at risk, managed to flee after being repeatedly refused entry to Kabul's Hamid Karzai Airport by Taliban fighters.

It is unclear if they managed to get out on a chartered flight. Some escape routes have also taken place overland, although rescuers have been reluctant to share further details to avoid compromising future escape attempts.

President Joe Biden's promised he would get every American out of Afghanistan before the military ends its 20 year occupation.

'If there's American citizens left, we're gonna stay to get them all out,' he told ABC's George Stephanopoulos on August 18.

But after the August 31 deadline Biden officials said a 'small number' of Americans remained who want to leave the war-torn country.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has vowed to use diplomacy and leverage to bring out any Americans, allies, or Afghanis who assisted the US and want to leave, as critics pounded Biden for allowing the withdrawal before all Americans were out, comparing those who remained to hostages.
A Tesla driver was arrested and jailed after a crossing guard accused him of striking her - only for doorbell cam footage to clear his name.

Joe Hernandez, 32, was accused by an Anne Arundel County Police crossing guard of 'intentionally striking her leg (and) causing a minor injury' on September 9.

But footage shot from a nearby home shows that he did no such thing - and that the unnamed crossing guard actually backed into his car, without sustaining any sort of injury.

A nearby police officer put Hernandez in handcuffs in front of his girlfriend and her child and took him to jail, where he spent the night.

He was charged with failure to render aid to an injured person, reckless driving, and negligent driving as well as second-degree assault, as reported by WJLA.

Maryland police arrested Tesla driver Joe Hernandez (right) last week after an unidentified crossing guard (left) told police the driver hit her with his car but a neighbor's security camera footage shows differently - now all charges have been dropped

Hernandez's lawyer James E Keatts told Fox News that Hernandez was 'arrested, held without bail by the commissioner, forced to spend time in jail, and had his reputation permanently tarnished all for fraudulent accusations.'

He added: These charges should have been dismissed days ago'.

But the female crossing guard - who originally told cops the 'impatient' driver in a blue Tesla drove the car into her - lied. In a neighbor's security camera footage of that moment, which was taken in a suburb south of Baltimore called Glen Burnie, Hernandez didn't hit her at all.

The video taken at 8.45am shows Hernandez pull up to the crosswalk. After stopping so the crossing guard could let three kids on their way to school cross the street she appears to back into the Tesla while motioning for the students to walk.

The video taken at 8.45am shows Hernandez pull up to the crosswalk. After stopping so the crossing guard could let three kids on their way to school cross the street she appears to back into the Tesla while motioning for the students to walk

The female crossing guard - who originally told cops the 'impatient' driver in a blue Tesla drove the car into her - lied and simply stood in front of Hernandez's car. He never hit her

When the crossing guard refuses to move despite the fact that there are no cars passing in the other direction, Hernandez drives around her and she was completely unharmed

Hernandez was wrongfully arrested on September 9. A nearby cop put him in handcuffs in front of his girlfriend and her child and even spent the night in jail

Hernandez inches the car backwards and it seems like he says something to the crossing guard, although there is no audio in the video.

The woman then stops directing traffic and just stands in front of Hernandez's car, and appears to make gentle contact with its fender.

When the crossing guard refuses to move despite the fact that there are no cars passing in the other direction, Hernandez drives around her and she was completely unharmed.

The unidentified crossing guard told WJLA of the incident: 'Everything speaks for itself. I know what took place.'

Meanwhile, federal officials said Friday they will investigate a fiery Tesla crash that left two people dead in South Florida.

A Tesla Model 3 left the roadway and collided with a tree Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Twitter.

Three investigators are traveling to Coral Gables next week where the deadly crash happened and NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said: 'We always look especially closely at newer technology.'

The crash occurred near a residential intersection, and it wasn't immediately known whether speed was a factor. It was also unclear whether the car's partially automated driving system was activated at the time of the crash.

The NTSB investigation will focus on the operation of the vehicle and the post-crash fire that consumed the car, officials said.

Tesla vehicles don't use gasoline that could raise the risk of a big fire after a crash but the company includes a warning about battery fires but Tesla representatives have said that high-speed collisions can result in a fire for any kind of car.

The government has scrutinized Tesla's system many times and in the past five years, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has sent investigators to 31 crashes involving vehicles with partially automated driver-assist systems, including 25 involving Teslas.

The NTSB will begin its investigation on Monday, complete on-scene work within a week and have a preliminary report in about 30 days, officials said.
An anti-lockdown thug has attacked three officers during ugly scenes which saw 100 demonstrators charge at police in Melbourne.

Wild scenes broke out in Richmond as a group of hooligans clashed with police trying to contain the violent 'freedom rally' march.

Officers were forced to use batons and fire capsicum spray on the group of around 100 screaming protesters, some in motorcycle helmets, who threw bottles at officers on duty.

Police arrested 235 people and while most were taken away for breaching health directions, some were charged with assault, riotous behaviour and weapons and drug offences. Each will be fined $5,452, with 193 infringements handed out so far.

Ten police were injured while dealing with the protests, with injuries including a broken elbow and broken nose, a broken finger and torn muscles. Six officers were taken to hospital.

Commander Mark Galliott said bottles and stones were thrown at officers while an authorised vehicle was severely damaged.

'Angry aggressive young males (were) there to fight the police, not to protest about freedoms,' he told the media late on Saturday.

Protesters break through the police line, an officer gets assaulted and trampled by demonstrators, people are screaming and covered in capsicum spray @theage pic.twitter.com/qXX9lIAZRJ  David Estcourt (@davidestcourt) September 18, 2021

On a failed day of nationwide anti-lockdown protests, the wildest scenes were in Melbourne, where hooligans bashed police in a vicious confrontation at Richmond. At the top of the photo one man can be seen fighting with an officer

A man in a black hoodie can be seen at the front of the surging crowd of protestors grabbing a female officer by the waist, soon after she was shoved to the ground

Victorian police attempt to hold their line during wild anti-lockdown protest scenes on Victoria Street, Richmond

Extraordinary footage showed dozens of protesters lashing out at police as frustrations boiled over after a tense standoff.

One man in a black hoodie can be seen viciously attacking an officer, before barging over another and then flipping a third on his back.

Another protestor manhandled a female officer, shoving her to the ground.

The footage showed protesters rushing and breaking through a police line on Victoria Street at Richmond.

Aerial photos show hooligans surging at and attacking police in Melbourne

The swarm of anti-lockdown protesters charge Melbourne police on Victoria street at Richmond

A protester is seen with blood on their face as they're escorted away by police

About 1,000 people turned out in full-force to protest against the lockdown as they swarmed in front of traffic in Richmond, in the Victorian capital's inner suburbs, on Saturday.

Some 2,000 officers were deployed at road checkpoints and barricades, and on roving patrols, to try to stop the rally going ahead in breach of public health orders.

The CBD became a no-go zone ahead of Saturday's unrest, with most public transport to and from the precinct suspended and a 'ring of steel' erected around its fringe with threats of $5,500 fines for anyone travelling into the city without a lawful reason.

Melbourne remains in strict lockdown and has been since the start of August - as it nears an unpopular world record.

Buenos Aires, in Argentina, currently holds the record after the city endured 234 days under lockdown. Melbourne - which has gone through six lockdowns - is expected to hit 235 days on September 23.

Wild scenes as protesters clash with police in Melbourne. Protesters rushed through, breaking a police line on Victoria Street at Richmond

Wild footage showed protesters wrestling and fighting with besieged officers

Tensions boiled over after a tense standoff between anti-lockdown protesters and police

Victoria recorded 535 new Covid-19 cases and one death on Saturday, but the state remains hopeful of easing restrictions by Melbourne Cup day.

The brightest hope seemed to be cutting the wait time on the delivery of second Pfizer vaccines for Melbourne residents.

Demonstrators met outside the Richmond Town Hall on Bridge Road at midday and were seen chanting 'free our children' and 'you serve us' before the protests turned violent.

Scenes escalated as the group reached Burnley Street, with police forced to deploy capsicum spray before arresting dozens of protesters as others taunted and hurled abuse at them.

Police dodged traffic cones, bottles, flares and smoke bombs after angry protesters hurled the items at the blockade.

Shocking footage captured the moment a mob of frenzied protesters broke burst through a police line while screaming 'f*** you dogs' and trampling on officers knocked to the ground.

At one point a group of protesters reportedly broke through the gate of an apartment complex as police moved in on them.

Mounted police officers eventually dispersed the crowd.
Pregnant women are among 120 people that have been forced into isolation after a Covid-infected patient visited a maternity hospital.

The Mercy Hospital for Women in Heidelberg, Melbourne's north-east, has been declared a tier one exposure site after being visited by the positive case on Monday.

The patient tested positive a few days later with the hospital confirming patients had been told to isolate on Saturday.

The Mercy Hospital for Women in Heidelberg, Melbourne's north-east, has been declared a tier one exposure site after being visited by the positive case on Monday

More than 100 visitors, staff and patients have been told to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days.

Some of these include pregnant women.

'Mercy Hospital for Women has been identified as a Tier One exposure site after a patient tested positive to Covid-19 following a visit to a women's outpatients' clinic during her infectious period,' a Mercy Health spokesperson said.

'Mercy Health has contacted patients and staff who were considered to be at risk of exposure and who were in the area at the time.

'The hospital is taking an exceptionally cautious approach and in line with Department of Health advice has advised any patient at risk to get tested and isolate for 14 days.'

Victoria suffered another 535 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday and one death.

The latest cases in Victoria are the highest daily number so far in the recent outbreak and come from 61,622 tests.

Sixty-two of the infections were linked to known cases, health authorities said, while Victoria has 4974 active coronavirus cases.

The streets of Melbourne were filled with more than 1,000 angry protesters on Saturday with demonstrators demanding an end to the city's lockdown

A frenzied mob of protesters burst through a police line in Richmond and trampled over officers knocked to the ground

The streets of Melbourne were filled with more than 1,000 angry protesters on Saturday with demonstrators demanding an end to the city's lockdown.

Some 2,000 officers were deployed at road checkpoints and barricades, and on roving patrols, to try to stop the rally going ahead in breach of public health orders.

The CBD became a no-go zone ahead of Saturday's unrest, with most public transport to and from the precinct suspended and a 'ring of steel' erected around its fringe with threats of $5,500 fines for anyone travelling into the city without a lawful reason.

Demonstrators met outside the Richmond Town Hall on Bridge Road at midday and were seen chanting 'free our children' and 'you serve us' before the protests turned violent.

Scenes escalated as the group reached Burnley Street, with police forced to deploy capsicum spray before arresting dozens of protesters as others taunted and hurled abuse at them.

Demonstrators stormed through police lines in Richmond and trampled on officers as they tried to fend off the crowd
The Government will hold crisis talks with industry bosses today after soaring gas prices and a lack of carbon dioxide sparked fears of widespread food shortages.

High global demand, maintenance issues and lower solar and wind energy output have all been blamed on the increased cost of wholesale gas, which in turn has forced much of the UK's commercial production of CO2 to stop.

Two of England's biggest fertiliser plants in Teeside and Cheshire - which use the gas to produce ammonium nitrate, which is then used by farmers for their crops - have shut down, leaving bosses concerned over the potential consequences for family essentials.

The food industry describes carbon dioxide as being fundamental to producing and transporting supermarket staples like bread and meat, as well as beer and fizzy drinks.

Some fear businesses have less than two weeks before their stocks of the gas begin to run out, with one boss describing the crisis as a 'black swan type of event', adding that ministers and supermarket giants were only now appreciating the knock-on effects on agriculture and production.

Meat producers are now urging the Government to step in to protect the food supply chain.

Two of England's biggest fertiliser plants - which use carbon dioxide to produce ammonium nitrate, which is then used by farmers for their crops - have shut down, leaving bosses concerned over the potential consequences for family essentials

The food industry describes carbon dioxide as being fundamental to producing and transporting supermarket staples like bread and meat, as well as beer and fizzy drinks

Some fear businesses have less than two weeks before their stocks of the gas begin to run out, with one boss describing the crisis as a 'black swan type of event', adding that ministers and supermarket giants were only now appreciating the knock-on effects on agriculture and production

Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processing Association, told the Times: 'This could be the straw that broke the camel's back.

'It is potentially a massive challenge for the food industry when we are already facing huge issues.'

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he added: 'If we haven't got the CO2 supplies, on the packaging side that reduces the shelf-life of products going on the shelves at a time when we are really struggling because of all the transport problems.

'This has come as a huge shock, it has happened so quickly. I think everyone is outraged in the industry that these fertiliser plants can shut down without any warning whatsoever and suddenly take something which is so essential to the food supply chain off-stream just like that.

'We really need Government to step in now and actually do something.'

Meanwhile, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng will talk with chief executives from gas producers, suppliers and regulator Ofgem today to discuss the extent of the impact of the surging prices.

Government sources have reportedly told the BBC there is no threat to the UK's gas supplies, but potential impacts on small energy companies most at risk of exposure are being monitored.

A Government spokesperson told the broadcaster: 'The UK benefits from having access to highly diverse sources of gas supply to ensure households, businesses and heavy industry get the energy they need at a fair price.

'We are monitoring this situation closely and are in regular contact with the food and farming organisations and industry, to help them manage the current situation.'

It comes after Russia was last night accused of rigging the prices of gas to damage Britain's economic recovery from Covid.

The country's state-owned energy firm, Gazprom, is now facing an investigation into the rise in price.

The country's state-owned energy firm, Gazprom, is now facing an investigation into the rise in price. Lawmakers said they were suspicious of the company's 'effort to pressure' Europe to agree a fast launch to its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline (pictured)

And more than 40 MEPs last night signed a letter to the company in which they accused it of 'deliberate market manipulation'.

Government ministers last night were in emergency talks with food producers to try and tackle the issue.

Two fertiliser plants were forced to close down in the north of the country due to a lack of carbon dioxide available in the food industry which has a devastating effect on the product of lots of products including meat.

And food supply chains are already under a significant amount of strain due to a shortage in delivery drivers caused by test and trace systems forcing isolation and some drivers leaving the UK after Brexit.

Meat industry workers warned last night that the disruption in supply mean carbon dioxide stocks would run out within two weeks, meaning it can't be used to stun pigs and chickens prior to being killed.

A group of European Parliament lawmakers has asked the European Commission to investigate Gazprom's role in soaring European gas prices, saying the company's behaviour had made them suspect market manipulation.

Gas prices in Europe have surged in recent months, helping to drive European electricity costs to multi-year highs.

Dermot Nolan, a former Ofgem chief executive, said the increases were the result of depleted stocks following a cold winter last winter, reduced supply from Russia, and increased demand for liquefied natural gas from the Far East.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'It is not obvious to me what can be done in the very short run. Britain does have secure relatively diverse sources of gas, so I think the lights will stay on.

'But I am afraid it is likely in my view that high gas and high electricity prices will be sustained for the next three to four months.

'It is very difficult to see what the Government can do directly in this regard.'

And more than 40 MEPs last night signed a letter to the company in which they accused it of 'deliberate market manipulation'. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin

Electricity prices in the UK skyrocketed to 11 times above normal levels on Monday.

In a letter to the EU's executive Commission around 40 of the Parliament's 700 lawmakers said they suspected Russia's Gazprom had acted to push up gas prices.

'We call on the European Commission to urgently open an investigation into possible deliberate market manipulation by Gazprom and potential violation of EU competition rules,' said the letter.

In response to the accusations, Gazprom said it supplied its customers with gas in full compliance with existing contracts.

The European Commission said it had received the letter and would reply in due course.

The lawmakers said they were suspicious of the company's 'effort to pressure' Europe to agree a fast launch to its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which still has to clear regulatory hurdles that could take months to complete.

Gazprom announced last week that it had completed construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany, doubling its gas exporting capacity via the Baltic Sea.

Nord Stream 2 has faced sanctions from the United States and criticism from other countries wary of the EU increasing its reliance on energy imports from Russia

The EU lawmakers cited incidents including recent shut-ins of some of Gazprom's production and said the company had refused to book gas transport capacities through existing pipelines.

'All these factors allow to suspect that the record natural gas price surge in Europe in the recent weeks may be a direct result of Gazprom's deliberate market manipulation,' the letter said.

Nord Stream 2 has faced sanctions from the United States and criticism from other countries wary of the EU increasing its reliance on energy imports from Russia.

Tobias Ellwood, a former minister and chairman of the defence committee, told the Telegraph: 'This attempt to manipulate gas prices is an example of grey zone conflict where economies are directly targeted to cause political strife and raise civil unease. An example of the constant competition we now face from authoritarian regimes.'

Chris Bryant, a member of the foreign affairs committee, told the publication: 'Russia has been abusing the energy market in Europe for years, holding countries to ransom and forcing up prices. We need a strong united front with other European countries to stop this cynical abuse. Boris Johnson needs to guarantee our energy security without relying on Russia.'

Gazprom released a statement saying: 'Gazprom delivers gas under consumer requests fully in line with contract obligations.'
The coal miners union says work at Sojitz's Gregory Crinum complex in central Queensland should stop until the body of a fellow worker is recovered from underground.

A 60-year-old miner named by media outlets as Graham Dawson was fatally injured on Tuesday when a roof collapsed while another miner was seriously injured.

The Mining and Energy Union Qld District says mineworkers are still coming to terms with the accident.

A 60-year-old miner named by media outlets as Graham Dawson was fatally injured on Tuesday when a roof collapsed while another miner was seriously injured

President Stephen Smyth says rescue teams are undertaking the recovery in very difficult circumstances and their safety has to be ensured.

He says he's been getting calls and texts from miners since the day after the incident, upset production has resumed while the recovery goes on.

"Mineworkers at the mine have been told they can take annual leave if they are uncomfortable resuming normal duties - this is not good enough," Mr Smyth said on Saturday.

"I have never seen this occur in the 33 years since I have been involved in the Queensland coal sector."

The union's statement comes as the issue of mine safety is being highlighted in Queensland.

Sunday marks a century since 75 people were killed in an explosion at Mount Mulligan coal mine, about 160km west of Cairns.

Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart says the centenary is significant in light of the death at the Gregory Crinum mine.

"Everyone has a role to play in keeping our resources workers safe," Mr Stewart told AAP ahead of the centenary event.

AAP contacted Soljitz and was told no one was currently available to make comment.
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Britain has been warned it will not escape being targeted by France after Emmanuel Macron recalled ambassadors to the US and Australia but not the UK.

The French President is furious at the submarine pact between the three countries, which caught France off guard and resulted in the cancelation of multi-billion pound contracts for Australia to build French diesel submarines.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian last night announced the country was recalling the ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne, citing the 'exceptional seriousness of the announcements'.

France also recalled its ambassador to Australia but has not yet made any move to remove its ambassador to the UK Catherine Colonna.

French officials are thought to view the US as prime movers in the deal and Boris Johnson insisted the UK's relationship with France is 'rock solid' despite the row.

But a French diplomat slammed Britain for acting 'opportunistically' and former British ambassador to France Lord Peter Ricketts said he expects further measures against all three countries.

Pictured left-to-right: Boris Johnson, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and US President Joe Biden at the Carbis Bay Hotel during the G7 Summit in Cornwall in June

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drain announced the move to recall ambassador Philippe Etienne Friday night, saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured)

America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China's naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)

Furious EU complains that it was 'not consulted' on AUKUS submarine deal The EU has complained that it was 'not consulted' on the AUKUS submarine deal while France has lashed out at Australia for 'stabbing it in the back'. Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, said the union was only made aware of the new alliance through the media. And French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has accused the Australians of a betrayal because the alliance meant they scrapped a multi-billion deal for France to provide subs. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace insisted Britain did not 'go fishing' for the pact to provide nuclear-powered submarines to Australia with the US after France called it a 'stab in the back'. The UK, US and Australia agreed to co-operate on the development of the first nuclear-powered fleet for the Australian navy in a ground-breaking agreement dubbed AUKUS. But this meant that Canberra ripped up a deal worth around 30billion that was struck with Paris in 2016 for France to provide 12 diesel-electric submarines. A diplomatic row broke out, with Mr Le Drian telling France-Info radio: 'It was really a stab in the back. 'We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed.' Meanwhile Mr Borrell, ex-President of the European Parliament, said: 'This alliance we have only just been made aware and we weren't even consulted. 'As high representative for security, I was not aware and I assume that an agreement of such a nature wasn't just brought together over night. I think it would have been worked on for quite a while.' He added: 'We regret not having been informed  not having been part of these talks. We weren't included, we weren't part and parcel of this.' Mr Wallace said he recognises the 'frustration' from France after speaking to his French counterpart Florence Parly on Wednesday night. He told BBC Breakfast: 'I understand France's disappointment. 'They had a contract with the Australians for diesel-electrics from 2016 and the Australians have taken this decision that they want to make a change. 'We didn't go fishing for that, but as a close ally when the Australians approached us of course we would consider it. I understand France's frustration about it.' Boris Johnson told MPs today that the UK's military relationship with France is 'rock solid' and insisted 'we stand shoulder to shoulder with the French' despite the row. The Prime Minister met with his Australian counterpart, Scott Morrison, and US President Joe Biden at the G7 summit in Cornwall in June. Downing Street confirmed that the three leaders discussed the subs at the meeting. The Prime Minister's official spokesman added: 'I wouldn't say there was one single meeting that did it, this has been something that has been an undertaking of several months, it's a culmination of that work.' Advertisement

Writing on social media last night, Lord Ricketts said France's moves so far suggest it sees Britain as 'accomplices' in the deal but that may not stop further repercussions from happening.

He said: 'France now recalls Ambassadors to US and Australia.

'Unprecedented between allied nations? Interestingly not from UK.

'A signal Paris regards Washington and Canberra as ringleaders in plot, with London as accomplice.

'Expect further French measures targeting interests of all three.'

Mr Le Drian yesterday called the nixing of the $90billion (65.5billion) sub-contract 'unacceptable behaviour'.

Le Drian said in a statement: 'At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided to immediately recall our two ambassadors to the United States and Australia to Paris for consultations.

'This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional gravity of the announcements made on 15 September by Australia and the United States.'

The move comes amid a huge backlash in France over the move.

A French diplomatic source lashed out at Britain, telling Reuters: 'The UK accompanied this operation opportunistically.

'We do not need to consult in Paris with our ambassador to know what to think and what conclusions to draw from it.'

A top French diplomat told Associated Press Macron got a letter from Australian PM Scott Morrison announcing the sub deal's cancellation on Wednesday morning.

The French reached out to Washington 'to ask what was going on', but the resulting discussions occurred just hours before Biden announced the deal in a video conference with the two key allies.

According to The Times, the AUKUS deal was codenamed Operation Hookless inside Number 10 and was the most closely guarded secret inside government for many years.

Among the tiny number of people in the know  besides the PM  were outgoing Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, National Security advisor Sir Stephen Lovegrove and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

The clandestine discussions were said by a defence source to be like a scene from a John Le Carre novel.

Defence sources familiar with the discussions told the newspaper that Australia had decided that the submarines which it had agreed to buy from France were not enough to ward off the threat posed by China.

They instead wanted nuclear-powered ones which are faster and stealthier and not in need of regular refuelling.

Another man who was reportedly in the top-secret loop of decision-makers was John Bew, Mr Johnsons foreign policy advisor.

Those who were aware are said to have been ordered to sign a paper vowing to not speak of the secret discussions outside of the group.

Le Drain on Thursday called the move a 'stab in the back'.

'We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed. This is not done between allies.'

France is the US' longest-standing ally after the European country's essential support during the American Revolution.

Numerous US presidents have taken part in annual commemorations of the Normandy invasion that attest to the close historical bonds between the two nations.

The stunning diplomatic slap comes a day after France made a lesser statement by nixing a planned gala at its luxurious embassy in Washington that was meant to celebrate the US-French relationship, while also ditching another event in Baltimore.

The embassy gala was to mark the 240th anniversary of the Battle of the Capes, when the French Navy fought the Royal Navy of Britain during the Revolutionary War.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) described President Biden's deal as a 'unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision' amid French fury that it triggered cancelation of an Australian agreement to buy French diesel powered submarines. French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne (right) has been recalled amid a diplomatic row over a new US-UK-Australia alliance

China flies TEN aircraft including fighter jets into Taiwan's airspace ramping up tensions just a day after AUKUS pact was signed China has flown ten aircraft including fighter jets into Taiwan's air space just a day after the UK, US and Australia signed a defence pact to push back against Beijing. Taipei said two J-11 fighters, six J-16 fighters, one Y-8 anti-submarine plane and one Y-8 spy aircraft entered its air defence identification zone near Pratas Island today. Fighter jets were scrambled to turn the aircraft back while radio warnings were also broadcast and missile defence systems activated to monitor the situation. Details of the flights published by Taiwan's defence ministry show the Chinese fighters briefly skirted into the defence zone before turning back. But the spy plane and anti-submarine aircraft made a longer route, flying several miles along Taiwan's south coast before turning around and heading away. The island's government has complained for a year of repeated missions by China's air force near its borders, often in the southwestern part of its air defense zone close to Taiwan-controlled Pratas Island. Self-governing Taiwan, which is home to the Republic of China which fought against the Communist Party when it first emerged, views itself as an independent state but Beijing views it as a breakaway province. It has long-standing ties with the US, which historically recognised it as the legitimate government of China. Tensions around the island have been mounting since President Xi Jinping vowed in 2019 to 'reunify' Taiwan with the Chinese mainland, using force if necessary. Advertisement

It all came at the end of a week where President Joe Biden announced a new agreement between the US, the UK, and Australia, in a move meant to counter China and bolster security in the Indo-Pacific region.

Under the terms, Australia for the first time would purchase US-made nuclear submarines, which are quieter, faster, and must come to port less frequently than diesel or electric boats.

The move infuriated France, which said it had not been informed long in advance.

Biden, who ran in part trumpeting his deft touch in diplomacy after helming the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, now finds himself at the center a diplomatic row with a key ally.

It comes at a time when his handling of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is also under scrutiny.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said France had been informed in advance of the move, and tried to put the best light on the state of relations.

'France in particular is a vital partner on this, and so many other issues,' he said.

The diplomatic slap came just minutes after the US military had to admit that a US drone strike in the final days before the US pullout in Afghanistan had mistakenly hit an aid worker, killing nine family members, including seven children.

Australia had been relying on French shipbuilder Naval Group to construct its diesel submarine fleet, set to be delivered in the mid 2030s.

The move also piqued the government New Zealand, which has a longstanding opposition to nuclear energy, and which was not included in the agreement.

The Australian government today expressed 'regret' over France's decision.

A spokesperson for Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a statement: 'We note with regret France's decision to recall its Ambassador to Australia for consultations following the decision on the Attack Class project.

'Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests.

'Australia values its relationship with France, which is an important partner and a vital contributor to stability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. This will not change.

'We look forward to engaging with France again on our many issues of shared interest, based on shared values.'

The pact does not make the design of Australia's new submarines clear, but they will be based on previous US and UK designs. Pictured above is a cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

Australia's defence minister has today admitted that war with China is possible in the South China Sea (pictured) with Taiwan (top) as the likely flashpoint. China claims control over the whole of the sea, which other nations dispute

Australia will acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines and a host of other advanced military technology from the UK and US after singing an historic deal aimed at countering China's growing power

The so-called Aukus defence pact between the UK, US and Australia has been widely seen as an attempt to counter the growing military assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Beijing swiftly denounced the initiative as 'extremely irresponsible' and a threat to regional peace and stability.

In the Commons on Thursday, Mr Johnson said it was not intended as an 'adversarial' move against China or any other power.

He also insisted that relations with France remained 'rock solid' while Downing Street described Paris as 'a close ally and friend' of the UK.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister also made clear he expected the agreement to bring 'hundreds' of highly-skilled jobs to Britain  jobs which may well have otherwise gone to France.

'Like a scene from Le Carre': How just TEN people in Britain knew about AUKUS submarine deal - codenamed 'Operation Hookless' - which was No10's biggest secret 'in years'

Only ten people knew about the landmark AUKUS deal in which Britain and the U.S. will collaborate in providing Australia with its first ever fleet of nuclear submarines.

Boris Johnson, President Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announced the new pact on Wednesday night, provoking uproar from China and France, who recalled its ambassador to America shortly afterwards.

The announcement resulted in the cancellation of a multi-billion-pound contract for Australia to buy diesel-powered French submarines.

According to The Times, the AUKUS deal was codenamed Operation Hookless inside Number 10 and was the most closely guarded secret inside government for many years.

Among the tiny number of people in the know  besides the PM  were outgoing Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, National Security advisor Sir Stephen Lovegrove and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.

The clandestine discussions were said by a defence source to be like a scene from a John Le Carre novel.

Among the tiny number of people in the know  besides the PM  were outgoing Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, National Security advisor Sir Stephen Lovegrove and First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Tony Radakin (pictured)

Defence sources familiar with the discussions told the newspaper that Australia had decided that the submarines which it had agreed to buy from France were not enough to ward off the threat posed by China.

They instead wanted nuclear-powered ones which are faster and stealthier and not in need of regular refuelling.

Another man who was reportedly in the top-secret loop of decision-makers was John Bew, Mr Johnsons foreign policy advisor.

Those who were aware are said to have been ordered to sign a paper vowing to not speak of the secret discussions outside of the group.
A government advisor had admitted the Covid-19 vaccine would not have been recommended for children in normal times until it had been fully investigated.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said scientists did not have the 'luxury' of time to research the possible risks of jabbing children and would usually have collected more evidence before recommending their use on teens.

It comes after the school rollout of jabs for children aged 12 to 15 was given the go ahead last week, with the vaccinations set to start on Wednesday.

But Finn said parents were justified in waiting an extra three to six months to get their children jabbed until the risks were made clearer with further research, the Times reported.

Finn added today the decision on whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds is not black and white, adding that while it is not 'essential' for them to have a coronavirus jab, it is also 'perfectly sensible' for them to do so.

Children should be warned about the tiny risk of life-threatening heart problems before they are given the Covid-19 jab, experts have insisted

The JCVI looked at the risk of health inflammation - known as myocarditis - in young people given the Pfizer vaccine, which was still very small but slightly more common after a second dose

He told Times Radio: 'It's a finely balanced decision. It's not a black and white decision. It's not essential that these children receive the vaccine, but equally it's a perfectly sensible thing to do.

'It's being offered because the benefits do outweigh the risks, and it's available for people who want it. And I'm afraid that's the truth of the situation.'

He said the reason the process for deciding whether to vaccinate the age group has been 'convoluted and complex' is because there 'isn't a completely clear, straightforward answer'.

But he added that people should not become too 'agonised' about it, adding: 'Because the risks on either side are not that high. It's not like these children are at great risk from Covid, or indeed that they're at great risk from the vaccination.'

He also called on the NHS to spell out the potential long-term consequences of the jab for children, warning vaccinating children without properly discussing the potential risks could undermine future take up and fuel anti-vaxx scepticism.

Around one in 100,000 children suffer heart inflammation and scarring after the jab, putting them at higher risk of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest, current research suggests.

Vaccines are usually tested rigorously before they are rolled out to the general population, but the Covid-19 jab was developed at such speed the research for possible risks for children is still catching up.

Parents are therefore justified in waiting three to six months for more evidence on the possible long-term effects before getting their children vaccinated, Finn said, describing delaying the decision as 'perfectly legitimate'.

Finn and Guido Pieles, a consultant cardiologist who advised the JCVI, added they actually suggest parents wait for more research to be conducted.

People should be tolerant of parents who have their children vaccinated against Covid-19, and of those who decide not to, Finn added.

He aid he is concerned some parents and children could be stigmatised according to what they decide when it comes to coronavirus vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds.

He told Times Radio: 'I absolutely do fear that... I've had a lot of people contact me with very strong views.

'Either that they insist that they wish their children to be immunised without delay, or that they would rather die than have their children immunised, so there are plenty of people out there with very strong views, and those could easily translate into quite aggressive attitudes, one way, in one direction or the other.

'I think people should be tolerant of each other. Parents who have their children immunised should be tolerant of those that decide not to and vice versa because the stakes are not high on either side.'

Public Health England today published of a guide (pictured) to Covid-19 vaccination for children and young people

Former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has insisted the vaccine is safe for children, saying the decision to offer the jab to 12 to 15-year-olds had followed advice from the JCVI.

The scientific community had been split over vaccinating healthy children against Covid because the virus poses such a low risk to them.

No10's own advisory panel said earlier this month that immunising healthy under-16s would only provide 'marginal' benefit to their health, and not enough to recommend a mass rollout.

The decision was left with Professor Whitty and chief medical officers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who looked at the wider benefits to society, including keeping classrooms open.

The decision to offer teens the jabs was 'unanimously approved' by the UK's four chief medical officers earlier this week.

The chief medical officers said that even though Covid poses a small risk to children's health, the negative impacts of school closures on their life prospects and mental wellbeing tipped the balance in favour of vaccination.

Modelling of the winter term estimated that without the vaccines there could be about 89,000 infections among 12 to 15-year-olds, compared to 59,000 with the rollout.

Without vaccination they warn of 320,000 school absences by March, whereas this could be reduced to 220,000 with the jabs.

They have recommended under-16s initially only be offered a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which has shown to be up to 55 per cent effective at preventing infection from the Delta variant.

A decision on second doses is still to be determined when more data is available internationally, with a decision expected by the spring term at the earliest.

Officials will weigh up the risk of heart complications, which are slightly more common after the second shot.

The JCVI has already recommended that children and young people aged 12 to 17 with specific underlying health conditions, and children and young people who are aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of people who are immunocompromised are offered two doses of a vaccine.

Under-16s in the US, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, and the Netherlands, have already been offered jabs.
The French have 'raised their game' in stopping migrant crossings after Home Secretary Priti Patel threatened to withdraw 54million in funding to tackle people smuggling, figures have revealed.

A total of 1,177 crossings were halted in the ten days after Ms Patel warned that Britain was considering abandoning the deal, while 1,115 managed to reach UK shores.

It means out of a total of 2,292 attempted crossings, France's interception rate was at 51 per cent - much higher than the 30 per cent recorded between July 20, when the deal was struck, and September 7.

The rate was even higher, at around 57 per cent, in the first three days following Ms Patel's ultimatum, when the French stopped 749 crossings out of a total 1,309.

However migrants are still arriving in record numbers, with the Home Office reporting 174 arrivals yesterday in six boats, bringing the total so far this year to 15,116, a figure much higher than last year's record of 8,420.

A further group of migrants were pictured being brought to shore by the Dungeness lifeboat crew in Kent on Saturday, including women, babies and small children.

It comes after public outcry initially led Ms Patel to tell MPs on September 7 that she would not 'pay a penny of the money' unless France began 'delivering results.'

A group of migrants were pictured being brought to shore by the Dungeness Lifeboat crew in Kent on Saturday, including babies

Migrants arriving on the Kent shoreline on Saturday after being rescued from the Channel

Migrants gather on a pebbled beach in Kent Saturday after being pulled from the channel

A baby is pulled to safety from an RNLI lifeboat in Kent after being rescued from the Channel on Saturday

Migrant carries child to safety after being brought to shore by a RNLI rescue boat in Kent

Home Office officials had warned that an average of three in four crossings would need to be halted by the end of this month for France to receive the funds.

While the 51 per cent interception rate falls short of that target, sources told the Times that Ms Patel had 'certainly noticed' that the French had 'raised their game.'

A government official said: 'When money is on the line, the French always pay attention.'

Another insider said Gerald Darmanin, the French interior minister, feared looking weak on the migrant issue could hurt President Macron's election hopes in six months' time.

'Since she had a bilateral with Darmanin it has been much better, which is good because they don't tend to react well to our firm words,' a Home Office official said.

Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured) threatened to withdraw 54million in funding to tackle people smuggling on September 7

A total of 1,177 crossings were halted in the ten days since Ms Patel warned that Britain was considering abandoning the deal, while 1,115 managed to reach UK shores

Migrants are still arriving in record numbers, with the Home Office reporting 174 arrivals yesterday in six boats, bringing the total so far this year to 15,116, a figure much higher than last year's record of 8,420

Pictures taken in Dover, Kent on Friday showed Border Force officials marshalling dozens of migrants off of boats and inside to be processed

'It dawned on Darmanin that it's politically bad for him too  immigration is one of the most salient issues for them in the election.'

France said yesterday that it is constantly having to adapt to the changing tactics of smugglers and that it was deploying a range of resources and strategies to stop more crossings.

The interior ministry said there was 'never any question of making payment conditional on targets'.

It comes after Calais MP Pierre-Henri Dumont told the BBC only around 30 per cent of crossings were being halted, adding that it is 'impossible' to monitor the whole coastline.

He said: 'We've got 300 or 400 kilometres of shore to monitor. It's impossible to have police every 100 metres.

'We are doing what we can . . . when we are talking about hundreds trying to cross every night, we cannot stop everyone.'

More than 15,000 people have made the dangerous crossing across the Channel in 2021

More than 480 migrants have arrived in the UK since Monday after making the journey across busy shipping lanes from France

More families, including a baby (pictured) were intercepted by Border Force officials crossing the English Channel on Friday

France's minister of state for European affairs Clement Beaune branded Ms Patel's plan 'a domestic punchline', extremely dangerous and potentially against international law.

'We could have people dying there so we should co-operate more  we are ready to engage,' he added.

'Let's move forward, try to find concrete solutions, not I think excessive responses and not controversies between us because we need to deal with this jointly.'

Ms Patel agreed in July to give France another 54million to stop the growing number of migrants crossing the Channel.

The agreement with French interior minister Mr Darmanin planned to see policing numbers along the French coast more than double to 200 to cover a wider area, along with an increased use of aerial surveillance, including drones.

But despite increased efforts, some 2,689 migrants have made the dangerous cross-Channel journey in September alone in 96 boats.

Dan O'Mahoney, Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said yesterday: '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 12,000 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.'
Protesters have taken to the streets in Perth as part of anti-lockdown rallies held across the country.

Despite Western Australia not being in lockdown, about 2,000 angry protesters swarmed the city to demand their 'freedom' and end to border closures at Forrest Chase on Saturday.

Anti-vaxxers were seen clutching placards calling for an end to mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations with references to Nazi Germany, including one sign depicting Premier Mark McGowan as Adolf Hitler.

Anti-vaxxers stormed Perth's CBD on Saturday holding signs comparing WA Premier Mark McGowan to Adolf Hitler (pictured)

A heavy police presence surrounded the city while demonstrators chanted 'freedom', 'do not comply' and 'shame Mark McGowan' - in a relatively peaceful protest compared to violent scenes in Victoria.

Other demonstrators were seen holding signs that said: Vaccine mandates violate human rights' and 'the final Covid variant is called communism'.

'Our basic rights have been taken away,' a protester named Patricia told Perth Now.

'The final Covid variant is called communism,' read one placard held by a protester in Perth's CBD (pictured)

'Everything that is happening about the medical apartheid is totally unlawful, it's crimes against humanity, it's going to force people to do something that they don't believe in'.

The protester claimed the crowd did not trust the media for only 'presenting one point of view'.

She also alleged the turn-out was also due to the group's distrust of the government and its 'lies' saying: 'It's time for a whole lot more truth in the community.'

Demonstrators marched through the CBD to John Farnham's 'You're the Voice' while speakers addressed the crowd alleging they were nurses against the jab mandate.

'What's happening to us at the moment, as healthcare workers ... they have been restricted, we've got a directive by October 1, we cannot step into our workplace anymore if we refuse to take the vaccine,' said one nurse.

'We have known from the very beginning of this campaign that it was a campaign of fear,' shouted another, who claimed to have worked as a registered nurse in a Covid-19 ward.

2,000 West Australian demonstrators marched through Forrest Chase demanding 'freedom' (pictured)

Another nurse took the stage telling the crowd: 'I would rather eat two minute noodles for the rest of my life than have that vaccine.'

A vaccine mandate was announced earlier in the month for all healthcare workers in Western Australian hospitals to receive at least one Covid jab by October 1.

Healthcare staff will need to be fully vaccinated by the November 1 cut-off date to continue working in public and private hospitals.

All staff working across the remaining public healthcare sector will need to be fully immunised by January 1 next year.
Tourists have been banned from taking photos at a popular Western Australian landmark made famous on Instagram - but not all is what it seems.

Perth events producer and comedian Ronan Freeburn decided to poke fun at the amount of visitors flocking to the humble Blue Boat House off Mounts Bay Road.

He erected a sign reading: 'Photography of the blue boat house exceeded. For an alternative 'Perth landmark', please visit the Bell Tower'.

'Pretend it's good. Take lots of photos. Post it all over social media. Make it go viral as well.'

The sign, which even featured the City of Perth logo, was the handiwork of Mr Freeburn who forked out $250 to have it printed.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Freeburn said the prank was all 'just a bit of fun' to try and encourage tourists to visit other spots in his city.

Perth events producer and comedian Ronan Freeburn decided to poke fun at the amount of visitors flocking to the Blue Boat House off Mounts Bay Road in Perth

The boat shed has become an Instagram hot spot for tourists and influencers

'The boat house is everywhere, you can't go on social media without seeing it pop up every few days,' he said.

'I agree that it's charming but there's a lot more about this city than a boat shed on the side of the road.

'I just think its getting a bit overexposed relative to all the great other things on offer in Perth.'

He said he believes he may have 'hit a nerve' following his stunt, with other Perth locals agreeing their city had more to offer.

'I think some people in Perth are like ''do you know what? That actually does annoy me'',' he said.

Visitors come from all over Australia to snap a photo with the blue boat house

Mr Freeburn said he could appreciate that the boat house has done a lot for tourism and thinks it's so appealing because the landscape allows for anyone can take a great photo there

Mr Freeburn said he could appreciate that the boat house has done a lot for tourism and thinks it's so appealing because the landscape allows for anyone to take a great photo there.

But he says that the people who actually live in Perth should be celebrated more than a physical landmark.

'I'd like to shine a light on the people that make Perth because we really punch above our weight with that,' the prankster said.

'If people want to take photos at the boathouse, I'm not bothered, I just want to open up the conversation that is this the best we can do?'.

The shed, formally known as the Crawley Edge Boatshed, soared to fame after it was restored in the early 2000s.

Despite not being able to go inside - which isn't much to look at anyway - the boat house is now one of the most photographable spots in the Western Australian city.
A man has been jailed for more than six years after posting a video of himself with a knife in a north London nightclub.

Abel Buafo, 23, from Lambeth, pleaded guilty to numerous offences between March 12, 2020 and July 29, 2021, including possession of a knife, possession of Class A and B drugs, possession of criminal property and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug.

Buafo was sentenced at Inner London Crown Court on Friday to six years and four months in prison, the Metropolitan Police said.

The court heard police were alerted to Snapchat videos of Buafo at a nightclub in Enfield, on December 22, 2019, where he recorded himself 'selfie-style' waving a black folding knife around the venue.

Abel Buafo, 23, from Lambeth, was jailed on Friday for more than six years after posting a video of himself with a knife in a north London nightclub

The court heard police were alerted to Snapchat videos of Buafo at a nightclub in Enfield, on December 22, 2019, where he recorded himself 'selfie-style' waving a black folding knife around the venue

Footage showed Buafo dancing and singing while waving the knife around, pointing it at his phone's camera as well as towards people.

It also showed him fist-bumping people while holding the knife, and also apparently dropping it on the floor before picking it up.

Buafo is heard making several references to blicky - a slang term for a knife.

At one point his friend nudges him to be quiet, to which Buafo replies: 'I don't even care about the feds bruv, on my mum's life.'

An incriminating image from October 2018 showed Abel Buafo posing with a wodge of cash

Another selfie showed Buafo having 'breaky' was part of the incriminating evidence revealed in court

On February 11, 2020, officers forced entry to his home address on Berry Lane, where they noticed the sink overflowing with a number of plates, which had a white layer of bubbles forming on them.

Officers were given the impression that Buafo had hurriedly flushed something down the sink, deriving from a diluted powder of chemical.

A sample of the white powder in the sink was found to be phenacetin, a well-known cutting agent for making crack cocaine.

Officers also found a large amount of drugs paraphernalia, scales, snap bags, a hydraulic press, cannabis and MDMA pills.

More than 200 in cash and 1,200 in counterfeit cash, as well as a Rambo-style knife, were also found.

At another address, linked to Buafo in Walworth, officers discovered a large bag of cannabis, 903mg of cocaine, two scales and snap bags.

Metropolitan Police officers also recovered Buafo's a Rambo-style knife at his home on Berry Lane

More than 200 in cash and 1,200 in counterfeit cash were also found by police in Buafo's home

Detective Sergeant Raymond Sekalongo, the investigating officer, said: 'Buafo was arrogant enough to think he was above the law and thought he could not only take a knife into a nightclub, but broadcast himself on social media doing it.

'Buafo was wrong not to "care about the feds", because the Met is absolutely committed to taking offensive weapons and drugs off the streets of London.

'The knife in the nightclub and the Rambo knife found in Buafo's address is yet another example of the intractable link between drug supply and violence.

'Those carrying weapons and supplying drugs should expect a visit from us in the near future.'
The Taliban has excluded girls from returning to secondary school and replaced Afghanistan's women's ministry with an all-male 'vice and virtue' department.

The Islamists excluded girls from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan on Saturday but ordered boys and male teachers back to the classroom.

The hardline group ousted the US-backed government last month, promising a softer brand of rule than their repressive reign in the 1990s, when women were mostly banned from education and work.

But the diktat from the education ministry was the latest move from the new government to threaten women's rights.

'All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions,' a statement said ahead of classes resuming Saturday.

The statement, issued late Friday, made no mention of women teachers or girl pupils.

Girls were excluded from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan on Saturday, after the country's new Taliban rulers ordered only boys and male teachers back to the classroom

'All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions,' a statement said ahead of classes resuming Saturday. The statement, issued late Friday, made no mention of women teachers or girl pupils

Secondary schools, with students typically between the ages of 13 and 18, are often segregated by sex in Afghanistan.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, they have faced repeated closures and have been shut since the Taliban seized power.

Since a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001, significant progress has been made in girls' education, with the number of schools tripling and female literacy nearly doubling to 30 per cent - however, the change was largely limited to the cities.

The United Nations said it was 'deeply worried' for the future of girls' schooling in Afghanistan.

'It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays.

'For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching,' the UN's children's agency UNICEF said.

Since a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001, significant progress has been made in girls' education, with the number of schools tripling and female literacy nearly doubling to 30 per cent - however, the change was largely limited to the cities

The new regime has also permitted women to go to private universities, though with tough restrictions on their clothes and movement (pictured a militant escorts veiled women during a pro-Taliban protest on September 11)

Primary schools have already reopened, with boys and girls mostly attending separate classes and some women teachers returning to work.

The new regime has also permitted women to go to private universities, though with tough restrictions on their clothes and movement.

In a further sign that the Taliban's approach to women and girls had not softened, they appeared to have shut down the government's ministry of women's affairs and replaced it with a department notorious for enforcing strict religious doctrine during their first rule.

In Kabul on Friday, workers were seen raising a sign for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice at the old Women's Affairs building in the capital.

Videos posted to social media showed women workers from the ministry protesting outside after losing their jobs.

Officials in the new ministry said they had not been informed whether a new women's ministry was being planned.

No official from the Taliban responded to requests for comment.

Works in the Afghan capital covered the women's ministry signs for a replacement in a mixture of Dari and Arabic, reading 'Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice'

Although still marginalised, Afghan women have fought for and gained basic rights in the past 20 years, becoming lawmakers, judges, pilots and police officers.

Hundreds of thousands have entered the workforce - a necessity in some cases as many women were widowed or now support invalid husbands as a result of decades of conflict.

The Taliban have shown little inclination to honour those rights - no women have been included in the government and many have been stopped from returning to work.

Meanwhile, a top United States general admitted it had made a 'mistake' when it launched a drone strike against suspected Islamic State (IS) militants in Kabul last month, instead killing 10 civilians, including children.

The strike during the final days of the US pullout was meant to target a suspected IS operation that US intelligence believed with 'reasonable certainty' was planning to attack Kabul airport, said US Central Command commander General Kenneth McKenzie.

'The strike was a tragic mistake,' McKenzie told reporters after an investigation.

McKenzie said the government was looking into how payments for damages could be made to the families of those killed.

'I offer my deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed,' US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement.

Head of US Central Command General Frank McKenzie admitted it had made a 'mistake' when it launched a drone strike against suspected Islamic State (IS) militants in Kabul last month, instead killing 10 civilians, including children

Ahmadi had been getting water jugs out of his car to bring home to his family. As he pulled into the driveway of the home he shared with his family and three of his brothers' families, several of his children and his brothers' children ran out to greet him

A damaged vehicle is at the site of the U.S. airstrike in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan

The UN Security Council voted Friday to extend the UN political mission in Afghanistan for six months, with a focus on development issues but not peacekeeping.

Meanwhile on Saturday, staff from the World Bank's 100 million dollar (72 million) Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Programme were escorted off the grounds in Kabul.

A programme member, Sharif Akhtar, who was escorted out with his staff, could not say how or if the programme would continue.

Meanwhile, witnesses said a series of three explosions targeting Taliban vehicles in the capital of Nangarhar province left at least three dead and 20 wounded.

No one immediately claimed the attack in Jalalabad, but the the affiliate of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, Isis-K, which opposes the Taliban rulers, is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan.

It was not clear whether Taliban officials were among the dead and wounded.

Also on Saturday, a sticky bomb exploded in Kabul, wounding two people, said police.
A father cried out 'is this really happening' after finding his three daughters dead at his new home in New Zealand days after being release from quarantine, his neighbours have said.

Orthopaedic surgeon Graham Dickason 'wailed' after finding two-year-old twins Karla and Maya and their older sister Liane, six, at their home in Timaru.

Mr Dickason discovered the tragedy shortly before 10pm on Thursday when he returned home after attending a work function at Timaru Hospital.

His churchgoing wife Lauren, 40, a fellow doctor, stood silently while appearing in the dock at Timaru District Court last night after being accused of murder.

Mrs Dickason looked drawn and distressed as she entered no plea and was remanded to a secure mental health unit until her next appearance, at Timaru High Court on October 5.

The couple, married for 15 years, had only been released from 14 days enforced Covid quarantine in a hotel following their life-changing flight from South Africa to start a new life days before the alleged murders.

Neighbours speculated stress after being quarantined 'for so long' could have left Mrs Dickason unable to cope.

The young family (pictured together) had just moved to New Zealand from Pretoria, South Africa and recently finished their 14-day hotel quarantine

There was nothing in their background to suggest a troubled family, according to their long-standing nanny in Pretoria, Mendy Sibanyoni

The children's father Graham Dickason, who is an orthopaedic surgeon, had returned to their Timaru home at around 10pm on Thursday where he discovered the children's bodies. Pictured: Graham and Lauren

Neighbours in Timaru described distressed wailing shortly after Mr Dickason arrived home on Thursday night and watched as he was consoled by another doctor who lived next door.

His wife was taken to hospital after police arrived minutes later.

Mr Dickason was heard by neighbours screaming 'is this really happening?' when he arrived home.

'The first noise we heard was somebody sobbing, and then we heard a loud thud like someone just slammed a door,' the neighbour Jade Whaley told Stuff.

'We could see someone through our fence wandering behind the house and wailing.'

Another resident, Karen Cowper, described hearing a man crying and saying 'is this really happening?'.

'We asked him if he was okay. He did not respond to us and was screaming and crying hysterically,' Ms Cowper said.

A former neighbour in South Africa, who did not want to be named, said the couple were very 'grateful' for their children.

'They absolutely adored those children. They were so grateful for having them because they struggled to get pregnant and when they finally got the children, they loved them,' the neighbour said.

'Something just doesn't add up. I don't know if it's the stress from New Zealand, moving there, being quarantined for so long and everything - just not coping with that going on.

Churchgoing doctor Lauren Dickason, who struggled for years to get pregnant, appeared in court last night charged with murdering her three young daughters. Above: Mrs Dickason with husband Graham, two-year-old twins Karla and Maya and their older sister Liane, six

Many details were suppressed under New Zealand law and no cause of death for any of the three girls has emerged. Above: Mrs Dickason's children

Just four months ago, Mrs Dickason had paid a loving public tribute to her husband on Facebook, writing: 'Happy 15th wedding anniversary ... What an adventure,' she wrote

'So I think whatever happened is not normal, it wasn't normal circumstances,' the neighbour said.

The girls' grandmother said the family was struggling to comprehend what had happened.

'It hasn't actually sunk in yet. We're in a terrible state of shock. We are devastated,' she told Stuff.

But the couple's long-standing nanny in Pretoria Mendy Sibanyoni said there was nothing in their background to suggest a troubled family.

Both parents had 'loved their kids like nobody's business,' said Mrs Sebanyoni, who Mrs Dickason had described in a Facebook as an 'angel'.

Just four months ago, Mrs Dickason had paid a loving public tribute to her husband on Facebook, writing: 'Happy 15th wedding anniversary ... What an adventure,' she wrote.

'We have truly created a beautiful family and had many good times together. May the next years be more blessed, more happy and may the kids let us sleep.'

Through her lawyer, she initially applied for name suppression but withdrew the application after media objections.

Many details were suppressed under New Zealand law and no cause of death for any of the three girls has emerged.

A photograph posted on social media on August 30 (pictured) showing the three girls happily clutching little kiwi cuddly toys with excited smiles as they arrived in the country

Judge Dominic Dravitzki ordered a report under New Zealand's Crimes Act to ascertain Mrs Dickason's state of mind at the time of the killings.

She was led from the cells wearing a light grey hoodie and black trousers to make a brief appearance to hear the charges for the first time last night.

Mrs Dickason did not speak during the hearing but nodded briefly when listening to her solicitor Kelly Beazley.

'I'm torn apart. Part off me is gone,' Mrs Sebanyoni told South African media. 'And it's like those kids, they are my kids too because I raised them. They were such nice children.

'I don't know what to do about this because the only question that I've got now is, what happened? What went wrong?

'I never saw any fight in that family or anything. We treated each other as family. I was family too. There was nothing wrong.'

Mrs Sebanyoni, who had tried unsuccessfully to contact Mr Dickason in New Zealand, said the three girls were all polite and well-mannered.

'They listened when you told them not to do that, and when they wanted something they would ask,' she said.

'We used to play outside and take a walk on the streets. When I come in they used to be excited that Mendy is here. They would say goodbye to their mother and 'we are going to play with Mendy.'

A former neighbour said the couple had struggled to conceive their children and were dedicated and loving parents. Pictured: Police tape protects the scene on Queen Street in Timaru, New Zealand's South Island

Mrs Dickason was described as 'very humble' and 'the nicest person', by a former neighbour in Pretoria.

'I cannot comprehend what happened  she is a medical doctor and she wasn't arrogant or anything like that.

'She was very humble,' former colleague and neighbour, Natasja le Roux, told the Sunday Times in South Africa.

'She was really just a nice person, she and her husband.'

According to information on her Facebook page, Mrs Dickason went to Pretoria High School for Girls before reading medicine at Cape Town University.

She graduated in 2004. In 2007 she became a GP at Pretoria East Hospital Orthopaedic Theatre.

The former neighbour said the couple had struggled to conceive their children and were dedicated and loving parents.

'They waited years for those children because she had troubles with fertility and stuff, so it really is a big shock,' Mrs le Roux said.

In South Africa, the girls' grandmother said the family was struggling to comprehend what had happened. Pictured: The twins, Maya and Karla and sister, Liane

The only sign of distress in Mrs Dickason's life came in a Facebook post in March which referred to mental illness suffered by Hollywood stars Demi Lovato, Robin Williams and Carrie Fisher.

Underlined in red was a section which read: 'Unfortunately we live in a world where if you break a bone everyone comes to sign the cast but if you tell people you're depressed they run the other way.'

A photograph posted on social media on August 30 shows the three girls happily clutching little kiwi cuddly toys with beaming smiles as they arrived in the country.

Canterbury Police District Commander Superintendent John Price said the family appeared to have few contacts in New Zealand.

Earlier this month the mother took to social media asking for help as they prepared for the move.

She had asked for advice about buying furniture in Timaru and wanted to know which schools would be best for her children.

Detective Inspector Scott Anderson said NZ Police was 'speaking with people from the address and no-one else is being sought at this time'.

The deaths are the second tragedy in as many months to befall the South Island community.

Last month, five teenage boys were killed in a one-car crash in which only the 19-year-old driver survived.
Locked-down Sydney-siders could soon be able to enter a 'lottery' to win a free holiday at locations across the city.

Western Sydney Business Chamber director, David Borger, put forward the bold new proposal to the NSW government during a meeting of business leaders and ministers in an effort to revive the once bustling city.

If funding is approved, residents will be afforded the opportunity to explore Sydney surrounds in a staycation style holiday.

The lottery could be a great option for those in need of a break as post-lockdown bookings for hotspots such as Byron Bay fill up fast.

Sydney-siders could soon enter a lottery to win a hotel staycation as the state plans to revive the city out of lockdown

The idea was drawn up to relieve workers clocked up annual-leave balances from the last 18 months - which would have otherwise been used on domestic and international travel.

A 'lottery' would also alleviate companies with significant liabilities while encouraging holiday-makers back to hotels that suffered an 'image crisis' as part of the state's quarantine program.

The proposal would be part of an economic plan to revive the city hit hardest by Covid-19 restrictions as businesses and residents remain locked-down for almost three months.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet, who was present at the meeting told The Daily Telegraph they were in the process of reviewing ideas to help the city 'bounce back from the pandemic'.

The idea was drawn up to relieve workers who accrued annual-leave balances over the last 18 months

'We know people and businesses throughout the state have been doing it tough and we want to get as much of NSW up and running as safely and quickly as possible,' he said.

'These areas of Sydney are the economic engine room of NSW and having endured some of the harshest restrictions we need to get it firing again.'

The proposed plan comes as holiday-makers are forced to turn their sights on home holiday spots with border closures forcing many residents to look within the state.

Holidaymakers are forced to turn their sights on home holiday spots with international and domestic border closures forcing many residents to look within the state

Naturally, New South Wales residents have turned to holiday hotspot Byron Bay for its relaxed vibes and easygoing lifestyle.

Its beaches have made it the perfect holiday destination and Hollywood local Chris Hemsworth has no doubt added to the appeal by calling the coastal town his home.

Its superstar status has attracted residents throughout the December/January period with over 95 per cent of accomodation rented according to Booking.com's website.
France's ambassador to Australia has described as a 'huge mistake' Australia's surprise cancellation of a major submarine contract in favor of a US deal, as the diplomat prepared to leave the country in an unprecedented show of anger among the allies.

French envoy Jean-Pierre Thebault delivered his comments Saturday as he left his residence in the capital of Canberra.

'This has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership,' Thebault said, explaining that the arms agreement between Paris and Canberra was supposed to be based 'on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity.'

Paris recalled its ambassadors to Australia and the United States on Friday to protest a deal among the United States, Australia and Britain to supply Australia with a fleet of at least eight nuclear-power submarines.

France's Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault gestures as he arrives at Sydney Airport, Saturday

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks on as Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and U.S. President Joe Biden bump elbows

The deal scraps a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) contract with French majority state-owned Naval Group, signed in 2016, to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines.

'I would like to be able to run into a time machine and be in a situation where we don't end up in such an incredible, clumsy, inadequate, un-Australian situation,' the French ambassador added.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payn's office earlier had issued a statement responding to the diplomat's recall and noting Canberra's 'regret' over its ally's withdrawal of its representative.

'Australia understands France's deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests,' the statement said. It added that Australia values its relationship with France and looked forward to future engagements together.

Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton are currently in the United States for annual talks with their U.S. counterparts and their first with President Joe Biden's administration.

The deal scraps a 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) contract with French majority state-owned Naval Group, signed in 2016, to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines

Thebault, the French Ambassador to Australia has been recalled to Paris, over the surprise cancellation of a submarine contract between Australia and France

Thebault on Saturday described as a 'huge mistake' Australia's surprise cancellation of a major submarine contract in favor of a U.S. deal

Before he was recalled, French envoy Thebault said on Friday he found out about the U.S. submarine deal: 'Like everybody, thanks to the Australian press.'

'We never were informed about any substantial changes,' Thebault said. 'There were many opportunities and many channels. Never was such a change mentioned.'

After the U.S. deal was made public this week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he told French President Emanuel Macron in June that there were 'very real issues about whether a conventional submarine capability' would address Australias strategic security needs in the Indo-Pacific.

French Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault speaks during a TV interview in Canberra, Australia

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington

Morrison has not specifically referred to China's massive military buildup which had gained pace in recent years.

Morrison was in Paris on his way home from a Group of Seven nations summit in Britain where he had talks with soon-to-be-alliance partners Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Thebault said he had also been at the meeting with Macron and Morrison.

Morrison mentioned 'there were changes in the regional situation,' but gave no indication that Australia was considering changing to nuclear propulsion, Thebault said.

France's Ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault arrives at Sydney Airport, Saturday

'Everything was supposed to be done in full transparency between the two partners,' he added.

Thebault said difficulties the project had encountered were normal for its scale and large transfers of technologies.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement on Friday that recalling the two ambassadors, on request from Macron, 'is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements' made by Australia and the United States.

Le Drian said Australias decision to scrap the submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology is 'unacceptable behavior between allies and partners.'

Senior opposition lawmaker Mark Dreyfus called on the Australian government to fix its relationship with France.

'The impact on our relationship with France is a concern, particularly as a country with important interests in our region,' Dreyfus said.

'The French were blindsided by this decision and Mr. Morrison should have done much more to protect the relationship,' he added.
A clever mum has shared her simple hack for keeping strawberries fresh for up to three weeks, making them the perfect treat for picnics.

As prices for strawberries plunge to as low as $1.00 a punnet, shoppers have been snapping up the popular fruit across the country.

Despite the affordable price, strawberries can be tricky to store and can often spoil after a few days in the fridge if left in their containers.

But one mum has found a simple and easy solution to keeping the strawberries fresh while storing them for longer.

A mum has shared her ingenious hack for storing strawberries for longer - by keeping them in a glass jar (pictured)

'It took me 36 years to find out that if you put strawberries in glass jars, they last forever!' She posted on Facebook.

'These ones, no word of a lie, are over 3 weeks old. From the superstore. I'm lucky if I get them to last 5 days before they start to turn when I buy them from there. I don't know who else knows this trick but if you don't, you're welcome!'

Facebook users praised the woman for her simple and clever storage trick.

'It has worked so far I'm on day six,' wrote one person.

'I do this with all berries/grapes. Lasts so much longer,' commented another.

'Thanks for sharing have been getting cheap strawberries lately so will try this trick,' added a third.

Despite the affordable price, strawberries can be tricky to store and can often spoil after a few days in the fridge if left in their containers

The hack comes as strawberry prices fall around Australia due to Covid-19 lockdowns causing shoppers to buy less fruit.

Earlier this month, The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association placed a call out on social media calling on customers to take advantage of the bargain.

'Queensland Strawberry farmers need you to buy strawberries at the craziest low prices ever!' It said.

'Every punnet you buy will help strawberry farmers to stay afloat and tackle over-supply issues and food wastage. With prices per punnet as low as $1.00, head to your local fruit shop or supermarket today to help save our strawberries.'
Bomb blasts in Afghanistan's ISIS-K heartland has killed two and injured up to 20 more in the first deadly attack since US and British withdrew last month.

Three explosions rocked the eastern provincial capital Jalalabad on Saturday in attacks targeting Taliban vehicles.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.

Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K claimed last months' bomb attack on Kabul Airport that killed more than 170, including 13 US Marines.

Three injured in the blast were civilians and 16 were Taliban fighters, some of whom are in a critical condition.

Also on Saturday a sticky bomb exploded in the capital Kabul, wounding two. The target of the bomb was not immediately clear.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS insurgents would further stretch their resources.

Bomb blasts in Afghanistan's ISIS-K heartland has killed two and injured up to 20 more in the first deadly attack since US and British withdrew last month

Three explosions rocked the eastern provincial capital Jalalabad on Saturday in attacks targeting Taliban vehicles, though most of the victims were civilians according to local media (pictured, Nangarhar Regional Specialization Hospital where victims are being treated)

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the women's affairs ministry, announcing it was now the 'Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.'

Staff of the World Bank's $100 million Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program, which was run out of the Women's Affairs Ministry, were escorted off the grounds Saturday, said program member Sharif Akhtar, who was among those being removed.

Mabouba Suraj, who heads the Afghan Women's Network, said she was astounded by the flurry of orders released by the Taliban-run government restricting women and girls.

Works in the Afghan capital covered the women's ministry signs for a replacement in a mixture of Dari and Arabic, reading 'Ministries of Prayer and Guidance and the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice'

Meanwhile, the Taliban-run education ministry asked boys from grades 7-12 back to school Saturday along with their male teachers but there was no mention of girls in those grades returning to school.

Previously, the Taliban's minister of higher education minister, had said girls would be given equal access to education, albeit in gender-segregated settings.

'It is becoming really, really troublesome. ... Is this the stage where the girls are going to be forgotten?' Suraj said. 'I know they don't believe in giving explanations, but explanations are very important.'

Suraj speculated that the contradictory statements perhaps reflect divisions within the Taliban as they seek to consolidate their power, with the more pragmatic within the movement losing out to hard-liners among them, at least for now.

Statements from the Taliban leadership often reflect a willingness to engage with the world, open public spaces to women and girls and protect Afghanistan's minorities. But orders to its rank and file on the ground are contradictory. Instead restrictions, particularly on women, have been implemented.

Suraj, an Afghan American who returned to Afghanistan in 2003 to promote women's rights and education, said many of her fellow activists have left the country.

She said she stayed in an effort to engage with the Taliban and find a middle ground, but until now has not been able to get the Taliban leadership to meet with activists who have remained in the country to talk with women about the way forward.

'We have to talk. We have to find a middle ground,' she said.

Girls were excluded from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan on Saturday, after the country's new Taliban rulers ordered only boys and male teachers back to the classroom

'All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions,' a statement said ahead of classes resuming Saturday. The statement, issued late Friday, made no mention of women teachers or girl pupils

Also on Saturday, an international flight by Pakistan's national carrier left Kabul's airport with 322 passengers on board and a flight by Iran's Mahan Air departed with 187 passengers on board, an airport official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said the two flights departed Saturday morning. The identities and nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

The international flights were the latest to depart Kabul in the past week as technical teams from Qatar and Turkey have worked to get the airport up to standard for international commercial aircraft.

A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, according to Washington's peace envoy, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic US troop pullout from the country.
A man was allegedly abducted and stabbed before being dumped on the side of a road.

The man believed to be aged in his 20s is now in a serious condition in hospital after the alleged attack in Merrylands, in Sydney's west at about 7pm on Saturday night.

His alleged attackers left him on the side of Wellington Road in nearby Birrong, next to a public swimming pool.

Shocking footage shows a shirtless man lying lifelessly on the side of the street as police and paramedics tend to him.

A man was allegedly abducted and stabbed before being dumped on the side of a road in Sydney's west

Paramedics placed the man on a stretcher before transporting him to hospital in a serious condition

His right arm appeared to be covered in blood and had plastic wrapped around it.

Paramedics cut through the man's tracksuit pants and removed the plastic before placing him on a stretcher and rushing him to hospital.

He remains in a serious condition and is being treated for stab wounds to his upper body.

Investigations are continuing and anyone with information is urged to contact Bankstown police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The man's right arm appeared to be covered in blood as paramedics treated him
Right-wing activist Laura Loomer is calling for prayers as she claims her COVID-19 symptoms are 'brutal' after attesting the virus was no worse than food poisoning.

The unvaccinated activist, 28, claimed she had body aches and nausea.

She wrote on Gettr - a social media platform created by former Trump spokesperson Jason Miller: 'Just pray for me please. Can't even begin to explain how brutal the body aches and nausea that come with covid are. I am in so much pain. This is honestly the worst part about it.'

She told fans on the conservative social media platform that she has a fever, chills, a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, severe body aches, and feels like she 'got hit by a bus.'

She later wrote on her Telegram page that she has taken Regeneron, Azithromycin, and Hydroxychloroquine, or HCQ, to treat her symptoms.

Right-wing activist Laura Loomer has contracted COVID-19, telling her fans she feels like she 'got hit by a bus,' but doesn't plan on getting the vaccine

Loomer revealed she'd contracted COVID-19 and asked people to pray for her

In December 2020, Loomer said that a bad bout of food poisoning was more life-threatening than COVID-19

More than what she bargained for: Loomer claimed earlier this year that getting COVID-19 wasn't as bad as food poisoning from 'bad fajitas' and she hope she would get the virus to prove it

She also said she hopes to 'be ivermectin soon too,' which is used to treat roundworm in humans.

Several studies have found these drugs are ineffective treatments for COVID-19 and patients are advised against using it.

Hydroxychloroquine, which can cause heart problems, is commonly paired with Azithromycin, which the US National Library of Medicine advises to only use for community-acquired pneumonia.

Regeneron, one of the experimental drugs former President Donald Trump used when he caught the virus, is only effective when the virus is detected early and prescribed by a doctor, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Previously, Loomer had said she wanted to contract the virus simply to prove it was no worst than a case of food poisoning from 'bad fajitas.'

She claimed that she was hospitalized for food poisoning because she was 'so dehydrated' and could 'barely breath.'

She justified it as worse than the virus that has killed more than 670,000 people, because 'people get COVID and don't even know they have COVID.'

Loomer reported she had fever, chills, a runny nose, sore throat, nausea, and severe body aches after testing positive for COVID-19

Loomer has continuously made anti-vaccine comments across Gettr and Telegram. She questioned the validity of vaccines and suspected it will 'have killed more people than COVID'

An estimated 20 to 30 per cent of COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, according to UC Health.

Loomer also claimed the virus to be the 'biggest hoax of our lives besides the 2020 election' and warned others 'you can't escape the vaccine propaganda.'

She told her fans she does not plan on getting the vaccine, even after contracting the virus, because she claimed she will have 'natural immunity.'

'I have COVID, and I don't regret not taking the vaccine. I will never take the vaccine. I will now have natural immunity, Regeneron antibodies, and within a few days of rest along with my ZPACK, the HCQ, combined vitamin supplements (zinc, C, D, NAC), and hopefully some ivermectin soon, I'm confident I will have a speedy recovery,' she wrote on Telegram.

More than 60 per cent of the US has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the US due to the highly contagious delta variant.

The US currently has an almost 149,000 weekly average of new cases and the death toll has reached 673,000.

More than 670,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic

More than 41.7 million Americans have contracted COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic

Moderna President Stephen Hoge said the Delta variant 'is just so good at infecting people' that 'raises the bar' for good vaccines, he told CNBC.

Breakthrough cases are popping up due to the variant, which was once thought nearly impossible.

Booster shots are slowly becoming available across the US with Modern Family star Sarah Hyland, who suffers from kidney problems and is immunocompromised, receiving hers.

The FDA on Friday endorsed booster shots for the immunocompromised and those over 65.
An investigation has begun to find origin of the case of mad cow disease that was identified on a farm in Somerset on Friday.

Officials said the dead animal had been removed from the unnamed farm in southwest England, adding there was 'no risk to food safety'.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) said they will launch a 'thorough investigation of the herd, the premises, potential sources of infection and will produce a full report on the incident in due course'.

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said: 'The UK's overall risk status for BSE remains at 'controlled' and there is no risk to food safety or public health.'

The APHA are set to launch 'thorough investigation' into mad cow disease on Somerset farm Case was confirmed on Friday and the dead animal had already been removed (file photo)

Five cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, have been identified in Britain since 2014.

However, APHA added that all of the confirmed cases have been in animals not destined for the human food chain and posed no risk to the general public.

Yesterday's case is first since 2018, when disease was found on a farm in Scotland.

The agency said precautionary movement restrictions have been put in place to stop the movement of livestock in the area while further investigations continue to identify the origin of the disease.

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said the dead animal was tested as part of 'TSE [transmissible spongiform encephalopathies] surveillance controls'.

She added: 'This is further proof that our surveillance system for detecting and containing this type of disease is working.

'We recognise this will be a traumatic time for the farmer and we are on hand to offer advice through this difficult period.

'The UK's overall risk status for BSE remains at 'controlled' and there is no risk to food safety or public health.'

A spokesperson for the Food Standards Agency said: 'There are strict controls in place to protect consumers from the risk of BSE, including controls on animal feed, and removal of the parts of cattle most likely to carry BSE infectivity.

Millions of cattle were culled and cremated in the UK in the 1990s during a BSE epidemic which was infecting more than 30,000 cows a year at its peak

'Consumers can be reassured that these important protection measures remain in place and that Food Standards Agency Official Veterinarians and Meat Hygiene Inspectors working in all abattoirs in England will continue to ensure that the safety of consumers remains the top priority.'

Millions of cattle were culled in the UK in the 1990s during a BSE epidemic which was infecting more than 30,000 cows a year at its peak.

Strict controls were introduced to protect consumers after it was linked to a fatal condition in humans called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD.

It was first discovered in 1984 in Sussex and in the ensuing outbreak British beef exports were banned, cows were culled and people died because of a brain illness caused by BSE.

All beef exports from Britain were banned by the European Union during the outbreak and the ban wasn't lifted until 2006. Above: Culled cows in 1996

The first cow to be diagnosed, known as cow 133, had an arched back, had lost weight, suffered tremors and lost its co-ordination  it died within six weeks.

Officials found giving cows 'cannibal' feed with protein from other cows or sheep was the cause of BSE, so banned the practice in 1989.

The Government ordered that infected cows be killed but only offered a 50 per cent compensation to farmers, leading some of them to illegally sell infected animals for human food.

By 1992 and 1993, thousands of cows were infected. In those two years alone, 72,370 cows in the UK were found to have mad cow disease.

By 1996, people had begun to die from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, which occurs in the brain of people infected with mad cow disease.

In the same year, all beef exports from Britain were banned by the European Union and the ban wasn't lifted until 2006.

Cows over the age of 30 months were ordered to be killed to halt the spread of the disease  called the Over Thirty Months Scheme.
Emergency rooms across the United States are seeing a noticeable influx in habitual marijuana users - including teenagers - being admitted for uncontrollable vomiting and intestinal distress, a new study reveals.

The condition, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, has been particularly evident in the 17 states where marijuana is legalized, according to CNN.

'They are writhing, holding their stomach, complaining of really bad abdominal pain and nausea,' said Dr. Sam Wang, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and toxicologist who treats teens with the condition at Children's Hospital Colorado.

'They vomit and then just continue to vomit whatever they have in their stomach, which can go on for hours.'

'They often say they took a scalding hot shower before they came to the ER but it didn't help. That's when we know we may have a case of cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, or CHS,' Wang added.

The condition, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, has been particularly evident in the 17 states where marijuana is legalized, according to CNN

Pictured: Map of marijuana legality by state

Study: Increase in uncontrollable vomiting linked to marijuana use Cannabis hyperemesis syndromewas (CHS) was first identified by a group of Australian researchers in 2004, when they studied 19 chronic marijuana users who had complained of repeated cases of retching and abdominal pain. Over half of the study group said they felt relief from hot showers or baths. 'Patients often say, 'You know, it's always in the evening when I get this nausea, vomiting,' Wang said. 'So they tell me, 'I go take a hot shower, and it gets better, then it happens again the next night.' 'It's pretty universal for these patients to say they need a really, really hot shower, or a really hot bath, to improve their symptoms,' he said. Researchers believe that since cannabis has access to the body's pain receptors, exposing the body to extreme heat may distract it and interrupt the pain cycle, according to CNN. Treatment for CHS typically consists of anti-nausea medication along with fluid IVs to help treat dehydration from the vomiting. However, patients admitted for CHS also must undergo a series of tests to better identify the diagnosis, including CT scans, endoscopy, blood and urine tests and gastric emptying tests, among others. Advertisement

The volume of CHS cases has skyrocketed over the years, with more than 800,000 cases of reported vomiting in Colorado between 2013 and 2018 alone, making for a 29 percent increase since marijuana was legalized in the state back in 2012, according to Wang's analysis, which was published Friday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.

And the study found that teens and young adults are being hit particularly hard by the condition, with over a third of the vomiting cases occurred in people 25 years of age and younger.

'This is not a rare problem,' Wang said.

'When an adolescent comes in with cyclical abdominal pain and vomiting, my colleagues know to ask about cannabis use. It's a pretty common practice to see this and diagnose and treat it.'

Treatment for CHS typically consists of anti-nausea medication along with fluid IVs to help treat dehydration from the vomiting.

However, patients admitted for CHS also must undergo a series of tests to better identify the diagnosis, including CT scans, endoscopy, blood and urine tests and gastric emptying tests, among others.

Dr. Wang says some of the younger CHS patients can be re-admitted multiple times due to the condition, forcing them to undergo such tests, which are oftentimes expensive and unpleasant.

'For some of our kids, this is their fifth ER visit in the past two months, with symptoms that they can't control,' Wang said.

Medical professionals say patients who wait too long to be treated for the condition are potentially putting their lives at risk.

'Regardless of whether it's cannabis hyperemesis syndrome or another virus that makes you vomit a lot, if you let it go too long, you can have electrolyte disturbances, go into shock and have organ failure. CHS is no different,' Wang said.

As more states pass legislation to legalize recreational marijuana, the issue of CHS could become even more prevalent, warns Dr. Wang.

A recent Pew survey found that 60 percent of US adults believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use

In the US, 17 states (and the District of Columbia) have legalized recreational marijuana for adults.

Meanwhile, three dozen states and several US territories have medical marijuana laws on the books, as well.

A recent Pew survey found that 60 percent of US adults believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use.
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The Biden administration has begun preparing deportation flights to Haiti in order to curb the number of undocumented migrants flooding into Del Rio, Texas, after nearly 14,000 immigrants began camping in the area as thousand continue to arrive.

Department of Homeland Security officials are planning as many as eight flights per day to Haiti, starting on Sunday, about a week since President Joe Biden cancelled repatriation flights to Haiti.

Haiti - which is recovering from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people and damaged more than 100,000 homes - is prepared to only accept at least three flights a day, but Biden's administration will push for the eight, The Washington Post reported.

Despite the oncoming deportation blitz, thousands of Haitian continue to cross the US-Mexico border, wading through dark waters of the Rio Grande in order to reach America.

Haitian immigrants are continuing to cross the Rio Grande to get to the US while the nation prepares an immigration blitz against the 14,000 Haitian who are arriving in Texas

The migrants wade through the river Friday night to cross from Ciudad Acuna, Mexico

The desperate migrants stuff their belongings into a plastic bag and jump into the river

A Haitian father can be seen carrying his son on his shoulder on Friday as they cross the river

The migrants are attempting to escape the political upheaval and natural disaster that left Haiti devastated in July and August

Another US official added that the deportation flights were not a targeted measure against Haitian immigrants, but merely the application of the US law to swiftly return the influx of migrants.

Under Title 42 of the US pandemic enforcement measures, the nation is allowed to conduct a rapid expulsion of migrants who cross the Mexican border illegally.

'This isn't about any one country or country of origin,' a US official told the Post. 'This is about enforcing border restrictions on those who continue to enter the country illegally and put their lives and the lives of the federal workforce at risk.'

While a federal judge block the used of Title 42 on Thursday, the stay does not go into effect for two weeks, allowing the administration enough time to conduct more than 100 deportation flights.

The Biden administration had also filed an appeal on Friday.

One migrant was seen stuffing his belongings in a black, plastic bag before jumping into the Rio Grande on Friday night to make the journey with his fellow Haitians

More than 195,000 migrants have made the trek into the US this past year

Most of the migrants come from Haiti, with Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans also making the trip into the US

U.S. authorities encountered more than 195,000 migrants at the Mexican border in August, near a 20-year high

The Post reported that the deportation measure would be in acted in hopes of discouraging immigrants from making the trip to America, but migrants continue the journey regardless of the consequences.

U.S. authorities encountered more than 195,000 migrants at the Mexican border in August, according to government data released on Wednesday.

14,000 of them are camped out beneath a bridge in Del Rio and are mostly Haitian with some Cubans, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans also present.

Haiti is in the midst of its own humanitarian crisis after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on August 14, which killed more than 2,200 people and damaged or destroyed more than 100,000 homes.

The impoverished country is also being wracked by fresh political instability caused by the assassination of its former president Jovenel Moise in June, with the island's prime minister Ariel Henry since named as a suspect in the investigation.

After aerial drone images of the growing camp surfaced Thursday morning, the Federal Aviation Administration, overseen by Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, imposed a two-week flight restriction banning drones from flying in the area, citing unspecified security concerns.

The Haitian immigrants have set up make-shift camps in Del Rio Texas as they seek asylum

The tents are made from nearby sticks and the sheets the migrants brought along

Some are using Carrizo cane to construct sturdier tents as they wait to be granted asylum

Critics of the administration immediately accused the administration of censorship. 'It really is ridiculous. I've never seen anything like that,' Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, told Fox News of the FAA ruling.

'The drone footage started this morning, and people all across the country were horrified, and I guess the political operatives at the Biden White House saw that,' Cruz said in an interview from near the migrant camp.

The FAA told DailyMail.com in a statement on Thursday night: 'The Border Patrol requested the temporary flight restriction due to drones interfering with law enforcement operations.'

Food and water has been scarce in the makeshift camp, around 20 migrants told Reuters, and temperatures have risen to around 99 Fahrenheit.

Border Patrol said in a statement it was increasing staffing in Del Rio to facilitate a 'safe, humane and orderly process.' Drinking water, towels and portable toilets have been provided, the statement added, while migrants wait to be transported to facilities.

Amid the surge of the highly infectious Delta variant, the crowded conditions of the camp also raised concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 outbreaks endangering the health of the migrants

Attempting to escape the sweltering heat, migrants bathe in the Rio Grande river near the International Bridge on Thursday

Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. rest near the International Bridge between Mexico and the U.S. on Thursday

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Thursday that he directed state troopers and the Texas National Guard 'to shut down six points of entry along the southern border' at the request of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, before reversing himself and blaming the confusion on the Biden administration.

'Six hours after U.S. Customs and Border Protection requested help from Texas to close ports of entry and secure the border, the Biden Administration has now flip-flopped to a different strategy that abandons border security and instead makes it easier for people to cross illegally and for cartels to exploit the border,' Abbott said in a statement.

'The Biden Administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan. I have directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings,' added the governor.
CCTV purporting to show two women manipulating ballots at a St Petersburg polling station has emerged hours after President Putin's foes accused the Kremlin of brazen attempts to rig Russia's three-day election.

Footage appears to show two women placing extra voting cards into the ballot box after the polling station closed on the first day of a three-day election on Friday.

The video emerged hours after the head of Russia's Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov accused Putin's supporters of ballot stuffing, trying to vote several times in one place or at multiple polling stations, and hiding fake votes among unsealed stores of unused ballot papers.

Meanwhile the elections commission said it had recorded three 'targeted attacks from abroad - two aimed at the centre's website and the third DDoS assault - since the three-day vote started yesterday.

The elections for the Russians parliament follows a campaign by the authorities to jail or disqualify prominent opposition candidates including leading Putin foe Alexei Navalny, who was first poisoned with a chemical agent and then locked up.

CCTV purporting to show two women manipulating ballots at a St Petersburg polling station has emerged hours after President Putin's foes accused the Kremlin of brazen attempts to rig Russia's three-day election

The video emerged hours after the head of Russia's Communist Party Gennady Zyuganov accused Putin's supporters of ballot stuffing, trying to vote several times in one place or at multiple polling stations, and hiding fake votes among unsealed stores of unused ballot papers

The elections for the Russians parliament follows a campaign by the authorities to jail or disqualify prominent opposition candidates including leading Putin foe Alexei Navalny, who was first poisoned with a chemical agent and then locked up

The Golos election-monitoring movement and independent media also reported violations including vote-buying and lax measures for guarding ballots at polling stations.

A CCTV camera in a polling station caught two women manipulating ballots at midnight when a St Petersburg polling station was closed.

In Mytishchi there were reports of electors being provided with pens to mark their ballots - but the ink later vanished, leaving the votes being open to fraud.

There were reports of unsealed or unsecured stores of unused ballot papers into which fake votes were stashed.

And some voters were reportedly caught trying to cast ballots at several polling stations, and others were seen voting several times in the same place.

One opposition activist reported: 'Total [ballot] stuffing continues in St. Petersburg.

'Criminals are not ashamed of anything and shove packs (of votes) right under the camera of the observers.

'They know perfectly well that they will not be punished, rather they will get promoted.'

Eyewitness Maksim Tikhonov witnessed a man carrying a pile of ballots at polling station and pushing away a female official when she queried his actions.

Eyewitness Maksim Tikhonov witnessed a man carrying a pile of ballots at polling station and pushing away a female official when she queried his actions

Another video shows two election officials in Osinniki, Kemerovo region allegedly transferring ballot papers

Another video shows two election officials in Osinniki, Kemerovo region allegedly transferring ballot papers.

When one of the women realises she is being filmed, she ducks under a table.

An observer at polling station 1806 in St Petersburg prevented a fraudster from submitting 15 ballots for a United Russia candidate, it was alleged.

More than 2,000 violations were recorded by pro-democracy watchdog Golos.

In Berdsk there were reports of people being offered cash to 'vote at the right polling station'. And record online voting was underway, triggering suspicions of abuse.

United Russia claimed that 99 per cent of messages about alleged violations were 'fakes'.

Russians headed to the polls yesterday (pictured, a woman voting in Irkutsk region) to elect a new parliament, with Putin's United Russia expected to remain in power

There were reports of unsealed or unsecured stores of unused ballot papers into which fake votes were stashed (pictured, electoral officials put ballots from a mobile box into secure bags)

But Communist party leader Gennady Zyuganov alleged 'a number of absolutely egregious facts' including ballot-stuffing.

Russian authorities claimed Western social media platforms were interfering in its affairs by not removing information related to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Navalny, who was detained in February and has seen his organisations banned and his top allies arrested or flee the country, has pushed a 'Smart Voting' strategy to defeat Kremlin-aligned politicians in the parliamentary elections.

Apple, Google and the Telegram messenger app caused an uproar in Russia on Friday after they blocked Navalny's voting apps and bot, which instructed his supporters which candidate they should back.

Critics say the Kremlin is set to retain a majority in the lower house State Duma vote through a mix of barring opposition candidates from the ballot and fixing the vote in its favour.

Allies of Navalny planned to use the mobile app (pictured) to organise a tactical voting campaign to deal a blow to United Russia, which is expected to win the election

Apple, Google and the Telegram messenger app caused an uproar in Russia on Friday after they blocked Navalny's voting apps and bot, which instructed his supporters which candidate they should back

But some projections suggest it could lose its current two-thirds majority, which is enough to change the constitution.

The Communists are expected to pick up the biggest share of any seats lost by United Russia.

Although the Communists generally support Kremlin initiatives in the parliament, their gaining seats would be a loss of face for United Russia.

The Communists are seen as potentially benefiting from the 'Smart Voting' program promoted by the team of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, which aims to undermine United Russia by advising voters on which candidates are in the strongest position to defeat the dominant party's candidates.

However, it's unclear how effective the program will be after Apple and Google removed Smart Voting apps from their stores under Kremlin pressure.

Authorities previously blocked access to its website.

Navalny's organisations have been declared extremist, blocking anyone associated with them from running for office, thereby eliminating most significant opposition from the election.

Meanwhile Russia claimed its online voting system was under attack from abroad.

Election commission head Ella Pamfilova said: 'Attacks are continuing, they are of a clearly targeted nature, we know that. We are cool about it and we shall fight it.'

On forced voting she said: 'We have received 137 reports from 45 regions about this.'

The elections commission said it had recorded three 'targeted attacks from abroad - two aimed at the centre's website and the third DDoS assault - since the three-day vote started yesterday

Moscow public election monitoring centre monitor the vote, taking place over the weekend in Russia

Head of the commission's centre for informatisation Alexander Sokolchuk described the attack as 'quite powerful' and said 'preparations' were underway for possible future attacks, but declined to name the countries involved.

Zyuganov said the party has tallied at least 44 incidents of voting violations and that the party has applied for permits to hold protests during the week after the voting ends Sunday.

On Saturday, the news website Znak said a resident of the Moscow region was offering 1,000 rubles ($15) to people who voted for United Russia.

The publication said it called the man, who said the payment would come if the caller provided evidence of his vote through a messaging app.
The shake-up of foreign travel has sparked a half-term booking frenzy with demand for holidays soaring by 200% and airlines offering deals 'far lower' than before the pandemic.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Friday that the traffic light system is to be replaced from October 4 by a single, reduced, 'red list' of destinations, from where travellers arriving in England will have to quarantine in a Government-supervised hotel.

People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning from non-red list destinations, and from the end of October they will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

The news sparked an instant booking frenzy - and online travel agency Skyscanner has revealed that airlines are offering incredible deals to Britons eager to go abroad.

An economy return flight to Italy for a single adult in October is priced at just 9, while the same trip to previously-red list Turkey is 66 before dropping to 44 in December.

A return trip to Croatia, Spain or Portugal in October is also priced at just 10, the travel agency revealed.

Gavin Harris, Skyscanner's Commercial Director, told MailOnline: 'At the moment, prices are generally very low compared to the last 'normal' year for travel which was 2019, so any temporary rises in price are likely still good deals.

'What we expect to see is that travel providers will be move capacity to serve the popular routes and compete for bookings with continued low prices and perks for travellers.'

Terminal 2 at Heathrow airport. With more relaxed Covid-19 travel restrictions coming into force the airport is busier than before

A return trip to Croatia, Spain or Portugal in October is priced at just 10, according to travel agency Skyscanner

The same trip to previously-red list Turkey is priced at 66 before dropping to 44 in December

Ministers today announced they are replacing the current international travel traffic light scheme with a simplified 'go and no-go' system as they also scrapped pre-departure tests for fully-vaccinated travellers returning to England

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Friday that the traffic light system is to be replaced from October 4 by a single, reduced, 'red list' of destinations

It comes as airlines revealed they had seen a huge surge in bookings after Mr Shapps announcement.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said bookings had spiked 'by more than 250%'.

He said Turkey is proving 'exceptionally popular', adding: 'Thanks to the certainty that yesterday's announcement has given customers, destinations right across the board are selling well, whether it's for late summer sun, winter or next summer. As you might expect, half term dates have also seen a surge in bookings for families.'

Alan French, chief executive of travel firm Thomas Cook, said October half-term bookings were up 200% compared with August and he expected this figure to increase as a result of the changed system.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of holiday company TUI UK, said he had already seen 'an uptick in bookings for Turkey in October' and expected a boost in customer confidence with the new rules.

The deals available on travel agency Skyscanner The following flights are return, economy flights available now on Skyscanner for a single adult. October Italy: 9 Croatia: 10 Spain: 10 Portugal: 10 Turkey: 66 UAE: 309 November Italy: 9 Croatia: 10 Spain: 10 Portugal: 12 Turkey: 52 UAE: 278 December Croatia: 9 Italy: 10 Portugal: 12 Spain: 12 Turkey: 44 UAE: 278 Advertisement

Skyscanner said it saw a 133% spike in traffic in the 30 minutes following Mr Shapps's announcement, while there had been 'huge increases' in searches for destinations such as Turkey and the Maldives in anticipation of Friday's news.

Under the changed travel system for England, unvaccinated passengers from non-red list countries will have to take a pre-departure test, and a PCR test on days two and eight after returning.

However, travellers who have a valid vaccination certificate from 17 additional countries and territories, including Japan and Singapore, will be treated as if they had been jabbed in the UK.

Meanwhile, eight countries, including Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives, are being removed from the red list with effect from 4am on Wednesday.

Travellers from Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya will also no longer be required to hotel quarantine from that date.

Mr Shapps said the measures were intended to strike the 'right balance', simplifying the system while managing the public health risk 'as No.1 priority'.

The unvaccinated face even tougher rules under the new regime in a bid by ministers to encourage more people to get jabbed.

Even when returning from countries on the 'go' list, they will have to isolate at home for ten days and take PCR tests on days two and eight.

They will still have the option of taking an extra post-arrival PCR test on the fifth day to be released from self-isolation early.

Reacting, Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: 'By reducing the number of red-list destinations and scrapping PCR testing, ministers have paved the way for people to get away this October half-term and into the winter following 18 months of uncertainty.'

John Holland-Kaye, chief executive of Heathrow, added: 'This simplification of the travel rules is very welcome for businesses and families across the country but the decision to require fully vaccinated passengers to take more costly private lateral flow tests is an unnecessary barrier to travel, which keeps the UK out of step with the rest of the EU.'

The shake-up will apply to England only, with Scotland last night saying it would not follow suit.

Skyscanner said it saw a 133% spike in traffic in the 30 minutes following Mr Shapps's announcement

Airlines revealed they had seen a huge surge in bookings after Mr Shapps announcement. An economy class return trip to Spain will cost you just 10 in October

A return trip for a single adult to Portugal in October is just 10, travel agency Skyscanner revealed

Holyrood said it had 'concerns at the impact on public health' of the changes and would not be adopting them. Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet said whether they will fall in line.

In a further boost for families, the new regime will carry over the current rules on children. It means under-18s will be treated as though they are fully jabbed, even if they are not.

However, returning holidaymakers will still be required to fill in a passenger locator form before travelling back to England.

What are the new travel rules from October 4 and how do they compare to the current traffic light system? As of October 4, the Government's travel traffic light system is being replaced with a simplified two-tier 'go/no-go' scheme. There will be a 'red list' of banned countries and a 'rest of the world' list for everywhere else. Travel to and from nations in the 'rest of the world' list will be easier but there will be different rules depending on vaccination status. This is how the new system will work: Travel from the 'rest of the world' if you are fully vaccinated Travellers must book and pay for a day two coronavirus test to be taken after arriving back in England. They do not need to take a pre-departure test before coming back to the country or take a day eight test. There is no quarantine requirement  assuming the day two test is negative. Travel from the 'rest of the world' if you are not fully vaccinated Travellers must take a pre-departure coronavirus test before coming back to England. They must also book and pay for a day two and day eight test. After arriving in England they must quarantine at home for 10 days. Travel from red list countries Normal travel from these countries remains banned and only UK nationals can return from them. Travellers must take a pre-departure test. They must also book and pay for a Government-backed quarantine hotel package. The stay in hotel quarantine will cost more than 2,000 and will involve two tests. The 'red list' rules apply regardless of vaccination status. WHAT IS CURRENTLY IN PLACE? RED: Travel to the UK from a red list country is banned for non-UK nationals. Britons returning to the UK must take a pre-departure test and book a ten-day stay in hotel quarantine including tests at a cost of 1,750. Countries include Brazil, Turkey, Bangladesh and South Africa. AMBER: A pre-departure test is required before heading to Britain while non-vaccinated people have to quarantine for ten days at home and book tests on day two and day 8. They can also pay for a day 5 test under the 'test to release' scheme. The fully-vaccinated do not have to isolate but they do have to book a day 2 test. Countries include Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. GREEN WATCHLIST: This is a category for countries which are at risk of losing their green status (see below). Countries include Barbados, Croatia and Israel. GREEN : Returning travellers must take a pre-departure test and book a day two test as well. Quarantine is not required for anyone unless the test is positive. Countries include Bulgaria, Canada , Iceland and Malta. Advertisement

They will need to prove they have ordered a day two lateral flow test and input their order number into the form. Free NHS lateral flow tests will not be available.

Announcing the move last night, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: 'Today's changes mean a simpler, more straightforward system.'

The shake-up means that the amber list is officially dead, with those countries joining 'green' nations in the new 'rest of the world' category.

The Board of Airline Representatives in the UK also welcomed the changes, with chief executive Dale Keller saying: 'Greater freedom of movement for many vaccinated passengers, without the anxiety of pre-departure tests and the high cost of PCR testing on arrival, will help restore traveller confidence and set the aviation, travel and tourism sectors on what is still a long road to recovery.'

Mr Keller said moving to a binary system and creating a 'two-tier entry regime' based on vaccination status will help bring 'greater clarity to entry requirements'.

He said the announcement is a 'step towards properly rebalancing international travel risk' in the UK but warned the existing rules had 'decimated' passenger numbers which means firms must now try to 'claw back lost ground'.

British Airways chief executive and chairman Sean Doyle urged the Government to go further and sweep away all testing requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers.

Huw Merriman, the Tory chairman of the Transport Select Committee, also welcomed the overhaul of the 'cumbersome' existing rules.

'The need for caution is clear but with 80 per cent of our country now vaccinated, UK travel needs a shot in the arm and this could be it,' he said.

'It's a relief to see the Government move on these issues and this announcement, timed ahead of October half-term, could have an immediate impact on the UK's travel industry.'

Mr Shapps said the new system was 'proportionate' and 'reflects the new landscape' of the numbers of those who are fully-vaccinated.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: 'Today we have simplified the travel rules to make them easier to understand and follow, opening up tourism and reducing the costs to go abroad.

'As global vaccination efforts continue to accelerate and more people gain protection from this dreadful disease, it is right that our rules and regulations keep pace.'

British Airways chief executive and chairman Sean Doyle welcomed the changes but urged ministers to go further.

He said: 'We welcome the simplification of the traffic light system, and the changes to the testing requirements allowing UK travellers to benefit from our world-leading vaccination programme and finally giving customers and business the confidence to book the journeys they've been waiting for.

'Based on the scientific evidence, with fewer than one per cent of people returning from low-risk countries testing positive for Covid (lower than the UK's rate), we urge ministers to keep this policy under review, eliminating all testing for fully vaccinated travellers as soon as possible in the future, in line with most other European countries.'

Stewart Wingate, chief executive of Gatwick Airport, said the changes were a 'significant and welcome step towards recovery' and a boost for travellers seeking to get away this winter.

He said: 'Fully vaccinated passengers now have a larger choice of destinations and can book with more confidence in the months before Christmas and beyond  free from the need to arrange pre-departure tests before coming back into the UK.'

Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: 'This is a welcome step forward for our customers and a move that will make it significantly easier for the fully vaccinated to travel to Europe, opening up flying again for many more UK consumers.

'Removing the pre-departure test coupled with the disbanding of the traffic light system will inject some much needed confidence into travel once again.

'However, vaccinated travellers and those from low-risk countries will still have to do an unnecessary test after arriving in the UK, making travel less affordable for all.'

Karen Dee, Airport Operators Association chief executive, said: 'The easing of travel restrictions is a good step forward. By reducing complexity and the cost of testing, this should encourage more people to travel this winter and allow airports to see a further uplift in passenger numbers.

'However, this last formal checkpoint of the Global Travel Taskforce should have been the time to return to restriction-free travel at a time when nearly all of the population has been vaccinated. Instead, we continue to have a more onerous approach to travel than our European competitors.'
Barack Obama allegedly told Donald Trump he couldn't recall his 'biggest mistakes' while in the White House on a car ride to the US Capitol in 2017.

Then President-elect Trump supposedly asked his predecessor: 'What was your biggest mistake?"

Obama reportedly paused before replying: 'I can't think of anything,' he said in a car ride alongside Senator Roy Blunt on the way to the US Capitol.

The conversation was revealed in a new book called Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, which documents the months before and after the 2020 election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the January 6 riot.

A new book by Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa detailed a conversation between Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump (pictured in 2017) where the latter reportedly asked 'What was your biggest mistake?' and Obama couldn't think of any

Peril documents the 2020 election, the January 6 riot, and the COVID-19 pandemic

The book has revealed startling details from inside the White House, including that General Mark Milley contacted Gen. Li Zuocheng of the People's Liberation Army to reassure him the U.S. was not going to suddenly attack China.

Milley allegedly told the Chinese government: 'Everythings fine, but democracy can be sloppy sometimes,' while the January 6 riot was happened, according to The New York Times.

On Friday, he defended his calls to his Chinese counterpart as 'perfectly within the duties and responsibilities' of his job as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The general was blasted by the former president and several conservatives for his conversations, including being accused of 'treason' for breaking the chain of command.

Peril comes as a closing trilogy to Woodward's earlier publications Fear and Rage that document Trump's time in office.

Other key figures like former New York Mayor Rudi Giuliani make noticeable appearances again.

The book discussed Trump's former lawyer going on several shows to defend his friend, only for Trump to call him a 'baby' and tell him on the phone that 'they took your diaper off right there,' according to The New York Times.

Like Woodward's previous books, the authors interviewed more than 200 sources and all remain unnamed throughout.

The conversation allegedly happened in a car ride to the US Capitol after the election in 2017. The book has made headlines for discussing General Mark Milley's conversation with the Chinese government about the January 6 riot, which protested Joe Biden's presidential win against Trump

The US Capitol is back on high alert as police brace for today's 'Justice for J6' rally held in support of the rioters jailed for their roles in the January 6 insurrection that left five people dead.

Hundreds of police officers started gathering at the Capitol Saturday morning where eight-foot-high security fencing has been erected around the building in efforts to avoid a repeat of the violence eight months ago.

A total of 100 National Guard troops are on standby and security officials are performing additional checks on travelers arriving at Washington DC's nearest airport in an effort to prevent violence.

Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said they had intelligence of online 'chatter' that is similar to that seen in the run-up to January 6 where it later emerged some rioters had organized the plot on social media.

Manger said it was 'tough to say' whether threats this time are credible or not but said police will be taking no chances, vowing 'we're not going to tolerate violence'.

Republicans have sought to distance themselves from the event with even staunch Donald Trump allies Marjorie Taylor Greene and Madison Cawthorn - who supported his false claims of election fraud and have described the January 6 jailed rioters as 'political hostages' - confirming they won't attend.

Senator Lindsey Graham has called for cops to take a zero-tolerance approach to any violence saying 'if anybody gets out of line, they need to whack 'em.'

Authorities are determined to avoid a repeat of the disaster of January 6 where cops were unprepared for the MAGA mob, who managed to storm the building in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election win and sent lawmakers fleeing for their live.

More than 600 people have been charged for their involvement in the January 6 riot, with one rioter, the so-called 'QAnon Shaman', Jacob Anthony Chansley, 33, facing up to five years in prison, with his sentencing due on November 17.

The January 6 riot took place as Congress certified the 2020 Presidential election results in favor of President Joe Biden.
Bill Maher joined in on the criticism of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's 'Tax the Rich' dress she wore to the Met Gala on Monday.

The late night host took aim at the Democratic representative citing that 'the richest 65,000 New Yorkers out of eight million people pay 51 percent of taxes.'

AOC has been criticized about her controversial appearance at the ultra-elite Met Gala before DailyMail.com revealed that she and her boyfriend Riley Roberts had their $35,000-a-head tickets comped by the museum. She turned up in a white dress with 'Tax the Rich' emblazoned on the back.

'It's not like we don't tax the rich at all,' Maher said on Thursday night's episode of Real Time with Bill Maher. 'I'm all for ending income inequality, but let's not lie. The rich pay a lot of the taxes.'

Maher is referring to a New York budget deal that was passed this year. The temporary state tax increase would rise to 9.65 percent for those earning more than $1.1 million, 10.3 for those with a income between $5 million and $25 million, and a 10.9 percent for those earning an income above $25 million.

New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attended Monday night's Met Gala wearing a dress emblazed with 'Tax the Rich'

Maher's guests Gillian Tett, an author and Financial Times journalist, and Dan Savage, a journalist and LGBTQ+ activist, adamantly debated with Maher noting the rise in the country's wealth disparity.

'Yes, there are lots of things we need to amend about the capitalist system. We have crony capitalism in this country, no doubt about it,' Maher conceded.

He continued, 'I'm just saying, you're wearing 'Tax the Rich' on your ass and people are always saying the rich don't pay taxes. The rich pay some taxes! They pay a big part of the freight already.

'I'm not saying it shouldn't be more perhaps, but let's not lie,' Maher added.

AOC has come under fire for her Met Gala look and now faces two ethics complaints over her attendance at one of the most exclusive events of the year. But the New York congresswoman has always been very vocal about her stance on taxing millionaires.

Since the exclusive event on Monday, she has continued to defend her ensemble and explain what exactly she is fighting for.

The morning after the event, AOC boasted about the surge in Google searches for the words 'tax the rich'.

She wrote on Instagram: 'Surge in people looking up and discussing our f****d up tax code is and how we fix it so we can fund childcare, healthcare, climate action and student loan forgiveness for all? Aurora James understood the assignment.'

Bill Maher joined in on the criticism of the New York Representative's 'Tax the Rich' dress listing made up satirical slogans from other celebrities including Oprah and Melania Trump

Maher claimed 'I'm all for ending income inequality, but let's not lie. The rich pay a lot of the taxes,' which was met with push back from his two guests Gillian Tett and Dan Savage

In an Instagram story posted on Friday, the congresswoman mentioned that she is hearing critiques 'especially the right wing' calling her 'Tax the Rich' dress and attendance to the Met Gala 'ironic.'

She then pulls up the Merriam-Webster Dictionary to read the definition of irony: 'the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think especially in order to be funny.'

'That's not the opposite of what I think,' AOC states. 'We need to tax the rich and we need to confront this establishment and this concentration of wealth that likes to consider or market itself as liberal or progressive but wants to do absolutely nothing to address wealth inequality and often times lobbies to protect laws, including in the democratic party, to preserve the establishment of their class interest.'

She goes on to discuss how she wants this done citing the Build Back Better Act which is currently being reviewed by the House.

'The thing is this isn't some theoretical or abstract political statement, AOC continues. She then goes on to explain the goals of the Build Better Act, which 'is an ambitious plan to create jobs, cut taxes, and lower costs for working families  all paid for by making the tax code fairer and making the wealthiest and large corporations pay their fair share,' according the White House.

AOC defended herself on Instagram explaining that her dress and appearance at the event was not 'ironic' because she adamantly believes and works to 'Tax the Rich'

The complaint filed states: 'Representative Ocasio-Cortez may have violated the House Gift Rule by accepting free admission for herself and boyfriend to the Met Gala event and receiving related gifts before, during, or after the event, including the use of custom-designed dress, limousine service, the use of the Carlyle Hotel, professional hair and makeup services, and any other related services or goods'

On top of the criticism of her dress and attendance, AOC has been hit with two ethics complaints after she accepted a free $35,000 ticket for her appearance on Monday night.

AOC has been accused of possibly violating the House Gift rule for accepting lavish gifts, including her controversial 'Tax the Rich' dress and a stay at the luxury Carlyle Hotel on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The second complaint, which was filed by Paul Kamenar of the National Legal and Policy Center, to the Office of Congressional Ethics on Thursday, was obtained by Daily Caller News Foundation.

'Representative Ocasio-Cortez may have violated the House Gift Rule by accepting free admission for herself and boyfriend to the Met Gala event and receiving related gifts before, during, or after the event, including the use of custom-designed dress, limousine service, the use of the Carlyle Hotel, professional hair and makeup services, and any other related services or goods,' the NLPC complaint stated.

The complaint criticized her acceptance of a seat at a sponsored table that costs between $200,000 and $300,000.

'In short, it is the table sponsor who is gifting or underwriting a coveted seat to AOC at the Gala,' the complaint states.

'And if the sponsor of the table where AOC sat was one paid for by one of the corporations attending the event, such as Instagram or Facebook, AOC has received a prohibited gift from the corporation that also lobbies Congress.'

The complaint also criticized AOC for bringing boyfriend Riley Roberts to the event as the House states that the second free ticket, if given, must be given to charity, spouse, or child.

'Thus, because her boyfriend is not her 'spouse or dependent,' her acceptance of an 'invite plus one' to the Met Gala would violate the Gift Rule unless AOC or her boyfriend paid for his $35,000 ticket, an unlikely scenario,' the complaint said.

The New York Representative had a second complaint filed against her by the National Legal and Policy Center on Thursday

The same day Vogue posted a 10-minute video documenting the Democratic congresswoman's preparations for fashion's big night out

AOC was coy about her controversial appearance at the ultra-elite Met Gala before DailyMail.com revealed she had her $35,000-a-head ticket comped by the museum. This new video shows that Vogue and AOC were partners in the controversy

The value of the dress has not been determined as dress designer Aurora Jones told CNN that the she had not calculated the cost but said that lots of salvaged material was used to make it, according to the complaint.

Despite being a personal friend, gifts can only be given in this relationship if it is 'not related to the position of your house.'

In defense of her attendance, AOC tweeted: 'New York elected officials are routinely invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing and supporting the city's cultural institutions for the public. I was one of several in attendance in this evening.'

It was noted that political figures are not often routinely invited to Met Gala events but some have attended the event including: Hilary Clinton, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Mike Bloomberg, Carolyn Maloney, and Mitt Romney.

This complaint comes after another one was filed by The American Accountability Foundation for accepting 'an impermissible gift' of free tickets to attend the annual gala.

'Without prompt investigation and enforcement of Congressional Rules, the American people are likely to lose faith in the ability of Congress to police its members,' the complaint said, filed by AAF founder Thomas Jones.

He also wrote: '[W]hile the individual's invitations may bear the name of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum has ceded control over the invitations to a for-profit company, specifically Conde Nast, and to its Chief Content Officer, Anna Wintour.'

He added that 'the New York Times outlines that the Met does not have control over who is invited to the event, but rather the for-profit company, is in control of who gets invited.'

According to House ethics information available online, members of Congress can only accept $100 worth of items per year from a specific source.

In addition, Congress members can also borrow works of art  in this case the 'Tax the Rich' dress AOC wore by Aurora James  as long as there's a written agreement with the owner specifying it will be returned.

'The Met Gala is seen as elite and inaccessible...As a working class woman, [I] wanted to enjoy the event but also break the fourth wall and challenge the industry,' AOC proudly told Vogue at the event.
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Iran's top nuclear scientist was assassinated by a killer robot machine gun kitted out with artificial intelligence and multiple cameras and capable of firing 600 bullets a minute, according to a new report.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, 62, dubbed the 'father' of Iran's illegal atomic program, is said to have been killed in the November 27 ambush by a Mossad sniper who pulled the trigger from an undisclosed location more than 1,000 miles away thanks to the use of satellite.

The gun which fired the fatal shots was positioned in a camera-laden pickup truck lying in wait for his vehicle to come past the ambush point.

It was programmed with AI technology to compensate for a 1.6 second lapse between the intel from the kill site and the sniper's actions, as well as movements caused by the shots being fired and Fakhrizadeh's car driving.

This precision enabled the sniper to hit the desired target and leave Fakhrizadeh's wife, who was in the passenger seat next to him, unscathed.

There was also a second disguised spy car positioned three-quarters of a mile earlier along the route in a spot where Fakhrizadeh's car would make a U-turn to turn down the road toward his country home in Absard, a town east of Tehran.

Cameras fitted in this decoy vehicle positively identified Fakhrizadeh and pinpointed the scientist's location in the car - in the driver's seat with his wife in the passenger seat - sending this information back to the remote sniper.

The entire ambush was over within one minute of the first round being fired.

This map shows where Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car was first picked up at the U-turn by the decoy car before it was ambushed by the robot machine gun hidden in a pickup truck

Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (above) was assassinated November 27

The new details emerged in a New York Times report, based on interviews with American, Israeli and Iranian officials, including two intelligence officials familiar with the operation, as well as comments made by Fakhrizadeh's family to the Iranian news media.

Israel's plan to take out Fakhrizadeh was said to have been many years in the making, with several previous plots mulled on the belief that he was spearheading Iran's nuclear weapon's race.

The plan then ramped up as it grew more likely that Donald Trump would not be reelected.

Trump had reversed the US's nuclear deal with Iran agreed on by his predecessor Barack Obama - and Israeli officials believed Joe Biden would reenter into the agreement.

Officials decided to carry out the attack remotely without any agents in the field at the time of the attack.

A remote-controlled machine gun was decided upon as drones would have been easy to detect in the remote countryside location.

One intelligence official told the New York Times the gun selected was a special model of a Belgian-made FN MAG machine gun which was then attached to an advanced robotic apparatus.

They said it was similar to Escribano's Sentinel 20 model.

Long before November 27, Israel began smuggling the gun into Iran.

It had to be disassembled and transported in parts because altogether it weighed around a ton before being reassembled closer to the kill site.

The machine gun was then fitted into the back of a blue Nissan Zamyad pickup truck, which was stationed by the side of the road, with tarpaulin used to disguise the machinery inside.

The aftermath of the attack that killed Fakhrizadeh, 62, who was dubbed the 'father' of Iran's illegal atomic program

Fakhrizadeh was killed by a killer robot machine gun kitted out with artificial intelligence and multiple cameras and capable of firing 600 bullets a minute, according to a new report

The pickup was also fitted with cameras to give a full picture of the surrounding area and the target.

However, officials learned there would be a 1.6 second delay between the camera capturing the images, sending them back to the sniper via satellite and for the sniper's response to reach the machine gun, reported the Times.

Such a delay would mean the target's vehicle would have moved.

There was also the issue that each round fired would create movement in the pickup truck.

To tackle these concerns around accuracy, AI technology was programmed to compensate for such movements and delays.

The car was then fitted with explosives to destroy all evidence of the killer robot.

The decoy car was then stationed at the U-turn as, with the car forced to slow down and doing a full turn, the camera would give a clearer view inside to positively ID the target and his position in the car.

The vehicle was made to look like a broken down car with its wheel missing and resting on a jack.

Fakhrizadeh (right pictured with President Hassan Rouhani left) is said to have been killed by a Mossad sniper who pulled the trigger from an undisclosed location more than 1,000 miles away thanks to the use of satellite

The gun which fired the fatal shots was similar to Escribano's Sentinel 20 model (left)

It is not clear how far in advance all of the elements were in place before the November 27 attack but officials told the Times the operation was give the green light at dawn that day and the US was informed of the plan.

At around midday that morning, Fakhrizadeh set off in his black Nissan Teana sedan from his home in Rostamkala with his wife.

He chose not to travel in an armored car but instead drove only with a security convoy of one vehicle in front and two close behind.

At around 3:30pm, the convoy reached the point along Firuzkouh Road where the car took the U-turn, with the decoy car then capturing Fakhrizadeh on camera.

The convoy then continued to travel down Imam Khomeini Boulevard toward his country property.

At this point, the Times reported that the security car in front drove ahead to secure Fakhrizadeh's property.

The sniper took the shot, firing multiple bullets which struck below the windshield and caused the car to come to a halt.

With the help of the AI's accuracy, the shooter repositioned and fired three times more, this time hitting the target in the shoulder.

Fakhrizadeh reportedly exited the car and was shot three more times.

The gun was positioned in a blue Nissan Zamyad pickup truck (like the above) with tarpaulin used to disguise the machinery

In total, the sniper fired 15 shots at the target, who is said to have died in his wife's arms.

The account appears to confirm the more far-fetched theory of how the assassination plot was carried out.

Iran claimed previously a killer robot killed the top nuclear scientist but the claims had been rubbished.

However, according to the Times, the explosives inside the pickup truck did not fully destroy the evidence, giving Iranian officials clues to how the attack was carried out.

Fakhrizadeh was long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret nuclear bomb program for Iran.
Intrigued by tales of Quasimodo, fascinated by the gargoyles, or on a pilgrimage to see the Crown of Thorns said to have rested on Jesus' head on the Cross, more than 13 million people each year flock to see Europe's most popular historic monument.

The 12th century Catholic cathedral is a masterpiece of French Gothic design, with a cavernous vaulted ceiling and some of the largest rose windows on the continent.

It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Paris and its 69m-tall towers were the tallest structures in Paris until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889.

It survived a partial sacking by 16th century zealots and the destruction of many of its treasures during the atheist French Revolution but remains one of the greatest churches in the world and was the scene of Emperor Napoleon's coronation in 1804.

A view of the middle-age stained glass rosace on the southern side of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral

The foundation stone was laid in front of Pope Alexander III in 1163, with building work on the initial structure completed in 1260.

The roof of the nave was constructed with a new technology: the rib vault. The roof of the nave was supported by crossed ribs which divided each vault into compartments, and the use of four-part rather than six-part rib vaults meant the roofs were stronger and could be higher.

After the original structure was completed in the mid 13th century - following the consecration of the High altar in 1182 - flying buttresses had been invented, and were added to spread the weight of the mighty vault.

The original spire was constructed in the 13th century, probably between 1220 and 1230. It was battered, weakened and bent by the wind over five centuries, and finally was removed in 1786.

During a 19th century restoration, following desecration during the Revolution, it was recreated with a new version of oak covered with lead. The entire spire weighed 750 tons.

At the summit of the spire were held three relics; a tiny piece of the Crown of Thorns, located in the treasury of the Cathedral; and relics of Denis and Saint Genevieve, patron saints of Paris. They were placed there in 1935 by the Archibishop Verdier, to protect the congregation from lightning or other harm.

The Crown of Thorns was one of the great relics of medieval Christianity. It was acquired by Louis IX, king of France, in Constantinople in AD 1239 for the price of 135,000 livres - nearly half the annual expenditure of France.

The elaborate reliquary in which just one of the thorns is housed sits in the Cathedral having been moved from the Saint-Chappelle church in Paris. The thorn is mounted on a large sapphire in the centre.

The crown itself is also held in the cathedral, and is usually on view to the public on Good Friday - which comes at the end of this week.

Notre-Dame de Paris is home to the relic accepted by Catholics the world over cathedral. The holy crown of thorns worn by Jesus Christ during the Passion

During the 1790s with the country in the grip of atheist Revolution the cathedral was desecrated and much of its religious iconography destroyed. It was rededicated to the Cult of Reason and 28 statues of biblical kings - wrongly believed to by French monarchs - were beheaded. Even the great bells were nearly melted down.

Napoleon returned the cathedral to the Catholic Church and was crowned Emperor there in 1804, but by the middle of the 19th century much of the iconic building.

It wasn't until the publication of Victor Hugo's novel - The Hunchback of Notre Dame - in 1831 that public interest in the building resurfaced and repair works began.

A major restoration project was launched in 1845 and took 25 years to be completed.

Architects Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus and Eugene Viollet-le-Duc won the commission.

By 1944 the cathedral was to be damaged again and during the liberation of Paris, stray bullets caused minor damage to the medieval stained glass.

This would be updated with modern designs.

In 1963 France's Culture Minister, Andre Malraux, ordered the cleaning of the facade of the cathedral, where 800 years worth of soot and grime were removed.

Notre Dame has a crypt, called the Crypte archeologique de l'ile de la Cite, where old architectural ruins are stored. They span from the times of the earliest settlement in Paris to present day.

The cathedral has 10 bells, the heaviest bell - known as the boudon and weighing 13 tonnes - is called Emmanuel and has been rung to mark many historical events throughout time.

At the end of the First and Second World Wars the bell was rung to mark the end of the conflicts.

It is also rung to signify poignant events such as French heads of state dying or following horrific events such as the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York in 2001.

The three stained glass rose windows are the most famous features of the cathedral. They were created in the Gothic style between 1225 and 1270.

While most of the original glass is long gone, some remains in the south rose which dates back to the last quarter of the 12th century.

The rest of the windows were restored in the 18th century.

The south rose is made up of 94 medallions which are arranged in four concentric circles.

They portray scenes from the life of Christ and those who knew him - with the inner circle showing the 12 apostles in it 12 medallions.

During the French Revolution rioters set fire to the residence of the archbishop, which was around the side of the cathedral, and the south rose was damaged.

One of the cathedral's first organs was built in 1403 by Friedrich Schambantz but was replaced in the 18th century before being remade using the pipe work from former instruments.

The Cathedral is also home to a Catholic relic said to be a single thorn from the crown of thorns worn by Jesus on the cross.
The CIA issued a warning that children may be at the scene of the botched US drone strike in Kabul just seconds before the missile hit the car killing 10 innocent civilians, according to a bombshell report.

Three sources told CNN an urgent warning that civilians were likely in the area and that children could be inside the target vehicle came just moments too late - moments after the military launched the Hellfire missile toward the target and just seconds before it struck.

The precise time lapse between the missile being launched and the intel warning of civilians in the area is not clear.

Nor is it clear if the warning reached the individuals who gave the missile launch the green light.

However the report suggests there may have been yet another key lapse in intelligence which led to the deaths of the seven children and three adults killed August 29 in the strike, which the US military finally admitted Friday was a 'tragic mistake.'

This latest report of a possible misstep by US officials comes as the grieving father of one victim demanded America 'finds the person who did this' saying 'I want him punished'.

Emal Ahmadi, whose three-year-old daughter Malika and nine other family members were killed in the attack, told the Associated Press on Saturday that an apology is 'not enough.'

'That is not enough for us to say sorry. The USA should find the person who did this,' he said.

The grieving father of one of the innocent victims demanded America 'finds the person who did this' saying 'I want him punished'. Emal Ahmadi (left) and his daughter Malika (right)

A damaged vehicle at the site of the US airstrike in Kabul which killed 10 civilians including seven children

Emal spoke out after the Pentagon made the extraordinary admission Friday that the man targeted in the attack was not an ISIS-K operative, as previously thought, but an aid worker.

Head of US Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie said in Friday's press conference the US carried out the strike in the 'earnest belief' it was preventing an imminent threat to Americans and Afghans evacuating Kabul airport during the US's withdrawal from the country.

But, the Pentagon made a 'tragic mistake' and he offered his 'sincere apology' to the victims.

The strike targeted Zemari Ahmadi, a longtime worker for a US aid group, as he arrived home to his family killing him, his children, Zamir, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 10; Ahmadi's cousin Naser, 30; three of Ahmadi's nephews, Arwin, seven, Benyamin, six, and Hayat, two; and two three-year-old girls, Malika and Somaya.

Reports that a warning came too late to stop the strike leaves many questions still unanswered, in particular the exact timeline of the intel and how it was passed through the chain of command versus the timeline of the operative launching the missile and it hitting its target.

The single Hellfire missile was launched from an M-Q Reaper drone which had surveilled Ahmadi for eight hours, flying at a maximum altitude of 50,000 feet or 15,240 meters.

Hellfire missiles travel at speeds of up to Mach 1.3 or 997 miles per hour.

This means - if the strike was carried out when the Reaper was at its maximum altitude and the missile traveled at its maximum speed - there would have been only 34 second lapse between the missile's launch and it reaching its target.

It is not clear if the military had communicated to the CIA it was firing the missile before it pulled the trigger.

It is also not clear where the CIA gathered its intel of possible civilians at the kill site.

Ten innocent civilians - all members of the same family - were killed in the August 29 US drone strike

McKenzie said Friday up to six MQ-9 Reaper drones were carrying out surveillance that morning of a compound thought to be used by ISIS-K.

He also insisted there were no US forces on the ground assisting with the operation and that it did not involve help from the Taliban.

However, the Defense Department and the CIA are known to often work together to carry out counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan.

The sources said this joint effort can lead to mistakes when there is miscommunication and problems around decision-making.

Military commanders in the field are responsible for launching the strikes and can carry them out without the usual chain of command if the situation requires it.

Meanwhile, the CIA is sometimes tasked with surveillance and passes the information onto the Defense Department in real time.

Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer and Pentagon official not involved in the strike, told CNN something must have been 'really wrong there' if the intelligence could not reach the right people.

'If they tasked the agency with looking at the target for indications of 'go' or 'no go' criteria, they should have had the ability to get that information and affect whether they launched a strike,' he said.

'If there was no way to know that they were about to launch, there's something really wrong there.'

Ahmadi had been getting water jugs out of his car to bring home to his family when the military dropped the Hellfire missile on him. The aftermath above

Emal, the younger brother of Ahmadi, demanded the US investigates who fired the fatal missile and punishes the military personnel responsible as he said 'sorry' won't bring back his family.

'I want him punished by the USA,' he said of the person responsible for their deaths.

Emal said he had heard about the US's apology from friends in America.

Though he said he was relieved that the US had finally recognized his family were innocent victims - and not connected to ISIS-K - he voiced frustration that it took weeks of pleading for the US to at least make a call to the family.

Emal also questioned how the family's home could have been mistaken for an Islamic State hideout, especially given the US's drone capabilities.

'The USA can see from everywhere,' he said.

'They can see that there were innocent children near the car and in the car. Whoever did this should be punished. It isn't right.'

Emal said he also expected financial compensation from the US for his family's killings and demanded they be relocated to another country.

'I want the USA to pay compensation for us and transfer us to a safe country like a foreign country,' he said, adding that his brother had been the family's main breadwinner and looked after his three brothers, including Emal, and their children.

'Now I am then one who is responsible for all my family and I am jobless,' said Emal.

The grief-stricken father added that life under Taliban rule was 'not good' and has left them with more 'problems' to deal with.

'It was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology,' said the Head of US Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie

McKenzie, head of US Central Command, said Friday the US is considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims.

He said, as commander, he takes responsibility for the strike and said an internal investigation is still ongoing to see who should be held to account.

McKenzie told reporters it was 'unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or a direct threat to US forces.'

'It was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology,' McKenzie said.

McKenzie said the movements of Ahmadi had matched US intelligence about the terrorist group's plans to carry out an attack at Kabul airport.

In particular, they had intel that ISIS-K would use a Toyota Corolla - the same make of vehicle driven by Ahmadi.

'One of the most recurring aspects of the intelligence was that ISIS-K would utilize a white Toyota Corolla as a key element in the next attack,' McKenzie said.

'It is further my assessment that the strike team at the time of the strike was convinced the area was clear of civilians and they had taken prudent steps in weaponeering the strike to minimize civilian casualties.'

A drone had observed men loading what were thought to be explosives into Ahmadi's white 1996 Toyota Corolla as they carried out surveillance on him for eight hours that day, he said.

The containers actually turned out to be jugs of water.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement saying the victims did not pose a threat and Ahmadi's actions that day were 'completely harmless'.

'We now know that there was no connection between Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities on that day were completely harmless and not at all related to the imminent threat we believed we faced, and that Mr. Ahmadi was just as innocent a victim as were the others tragically killed,' he said.

The Ahmadi family pray at the cemetery next to family graves of the family members killed

The Pentagon for weeks insisted that at least one ISIS-K facilitator was killed along with three civilians and that it was necessary to protect the US troops still evacuating Afghanistan.

The stunning admission only came after a New York Times investigation reported that the vehicle struck actually belonged to the US aid worker who was killed along with nine fancily members.

The family had worked for Americans and were trying to gain visas to the US, fearing for their lives under the Taliban.

Ahmadi had been loading water jugs into his car to bring home to his family.

As he pulled into the driveway of the home he shared with his family and three of his brothers' families, several of his children and his brothers' children ran out to greet him, according to family members.

At that moment, the Hellfire missile was launched onto the vehicle.

The strike set off a large secondary explosion, which officials originally claimed was evidence the car was indeed carrying explosives.

An investigation has since determined the second blast was likely a propane tank located in the driveway.

The drone strike followed a devastating suicide bombing by the Islamic State group - a rival of the Taliban - that killed 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel at one of the gates to the Kabul airport.

For days, desperate Afghans had swarmed the checkpoints outside the airport, trying to leave the country amid the chaotic US and NATO troops pullout, fearing for their future under the Taliban.
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Thousands of anti-vaccine protesters descended on London today chanting 'arrest Boris Johnson and Chris Whitty' as they called on the government to scrap its plans to give the Covid jab to children.

Anti-vaxxers were seen marching past Camden Town station and heading through Leicester Square before arriving at Downing Street on Saturday as they protested against mandatory vaccination passports and the vaccination of teenagers.

Protesters held signs reading 'stay away from our kids', 'I'm not an experiment' and a young boy held a card with the words, 'Leave us alone, I'm a child, I can't consent'.

It comes after the school rollout of jabs for children aged 12 to 15 was given the go ahead last week, with the vaccinations set to start on Wednesday.

Thousands of anti-vaccine protesters descended on London today calling on the government to scrap its plans to give the Covid jab to children

Anti-vaxxers were seen marching past Camden Town station and heading through Leicester Square before descending on Downing Street on Saturday

Protesters held signs reading 'stay away from our kids' and a young boy held a card with the words, 'Leave us alone, I'm a child, I can't consent'

People crowded the streets during the protest against mandatory vaccination passports and the vaccination of teenagers

A line of police officers wearing riot gear stand together outside Downing Street as the demonstration marched on. Some of the officers had red dye splashed over them

A large banner, which read 'Don't jab our kids!' was held in the air outside Downing Street earlier today as demonstrators took part in a large-scale demonstration

Police officers stand together in a line, all wearing riot gear, behind metal barriers as a crowd of demonstrators hold up a number of signs

Two women who took part in the demonstration held up a large white banner which read: 'no more lies, no more masks, no more lockdown'

The event was being held as part of the World Wide Rally For Freedom, a worldwide effort to denounce Covid-19-related policies and restrictions on movement and activity which also saw marches take place in other cities around the UK including Manchester and Cardiff.

An anti-vaxxer was seeing throwing red eggs that looked like fake blood at police officers outside Downing Street during the demonstration.

Two people were arrested for criminal damage and affray following an incident after the march reached Downing Street.

This afternoon at 2:48pm, the Metropolitan Police tweeted: 'There is currently a march in the Euston area, which is heading towards the West End. Officers are with the march, which is moving through the area causing a minor disruption to traffic.'

In further updates, the Met Police presence followed the march as it reached Oxford Circus, Trafalgar Square and headed towards Whitehall.

Meanwhile, Britain's Covid outbreak is continuing to flat line despite the return to schools with new daily infections increasing week-on-week for the first time in ten days, according to official statistics.

Department of Health bosses posted 30,144 new cases today, up two per cent on the 29,547 recorded last Saturday.

It comes after the school rollout of jabs for children aged 12 to 15 was given the go ahead last week, with the vaccinations set to start on Wednesday

A woman and her children join the crowds holding a sign saying 'I'm not an experiment' at the protest in London

An anti-vaxxer was seeing throwing red eggs that looked like fake blood at police officers outside Downing Street during the demonstration

A Met Police officer covered in paint thrown by demonstrators reacts during demonstration outside Downing Street in London

The number of people dying within 28 days of a positive test also increased 5.1 per cent to 164, up from the 156 seen last week.

But hospitalisations are continuing to fall, with 932 people admitted with the virus on September 14  the most recent day data is available for.

In vaccine uptake, NHS staff and volunteers dished out 19,605 first vaccine doses yesterday, taking the country's total number of partly vaccinated people to 48.5 million people  89.3 per cent of the adult population.

Some 59,032 second doses were administered, taking the fully protected population up to 44.4million (81.6 per cent).

Despite the country continuing to reap the rewards of jabs, a Government advisor admitted the vaccine would not have been recommended for children in normal times until it had been fully investigated.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said scientists did not have the 'luxury' of time to research the possible risks of jabbing children and would usually have collected more evidence before recommending their use on teens.

The governemnt recommendation is for healthy children aged 12 to 15 in the UK to be vaccinated against Covid this winter.

The event was being held as part of the World Wide Rally For Freedom, a worldwide effort to denounce Covid-19-related policies and restrictions on movement and activity

A protester wearing a tinfoil hat stands off with a member of the Metropolitan Police

Despite the country continuing to reap the rewards of jabs, a Government advisor admitted the vaccine would not have been recommended for children in normal times until it had been fully investigated

The scientific community had been split over vaccinating healthy children against Covid because the virus poses such a low risk to them

Pictured: A man holds a sign accusing Boris Johnson, Matt Hancock and CMO Chris Whitty of being murderers

But Professor Finn said parents were justified in waiting an extra three to six months to get their children jabbed until the risks were made clearer with further research, the Times reported.

Professor Finn added the decision on whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds is not black and white, adding that while it is not 'essential' for them to have a coronavirus jab, it is also 'perfectly sensible' for them to do so.

He told Times Radio: 'It's a finely balanced decision. It's not a black and white decision. It's not essential that these children receive the vaccine, but equally it's a perfectly sensible thing to do.

'It's being offered because the benefits do outweigh the risks, and it's available for people who want it. And I'm afraid that's the truth of the situation.'

He said the reason the process for deciding whether to vaccinate the age group has been 'convoluted and complex' is because there 'isn't a completely clear, straightforward answer'.

But he added that people should not become too 'agonised' about it, adding: 'Because the risks on either side are not that high. It's not like these children are at great risk from Covid, or indeed that they're at great risk from the vaccination.'

He also called on the NHS to spell out the potential long-term consequences of the jab for children, warning vaccinating children without properly discussing the potential risks could undermine future take up and fuel anti-vaxx scepticism.

The JCVI looked at the risk of health inflammation - known as myocarditis - in young people given the Pfizer vaccine, which was still very small but slightly more common after a second dose

Public Health England have published of a guide (pictured) to Covid-19 vaccination for children and young people

Around one in 100,000 children suffer heart inflammation and scarring after the jab, putting them at higher risk of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest, current research suggests.

Vaccines are usually tested rigorously before they are rolled out to the general population, but the Covid jab was developed at such speed the research for possible risks for children is still catching up.

Parents are therefore justified in waiting three to six months for more evidence on the possible long-term effects before getting their children vaccinated, Finn said, describing delaying the decision as 'perfectly legitimate'.

The scientific community had been split over vaccinating healthy children against Covid because the virus poses such a low risk to them.

No10's own advisory panel said earlier this month that immunising healthy under-16s would only provide 'marginal' benefit to their health, and not enough to recommend a mass rollout.

The decision was left with Professor Whitty and chief medical officers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who looked at the wider benefits to society, including keeping classrooms open.

The decision to offer teens the jabs was 'unanimously approved' by the UK's four chief medical officers earlier this week.

The chief medical officers said that even though Covid poses a small risk to children's health, the negative impacts of school closures on their life prospects and mental wellbeing tipped the balance in favour of vaccination.
Members of US congress have called on Boris Johnson to scrap his proposals to ban future prosecutions related to the Northern Ireland Troubles.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, the US congress members also called for the British Government to reaffirm its commitment to the Stormont House Agreement.

In the letter to Mr Johnson, the members expressed concern that the proposed legacy laws would strain the British-Irish relationship and 'cement widespread feelings' that justice is being denied.

In July, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis announced plans for a statute of limitations which would end all prosecutions for Troubles incidents up to April 1998 and would apply to military veterans as well as ex-paramilitaries.

The proposals, which Mr Johnson has previously said would allow Northern Ireland to 'draw a line under the Troubles', would also end all legacy inquests and civil actions related to the conflict.

It has been widely condemned by campaigners on both sides of the Troubles and across the political divide.

The letter, led by congressmen Brendan Boyle and Brian Fitzpatrick, has been signed by 36 members.

36 members of US congress have called on Boris Johnson to scrap his proposals to ban future prosecutions related to the Northern Ireland Troubles in a letter (above)

In the letter to Mr Johnson, the members expressed concern that the proposed legacy laws would strain the British-Irish relationship and 'cement widespread feelings' that justice is being denied. Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this week

They said it would be a 'serious mistake' for the British Government to renege on its commitments laid out under the Stormont House Agreement, adding it would lead to 'major setbacks' in the search for justice and reconciliation.

They said they were 'disappointed' that the UK Government plans to introduce new legislation that would modify the Agreement's legacy laws.

'To be clear, we strongly disapprove these proposals,' they added in their letter.

'We believe that they would not only prevent a pathway to justice, but that they would also strip these families of their legal rights protected under European Law and the Good Friday Agreement.

'The issue of legacy killings spans across generations and any continued deprival of justice will only further deepen the wound that this history has on Britain and Ireland.

Part of the push for a statute of limitations is a bid to prevent British Army veterans who served during the Troubles from being dragged before the courts decades later. Above: British Army soldiers and an RUC policeman pictured in Belfast, 1981

Mr Johnson has previously said such proposals would allow Northern Ireland to 'draw a line under the Troubles'. Above: The Droppin' Well Pub, Balleykelly after a bomb exploded in 1982

'We are concerned that these legacy laws would strain the British-Irish relationship and cement widespread feelings that justice is being denied.

'There is no doubt that the difficult and troubling legacy of the past must be addressed, and we as members of congress will continue to advocate on this issue until good faith action is taken and progress is made.

'These legacy proposals require genuine reconsideration. Delivering answers for these bereaved families has been a longstanding priority for Irish-American community and those interested in global peace. We will continue to listen to these families as they await long overdue answers.

'We urge you to re-examine these proposals, reverse the decision and reaffirm your commitment to the Stormont House Agreement.'

They also expressed concern that the Historical Investigations Unit, set up under the 2014 Agreement, has been slow to investigate legacy cases, describing it as 'stagnant'.

'Had the Historical Investigations Unit been provided with the resources and attention it was promised more substantial progress might have been achieved over the past several years,' they added.

Part of the push for a statute of limitations is a bid to prevent British Army veterans who served during the Troubles from being dragged before the courts decades later.

In July, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis (pictured) announced plans for a statute of limitations which would end all prosecutions for Troubles incidents up to April 1998 and would apply to military veterans as well as ex-paramilitaries

Raymond McCord, whose son Raymond Jr was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries, said: 'The only people who agree with these proposals are the people who are trying to push it through.

'Why is Boris and (Northern Ireland Secretary) Brandon Lewis so eager to get this through? If people are innocent, would why they need an amnesty? The only people who need amnesty are people who are guilty.

'The letter is a massive step forward because we have the support of the biggest democracy in the world, powerful people in congress.

'Boris is being told that he is breaking the Good Friday Agreement.

'This is a massive boost, not just for my family, but for all victims.

'I really welcome this letter. We have politicians from the main land on board, we've got politicians from Dublin and Northern Ireland on board, and now we have America on board.

'Every single one of them rejects the proposals. It will put a lot of pressure on Boris Johnson.

'What Prime Minister would want to give an amnesty to murderers?'

Mr Johnson's office has been contacted for comment.
But hospitalisations are continuing to fall, with 932 people admitted with the virus on the most recent date

The number of people dying within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test also increased 5.1 per cent to 164

Department of Health bosses posted 30,144 new cases today, up two per cent on the 29,547 last Saturday

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Britain's Covid outbreak is continuing to flat line despite the return to schools with new daily infections increasing week-on-week for the first time in ten days, according to official statistics.

Department of Health bosses posted 30,144 new cases today, up two per cent on the 29,547 recorded last Saturday.

The number of people dying within 28 days of a positive test also increased 5.1 per cent to 164, up from the 156 seen last week.

But hospitalisations are continuing to fall, with 932 people admitted with the virus on September 14  the most recent day data is available for.

It was down 13.1 per cent on the previous week and marked the fourth day in a row the number of admissions has fallen week-on-week.

Meanwhile, NHS staff and volunteers dished out 19,605 first vaccine doses yesterday, taking the country's total number of partly vaccinated people to 48.5 million people  89.3 per cent of the adult population.

Some 59,032 second doses were administered, taking the fully protected population up to 44.4million (81.6 per cent).

Despite the country continuing to reap the rewards of jabs, a Government advisor today admitted the vaccine would not have been recommended for children in normal times until it had been fully investigated.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said scientists did not have the 'luxury' of time to research the possible risks of jabbing children and would usually have collected more evidence before recommending their use on teens.

GPs need more cash, thousands more doctors and extra space in surgeries before returning to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face appointments, leading medic claims Returning to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face GP appointments cannot happen without more funding, a leading doctor has claimed. Dr Richard Vautrey, chairman of the BMA's GP committee, said the NHS needs thousands more family doctors  as well as extra space in surgeries  to allow more patients to be seen in-person. But he denied claims from patients that people are receiving worse care as a result of appointments carried out online or by telephone. Health Secretary Sajid Javid has said that as life starts to return to normal, more GPs should be offering face-to-face access, adding: 'We intend to do a lot more about it.' Although the NHS has already been promised billions of pounds in new taxes to fix the health and social care crisis, the union says significant sums need specifically to be allocated to GPs. Dr Vautrey told Radio 4's Today programme: 'The pressures on services are incredible but we recognise that there aren't enough GPs, there aren't enough nurses. 'To resolve that we need the Secretary of State, we need the Government, to act to do what they promised  which is to recruit 6,000 more GPs, to invest in our premises, to invest in our staff and our service  and by doing that we will get a better service for our patients.' Asked if some patients were right in believing they had received worse care because of being denied face-to-face appointments, the doctors' union representative said: 'No, I don't think that.' He said doctors understood patients' frustrations and would always see them face-to-face when 'necessary to do so'. He also insisted consultations would always be offered in person where patients needed physical examinations. 'We want to see our patients too. We need the number of GPs to increase to do that and we need the space within our surgeries to be able to do that safely,' Dr Vautrey added. Advertisement

It comes as:

It emerged millions of families are facing a 'perfect storm' of empty supermarket shelves and an imminent hike in the cost of living of around 1,500 a year;

A leading doctor claimed returning to pre-pandemic levels of face-to-face GP appointments cannot happen without more funding;

American right-wing activist Laura Loomer called for prayers as she claims her Covid symptoms are 'brutal' after attesting the virus was no worse than food poisoning;

The shake-up of foreign travel sparked a half-term booking frenzy with demand for holidays soaring by 200 per cent and airlines offering deals 'far lower' than before the pandemic.

The Government said the number of people who died with the disease today brought the UK total up to 135,147.

Separate figures published by the Office for National Statistics show there have been 159,000 deaths registered in the UK where Covid was mentioned on the death certificate.

It comes after the school rollout of jabs for children aged 12 to 15 was given the go ahead last week, with the vaccinations set to start on Wednesday.

But Professor Finn said parents were justified in waiting an extra three to six months to get their children jabbed until the risks were made clearer with further research, the Times reported.

Professor Finn added today the decision on whether to vaccinate 12 to 15-year-olds is not black and white, adding that while it is not 'essential' for them to have a coronavirus jab, it is also 'perfectly sensible' for them to do so.

He told Times Radio: 'It's a finely balanced decision. It's not a black and white decision. It's not essential that these children receive the vaccine, but equally it's a perfectly sensible thing to do.

'It's being offered because the benefits do outweigh the risks, and it's available for people who want it. And I'm afraid that's the truth of the situation.'

He said the reason the process for deciding whether to vaccinate the age group has been 'convoluted and complex' is because there 'isn't a completely clear, straightforward answer'.

But he added that people should not become too 'agonised' about it, adding: 'Because the risks on either side are not that high. It's not like these children are at great risk from Covid, or indeed that they're at great risk from the vaccination.'

He also called on the NHS to spell out the potential long-term consequences of the jab for children, warning vaccinating children without properly discussing the potential risks could undermine future take up and fuel anti-vaxx scepticism.

Around one in 100,000 children suffer heart inflammation and scarring after the jab, putting them at higher risk of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac arrest, current research suggests.

Vaccines are usually tested rigorously before they are rolled out to the general population, but the Covid jab was developed at such speed the research for possible risks for children is still catching up.

Parents are therefore justified in waiting three to six months for more evidence on the possible long-term effects before getting their children vaccinated, Finn said, describing delaying the decision as 'perfectly legitimate'.

Finn and Guido Pieles, a consultant cardiologist who advised the JCVI, added they actually suggest parents wait for more research to be conducted.

People should be tolerant of parents who have their children vaccinated against Covid and of those who decide not to, Finn added.

He said he is concerned some parents and children could be stigmatised according to what they decide when it comes to coronavirus vaccines for 12 to 15-year-olds.

The JCVI looked at the risk of health inflammation - known as myocarditis - in young people given the Pfizer vaccine, which was still very small but slightly more common after a second dose

Public Health England today published of a guide (pictured) to Covid-19 vaccination for children and young people

UKs high Covid rates mean foreign travel barriers churlish, says expert Travellers could be as likely to catch Covid on a trip to Torquay as one to Turkey, an expert has said, as international travel rules were relaxed. The easing of rules on quarantine and testing for international travellers will 'inevitably increase the risk' of infections from abroad, Dr Simon Clarke said. But the associate professor in cellular microbiology at the University of Reading added that high rates in the UK mean it would be 'churlish' to have obstacles in the way of foreign travel. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Friday that the traffic light system is to be replaced from October 4 by a single, reduced, 'red list' of destinations, from where travellers arriving in England will have to quarantine in a Government-supervised hotel. People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning from non-red list destinations, and from the end of October they will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test. Dr Clarke said that while people being double jabbed against the virus does reduce the risk of transmission, it is 'not zero'. He said: 'Given the fact that community transmission within the UK is still running at a high level, it seems churlish to put high barriers in the way of international travel when the risks of catching Covid at home are relatively high. 'With infection rates as high as they are in the UK, and with vaccines offering good but not perfect protection, you may be as likely to pick up Covid from a trip to Torquay as a trip to Turkey.' With changes to testing rules, he warned that the 'more accurate' PCR tests should be used to confirm results of quicker lateral flow tests. Travel providers have already reported a peak in interest since the announcement, with one saying there had been a 'phenomenal reaction'. Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said bookings had spiked 'by more than 250 per cent'. Advertisement

He told Times Radio: 'I absolutely do fear that... I've had a lot of people contact me with very strong views.

'Either that they insist that they wish their children to be immunised without delay, or that they would rather die than have their children immunised, so there are plenty of people out there with very strong views, and those could easily translate into quite aggressive attitudes, one way, in one direction or the other.

'I think people should be tolerant of each other. Parents who have their children immunised should be tolerant of those that decide not to and vice versa because the stakes are not high on either side.'

Former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi has insisted the vaccine is safe for children, saying the decision to offer the jab to 12 to 15-year-olds had followed advice from the JCVI.

The scientific community had been split over vaccinating healthy children against Covid because the virus poses such a low risk to them.

No10's own advisory panel said earlier this month that immunising healthy under-16s would only provide 'marginal' benefit to their health, and not enough to recommend a mass rollout.

The decision was left with Professor Whitty and chief medical officers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, who looked at the wider benefits to society, including keeping classrooms open.

The decision to offer teens the jabs was 'unanimously approved' by the UK's four chief medical officers earlier this week.

The chief medical officers said that even though Covid poses a small risk to children's health, the negative impacts of school closures on their life prospects and mental wellbeing tipped the balance in favour of vaccination.

Modelling of the winter term estimated that without the vaccines there could be about 89,000 infections among 12 to 15-year-olds, compared to 59,000 with the rollout.

Without vaccination they warn of 320,000 school absences by March, whereas this could be reduced to 220,000 with the jabs.

They have recommended under-16s initially only be offered a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine, which has shown to be up to 55 per cent effective at preventing infection from the Delta variant.

A decision on second doses is still to be determined when more data is available internationally, with a decision expected by the spring term at the earliest.

Officials will weigh up the risk of heart complications, which are slightly more common after the second shot.

The JCVI has already recommended that children and young people aged 12 to 17 with specific underlying health conditions, and children and young people who are aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of people who are immunocompromised are offered two doses of a vaccine.

Under-16s in the US, France, Spain, Italy, Canada, and the Netherlands, have already been offered jabs.
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North Port Police and the FBI confirmed they are searching for Laundrie (pictured with Petito), who was reportedly last seen by his family Tuesday and was wearing a hiking bag

Rangers and the FBI did not find anything after searching Saturday for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of missing van-life girl Gabby Petito, in a swampy, rural park area in Florida.

They stopped when it got dark and planned to resume Sunday morning, officers said, adding, Nothing found.

Officials also searched an area on the east side of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming on Saturday for Petito, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal. As a result, Spread Creek campground was closed, and the area will remain closed to the public for the next few days.

The Spread Creek site is one of the dispersed camp grounds Petito listed as visiting on her page at thedyrt.com, where she reviewed her journey.

Petito, the 22-year-old 'van-life' girl, has been missing since August 24. Laundrie returned home to Florida on September 1 and has refused to cooperate with authorities trying find her.

On Friday, police reported he had vanished, and Saturday more than 50 law enforcement officers used bloodhounds, drones and 4x4 vehicles to search for Laundrie in a vast and alligator-infested swampy Florida woodland reserve, said North Port Police information chief Josh Taylor.

Laundrie often visits the Myakkahatchee Creek Environment Park, which is tied to the 25,000 acre Carlton Reserve, he said.

Laundrie told his parents he was headed there when he left their house, added Taylor. Officers do not know if Laundrie is armed.

Speaking at the entrance where Laundrie went into the park, Taylor said: 'We have five, six different agencies who are out there, 50-plus folks.

'We have had drones in the air, we have got bloodhounds, K9s, four by four vehicles. It's very wet, it's muddy. There are a few unpaved dirt roads. It's a place that people hike. There are mountain bike trails out here. The Myakkahatchee Creek runs down into the city.'

Asked if he believed there were concerns for Laundrie's safety, Taylor said: 'Sure, I think that's fair to say. There is an enormous amount of pressure I'm sure on him to provide answers on what's going on here.'

He could not confirm if Laundrie owns a gun.

Rangers and the FBI are actively searching an area on the east side of Grand Teton National Park for missing van-life girl Gabby Petito, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal

As a result of the search, Spread Creek campground is closed as National Park Rangers and the Teton County Sheriff search the area, and the area will remain closed to the public for the next few days

A map shows the last known movements of Petito and Laundrie along their cross-country road trip which began July 2

Pointing behind him, he added: 'They started the search in the park area, which is about 200 acres. There is a bridge which crosses over into the Carlton Reserve which is about 25,000 acres. It is believed he entered from here.

'The initial focus was on the 200 acres here, and then spreading out. The park is closed to the public.'

Asked how long it would take to search the entire 25,000 acres, he replied: 'You can imagine a long time.'

Before it become a criminal investigation involving Laundrie 'we would need official confirmation of a crime,' he added.

On Saturday, Laundrie vanished and more than 50 law enforcement officers are now using bloodhounds, drones and 4x4 vehicles are searching for her boyfriend Brian Laundrie in a vast and swampy Florida woodland reserve

In Florida, North Port Police, FBI agents and other agencies are on the hunt for Laundrie at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environment Park, in Flordia's Carlton Reserve

A search party of about 50 officers have gathered to search the Carlton Reserves for Brian Laundrie, the boyfriend of the missing 'van-life girl' Gabby Petito

Officers combed the forest as the search began on Saturday, September 18

The Florida wildlife area covers a heavy forested area and swamplands

Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, was out in Wyoming on Wednesday as Grand Teton Park Rangers prepared to look for the missing woman

Earlier on Saturday, a Grand Teton Park Ranger told DailyMail.com, 'there is a group of park rangers that is searching for Gabby Petito in the backcountry of the park.

This is the park's elite search and rescue unit.

'I believe there may also be a search going on in a remote area of Yellowstone National Park.'

Authorities believe that Petito's last known location was in or around the Grand Teton National Park.

The park itself spans more than 310,000 acres and 485 square miles the backcountry consists of several hundred square miles on the west side of the park, it's a hike- in area only.

Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, told DailyMail.com, that they are confident she made it to the area but aren't sure where she may have ended up camping.

'Members of search unit at the park can be air lifted to various remote areas for a search,' added the ranger. 'They don't tell us specifics they sort of do what they do.'

DailyMail.com located an account on thedyrt.com for Gabby and Brian V. that was last updated on July 14, 2021.

On the list are several dispersed campsites in the Grand Teton/Jackson area which are often free for stays up to 14 days in some place.

DailyMail.com went to several of these campsites which were in remote areas near the park- off the grid.

Police began the search at the Grand Teton National Park on Friday

The park covers more than 310,000 acres of land in the Wyoming wilderness

Cellular phone service was spotty. In one dispersed campsite, Dailymail.com arrived minutes after a grizzly was observed at the side of the road digging up an animal it had previously buried.

Grizzly bears aren't the only predators Petito would face out in the wilderness, there are red foxes, coyotes, bobcats and cougars that roam the park.

North Port Officers and FBI agents are searching throughout the Carlton Reserves

In Florida, North Port police tweeted a photo of the search parties massing in the park, with at least 30 people present.

Laundrie's family says he entered the area earlier this week.

The T. Mabry Carlton Reserve covers nearly 25,000 acres and is 15 miles from the Laundrie home in North Port. It has 80 miles of equestrian, hiking and biking trails.

North Port Police communications chief Josh Taylor told Dailymail.com, 'That reserve covers a massive, swampland.

Police, FBI and the green-clad local Sarasota Sheriff's Department deputies were moving around in ATV vehicles as the search for Laundrie intensified today.

One particular area of interest with searchers is the 160-acre Myakkahatchee Creek Environment Park, which connects to the massive Carlton Reserve, and is filled with hiking trails amid the expanse of swamp and dense woodland.

One Sheriff's deputy was seen moving along a pathway into thick undergrowth carrying a machete. Officers remained tight lipped about the search when asked.

Other law enforcement were moving around the location on the perimeter of the environment park in the back of pick-up trucks

Laundrie's family did not tell authorities he was missing for three days.

Police said the Laundrie family called the FBI Friday night to talk about their son's disappearance, describing their frustration that this was the first time they had been willing to speak with investigators in detail amid the search for Petito.

Gabby Petito's mom Nicole Schmidt (pictured this week at a press conference) has slammed her boyfriend Brian Laundrie saying 'he's not missing, he's hiding' after the person of interest in her daughter's disappearance vanished

On Thursday, new bodycam footage emerged showing police being called to an incident involving the young couple in Moab, Utah, on August 12 - 13 days before Petito was last heard from

Petito's mother has slammed her boyfriend Brian Laundrie saying 'he's not missing, he's hiding' after his attorney said the man now named a person of interest in her daughter's disappearance hasn't been seen since Tuesday.

Petito's mom Nichole Schmidt reacted angrily to the news that Laundrie had vanished and suggested he is on the run, following a fraught week where she has issued several public pleas asking him and his family to cooperate with investigators.

'He's not missing, he's hiding!' she told DailyMail.com. 'Gabby is missing!'

North Port Police and the FBI confirmed they are searching for Laundrie, whose family say they last saw him Tuesday wearing a hiking bag.

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Police are seen with evidence bags at the home of Brian Laundrie Friday - the boyfriend of missing 'van-life' woman Gabby Petito

Cops arrive Friday and enter the home after Laundrie's parents informed investigators their son had vanished

Two cops were seen searching a car which has been parked on the driveway of the home

'We understand the community's frustration, we are frustrated too,' police said Friday.

'For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's Fiance Gabby Petito.

'Friday is the first time they have spoken with investigators in detail.'

North Port Police said the department and the FBI are currently working a multiple missing person investigation.

They issued a description of Laundrie as a' white male, 5'8 160lbs, brown eyes, short brown hair, trimmed facial hair, last seen wearing a hiking bag with a waist strap.'

Laundrie's attorney told ABC 7 News Friday afternoon the 23-year-old had gone missing and that investigators were trying to locate both him and Petito - who was last seen on August 24 during the couple's cross-country trip in a campervan.

Police were seen at Laundrie family home in North Port, Florida, on Friday with evidence bags.

His attorney said they were removing items from the house in order to assist with the search for Laundrie.

'Be advised, the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown,' he told ABC7.

'The FBI is currently at the Laundrie residence removing property to assist in locating Brian. As of now, the FBI is looking for both Gabby and Brian.'

Police reiterated Friday that although Laundrie is a person of interest in Petito's disappearance, he is not wanted for any crime.

Video surfaced of four police officers entering home on Friday afternoon after being let in by an unidentified family member.

After more than two and a half hours at the home, all four officers left in their black Dodge Caravan with none of the Laundrie family members in tow.

Police arrive with evidence bags at the North Port, Florida home of Brian Laundrie on Friday

One cop is seen searching the trunk of the vehicle as part of their probe into Petito's disappearance

At one point one of the officers exited the home and retrieved what appeared to be an evidence bag from his police cruiser before returning inside

As they arrived protestors outside the home were heard yelling: 'Bring Gabby home!'

A man on a megaphone shouted 'Where's Gabby, Brian?' repeatedly, joined by others who crowded the Laundrie's front yard recording the police entering the home.

'We're out here, Laundrie family, we're out here, we'll be out here everyday!' the man on the megaphone yelled towards the home.

At one point, one of the officers exited the home and retrieved what appeared to be an evidence bag from his police cruiser before returning inside

North Port police tweeted they were called to the home 'at the request' of the family, but that they are 'not speaking' to Brian.

About an hour after first entering the home, two officers came out and opened up a silver convertible Ford Mustang in the driveway which is understood to belong to the family. It has been there most of this week.

They opened the trunk and also delved inside the vehicle after opening the driver side door for a very quick search before the officers went back in the house.

In an attempt to calm the rowdy group in front of the home, North Port police deputy chief Chris Morales stepped on to the lawn and addressed the crowd, saying: 'This is not helping. Please keep it down. I ask you to have courtesy for the neighbors.'

About an hour after first entering the home, two officers came out and opened up a silver convertible Ford Mustang in the driveway which is understood to belong to the family

Protestors gathered outside the Laundrie home with banners Friday demanding justice for Petito

Some were heard yelling: 'Bring Gabby home!' with one man on a megaphone shouting 'Where's Gabby, Brian?'

People crowded the Laundrie's front yard calling on Laundrie to 'prove your innocence'

He added: 'Please respect the peace. You guys can be here but respect the peace,' he added, but was drowned down at one point by chants of 'where's the respect of Gabby?'

Police officially named Laundrie a 'person of interest' in their inquiry into Petito's mystery disappearance this week as he refuses to cooperate with investigators and has lawyered up.

On Friday, Utah authorities said they determined there is no connection between Gabby's missing person cases and the double murder of a newlywed couple found dead just outside Moab, Fox News reported.

Petito passed through Moab with Laudrie before he drove back to Florida without her.

'It has been determined that the Gabby Petito missing person case is not related to the double-homicide case involving Crystal Turner and Kylen Schulte,' Grand County Sheriff Steven White said in a statement Friday afternoon.

Petito was last seen on August 24 leaving a hotel with Laundrie in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the couple's cross-country campervan trip which they started in early July.

The following day she made her final call to her mom, telling her she and Laundrie had traveled to Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. She was reported missing by her family on September 11 after they hadn't heard from her in 13 days.

Meanwhile, Laundrie returned to the couple's home in North Port, Florida, on September 1 with the van but without Petito, police said.

He repeatedly ignored Petito's family's requests for help and refused to speak to cops.

Laundrie's attorney Steven P. Bertolino addressed his decision to stay silent in a statement earlier this week, saying his client isn't speaking to police or the public 'on the advice of counsel' because 'intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focus their attention on in cases like this.'

Meanwhile, Petito's family issued several public pleas for the Laundries to work with authorities in their efforts to bring their daughter home.

On Thursday, new bodycam footage emerged showing police being called to an incident involving the young couple in Moab, Utah, on August 12 - 13 days before Petito was last heard from.

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'

In the video, an emotional Petito is seen with tears streaming down her face telling officers the couple 'have been fighting all morning' and admitting that she slapped him.

Petito says she suffers from OCD and anxiety, with both her and Laundrie saying she was stressed because of the YouTube blog they were working on to document the doomed cross-country trip.

Laundrie is seen with scratches on his face and arm which he tells an officer were caused when Petito 'was trying to get the keys from me' and 'hit me with her phone'.

When an officer asks Petito if her boyfriend hit her, she replies 'I guess' and makes a grabbing motion on her chin. Laundrie admits he 'pushed her' during the altercation.

The cops determine Petito was 'the primary aggressor' and say they are separating the couple for the night.

The incident report says officers were called near the Moonflower Community Co-op in Moab on August 12 around 4:30pm for a 'possible domestic violence' incident involving the couple.

The report, released by the Moab Police Department on Wednesday, documented that the couple admitted they had been going through 'issues' over the last couple days.

22-year-old Gabby Petito, who has not been heard from since August 30 while she was on a cross-country trip with her 23-year-old fiance (couple pictured kissing)

According to Petito's best friend, while Laundrie presents himself as a sweet and caring guy, he is actually jealous and controlling.

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, Rose Davis said Laundrie allegedly went so far as to hide Gabby's ID once so that she couldn't meet up with her at a bar, trigging a violent episode similar to the one police investigated weeks before her disappearance.

'Brian took her ID just so she wouldn't be able to come out with me,' she told DailyMail.com on Friday.

'He's got these jealousy issues and he struggles from what Gabby called these 'episodes,' where he would hear things and hear voices and wouldn't sleep.

'Gabby had to stay at my house a bunch of times because she just needed a breather and didn't want to go home to him.'

TikTok user claims she picked up missing 'van-life girl' Gabby Petito's boyfriend Brian Laundrie as he hiked ALONE five days after she was last seen in public and one day before sending her final text

A TikToker from Wisconsin has claimed she picked up Brian Laundrie, the person of interest in Gabby Petito's disappearance, as he was hitchhiking alone five days after his girlfriend went missing and one day before she last texted her mother.

In the video posted to the social media site Miranda Baker said she and her boyfriend were at Grand Teton National Park in Colter Bay, Wyoming, on August 29 when Laundrie approached the couple and asked them for a ride at 5.30pm.

'He approached us asking for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson and we were going to Jackson that night. So I said, ya know, 'hop in' and he hopped in the back of my Jeep,' Baker explained.

She noted Laundrie, 23, was wearing 'a backpack, a long sleeve, pants and hiking boots' and said that before he got in the car he offered to pay the couple $200 to give him a 10-mile ride.

'So that was kind of weird,' she said. Baker spoke hours before

'He approached us asking for a ride because he needed to go to Jackson and we were going to Jackson that night. So I said, ya know, 'hop in' and he hopped in the back of my Jeep,' Baker explained. She called the entire interaction with Brian Laundrie 'a weird situation'

Baker supposedly picked up Laundrie (left), the person of interest in Gabby Petito's (right) disappearance, as he was hitchhiking alone five days after his girlfriend went missing and one day before she last texted her mother

Bake noted Laundrie, 23, was wearing 'a backpack, a long sleeve, pants and hiking boots' and said that before he got in the car he offered to pay the couple $200 to give him a 10-mile ride

Baker explained that her, her boyfriend and Laundrie 'then proceeded to make small talk' and found out he had been camping for multiple days without his fiancee.

'He did say he had a fiancee and that she was working on their social media page back at their van,' Baker said.

In a later video she added that Laundrie supposedly told her he and Petito, 22, were not camping on a regulated campsite through the national park. 'They were camping basically out in the middle of nowhere along Snake River,' she said.

Baker recounted the alleged story Laundrie told her and her boyfriend: 'This is key information. He said that he had hiked for days along Snake River but looking at his backpack, it wasn't full.

'And he said all he had was a tarp to sleep on. And, if you'd think you're going camping for days on end you'd want food and a tent and he had none of that.'

She added: 'He had scruff but he didn't look dirty for someone who was camping for multiple days. He didn't look dirty, he didn't smell dirty, so that part was kind of weird.'

Then, when Baker told Laundrie they were driving to Jackson Hole he supposedly 'freaked out' and asked them to pull over and said: 'Nope, I need to get out right now.'

Petito set out on a cross-country trip July 2 with her boyfriend in the couple's 2012 Ford Transit van. Brian posted this photo of the couple on Instagram on July 16

Baker said they pulled over at the Jackson Dam in Grand Teton National Park, which she noted was not very far from where they originally picked Laundrie up.

He allegedly hurried out of the car and told the couple he would find someone else to hitchhike with.

'We dropped him off at 6.09pm on August 29,' Baker said, adding that she hopes her videos would find someone who could also help solve the case and find Petito.

She called the entire interaction with Laundrie 'a weird situation'.

In her latest video she addressed skeptics and said that the story she detailed in the previous videos posted to TikTok she also told detectives and the FBI. 'I am actively in contact with these people,' she said.

Her allegations come five days after Petito was last seen in public - on August 24 - when she and Laundrie checked out of a Fairfield Inn hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah.

On August 29 Baker only saw Laundrie. One day later Petito's mother Nicole Schmidt received a curious text from her daughter that read: 'No service in Yosemite.'

The mother refused to disclose the contents of her daughter's texts but told DailyMail.com: 'That text was NOT from Gabby I know it!'

She believes Laundrie may have sent the message from her phone possibly to mislead her family and investigators as to her whereabouts.

Laundrie was named a person of interest and is refusing to cooperate with cop. The couple with their campervan

Attorney Richard Stafford on Thursday read out an emotional letter from Petito's family begging the Laundries to cooperate, saying 'we believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby'

Laundrie returned home to Florida from the couple's road trip alone on September 1 - two days after hitchhiking with Baker and 10 days before Petito's family reported her missing.

If the couple were in fact together in Yosemite on August 30, that would mean Brian drove over 3,000 miles within two days to arrive in Florida on September 1.

Now police have officially named Brian Laundrie a 'person of interest' in their inquiry into her mystery disappearance as he refuses to cooperate, although they say there is no evidence any crime has been committed.

Cops in North Port, Florida, said: 'Brian Laundrie is a person of interest in this case. As of now, Brian has not made himself available to be interviewed by investigators or has provided any helpful details.'

Brian's family refused to let authorities speak to their son when the 2012 Ford van was seized from their property late on September 11.

Most recently, Brian Laundrie's sister broke the Laundrie family silence about the disappearance of her brother's girlfriend and said her and her family 'obviously want Gabby to be found safe'.

'All I want is for her to come home safe and sound and this to be just a big misunderstanding,' she said in an interview with ABC News.
Diamonds used for Meghan Markle's mysterious pinky ring were also turned into earrings she wore at Trooping the Colour, after being gifted from the Middle East, reports claim.

Interest in the jewellery continues to overshadow the Duchess of Sussex's appearance on the cover of Time magazine earlier this week.

Many were intrigued by a growing mystery surrounding the ring on her right pinky finger.

Initially, Harry and Meghan denied claims that the ring, made by celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz and reportedly worth an estimated 45,000 ($62,000), was fashioned with diamonds gifted to the couple by a mystery donor in the Middle East.

They said the ring was sourced by a stylist on the shoot directly from the designer and that there was no link to a mystery donor in the Middle East.

But in a spectacular U-turn, they later rolled back the denial, and clarified that they were referring only to a ring on Meghan's left hand - a 380 ($525) pinky ring from Shiffon, which is meant to represent women's empowerment.

There was no further mention made of the Lorraine Schwartz ring in question on her right hand, begging the question of whether Meghan has something to hide about the provenance of the diamond, which was first seen on her finger in October 2020.

Now it has been claimed Schwartz used the same set of diamonds to create earrings, which the Duchess wore at Trooping the Colour in 2019, and then again at a premiere of the Lion King a month later, according to Page Six.

If the diamonds did indeed come from the Middle East, it's not clear if Meghan received the gift while she was still a working royal, or after she performed her final official duties in early March 2021.

She did not visit the region officially, but there's always the possibility she made a private trip.

Buckingham Palace only publishes a list of gifts received by royals while on duty in the UK or overseas, and there is no public record of Meghan being given any diamonds.

Gifts sent to the royals outside of official engagements are recorded but not made public.

The palace have previously directed inquiries about the diamonds back to the Sussexes' representatives in the US, who have also been approached for comment.

Diamonds used for Meghan Markle's mysterious pinky ring were also turned into earrings she wore at Trooping the Colour, after being gifted from the Middle East, reports claim

It has been claimed Lorraine Schwartz used the same set of diamonds to create earrings, which the Duchess wore at Trooping the Colour in 2019, and then again at a premiere of the Lion King a month later (pictured), according to Page Six

Meghan Markle sported a staggering $384,000 worth of jewelry while posing for the cover of Time's most influential people issue alongside her husband Prince Harry (pictured)

Meghan Markle wore a 45,000 ring (pictured) for her Time cover shoot, first debuted in 2020, when it was reported that the piece was made with diamonds gifted to the couple from the MIddle East

It comes after Meghan was criticized earlier this year when it emerged she wore a pair of dazzling diamond earrings on her tour of Fiji in October 2018 that were a wedding gift from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who's been accused of ordering the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Meghan sported a staggering 320,000 worth of jewelry while posing for the cover of Time's most influential people issue alongside her husband Prince Harry, including the Lorraine Schwartz piece that's been spotted on her hand several times.

She debuted it for another Time shoot back in October 2020 - when Page Six claimed that Lorraine Schwartz' who 'fashioned [it] from a gift of diamonds that the couple received from the Middle East', and wore it for her 40th birthday video with Melissa McCarthy.

The pinky ring modeled by Meghan on her Time cover has been valued at 45,000 - adding another hefty price tag to her already-impressive collection of jewels.

Speaking exclusively to FEMAIL, Alexandra Michell Gemologist Prestige Pawnbrokers of Channel 4's Posh Pawn said earlier this week: 'It's a simple emerald cut diamond on band, which is usually high clarity due to the cut. I'm estimating this as 1.50cts high colour (D) high clarity (internally flawless) and to be worth around $62,039 (45,000).'

Anthony French, diamond expert at Austen & Blake commented: 'I would say it is approximately 2ct emerald solitaire. I would suspect it to be worth around $62- $69,000.'

Laura Lambert, Founder of Fenton added: 'Meghan has selected an emerald cut bezel set solitaire, which is a traditional engagement ring style. Wearing it as a pinky ring is Meghan's modern take on a classic style with a diamond, which in this size and scale is usually worn on the engagement or cocktail ring finger.'

Meghan debuted the piece, reportedly made by celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, for a photo in October 2020, marking her participation win a specially curated edition of TIME100 Talks with Prince Harry

The Duchess also showed off the gem in her video chat with Melissa McCarthy to mark her 40th birthday

After denying that Meghan was wearing a ring made with diamonds gifted from the Middle East, her reps clarified that they were referring only to the pinky ring on her left hand. Among the jewelry she sported were two $525 diamond Duet Pinky Rings, from New York-based brand Shiffon, which are meant to represent female empowerment

According to Page Six, Meghan 'turned to celebrity jeweler Lorraine Schwartz to fashion the ring from a gift of diamonds that the couple received from the Middle East.' Pictured, the jewelry on the Times magazine cover

Other trinkets worn by the Duchess for the shoot include the Cartier Tank watch that once belonged to Princess Diana and was gifted to her by her husband in the early days of their relationship, which she paired with a $6,900 Cartier Love bangle.

In March this year, the royal was criticized by a lawyer fighting for justice for murdered Jamal Khashoggi over her decision to wear diamond earrings in Fiji in 2018, given to her by the man accused of ordering the brutal killing.

Michael Eisner, who heads a human rights group founded by Mr Khashoggi three months before his death, claimed the stunning chandelier earrings were 'bought with blood money' by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Duchess of Sussex attends a reception and dinner hosted by the President of Fiji at the Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva, Fiji, October 2018 wearing the earrings

BRUTAL DEATH: Journalist Jamal Khashoggi

He said he was 'baffled' that the Duchess did not know the Prince, known as MBS, was linked to the murder when she wore the earrings at a State dinner, or his appalling human rights record.

'Those earrings were bought with blood money and given to her by a murderer,' said Mr Eisner, chief operating officer of Democracy for the Arab World Now (Dawn). 'She has no business wearing them.'

The Chopard earrings were presented to the Queen by the Crown Prince as an official gift for Meghan on her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

The Duchess wore them on the first night of a visit with her husband to Fiji on October 23, 2018  three weeks after Mr Khashoggi was killed and dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and when there were prominent media reports linking MBS to the shocking assassination.

The Duchess's lawyers insisted that at the time of the dinner she was unaware of speculation that MBS was involved in Mr Khashoggi's murder.

How was it that the campaigning duchess didn't know Saudi ruler was murder suspect? Fearless dissident Jamal Khashoggi was last seen alive entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on the afternoon of October 2, 2018. Within two hours he was killed by a Saudi hit squad, who dismembered his body using a bone saw. Mr Khashoggi was an outspoken critic of the Saudi regime and suspicion quickly grew that the kingdom's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, was involved. On October 18, The Times reported how a close circle of officials and security officers around MBS were the focus of the murder probe. A day later, The Sun told how one of MBS's bodyguards was suspected of the brutal killing. Later that day Sir John Sawers, the former head of MI6, told the BBC's World at One radio programme that 'all the evidence points to [the killing] being ordered and carried out by people close to Mohammed bin Salman'. Sir John's damning comments were reported widely. The Duchess of Sussex wore the earrings given to her as a wedding gift by MBS to a state dinner in Fiji on October 23. Ten days later, on November 2, the BBC's respected security correspondent Frank Gardner wrote an article on the BBC News website entitled: 'Khashoggi murder: Is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed finished?' He wrote: 'Official Saudi denials that he himself had anything to do with the murder  in a plot hatched from right within his inner circle have been met with profound scepticism.' On November 14, the Duchess wore the earrings again at Prince Charles's 70th birthday party at Buckingham Palace. Advertisement

At the time, the Kensington Palace press office told the media that the earrings had been 'borrowed' but did not say from whom. While the Royal Family's guidelines regarding the acceptance and ownership of gifts were adhered to, The Mail on Sunday learned that Palace aides were frustrated that the earrings were worn.

'Nowhere in the gift policy does it say you have to wear them,' one source said.

It is understood the diamond earrings were presented by MBS as a wedding gift for Meghan during his three-day State visit to Britain in March 2018. Court Circular records show he had lunch with the Queen and Prince Andrew at Buckingham Palace on March 7, 2018. There is no suggestion he gave the earrings to the Duchess in person, or indeed has even met her.

It is understood the earrings were logged on an official register of gifts and that Meghan was informed about them in July 2018. They were then selected as part of the jewelery collection to accompany the Duke and Duchess on a 16-day tour of Fiji, Tonga, Australia and New Zealand.

Every detail on such tours is meticulously planned months in advance, including the clothes and jewelery to be worn at each event. The couple were accompanied on the Fiji and Tonga leg of their tour by the hugely experienced Sir David Manning, a former British ambassador to the US and Tony Blair's former foreign policy adviser.

On October 18  five days before Meghan wore the earrings  The Times newspaper reported how a close circle of officials and security officers around MBS had emerged as the focus of the investigation into what had happened to Mr Khashoggi.

Lawyers for Meghan told The Times that although she may have said they were borrowed, every relevant member of staff knew who they were from. They added that she was unaware of the rumours at the time that the Crown Prince was involved in the murder.

Lauren Kiehna, author of royal jewellery blog The Court Jeweller, said: 'What was unusual was the statement the jewels were 'borrowed' without explaining who owned them. When jewels are borrowed from the Queen, the Palace generally says so.'

The Duchess wore the earrings for a second time on November 14, 2018  to Prince Charles's 70th birthday party at Buckingham Palace. This prompted an aide to confront Harry about the earrings, according to The Times. The Prince was reported to have looked 'shocked' that people knew where the earrings came from.

Mr Khashoggi, who wrote for the Washington Post, was killed and dismembered by a Saudi hit squad inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His body has never been recovered. An explosive CIA report released by US President Joe Biden nine days ago claimed MBS approved Mr Khashoggi's murder.

The Crown Prince, who is Saudi Arabia's Deputy Prime Minister and day-to-day ruler, has said he bears responsibility for the murder 'because it happened under my watch', but has denied prior knowledge of the execution.

The Dawn human rights group and Hatice Cengiz, Mr Khashoggi's fiancee, last year filed a lawsuit against MBS and 20 alleged co-conspirators in a US court.

The Saudi royal family has regularly given jewellery to their British counterparts. Royal jewellery expert Lauren Kiehna said Princess Diana received a suite of diamond and sapphire jewels from Crown Prince Fahd as a wedding present in 1981, and the Duchess of Cornwall received three suites of jewellery during her official visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2006.
A British woman who faced the death penalty in Malaysia after stabbing her abusive husband to death has been pictured back in the UK with a 'ring on her wedding finger'.

Samantha Jones, 55, was imprisoned in the Asian country after she killed her husband John Jones, 63, at their home on the island of Langkawi in 2018.

She was spared the nation's mandatory death penalty by hanging after a judge ruled she was not guilty of John's murder - and ordered to spend three years behind bars in February.

Ms Jones was freed from her rat-infested cell in Pokok Sena this summer, and MailOnline understands her family paid for her flight back to the UK - with assistance from the Foreign Office.

Pictures released in the Mirror show Jones with a 'ring on her wedding finger' and driving a Range Rover with personalised number plate at her three-bedroom home near Yeovil.

Samantha Jones, 55, was spared the mandatory death penalty and was imprisoned after she killed her husband John Jones, 63, at their home on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia in 2018

Last August, a judge spared her the mandatory penalty of death by hanging after ruling she was not guilty of John's murder. Instead Jones, who claimed to have stabbed John (pictured) in self-defence after suffering years of physical abuse, was found guilty of 'culpable homicide without intent'

Jones said she stabbed her husband (scene, pictured) after he returned from an all-day drinking session with friends and became abusive - hitting her in the face and stomach

Jones says she grabbed a knife (pictured) to protect herself, then plunged it into her husband's chest as he goaded her to attack him

The former insurance clerk and her husband, who was a retired fisherman, moved to Malaysia 17 years ago from Somerset after falling in love with the country on a holiday in 2002.

But she claims their 'new life' quickly turned into 'hell in paradise' as John - a father-of-two and grandfather-of-four - drank heavily and physically abused her.

She stabbed him in October 2018 after he returned drunk to their villa on the dream island of Langkawi.

John, a retired fire service chief, suffered a deep stab wound to his chest, which fatally pierced his liver.

Jones originally faced the death penalty and wept when she was found not guilty of murder and was instead jailed for 42 months.

She insisted on the eve of her trial: 'I loved that man.'

Her lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said Jones had suffered a broken jaw during one beating, and feared that John would kill her one day.

Speaking ahead of the trial, Deo told The Mirror: 'The one thing she wants everyone to know is she really loved this man.

'He had a lot of problems and she was standing by him and working it through.

'She never imagined anything like this could ever happen. She's lost her husband and home. She is still grieving, it has been a traumatic experience.

'We are of the view the facts of the case do not support a murder charge.'

She stabbed him in October 2018 after he returned drunk to their villa on the dream island of Langkawi

She was arrested and charged with murder before being found guilty of 'culpable homicide', which is better known as manslaughter - an unlawful killing which does not involve intent to harm or kill

Friends in the area have previously claimed that John banned her from talking to other men and even attacked her with a sword on one occasion.

On the day of the killing - October 18, 2018 - John had been out all day drinking with his ex-pat friends when he returned home and an argument broke out.

Before they moved to Malaysia, Jones said she reported John twice to the police in the UK for abusing her, but felt unable to go to police in Malaysia because the subject is 'taboo'

She claims she was punched in the face and kicked in the stomach before grabbing a knife in self defence, as John goaded her to stab him.

Jones says she ran to the bathroom clutching the knife, before stabbing John in the chest as he renewed his attack on her - with the knife piercing his liver.

She then ran to a neighbour to call for help, but by the time an ambulance arrived, John had bled to death.

She was arrested and charged with murder before being found guilty of 'culpable homicide', which is better known as manslaughter - an unlawful killing which does not involve intent to harm or kill.

Jones returned to the UK this summer after her family paid out for her flights and accommodation. She completed her mandatory 10-day quarantine period at an undisclosed location.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: 'Our staff supported a British woman and were in touch with her family during her detention. We worked with local authorities to facilitate her return to the UK once deportation had been approved.'
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The US Navy successfully conducted a scheduled two-missile test launch of un-armed life-extended Trident D5LE nuclear missiles from the USS Wyoming on Friday.

The USS Wyoming (SSBN-742), an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, was floating off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida when it completed the test, which was part of a Demonstration and Shakedown Operation, designated DASO-31.

A DASO is conducted to asses the fitness of the ballistic missile submarine and its crew before being sent out for operational deployment after the ship's refueling overhaul.

Friday's launch marks 184 successful missile test flights of the Trident II (D5 & D5LE) SWS. The last Trident II (D5LE) launch was completed in February 2021 off the coast of Florida.

Director of the Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Vice Adm. Johnny R. Wolfe, said on Friday, 'Today's test demonstrates the unmatched reliability of our sea-based nuclear deterrent, which is made possible by a dedicated team of military, civilian and industry partners who bring expertise and dedication to the mission that is truly extraordinary.'

He explained, 'This same team is now developing the next generation of the Trident Strategic Weapon System, which will extend our sea-based strategic deterrent through 2084.'

The US Navy successfully conducted a scheduled two-missile test launch of un-armed life-extended Trident D5LE nuclear missiles on Friday off the coast of Cape Canaveral

The USS Wyoming (SSBN-742) is an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine which primarily serves as deterrence

Friday's launch marks 184 successful missile test flights of the Trident II (D5 & D5LE) SWS

The US has a fleet of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines. The country currently has the largest fleet of submarines in the world

The Navy announced that the Trident II missiles have undergone 'a life extension program to address potential impacts from aging and obsolescence' and are now ready to be deployed along with the rest of the fleet alongside the UK Vanguard-class, US Colombia-class, UK Dreadnought-class.

The US has a fleet of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines which carry about half of the US active strategic thermo-nuclear warheads. Every submarine carries 24 trident missiles carrying up to 8 nuclear warheads.

The 14 ballistic missile submarines primarily serve as nuclear deterrence to display the country's readiness and capability to defend itself and allies.

Each Ohio-class submarine estimated an annual cost of $170 million, equating to the US spending $2.4 billion a year on operating these deterrence ships.

These tests are scheduled years in advance and are executed with unarmed flights. The Navy reported that 'the missile test was not conducted in response to any ongoing world events, nor as a demonstration of power.'

Despite being scheduled, the nuclear ballistic missile submarines comes as the US has penned a deal to work with the UK to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.

The Navy stated the tests are scheduled years in advance and 'not conducted in response to any ongoing world events, nor as a demonstration of power'

The deal has greatly angered France, who had previously signed a $90 billion deal to build Australia's ships, and China who is threated by Australia's decision to begin acquiring nuclear weapons.

Australia will build a fleet of nuclear submarines to counter China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific as part of a new strategic partnership with its two most important allies.

Scott Morrison said the submarines would be built in Adelaide in co-operation with the US and the UK which, unlike Australia, have experience in making and running the boats.

The move means Australia has torn up its deal with French company Naval Group to build 12 diesel-electric submarines to replace its six ageing Collins-class submarines.

It comes after China has spent years building up its military with a defense budget six times higher than Australia's.

Beijing boasts 42 times more soldiers, 55 times more tanks, 13 times more submarines and 16 times more fighter jets.

Across land, air and sea, China has Australia covered with 3.3 million troops in service compared to Australia's relatively feeble 80,000

Beijing will soon have the largest fleet of submarines in the world when it surpasses the US Navy in 2030.

America's naval force is projected to have about 66 submarines by the end of the decade, while China will have around 80 - most of them nuclear powered.

At the moment Australia only has six and new nuclear powered sub marines will not be available until 2040.

The USS Wyoming (SSBN-742), an Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, was floating off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida when it completed the test (Stock image)

China has vastly built up its military in the past few years and now possesses six Shang-class nuclear powered attack submarines, equipped with torpedoes and cruise missiles. This graphic shows a comparison of the two militaries

China has inflamed tensions in the South China Sea in recent years by expanding its claimed territory, to the objection of its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific

Taiwan and Japan have welcomed a new three-way nuclear submarine pact between the US, UK and Australia aimed at combatting China - saying it is necessary to provide 'security' for the region.

The countries are both threatened by Beijing and North Korea respectively, and said the new naval alliance dubbed AUKUS would help keep the region 'free and open' and increasing 'peace and security'.

Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and Scott Morrison were also careful not to mention China when they announced the new pact - which will see Australia provided with its first ever fleet of at least eight nuclear subs - on Wednesday night, though made their intentions clear with references to 'democracy, freedom of navigation, and security'.

Taiwan - which considers itself to be an independent nation but is viewed by Beijing as a self-governing Chinese province - fears invasion from the mainland after Xi Jinping committed himself to 'reunifying' the island in a 2019 speech, saying he reserves the right to use force if necessary.

The UK and US have already been conducting increased freedom of navigation patrols through the Strait of Taiwan and around the Spratly and Paracel Islands - which contain Chinese military bases - and the addition of at least eight nuclear submarines to Australia's fleet will bolster these efforts.

France claims they have been 'stabbed in the back' by the Australian nuclear submarine deal, a former top diplomatic official has said.

'The world is a jungle,' ex-ambassador to the US Gerard Araud tweeted on Thursday.

'France has just been reminded this bitter truth by the way the US and the UK have stabbed her in the back in Australia. Cest la vie.'

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison pictured centre during a virtual press conference on Thursday morning with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden

Australia has for years been planning to build a fleet of 12 diesel-powered submarines in Adelaide via French company Naval Group, with a deal made in 2016 valued at $90billion.

The French government later on Thursday said Australia's decision to ditch the agreement was 'contrary to the spirit of cooperation which prevailed' between the two countries.

In a stunning break with the United States' oldest ally, France has recalled its ambassador to the US after a blowup over a new pact between the US, Great Britain, and Australia.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian announced the move to recall ambassador Philippe Etienne Friday night, saying it came in a request from French President Emmanuel Macron.

He cited the 'exceptional seriousness of the announcements'  which caught France off guard.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed defended herself having a good time at a nightclub where she was seen dancing without a face mask by saying 'we don't need the fun police to micromanage us' despite her new strict city mandates.

Breed was spotted partying at the Black Cat Nightclub without a face mask despite mandating in August that all people - whether they are vaccinated or not - need to wear one indoors when they are not actively eating or drinking.

In defending herself, she claimed everyone was vaccinated and that she was 'feeling the spirit' and 'wasnt thinking about a mask.'

Despite the outrage online about her breaking her own city mandates, she said she and her fellow nightclub goers don't need the 'fun police.'

'We don't need the fun police to micromanage us and tell us what we should or shouldn't be doing,' she said in a press conference on Saturday.

She said that at the time she was filmed and photographed dancing, her drink was on the table despite not being seen actively drinking it.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who was caught partying without a mask on at a nightclub, defended herself by saying the 'fun police' doesn't need to 'micromanage'

She claimed to have a drink at her table, where she was dancing, and therefore, following health protocols. She also said she was 'feeling the spirit' and 'wasn't thinking about a mask'

San Francisco is one of several major US cities to pass vaccine mandates. The city enacted it on August 20 and it requires all citizens to wear a mask indoors unless eating or drinking

'My drink was sitting at the table. I got up and started dancing because I was feeling the spirit and I wasn't thinking about a mask. I was thinking about having a good time and in the process, I was following health orders.'

As of August 20, San Francisco required all citizens, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask while indoors, unless actively drinking or eating. Rules for dancing at the table are unclear.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Breed tried to steer the focus of the conversation on San Francisco's reopening and the comeback of nightclubs and live performers, like Tony! Toni! Tone! and Metallica, who performed at the Independent.

'When you enter these venues, people are going to drink, people have to be vaccinated,' she said. 'That doesn't mean you have to sip and drink, that is just not realistic.

'I'm leaving my mask down while I'm enjoying my food.'

London Breed, mayor of San Francisco, the first US city to impose a lockdown and the one with the strictest vaccine mandate, filmed partying without a mask despite the citys indoor mask mandate, once again breaking her own COVID rules.pic.twitter.com/dzcc19z1Al  Michael P Senger (@MichaelPSenger) September 17, 2021 Twitter Privacy Policy

There was major outrage online toward Breed after a video and photos of her dancing mask-less most of the night surfaced

This isn't the first time the San Francisco Mayor has been called out for breaking her own mandates.

Last November, Breed was seen having dinner at the French Laundry with seven other people not from her household, after warning citizens to avoid big groups the week prior.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was also criticized for dining mask-less at the same restaurant around that time.

Newsom's dinner eventually sparked his recall election, which he just recently won.

Breed was at the Black Cat Nightclub in San Francisco to see the original Tony! Toni! Tone! perform

The liberal governor admitted that the recall effort against him was 'in no small degree because of our approach to this pandemic.'

California, hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, had some of the strictest prevention policies in the country, where many schools were shut down for over a year and confusing, back-and-forth lockdown measures left businesses frustrated.

San Francisco is still being hit hard, causing Breed to mandate that residents need to wear masks indoors regardless of their vaccination status, and the state's health department ordered that people dining and taking part in other indoor activities need to show proof of vaccination, last month.

San Francisco has reported about 134 new COVID-19 cases as of yesterday.

The city has among the lowest rate of cases in California, which now has less COVID-19 transmission than any other state in the country, the New York Times reported.

San Francisco reported that nearly 80 per cent of all eligible residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 73 per cent are fully vaccinated.

California reported more than 82 percent of its eligible residents have received at least one jab.

The US continues to see a spike in cases due to the Delta variant as it reported nearly 165,000 new cases and about 2,500 new deaths on Friday.
The first picture of Duane Denny, whose body was found dumped in London weeks after he was reported missing, has today been released by police.

Today a 48-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender after a 47-year-old man from Reading was arrested and remanded into custody on suspicion of murder.

The woman has been released on bail until October 14.

Detective Chief Inspector Blaik said: 'I want to hear from anyone who saw or had any contact with the victim, 46-year-old Duane Denny at any time from Tuesday 10th August onwards.

The first picture of Duane Denny, whose body was found dumped in London weeks after he was reported missing, has today been released by police

'If you saw or spoke to Denny in person or on the phone then we want to hear from you.

'To help jog memories, we are releasing a picture of Denny, with the permission of his family, who are being supported by specially trained Family Liaison Officers.

'Our thoughts remain with his family at this extremely difficult time.'

It comes after police arrested a murder suspect after Duane's body was discovered in London three weeks after disappearing from his home in Reading.

Duane went missing on August 24 but the investigation switched to Erith, London, after a body was found on Thursday.

The dead man's next of kin have been informed, a police spokesman said.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Blaik, of the Major Crime Unit, said there is currently a scene watch in place in Hadrian Walk in Reading.

He added: 'We have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of the body of a person in London.

'The investigation is in its early stages and we are conducting thorough inquiries in order to establish what has happened.

Duane went missing on August 24 but the investigation switched to Erith, London, after a body was found on Thursday. Pictured: Police said there was a police watch at Hadrian Walk in Reading

'There is a scene watch currently in place in Hadrian Walk in Reading and so you may see an increased police presence in the local area whilst our inquiries continue.

'If anyone has any concerns or has information we would advise them to speak to one of our uniformed officers.'

Anyone with information is encouraged to get in touch with police by calling them on 101.

Information can also be given in anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, quoting crime reference number 2283 (14/9).
A second man suspected in the shooting deaths of four people whose bodies were found in an abandoned SUV in Wisconsin has been arrested in Arizona.

The suspects in the slaying of four close friends are a father and son and were known to at least one of the four victims whose bodies were found in a Wisconsin cornfield, DailyMail.com recently revealed.

The older man, Darren McWright, was arrested Wednesday night while his son Antoine Darnique Suggs, 38, turned himself in to police in Gilbert, Arizona, on Friday and will be extradited to Wisconsin, the Star Tribune reported.

His arrest came two days after St. Paul police arrested Suggs' father, 56-year-old McWright, who has been charged with helping hide the victims bodies.

There have been no descriptions yet of who shot the victims or where the shootings took place, but authorities said in court documents that Suggs was seen at a St. Paul bar with victim Nitosha Flug-Presley and two of her friends hours before they were found dead along with a fourth victim.

Flug-Presley, 30, was one of four people found shot to death in an abandoned SUV in rural Sheridan, Wisconsin, some 70 miles from the Twin Cities. Also dead were her close friend Jasmine Sturm, 30, and Sturm's brother Matthew Pettus, 26, and boyfriend Loyace Foreman III, 35,

Darren Lee McWright, left, was arrested in connection to the fatal shooting of four friends in Wisconsin. Police are looking for Antoine Darnique Suggs, a possible accomplice

Damone Presley, the father of victim Flug-Presley, told DailyMail.com that the last time he saw McWright, 56, was in the Little Six Casino in Prior Lake, Minnesota, when the man now accused of killing his daughter approached him to offer his condolences on the death of Presley's father.

'We go way back,' said Presley, 50, standing outside his home in St. Paul. 'I wouldn't say he was a close family friend but he was a well-known friend of the family.

'He certainly wasn't a stranger.

'Just a month and a half ago I spoke to him  or should I say he spoke to me.

'My father had passed last year in December, so he came up to me in the casino and gave his condolence  we shared our childhood memories and chit-chatted about some of the work I and my parents have done in the community.'

Victim Loyace Foreman III (left) was Sturm's boyfriend, while Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley (right) was a friend of Sturm

Victims Jasmine Sturm (left) and Matthew Pettus (right) were half-siblings, and worked together at Shamrocks Irish bar and grill in St. Paul

He said he hadn't seen McWright  who also uses the alibi Darren Osborne  in four years prior to that.

On the night they were gunned down, Flug-Presley and three of her friends had all gone out to Shamrocks a popular bar in downtown St. Paul. Their bodies were found on Sunday afternoon. None of the victims had any ties to Sheridan, which is in Dunn County, Wisconsin.

Presley said his daughter also knew Suggs, 38, who was even in her house at her son's birthday party earlier this year.

'He is a friend of two of her cousins and at our last gathering three months ago I remember seeing him there.

'I am trying to process it all now,' Presley added.

And he had a message for his erstwhile friend and his son. 'How dare you?' he raged. 'How dare you?

'But justice will be served. Not only for you but to everyone else involved. Justice will come.'

Presley, 30, Matthew Pettus, 26, Loyace Foreman III, 35, and Jasmine Christine Sturm, 30, were found murdered inside the car in a field in Sheridan, rural Wisconsin, Sunday afternoon. Pictured the scene taped off

Investigators remain tight-lipped about many aspects of the case, and Bygd refused to answer many key questions, including ownership information for the SUV the bodies were found in, and the position of the bodies in the vehicle

Flug-Presley's mother and aunt told investigators that Suggs had been dating her during visits to St. Paul from his Arizona home, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dunn County (Wisconsin) District Court. The two were last seen together by several witnesses at the White Squirrel bar early Sunday morning, according to the criminal complaint.

Her father said Friday that he was relieved to hear the news about Suggs' arrest.

'I am excited that he is arrested because it could have been somebody elses family that was going to pay a price for his devilish deeds,' he said.

Presley has been involved in social issues in the Rondo area of St. Paul for years. A yard sign on his front lawn reads: Guns Down St. Paul.

He said he believed McWright would have stopped the murders if he had known that his daughter was one of the intended victims as disputes in the area are normally settled between family elders

It really alarms me that if he had any indication that she was a Presley  because our family is well known in the community  that he would not have stopped this tragic thing that happened.

He said he is convinced there are more than the father and son involved in the slayings of his daughter and her friends. Four young people died, he said. That wasnt the work of one or two people.

Pettuss brother Zach Pettus had earlier told the Star-Tribune that he had an idea who had killed the quartet.

But when contacted by DailyMail.com after McWrights arrest he said he had spoken too soon and had no further comment.

McWright, of St. Paul, was arrested Wednesday and charged with four felony counts of hiding a corpse. Surveillance video taken from a gas station in Wheeler, Wisconsin, showed Suggs and McWright there but in separate cars, one of which was the Mercedes found Sunday.

Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said investigators believe the bodies 'were randomly brought to' the Town of Sheridan and that someone intentionally drove the SUV into the tall corn

Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said he believed the four bodies were randomly brought to Sheridan from the Twin Cities.

Bygd said that motive in the case remains a mystery, and that all possibilities are under investigation, including the involvement of personal acquaintances, organized crime, or a drug connection.

He said earlier this week there was no preliminary evidence of drugs as a motive, but that 'it very well could be, and that's going to be discovered through our investigation.'

Investigators believe the killers brought a second vehicle to the dump site and used it to escape. Police are seeking information about a possible second dark-colored SUV that may have been involved.

Investigators remain tight-lipped about many aspects of the case, and Bygd refused to answer many key questions, including ownership information for the SUV the bodies were found in, and the position of the bodies in the vehicle.

However, audio from a police scanner obtained by the station KSTP revealed that none of the victims were in the driver's seat.

Autopsies that were performed on Monday by Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office in St. Paul determined that all four victims died from gunshot wounds.

Loyace Foreman III was the son of Loyace Foreman Jr, senior pastor at New Vision Faith Center in Saint Paul.

'He was stolen from us,' Loyace's mother, Jessica, wrote in a post. 'And we will find the thief. If it takes my very last breath. We will not rest. Loyace PulzeRazr Foreman III was my Prince.'

According to recent social media posts, the 35-year-old Foreman III had two children and was in a romantic relationship with Jessica Sturm.

He worked as a demolition contractor and enjoyed drawing in his free time.

'He was a doting uncle to his four nieces and nephews,' Jessica Foreman told Twin Cities. 'He was the protector of his three sisters. He was not perfect and we loved him unconditionally. He left an unfillable void.'

Sturm, who worked a second job as a paralegal at a law firm, and was raising her two sons, ages 11 and 5. The youngest boy had just celebrated his birthday last month.

Mourners online described Strum and Nitosha Flug-Presley as very close friends.

'There was never a time where i would see 1 without the other,' a mutual friend wrote. 'Y'all were literally inseparable and to think we lost y'all together don't even sit right.'

Flug-Presley leaves behind a young son and daughter.

'She was an outgoing person, a very good mother, exceptional daughter,' Presley's father said. 'She was very vibrant, she had a good heart, someone who would lift up your spirits.'
Louise Pybus was warming croissants in the oven when there was an unexpected knock at the door. It was a Sunday morning in early February.

Standing on her doorstep in the pretty village of Middleton St George, County Durham, were two plain-clothed detectives, their faces grim.

Louise's panicked thoughts turned instantly to her husband Sam, who had failed to return home the night before.

The officers could offer her precious little reassurance: only that Sam had been detained on a charge they could not disclose, and that they had a warrant to search the couple's two-bedroom home.

Louise, 29, fought down the concern which gnawed at her gut, trying to convince herself that there must be some mistake; that the police had the wrong man.

Louise Pybus was warming croissants in the oven when there was an unexpected knock at the door. It was a Sunday morning in early February (file photo)

But what she learned in the agonising hours and days which followed shattered not only her five-year marriage, but her whole life.

'The very first thing they asked me was, 'Did Sam ever strangle you in bed?' Louise recalls, with a shiver. 'And that's when I found out what he'd done.'

It's a tale which makes for horrifying reading. Sam Pybus, 32, had drunk 24 bottles of beer before strangling 33-year-old Sophie Moss, a vulnerable mother-of-two, during what was described at Teesside Crown Court earlier this month as 'consensual rough sex' at her flat in Darlington.

Originally charged with murder, Pybus claimed Sophie had 'encouraged and enjoyed' having pressure applied to her neck during their three-year liaison.

The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently reduced the charge to manslaughter, and Pybus was sentenced to four years and eight months, after Judge Paul Watson QC, the recorder of Middlesbrough, accepted there was no intent to kill, and that he was genuinely remorseful.

The controversial sentence has sparked an extraordinary backlash, leading to calls for further scrutiny of the CPS and a review by the Attorney General.

Campaigners also point to the fact that the so-called 'rough sex' loophole, which has historically allowed abusers to get reduced sentences by claiming their victims consented to attacks, was abolished in law earlier this year with the passing of the Domestic Abuse Act.

Louise  still reeling from the betrayal and shock of the past seven months  wants a review of Sam's sentence. For what she has rarely admitted publicly until now is that she knew only too well of Pybus's predilection for sexual violence  and was a victim of it herself, as she confessed to police officers investigating Sophie's death.

Originally charged with murder, Pybus (pictured) claimed Sophie had 'encouraged and enjoyed' having pressure applied to her neck during their three-year liaison

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Louise reveals that the couple's relationship, in the early days at least, had a 'darker side'.

'He was sexually violent to me at the beginning of our relationship,' she says. 'He would strangle, slap and things like that.

'I think it was porn that influenced him. He believed that was what he was meant to be doing and I thought that was what I was supposed to accept.

'I was young, and just thought to myself, 'This is what people do now. This is the norm. If I say I don't want to do that, what's he going to think of me? He's going to think I'm boring.' '

To Louise's credit, she found the strength to put a stop to that aggression, making it clear that she was unwilling to continue. It was, she says, something Pybus appeared to accept.

What she could not have known was that  tragically, as it turned out  he was using Sophie to act out his fantasies.

The couple met eight years ago at a bar in Darlington, when Louise, now an English teacher, was 21. She remembers him then as 'a nice, normal guy'.

'I guess you could say that he had a good sense of humour and he was fun,' she says. 'He was quite romantic and sweet when we first got together, but that soon stopped.'

The couple married in July 2016, a month after moving to Middleton St George.

It was the village where Pybus had grown up and he was a well-known member of the community, spending a considerable part of the weekends in the local pubs. To Louise's mum, Pybus was 'like a son'.

Sam Pybus, 32, had drunk 24 bottles of beer before strangling 33-year-old Sophie Moss (pictured), pictured, a vulnerable mother-of-two, during what was described at Teesside Crown Court earlier this month as 'consensual rough sex' at her flat in Darlington

But every weekend without fail he would start drinking on a Friday, and often not come home. 'He would say, 'I'm just going out for a pint.' Then he would go out and just not come home and I was left there wondering where he was.'

It was not easy to live with him. His heavy drinking and cocaine use meant he struggled to hold down a job. Stints as a factory worker and delivery driver never lasted long.

Gradually, Louise became aware that he was texting other women in the village, asking for sex.

One night, in September 2016  just two months after their wedding  they were in the pub when a woman, clearly distressed, arrived following an argument with her boyfriend.

This was Sophie Moss, and although they had never met before, Louise was concerned enough to invite her back to their home.

Looking back, Louise believes that night marked the start of her husband's liaison. Sophie had gone by the time she awoke the next morning, while Pybus was acting 'shifty', she recalls.

Louise, who is studying for a PhD in linguistics, admits she considered leaving the marriage many times. But each time, Pybus used manipulative tactics to persuade her to stay.

'Every time I wanted to break up with him he would threaten to kill himself,' she says. 'I knew he was emotionally abusing me, but that doesn't stop it happening. I remember thinking the only way either of us are getting out of this relationship is if one of us dies.'

Perversely, the first coronavirus lockdown in early 2020 improved their relationship because Pybus was unable to go to the pub.

But when the restrictions were lifted last summer, the old habits returned. And on the evening of Saturday, February 6, this year, they turned fatal.

Louise recalls how they had enjoyed a quiet day at home, watching a rugby game on television together, before taking part in a Zoom quiz. She then went to bed while Pybus stayed downstairs playing on his Xbox.

At some point that evening, he went out, and Louise assumed he'd gone to see a friend. But that was far from the truth.

As a court would hear, he had consumed 24 bottles of Amstel by the time he got behind the wheel and drove the five miles to Sophie's flat in Darlington.

There, Pybus applied what experts described as 'sustained pressure' to her neck while they had sex until she lost consciousness. Rather than give first aid to Sophie, or call for an ambulance, Pybus sat in his car on the street outside for 15 minutes, thinking about what to do next.

He later turned himself in and was charged with murder.

But his defence was to claim the violence was consensual, and Sophie's death a tragic accident.

Pybus claimed to have little recollection of what happened, telling officers he only remembered waking up in his boxer shorts to find Sophie unresponsive.

He believed he must have strangled Sophie, he told them, because his hands were hurting  and added that she had previously enjoyed having 'mild pressure' applied to her neck during intercourse.

The CPS concluded there was not enough evidence that Pybus had intended to harm her. This meant he was charged with the lesser offence of manslaughter.

It comes as little surprise to Louise, who is now getting a divorce.

'He always played the victim. So it doesn't surprise me at all that he's shifted the responsibility on to her and says she asked for this to happen.'

The sentence has also left Sophie's family distraught. She leaves behind two boys, aged five and six, and was described in victim statements as an animal lover who doted on her children, despite her troubled life.

She was 'joyous, vibrant, funny, talented, and fearless', her brother James wrote.

He added: 'We will never be able to shake the belief that whatever the nature of their relationship, and her role in it, that she was a victim, taken advantage of and exploited, and was subjected to an entirely avoidable and infinitely tragic end.'

Over the past seven months  and particularly over the past week  Louise's shock and distress has grown into anger, not only at Pybus's betrayal, but at the authorities.

A manslaughter charge can still carry a possible life sentence and many, including Louise, see it as bewildering that Pybus  despite admitting to killing a woman  will serve such a short prison term. She says it makes a 'mockery' of justice for women.

'I could not believe that he got such a short sentence for taking someone's life and I felt galvanised to do something,' she said.

'That's why after staying silent for seven months, I decided to speak out.' Louise believes Sophie's vulnerability meant she was treated as a 'second-class citizen' by the police and the courts, and this may have made Pybus's defence appear more credible.

'There was a moment when I hated Sophie,' says Louise. 'But the more details I found out about her and her life, the more I realised that she was a vulnerable, lonely, isolated woman with awful physical and mental health issues and he just exploited her.

'Who knows whether she would have found an opportunity to turn her life around? He's taken that chance away.'

It is not the only recent case which has sparked a national conversation about sexual violence.

Following the death of Sarah Everard, who was abducted from a Clapham street before being raped and strangled by a Met Police officer, thousands of women have spoken of their experiences of fear and sexual harassment.

And the case has striking similarities to the 2018 murder of British tourist Grace Millane, who was strangled in New Zealand by Jesse Kempson, a man she met on the dating app Tinder.

Crucially, Kempson was convicted of murder, and jailed for 17 years, after the jury rejected his claim it was a rough sex game which went too far.

Louise has joined the calls for Attorney General Suella Braverman to review Pybus's sentence.

'This sentence has made me feel pure rage and devastation for women. It's just such an injustice. It also doesn't reflect the level of grief that he's rippled through this whole community.'

She adds: 'It's not just Sophie's family  although that in itself is enough  he's caused his friends to question themselves and my family as well because my mum saw him like a son.'

Campaigners, including former Justice Minister Harriet Harman and women's group We Can't Consent To This  which campaigns against the use of 'rough sex' defences to escape justice  are hoping the Attorney General will appeal against the 'unduly lenient' sentence.

Ms Harman, who chairs Parliament's joint committee on human rights, wrote that Pybus's sentence sent out 'the message that killing your girlfriend during sex is a minor matter'.

Louise adds: 'If this gets overturned and he gets a longer sentence, that sends out a clear message that men should not be sexually violent towards women.

'Men need to start questioning why they get a kick out of strangling a woman.'
Facebook employees had warned CEO Mark Zuckerberg that his social media platform had compromised his goal to use the company to get 50 million people vaccinated against COVID-19.

Zuckerberg had announced the initiative in March, showing off Facebook's ability to connect users with vaccine providers to help make appointments, as well as bring the service to its Instagram and WhatsApp subsidiaries.

'This will be in the Covid Information Center, which we'll show people right in their News Feed. We've already seen people use Facebook to find vaccination appointments, so this should enable millions more people to do the same,' Zuckerberg wrote.

But for months, Facebook's researches warned that comments on the vaccine-related posts that the platform was promoting were filled with antivaccine rhetoric aimed at undermining the message and any confidence in the vaccines, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, pictured in 2019, had wanted his social media company to help 50 million people get vaccinated. Internal memos from the company's researchers found that Facebook hindered the goal more than it helped

Zuckerberg said he wanted Facebook and its subsidiaries to help millions get vaccinated

Facebook posts against the vaccination effort were rampant online with at least 310 million comments posted every day

The internal documents obtained by the Journal reveal that even the World Health Organization and Unicef, who helped lead the push for a global vaccination effort, reached out to Facebook about the flood of negative comments on their posts.

'Anti-vaccine commenters that swarm their Pages,' one Facebook employee wrote in a memo.

Another memo raised an alarm that about 41 per cent of comments on vaccine-related posts written in English were from those discouraging vaccinations.

That meant that of the 775 million daily comments on vaccine-related posts, about 310 million of them were pushing people away from vaccines.

The millions of comments ranged from personal objections all the way to conspiracy theories.

The researches dubbed the comments, 'barrier to vaccination' content and lamented at how people were using Facebook's own tool to sow doubt of the pandemic's threat and slow 'a top company priority.'

Even authoritative sources of vaccine information were becoming 'cesspools of anti-vaccine comments,' the Facebook researchers wrote. 'That's a huge problem and we need to fix it.'

The problems with anti-vaccine posts were also seen Facebook's subsidiary, Instagram

Strong anti-vaccine and COVID-19 misinformation continue in the US. Pictured, an anit-vax protest in Santa Monica, California, on August 29

Protestors continue to claim that vaccines are not necessary, with some calling COVID a hoax

In a statement, Facebook spokesman Aaron Simpson defended Facebook's work in promoting the vaccine and said the memo's were not sufficient evidence to say the company was failing in its mission.

'We're focused on outcomes, and the data shows that for people in the U.S. on Facebook, vaccine hesitancy has declined by about 50% since January, and acceptance is high.

'The documents show Facebook's 'routine process for dealing with difficult challenges.

'Narrowly characterizing leaked documents doesn't accurately represent the problem, and it also ignores the work that's been underway to make comments on posts about COVID-19 and vaccines safer and more reliable.'

The reveal of the mass misinformation campaign on Facebook comes as the US reported more than 207,000 new COVID cases on Friday, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The US also reported more than 2,600 new COVID deaths as the Delta variant rallies again after what appeared to be a slow down in early September.

About 74 percent of all eligible Americans have gotten at least one jab of the vaccine so far.

More than 41.7 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic

More than 672,000 Americans have died of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic

This new development comes as the leaked documents obtained by the Journal also revealed that researchers were also worried about Instagram's effect on teenage girls.

According to the documents highlighted the fact that Facebook known for two years now that Instagram is toxic for young girls but continues to add beauty-editing filters to the app, despite 6 per cent of suicidal girls in America blaming it for their desire to kill themselves.

When Facebook researches first alerted the company of the issue in 2019, they said: 'We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.'

This is some of the research Facebook was shown last March about how Instagram is harming young people

Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression. This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.'

One message posted on an internal message board in March 2020 said the app revealed that 32 percent of girls said Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies if they were already having insecurities.

Parents and politicians reacted angrily to the data, calling it 'sickening' that Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg have known how harmful Instagram is but have done nothing about it.

'This is appalling. Ill be demanding answers from Mark Zuckerberg,' Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey tweeted.

The slides also revealed how younger users had moved away from Facebook to using Instagram.

Forty percent of Instagram's 1billion monthly users are under the age of 22 and just over half are female.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been quiet in the past about the issues the app is blamed for causing among young girls.

He told Congress in March 2021 that Instagram has 'positive mental-health benefits'.

Instagram has a 'parental guide' which teaches parents how to monitor their kids' accounts by enabling features like screen time limits and who can comment on posts, but there's no way to verify someone's age before they join the site.

Instagram claims it only accepts users aged 13 and over but says many lie about it when they join.

Instagram also does not flag any photograph or image that may have been distorted or manipulated, despite flagging materials it deems to contain misinformation, political posts or paid advertising.

The group of teens who said they were negatively impacted by the app were aged 13 and above.

Zuckerberg even announced plans to launch a product for kids under the age of 13.

He told Congress that it would be safe, answering 'I believe the answer is yes' when asked if the effects of how safe it would be would be studied.

Facebook has not shared the research before.

In August, when asked for information on how its products harmed young girls, it responded in a letter to Senators: 'We are not aware of a consensus among studies or experts about how much screen time is "too much".'

Senator Richard Blumenthal told the Journal that Facebook's answers were vague which raised questions that it was deliberately hiding the research.

'Facebook's answers were so evasive - failing to respond to all our questions - that they really raise questions about what Facebook might be hiding.

'Facebook seems to be taking a page from the textbook of Big Tobacco - targeting teens with potentially dangerous products while masking the science in public.'

In the letter, the company also said it kept the research 'confidential to promote frank and open dialogue and brainstorming internally.'
Britain's army of 'white van' tradesmen say they are being forced to pass on the cost of 'extortionate' council parking charges and motoring fees to customers with some even threatening to boycott city centres altogether.

Homeowners are footing the cost of steep parking fee rises and 'green' motoring charges that can land builders, plumbers and electricians with bills of up to 139.50 a day in one area of London.

According to the Federation of Master Builders, 80 per cent of builders have had to raise prices due to spiralling parking charges.

Charlie Mullins, the founder of Pimlico Plumbers, accused councils of creating a 'hostile environment' for tradesmen.

Britain's army of 'white van' tradesmen say they are being forced to pass on the cost of 'extortionate' council parking charges and motoring fees to customers with some even threatening to boycott city centres altogether

Homeowners are footing the cost of steep parking fee rises and 'green' motoring charges that can land builders, plumbers and electricians with bills of up to 139.50 a day in one area of London. In North London, Islington Council charges up to 6.20 an hour to park between 8.30am and 6.30pm, with a 5-an-hour surcharge for diesel vehicles. (Above, traffic on the A40 in West London)

In North London, Islington Council charges up to 6.20 an hour to park between 8.30am and 6.30pm, with a 5-an-hour surcharge for diesel vehicles.

With the capital's 15 congestion charge and an emissions charge of 12.50 on top, the total daily bill for a diesel van can reach 139.50.

Daily trade permits cost 28.90, but the price of those has risen 13 per cent since 2017.

2million in speeding fines are refunded Police are paying back 2 million in fines to 19,000 motorists wrongly booked for speeding. The foul-up began when speed cameras were set up to enforce a 50 mph limit on a stretch of the A1 while roadworks were under way. A spokesman for National Highways said: 'There was a discrepancy relating to the temporary traffic order, which means some of the enforcement was invalid and we are working with Lincolnshire Police to resolve this issue.' Police said 18,387 tickets were issued for driving at 50 to 70mph, and 702 for exceeding 70mph, on the Grantham southern relief road from February 16 to July 10. Penalty points are being cancelled but many drivers chose instead to take speed awareness courses  and say they will 'never get that time back'. Advertisement

In nearby Kensington and Chelsea, the council charges 6.10 an hour to park a diesel vehicle in high-tariff areas  up a third more than four years ago.

It means parking for ten hours can result in a bill of up to 88.50 when other environmental charges are included.

In Edinburgh, tradesmen face parking charges of up to 5.30 an hour for a van, although they can purchase an annual 1,300 permit.

In Bath, tradesmen are charged up to 3.80-an-hour on top of a 9-a-day clean air fee, taking the cost of a ten-hour working day to 47.

Simon Jefferies, 64, who runs JEM Heating And Plumbing Services, said he pays more than 100 a day for his fleet of four vans in Bath.

'I can have a job in the middle of town which runs for six months, so you can imagine five days a week at over 25, that puts a lot of money on the job,' he said.

'If it runs for 20 weeks then that's more than 2,500 which goes on top of the cost of the job straight away.

'It's staggering that they are punishing tradespeople and hammering small businesses.'

Brian Berry of the Federation of Master Builders said: 'Builders are already facing spiralling costs for materials.

'Extra charges for carrying out day-to-day work, which unavoidably will include driving their vans in cities, are tough.

'Eighty per cent of members have had to raise prices and some are considering pulling out of inner London altogether, as they can no longer take the hit.'
A South Carolina man who was accused of shooting prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 53, in a staged suicide attempt claims he was set up and that the lawyer shot himself after his gun accidentally went off while he was waving it in the air.

Curtis Smith, 61, of Walterboro, South Carolina, who has been charged in the September 4 botched suicide plot, allegedly used to sell drugs to Murdaugh.

'It was the craziest situation I ever been involved with. I was set up to be the fall guy,' he told the New York Post. 'I know what they're trying to say about me and it ain't true.'

Since the shooting, Murdaugh has admitted a 20-year opioid addiction, and has been checked into an out-of-state rehabilitation facility - without GPS monitoring - after being released on $20,000 bond while he faces charges for misappropriating millions from his legal firm.

The shooting came only months after Murdaugh's son Paul and wife Maggie were gunned down and murdered in their hunting lodge in Islandton on June 7. No arrests have been made in that case.

Murdaugh admitted to his lawyers around September 13 that he hired Smith to kill him so his surviving son Buster could collect the $10million insurance policy.

But, Smith claimed the twisted story is completely false and claims that the Labor Day weekend shooting was accidental.

A South Carolina man who was accused of shooting prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 53, in a staged suicide attempt claims he was set up. Curtis Smith, 61, of Walterboro, South Carolina, who has been charged in the September 4 botched suicide plot, allegedly used to sell drugs to Murdaugh

He told the New York Post that he didn't conspire with Murdaugh about the assisted suicide attempt, but that he got a call from Murdaugh that Saturday afternoon.

'I get a call from Alex that Saturday afternoon to come to where he was and I thought it was maybe to fix something,' Smith told the New York Post.

Smith didn't question it and got into his silver Chevy pickup and 'went over there.'

He said when he got to the rural stretch of Old Salkehatchie Road, he found Murdaugh in his car. When the lawyer got out, he was waving around a gun.

Smith said he wrestled with him to get the gun before it went off and he ran.

'The gun kind of went off above his head and I got scared to death and I ran to my truck and took off,' he told the Post.

Smith, who was still in possession of Murdaugh's gun, said he didn't look back and didn't know how badly the other man was injured. Murdaugh had no visible injury when he arrived at his bonding hearing on Wednesday.

Smith, who doesn't have any legal representation yet, but hopes to find one 'with a bone to pick' toward the family, said: 'I never did nothing. I've never heard anyone. It's that simple.'

He also claimed he was 'naive' to be caught up in the family's drama.

Murdaugh's lawyer also alleged that Smith was Alex's longtime drug dealer, which he denies.

Murdaugh's other son Paul (second to right) and his wife Maggie (middle) were gunned down and murdered in their hunting lodge in Islandton on June 7. He has one remaining son, Buster (left)

Controversy is not far from the family: Paul (pictured) was accused of driving a boat recklessly while drunk in 2019 and killing Mallory Beach, 19, (pictured). An investigation has also been launched into the family's longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's accidental death after she apparently had a 'trip and fall' accident inside the family's home

Despite being 'set up,' Smith admitted to the New York Post that he didn't hold a grudge against Murdaugh, but advised him not to mess with him.

'I wouldn't advise him to try to set me up. I'd strongly advise against that,' he told the Post.

Curtis has been charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud

The Murdaugh family has been wrapped up in controversy lately after their belated son Paul crashed a boat in 2019, killing a girl and the mysterious death of the family's longtime housekeeper.

Paul Murdaugh, 22, was accused of driving a boat recklessly while drunk when it smashed into Archer's Creek Bridge in Beaufort County in February 2019.

There were six friends on board, including Mallory Beach, 19, who died when she was thrown from the vessel. Her body was found on in the water by a fisherman a week later.

Murdaugh was later charged with three felony counts, including causing Beach's death. He was awaiting trial when he and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, were found gunned down on their hunting estate in Islandton in June. Their murders remain a mystery.

The longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's children recently filed a lawsuit involving a huge insurance payout that was tied to the woman's death.

Satterfield, 57, apparently had a 'trip and fall accident' inside the Murdaugh's home, which killed her. The exact details of the fall remain unclear to this day.

Family murders, deaths, drug addictions, thefts and arrests: The riddles facing investigators who've now charged Alex Murdaugh 2015: Teenager Stephen Smith dies Cops investigating the double murder have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith Smith was found on the side of the road. Police officially rule his death a hit-and-run but he had suffered blunt force trauma to the head His mother has since shared her belief that she thinks he was killed in a hate-crime because he was gay Case notes obtained by DailyMail.com revealed Paul's older brother Buster was named multiple times in the investigation. Police wanted to know more about his relationship with Stephen Stephen's mother said he had been having a 'fling'. In a deposition years later, one of Paul's friends said the family had 'covered' other killings up. He mentioned Smith's death. 2018: Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield dies Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies Gloria died after 'falling' down the stairs in the family house The family gave her family $500.000 in a wrongful death settlement but it's unclear why her death was ruled to be their fault. Alex Murdaugh was listed as the defendant in the lawsuit. Satterfield was only 57 when she died. She left behind a husband and children. Her death was also mentioned in the deposition by Paul Murdaugh's friend. 2019: Mallory Beach dies being thrown from boat driven by Paul Murdaugh Mallory Beach, 19, died in February 2019 Paul was charged afterwards because he'd been drinking and was behaving 'belligerently' that night. He had been released on bond. Other kids were on the boat but were unharmed. One testified that they were scared to speak about the Murdaugh family because they knew how to 'cover things up'. That boy named Stephen Smith and the housekeeper, and claimed Paul pushed her June 7 2021: Paul and Maggie are murdered The mom and son were found shot dead at the family home in Hampton, South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh says he found them at the home. The medical examiner said the pair had been dead for an hour at most when he discovered them. Alex's son Paul, 22, (left) and wife Maggie, 52, (right) were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on June 7 at the family hunting lodge Alex's father Randolph Murdaugh III died 'peacefully' at home three days after Maggie and Paul were found shot dead June 10 2021: Alex's 81-year-old father Randolph Murdaugh III dies 'naturally' and 'peacefully' at home September 3: Alex resigns from his law firm amid claims he misused funds The firm has hired a forensic investigator to go through the accounts September 4: Alex calls 911 claiming he's been shot in the head in a drive-by. He only had 'surface' wounds and was also able to call his brother September 6: Alex resigns from his law firm The South Carolina legal scion releases a statement confirming his resignation from the firm and announcing he has entered rehab He said: 'I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders.' September 16: Alex turns himself into police over insurance fraud scheme Murdaugh handed himself over to cops in connection to insurance fraud scheme where he arranged his own killing so that his surviving son could collect $10 million payout. He faces charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. Advertisement

Sons of Alex Murdaugh's housekeeper, who died in mysterious fall, say they are 'scared' after his release on $20k bail to drug rehab facility: 'The Murdaugh family are not the types of folks you make waves against'

The sons of a housekeeper who mysteriously died after a fall while working at Alex Murdaugh's home four years ago say they are 'scared' and 'shell-shocked' to learn he is out of jail on a $20,000 bond.

Murdaugh, who had been shot on September 4 in Hampton County, surrendered Thursday to face insurance fraud charges after police said he arranged to have himself shot in the head so that his son would get a $10 million life insurance payout.

The prominent South Carolina lawyer was freed on bail and was allowed to travel to an out-of-state rehabilitation facility - where he is being treated for opioid addiction - without GPS monitoring.

The man who allegedly shot him, Curtis Edward Smith, was a former client of Murdaugh.

Now, Ronnie Richter, an attorney representing Murdaugh's late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's sons, Michael 'Tony' Satterfield and Brian Harriot, says they fear retribtuion from the powerful family, Fox News reports.

'They're shell-shocked. They're glad that an investigation is finally going to take place, but they learned of the investigation the same time that you did,' Richter said Friday.

The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family who have been prosecuting in South Carolina's Low Country for three generations and at least 111 years.

'It's been a whirlwind for [the sons]. They [the Murdaugh's] are not the kind of folks who are going to make waves, and the Murdaugh family are not the types of folks you make waves against in Hampton County,' Richter added.

Gloria Satterfield, pictured, fell in Alex Murdaugh's home while working as a housekeeper and died at a hospital weeks later on Feb. 26, 2018

On September 3, the 53-year-old had been fired for allegedly embezzling money from PMPED, the personal injury law firm his great grandfather founded in Hampton, South Carolina back in 1910.

Murdaugh's wife Maggie and their son Paul, 22, were murdered in June. No arrests have been made in that case as of Saturday.

A day before Murdaugh turned himself in, Satterfield's sons filed a lawsuit in Hampton County, the same day the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) opened a criminal investigation into her February 2018 death.

'Their mom died in 2018, and they were assured by Alex, by Corey, that they were being taken care of. They didn't even learn of the $500,000 settlement until it was reported in the press earlier this year,' Richter told Fox News.

'They've been scared, betrayed. I think finally enough daylight has hit this that they're finding their resolve to fight for the answers.'

The $505,000 settlement in question was supposed to be paid out by Murdaugh's insurance company over the death of their mother. Richter said Friday morning that the amount is closer to $4 million.

Satterfield fell in Murdaugh's home and died at a hospital weeks later on Feb. 26, 2018.

After her death, Murdaugh introduced Satterfield's sons to his 'good friend' Corey Fleming after her funeral, so that Fleming could help the sons file legal claims against him for the wrongful death of their mother, according to their lawsuit.

At the time, the two sons were unaware that Fleming was Murdaugh's college roommate as well as the godfather to his son, Paul.

Claims were brought against Murdaugh with the help of a banker friend, Chad Westendorf, who 'stipulated that (Murdaugh) was at fault for the death of Gloria Satterfield,' meaning his insurance company would paid $505,000 to settle the claims.

However, the two say that they 'have not received the first dollar' to date, the lawsuit states.

'That settlement carved out the right to pursue other settlements from other insurance policies,' Richter said.

'And we have it on good information that other recoveries were made for which they also received no money. So we think that $500,000 is the tip of the iceberg.'

Their attorney told Fox News that Murdaugh, Westendorf and Fleming could have very well been paid out far more than the initial half million, as Murdaugh's home 'was insured by one or more carriers, including Lloyds of London,' the outlet reports.

Meanwhile, Angie Topper, Hampton County's coroner, personally asked SLED Chief Mark Keel to open an investigation into Satterfield's death, citing the death certificates' manner of death as 'natural' despite injuries inconsistent with those in a typical fall-type accident.

An autopsy on Satterfield's body was never performed, according to Fox News.

'What is part of our case is the not-knowing part. That the only person that reported what happened is Alex Murdaugh, and obviously he's proven himself to be less than a reliable source of information,' Richter said.

'Then subsequently, there was no investigation  her death was described as of natural causes, and falling to your death at somebody's house is not exactly what I would call a natural cause.'

'I don't know how or why a death resulting from a fall in a home was considered natural causes and not investigated at all.'
On September 3, the 53-year-old had been fired for allegedly embezzling money from PMPED, the personal injury law firm his great grandfather founded back in 1910

The sons of a housekeeper who mysteriously died after a fall while working at Alex Murdaugh's home four years ago say they are 'scared' and 'shell-shocked' to learn he is out of jail on a $20,000 bond.

Murdaugh, who had been shot on September 4 in Hampton County, surrendered Thursday to face insurance fraud charges after police said he arranged to have himself shot in the head so that his son would get a $10 million life insurance payout.

The prominent South Carolina lawyer was freed on bail and was allowed to travel to an out-of-state rehabilitation facility - where he is being treated for opioid addiction - without GPS monitoring.

The man who allegedly shot him, Curtis Edward Smith, was a former client of Murdaugh.

Now, Ronnie Richter, an attorney representing Murdaugh's late housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's sons, Michael 'Tony' Satterfield and Brian Harriot, says they fear retribtuion from the powerful family, Fox News reports.

'They're shell-shocked. They're glad that an investigation is finally going to take place, but they learned of the investigation the same time that you did,' Richter said Friday.

The Murdaughs are a prominent legal family who have been prosecuting in South Carolina's Low Country for three generations and at least 111 years.

'It's been a whirlwind for [the sons]. They [the Murdaugh's] are not the kind of folks who are going to make waves, and the Murdaugh family are not the types of folks you make waves against in Hampton County,' Richter added.

Gloria Satterfield, pictured, fell in Alex Murdaugh's home while working as a housekeeper and died at a hospital weeks later on Feb. 26, 2018

Pictured: Alex Murdaugh at his bond hearing at the Hampton County Jail on Thursday in Varnville, South Carolina

On September 3, the 53-year-old had been fired for allegedly embezzling money from PMPED, the personal injury law firm his great grandfather founded in Hampton, South Carolina back in 1910.

Murdaugh's wife Maggie and their son Paul, 22, were murdered in June. No arrests have been made in that case as of Saturday.

A day before Murdaugh turned himself in, Satterfield's sons filed a lawsuit in Hampton County, the same day the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) opened a criminal investigation into her February 2018 death.

'Their mom died in 2018, and they were assured by Alex, by Corey, that they were being taken care of. They didn't even learn of the $500,000 settlement until it was reported in the press earlier this year,' Richter told Fox News.

'They've been scared, betrayed. I think finally enough daylight has hit this that they're finding their resolve to fight for the answers.'

The $505,000 settlement in question was supposed to be paid out by Murdaugh's insurance company over the death of their mother. Richter said Friday morning that the amount is closer to $4 million.

Satterfield fell in Murdaugh's home and died at a hospital weeks later on Feb. 26, 2018.

After her death, Murdaugh introduced Satterfield's sons to his 'good friend' Corey Fleming after her funeral, so that Fleming could help the sons file legal claims against him for the wrongful death of their mother, according to their lawsuit.

At the time, the two sons were unaware that Fleming was Murdaugh's college roommate as well as the godfather to his son, Paul.

Paul and Maggie (together left) were shot dead on June 7. Now police say that Alex Murdaugh (center) orchestrated a separate shooting to kill himself with the help of a hitman, in a scheme to deliver a $10 million life insurance payout to his other son Buster (right) as the elder Murdaugh faced investigation over misallocated funds

Murdaugh surrendered Thursday to face insurance fraud charges after police said he arranged to have himself shot in the head so that his son would get a $10 million life insurance payout

Claims were brought against Murdaugh with the help of a banker friend, Chad Westendorf, who 'stipulated that (Murdaugh) was at fault for the death of Gloria Satterfield,' meaning his insurance company would paid $505,000 to settle the claims.

However, the two say that they 'have not received the first dollar' to date, the lawsuit states.

'That settlement carved out the right to pursue other settlements from other insurance policies,' Richter said.

'And we have it on good information that other recoveries were made for which they also received no money. So we think that $500,000 is the tip of the iceberg.'

In a moment of drama his attorney Dick Harpootlian appeared to play to the press who crowded the courtroom as he gestured to his gaunt client and 'if anyone wants to see the fact of what opioid addiction does, youre looking at it

Their attorney told Fox News that Murdaugh, Westendorf and Fleming could have very well been paid out far more than the initial half million, as Murdaugh's home 'was insured by one or more carriers, including Lloyds of London,' the outlet reports.

Meanwhile, Angie Topper, Hampton County's coroner, personally asked SLED Chief Mark Keel to open an investigation into Satterfield's death, citing the death certificates' manner of death as 'natural' despite injuries inconsistent with those in a typical fall-type accident.

An autopsy on Satterfield's body was never performed, according to Fox News.

'What is part of our case is the not-knowing part. That the only person that reported what happened is Alex Murdaugh, and obviously he's proven himself to be less than a reliable source of information,' Richter said.

'Then subsequently, there was no investigation  her death was described as of natural causes, and falling to your death at somebody's house is not exactly what I would call a natural cause.'

'I don't know how or why a death resulting from a fall in a home was considered natural causes and not investigated at all.'

Family murders, deaths, drug addictions, thefts and arrests: The riddles facing investigators who've now charged Alex Murdaugh 2015: Teenager Stephen Smith dies Cops investigating the double murder have also reopened the case into a 2015 hit-and-run of teen Stephen Smith Smith was found on the side of the road. Police officially rule his death a hit-and-run but he had suffered blunt force trauma to the head His mother has since shared her belief that she thinks he was killed in a hate-crime because he was gay Case notes obtained by DailyMail.com revealed Paul's older brother Buster was named multiple times in the investigation. Police wanted to know more about his relationship with Stephen Stephen's mother said he had been having a 'fling'. In a deposition years later, one of Paul's friends said the family had 'covered' other killings up. He mentioned Smith's death. 2018: Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield dies Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Sattlerfield dies Gloria died after 'falling' down the stairs in the family house The family gave her family $500.000 in a wrongful death settlement but it's unclear why her death was ruled to be their fault. Alex Murdaugh was listed as the defendant in the lawsuit. Satterfield was only 57 when she died. She left behind a husband and children. Her death was also mentioned in the deposition by Paul Murdaugh's friend. 2019: Mallory Beach dies being thrown from boat driven by Paul Murdaugh Mallory Beach, 19, died in February 2019 Paul was charged afterwards because he'd been drinking and was behaving 'belligerently' that night. He had been released on bond. Other kids were on the boat but were unharmed. One testified that they were scared to speak about the Murdaugh family because they knew how to 'cover things up'. That boy named Stephen Smith and the housekeeper, and claimed Paul pushed her June 7 2021: Paul and Maggie are murdered The mom and son were found shot dead at the family home in Hampton, South Carolina. Alex Murdaugh says he found them at the home. The medical examiner said the pair had been dead for an hour at most when he discovered them. Alex's son Paul, 22, (left) and wife Maggie, 52, (right) were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on June 7 at the family hunting lodge Alex's father Randolph Murdaugh III died 'peacefully' at home three days after Maggie and Paul were found shot dead June 10 2021: Alex's 81-year-old father Randolph Murdaugh III dies 'naturally' and 'peacefully' at home September 3: Alex resigns from his law firm amid claims he misused funds The firm has hired a forensic investigator to go through the accounts September 4: Alex calls 911 claiming he's been shot in the head in a drive-by. He only had 'surface' wounds and was also able to call his brother September 6: Alex resigns from his law firm The South Carolina legal scion releases a statement confirming his resignation from the firm and announcing he has entered rehab He said: 'I'm resigning from my law firm and entering rehab after a long battle that has been exacerbated these murders.' September 16: Alex turns himself into police over insurance fraud scheme Murdaugh handed himself over to cops in connection to insurance fraud scheme where he arranged his own killing so that his surviving son could collect $10 million payout. He faces charges of insurance fraud, conspiracy to commit insurance fraud and filing a false police report. Advertisement

Alex Murdaugh's alleged hitman claims he was set up and the South Carolina heir shot HIMSELF after 'waving his gun in the air'

A South Carolina man who was accused of shooting prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 53, in a staged suicide attempt claims he was set up and that the lawyer shot himself after his gun accidentally went off while he was waving it in the air.

Curtis Smith, 61, of Walterboro, South Carolina, who has been charged in the September 4 botched suicide plot, allegedly used to sell drugs to Murdaugh.

'It was the craziest situation I ever been involved with. I was set up to be the fall guy,' he told the New York Post. 'I know what they're trying to say about me and it ain't true.'

Since the shooting, Murdaugh has admitted a 20-year opioid addiction, and has been checked into an out-of-state rehabilitation facility - without GPS monitoring - after being released on $20,000 bond while he faces charges for misappropriating millions from his legal firm.

The shooting came only months after Murdaugh's son Paul and wife Maggie were gunned down and murdered in their hunting lodge in Islandton on June 7. No arrests have been made in that case.

Murdaugh admitted to his lawyers around September 13 that he hired Smith to kill him so his surviving son Buster could collect the $10million insurance policy.

But, Smith claimed the twisted story is completely false and claims that the Labor Day weekend shooting was accidental.

A South Carolina man who was accused of shooting prominent lawyer Alex Murdaugh, 53, in a staged suicide attempt claims he was set up. Curtis Smith, 61, of Walterboro, South Carolina, who has been charged in the September 4 botched suicide plot, allegedly used to sell drugs to Murdaugh

He told the New York Post that he didn't conspire with Murdaugh about the assisted suicide attempt, but that he got a call from Murdaugh that Saturday afternoon.

'I get a call from Alex that Saturday afternoon to come to where he was and I thought it was maybe to fix something,' Smith told the New York Post.

Smith didn't question it and got into his silver Chevy pickup and 'went over there.'

He said when he got to the rural stretch of Old Salkehatchie Road, he found Murdaugh in his car. When the lawyer got out, he was waving around a gun.

Smith said he wrestled with him to get the gun before it went off and he ran.

'The gun kind of went off above his head and I got scared to death and I ran to my truck and took off,' he told the Post.

Smith, who was still in possession of Murdaugh's gun, said he didn't look back and didn't know how badly the other man was injured. Murdaugh had no visible injury when he arrived at his bonding hearing on Wednesday.

Smith, who doesn't have any legal representation yet, but hopes to find one 'with a bone to pick' toward the family, said: 'I never did nothing. I've never heard anyone. It's that simple.'

He also claimed he was 'naive' to be caught up in the family's drama.

Murdaugh's lawyer also alleged that Smith was Alex's longtime drug dealer, which he denies.

Murdaugh's other son Paul (second to right) and his wife Maggie (middle) were gunned down and murdered in their hunting lodge in Islandton on June 7. He has one remaining son, Buster (left)

Controversy is not far from the family: Paul (pictured) was accused of driving a boat recklessly while drunk in 2019 and killing Mallory Beach, 19, (pictured). An investigation has also been launched into the family's longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's accidental death after she apparently had a 'trip and fall' accident inside the family's home

Despite being 'set up,' Smith admitted to the New York Post that he didn't hold a grudge against Murdaugh, but advised him not to mess with him.

'I wouldn't advise him to try to set me up. I'd strongly advise against that,' he told the Post.

Curtis has been charged with assisted suicide, assault and battery of a high aggravated nature, pointing and presenting a firearm, insurance fraud, and conspiracy to commit insurance fraud

The Murdaugh family has been wrapped up in controversy lately after their belated son Paul crashed a boat in 2019, killing a girl and the mysterious death of the family's longtime housekeeper.

Paul Murdaugh, 22, was accused of driving a boat recklessly while drunk when it smashed into Archer's Creek Bridge in Beaufort County in February 2019.

There were six friends on board, including Mallory Beach, 19, who died when she was thrown from the vessel. Her body was found on in the water by a fisherman a week later.

Murdaugh was later charged with three felony counts, including causing Beach's death. He was awaiting trial when he and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh, 52, were found gunned down on their hunting estate in Islandton in June. Their murders remain a mystery.

The longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield's children recently filed a lawsuit involving a huge insurance payout that was tied to the woman's death.

Satterfield, 57, apparently had a 'trip and fall accident' inside the Murdaugh's home, which killed her. The exact details of the fall remain unclear to this day.
France last night intensified the diplomatic war over the nuclear submarine deal between Australia, Britain and the US by dismissing Boris Johnson as an opportunist.

President Emmanuel Macron triggered a diplomatic storm by recalling his ambassadors to the US and Australia over the deal, dubbed by the French media as an 'Indo-Pacific Trafalgar'.

Mr Macron was outraged by the announcement last week of the Aukus alliance, which will see Australia given the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines to counter China's influence in the contested South China Sea.

The deal  which the French were told about only a few hours in advance  scuppered a separate multibillion-dollar agreement over submarines that Paris had signed with Canberra.

It comes as new Foreign Secretary Liz Truss launched a strong defence of the UK's security pact with the US and Australia, saying it was a 'hard-headed' move to defend the national interest.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was dubbed the opportunist 'fifth wheel on the carriage' by a furious Paris who are still reeling at the new submarine pact between the UK, US and Australia

Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Foreign Minister in Paris, intensified the growing diplomatic war over a cancelled 30billion submarine contract . Pictured with French President Emmanuel Macron in August

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that the 'exceptional decision' to recall France's ambassadors had been made by Mr Macron because of the 'exceptional gravity' of the situation.

Mr Le Drian aid his country was fully justified in recalling its Ambassadors from Washington and Canberra. But when asked on the France 2 radio station why the ambassador to London had not been recalled, Mr Le Drian suggested there was no need.

France was familiar with Britain's 'permanent opportunism' said Mr Le Drian and said Mr Johnson was a 'fifth wheel on the carriage'  meaning he was a 'spare wheel' in the deal.

Such language will put huge strain on relations between Britain and France  which are already under severe stress over such issues as migrant boats arriving in England from the Calais area.

The pact does not make the design of Australia's new submarines clear, but they will be based on previous US and UK designs. Pictured above is a cross-section of Britain's Astute-class nuclear attack subs, which is likely to mirror the new vessels

In his furious attack on all three members of the new AUKUS pact  America, Australia and Britain  French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (left) said all had acted disgracefully. French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne (right) has been recalled amid a diplomatic row over a new US-UK-Australia alliance

Mr Le Drian said Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison had told him about the ripping up of the submarines contract just an hour before the new Aukus deal was announced on live TV in Australia on Wednesday.

'That's why I say there has been duplicity, contempt and lies and when you have an ally of the stature of France, you don't treat them like this,' said Mr Le Drian.

Asked if there had been a failure of French intelligence in failing to find out about the Aukus deal in advance, Mr Le Drian said: 'The project initiated by the US and Australia was decided by a small group and I'm not sure US and Australian ministers knew about it.

'When we see the US president with the Australian prime minister announcing a new agreement, along with Boris Johnson, the breach of trust is profound. In a real alliance you talk to each other, you don't hide things, you respect the other party and that is why this is a real crisis.'

Europe Minister Clement Beaune suggested it was because the UK was the 'junior partner' which had accepted the 'vassalisation' of the US

Lord Peter Ricketts, Britain's former Ambassador to France, said the country sees Britain as 'accomplices' in the deal but that may not stop further repercussions.

In the French media, US President Joe Biden took most of the blame. 'Submarines: Biden torpedoes the Contract of the Century between France and Australia,' ran the headline in Le Figaro, adding that it was the equivalent of an 'Indo-Pacific Trafalgar'.

Aides to Mr Le Drian later said he had meant that Britain was the 'fifth wheel' in the new Aukus security pact, and not Mr Johnson in particular.

Mr Le Drian also used the live broadcast to say that the row had turned into a full-blown 'crisis'.

America and the UK are to help Australia build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines as part of an unprecedented alliance known as the AUKUS pact to combat China's naval dominance and will likely be the similar design as this Astute class submarine HMS Ambush (pictured)

The announcement of the deal prompted a humiliated Mr Macron to order the recall of the French ambassadors from Washington and Canberra. Pictured is a US sub in Guam

Australia will acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines and a host of other advanced military technology from the UK and US after singing an historic deal aimed at countering China's growing power

Australia's defence minister has today admitted that war with China is possible in the South China Sea (pictured) with Taiwan (top) as the likely flashpoint. China claims control over the whole of the sea, which other nations dispute

He said: 'The fact that, for the first time in the history of relations between the United States and France, we are recalling our ambassador for consultations is a grave political act that shows the intensity of the crisis today between our two countries and also with Australia.'

Mr Le Drian said his boss, Emmanuel Macron, had not yet confronted President Biden about the submarine issue.

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss defends hard-headed security pact with US and Australia in face of French anger

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has launched a strong defence of the UK's security pact with the US and Australia amid a deepening diplomatic row with France.

Ms Truss said the agreement - which will see the UK and US co-operate to develop a new fleet of nuclear-powered submarines for the Australian navy - showed Britain's readiness to be 'hard-headed' in defence of its interests.

The deal has infuriated Paris after the Australians announced they were pulling out of a 30 billion agreement with the French to supply it with less-capable conventionally-powered diesel-electric vessels.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Truss, who was the big winner in Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle, made no mention of the the diplomatic stand-off with the French.

New Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has launched a strong defence of the UK's security pact with the US and Australia amid a deepening diplomatic row with France

Earlier, however, a French minister scornfully referred to the UK as the 'junior partner' in the trilateral agreement - known as Aukus- and accused it of returning to hide in the 'American lap'.

In her article, Ms Truss said the agreement, widely seen as a counter to increasing Chinese military assertiveness in the region, underlined the UK's commitment to the Indo-Pacific.

She said Britain would always be a 'fierce champion' of freedom and free enterprise around the world.

'But freedoms need to be defended, so we are also building strong security ties around the world,' she wrote.

'That is why last week the Prime Minister announced, alongside our friends President Biden and Prime Minister Morrison, the creation of a new security partnership called Aukus.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Truss, who was the big winner in Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle, made no mention of the the diplomatic stand-off with the French

'It shows our readiness to be hard-headed in defending our interests and challenging unfair practices and malign acts.'

President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the pact by ordering the recall of the French ambassadors to Washington and Canberra - a move virtually unprecedented among such close allies.

There was, was however, no similar order to return to Paris for the French envoy to London.

But in a series of acid-tongued interviews with French television, Europe Minister Clement Beaune suggested it was because the UK was the 'junior partner' which had accepted its 'vassalisation' by the US.

'Our British friends explained to us they were leaving the EU to create Global Britain. We can see that this is a return into the American lap and a form of accepted vassalisation,' he said.

President Emmanuel Macron reacted to the pact by ordering the recall of the French ambassadors to Washington and Canberra - a move virtually unprecedented among such close allies

'The UK is clearly trying to find its feet, perhaps there was a lack of thought about the strategic future. Today they are hiding in the American fold. I hope that will not be their policy for the decades to come.'

He later added: 'We see through this partnership, this strategic alliance and after the Kabul crisis, that Global Britain seems to be more about a US junior partner than working with different allies.'

In the Commons on Thursday, Boris Johnson sought to smooth over the differences, insisting relations with France remained 'rock solid' while Downing Street described Paris as 'a close ally and friend' of the UK.

Nevertheless, the Prime Minister also made clear he expected the agreement to bring 'hundreds' of highly-skilled jobs to Britain - jobs which may well have otherwise gone to France.

The French were reportedly furious they had not only lost the contract, but were given just a few hours' notice of the new agreement ahead of what are expected to be a tough election year for Mr Macron.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said it was a 'stab in the back' and constituted 'unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners'.

The pact between the UK, US and Australia has been widely seen as an attempt to counter the growing military assertiveness of China in the Indo-Pacific region.

Beijing swiftly denounced the initiative as 'extremely irresponsible' and a threat to regional peace and stability.

Mr Johnson, however, said it was not intended as an 'adversarial' move against China or any other power.
British boxer Amir Khan today revealed he had been kicked off an American Airlines flight by US police after a facemask row.

The 34-year-old, who has also appeared on reality television shows including I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, claimed he had been 'banned' by the carrier.

In a video posted to Twitter, he said he was trying to fly to a training camp in Colorado from New York, but he and a colleague were removed when someone complained his colleague's mask 'was not high enough'.

He spoke of being 'disgusted' by his alleged treatment.

The 34-year-old, who has also appeared on reality television shows including I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, claimed he had been 'banned' by American Airlines

Khan - who was on the way to a training camp - complained about the incident in a tweet

Khan said: 'I was taken off the plane today when I was going to training camp to Colorado Springs by the police.

'Obviously a complaint was made by American Airlines staff, they said that my colleague's mask was not high enough and not up, that they had to stop the plane and take me and my friend off when I did nothing wrong.

'They kicked us both off, I was sat on 1A, he was sat on 1B - I find it so disgusting and so disrespectful, I was supposed to go to Colorado springs for a training camp and now I'm back in New York for another day.

'Now I have to reschedule another airplane to travel back to training camp which is really upsetting, for no reason this was and I'm just so disgusted that American Airlines would do this to us and ban me from travelling.

'I'm sure there must be cameras on the airplane that they could see, or someone should see, to see that if my colleague really was bad in anyway or caused a scene in a way where he had to be taken off the plane - I've never seen this happen before.'

An American Airlines spokesman said: "Prior to take-off, American Airlines Flight 700, with service from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), returned to the gate to deplane two customers who reportedly refused to comply with repeated crew member requests to stow luggage, place cell phones in airplane mode and adhere to federal face covering requirements.

"Our Customer Relations team is reaching out to Mr Khan to learn more about his experience and reinforce the importance of policies implemented for the safety of our customers and crew."

A source denied that Khan and his colleague have been banned from future travel on American Airlines, and said police were not involved in asking either passenger to deplane.
Andrew Neil was set to be sacked as chairman and presenter of GB News if he had not fallen on his sword, a leaked document seen by The Mail on Sunday reveals.

An internal memo from channel chief executive Angelos Frangopoulos shows that its board was ready to 'terminate his position'  branding it 'untenable'.

The veteran broadcaster took a leave of absence from his GB News show just two weeks after its gremlin-hit launch in June, sparking rumours of a fallout with other executives.

Last night, Mr Neil described his time with GB News as 'the worst eight months of my life'

Mr Neil also risked mockery for making comments about the size of the private jet sent to take him and wife Susan from France to the London launch of GB News. Pictured, an Eclipse Jet 500

The Eclipse 500: The small six-seater business jet which costs around 750,000 The Eclipse 500 is a small six-seater business jet made by the now defunct Eclipse Aviation. They are now upgraded and sold by Eclipse Aerospace. Costing in the region of 750,000, the jets are classed as 'Very Light Jets'. They are powered by two lightweight Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan engines. The jets were first debuted in 1997 by Eclipse Aviation - which was founded by former Microsoft business executive Vern Raburn. Bill Gates was a major stakeholder in the firm, which was based out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. After a redesign in 2004, Eclipse described the model in a press release as 'the quietest jet aircraft' and that it is 'quieter than virtually all multi engine turboprop and piston aircraft'. The planes were grounded in 2008 after an issue with one at Chicago airport. An investigation found that, after the pilot had increased power to deal with a sudden shift in headwind, the plane began accelerating to maximum power when the plane touched the ground. The plane stopped with no injuries and only a blown out tyre. Production of the Eclipse 500 was halted in the same year after the company went bankrupt. Eclipse Aerospace took over maintenance of the fleet, before being merged into One Aviation. One Aviation filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. Advertisement

Now a draft 'staff announcement', prepared just days before Mr Neil, who has a home in the South of France, resigned last week, suggests he was on the verge of being sacked.

The document, which was never circulated, said: 'This is to let you know that Andrew Neil has left GB News.

'The board agreed unanimously today to terminate his position as chairman and programme host, with immediate effect.

'No employer can continue to pay large sums to anyone who is not available to work, whether from Monaco or from here.'

Mr Neil also risked mockery for making comments about the size of the private jet sent to take him and wife Susan from France to the London launch of GB News.

Sources say they flew from Nice to Biggin Hill in a six-seater Eclipse 500.

In an email seen by this paper, the former Sunday Times editor wrote: 'The eagle has landed in the smallest private jet in the world. At one stage Susan didn't think we were going to make it!'

Last night, Mr Neil described his time with GB News as 'the worst eight months of my life'.

A friend of his told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Neil didn't know if 'they were ready to sack him.

But if they were, it would have been a dream to be fired as then he would have been free of all legal obligation. That would have been the end of the story.'

When Mr Neil last week announced his resignation as chairman and lead presenter, the channel paid tribute to 'one of the finest journalists and interviewers in this country'.

But just a few days later, Mr Neil  who left without a pay-off  tore into the channel he helped to create.

Appearing on BBC1's Question Time he said he quit over the direction GB News was taking, putting him in a 'minority of one' within its management.

Responding to fears GB News was turning into a British version of Right-wing US channel Fox News, he said: 'I think you could make it something different without going anywhere near Fox.

Fox deals in untruths, it deals with conspiracy theories, and it deals in fake news.

'And that's not my kind of journalism, and I would never have set out to do that.'

The Mail on Sunday understands GB News is now considering legal action over Mr Neil's remarks.

Last night, friends of Mr Neil, 72, had not been complaining about the size of the jet, explaining it had been sent because Mr Neil was in the age group most vulnerable to Covid

The Mail on Sunday understands GB News is now considering legal action over Mr Neil's remarks

After his appearance, the channel's Twitter account hit out at 'a number of demonstrably untrue remarks' and insisted 'we stand for fair debate, tolerance, free speech and factual journalism'.

Last night, GB News sources further claimed that Mr Neil was 'the only person who ever used the word 'Right-leaning' in terms of our positioning and the only person who said 'anti-woke'.'

The leaked 'staff announcement' from Mr Frangopoulos said Mr Neil 'never raised any concerns about our over-arching editorial direction at any board meeting.'

Last night, friends of Mr Neil, 72, dismissed that  insisting he had raised 'all manner of concerns' with GB News bosses.

They also insisted he had not been complaining about the size of the jet, explaining it had been sent because Mr Neil was in the age group most vulnerable to Covid.
Two City law firms are demanding staff be fully-jabbed before returning to their London offices.

In one case, even visitors will have to show proof they have had two coronavirus jabs before entering the law firm's workplace.

The moves by Debevoise & Plimpton and Morrison & Foerster  both American law firms with bases in London  could prompt other City firms to force staff to get vaccinated as workers flock back to offices.

Debevoise & Plimpton said that from October 11 anyone coming into its UK office will need to show proof that they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

Two American law firms with London offices in the City - Debevoise & Plimpton and Morrison & Foerster - are demanding staff be fully-jabbed before returning to the workplace (stock image)

The firm, which has about 120 lawyers, said in an internal memo that it is also planning a 'compulsory return' date at some point in November. At the moment, going to the office to work is voluntary for its lawyers.

The memo, seen by The Mail on Sunday, was sent by the firm's managing partners, Richard Ward and Labour peer Lord Goldsmith QC  the former Attorney General under Tony Blair.

It stated: 'Starting on October 11, we will require everyone who wishes to come into the office, including visitors, to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated.

'In the coming days, we will send around additional information about how you may submit proof of vaccination. (We continue to strongly encourage all those who are able to be vaccinated to make the necessary arrangements.) We will continue to evaluate this policy as we approach the date for compulsory return to the office.'

Debevoise & Plimpton's decision, reported by trade website Legal Cheek, follows a similar move by rival law firm Morrison and Foerster. The firm, which calls itself MoFo for short, said its lawyers must be fully vaccinated before coming into the London office after it reopened last Monday.

The moves could prompt other City firms to force staff to get vaccinated as workers flock back to offices (stock image)

MoFo is rolling out a 'phased return' to the workplace. It said: 'As the pandemic continues, we have made the decision to require anyone going into the London office to be fully vaccinated for Covid-19. Those not fully vaccinated will continue to work remotely.'

The firm said lawyers were 'expected' to work from the office on 'one core day per week'. It said office attendance is expected to increase to two core days per week from tomorrow.

Many of the largest banks in the City have been encouraging staff to get jabbed, but have so far stopped short of requiring them to have the vaccine.

Banks have been asking staff to get vaccinated via emails, town hall talks and on internal company websites.

As revealed by The Mail on Sunday a week ago, US investment banking giant Goldman Sachs urged its 6,000 UK staff to return to their desks last Monday, leading a City charge back to the workplace.
He caused uproar in the City and the Treasury by ditching a requirement for his staff to work in the office for at least one day a week.

But it seems that Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey appreciates the limitations of working from home: our pictures show that Mr Bailey  who has been accused of turning his Threadneedle Street offices into a ghost town as a result of his edict  is out of his house in South London shortly after 6am every morning, returning from the Bank more than 12 hours later.

The Mail on Sunday revealed earlier this month that Mr Bailey had put himself at odds with Chancellor Rishi Sunak by telling workers that they will not be compelled to abandon their working from home habits, despite calls by Mr Sunak for people to return to traditional working patterns.

ITS OFF TO WORK HE GOES: Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey heading for his desk (left) at 6.17am and leaving the office (right) at 6.22 on Wednesday last week

The one-day-a-week stipulation had been due to take effect from last week, but data from the Banks security card system reveals that on some days as few as one in ten members of staff entered the office, and at no point did it exceed one in four.

City workers, including frustrated staff at the Bank of England, argue that the rule means that they are losing dealmaking and networking opportunities, and younger workers are missing out on mentoring by their more experienced colleagues.

It comes despite Mr Bailey himself telling MPs at the height of the pandemic that he was worried about the impact on the economy of widespread working from home.

A source said: The Bank should be leading the way in persuading workers to return to the office, but the Governor has turned the place into a ghost town.
When BBC director-general Tim Davie sits before a powerful Commons select committee on Tuesday, he will face fierce questions about why the Corporation failed to properly investigate yet another shameful episode involving journalist Martin Bashir.

The BBC is still reeling from a devastating report by Lord Dyson, which condemned the 'deceitful way' Bashir obtained his now infamous 1995 interview with Princess Diana and the 'woeful incompetence' of a subsequent internal investigation.

Now Mr Davie must get to grips with a second scandal and the prospect of another costly and embarrassing inquiry.

When BBC director-general Tim Davie (above) sits before a powerful Commons select committee on Tuesday, he will face fierce questions about why the Corporation failed to properly investigate yet another shameful episode involving journalist Martin Bashir

The BBC is still reeling from a devastating report by Lord Dyson, which condemned the 'deceitful way' Bashir (above) obtained his now infamous 1995 interview with Princess Diana and the 'woeful incompetence' of a subsequent internal investigation

This time it centres on how Martin Bashir borrowed and then lost the clothes of a murdered schoolgirl, and the BBC's derisory efforts to track them down when police said they wanted them as part of a review of evidence in their murder inquiry.

Julian Knight MP, chairman of the Commons culture select committee, last night described revelations in today's Mail on Sunday as a 'dark day indeed' for the Corporation.

'When Mr Davie appears before my committee on Tuesday in Parliament, I will expect him to have answers to the questions that The MoS is putting to him,' he said.

Karen Hadaway and her friend Nicola Fellows, both nine, became known as the 'Babes In The Wood' after their bodies were found in woodland near their Brighton homes in October 1986. They had been sexually assaulted and strangled.

Petty criminal Russell Bishop, then 21, was tried the following year for their murders but acquitted amid a litany of mistakes by police, forensics experts and prosecutors.

Now Mr Davie must get to grips with a second scandal. This time it centres on how Martin Bashir borrowed and then lost the clothes of a murdered schoolgirl, and the BBC's derisory efforts to track them down when police said they wanted them as part of a review of evidence in their murder inquiry. Karen Hadaway (left) and her friend Nicola Fellows (right), both nine, became known as the 'Babes In The Wood' after their bodies were found in woodland near their Brighton homes in October 1986. They had been sexually assaulted and strangled

Three years later, he was jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl. Karen and Nicola's families, however, were devastated that the man widely suspected of killing their daughters had apparently escaped justice.

In 1990, Eileen Fairweather, an award-winning investigative journalist and co-author of this MoS investigation, began looking into why the Babes In The Wood prosecution had failed so spectacularly.

In March 1991, she met Martin Bashir, then a 28-year-old BBC reporter, and the pair began working on a joint investigation for BBC2's Public Eye documentary series.

A document unearthed by the MoS shows that in July 1991, Nigel Chapman, Public Eye's editor, wrote to Ms Fairweather to outline 'the lines of enquiry I wish to see pursued in the Brighton story.'

Crucially, his letter was copied to Martin Bashir, the BBC's staff reporter, and Charlie Beckett, an assistant producer.

Listing ten points he was 'particularly interested in', Mr Chapman highlighted the 'confusions over the collection of forensic evidence' and asked 'how far were the girls' clothes analysed?'

He then instructed the reporters to obtain evidence related to the case and hand it to Dr Russell Stockdale, a former Home Office expert who worked for Forensic Access, one of Britain's first independent forensic consultancies.

Russell Bishop (above), then 21, was tried in 1987 for Karen and Nicola's murders but acquitted amid a litany of mistakes by police, forensics experts and prosecutors. Three years later, he was jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a seven-year-old girl. Karen and Nicola's families, however, were devastated that the man widely suspected of killing their daughters had apparently escaped justice

'We need to get hold of scene of crime material, post-mortem details and give them to Dr Stockdale,' he wrote.

Just over a month later, Ms Fairweather and Bashir interviewed Karen's mother Michelle at her home in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.Bashir made an extraordinary offer: the BBC would be prepared to pay for new forensic testing on her daughter's clothes, which had been returned to the family by police, in the hope of finding fresh clues about the killer.

Ms Hadaway agreed, handing over a bag containing Karen's school sweatshirt, T-shirt, knickers and vest. Bashir even left her a signed receipt. That was the last Ms Fairweather saw of Bashir and her involvement in the investigation ended soon after.

No programme was ever broadcast and the clothes were never returned. She repeatedly called Public Eye to ask about the programme's progress but was stonewalled.

Ms Hadaway this weekend said she was invited to a meeting at the BBC's White City offices to discuss Public Eye's proposed programme. Indeed, the Corporation even sent a car to collect her from her home.

'I went up to the BBC in London. They came and picked me up. It was 1991.

'They were showing me all these different rooms and they were saying, 'This is probably where we're going to do the programme.' '

Astonishingly, Nigel Heffron, an uncle of the second victim, Nicola Fellows, claimed that Bashir also tried to obtain her clothing. 'Bashir told us he had Karen's clothes. He wanted Nicky's clothes too.' He said the family did not trust the reporter and refused his request.

So what happened to Karen's clothes? Dr Stockdale told the MoS he has 'no recollection' of Bashir asking him to carry out tests.

Indeed, he said he cannot ever remember testing clothes on behalf of any media outlet and would not have been willing to do so 'without knowing a huge amount of information about the case'.

'I don't know Bashir. I don't know his editor,' he said.

Mr Chapman's instruction to Bashir 'doesn't make any sense at all', he said, adding: 'I think we would have wanted to know what the devil was going on before we touched it. You don't go blundering in.'

Mr Chapman's letter also instructed Bashir and Ms Fairweather to visit two forensic experts called Jim and Ruth Callan. Mr and Mrs Callan ran a laboratory in Margate, Kent, and advised Bishop's defence team ahead of his 1986 trial.

Mr Callan died in 2017 but Mrs Callan told the MoS that she has never met Bashir.

'I have had no contact with journalists since the original court case and neither do I want any.'

Mr Chapman, who left Public Eye in 1992, last night said the mention of 'scene of crime material' in his letter was not an instruction to obtain clothing.

'I definitely did not have in my mind anything to do with clothes of victims. I think what I would have in my mind would have been pictures of the scene and that sort of thing, but not anything else.'

Julian Knight MP (above), chairman of the Commons culture select committee, last night described revelations in today's Mail on Sunday as a 'dark day indeed' for the Corporation

He said he did not know Bashir had requested and obtained Karen's clothes and nor did he know about the meeting attended by Ms Hadaway in White City. It was 'inexcusable' that the clothes had been lost, he added.

'He [Bashir] should have come back to me and said 'OK, I'm going to get this material from the family and send it off for DNA testing. He should have definitely told me about that and he didn't.'

Former BBC Public Eye journalist Charlie Beckett, now a professor of journalism, said: 'I literally have no memory of it at all.'

In early 2004, detectives launched Operation Salop, a cold-case review of the Babes In The Wood murders and began to pore over the exhibits again to see if further forensic testing would elicit new clues.

They were increasingly concerned that, with his first parole hearing following his attempted murder conviction fast approaching, Bishop would soon be released back onto the streets.

They were soon told that Karen's clothes had gone missing after being handed to Bashir.

Bill Warner, a former detective inspector on the major crime review team, rang the BBC and was told that Bashir, who by then had left the Corporation and joined ITV, 'hadn't had the clothing'.

Meanwhile, Ian Heffron, one of nine-year-old Nicola Fellow's uncles, furiously bombarded the BBC with calls. Eventually Bashir called him back and said he could not remember taking the clothes.

In March 2004. it was reported that Mark Byford, acting director-general of the BBC, had ordered an internal investigation. It was carried out by the Corporation's Investigations Unit, which probes allegations of internal wrongdoing.

But astonishingly, Mr Chapman Bashir's former editor who by then was director of the World Service  claims he was not contacted. 'I was not aware there was an 'internal inquiry' in 2004 and have no idea of any outcome,' Mr Chapman, now a Labour councillor and chairman of crime reduction charity Nacro, said. 'I did not contribute to it nor was I asked to do so.'

Other journalists working for the BBC on the proposed documentary, including Eileen Fairweather and Charlie Beckett, also say they were not contacted and nor were the families of Karen Hadaway and Nicola Fellows.

The BBC did not speak to Bashir, who had moved to ITV, and only contacted his agent John Miles who said the reporter was unable to help.

Mr Byford told this newspaper that he would have asked for the matter to be looked into but no 'formal investigation' was commissioned. 'There was absolutely no sense of 'we're not going to talk to the people involved',' he said. 'I would have asked for it to be looked into and if we can find more information we would.

'I don't know who carried it out because it wasn't a formal investigation. It was a matter of making enquiries within the BBC, in a context that [Bashir] had already left.'

Sussex Police has insisted the loss of the clothes 'had no material impact on the investigation' or on Bishop's eventual prosecution for the murders in 2018.

It is also unlikely that any new forensic evidence found on the clothes could have been presented in court because of a risk the clothes had been 'cross-contaminated' after they were released by the police.

Nevertheless, Derrick Pounder, a former professor of forensic medicine at Dundee University, said discovering Bishop's DNA on the clothes could also have helped detectives interrogate him. 'They would put it to him, 'we have found your DNA on the clothing, how do you explain that?'

The BBC has now asked Paul Smith, a former head of editorial standards at BBC Radio, to 'review what happened' including during the 2004 investigation.

A spokeswoman said: 'We are appalled this clothing was lost after being obtained as part of an investigation for a BBC programme.'

She said it was incorrect to suggest that the BBC did not contact those who might have known where the clothes were, adding that records showed that Public Eye's editor and a journalist were approached.
A BBC boss in pole position to land a powerful job running the Corporations news was involved in re-hiring rogue reporter Martin Bashir.

Jonathan Munro was on the interview panel when Bashir was taken back on, then as Religious Affairs correspondent, in September 2016.

Bashir was offered the job after 'coffee meetings' with senior executives and despite controversy surrounding his 1995 interview with Princess Diana. In 2017, he was promoted to Religious Affairs Editor.

Bashir's recruitment is set to cast a shadow over Mr Munro's bid to become the BBC's Director of News, replacing Fran Unsworth who has quit her 340,000 job.

A BBC boss in pole position to land a powerful job running the Corporations news was involved in re-hiring rogue reporter Martin Bashir. Jonathan Munro (above) was on the interview panel when Bashir was taken back on, then as Religious Affairs correspondent, in September 2016

Bashir was offered the job after 'coffee meetings' with senior executives and despite controversy surrounding his 1995 interview with Princess Diana (above). In 2017, he was promoted to Religious Affairs Editor

Mr Munro discovered Bashir had faked documents to land his Princess Diana interview while doing background checks on him and raised it with his boss, James Harding, the head of news.

Yet Mr Munro, nicknamed Macavity by critics for his ability to evade the blame for crises, considered that the allegations against Bashir were 'spent', according to a June report.

In an email to staff in September 2016, Mr Munro welcomed Bashir back, saying: 'Martin's track record in enterprising journalism, including time in BBC News and at Panorama in the 1980s and 90s is well-known and respected in the industry . . .'

Bashir's recruitment is set to cast a shadow over Mr Munro's bid to become the BBC's Director of News, replacing Fran Unsworth (pictured) who has quit her 340,000 job

Mr Munro discovered Bashir had faked documents to land his Princess Diana interview while doing background checks on him and raised it with his boss, James Harding, the head of news. Yet Mr Munro, nicknamed Macavity by critics for his ability to evade the blame for crises, considered that the allegations against Bashir were 'spent', according to a June report

The decision to rehire Bashir, who was suspended by the US network ABC in 2008 for 'crude and sexist' comments, shocked some former colleagues. 'I always thought he was a bit of a bull*******,' said one former senior BBC executive.

'How on earth did he become religious correspondent? He [Bashir] made a real mess of America and yet Jonathan Munro recruited him. Jonathan was head of news gathering and it's his responsibility.'

However a BBC spokesman said Mr Munro was not the person ultimately responsible for the re-appointment of Martin Bashir.

he added: 'The report into Martins rehiring did not find that Jonathan had done anything wrong nor that he should have acted differently.'
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Anti-vaccine mandate protesters gathered in Times Square to protest New York's Covid-19 vaccine mandate - and one woman likened the rule to the murderous persecution suffered by Jews in Nazi Germany.

Hundreds of people lined the city streets holding American flags and signs that read: 'No to the vaccine, I feel discrimination against, harassed, singled out and rejected for defending my rights.'

One anti-vaxxer held two signs that said: 'How did the Nazi's (sic) do it? They said the Jews were diseased.'

On the other poster there was a picture of a swastika under text asking, 'What happened to "Never again?!"'

Angered New Yorkers also protested to impeach Biden, calling him a 'killer, pervert (and) traitor' while some were spotted in Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats and sporting red white and blue clothes.

Barely any masks were seen in the crowd and one family used their toddler's stroller to display a sign demanding 'mask choice'.

A pole dancer even took to the streets to perform and protest the vaccine mandate.

Anti-vaccine mandate protesters gathered in Times Square to protest New York's Covid-19 vaccine mandate - and one woman likened the rule to hardships suffered by Jews in Nazi Germany

Hundreds of people lined the city streets holding American flags and signs that read: 'No to the vaccine, I feel discrimination against, harassed, singled out and rejected for defending my rights.'

A pole dancer even took to the streets to protest the vaccine mandate in Manhattan's bustling Times Square

Hundreds of people lined the city streets holding American flags while one woman's sign read: 'Hands off my DNA!'

A woman also spoke at the protest and demanded 'truth over fear' while supporters watched and filmed her

Some were spotted in Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats and sporting red white and blue clothes. Barely any masks were seen in the crowd and one family used their toddler's stroller to display a sign demanding 'mask choice'

Angered New Yorkers in attendance also protested to impeach Biden, calling him a 'killer, pervert (and) traitor'

Others in the crowd, which stretched for several blocks, refuted vaccine passports and gave out stickers that read: 'Those who sell the panic sell the cure.'

One woman's poster read: 'my body. My family. My choice. F*** your mandate!'

Saturday's protest comes as the NYC Department of Health said that at least 60 per cent of all eligible New York City residents are fully-vaccinated.

Since the end of August 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 vaccination mandate aimed to persuade more people to get vaccinated with the threat of missing out on the city's world-class amenities.

'We do not want to go back to restrictions,' De Blasio said at a virtual news conference. 'The key to our progress is vaccination.'

Businesses had a grace period, which ended on September 13, to begin implementing vaccine checkpoints before facing $1,000 fines.

Mask rules have remained largely relaxed, although New Yorkers must still wear them on public transport and in health settings, with individual businesses also permitted to impose a mandatory face-covering rule if they wish.

Last month NY Mayor Bill de Blasio said every department of education employee must receive at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine by September 27 in efforts to stop the hyper-contagious Delta variant spread through the city.

He did not offer the option of a weekly test instead.

City data showed that only 28 per cent of black NYC residents between the ages of 18 and 44 are fully-vaccinated, compared to 49 per cent of Hispanics, 52 per cent of whites, and 82 per cent of Asians in the same age group.

Since New York announced its vaccine mandate, New Orleans and San Francisco have issued similar orders for patrons and staff of indoor businesses.

The US currently has an almost 149,000 weekly average of new cases and the death toll has reached 673,000.

Barely anyone wore masks in the crowd, which stretched for several blocks in Manhattan's Times Square

Two maskless men showed their American patriotism at the rally with an American flag donning a photo of Nicki Minaj

The vaccination mandate aimed to persuade more people to get vaccinated with the threat of missing out on city amenities

Thousands of people rallied in the city center on Saturday for the protest

Numerous protesters carrying placards thronged the streets of Midtown in a bid to draw awareness to their cause

Others - particularly in parts of the city where people have resisted getting the vaccine - worried the mandate would be a fatal blow to businesses that were prevented for months last year from serving patrons indoors since the responsibility to enforce the policy will mostly fall on the businesses themselves.

However, many others disagree and a number of incidents involving masking and vaccine mandates for indoor diners have broken out across the country.

A host at a popular New York City restaurant was assaulted by three women from Texas after she asked for proof they had been vaccinated against Covid-19.

The interaction was captured on video as the three women suddenly attacked a host at Carmine's on the Upper West Side and broke her necklace Thursday afternoon after she asked for proof of vaccination.

Saturday's protest comes as the NYC Department of Health said that at least 60 per cent of all eligible New York City residents are fully vaccinated although the US currently has an almost 149,000 weekly average of new cases and the death toll has reached 673,000

Since New York announced its vaccine mandate, New Orleans and San Francisco have issued similar orders for patrons and staff of indoor businesses to slow the spread of new coronavirus variants

As the assault broke out Carmine's staff jumped in to defend the host and separate her from her attackers as the three Texans yelled about not being allowed inside.

The attack left the 24-year-old victim bruised and scratched, police said. Restaurant owner Jeffrey Bank said the employee was taken to a hospital for treatment and was doing well Friday but was 'extremely shook up'.

The three women were arrested on charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief. They were given desk appearance tickets and ordered to appear in court October 5.

The same day a drunken woman, branded as 'Karen,' in California attacked a restaurant worker for not wearing a mask.

That woman was maskless when she attacked a restaurant supervisor and demanded she wear a mask and let her check her vaccination card, yelling at the woman: 'You don't f***ing deserve your f***ing job.'

Karen ordered that the supervisor wear a mask and when no one responded to her commands, she grabbed a bottle of cleaning spray off the counter and sprayed it in the worker's face before finally leaving the restaurant.
A a deeply private  some might even say mysterious  individual, Bruno Wang rarely courts publicity.

Still, he was willing to pose for `a photograph with Prince Charles in January 2019 at the opening of a health and wellness centre at Dumfries House, part of the Prince's charitable foundation.

Behind them, a plaque unveiled moments earlier by the Prince prominently records that the centre was 'made possible by the generosity' of Mr Wang's foundation.

What a contrast between this cheery image and another of 54-year-old Mr Wang which now, as then, features on the Taiwanese government's Ministry of Justice website.

Alongside an appeal for information, Mr Wang's face looms from what is effectively a wanted poster accusing him of money laundering and being a fugitive from justice.

A a deeply private  some might even say mysterious  individual, Bruno Wang rarely courts publicity. Still, he was willing to pose for a photograph with Prince Charles in January 2019 at the opening of a health and wellness centre at Dumfries House

Though he vehemently denies the allegations, and indeed denies any wrongdoing, Mr Wang  who describes himself as a 'Chinese philanthropist'  is only too aware that should he set foot on the island, he would be arrested and put on trial.

Whether this uncomfortable fact is known to Charles and his advisers is unclear, but it is perhaps worth drawing a comparison between Mr Wang's donation and one from Russian banker Dmitry Leus, highlighted last week by The Mail on Sunday in our 'cash for access' revelations that have prompted an investigation at The Prince's Foundation which has led to Michael Fawcett temporarily stepping down as chief executive. Mr Fawcett says he fully supports the ongoing investigation.

Mr Leus gave 500,000 to the foundation last year only to later learn that its ethics committee had rejected it, apparently because it did not consider the gift appropriate.

Like Mr Wang, Mr Leus was accused of money laundering in his homeland, but the Russian's conviction was overturned and he was exonerated. Little wonder perhaps that Mr Leus now feels aggrieved, especially as he hasn't had his money back.

Some might forgive him for wondering why Mr Wang (who, it must be said, was not seeking an honour of any kind in return for his donation) escaped similar treatment.

Mr Wang would argue that he is innocent, stands no chance of a fair trial in his homeland and he, too, is a victim of a vexatious prosecution.

It stems from one of France's biggest political and financial scandals of modern times, which left a trail of unexplained deaths, nearly half a billion dollars in missing cash and troubling allegations of government complicity.

The scandal centred on a 2 billion arms deal between France and Taiwan, signed in 1991. France agreed to supply Taiwan's navy with six frigates, a deal which Mr Wang's arms-dealer father, Andrew Wang, helped broker.

Though he vehemently denies the allegations, and indeed denies any wrongdoing, Mr Wang  who describes himself as a 'Chinese philanthropist'  is only too aware that should he set foot on the island, he would be arrested and put on trial

It was beset by allegations of bribery, with Andrew Wang said to have received millions in kickbacks  claims he always denied. His son was said to have provided 'assistance to [his father] to secure bribes'  which he adamantly denies.

Andrew Wang left Taiwan in 1993 and never returned. It was said that he disappeared before he was due to be questioned about the murder of a navy captain who was about to blow the whistle on the kickbacks. Wang Snr, who died in 2015, accused the Taiwanese of adding the murder allegation only to improve the chances of his extradition.

At some point, the rest of his family  his wife and Bruno and his three siblings  also moved abroad, settling in England.

Taiwan issued an international warrant for Andrew Wang's arrest, alleging murder, corruption and breaking defence secrecy laws. Investigators in France and Switzerland looked into at least some aspects of the transactions. In 2001, a BBC report said the Swiss authorities 'have now blocked several accounts of Mr Wang and his family both in Switzerland and in Luxembourg'.

At the same time, Swiss newspaper Le Temps said the authorities were alerted to the accounts after a bank official in Zurich became suspicious that Mr Wang's wife and Bruno were moving documents and millions of dollars into several different accounts across Switzerland. According to legal documents in the Cayman Islands, where Bruno now lives, his father once said he could never return to Taiwan because of 'a sustained media campaign for over 20 years'.

He added: 'I cannot imagine that I or my family can face a fair trial in Taiwan [after] my image has been completely demonised by the public statements made about my role in obtaining the [defence] contract.'

His case was that all the money he received was legally paid to him. In 2014, a court in the Cayman Islands dismissed all of the allegations made against him and described the Taiwanese claim as 'wholly unintelligible' and based on allegations which were 'hopelessly general and vague'.

But even after Andrew Wang died in London, aged 86, prosecutors in Taiwan continued their pursuit of the millions from the warships deal, claiming Bruno and his family were still 'at large'. In October 2019, the Taiwanese Supreme Court ruled that Andrew Wang's widow and children were 'innocent third parties' who could 'not rightly be considered to be co-offenders and who could not be charged with any criminal offence'.

Last month, however, the Taipei Times, an English-language newspaper in Taiwan, reported that a request had been granted to seize more than 300 million in funds held by the Wang family in Swiss bank accounts. Sources close to the family say the vast majority of these funds have been released.

Despite the vociferous claims of innocence, the allegations hung over the Wangs, including Bruno, for two decades.

Dividing his time between London and the Cayman Islands, Bruno describes himself as a 'philanthropist, patron of culture and businessman'. His website also describes him as a 'dedicated practitioner of energy healing and mindfulness' who established the Pureland Foundation  which supported Charles's wellness centre  'to support social, spiritual and emotional wellness and enrich lives through art and music'.

Moving in exalted social circles, and often accompanied by his sister, Rebecca, who has been described as a friend of the Prince of Wales, Bruno has attended events held by Charles's charitable organisation, the Prince's Trust.

On one occasion, he was pictured with Prince Edward. In addition to his charitable ventures, he runs Bruno Wang Productions and has financed several Olivier-nominated West End shows.

The Prince's Foundation last night declined to discuss Mr Wang or his donation to the Dumfries House Wellness Centre, which was also funded by glamorous Taiwanese businesswoman Christine Chiu and her plastic surgeon husband Gabriel, the stars of the Netflix series, Bling Empire.

The Wellness Centre does not represent the first time that Charles has benefited from Mr Wang's largesse. He also supported Children & The Arts, a charity the Prince founded to give underprivileged children access to the arts.

The idea came to him after he visited a school for excluded children in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, where he saw a class studying Romeo and Juliet. Surprised that the children had not seen the play performed, Charles invited them to see a Royal Shakespeare Company production in Stratford.

'My hope is that children will gain a lasting love of the arts and be confident to walk into a gallery, museum or theatre and know it's somewhere they belong,' he said.

But as laudable as Charles's project was, it has since become drawn into the 'cash for access' scandal threatening to tarnish his good work.

In 2017, Hussam Otaibi, a Jordanian merchant banker and a generous financial backer of Children & The Arts, was appointed its chairman and brought with him several key employees of his investment fund Floreat.

An art lover, Mr Otaibi arranged auctions of works by prominent artists, including Tracey Emin, to raise money for the charity.

According to Floreat's website, where it describes itself as 'long-term supporters of the charity', it has raised 240,000 for Children & The Arts by hosting contemporary art auctions.

By 2019, however, the charity found itself in financial trouble. According to one source, donors dried up after Prince Philip stepped back from public life and Charles was required to take on more duties. 'Once Charles stopped being so involved with the charity, we struggled to attract the big donors,' the source said.

Another source said: 'There was a feeling that you had to say to the charities, 'Well, you'll have to learn to stand on your own two feet because the Prince is going to be King one day and he won't be there to help in the same way.' '

Children & The Arts began the process of winding up but, for reasons that remain unclear, required 200,000 to complete the process. Last September  at the alleged behest of Mr Fawcett, who was for many years Charles's most trusted executive and remains a confidante  200,000 of Mr Leus's money was transferred to the charity.

In its annual report, the charity said: 'Although the charitable fundraising climate remains highly challenging, the charity has organised itself to secure the funds of 233,000 to settle its remaining liabilities and undertake the orderly closure of its business activity throughout 2019/20.'

A spokesman for Mr Bruno Wang said: 'Bruno is committed to supporting charitable endeavours that promote art, wellness and social inclusion. Bruno was a student in California when the frigate contract, which was classified as defence secrecy, was signed in 1991. Bruno was never involved in this transaction. In fact, in 2019, the Taiwanese Supreme Court itself upheld that Bruno, his mother and siblings were innocent third parties who had been dragged into the legal action. These thirty year old accusations in Taiwan against his deceased father are politically motivated and without foundation. When they were made about his father before the Cayman court in 2014, the Honourable Chief Justice, Anthony Smellie dismissed them as not only wholly unintelligible but scandalous and vexatious.'
They are small, apparently harmless devices carried by millions in case of emergency but drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has revealed its asthma inhalers are its biggest single source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The British pharmaceutical giant said an astonishing 45 per cent of its overall emissions could be traced to asthma inhalers and it has begun trials of a less polluting replacement.

GSK, which makes the well-known blue Ventolin puffer prescribed by the NHS, said inhalers contain a greenhouse gas called HFA, which generates the equivalent of five million tons of carbon emissions each year.

The British pharmaceutical giant said an astonishing 45 per cent of its overall emissions could be traced to asthma inhalers and it has begun trials of a less polluting replacement (file photo)

The propellant helps patients inhale when they suffer an asthma attack. In the UK, around 5.4 million people currently receive treatment for asthma.

GSK's vice-president of sustainability, Claire Lund, said there will be a 12 to 18-month first-stage process of assessing a successor to Ventolin inhalers.

She told The Mail on Sunday: 'We are tackling all aspects of our footprint. There will be no compromise on patient safety.'

GSK, which makes the well-known blue Ventolin puffer prescribed by the NHS, said inhalers contain a greenhouse gas called HFA, which generates the equivalent of five million tons of carbon emissions each year (file photo)

GSK notched up sales of 785 million from Ventolin last year. It also makes alternative 'dry powder' inhalers, which do not contain harmful gases. These are common in Scandinavia but not in the UK or US.

GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley, who will tomorrow appear virtually at the New York Climate Week event, said: 'The science is clear that nature loss and climate change are already harming human health, so we must act now if we are to protect and improve people's health.'
The Covid Delta variant will 'hunt down' people who remain unvaccinated, Downing Street has been warned by its scientific advisers.

No 10 has been told that 'such is the nature' of the more transmissible variant that it is 'almost inevitable' it will eventually infect anyone who has not received both jabs.

The development comes as former Health Secretary Matt Hancock today makes his first intervention in the media since resigning from the Cabinet earlier this year.

Writing in today's Mail on Sunday, Mr Hancock hails the fact that more than four out of five over-16s have now had both doses of a vaccine but fiercely criticises anti-vax campaigners.

'Unbelievably, there is still a persistent yet thankfully small and shrinking group of people determined to try to stop this progress,' he writes. 'In all my time in public life, I have never come across a group so blinkered and dangerous as the anti-vaxxers.'

As it was revealed last night that two of the professional dancers on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing have refused to be vaccinated, he writes: 'I applaud those who have come forward to get their jab in a very public way. Whether Sir Elton John, David Walliams or Gareth Southgate, so many celebrities have stood up to help in our national effort For every hesitant person who has been taken in by the lies of the anti-vaxxers, far more have been persuaded by the clear, objective facts published by the medics.'

Officials at the Department of Health yesterday said they expected that the proportion of over-16s to have at least one dose of a vaccine to pass 90 per cent by the end of the week. It stands at 89.3 per cent (48.5 million) with 81.6 per cent (44.4 million) fully jabbed.

In other developments:

The number of positive tests fell 20.4 per cent over the past seven days to 30,144, with hospital admissions down 4.7 per cent to 932. Deaths rose 2 per cent week-on-week to 164;

Holiday bookings soared past pre-pandemic levels after the Government lifted a raft of travel restrictions, including  as the MoS had predicted last weekend  the need for expensive PCR tests;

Two City law firms are demanding that staff are fully vaccinated before they return to their London offices;

The NHS said 1.5 million invitations to book a Covid booster jab will be sent out via text message or letter this week;

The Lancet medical journal bowed to pressure over its much criticised coverage of the disputed origins of the Covid pandemic by publishing an 'alternative view' from 16 scientists calling for an 'objective, open and transparent debate' about whether the virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory;

Match of the Day pundit and MoS columnist Danny Murphy revealed he has coronavirus, but said he was 'thankful' for being fully vaccinated. It emerged, meanwhile, that the personal finance guru and prominent anti-vaxxer Alan Steel had died from the virus;

Thousands of anti-vaxxers marched on Downing Street while police in the Australian city of Melbourne  which has been locked down for 228 days - were forced to use pepper spray when anti-lockdown rioters stormed the streets;

India delivered 25 million vaccine doses in a single 24-hour period that coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday.

Speaking about the risk of the Delta  or Indian  variant to the unvaccinated, a Government source said: 'The nature of this virus is such that if it carries on evolving and adapting in this way, it is almost inevitable that someone who has not had the jabs will eventually be infected.'

The rollout of inoculations for children aged 12 to 15 is due to begin on Wednesday despite the reservations of some scientists.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Government's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said scientists did not have the 'luxury' of time to research the possible risks.
The secrets of Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle were kept on a portable whiteboard, wheeled into the Prime Minister's office on a trolley and pointed discreetly towards his corner desk, where aides thrashed out various sackings and promotions.

By the middle of Wednesday morning, hours before the first announcements were made, many of the moves were still in flux. But one key role had been set in stone  Liz Truss's promotion to the Foreign Office in place of a seething Dominic Raab.

The latest stage in the rise and rise of Ms Truss has been interpreted by many as a Machiavellian move by Mr Johnson  keeping her out of the way of adoring local party associations and 'setting her up to fail' by handing her over to the hostile forces of the pro-EU mandarinate at the Foreign Office.

Liz Truss, pictured arriving on Friday in Downing Street is the Tory Party's first female Foreign Secretary, wants to use her role to mould her vision of post-Brexit Britain

PM Boris Johnson demoted Dominic Rabb, but made him Deputy Prime Minister to soften the blow of losing one of the four big offices of state

These bullets are, as usual, bouncing off Ms Truss, who professes herself delighted by a portfolio that she believes gives her the perfect platform to mould her vision of post-Brexit Britain.

The Tory Party's first female Foreign Secretary is understood privately to share the dissatisfaction of backbenchers, who complain that the reality of the UK's departure from the EU falls short of the buccaneering picture portrayed by its architects.

Chairman Dowden to be tough like Cecil New Tory co-chairman Oliver Dowden will restore the post to its power in the Thatcher era, party sources said last night. They said the former Culture Secretary would be as important in Boris Johnson's top team as Cecil Parkinson and Norman Tebbit were in Margaret Thatcher's. The pair chaired the party at key pre-election times during Lady Thatcher's decade in power. The move comes after mounting complaints from Tory backbenchers over the party's performance under previous chairman Amanda Milling, including the shock loss in the Amersham and Chesham by-election. New Tory co-chairman Oliver Dowden will restore the post to its power in the Thatcher era, party sources said last night According to reports, Mr Dowden marked his appointment with a rousing speech to staff to 'prepare for the next election'. However, critics pointed out that under the party structure, Mr Dowden will still share the chairmanship with well-connected businessman Ben Elliot. Advertisement

Instead of witnessing Britain's transformation into a low-tax, low-regulation 'Singapore on Thames', they have seen the imposition of a new 12 billion annual levy to fund health and social care, been told to prepare for a corporation tax hike from 19 per cent to 25 per cent by 2023 and grown restive over the speed at which EU red tape has been cut.

Ms Truss is also impatient to 'reclaim Brexit' with Britain becoming an incentivising hub on the edge of Europe which could beat France and Germany in the battle for billions in international investment through low taxes and the removal of Brussels's regulatory shackles.

As one ally puts it: 'Liz wants to focus more on what she calls 'economic diplomacy', with Britain being more competitive in the global marketplace and promoting free enterprise across the world.'

Some senior Government figures are concerned by her promotion, however, with one source saying: 'Liz will need a strong team around her. The Foreign Office civil servants killed Raab, and they could do the same to her.'

No 10 has kept Ministers on their toes about the reshuffle over the past fortnight, sending out false signals about its imminence.

Even as late as Wednesday morning, some advisers were being dropped hints that it was coming on Friday  although a leak on one WhatsApp group warning the printing of the Cabinet line-up for next month's Tory Party Conference had been delayed from Tuesday to Thursday was a bit of a giveaway.

Preparations had been under way for several weeks, with the Prime Minister  and former Daily Telegraph columnist  taking what one source described as a 'journalistic' approach: ringing round trusted advisers and scribbling down notes as he canvassed opinion.

Central to the process were Dan Rosenfield, No 10's chief of staff, and Declan Lyons, Mr Johnson's Political Secretary, who marshalled the views of No 10 advisers and fed them to the Prime Minister.

Inevitably, Michael Gove posed the biggest conundrum  how could he be handed a portfolio commensurate with his skills and experience without disrupting the Cabinet power balance?

The solution  making him Minister for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities  is being spun by everyone as a victory: by his allies, because it gives Mr Gove a central role executing the Tories' flagship 'levelling up' policy, and by his enemies because it falls short of being a great office of state. Plus, he will be forced to define what 'levelling up' actually means.

He will also have to defuse party tensions over planning reforms and continue his fraught dealings with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon over Scottish independence.

Allies of Mr Rosenfield also present it as a 'wing-clipping' exercise because it supposedly highlighted the limited reach of a cabal of 'Goveite' advisers in No 10.

While the Prime Minister relished the freedom to make changes without the influence  or interference  of former adviser Dominic Cummings, the reshuffle came at a difficult time for him: shortly after the death of his mother.

It meant he was moving, or sacking, people who had just offered their condolences, heightening the emotional temperature further.

At least one sacked Minister left Mr Johnson's office in tears.

For others, their fears proved unfounded. Home Secretary Priti Patel had grown increasingly concerned that she was going to be ousted by Mr Gove, and had prepared a trenchant defence of her record in Government. Unnecessarily, as it turned out.

A source said: 'Boris's relationship with Priti is stronger than people think. This reshuffle was all about cultivating and retaining loyalists.'

Observers are divided about whether Chancellor Rishi Sunak can be counted as one of those. At least one backbencher claims that Mr Sunak privately believes the Health and Social Care levy was a 'mess' which he had been 'bounced into'  something that the Treasury denies.

The source added: 'Rishi is doing his typical submarine act, choosing his battles but mostly staying out of trouble. How long can that last?'
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Dame Donna Kinnair faced an investigation over claims that she had accepted hospitality from financier George Farha while on holiday in Morocco

The head of the Royal College of Nursing was suspended amid concerns over her friendship with a multi-millionaire businessman who donated to one of Prince Charles's charity projects.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Dame Donna Kinnair faced an investigation over claims that she had accepted hospitality from financier George Farha while on holiday in Morocco.

She was also accused of holding four meetings with then Health Secretary Matt Hancock without telling RCN officials and for failing to declare earnings from other organisations.

There was shock in June when Dame Donna  who was recruited by the RCN in 2015 to improve its reputation and was later awarded a damehood by the Queen  stepped down from her 197,000-a-year job as chief executive and general secretary.

The nursing union's 465,000 members were told she was leaving after 'a period of ill health'  but knew nothing until now of the disciplinary investigation.

Within a fortnight of the probe being launched, the RCN and Dame Donna struck a deal for her to walk away with a 135,000 payoff and an understanding that the entire episode would be kept secret. Dame Donna, 60, now has a role with the Burdett Trust for Nursing, a charitable trust.

An insider said: 'I was livid when I found out and no doubt members will be too when they hear this. Nurses deserve better.

'It is particularly sickening at a time when nurses are facing some of the toughest challenges in their career, dealing with a pandemic while genuinely suffering personal financial difficulties. We expect RCN staff to be working 100 per cent for our members, not using their position to suit themselves.'

Concerns over Dame Donna's conduct emerged when she took time off work earlier this year after being involved in a bicycle accident. A source said: 'When colleagues tried to fill in for her, they naturally checked her emails and that was when the really worrying questions began.'

There was shock in June when Dame Donna (pictured)  who was recruited by the RCN in 2015 to improve its reputation and was later awarded a damehood by the Queen  stepped down from her 197,000-a-year job as chief executive and general secretary

Dame Donna was suspended with 'immediate effect' on June 14 as staff began investigating the disciplinary allegations.

Dubai-born Mr Farha, who had previously agreed to give 90,000 to help fund a 'nurse cadet' scheme suggested by Prince Charles, is understood to deny ever holidaying with the former RCN chief or having paid for a holiday or any gift for her.

Officials discovered that Dame Donna was also a director of SH:24  a company which provides tests for sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptive pills and emergency contraception  and had believed she had been working for them alongside her full-time job at the union. RCN officials believed that Mr Farha may have had a commercial interest in SH:24 or its subsidiaries. Mr Farha denies this.

At the start of the Covid pandemic, his pizza takeaway company was bizarrely handed a 135,000 contract to provide PPE equipment to the Government. The firm changed its name from NKD Pizza International Ltd to NKD International Ltd two days before the contract was awarded.

It is understood Mr Farha, a businessman with experience of supply chains, was approached by the Government for help with the PPE crisis during the pandemic. The financier told officials he had no experience with PPE but managed to source 10,000 surgical gowns for the NHS.

A source close to Mr Farha says the businessman lost money on the deal but regarded it as a charitable donation. Mr Farha, who was appointed a Commander of the Order of St John in June for his 'outstanding support' to St John Ambulance, declined to comment and there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by him, Mr Hancock or Prince Charles.

The affair is, however, deeply damaging to the RCN, which moved its annual conference online following claims of sexual harassment, staff walkouts and financial mismanagement. The organisation, whose patron is the Queen and whose members pay annual fees of up to 200, has made financial settlements totalling 1.3 million to departing staff over the past five years.

There has been a bitter row at the top of the RCN in recent months. Its chairman, David Dawes, was suspended last month over claims he was 'hostile' to women  which he denies. The RCN last night said Mr Dawes had 'led the decision making' to launch an investigation into Dame Donna.

A spokesman added: 'The RCN has announced the appointment of Bruce Carr QC to examine the culture and management of the organisation. We are determined to address standards that fall short of members' expectations.'

The revelation threatens to tarnish Dame Donna's stellar record in the healthcare sector. As well as advising a commission on the future of nursing and midwifery, she helped with the Lord Laming inquiry into the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie, who had been neglected and abused.

Dame Donna did not respond to requests for comment.
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A fierce desire to end lockdown, civic pride in their district and tenacious doctors have combined to make an unlikely Sydney suburb one of the world's most vaccinated locations.

Over 90 per cent of the people in Schofields, best known as the frontier for Sydney's new housing developments, are fully vaccinated - compared to 51.9 per cent for the rest of New South Wales and just 46.2 per cent Australia-wide.

The double dose jab rate is extraordinary not only by local standards, but international ones, comparing favourably with the nations that have highest rates of full-vaccination worldwide: Portugal (81.1 per cent), United Arab Emirates (78.5 per cent) and Singapore (75.9 per cent).

Over 90 per cent of the people in Schofields, best known as the frontier for Sydney's new housing developments, are fully vaccinated - compared to 51.9 per cent for the rest of New South Wales and just 46.2 per cent Australia-wide. Pictured are beautician Samantha and labourer Jai

Jess Ingleton, 25, got an AstraZeneca jab prior to having her third child, Daisy Dawn, who was born three weeks premature on August 29

The Kohari family were frustrated to see the people of Bondi laying on the beach while they are lockdown. From left: Monique, 20, Kristine, 41, Robert, 43, Tully, Casey, 16, and Catherine Perkins, 57

The laudable vaccination rates - matched in Australia only by Edmondson Park - were cited as part of the reason NSW Health lifted the hated curfews across the city's outer west on Wednesday.

Schofield is in Blacktown LGA, one of 12 LGAs where for a month residents couldn't leave their homes after 9pm and were limited to two hours outside per day - if they are fully vaccinated.

Such punishing restrictions were in marked contrast to the 'mockdown' across town in the east, where beaches were thronged by big crowds over the weekend.

The frustrated 'westies' were repeatedly told their only way out of the heavy lockdowns was to boost vaccination rates - and they responded in unprecedented numbers.

Staff at Alex Avenue Medical Practice at Schofields have worked tirelessly to ensure patients get vaccinated. From left the centre's staff: Ms Ziyi Wang, Dr Theepa Arikaran and Mrs Pratheepa Gajendran

Dr Theepa Arikaran (pictured outside her Schofields clinic) begins every conversation with a patient by asking if the visitors has had a vaccine yet

The hero doctors

One of the significant drivers for the soaring local vaccination rate was local doctors, who urged all their patients in the very multicultural west to get the jab, and allayed some of the misgivings and misinformation that flourished in the local community.

Dr Theepa Arikaran, who started the Alex Avenue Medical Centre in 2018, told Daily Mail Australia that no matter what you visit her surgery for, the first thing she asks is whether you've been vaccinated.

'If the answer is no, the second question is 'what's the delay'?' Dr Arikaran says.

And they are not waiting for the patients to come to them, but rather have been working the phones to contact all their past patients to ask if they are 'safe and well and when would you like to come in for a vaccination?'

'We are pushing the vaccine,' Dr Arikaran says. 'Otherwise we are not getting out of this.'

Unusually, Dr Arikaran did not initially give her patients a choice of jab. She ordered only AstraZeneca - and no Pfizer - and explained the former held very minimal risks.

She felt that giving them the option of waiting for Pfizer implied that AstraZeneca was a poorer choice.

She's administered Astra Zeneca to 500 patients since April, without one adverse reaction.

Now that Pfizer is recommended for all, she's changed her tune and has secured 240 doses, which she's mainly giving to local children.

The centre also calls patients to ask if patients are 'safe and well and when would you like to come in for a vaccination?'

Silverwater security guard Hamana Toia missed Christmas with his sister in Queensland last year because of Covid so he's fully jabbed to give himself the best chance of seeing her this year

The determined locals

The soaring vaccination rates was a source of justifiable pride for the people of Schofields.

Mum Jasmin Dealmeida, 34, who is due to have her second baby next month, was 'impressed' so many Schofields residents got vaccinated.

'There are have been so many positive message in community groups encouraging vaccination. I like it when I see we are top of the list,' she said.

'It makes me feel safe and positive compared to other places.'

It makes me feel safe Local mum Jasmin Dealmeida

Despite some lingering 'concerns' about the long-term safety of Covid vaccines, she was happy enough to get one jab so far.

She will have her second jab after her child is born, probably in early October.

Primary school teacher Raj, 22, said the high vaccination rate at Schofields makes her feel 'reassured that we are safe'.

Beautician Samantha Perry, 25, was eager for everyone to get the jabs and end lockdown, as she has had to temporarily close her new beauty salon business - the Beauty Haus.

'We just want things to get back to normal, we want our freedoms back,' she said of getting two jabs.

Her partner Jai Dunnacliff, a 25-year-old labourer, was also eager to get vaxxed and his reasoning was more personal than professional.

'I didn't need it for work,' he said. 'I just know it's the right thing to do.

'We couldn't care less about pubs and restaurants being reopened. I just want to see friends and family.'

He missed his little sister Lily's 13th birthday and didn't get a chance to say goodbye to his 'opa', which is Dutch for grandfather, when he died last year.

Hamana Toia, a security guard at Silverwater, said 'we gotta do what we gotta do, right?'

Mr Toia, got two shots 'months ago' and thinks his suburb 'should be out of lockdown by now' and considers it 'a bit unfair' that the outer west has been subject to such stringent restrictions.

Pregnant mum Jasmin Dealmedia says Schofields being 90% fully vaccinated 'makes me feel safe and positive compared to other places'

Electrician Michael Pilch has had to care for three teenagers and can't wait for a chance to go surfing

He had to cancel a trip to see his sister, Maera, in Queensland last Christmas and hopes this year will be different.

Kristine Kohari, a mum of two, admits she had been against the mandatory vaccines initially, but a family fright had changed her attitude.

Her sister, a childcare worker, contracted the virus after a Covid-positive mother ignored health advice to collect her child from the centre.

'I was against the vaccine, but I had a good think about it,' she said.

'What happened to my sister changed my mind.

Mrs Kohari said images of people swarming beaches 'disgusted me', given that the outbreak of the Delta strain in Sydney began in the eastern suburbs.

Her 20-year-old daughter, Monique, chimed in: 'It wasn't fair seeing them like that. They messed things up for us in the first place, it's because of them we can't see family.

'Family means a lot to us.'

Mum Emma Fellers, 31, is over lockdown and can't wait to see her twin sister Sarah. 'I get it, I understand the logic, but here we are doing the right thing and still locked up, even though we are doing so well here,' Ms Fellers said

Sheila Wilson supports the lockdown and says it's more 'unfortunate than unfair'

Mrs Kohari's 16-year-old daughter Casey, who has autism, has been prescribed medication for depression and anxiety due to her worries about lockdown and the pandemic.

'It's not good for any of our mental health,' Mrs Kohari said.

'It's driving us batty is what she means,' her husband, Robert Kohari, said.

Jess Ingleton, 25, got an Astra Zeneca jab prior to having her third child Daisy Dawn, who was born three weeks premature on August 29.

'The hardest thing about lockdown has been having three kids at home, including a newborn, and not being allowed any family or friends to visit or help,' she said.

She misses her twice-weekly mother's groups and especially her contact with her father, who lives only 10 minutes away.

'It's illegal to see him. I tried to tempt him but he's a straighty 180 and said no.'

Receptionist Emma Fellers, 31, who has lost a day's income after the local school she worked at cut back her shifts, said the sight of people relaxing at the beach was 'irritating' and 'a double standard' even if the chances of contracting or spreading Covid outdoors were very small.

'I get it, I understand the logic, but here we are doing the right thing and still locked up, even though we are doing so well here,' Ms Fellers said.

She said standards of policing across the city were not being applied fairly.

'A friend of our was literally pulled over by police nearby and questioned when she stopped to fill her dog's drinking bowl.

'I'm getting so over it all now.'

She is desperate to see her twin sister Sarah, who she can't visit despite living in the same LGA because they are in different households.

Electrician Michael Pilch, 49, says that sentiment among his friends is of 'a lack of basic fairness' in how Schofields and Blacktown have been treated by the NSW government.

'I would have loved to get to the beach last weekend,' said the keen surfer.

Mr Pilch, who is separated and raising three teenagers, aged 18, 16 and 14, says it's been extremely difficult being denied access to the water.

'My 18-year-old Aedan made the Australian 2003 water polo team. I've been hanging out to watch him again, he's so good.'

'They're at a stage where they can't really recognise authority, so it's been difficult.'

Mr Pilch also hasn't seen his youngest, seven-year-old Maja, who lives with her mum, for four months.
Boeing launched an urgent internal investigation after empty tequila bottles were found inside a top-secret Air Force One jumbo jet being built at the company's Texas factory, according to a report.

The two empty mini bottles of alcohol were found this month in the San Antonio factory, a source told The Wall Street Journal.

A Boeing spokesperson told newspaper that it was a 'personnel matter,' and the company has said it's working to improve quality and manufacturing operations.

Alcohol is banned from Boeing's factories, and the discovery is not regarded as an incident of 'foreign object debris' such as tools or rags that are accidentally left behind inside a plane's fuselage while it is being constructed.

Bosses said they are taking the discovery extremely seriously, although have not said if the bottle dropper has been identified or disciplined.

The aerospace giant is currently constructing two identical presidential jets. They are heavily modified 747-8 aircraft, known as VC-25B military variants that require employees working on the aircraft to have security clearances, the Wall Street Journal reported.

This is a rendering of the next Air Force One, currently under construction, with the new paint scheme that Trump proposed while serving as president

U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airplanes sit inside a hangar during maintenance operations at the Boeing Co. Global Services and Support facility in San Antonio, Texas, where the next Air Force One is currently being built

This is the current Air Force One with the classic paint scheme that was designed by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s

It's considered by Boeing to be 'effectively an airborne seat of government' and is considered to be the 'highest national priority' - right up there with defense programs like ballistic missiles, according to the newspaper.

There are two exact copies of the plane being built and are expected to be finished by 2025. Air Force One is the call sign given to any plane carrying a serving president, although the VC-25Bs are commonly described using the same nickname because presidents are seen using them so frequently.

That is a year later than agreed upon in the 2018 $3.9billion deal then-President Donald Trump and Boeing agreed to in 2018.

The current planes - two identical VC-25As - were introduced by former President George HW Bush in 1990, and are nearing the end of their service life.

Aerospace watchers are keen to find out more about what exactly the new planes will look like, after former President Donald Trump revealed a new color scheme for the jets while running the country in 2019.

He changed the plane's paint scheme to be 'more American' with red, white and navy blue instead of the iconic duck-egg blue, white and gold scheme chosen by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s.

President Joe Biden has yet to comment on whether he will scrap the Trump color scheme and stick with the Jackie Kennedy-designed original.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki batted off a question about the paint job during her first press conference in January, saying the president was too busy with COVID to think about it.

Aviation experts say the current jets' light blue underside serves as camouflage for when it is in the air, as it helps the planes blend in with the sky.
Rugby League legend Rob Burrow is hoping a new wonder drug could offer him the chance to see his kids grow up.

The 38-year-old was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019 and given just two years to live.

Burrow, married to teenage sweetheart Lindsey, is desperate to help raise Macy, nine, Maya, six, and Jackson, two.

And wheelchair-bound Burrow and his family hope a new treatment could buy him enough time for a cure to be found.

The former Leeds Rhinos, England and Great Britain star told the Sunday Mirror: 'This drug is my hope that I see my kids grow up.

'Without this drug it will be a bleak outcome. I worry about leaving Lindsey to raise our kids alone  it is the last thing I want to do.

'I want to see my trio all reach 18 and so I live in hope. I am a realist but without hope there is nothing.'

Rob Burrow with his wife Lindsey and daughters at the National Television Awards this year

Rugby league legend is desperate to help raise Macy, nine, Maya, six, and Jackson, two

His devoted dad Geoff, 70, discovered the treatment on the internet.

He said: 'The new drug gives Rob the drive to get up and carry on each day. He is living with, not dying from, MND. And I will help him do that while I have breath in my body.

'It's not just about maintaining Rob's life, it's about the potential behind it. I firmly believe we are in touching distance of a cure. This drug seems to have had incredible results and this could be Rob's chance until a cure is found.

'We have to beat this  we are going to. I've got to believe that as I won't allow myself to think any other way. Every day I pray  I don't know who to  and ask they take my heartbeat and give it to Rob. If he goes, I won't be long after him.'

The 38-year-old was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019 and given two years to live

What is Motor Neurone Disease? Motor neurone disease is a rare condition that mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s, but it can affect adults of all ages. It's caused by a problem with cells in the brain and nerves called motor neurones. These cells gradually stop working over time. It's not known why this happens. Having a close relative with motor neurone disease, or a related condition called frontotemporal dementia, can sometimes mean you're more likely to get it. But it doesn't run in families in most cases. Early symptoms can include weakness in your ankle or leg, like finding it hard to walk upstairs; slurred speech, finding it hard to swallow, a weak grip, and gradual weight loss If you have these symptoms, you should see a GP. They will consider other possible conditions and can refer you to a specialist called a neurologist if necessary. If a close relative has motor neurone disease or frontotemporal dementia and you're worried you may be at risk of it  they may refer you to a genetic counsellor to talk about your risk and any tests you can have Source: NHS UK Advertisement

The drug, known as AMX0035, comprises of two agents which reduce neuronal death and dysfunction.

US tests saw improved life expectancy in 44% of cases. The average life extension was six months but at least one patient was on the drug for 35 months.

Drug company Amylix is considering running phase 3 trials in Europe but Geoff hopes Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital, one of 25 US trial centres, will supply the drug.

It will cost 'thousands' but the family intend to pay for it from the proceeds raised from charity events.
Town House is a new genre of hotel. Or at least, it thinks it is. Actually there are a few plush ones in London but you would be hard-pressed to notice that they are any different from traditional hotels.

Not so at the High Field Town House  part of the Peach Group  in a residential area of Edgbaston in Birmingham, where you need not have any contact whatsoever with anyone running the place or, indeed, anyone who works there.

As a result, its a soulless experience best suited either to star-crossed lovers who absolutely must not be recognised or gangsters on the run.

Pictured is the exterior of High Field Town House, which the Inspector says 'should really be a dental practice or the headquarters of a provincial firm of accountants'

Once you have made the booking, a door code is emailed to you. This allows you to enter the white, double-fronted Victorian house, which should really be a dental practice or the headquarters of a provincial firm of accountants  and then you use the same code again to access your room.

Ours faces the front of the building, overlooking the road and car park. It has a free-standing bath in the bay window, which appears promising, but the windows are all hermetically sealed and the wooden door leading to the head accountants office (sorry, the bathroom) really does not belong in a bedroom.

Otherwise, it is bright and cheerful, with a comfortable bed, conveniently large wardrobe and snazzy espresso machine. Downstairs, there is a lobby area with a big fridge from which you can help yourself to milk. Theres also a desk with a computer on it but it looks ornamental rather that practical.

The High Field bar and restaurant is next door. We have burgers that have had all the juice syphoned out of them.

High Field Town House - part of the Peach Group - is located in Edgbaston (pictured) in Birmingham

This is where you can eat breakfast from 7.30am. Or so it says in the directory  but when we turn up at 7.35am we are offered a takeaway coffee and nothing more.

We should be open properly by 8am, says a sleepy young man.

Its the should that makes us say farewell to the High Field Town House  although, of course, there is no one to whom we can address our farewells.
The Holiday Guru is always on hand to answer your questions.

This week he provides some valuable advice for anyone who is considering travelling within 90 days of recovering from Covid.

Q. We tested positive for Covid in Kos, Greece, in August and could not fly home. We went to a quarantine hotel and, after negative lateral flow tests, flew back on September 7. On return, we took a day two PCR test, as required. Both of us were positive and had to isolate for ten days. I have since learnt the Government says you should not take a PCR test within 90 days of a positive Covid test. What else could we do?

Clare Friel, via email.

Cafe culture: People enjoy alfresco dining under trees in Greeces pretty Kos Town

A. The Department of Health and Social Care says people in your position must take travel tests as anyone else would. There is a risk, it admits, you may have to self-isolate after a day two PCR test.

Although the Government says there is a 90-day window after a positive test during which citizens should not take PCR or lateral flow tests, entry requirements for the UK take precedence (gov.uk). Anyone who is considering travelling within 90 days of recovering from Covid, take note.

Q. If I fail the Covid test in Portugal and cant return, will I go to a hotel paid for by the Portuguese government  or will it be down to my insurance?

Debbie Rowland, via email.

A. Visit Portugal, the tourist office, says that travellers are required to cover the cost of their hotel isolation and should have appropriate insurance in place.

Q. I am trying to have my deposit refunded for a cancelled safari in Zambia with Scott Dunn. Will I get it?

Eirwen Hopkins, via email.

The Guru helps a reader understand their refund rights on a cancelled safari in Zambia

A. Under the Package Travel Regulations refunds should be given within 14 days if you have paid the full amount of a cancelled holiday.

However, this does not apply to those who have paid the deposit and not met the balance.

In this instance, some companies will simply keep the cash. However, Scott Dunn is, reasonably, offering a future holiday credit.

Q. In August 2020 we booked a 116-night world cruise on MSC Poesia departing on January 7. Sadly, with Australia and New Zealand impossible to visit, the trip is unviable. I have a balance of 16,097 that I am wary to pay in case the trip is cancelled. Advice?

Geoff Aston, via email.

A. Pay the balance. If the cruise is cancelled, you will be due a full refund under the Package Travel Regulations. If you wish to take a credit instead, you could rebook. MSC apologises for any miscommunication.

WERE HERE TO HELP

If you need advice, the Holiday Guru is here to answer your questions. Email us at holidayplanner@dailymail.co.uk.
There's no denying Allison Langdon is one of the most fashionable presenters on TV.

And the stylist responsible for the Today host's ultra-chic wardrobe has now revealed what happens behind the scenes of Nine's breakfast show.

Beck Wilson told Daily Mail Australia she works closely with Langdon, 42, to decide the outfits she wears on screen.

How Allison Langdon became the 'ultimate cool girl' of Aussie TV: Today show stylist Beck Wilson has shared the host's wardrobe secrets with Daily Mail Australia

Ms Wilson described the mother of two as the 'ultimate cool girl' who goes to great lengths to make sure her outfits stand out, but still manages to be low-maintenance.

She is particularly fond of power suits because they differentiate her from her breakfast TV rivals, the wardrobe guru explained.

'I think Ally is the ultimate cool girl,' Wilson said.

'I can't speaking highly enough of her': Ms Wilson (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia she works closely with Langdon, 42, to decide the outfits she wears on screen

Chic: Wilson summarised Langdon's style as masculine vibes with a colourful, feminine twist, and cited a pink suit and shirt combo she wore recently as a prime example (pictured)

'She opts for really effortless pieces and really gravitates towards things that don't look too curated or put together.'

Wilson summarised Langdon's style as masculine vibes with a colourful, feminine twist, and cited a pink suit and shirt combo she wore recently as a prime example.

Stylish yet low-maintenance: 'She opts for really effortless pieces and really gravitates towards things that don't look too curated or put together,' Wilson said

'It's nice to play on that and it's important for her as well to be able to move across those things and not just be stuck wearing a flowery dress,' she added.

Wilson said it was Langdon's idea to wear more power suits, which is perfect for the wardrobe department because they are versatile and can be mixed and matched with other pieces.

And when you have to come up with five different outfits each week, versatility is a good thing.

'If she sees something she likes, she'll flick it along to me and we'll get it in,' Wilson said.

'Recently, she said she wants to be wearing a few more suits, so I get a few prompts from her. It's nice and collaborative.'

She added: 'It was just something she wanted to push up in the wardrobe a little bit, and she does wear a suit well. Again, there's not many women wearing full suits on breakfast TV and we thought it was a great opportunity.'

Wilson, who used to be Sonia Kruger's personal assistant, said Langdon was not only 'flexible' in terms of her wardrobe but also 'owns her look'.

'She really does her own look. We've worked together since 2017 and we were conscious of making her look a bit different from everyone else,' she said.

'She always tries something on and never says no before trying it on.'

She means business: Wilson said it was Langdon's idea to wear more power suits, which is perfect for the wardrobe department because they are versatile and can be mixed and matched with other pieces. Pictured with co-host Karl Stefanovic

Career: Langdon, from Wollongong, began co-hosting the Today show with Karl Stefanovic in January last year. Pictured at the beach in Sydney in February 2018

Diverse: 'Ally looks great in anything. I'm biased, but she can wear dresses, pantsuits, blouses, and it all looks good on her, but it's nothing too overstated,' said Wilson

Langdon's style secrets Her TV wardrobe is prepared about a week in advance

Langdon sends her stylist ideas and the team works from there

Wilson dresses Langdon at about 5am, once her hair and makeup is done

She typically heads to the set at 5:10am, before Today starts at 5:30am Advertisement

'Ally looks great in anything. I'm biased, but she can wear dresses, pantsuits, blouses, and it all looks good on her, but it's nothing too overstated.'

Wilson, who recently styled the Celebrity Apprentice cast, also revealed the ins and outs of Nine's wardrobe department.

She said she typically prepares Langdon's wardrobe a week in advance.

The TV anchor gets dressed at about 5am, once her hair and makeup is done, then heads to the set for 5:10am, before Today starts at 5:30am.

'Preparation is paramount,' Wilson said.

'Between 5am and 5:10am we put it all together and she heads down to set.'

Wilson, who became a stylist after Sonia Kruger encouraged her to apply for an internship at Nine's wardrobe department several years ago, said Langdon is a 'dream' to work with.

'I can't speak highly enough of her. She's the ultimate professional and kindest person,' said said.

'She's one of the first people I've worked with in styling who gave me free rein.'
Rose Leslie had a big, bright smile on her makeup-free face as she went on a coffee run in New York City on Friday.

The 34-year-old Game of Thrones actress looked happy as she walked through the city with a coffee and face mask in hand.

Her fiery red hair looked damp as she strolled the Big Apple.

Joyous: Rose Leslie had a big, bright smile on her face as she went on a coffee run in New York City on Friday

The star sported a beige crewneck sweater that had multicolor trimming at the collar, sleeves, and bottom.

The comfortable look continued with black trousers that cropped at the ankle and a worn-in pair of white Gucci sneakers.

The mother-of-one carried a green, purple, black, and beige tote over her shoulder.

The 34-year-old actress looked happy as she walked through the city with a coffee and face mask in hand

Leslie's casual look is in stark contrast with the glamorous display she put on at the Met Gala on Monday.

The Scottish entertainer attended the event with her husband Kit Harington, 34.

The redhead stunner donned a canary yellow tulle gown by Oscar de la Renta that perfectly offset her porcelain complexion.

A slick of fuschia lipstick accentuated her pout, and her auburn locks were styled in a chic chignon.

Her fiery red hair looked damp as she strolled the Big Apple

Riding solo: Meanwhile, Leslie's husband Kit cut a stylish figure as he walked to dinner with pal Tim Daly, wearing comfy Rothy's sneakers

She's been in New York filming upcoming HBO drama The Time Traveller's Wife, and the talented performer currently stars in the BBC drama Vigil.

Harington and Leslie dated for seven years before tying the knot in 2018.

They share a son together whose name they haven't revealed.
Katie Holmes cut a casual figure as she left her SoHo apartment on Friday.

The actress, 42, was spotted rocking a semi-sheer white T-shirt which flashed a hint of her blue bra.

The Dawson's Creek star was also seen carrying her furry best friend, her chihuahua Honey, while out in Manhattan.

Dressed down: Katie Holmes cut a casual figure when she was spotted leaving her apartment in Soho

Holmes paired her t-shirt with high-waisted straight cut blue jeans and sported white, gray and maroon New Balance sneakers.

The brunette beauty tied her hair back in a slightly messy ponytail and carried a black and white patterned tote bag.

She accessorized with several small gold hoop earrings and covered her face with a beige mask.

The Ohio native displayed a bright pink manicure as she opened the passenger door of her waiting SUV.

Casual: The 42-year-old actress was clad in a semi-sheer white t-shirt over a blue bra as she headed to her car on Friday

Katie later wore a camel peacoat over her dressed-down ensemble and cradled her dog as she walked across the sidewalk.

The Batman Begins actress adopted the brown and white rescue pup for her daughter Suri, now 15, back in 2014. Honey went missing shortly after being taken in by Katie and her child with Holmes offering $1,000 reward for her safe return.

The pooch was fortunately found alive and well a few days later. The famous family later adopted another dog and are frequently seen walking their pups on the streets of New York City.

Puppy love: The Dawson's Creek star was also seen carrying her chihuahua Honey while stepping out in Manhattan

Meanwhile, Katie has recently completed work on a yet-to-be-titled TV movie from writers Ilene Chaiken and Melissa Scrivner-Love.

The story will follow an FBI special agent who tries to rebuild her career after an illicit affair damages her professional reputation.

Her other project, also still untitled, is a romantic drama following two strangers both in bad relationships who end up at the same Airbnb in upstate New York.

Written, produced, directed by and starring Holmes, the movie will also star Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke, Melissa Leo, Zosia Mamet and Becky Ann Baker.

Lights, camera, action: Meanwhile, Katie has recently completed work on a yet-to-be-titled TV movie from writers Ilene Chaiken and Melissa Scrivner-Love; pictured last week

While the new film serves as Katie's feature film writing debut, she has previously helmed one other movie  the 2016 drama All We Had.

Katie shares Suri with ex Tom Cruise. She split from Emilio Vitolo Jr., 33, in April after nine months of dating.

'They figured out theyre better off as friends. Theres no drama that went down with the breakup and in fact, theyre still friends,' a source told Us Weekly at the time.

Emilio collaborates with his father to run the popular Italian restaurant Emilio's Ballato, a favorite of celebrity visitors including Tom Hanks, Bradley Cooper and even former president Barack Obama.

His romance with Katie reportedly faded after she left for Connecticut to film her second feature as a director.

She stars in the untitled film with Jim Sturgess as two strangers stuck in unhealthy relationships who find themselves forced to quarantine together at an Upstate New York Airbnb, according to Deadline.

According to ET, Katie took a 'wait and see' approach to her relationship while she was out of the state filming.

'Before she left, [Katie and Emilio] were inseparable, but their relationship was existing in a bubble,' said an insider. 'Because of the pandemic, she wasn't jet setting around the country for jobs and he wasn't tied up every night working at his family's restaurant.'

But once their regular social lives resumed, the couple found they were not 'as compatible anymore.'
Earlier this month, she enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Venice, Italy, with her new husband Patrick Whitesell.

And on Saturday, former Home and Away star Pia Whitesell, 37, stepped out for a romantic date night with her man, this time in Los Angeles where they are based.

The pair enjoyed a bite to eat and some drinks at Italian restaurant Elephante in Santa Monica as the sun went down.

Stepping out: On Saturday, Pia Whitesell enjoyed a date night in Santa Monica with her multimillionaire agent husband Patrick

Pia shared a Boomerang video of the pair at their table while out, looking gorgeous with her long dark locks around her shoulders.

She captioned the post: '[The] Whitesell's' and added two love heart emojis.

The model also shared the video on her Instagram stories and called Patrick, 56, 'mi amor' (my love).

She's smitten! The model also shared the video on her Instagram stories and called Patrick, 56, 'mi amor' (my love)

Earlier this month, the pair enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Venice, Italy, for the Venice Film Festival.

The pair stepped out on the red carpet for the event, with Pia stunning in a black and white gown by Celine.

Pia also shared a sweet selfie of the pair on the way to the event and captioned the post: 'Venice Film Festival with mi amore [my love]'.

What a trip! Earlier this month, the pair enjoyed a whirlwind trip to Venice, Italy, for the Venice Film Festival. The pair stepped out on the red carpet for the event, with Pia stunning in a black and white gown by Celine

'So grateful to be able to travel from LA and to even be here!' she wrote about being in Italy

She added in part of her post: 'So grateful to be able to travel from LA and to even be here!'

Earlier this month, Pia gave fans a glimpse into her and Patrick's Malibu beach house, after she relocated to Los Angeles from Sydney to be with her new husband.

The mother-of-two, 37, uploaded videos to her Instagram of the lavish home which is just mere meters from the sand.

She has travelled abroad with her sons, Isaiah, 18, and Lennox, 13.

Pia announced her engagement to Patrick, who is the executive chairman of the Endeavor Talent Agency, on November 28.

They married in secret months later.
Rhonda and Ketut captured Australia's hearts over a series of successful ads for insurance provider AAMI, which began almost a decade ago.

And the iconic TV couple have returned to screens with a brand new advertisement encouraging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Ketut - played by actor Kadek Mahardika - tells viewers in a FaceTime call: 'Eyes on the future Australia. Vax up,' as he reveals a band aid on his arm.

Rhonda and Ketut are back! The iconic TV couple appeared in a new AAMI advertisement with their baby to encourage people to get vaccinated. Ketut - played by actor Kadek Mahardika - tells viewers: 'Eyes on the future Australia. Vax up,' as he reveals a band aid on his arm

He then turns the camera to show Rhonda, played by actress Mandy McElhinney, reclined on a sun lounge dressed in an intricate kaftan, and cradling their child.

'What daddy said huh,' she says to their little one, adding: 'Vax up Australia, like a sunrise.'

'Like a sunrise' became the catchphrase of the Rhonda and Ketut's love story within the viral campaign, which began in 2012.

Adorable new addition to the family: He then turns the camera to show Rhonda reclined on a sun lounge dressed in an intricate kaftan as she cradled their child. 'What daddy said huh,' she says to their little one, adding: 'Vax up Australia, like a sunrise'

Remember this? The Rhonda and Ketut adverts first appeared in 2012 to promote AAMI's safe driver insurance. In the ads, Rhonda meets her younger lover while on holiday in Bali

The Rhonda and Ketut adverts first appeared in 2012 to promote AAMI's safe driver insurance.

In the series of ads, Rhonda meets her younger lover while on holiday in Bali.

Their summer fling then becomes a long-term relationship when Ketut reunites with Rhonda at her high school reunion, which final ad for the campaign in 2014.

Last year, AAMI was able to coax Ketut out for another appearance after a fan expressed concern for how the couple was holding up amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Still together! Their summer fling then becomes a long-term relationship when Ketut reunites with Rhonda at her high school reunion, which final ad for the campaign in 2014

In the video, he told fans: 'Hi Australia, it's Ketut here. I hear you all wanted to know how me and my beautiful wife Rhonda are doing,' confirming the pair have married.

Ketut explained Rhonda wasn't able to join him as she was in the middle of 'homeschooling the kids.'

'I hope you guys are all doing well on lockdown and keep it hot, like a sunrise,' he finished with a wink, using the famous catchphrase.

Update: Last year, AAMI was able to coax Ketut out for another appearance to update fans on how he and Rhonda were going and revealed the two have married and have children

Star: Aside from starring as Rhonda, Mandy McElhinney, 51, is also known for her roles in television shows including Love Child, Bad Mothers and House of Hancock. Pictured at the Logie Awards in Melbourne on May 8, 2016

Aside from starring as Rhonda, Mandy McElhinney, 51, is also known for her roles in television shows including Love Child, Bad Mothers and House of Hancock.

Meanwhile Kadek, 34, is believed to be working as a building site administrator in Melbourne, where his family is based.

He is a doting father to two young children, Mila and Lenny, with his wife, Laura Jack.

He also has an older son, RJ, from a previous relationship.
Lily-Rose Depp looked utterly gorgeous in a light pink dress while attending the premiere of her film Wolf at the Toronto International Film Festival.

As the 22-year-old French-American actress graced the red carpet, all eyes were on her chic ensemble and ethereal updo with curls hanging down.

Her tresses were secured with a long purple ribbon, for an extra touch of glamour, which complimented her subtle lip and dramatic smokey eye.

Pretty in pink: Lily-Rose Depp looked utterly gorgeous in a light pink dress while attending the premiere of her film Wolf at the Toronto International Film Festival

The daughter of Hollywood legend Johnny Depp, who has served as a Chanel brand ambassador for years, completed her look with black pumps.

During the event, she mingled with Jane Doolan, Jessie Fisk and director Nathalie Biancheri.

The forthcoming Irish-Polish drama, which hits theaters in December, stars Lily and George MacKay.

Effortlessly chic: As the 22-year-old French-American actress graced the red carpet, all eyes were on her chic ensemble and ethereal updo with curls hanging down

Cool girl: The daughter of Hollywood legend Johnny Depp, who has served as a Chanel brand ambassador for years, completed her look with black pumps

The storyline of the film will be centered around an individual named Jacob, who believes that he is actually a wolf, living in a facility with other people who do not identify as human.

When the character comes into contact with a romantic interest, he is forced to make a decision between his personal conviction and potential future as a human.

She is also currently set to appear in the upcoming Christmas-themed comedy feature, Silent Night.

Beautiful: Her tresses were secured with a long purple ribbon, for an extra touch of glamour, which complimented her subtle lip and dramatic smokey eye

Thrilling: The storyline of the film will be centered around an individual named Jacob, who believes that he is actually a wolf, living in a facility with other people who do not identify as human

Lots in the works: She is also currently set to appear in the upcoming Christmas-themed comedy feature, Silent Night

The upcoming film will be centered around an extended family coming together for a holiday dinner in the countryside.

Camille Griffin, who is making her directorial debut with the feature, also wrote its screenplay.

As for her personal life, the model recently caused a media frenzy after she was spotted kissing actor Austin Butler during a trip to London in August.

Catching up: During the event, she mingled with Jane Doolan, Jessie Fisk and director Nathalie Biancheri

Neither of the two has made any public comments regarding the steamy makeout session as of yet.

On Monday, she crossed paths with her ex-boyfriend Timothee Chalamet at the long-delayed Met Gala in New York City.

The former couple, who also starred in the 2019 movie The King together, famously made headlines when they were photographed kissing on a yacht in September 2019.
Hailey Bieber is sounding off about the on-going rumors regarding her marriage to pop superstar Justin Bieber and his treatment of her over the years.

During a conversation with Demi Lovato on their 4D With Demi Lovato podcast, the 24-year-old model shot down the accusations waged against Justin, along with the descriptions of their relationship.

'I think one of the biggest things is you have to know what the truth is behind everything. You know, there's so many narratives that float around about me, about him, about us together,' Hailey began.

Not having it: Hailey Bieber, 24, addressed the rumors surrounding her marriage to Justin Bieber, specifically that he's inattentive and mistreats her

Hailey then directly points out that some people think Justin is not a good husband.

'There's one big fat narrative that goes around that's like, "Justin is not nice to her, and that he mistreats her, and I'm just like, it's so far from the truth, and it's the complete and utter opposite.'

She went on to praise her husband, adding, 'I really am lucky to say I'm with someone who is extremely respectful of me, who makes me feel special every single day. So when I see the opposite of that, I'm just like, "Huh?" And everybody around who knows us personally would say the same thing.'

laying out her truth: Hailey said 'the big fat narrative' that 'Justin is not nice to her, and that he mistreats her' is ''so far from the truth', during a conversation with Demi Lovato on their 4D With Demi Lovato podcast on Friday

Attentive Justin: Hailey credited her husband with being the one who often reminds her about the truth of a particular situation

Hailey credited Justin with being the one who often reminds her about the truth of a particular situation, which can be hard when it comes to well known celebrity couples.

'I think Justin does a very good job of reminding me because I have my low days where I'm like, "This is too much and all the things people are saying, I can't take it today,"' she said.

'Again, he'll come in and be like, "Well, the truth is this, the truth is that you're good and you're secure and you're loved and all of your friends love you and your family loves you and I love you."'

Keeping the conversation light, Hailey went on to reference the Lizzo song Rumors that features Cardi B.

'That's why I like that Lizzo song that's out right now where she's like, 'all the rumors are true,' she sang, before adding, 'and you know what? You're right, all the rumors are true baby.'

Sharing some laughs: Hailey and Demi burst out into laughter when the model referenced the Lizzo song Rumors that features Cardi B

Light moment: 'That's why I like that Lizzo song that's out right now where she's like, 'all the rumors are true' Hailey sang, which prompted laughs from her and Demi

Not wanting the paint a false, perfect picture narrative, the Arizona native admitted that she had previously struggled with feeling like she like she lost her independence and her own identity.

'There were times where I felt like I lost that within our relationship especially when it was new and in the beginning," she explained, before sharing they were able to work through the issue, and others, through therapy and the advice of other couples in their lives.

After their chat, Lovato took to Instagram and posted one of the quotes Hailey shared, which apparently resonated with the pop star.

'I really want to embrace being myself and want to celebrate people for being themselves, that's important to me... Individuality means everything to me because there's only one me and there's only one you.'

Respect: Demi took to Instagram and posted a quote from Hailey after their conversation
She is notoriously shy about granting interviews.

But a beaming Paris Jackson told MailOnline she was thrilled to be honoring her father Michaels long friendship with movie icon Elizabeth Taylor at a glittering Aids fundraising ball on Friday evening.

Its an absolute honor for me to be involved in such an important cause, said Paris, 23, who was wearing a stunning hippy chic nude crochet gown: Ive been blessed with an opportunity to use my platform for something bigger than myself.

Big night: The annual Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS was held at West Hollywood Park on Friday evening, marking the fundraising gala's 30th anniversary; Paris Jackson pictured at the event

The 23-year-old daughter of Michael Jackson her lightened wavy hair flow out from a brown braided headband, while strutting down the carpet in a pair of beige sandals.

More than 350 people turned out for the inaugural Elizabeth Taylor Ball to End AIDS at West Hollywood Park in LA for what organizers called the first big Hollywood blow-out since the pandemic started.

Stars like Rita Ora and honoree, Pose star Billy Porter, were forced to follow strict Covid-19 precautions.

A team of covid assistants wiped down the microphone and podium with bleach between speeches leading Porter to quip: Im going to smell of Lysol before the night is over.

Stunner: Leading the event's red carpet was Paris Jackson, who stunned in a nude crochet gown with an asymmetrical hem

Emmy-nominee Porter, 51, who wore a gorgeous Viviano Sue layer rose-fringed tuxedo dress, choked up as he talked about his decision to come out as HIV positive in May this year saying he was diagnosed with HIV in 2007 and lived in shame until now.

As a young queer black man my soul was shook when my first friend died of Aids. Then Elizabeth Taylor showed up. She showed up and she spoke out for all of us. She taught the world what real love looks like. She taught so many of us how to stand up and use our voices and speak truth to power and effect change.

In 2007 I had a secret that was so shameful that I held it for 14 years. I had all the information, I was supposed to know better and I got this s*** anyway. Shame is a silent killer. And I aint going out like that.

Honoree: The night also served to honor activist and actor Billy Porter, who bravely revealed in May of this year that he is HIV positive, and his contributions to art and the fight to end the stigma around the illness

Dazzling: Porter dazzled in a dramatically ruffled blazer and matching floor-length skirt

Christine Chiu looked ready for the Academy Awards as she stepped onto the carpet in an elegant gown with a lengthy train.

As she presented the award to Porter, she said: Everyone applauds Billys very brave and personal disclosure that he is living with HIV.

'The honesty of your story and the description of the shame you felt and the burden you felt to keep quiet about your HIV status will only serve to help others.

Chiu, who was with her plastic surgeon husband Dr Gabriel Chiu and looked amazing in a couture white gown with a bolero beaded jacket, added: Elizabeth is not here with us tonight but if she were she would feel your presence standing with her to help others suffering from the stigma, hurt and discrimination and criminalization of HIV.

Porter later jumped on stage to sing with Elton John protege Jake Wesley Rogers while Rita Ora and new boyfriend, director Taika Waititi cuddled at their table.

Elegance: Christine Chiu looked ready for the Academy Awards as she stepped onto the carpet in an elegant gown with a lengthy train

Performance: Jake Wesley Rogers performs onstage during The Elizabeth Taylor Ball

In attendance: Billy Porter with Daniel O'Day (L) and Christine Chiu (R)

The new duo later posed for photographs alongside Paris and her friend Michael Braun.

Rita said she has moved to LA to be near Taika adding: Im so, so happy. Former

President Bill Clinton sent a video message praising the work of the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, saying: The work you are doing makes a difference in so many lives.

Couple: Rita was joined by her director beau Taika Waititi (right) at the event

Pals: Inside the event Paris caught up with singer Rita Ora, 30

The balls co-chair, philanthropist Lyn Rothman called the event magical saying: We exceeded the estimated figure wed hope to raise. It was wonderful to see Hollywood dressed up and out again and doing it safely. Elizabeth Taylors wonderful legacy lives on but we still have a long way to go to prevent discrimination and stigma.

Much of the money raised will go towards fighting and raising awareness about laws in 26 US states where being HIV positive is an imprisonable offense.

Elizabeth Taylors long-time executive assistant and co-trustee of her estate Tim Mendelson said: The fight against HIV and Aids was something Elizabeth was passionate about in her life and hoped would be her enduring legacy. She would always say Acting is make-believe, this is real life.

She promised she would fight on until there is a cure - and so will we.

Icon: Chandi Moore had all eyes on her as she graced the red carpet in a flaming red wig and a striking ruffled dress

Glam: Rita looked stunning in an elegant black gown for the event

Stars of the show! Jake Wesley Rogers and Billy Porter onstage

The day before attending Friday's gala, Paris was spotted running some last minute errands around Los Angeles with her brother Prince, 24.

The duo were heading to Hotel Cafe, which has hosted the musical talents of Katy Perry and Adele.

Paris, with a guitar over her back, appeared to be performing for the evening, with her brother lending moral support.

Group: The couple posed for photographs with actor Michael Brau (L)

Line-up! Michael, Paris, Rita and Taika all posed for snaps

Errands: The day before attending Friday's gala, Paris was spotted running some last minute errands around Los Angeles with her brother Prince, 24

Performer: The duo were heading to Hotel Cafe, which has hosted the musical talents of Katy Perry and Adele
Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick broke down in tears on Saturday as he paid tribute to his beloved dog of nearly 14 years, Keira, who passed away last week.

The Irish TV vet, 53, was understandably emotional as he reflected on Keira's life and thanked fans for their 'kind thoughts' in a heartfelt video shared on Twitter.

Dressed in his veterinary uniform and patting his cat Ricochet on his lap, Noel - who previously treated Meghan Markle's dog and Russell Brand's cat - said Keira gave him 'hope' and made him 'the best' he could be.

'She saved me from all the ups and downs': Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick (pictured with cat Ricochet) broke down in tears on Saturday as he paid tribute to his dog of nearly 14 years, Keira, who passed away last week

'Thank you so much everybody for all of your good wishes and your kind thoughts and your compassion in the last few days since we lost her,' Noel began in the video.

Holding up a photo of Keira prior to her passing, Noel went on to reveal just how much the terrier meant to himself and his family.

'We loved her. She was our sister, our daughter, our family member. She's been by my side for 14 years. Through all the ups and downs, ins and outs; she sat on my knee when I was writing lectures or doing reports.

Understandably emotional: The Irish TV vet, 53, was understandably emotional as he reflected on Keira's life and thanked fans for their 'kind thoughts' in a heartfelt video shared on Twitter

'She was the best friend I could ever want': Dressed in his veterinary uniform, Noel - who previously treated Meghan Markle's dog and Russell Brand's cat - said Keira gave him 'hope' and made him 'the best' he could be

'Whether I was happy or sad. She liked it when I was sad because she would lick my tears. She liked the salt. But most importantly, she was the best friend I could ever want.'

Breaking down in tears, Noel revealed how Keira made him the best version of himself.

'She gave me hope, she made me the best I could be. She saved me from all of the ups and downs. She knew everything about me and she kept it all to herself,' he managed to say with a laugh.

Noel explained how he chose to give her 'an extra year of life' after she 'nearly died a year ago' from a 'bad accident' and thanked his colleagues for saving her life.

'She shared the most valuable gift in the entire world with me, unconditional love': Noel explained how he chose to give her 'an extra year of life' after she 'nearly died a year ago' from a 'bad accident' and thanked his colleagues for saving her life

Grateful: The TV vet captioned the Twitter video with a caption, which read: 'Thank you to everyone for your kind words and comfort during this difficult time. I have been incredibly touched by your support and love over the last week. This is a tribute to my girl Keira'

'She shared the most valuable gift in the entire world with me, unconditional love. That's it. That's all there is, but she also taught me that with great love comes great pain. And that's okay, I wouldn't have had it any other way. No other way,' he said.

Wiping away tears, Noel described Keira as an 'eternal inspiration' and said her legacy 'lives on in me and all my colleagues'.

Noel concluded by revealing how a tombstone had been arranged for Keira on Friday, and said a few parting words.

'Your light remains inside me. You're always by my side. Keira, I love you and everybody thank you so much. She remains with us. Her light remains with every single one of us that believes in unconditional love,' he said.

Sad news: Noel announced Keira's death in a heartfelt Instagram post on September 10, sharing a sweet photo of the terrier alongside an emotional passage of text

Noel announced Keira's death in a heartfelt Instagram post on September 10, sharing a sweet photo of the terrier alongside an emotional passage of text.

'My heart is truly broken. She was my best friend in the whole wide world. My friend Amy and her son Kyle are broken-hearted too since they have shared her guardianship with me all this time,' he wrote.

'We were so very blessed and lucky to have had her in our lives, lighting the way with her magnificent unconditional love.

Blessed: 'We were so very blessed and lucky to have had her in our lives, lighting the way with her magnificent unconditional love,' Noel penned online

'We were especially lucky to have been gifted magical further time with her when she nearly lost her life too soon a year ago.

'I am so thankful for your kind wishes and support at this difficult time and for the incredible love you have shown us.

'I know that she touched many lives with her light. With great love comes great pain, but her love will be inside me forever,' he went on to say.
Justin Hartley and his wife Sofia Pernas looked happier than ever on the red carpet while attending the Television Academy's pre-Emmys reception on Friday.

The lovebirds, who came to show their support for this year's Emmy Award nominees, were the picture of newlywed bliss as they linked arms and matched in blue.

The This Is Us star, 44, and his spouse, 32, tied the knot in May just months after he finalized his divorce from Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause in February 2021.

Newlyweds: Justin Hartley and wife Sofia Pernas looked blissful on the red carpet while attending the Television Academy's reception on Thursday evening

For the event, Hartley appeared as handsome as ever in a blue and black plaid suit, white dress shirt and patterned tie.

Meanwhile, Pernas showed off her stunning figure in a skintight, navy dress with strapped heels.

Kathryn Hahn, who was also in attendance, turned heads in a black polka-dot blouse over a black bra.

Beautiful: Kathryn Hahn, who was also in attendance, turned heads in a black polka-dot blouse over a black bra

In addition to her fitted black trousers and heels, she added a cool pair of black and white suspenders.

She opted for a natural makeup look and her dark brown hair in loose waves, which cascaded past her shoulders.

English actress Hannah Waddingham was the epitome of chic in a red knee-length dress, black heels and her blonde hair pulled back.

Classy: English actress Hannah Waddingham was the epitome of chic in a red knee-length dress, black heels and her blonde hair pulled back

Leggy display: Orange Is the New Black alum Madeline Brewer dared to show some major leg in a semi-sheer beige dress and open-toed gold pumps

Beaming: Yvette Nicole Brown, best known for her role as Shirley Bennett on NBC's comedy series Community, wowed in a flowing floral gown

Orange Is the New Black alum Madeline Brewer dared to show some major leg in a semi-sheer beige dress and open-toed gold pumps.

She completed her ensemble with bold red lipstick, large hoop earrings and her platinum tresses in a sleek bun.

Yvette Nicole Brown, best known for her role as Shirley Bennett on NBC's comedy series Community, wowed in a flowing floral gown.

Stunning: Thuso Mbedu, who was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role in the telenovela Is'Thunzi in the past, wore a plunging pink gown

Holding hands: This Is Us star Chris Sullivan and his wife Rachel attended together

The 50-year-old star accessorized with a large black clutch, statement earrings and glasses.

She wore her shoulder-length curls in a half-up, half-down hairstyle.

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and will take place at the Microsoft Theatre in LA on Sunday.

Bold: Kerri Kenney-Silver rocked a red pantsuit and stament necklace

Handsome: Actor Dallas Liu looked great in a black suit and white dress shirt

The Crown tied with The Mandalorian for the most Emmy nominations Tuesday with 24 apiece, but the Marvel universe also got bragging rights with runner-up WandaVision.

The nominations reinforced the rapid rise of streaming, with the top-nominated scripted shows on services that largely emerged in the past two years. In the top three categories - drama, comedy and limited series - only the NBC show This Is Us snagged a nomination.

Netflix's The Crown received its fourth nomination for best series, and is likely the streaming service's best chance to win its first-ever top series trophy. The British royal drama moved closer to contemporary events with its version of the courtship and rocky marriage of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer, played by Josh O'Connor and Emma Corrin.

Decked out: Black-ish's Miles Brown rocked a Givenchy jacket and shirt

Ted Lasso and The Flight Attendant were among the best comedy series nominees. Mare of Easttown and I May Destroy You will compete in the best limited series field against top nominee WandaVision.

In July, the list of nominees was announced by Ron Cephas Jones, 64, from the series This Is Us and his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones, 31, of Hamilton fame, as well as Television Academy Chairman and CEO Frank Scherma.

Top nominees The Crown and Mandalorian will duke it out for the biggest honor of the night as they are each nominated for outstanding drama series against: The Boys, Bridgerton, The Handmaid's Tale, Lovecraft Country, Pose, and This Is Us.

Having fun: Girl Code's Jamie Lee stunned in a little black dress
Simon Baker was getting in some exercise at a Sydney beach on Friday.

The actor brought along his adult sons, Claude, 22, and Harry, 19, for a surfing session.

The 52-year-old skinned up in a wetsuit and surveyed the waves before heading into the water.

Beach babes: Simon Baker was getting in some exercise at a Sydney beach on Friday. Pictured with his son

He carried a large white board with blue fins, and strode confidently across the sand to the ocean.

Simon opted to go barefoot and gave his ankles a massage to warm up for his surf.

His sons likewise wore wetsuits, and floated upon their boards while chatting to their dad in the water.

Family time: The actor brought along his adult sons, Claude, 22, and Harry, 19, for a surfing session

Boys! All three were smiling happily and carrying surfboards

Pit stop: They checked their equipment alongside a surf rescue kayak

Giggles: Father and son shared a laugh as they crossed the sand

The Devil Wears Prada star shares his two grown-up sons with ex-wife Rebecca Rigg.

He announced his split from Rebecca, his wife of 29 years, on January 29.

In addition to the two boys, the former golden couple also share a daughter, Stella, 27.

Water babies: Simon stopped for a chat with his son in the surf

Float on: They floated together while waiting for a good wave

Wild! Simon soon showed his skills on the waves effortlessly

Good balance: He flipped and turned as the water swirled all around him

Up he goes! Simon was easily able to stand upright on his board

Little ret: He floated for a time before taking a break in the middle of the water

They told People in a joint statement: 'We remain close friends and our three children will always be the most important focus of our lives.'

But according to Fox News, they actually separated nine months beforehand, in April last year.

Simon first met Rebecca in the early '90s and tied the knot in 1998 after five years of living together.

Skinned up: The 52-year-old skinned up in a wetsuit and surveyed the waves with his sons before heading into the water

Over there! They all chose a good spot for a surf where the waves were looking fun

Big boy toy: Simon carried a large white board with blue fins, and strode confidently across the sand to the ocean

Family: The Devil Wears Prada star shares his two grown-up sons with ex-wife Rebecca Rigg

The former Hollywood couple have been quietly shopping around their three-bedroom home in Bronte, Sydney, since their split.

They purchased the hillside house in 2015 for $6.5million, and it could sell for as much as $17million, reports Domain.

The exes also recently listed their six-bedroom home in Santa Monica for $6.295million.

Exes: He announced his split from Rebecca, his wife of 29 years, on January 29

Kids: In addition to the two boys, the former golden couple also share a daughter, Stella, 27

They told People in a joint statement: 'We remain close friends and our three children will always be the most important focus of our lives'

News: But according to Fox News, they actually separated nine months beforehand, in April last year

Past: Simon first met Rebecca in the early '90s and tied the knot in 1998 after five years of living together

Rebecca, 53, is best known for her roles in moves Fatty Finn and Ellie Parker, and also had a minor role alongside Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.

Simon meanwhile scored a breakout role as attractive young writer Christian Thompson in 2006 comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada.

The actor then became the star of American drama TV series The Mentalist, playing former psychic Patrick Jane.

Moves: The former Hollywood couple have been quietly shopping around their three-bedroom home in Bronte, Sydney, since their split

New lease: They purchased the hillside house in 2015 for $6.5million, and it could sell for as much as $17million, reports Domain

Changes: The exes also recently listed their six-bedroom home in Santa Monica for $6.295million

Claim to fame: Simon scored a breakout role as attractive young writer Christian Thompson in 2006 comedy-drama The Devil Wears Prada that put him on the map

Career: The actor then became the star of American drama TV series The Mentalist, playing former psychic Patrick Jane

Simon branched out into directing with his first feature film Breath, premiering in Sydney in April 2018.

The star has recently been working on his new movie High Ground which was shot in Kakadu National Park.

Simon has moved on with Laura May Gibbs, who has been dating The Mentalist actor since February.

Director: Simon branched out into directing with his first feature film Breath, premiering in Sydney in April 2018

New love: Simon has moved on with Laura May Gibbs, who has been dating The Mentalist actor since February

Yoga: Laura, 36, is the founder of Nagnata, a Byron Bay-based sustainable activewear label inspired by her love of yoga

Talk: Laura and Simon first sparked romance rumours in February after they were spotted frolicking in the surf together in Byron Bay

Laura, 36, is the founder of Nagnata, a Byron Bay-based sustainable activewear label inspired by her love of yoga.

She and Simon first sparked romance rumours in February after they were spotted frolicking in the surf together in Byron Bay.

The couple met in Byron, where her design studio is based near his farm in Nashua.

Home grown: The couple met in Byron, where her design studio is based near his farm in Nashua. Laura is pictured
Christine Quinn could have been mistaken for Paris Hilton while filming a commercial for Samsung in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on Friday.

The Selling Sunset star showcased her toned abs in a pink Juicy Couture crop top and matching sweatpants - a style made famous by the heiress in the early 2000s.

Christine, 32, showed off her trim figure in the eye-catching ensemble as she strutted down the Californian streets in a pair of embellished pink pointy-toe heels.

Blonde bombshell: Christine Quinn (pictured) could have been mistaken for Paris Hilton while filming a commercial for Samsung in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on Friday

The blonde bombshell was dripping in bling with a statement silver choker, bangles and rings on her fingers.

She added reflective narrow-frame sunglasses and a black monogrammed Louis Vuitton handbag to the look - another trend from the early 2000s.

Christine's long locks were styled out and in structured waves, framing a glamorous makeup palette that included bronzer on her cheekbones and a matte nude lipstick.

The socialite beamed as she held Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold3 phone up to her ear.

Ab-baring: The Selling Sunset star, 32, showcased her toned abs in a pink Juicy Couture crop top and matching sweatpants - a style made famous by the heiress in the early 2000s

Signature style of the early 2000s: Paris, 40, is pictured on the left running errands in Hollywood in 2005, and on the right while visiting her gym that same year

Just last week, Christine put on a fashionable display as she enjoyed a whirlwind New York Fashion Week.

The Netflix star was a staple on the front row, having attended a host of shows, including The Blonds, PrettyLittleThing and Christian Siriano.

She admitted to having had 'such an incredible time', but needed to head back to Los Angeles to film season five of her popular Netflix reality show, Selling Sunset.

Christine previously revealed how filming season four was particularly traumatic as she had to relive her son's 'extremely dramatic' birth where she almost 'flatlined' during an emergency C-section.

Whirlwind trip: Just last week, Christine put on a fashionable display as she enjoyed a whirlwind New York Fashion Week. She admitted to having had 'such an incredible time', but needed to head back to Los Angeles to film season five of Netflix reality show, Selling Sunset

'Reliving the trauma on Selling Sunset about my birth experience, was one of the most difficult things I have ever done; let alone allowing these very raw, personal moments of my life captured on camera,' she wrote in a lengthy caption to honour her son Christian's two-month birthday in July.

It's unclear the premise of the following season, but it will likely include her co-star Heather Rae Young's wedding to home renovation expert Tarek El Moussa.

Christine once compared their relationship to Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, which the couple didn't take too kindly.

Motherhood: Christine previously revealed how filming season four was particularly traumatic as she had to relive her son's 'extremely dramatic' birth where she almost 'flatlined' during an emergency C-section. Pictured with son Christian, who she welcomed on May 15

Co-stars: It's unclear the premise of the following season, but it will likely include her co-star Heather Rae Young's wedding to home renovation expert Tarek El Moussa (both pictured)

On Amanda Hirsh's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast late last year, Tarek said: 'Christine has a big mouth. She said some s**tty things about us. And that's about it. We're not really interested in dealing with her nonsense.'

However Christine downplayed the situation in an interview with Us Weekly this year.

'I don't regret saying those things at all. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm a comedian and you know, it's a show. We all say silly things,' she said.

'I talked to her (Heather) probably a week ago. She's super sweet, we're on great terms. I'm really happy for them that they're getting married.'
It appears lockdown hasn't slowed down Kiwi actress Michala Banas.

The 42-year-old is working on a stage version of Boy Swallows Universe in Brisbane and could possibly be part of a rumoured McLeod's Daughters reboot.

In an interview with Stellar, the star said that she's been pleased to be working in the Sunshine state during a time of uncertainty for the arts.

Keeping busy: Michala Banas has talked about her latest projects and the rumours surrounding the McLeod's Daughters reboot

'Youre free to move around the city, after all. I am loving it, but I also feel guilty because so many of my friends cant work at the moment. Its been quite gutting, really,' she said.

The actress reflected on the recent productions that have been shot in Queensland and also revealed how she got the opportunity to work as an 'intimacy co-ordinator' in the Netflix thriller series Clickbait.

'Its great for Queensland and all the local crews and performers. Before this play, I worked on the Netflix series Clickbait as an intimacy co-ordinator.'

'I am loving it, but I also feel guilty because so many of my friends cant work at the moment': The New Zealand actress says she has been pleased to be working in the Sunshine state during a time of uncertainty for the arts

The Upper Middle Bogan star explained that the position, which was recently created in the US back in 2017 amid the Harvey Weinstein scandal, is 'a stunt coordinator for intimate content.'

One of her most recognised roles was on the Nine drama series McLeod's Daughters, which has come back into the spotlight with a reboot on the cards.

Michala states, however, that nothing has been set in stone.

Coming back to Aussie TV? One of Michala's most recognised roles was on the Nine drama series McLeod's Daughters, which has come back into the spotlight with a reboot on the cards

'My understanding is that (creator) Posie Graeme-Evans is writing a feature that will be  and I could be wrong  a prequel about how Drovers Run came to be,' she said.

'I dont know whos going to be involved, which characters are in it, or if its going to get made. But I do understand its in the works, so theres hope,' the actress added.

The beloved series ran for eight seasons between 2001 and 2009, with Michala starring as Kate Manfredi from season four to eight.


Luisa Bradshaw White sent fans into a frenzy after she posted a picture of her with the cast of Bad Girls last Saturday.

The stars of the show, which ran between from 1999 for eight seasons, gathered together for a snap which saw them posing against a white wall with their arms around each other.

Luisa, 46, penned in the post: 'Had such an awesome weekend at the @bgreunions Bad Girls charity event. It was so lovely to see all the girls again after such a long time. (21 years!!)'

Reunited: Luisa Bradshaw White, 46, sent fans into a frenzy after she posted a picture of her with the cast of Bad Girls last Saturday

She starred in the show which is based in Larkhall prison, and covered the exploits of the inmates and staff.

The show gained a cult following throughout the years it was on air.

She continued on in the caption: 'And to finally meet all the diehard fans!!! I am completely exhausted but still smiling today! Thank you so much girls and fans I really had the best time. Thank you everyone who looked after us you were incredible.'

In the carousel post, there was also picture of a few more of the cast, as well as them all gathered round eating lunch round a table.

Way back when: Luisa played the police officer Lorna Rose but was sacked before long because she was blackmailed by Shell and Zandra

Back together: The stars of the show, which ran between from 1999 for eight seasons, gathered together for a snap which saw them posing against a white wall with their arms around each other

Luisa played the police officer Lorna Rose but was sacked before long because she was blackmailed by Shell and Zandra.

She went onto star in Holby City before landing a role as Shirley's sister Tina Carter in EastEnders.

Also making an appearance in the snap was Simone Lahbib who played Helen Stewart in the series. She played DCI Alex Fielding in the ITV crime series Wire in the Blood and Katy Lewis in EastEnders.

Luisa penned in the post: 'Had such an awesome weekend at the @bgreunions Bad Girls charity event. It was so lovely to see all the girls again after such a long time. (21 years!!)'

Series: She starred in the show which is based in Larkhall prison, and covered the exploits of the inmates and staff

Eastenders alum: Kellie Bright also appeared in Bad Girls in series four as the gay inmate Cassie Tyler.

Kellie Bright also appeared in Bad Girls in series four as the gay inmate Cassie Tyler.

Kellie rose to fame as a child in The Upper Hand and following Bad Girls she starred in Rock & Chips before also landing a role in EastEnders as Linda Carter.

Linda Henry, also part of the Eastenders alum, played Yvonne Atkins in the series and was a tough cookie - she starred from the end of series one to series five with her murder by Jim Fenner.

Linda then landed her role as Shirley Carter in the London based soap, and Kellie became her daughter-in-law when she joined.

Stars: Linda Henry, also part of the Eastenders alum, played Yvonne Atkins in the series and was a tough cookie - she starred from the end of series one to series five with her murder by Jim Fenner
They tied the knot in Lake Como, Italy, nine years ago, six years after they began dating.

And on Friday, Martine McCutcheon, 45, and husband Jack McManus celebrated their wedding anniversary with by sharing a date night selfie to Instagram before enjoying Netflix and snuggles in bed.

The EastEnders actress, who shares son Rafferty, six, with her musician beau, also reminisced about their wedding song: 'I Won't Last a Day Without You' by Paul Williams.

Congratulations: On Friday, Martine McCutcheon, 45, and husband Jack McManus celebrated their 9 year wedding anniversary with by sharing a date night selfie to Instagram

Alongside a couples selfie shares to Instagram Stories, Martine joked: 'Our dinner was lovely. But we also couldn't wait to snuggle in bed and watch Netflix...

'We are cool AF @jackmcmanus1.'

Taking to her main grid, Martine posted a sweet throwback video of herself, Jack and Rafferty, and wrote alongside: 'When all my friends have forgotten half their promises, their not unkind, just hard to find...

'One look at you and I know that I can learn to love without the rest... I've found the best. When there's no getting over that rainbow, when my smallest of dreams won't come true...

Memories: The EastEnders actress, who shares son Rafferty, six, with her musician beau, also reminisced about their wedding song with a cute throwback video

'I can take all the madness the world has to give, but I won't last a day without you' Songwriter: Paul Williams. Our wedding song... 9 years ago today in Lake Como.

'I look at this video when Rafferty was so little - excited about being on a plane and was still learning to say certain words!

'We were all feeling a bit tired & delirious after a mega early flight and had just landed in Spain This is soppy (sorry Jack) but so cute!

'This is what it's all about. Love. Happy Anniversary @jackmcmanus1 #9yearsmarriedandcounting #15yearstogetherness.'

Cute: Taking to her main grid, Martine posted a sweet throwback video of herself, Jack and Rafferty and penned a heartfelt tribute alongside

Martine and Jack married in Italy's picturesque Lake Como in September 2012, five years after they started dating and six years after their first meeting in December 2006.

Their son Rafferty, the couple's only child, was born in February 2012.

In December 2016, during an appearance on Loose Women, Martine admitted her friends had helped 'save' her marriage to Jack.

She said: 'I think actually my friends have saved my relationship a couple of times!

'There have been times without a doubt  I've been with Jack ten years now and of course we've had or ups and downs  a tough eight years out of ten bless him.

'But through the trials and tribulations, I think my friends - when I feel I can't get through to him - have made me see sense.

'They've been like 'calm down, you really love him, you two are meant to be together, stick at it'. Nowadays more than ever people just chuck in the towel  everything's so disposable now.'
Sam Thompson and Jake Quickenden appeared to be having a whale of a time as they got down and dirty at Fudge Professional's Battle of the Bromance Tough Mudder event in West Sussex on Saturday.

The Made in Chelsea star, 28, and his X Factor contestant pal, 33, stuck themselves into the haircare brand's assault course at Holmbush Farm.

Combining neon orange biker shorts with matching T-shirts, the TV personalities kept their brown locks out of their faces with coordinating sweatbands.

Eureka! Sam Thompson (pictured) and Jake Quickenden turned up the testosterone as they led the stars getting down and dirty at Fudge Professional's Battle of the Bromance Tough Mudder event in West Sussex on Saturday

Proving they were ready for action, the pair certainly muddied themselves up while larking about during the activities.

Joining them were TOWIE's Pete Wicks and Love Island's Chris Hughes, who couldn't wipe the smiles from their faces during the fun-filled afternoon.

Soon afterwards, the boys sat down for a spot of pampering where they had their tousled tresses styled back to perfection with Fudge Professional hair products.

Tough challenge: The duo were joined by Love Island's Chris Hughes as they waded through the puddles of mud

Buddies: Joining them were TOWIE's Pete Wicks (left) and Love Island's Chris (right) who showcased their sporting prowess

Team: They couldn't wipe the smiles from their faces during the fun-filled afternoon

Sam and Chris splashed through a pool of gunge while making sure they stayed beneath a low-hanging net.

Meanwhile, Pete couldn't resist being tended to by a hair stylist who sprayed the reality star's luscious locks with a can of hairspray.

Chris exhibited the fruits of his labour as he showed off his toned torso during a soapy shower following the mud-filled activity.

Hilarious: Pete couldn't resist being pampered by a hair stylist who sprayed the reality star's luscious locks with a can of hairspray

Having a blast! Sam and Chris splashed through a pool of gunge while making sure they stayed beneath a net

It comes after Sam was spotted getting close to a group of girls during a night out with Pete earlier in the month, before sweetly presenting a mystery brunette with a rose.

His girlfriend and fellow MIC star Zara McDermott, 24, had jetted off to Greece only hours before, where she will be working for a month.

The boys' night out began at 9pm in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, where they dined out at Latin American restaurant Amazonico.

Dirty: Proving they were ready for action, the group certainly muddied themselves up while larking about during the activities

Time out: Jake sipped from a bottle of water as he chatted away with Chris while he had his hair cared to by a Fudge Professional team member

Soaped up: Chris (left) showed off his toned torso as he washed himself following the mud-filled activity while Sam (right) focused on the task at-hand

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 Sexy Fish with the famous lads at another point in the night.

Pete 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.
She received the prestigious Donostia Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Friday.

And Marion Cotillard showed off her effortlessly chic style as she arrived for a screening of the film Bigger Than Us at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Saturday.

The actress, 45, walked the red carpet for the film launch after she threw her support behind the #MeToo movement during her speech at the Donostia prize-giving.

Gorgeous: Marion Cotillard showed off her effortlessly chic style as she arrived for a screening of the film Bigger Than Us at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Saturday

Marion looked stunning as she donned a cropped jacket and high-waisted trousers for the screening of Bigger Than Us - a climate change documentary which she co-produced.

The actress-turned-producer styled her brunette locks in gentle curls for the premiere, while she modelled a subtle, yet pretty sweep of makeup.

The woman of many talents carried her accessories in a red quilted purse, not forgetting to carry her face mask.

Boss: The actress walked the red carpet for the film launch after she threw her support behind the #MeToo movement during her speech at the Donostia prize-giving

Lovely: Marion looked stunning as she donned a cropped jacket and high-waisted trousers for the screening of Bigger Than Us

Flawless: The actress-turned-producer styled her brunette locks in gentle curls for the premiere, while she modelled a subtle, yet pretty sweep of makeup

The actress used her platform at the prize-giving to speak about the 'revolution' brought forward by women to dismantle the patriarchy since the beginning of the #MeToo movement.

She said during her speech, which she delivered in her native language, French: 'For the past several years, the subordination of women has become increasingly unacceptable in the public eye; its always been so but we talk about it much more today, obviously, since #MeToo.

'It has allowed women to speak freely, its a true revolution, an intense one and I am very happy to live it.

Using her voice: The actress used her platform at the prize-giving to speak about the 'revolution' brought forward by women to dismantle the patriarchy

Speech: 'For the past several years, the subordination of women has become increasingly unacceptable in the public eye'

'Today, as women, we know we can be supported by a community of women and men and thats an important thing.

'The result is that there are indeed more women, more roles for women, and the more we speak about them, the more it changes the way we look at them.

She continued: 'There are things that are no longer tolerated today. We didnt accept before, but they were tolerated by a large part of the population.

'Today theres a big discussion and reassessment of the patriarchal system in which we live and where women have a relative place.'

#MeToo: 'It has allowed women to speak freely, its a true revolution, an intense one and I am very happy to live it'

Strong woman: 'Today theres a big discussion and reassessment of the patriarchal system in which we live and where women have a relative place'

On Friday, the actress wiped away her tears of joy as fellow actress Penelope Cruz presented her with the award - which celebrates outstanding contributions to the film industry.

Appearing on stage in a black mid-length gown, the star got emotional as she received the prize - exclaiming: 'I didn't expect that at all, I love this woman so much!'

The Pirates Of The Caribbean star handed over the award, whispering 'mon amour' (my love) to Marion, before going on to deliver a prize-giving speech in Spanish to the audience at the awards.

The award-winner seemed humbled and even shocked by the prize-giving, stopping to place her hand on her heart before giving a speech in French.
She's never been accused of being conservative when it comes to fashion.

And Kim Kardashian even went all out during a simple errand, squeezing her hourglass curves into a skin-tight Balenciaga ensemble while fetching things from a CVS drug store with her assistant on Wednesday in Calabasas, California.

The plunging, off-the-shoulder top featured its own gloves, evoking the same vibe as her head-to-toe black look from Monday's Met Gala.

Smooth operator: Kim Kardashian turned heads in another sleek black Balenciaga look while running errands with her assistant in Calabasas, California on Wednesday

Adding to the sleek silhouette, Kim, 40, wore shiny pants which seamlessly transitioned into pointy heels.

The retiring reality star continued the outfit with a smooth, black ponytail, dewy decolletage and visor-style sunglasses.

Unlike her jaw-dropping Met look, Kim's glowing face was out for all to see.

Kardashian's ensemble was one of the evening's most divisive designs on Monday.

Never dressing down: The mother-of-four went all out during a simple errand, squeezing her hourglass curves into a skin-tight designer ensemble

Sensing a theme: Wednesday's outfit had the same vibe as her head-to-toe black look from Monday's Met Gala, above

But she hit back at criticism as she reposted on fan account's take.

It read: 'For someone who is always criticized for being overly sexual, Kim showed she can cover every square inch of skin and still find a way to be criticized and ridiculed. THAT is American culture.'

Another positive message reposted by the star read: 'Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga Couture. When you're so famous you can literally make "anonymous" your new lewk.

'Say what you want about her new direction, but it's definitely not boring.'

Support: Taking to Instagram the reality shared a vehement message from a fan account, posted in response to the fallout from her outing on Wednesday night

Getting involved: Another supportive message reposted by the star praised her for not being boring by wearing the bizarre Balenciaga outfit at the annual event

'Whats more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!' Kim Kardashian was quite proud of her fashionable entrance at the Met Gala on Monday as she shared several snaps from the red carpet along with a message for those who said the look did not fit the 'In America' theme

Kim had previously clapping back at those who criticised her show-stopping look.

The mogul was quite proud of her fashionable entrance at The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Monday as she shared several snaps from the red carpet along with a message for those who said the look did not fit the 'In America' theme.

She captioned the gallery to her 253million followers: 'Whats more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!'

In the details: The ensemble designed by creative director Demna Gvasalia for the Paris-based high-fashion label featured several matching dark pieces including a T-Shirt dress over a curve T-Shirt with a bodysuit
She was known as The Tank for her ability to drink morning, noon and night for decades  but then Kate Moss suddenly called a halt to her party antics three years ago after the tragic death of her pal Annabelle Neilson, from a heart attack at the age of just 49.

But just when we all thought shed withdrawn to a life of quiet nights in with her boyfriend Nikolai von Bismarck, I now hear that she has taken a different tack.

Whispers reach me that after a holiday in Ibiza last month, friends of the model declared that their old party queen is back and has a new lease of life.

Party animal: Kate Moss, pictured in Ibiza, stepped back from her party lifestyle three years ago after the tragic death of her pal Annabelle Neilson, from a heart attack at the age of just 49

Mossy is back and everyone is talking about it, says a source who knows her. The pal said that with lockdown over, Kate has been out with make-up queen Charlotte Tilbury, designer Stella McCartney and model Jordan Barrett over the summer.

In Ibiza it was all anyone was talking about, said the source. And a few famous people who know her mentioned it at a Chiltern Firehouse lunch last week.

She has been seen occasionally acting quite wild. She still knows how to gyrate on dance floors when she feels like it, just like the old days.

Wild night: Kate, pictured, prepared for a night out with model Jordan Barrett ahead of his marriage to fellow model Fernando Casablancas

In July, Kate, 47, attended the launch of the autobiography of her close friend DJ Fat Tony, who has been sober for 14 years. At the party he said: Kates been clean for over two years. Me and my sober mates now have a better time than we ever did when we used to drink and take drugs.

Kate has given interviews saying she likes to hit the sack at 11pm-ish and watch Netflix, adding that she was trying to cut down on cigarettes and instead dealt with stress by doing yoga, which helped her concentrate on the here and now.

Yet around a month after she attended the launch of the so-called quit-lit book championing sobriety, Kate attended Jordans wedding to fellow model Fernando Casablancas at a raucous venue in Ibiza as a ring-bearer... and apparently decided to let her hair down.

Fun in the sun: Kate was photographed in a club along with shirtless Jordan in Ibiza earlier this summer

Pictures from the island shows her dancing with a topless Jordan at a wild party, crashing out on the floor next to him, and semi-naked as she applied make-up in the bathroom, while he looked on.

Other photos from a reportedly rowdy lunch on the same holiday show Kate looking tired and dishevelled as she dangled over a balcony to puff on a fag.

There were no signs of her 34-year-old boyfriend during the trip, and one friend believes they hit a rough patch in their six-year relationship at around that time  although there is no suggestion they have split up.

Perhaps Nikolai would prefer his girlfriend to settle back to those quiet nights watching Netflix...
Jenna Coleman has got her Boots sorted for Christmas, but her socks are proving rather trickier

Jenna Coleman has got her Boots sorted for Christmas, but her socks are proving rather trickier.

The actress will be the face of the High Street chemist this festive season, The Mail on Sunday can reveal, but when she shot their TV advert last week, she had to grapple with some troublesome hosiery.

Despite the wardrobe malfunction, her maroon knee-length socks paired perfectly with her bright red fur-collared coat  a striking ensemble that stood out against the blizzard of fake snow.

For the commercial, the 35-year-old Victoria star had to kneel down to gently press a carrot nose and black button eyes to a snowman.

Boots hope that Jenna  recently seen as Marie-Andree Leclerc in the BBC's true-crime drama The Serpent  will give them the edge in the crucial Christmas retail battle.

The chain has also recruited award-winning director Tom Hooper to call the shots in their 'Which Christmas' campaign, which was filmed in Hackney, East London, on Tuesday.

The 48-year-old won the best director Oscar for The King's Speech in 2011 but his film version of Cats two years ago was panned by critics.

Sources say Boots has given a 'big money budget' to Hooper as it vies to take on Marks & Spencer and John Lewis in the annual battle of the adverts.

The MoS revealed last month that M&S has signed up American model and MeToo activist Madisyn Ritland to front its campaign, to be directed by Autumn de Wilde, who was behind the recent film adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma.

Jenna will next year star in a TV series called The War Rooms in which she plays Joan Bright, the woman who ran Winston Churchill's secret Whitehall bunker.

For the commercial, the 35-year-old Victoria star had to kneel down to gently press a carrot nose and black button eyes to a snowman
Dani Dyer has been left terrified after learning her ex Sammy Kimmence asked a pal to spy on her while he serves time behind bars for scamming pensioners out of 34,000.

The former Love Island star, 25, was spied on by the convict's friend who he asked to watch her, The Sun reports.

Sammy is said to have become enraged by Dani's close friendship with the West Ham player Jarrod Bowen and asked his pal to keep an eye on the pair.

Fears: Dani Dyer is reportedly terrified after learning her ex Sammy Kimmence asked a pal to spy on her while he serves time behind bars for scamming pensioners out of 34,000

Dani said of the ordeal: 'After all the awful things he did came out in court and we split up, I thought I could start to move on with my life with little Santi.

'But this is just really horrible and scary. I have been left feeling furious, afraid and violated.'

In phone conversations from prison, Sammy revealed he had asked his pal to 'keep an eye' on Dani and was 'not happy' with her actions.

There is no implication that Dani and Jarrod are in a romantic relationship.

Sammy is serving time in prison for scamming pensioners Peter Martin, 91, and Peter Haynes, 81, out of 34,000 by befriending and tricking them.

Locked up: Sammy Kimmence is currently serving time behind bars for scamming pensioners out of 34,000

Dani decided against going to the courthouse to see the sentencing of her baby's father where he was jailed and received a 42-month-sentence at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Not only did he con the two pensioners, he convinced Dani the crimes were not serious so the reality star would stand by him.

But the reality star stopped sharing anything from their relationship when the truth of his crimes came to light, and immediately broke things off with him when she found out.

Suspicions: The former Love Island star thinks that Sammy has asked a friend to spy on her while he's in jail (pictured with their baby boy Santiago)

Since making the decision to embark on the journey of parenthood alone with Santiago, Dani has been surrounded by her family for support, with her actor father Danny joining her on holiday to celebrate her birthday.

Meanwhile, Sammy has to pay Mr Martin 3,926 - which will go to his estate because he has passed away - and Mr Hayne 1,173 within the next three months.

The rest will be paid as soon as he earns money once he is released from prison.

Jealousy: Sammy is said to have become enraged by Dani's close friendship with the West Ham player Jarrod Bowen (pictured) and asked his pal to keep an eye on the pair

Dani recently revealed she would still 'love to find happiness with someone new' despite having two failed relationships in the last two years.

Sources told OK! Magazine that: 'Shes always wanted that happy family dynamic so shed love to find happiness with someone new.'

'Dani needs to let the dust settle, but she would be open to meeting someone new,' the source told the magazine.

Try and try again: Dani recently revealed she would still 'love to find happiness with someone new' despite having two failed relationships in the last two years

Sammy will be absent from both Dani and baby Santiago's lives as he serves time for his deceit.

And Dani's father Danny was said to be relieved his daughter has split from the con artist.

The EastEnders actor and the rest of Dani's family have said they 'think it's for the best' and have told her 'she will never be alone as a single mum', according to Ok!.

A source told the publication: 'Dani's dad Danny and her whole family are relieved she's walked away.

'They think this is for the best. They've told her she'll never be alone as a single mum as they'll always help her to raise Santiago.'

The source added: 'Dani knew Sammy's crime was bad but everyone thinks she just buried her head in the sand about it and didn't face up to the enormity of his crimes until he was sentenced.'

Torn apart: Dani and Sammy welcomed their first child in January but the crook will now be absent from both the reality star and baby Santiago's lives as he serves time for his deceit

Meanwhile, a source revealed to the MailOnline that the heartbroken reality star is working on life as a single parent.

They said: 'She is absolutely floored by what's happened with Sammy. She knows she has to make massive changes in her life and she's so distraught...

'All she knows is that her baby boy Santiago is the only thing that matters now and she is trying to work out how best to look after him as a single parent.'

The source went on: 'She needs time to think it through. Sammy completely downplayed the court case every step of the way'.

It has been revealed that she was misled over the severity of the crimes which saw Sammy groom pensioners to fund his lavish lifestyle.

Alone: A source revealed to the MailOnline that the heartbroken reality star is working on life as a single parent after ditching Sammy for lying to her 'every step of the way'

The source said: 'He led her to believe he hadn't done anything too serious and that he would get a suspended sentence now she knows the full horror of the crime...

'She is broken. She feels desperately sorry for the two men he scammed and whose lives he ruined.'

Speaking about how she is feeling now, they said: 'She feels utterly stupid for ever believing him and she is totally overwhelmed...'

'The little dream family she thought she had has been smashed apart and she is now trying to work out how best to pick up the pieces.'
She rose to fame as a star of thrilling drama The Undoing.

And Matilda De Angelis certainly amped up the glamour in a sparkling silver mini dress as she attended the Nastri d'Argento Grandi Serie Internazionali awards ceremony in Naples on Saturday.

The actress, 25, showcased her svelte physique in the dress with a shimmering overlay as she posed at the event.

Gorgeous: Matilda De Angeli, 25, amped up the glamouras she attended the Nastri d'Argento Grandi Serie Internazionali awards ceremony in Naples on Saturday

Matilda slipped into the flowing black dress that boasted a sheer silver layer adorned with sequins.

The star teamed the frock with thin-strapped black heels and her glossy brunette tresses styled into sleek waves.

Matilda was previously filming Robbing Mussolini in Rome.

Gorgeous: The actress showcased her svelte physique in the dress with a shimmering overlay as she posed at the event

Little has been revealed about the movie, but it is likely to focus on the ruthless Italian dictator of the same name, who ruled over the country from 1922 to 1943.

Forming the Fascist party in 1919, the journalist used his organised of ex-war veterans to - known as Black Shirts - to terrorise his political opponents, and after joining the coalition government in 1921, gradually took power as dictator.

Eventually Mussolini was overthrown by Allied troops at the height of the Second World War, and after fleeing north, was captured by Partisans and shot in 1945.

Flawless: Matilda slipped into the flowing black dress that boasted a sheer silver layer adorned with sequins

Despite being buried in an unmarked grave in 1946, Mussolini's body was famously stolen by Fascists supporters before being recovered, missing a leg, four months later.

It's been an exciting few months for the thespian after she soared to fame at the end of last year due to her role as Elena in The Undoing alongside Hollywood stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant.

Matilda has previously revealed that her first ever role was the lead in an Italian film after an open casting call and she got the part as the director was looking for a 'non-professional actress who had a specific accent from a specific region in Italy'.

The star said that she has never studied acting and has instead learnt on the job, which can be both 'great' and 'frightening'.
There are about 2,200 students in India and of them 550 were enrolled in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra University 130 students, including 30 women, are enrolled in various courses and some of the students have completed their courses and their visas will be expiring by end of this month. Representational Image. (DC Image)

Vishakhapatanam: Uncertainty prevails over new admissions for Afghan students, who have been sanctioned scholarships by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) for the new academic year. ICCR sanctioned scholarship to 1,000 students to pursue various undergraduate, post graduate and professional courses, except for MBBS and BDS. Of them 300 would be enrolled in Hyderabad, Warangal, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

We have sent admission offers to 150 students in Afghanistan and only 10 responded so far. I presume the other 140 students might not have received the letters and the 10 who received could have dropped the idea of taking admission, said Prof E Dhananjay Rao, dean of international students affairs.

The dean told this correspondent that he had found out from the students that the new Taliban government was allowing students to enroll only in Pakistan, Iran and China.

We are ready to sanction the scholarship as announced earlier but the Afghanistan government has to take the decision to send the students to India, said director general of ICCR, Dinesh K Patnaik.

Talking to this correspondent, Patnaik said the government was also worried about the students whose visas would be expiring shortly. There are about 2,200 students in India and of them 550 were enrolled in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. In Andhra University 130 students, including 30 women, are enrolled in various courses and some of the students have completed their courses and their visas will be expiring by end of this month.

We have written to the Union home ministry to issue longer visas to students so that they can stay in India after their studies till the situation improves in their home country, Patnaik said.

Sources said many students whose visas were expiring, have applied for emergency visas for themselves and their family members while others are trying to seek political asylum in US, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court pulled up the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for its nature of functioning and the way its members were discharging their duties.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao and Tadakamalla Vinod Kumar asked the NCLT of Hyderabad to at least follow the settled principle that justice should not only be done, but it must be seen to be done.

The bench also commented that it knew how things were going on in NCLT and how appointments were made, and said it did not want to go into the issue at this juncture. These comments were made by the bench while reacting to the interference of NCLT with regard to the insolvency resolution process of corporate debtor M/S Viceroy Hotels Ltd, even after its creditors committee approved the resolution plan submitted by CFM Asset Reconstruction Pvt Ltd, which offered Rs 185 crore to take over the debtor Viceroy Hotels.

However, NCLT interfered into the issue and rejected the resolution plan of CFM Asset Reconstruction Ltd, by allowing one implead petition filed by M/S Unison Hotels Pvt Ltd, the unsuccessful resolution applicant in this bid which only offered Rs 160 crore.

The High Court took serious note of the issue of circumstances in which the NCLT issued the said orders. Actually, when the resolution plan of CFM Asset Reconstruction had been approved by creditors, the unsuccessful bidder Unison approached the NCLT in Hyderabad in 2019 by filing an interim application, which was dismissed in December 2019, by the then bench. Then Unison Hotels filed an appeal in NCLAT in Delhi, which was also dismissed in 2020.

But, when the successful bidder filed an application before the NCLT in Hyderabad in 2020, for an addendum to its resolution plan to treat M/s Tolaram Inc, Singapore, as co-applicant instead of the investor, the Unison Hotels Ltd filed implead petition requesting to reject the amend application CFM and to set aside the approved resolution plan.

This implead petition was allowed by the NCLT. The CFMs claim before the High Court was that without giving opportunity to them, in a biased manner, the NCLT passed orders by setting aside the resolution plan already approved and was upheld by the then bench of NCLT and NCLAT. Vedula Srinivas, senior counsel appearing for CFM Ltd, brought to the notice of the court that the NCLT bench had adjourned the case to September 17, but even before they submitted the arguments, the NCLT bench pronounced the orders on September 1, in which it dismissed the addendum application and also rejected the resolution plan. In its orders, the NCLT bench also cast aspersions against the resolution professional and creditors committee.

The High Court suspended the NCLT orders and made serious remarks against the way the NCLT functioned.
The government, following instructions from Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is making elaborate and foolproof arrangements for grand celebration of nimmajan of Ganesha idols in the city, Talasani said.  DC Image

Hyderabad: Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav on Friday inspected the preparations for the September 19 immersion of Ganesha idols in the city with top officials of various departments. Srinivas Yadav, along with Mayor G. Vijayalakshmi, city police commissioner Anjani Kumar, and officials from other departments also visited the Tank Bund and oversaw the arrangements being made there.

Yadav said the September 19 Shobha Yatra of Ganesha idols traverse a total of 320 km in the city with many of the processions converging at Hussainsagar.

The government, following instructions from Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, is making elaborate and foolproof arrangements for grand celebration of nimmajan of Ganesha idols in the city, the minister said.
The student had travelled to Tezpur from her hometown Biswanath Chariali on Wednesday to appear in the entrance exam of Jorhats Assam Agricultural University. (Image credit: Social media)

Guwahati: In what has created anguish among the people, a 19-year-old student in Assam who wore shorts to an examination was allegedly humiliated and forced by invigilator to wrap a curtain around her legs to cover up before sitting for the exam.

The student had travelled to Tezpur from her hometown Biswanath Chariali on Wednesday to appear in the entrance exam of Jorhats Assam Agricultural University (AAU) at the Girijananda Chowdhury Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (GIPS).

The girl, however, resisted the objection raised by the invigilator who insisted that she cant be allowed to appear for the exams.

The teen checked with the university authorities and told the invigilator that the admit card mentioned no dress code. She also pointed out to them that she had appeared for the national medical entrance test NEET in shorts recently. The teens family alleged that the invigilator insisted and did not budge.

She ran to her father, who was waiting outside the centre, and asked him to get a pair of trousers from the nearest market.

Father of the girl, Babul Tamuli told reporters that he rushed for it, but before he could return with the trousers from the market, the college officials had given his daughter a curtain to cover her legs.

Mr Tamuli said, My daughter was traumatised and spoke to a few local journalists about the humiliating incident and the issue became viral. There are many who have condemned the incident but many have attacked my daughter for not following a dress code in an educational institution, which has left her more mentally disturbed.

Though the family has not lodged any formal complaint, anger on social media forced the Assam Agricultural University to set up an inquiry led by the dean of the university.

Abdul Baquee Ahmed, principal, GIPS, where the incident took place, told reporters that he was not present in college but aware about the incident.

We do not have anything to do with the exam  our college was just hired as a venue for the exam. Even the invigilator in question was from outside. There is no rule about shorts, but during an exam, it is important that decorum be maintained. Parents should also know better, he said.

Congress spokesperson Bobbeeta Sharma said that not allowing a young girl to sit for an examination for wearing shorts reflected a dangerous and regressive mindset.
Sanjay took names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah many times in his speech and said he could not imagine India without Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.  DC Image

ADILABAD: Union minister for home affairs Amit Shah on Friday appreciated BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar for moving close to the people and knowing their problems by taking up the Maha Sangrama Yatra in Telangana and said Sanjays yatra would cover all 119 Assembly constituencies and prepare the ground for the BJP to face the next elections in the state.

Amit Shah showered a lot of praises on Bandi Sanjay and took his name often in his speech.

During his speech, in a classic gaffe, Amit Shah began a sentence with Bandi Sanjays government, but instantly realised the faux pas and stopped in the middle. He resumed his speech after correcting it as Bandi Sanjays yatra.

Amit Shah seemed to have been impressed with Sanjays speech on seeing the kind of response he got from the public for his attack on Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his family.

According to sources, Amit Shah took Sanjay in his car to the helipad from the place of meeting and had a discussion about the state politics and conveyed his and the party Central leaderships support to Sanjay. It is said that Amit Shah told Sanjay to go ahead with his plans and programmes to strengthen the party in the state.

Meanwhile, addressing the gathering, Sanjay Kumar came down heavily on Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao for not observing September 17 as Telangana Liberation Day. He appealed to the TRS MLAs to come out of the party and pull down the government and join the BJP if they were really committed Telanganites.

He criticised Chandrashekar Rao for insulting Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel who liberated Telangana from the clutches of the Nizam and said otherwise Hyderabad state would have joined Pakistan. Sanjay asked Rao to reveal the name of the intellectual who told him not to observe Telangana Liberation Day officially since it created communal tensions in the state.

Sanjay took names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah many times in his speech and said he could not imagine India without Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. Sanjay said he was 50 years old and wished to offer his remaining age to Amit Shah for his long life to serve the country.
Ravi, shifted from Nagaland, said he saw his new role more as an opportunity than a challenge. (DC Image)

Chennai: Ravindra Narayan Ravi was on Saturday sworn-in as the Governor of Tamil Nadu, succeeding Banwarilal Purohit who has since been shifted to Punjab.

Ravi, shifted from Nagaland, said he saw his new role more as an opportunity than a challenge.

Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Sanjib Banerjee administered the oath of office to Ravi at an official ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan here.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, his cabinet colleagues, Leader of Opposition K Palaniswami and others participated at the swearing-in.

He is the 26th Governor of the state.

President Ram Nath Kovind had last week appointed Ravi, a former IPS officer, as the governor of the state.

He was appointed as the Centre's Interlocutor for the Naga peace talks on August 29, 2014, a responsibility he continues to discharge.

After the swearing-in, Stalin introduced state Assembly Speaker M Appavu and his cabinet colleagues to Ravi.

Later, addressing media persons, the Governor said he saw his new role more as an opportunity than a challenge.

"I think more than a challenge, it is an opportunity and I think it will be helpful for me," he said in response to a query.

Asked if his stint in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) will serve in discharging the duty of a governor, Ravi replied, "the slate of our (his and the state government) relationship is absolutely new and clean. My effort will be to make it as beautiful as possible in the days to come."

Dismissing as 'premature' to comment on the four-month-old DMK government's performance in the state, Ravi said he would be able to know more about it as the days go by.

"I think it is too premature for me to say but I believe that it should be doing well, the way it has handled Covid-19 which has come down. I think so," he replied.

On whether he would carry out review meetings with officials as his predecessor had done, which the then opposition DMK among others had protested against, Ravi shot back saying, "look I have been sworn in some minutes ago. Plans will unfold as the time comes...one thing I know is that this state has a popular government mandated by the people and governance is the responsibility of the government. Governor is to function within the parameters of the constitution. And I will try my best to keep that in mind."

Born at Patna in Bihar, Ravi, who did his Masters in Physics in 1974, joined the Indian Police Service in 1976 after a brief stint in journalism. He served in Kerala in various capacities for over a decade and then in different parts of the country in various capacities and was also deputed with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While in the IB, he served largely in theatres of endemic violence including in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. He also specialised in the dynamics of human migration in South Asia and worked extensively on the political sociology of border population.

After retirement from government service in 2012, he regularly wrote columns in national dailies. He was appointed as Chairman, Joint Intelligence Committee in the Prime Minister's Office.

He was appointed as Deputy National Security Advisor in October 2018 and served as the Governor of Nagaland from August 1, 2019 to September 15, 2021.
When first-time MLA Bhupendra Patel was named the new Gujarat chief minister, political observers were quick to declare that Amit Shah, Union home minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modis closest confidant, had been cut to size. Mr Patel is known to be a protege of former chief minister Anandiben Patel, who has a tense relationship with Mr Shah. But the truth is that Mr Patel has, over the past five years, befriended Mr Shah as he realised that he would end up jeopardising his political career if he antagonised the former BJP chief. Today, Mr Patel enjoys a good rapport with Mr Shah. It must be noted that Mr Patels Assembly segment Ghatlodiya falls in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency. When Mr Shah contested the 2019 general election from this seat, Mr Patel worked doubly hard to ensure that the party stalwart led by a huge margin in his constituency. Mr Patels elevation is, therefore, not a defeat for Mr Shah and nor does it, in any way suggest, that Mr Shah has fallen out with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two top leaders are known to work in tandem.

In a spate of recent interviews, actor Naseeruddin Shah spoke about how the Modi government is pressing Bollywood to make films on pseudo-nationalism and mythology. The actor is absolutely right. This is a pet project of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJPs ideological mentor, which believes that Hindi cinema should be tapped to propagate its ideology because it is a popular and powerful medium. The RSS is encouraging and even ensuring that the projects of filmmakers who toe their line are adequately funded. Their current favourite is producer Mahaveer Jain, who arranged a series of meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leading members of the Mumbai film industry two years ago, and has made two films on Modi. The latest film  Mann Bairagi  described as an untold story of Modis life has been co-produced by Mr Jain with Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Mr Jain has had a meteoric rise considering he turned film producer only a decade ago. Well-known directors and producers have been persuaded to partner with him to make the kind of movies RSS wants them to make.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi often speaks about the importance of a free press but the harsh reality is that his government is determined to deny media-persons access to government offices or Parliament. Though journalists are issued accreditation cards by the Press Information Bureau which allows them entry to most ministries, there is a tendency among the ministers to keep them out. It started with Piyush Goyal when he was heading the power ministry. Then it was the turn of finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to clamp down on accredited journalists who can only enter the ministry if they have a prior appointment with an official. Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is the latest to join this club. Similar restrictions are in place in Parliament as journalists can no longer go to the offices of political parties in the building, talk to party MPs on the premises or drop in on a minister in his Parliament office. The basic objective is to see that only the government version of events is reported. These restrictions have also terrified bureaucrats who are unwilling to talk informally to the media for fear of being pulled up in case there is a critical report.

Long before the Election Commission announced the schedule of the Rajya Sabha elections, there was talk that the DMK had offered one seat to the Congress, specifically for Ghulam Nabi Azad. It is learned that the DMK did not name Mr Azad but told the Congress that it would prefer it if they fielded someone from the minority community and asked for a panel of names. The Congress leadership, however, did not respond to this request. It transpires that the Congress did not even discuss this matter with Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK chief M.K. Stalin. The DMK finally went ahead and nominated its own candidates for both the seats.

There is considerable speculation in poll-bound Uttarakhand after it was informally conveyed to the local BJP leaders that they should not be too harsh on senior Congress leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat. This has baffled the BJP rank and file as it was initially given to understand that they should focus their attack on Mr Rawat since he is the Congress partys chief ministerial face. One view is that the Aam Aadmi Partys entry as a serious contender has queered the pitch and the BJP is looking at a possibility of a hung Assembly in next years election. In that case, it will have to make up the numbers by striking deals with winners from other political parties. The BJP is apparently identifying those who could be the kamzor kadi or weak link and probably thinks Harish Rawat may be amenable to persuasion if the need arises. Maybe it took a cue from an exchange of messages on social media between Mr Rawat and Anil Baluni, BJP national spokesperson, when the two leaders praised each other.
Abbajaan in Hindustani, is used as an honorific, to address your father. It is indicative of love and respect for an elder, part of an Urdu tehzeebiyat that has something graceful and elegant about it. But, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of UP, used it as a pejorative to tarnish a community. That speaks volumes about him, his character, his upbringing, and his civilisational credentials.

A singular hatred seems to be at the core of people like the UP CM. This is not about loyalty towards the Hindu dharma; it is about a deep aversion to anybody not belonging to his own religion. It is animated by the mistaken belief that you can only show fidelity to your faith if you hate other faiths. Such an approach militates directly against the letter and the spirit of the Constitution of India, which directly espouses respect for all faiths. It is also against the qualifications required by any leader to rule a country like India which has citizens of multiple faiths, and whose collective ethos makes up the rainbow colours of our vibrant Republic.

People like Adityanath also seem to be motivated by the focused goal of setting one religious community against another. Hindus must be set against Muslims, because that is the only way he knows of reinforcing his own electoral citadel. Hindus can be brought to his side only if he convinces them that the Muslims were stealing rations from Hindus. His tactic then goes beyond personal hate. It must encapsulate his community, on the pernicious doctrine that hate reinforces hate. It is a siege mentality, where the only brahmastra is to spread hatred between communities for short-term political gain.

Adityanath believes that electoral success lies through the consolidation of the Hindu vote. For him that consolidation can be achieved if he convinces Hindus that their well-being is under attack by outsiders. An enemy has to be conjured, created, nurtured. In this process, no stone is left unturned to demonise the other. Every assumed slight is highlighted; stereotypes are created and reinforced; anger is deliberately ignited and whipped up; insecurities are fanned; myths are propagated; threats are imagined and systematically projected. There has to be no subtlety, no restraint, no compunctions no dignity, in the exercise. The end goal of retention of political power is far more important.

The unfortunate thing is that Hindus are seen as puppets in this operation, cannon fodder, inert instruments for personal and party aggrandisement. The essential tenets of a great religion like Hinduism are deliberately distorted to serve this goal, in order to make it a caricature of itself: vengeful, bigoted, violent and exclusionist. Trying to reinvent Hinduism and make it akin to Wahabism is an act of sacrilege. Hinduisms worldview is governed by the seminal Rig Vedic injunction  Ekam satya vipra bahudah vedanti: The truth is one, wise people call it by different names. One of the greatest voices of Hinduism in the modern era, Swami Vivekananda, emphasised precisely this in his famous speech on 11 September 1893 at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago: I am proud to belong to a religion that has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal tolerance, but we accept all religions as true

If hatred of the other was Hinduisms dominant emotion, why would the Upanishads say: Anna bhadra kritavo yantu vishvataha: Let good thoughts flow to us from all directions? If religious exclusion was the defining belief of Hinduism, why would our ancient seers stress  Udar charitanam vasudhaiva kutumbakam: For the big-hearted, the entire world is a family? The Narada Bhakti Sutra, containing aphorisms of the great sage Narada, could not be clearer: It is not proper to enter into a controversy about God, or spiritual truths, or about comparative merits of different devotees. For there is room for diversity of views; no one view based upon mere reasons is conclusive in itself. King Ashoka, in his Rock Edict XII, makes the same plea: Beloved of the Gods, King Piyadasi, desires that there should be growth in the essentials of all religions. Growth in essentials can be done in different ways, but all of them have as their root, restraint in speech (Emphasis mine). In Tulsidas Ramcharitmanas, Shri Rama, whom Hindutva zealots randomly invoke when indulging in lawlessness and violence, uttered the ultimate verity of Hinduism when he told Lakshman: Par hita saris dharam nahin bhai, par peeda sam nahin athmai: There is no greater dharma than the welfare of others, and no greater sin than injury to others.

Resentment against some of the injustices done to Hinduism in the past may have its reasons. But hatred and violence cannot become the defining features of a religion, which rejects them both. That is why, one of modern Indias great entrepreneurs, Narayana Murthy, categorically says: The founding fathers of Independent India wanted a nation where every religion would flourish and every voice would be heard. Thus, India, very rightly adopted secularism as its credo. That is also why the Shankaracharya of Sringeri, Jagadguru Bharathi Teertha Mahaswami, on a visit in 1994 to the Buddhist shrine at Sarnath, declared: The principles of non-violence, compassion, truth, self-restraint and purity were meant for every individual; one might go to a temple, vihara or church, but the faith and belief were the same.

Hindus are not a passive people. They can, when the need arises, defend themselves. Nor is Hinduism a walkover, not the least because of its conquering eclecticism. But coarse language is not the way Hinduism or Hindus would like to defend themselves. Hindu civilisation has seen remarkable peaks of refinement. It would be outraged by a man who dresses himself in the garb of a renunciate but goes around insulting members of another community on the basis of how they address their father.
Google abused the dominant position of its Android operating system in India, using its "huge financial muscle" to illegally hurt competitors, the antitrust authority found in a report on its two-year probe seen by Reuters.

Alphabet Inc's Google reduced "the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell devices operating on alternative versions of Android," says the June report by the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) investigations unit.

The US tech giant told Reuters in a statement it looks forward to working with the CCI to "demonstrate how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less."

Read | South Korea fines Google $177 mn for blocking Android customisation

Google has not received the investigation report, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

The CCI did not respond to a request for comment on the report. Senior CCI members will review the report and give Google another chance to defend itself, before issuing a final order, which could include penalties, said another person familiar with the case.

Google would be able to appeal any order in India's courts.

Its findings are the latest antitrust setback for Google in India, where it faces several probes in the payments app markets. The company has been investigated in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. This week, South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Google $180 million for blocking customised versions of Android.

'Vague, biased and arbritary'

Google submitted at least 24 responses during the probe, defending itself and arguing it was not hurting competition, the report says.

Microsoft Corp, Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc , as well as smartphone makers like Samsung and Xiaomi, were among 62 entities that responded to CCI questions during its Google investigation, the report says.

Read | Android 12: List of devices eligible for the latest Google mobile OS

Android powers 98 per cent of India's 520 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research.

When the CCI ordered the probe in 2019, it said Google appeared to have leveraged its dominance to reduce device makers' ability to opt for alternate versions of its mobile operating system and force them to pre-install Google apps.

The 750-page report finds the mandatory pre-installation of apps "amounts to imposition of unfair condition on the device manufacturers" in violation of India's competition law, while the company leveraged the position of its Play Store app store to protect its dominance.

Play Store policies were "one-sided, ambiguous, vague, biased and arbitrary", while Android has been "enjoying its dominant position" in licensable operating systems for smartphones and tablets since 2011, the report says.

The probe was triggered in 2019 after two Indian junior antitrust research associates and a law student filed a complaint, Reuters reported.

India remains a key growth market for Google. It said last year it would spend $10 billion in the country over five to seven years through equity investments and tie-ups, its biggest commitment to a key growth market.

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Tax experts are of the opinion that the government's move to tax online food aggregators like Swiggy and Zomato instead of restaurants would not impact the consumer. Come January 1, food delivery apps will collect and deposit 5% GST to the government (in place of restaurants) for deliveries made by them.

"There would be no extra tax burden on the end consumer and this will reduce the burden on restaurants. Certain unregistered food suppliers used to evade taxes but now that would be taken care of by the food aggregators", said M Siddharth, Partner & MD, Synmac Consultants Pvt Ltd.

He added that the government's coffers will get heavier as far as revenue is concerned.

Also read: States demand extension of GST compensation period

R Patnaik, Partner & Head - Taxation, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas believes that the move will definitely increase the compliances for e-commerce players.

"In the food-domain, it can only be hoped that no double taxation on restaurant services is triggered and only supplies made by an unregistered restaurant service provider through the e-commerce players are brought within the ambit of GST," he added.

Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj echoed the FM's announcement clarifying that there would be no new or extra taxes added. He had stated that now instead of restaurants, the tax will be payable by aggregators which would prevent revenue leakage.

"Since small restaurants do not report their accounts properly, the tune of revenue loss is not exactly known now. This move is aimed at plugging that loss", explains Siddharth.

As of now, restaurants extending services on the food aggregators platform pay 5% GST on the food bill, whereas the aggregator pays 18% tax on the commission charged for its services.

Read | GST council changes rates for goods; check here

What will be interesting to see next is if a uniform slab (say 5%) would be made applicable to the food aggregators or not.

While some feel that this move will not affect the government's tax collections, others feel it will. B Gaonkar, Tax Consultant at Shoolin Consultancy is of the view that the dominance of food aggregators and ignorance on the part of restaurateurs led to a huge revenue forfeit of hotel/restaurant owners by the GST department, ultimately knocking down the government's treasury, too.

Confederation of All India Trader (CAIT) welcomed the move calling it a landmark decision that will bring parity between online & offline food delivery. Further saying that it would boost the country's ailing restaurant business.

Also read: Zomato, Swiggy brought under GST ambit: What it means for customers

"Its a much-awaited pragmatic step of the GST Council", said Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary-General, CAIT.

Law firm Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan's founder & Managing Partner, V Lakshmikumaran said, "Government's move is commendable as all doubts have now been laid to rest by the council; the industry can now move forward."

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The Opposition-ruled states have raised their pitch for extending the period of Goods and Services Tax compensation cess payment to states beyond July 2022 when it is legally going to lapse.

The Centre on Friday had made it clear that it will not be paying the states any compensation cess beyond July 2022. However, it will keep collecting such cess from consumers till March 2026 to pay off the market borrowings that it has been conducting to compensate states for their losses including from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal demanded compensation beyond next year saying the state was already grappling with a significant revenue shortfall.

Kerala will receive GST compensation of over Rs 13,000 crore and another one-time grant of over Rs 19,000 crore in the current fiscal ending March 2022, he said.

In case the GST compensation ends next year, then the state will face further revenue shortfall, he said.

Also read: Time not yet ripe for petrol, diesel to come under GST: Council

The cess is currently levied on top of the GST rate on certain luxury and sin goods to fund the compensation amount for states.

While we are broadly, and firmly in favour of the continuation of the compensation mechanism, we are concerned by many of the details, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P Thiaga Rajan said.

He, however, said that no final decision will be made on the issue without the benefit of the time needed to fully assess the options.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the matter of compensation cess would be referred to a group of ministers (GoM).

Read | GST council changes rates for goods; check here

The Centre has estimated the shortfall in GST compensation payable to states in the current fiscal year at Rs 2.59 lakh crore, of which about Rs 1.59 lakh crore would have to be borrowed this year.

Last fiscal year too, the Centre borrowed and released to states Rs 1.10 lakh crore towards GST compensation.

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Worries around breakthrough infections and the duration for which vaccines protect us from Covid-19 brought the booster dose into the spotlight. As countries across the world from Thailand to Turkey, Germany to Uruguay, vaccinate their population with both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, talk of a booster dose has gathered steam.

France and Uruguay are among the few countries that have already begun administering booster doses to fully vaccinated adults, while some including Singapore, South Korea and plan to start on the additional dose either this month or the next.

There has been much discussion about the need for a third dose when many countries are yet to receive their second. Here's a look at the course of the booster dose debate.

Boost to the third dose in the US

Much of the booster dose discussion has been centred around the United States, where Biden in August urged for a third dose of the vaccine for all adults, starting September 20. Booster doses were approved for immunocompromised individuals earlier that month by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In a setback to Biden's ambitious vaccination plan announced mid-August, the FDA had rejected the idea of booster doses for adults above 16 years of age. But it has now given the nod to give booster vaccines for those aged 65 and above.

The US started talking about the booster dose when the more infectious Delta variant of the virus landed on American shores, increasing Covid-19 hospitalisations in a number of states a few months ago, especially Florida.

According to the CDC, booster doses are to be given to fully vaccinated individuals (usually two doses, or one in the case of Johnson & Johnson) after eight months. Booster doses in simple terms serve to remind the immune system of the response needed to fight a pathogen after the effect of the initial doses wanes away.

A booster dose can wait till low-income countries vaccinate

The World Health Organization (WHO) has sought a moratorium on booster doses till the end of the year, urging rich nations to allow lower-income countries  that have barely vaccinated a tenth of their population and are dependent on vaccine supply from COVAX  to administer the first and second doses.

I will not stay silent when companies and countries that control the global supply of vaccines think the world's poor should be satisfied with leftovers, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had told a news conference, targeting rich nations such as the US. He pointed out the inequity of vaccine access with Africa, where only four countries had managed to vaccinate 10 per cent of its population.

India made clear its stance on Thursday when Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) General Director Balram Bhargava asserted that a booster dose was not the central theme of India's vaccination drive at the moment in either scientific discussions or the public health domain.

"Getting the two doses remains the major priority," Bhargava said.

"Several agencies have recommended that antibody levels should not be measured...but the important understanding is that full vaccination of both the doses is absolutely essential and there should be no breakage in that," he had said.

Adar Poonawalla, who helms the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, Serum Institute of India, said on Friday during a media interaction that it was "unethical" to offer booster doses in India at the moment when certain populations have not even got two doses.

He added it was "not right" to roll out booster shots when poorer countries have "not been able to get the vaccines purely because the rich nations have taken away most of the vaccines".

A study conducted by The Lancet stated that it was "not appropriate" to administer booster doses for the general population as vaccine efficacy against severe Covid-19, including the delta variant, was more than enough.

The review by experts, including those from the WHO and the FDA summarised the currently available evidence from randomised controlled trials and observational studies published in peer-reviewed journals and pre-print servers.

Results reported from the observational studies show that vaccination had 95 per cent efficacy against severe disease both from the Delta variant and from the Alpha variant and over 80 per cent efficacy at protecting against any infection from these variants.

If vaccines are deployed where they would do the most good, they could hasten the end of the pandemic by inhibiting further evolution of variants, the authors of the study, one among whom was WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan, noted.

(With agency inputs)

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The stock of Covid-19 vaccines donated by India earlier this year for UN peacekeepers has been exhausted, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.

Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing on Friday that the UN received a donation of 3,00,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from the Government of China.

"The donation comes at a very important time, following exhaustion of the vaccine stocks donated by the Government of India in March this year," Dujarric said.

India, one of the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions, had gifted 2,00,000 doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines for UN peacekeepers across all UN missions.

Also Read | While urging Covid vaccination, WHO declines to share jab data on its staff

The 2,00,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were shipped from India for distribution for UN peacekeepers in March. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had announced in February that India will gift 2,00,000 Covid-19 doses for UN peacekeepers.

"Keeping in mind the UN Peacekeepers who operate in such difficult circumstances, we would like to announce today a gift of 2,00,000 doses for them," Jaishankar had said while addressing the UN Security Council open debate on the implementation of resolution 2532 (2020) on the cessation of hostilities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The vaccine from China, manufactured by SinoPharm, was granted World Health Organization (WHO) Emergency Use Listing earlier this year and will be distributed to UN personnel and peacekeepers through the UN system-wide Covid-19 vaccination programme.

"The donation, including the 18-month shelf life of the vaccine, will provide for the continuation of the programme, and support the UN's efforts to reach all UN personnel, peacekeepers, and implementing partners who have stayed to deliver on our critical mandates throughout this pandemic," Dujarric said.

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Until this week, the so-called pivot to Asia by the United States had been more of a threat than a reality for Europe. But that changed when the Biden administration announced a new defense alliance against China that has left Europe facing an implicit question:

Which side are you on?

It is a question that European leaders have studiously sought to avoid since former President Barack Obama first articulated that America should pivot resources and attention to Asia as part of its rivalry with China. European leaders hoped that the relationship between the two superpowers could remain stable and that Europe could balance its interests between the two.

Then the Trump administration sharply raised the temperature with China with tariffs and other trade barriers. And now the Biden administration Wednesday announced an alliance between the United States, Britain and Australia that would help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines in the Pacific  and, in doing so, also tore up a $66 billion deal for Australia to buy a French fleet of diesel-powered subs.

Also read: France says Biden acted like Trump to sink Australia defence deal

Europeans want to defer the moment of truth, to not make a choice between the two, said Thomas Gomart, director of the French Institute of International Relations, or IFRI. The Biden administration, like the Trump one, is provoking the moment of choice.

France was enraged. Yet if it was a humiliation  as well as the cancellation of a lucrative defense deal  it possibly did have a silver lining for Frances broader goals. French President Emmanuel Macron has been Europes loudest proponent of strategic autonomy, the idea that Europe needs to retain a balanced approach to the United States and China.

We must survive on our own, as others do, said Josep Borrell Fontelles, the European Unions foreign policy chief, echoing the French line.

The French embarrassment  the Americans also announced the submarine deal with little if any warning  came after the disastrous fall of Afghanistan. European allies were furious with the Biden administration, blaming the Americans for acting with little or no consultation and feeding Macrons argument that the United States is no longer an entirely reliable security partner.

The submarines and Afghanistan, it reinforces the French narrative that you cant trust the Americans, said Ulrich Speck of the German Marshall Fund in Berlin.

But whether France will succeed in turning this bilateral defeat into a way to promote strategic autonomy is doubtful, analysts suggest. Many Europeans will see this as a transparent way for the French to leverage their own interests, said Robin Niblett, director of Chatham House, the London-based research institution.

Even so, there seems little doubt that Europes balancing act is becoming trickier to maintain.

Also read: Australian minister says US, UK submarines were better choice

Europe needs to think hard about where it sits and what it does, said Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe. A Europe that spends more on defense is to be desired, but it also needs allies  including Britain and the United States, she said. And a Europe that does more to build its own security capacity is the best way to be listened to more by its partners, she added.

The new alliance, known as AUKUS, is an effort to integrate Australia and Britain into the broader American effort to create a security deterrent to China. For Australia, which has seen its once-strong relations with Beijing deteriorate, America and Britain provide a much stouter deterrent to China in the Indo-Pacific, analysts agree, than could the deal with France.

Its sending a very big signal to Beijing, which is useful for the US, but especially useful to Australia, said Ian Lesser, acting director of the German Marshall Fund and head of its Brussels office. And the weight of that signal is important because of who the partners are.

Lesser also questioned why the American moves in the Pacific have to be interpreted as a zero-sum equation in which Europes importance is diminished. I dont see any diminution of American interest and commitment to European security in the wake of Afghanistan or the moves in Asia, he said.

The biggest issue for the EU may be finding the political will for strategic autonomy, a point made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her state of the EU address earlier on the day the new Asian alliance was announced.

France may be pushing autonomy, but whether the rest of the European bloc has an appetite for it  and for creating greater distance from Washington  is uncertain.

France could end up isolating itself, Speck of the German Marshall Fund said, noting that in nearly every region where France has security concerns  including Russia, the Sahel and even the Indo-Pacific  the United States continues to be a critical partner.

There are deeper questions about Americas future reliability as a security partner, especially if the conflict with China turns kinetic, which is part of Macrons argument, Lesser said. For all the US commitment to Europe, if things go wrong in the Indo-Pacific, that would change the force structure in Europe pretty fast.

In Poland, a strong American ally in the EU and NATO, the reaction to the new alliance was more positive, focusing not on a pivot away from Europe but on the US, with the British and the Australians, getting serious about China and also defending the free world, said Michal Baranowski, who heads the German Marshall Fund office in Poland.

At the same time, he said, Poles see another case where the supposedly professional, pro-European Biden administration again doesnt consult and shoves European allies under the bus, he said. This time the French, but for us, it was Nord Stream 2, when we were thrown under the bus for Germany, he said. That was a reference to Bidens decision to allow the completion of a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine and Poland, that was a priority for European powerhouse Berlin.

The US will say again that Were building strong alliances, with Germany and Australia, Baranowski said. But who suffers? Other allies.

As for relations with China, Europeans would prefer not to have Beijing in a rage, said Balfour of Carnegie Europe. European allies have been more uncomfortable with more hawkish positions on China and keenly aware of the need to talk to China about climate and trade, she said.

So if Europe can keeping talking to Beijing without being portrayed by China as having joined a security pact against it, that could be helpful, she said. If there is a silver lining to this, it will be if the European Union is capable of playing this card diplomatically, and avoid painting the world as for or against China, which is the rhetoric Beijing is pushing.
The quartet of newly minted citizen astronauts comprising the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission were due to splash down in the Atlantic off Florida on Saturday, completing a three-day flight of the first all-civilian crew ever launched into Earth orbit.

To prepare for atmospheric re-entry and return to Earth, the SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle completed two rocket "burns" on Friday to lower its altitude and line up the capsule's trajectory with the targeted landing site.

The Dragon capsule, dubbed Resilience, is scheduled to parachute into the sea around 7 p.m. Eastern time, shortly before sunset, according to SpaceX, the private rocketry company founded by Tesla Inc electric automaker CEO Elon Musk.

Read more: What life is like aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule

SpaceX supplied the spacecraft, launched it from Florida and flew it from the company's suburban Los Angeles headquarters.

The Inspiration4 team blasted off on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral atop one of SpaceX's two-stage reusable Falcon 9 rockets.

Within three hours the crew capsule had reached a cruising orbital altitude of just over 363 miles (585 km) - higher than the International Space Station or Hubble Space Telescope, and the farthest any human has flown from Earth since NASA's Apollo moon program ended in 1972.

It also marked the debut flight of Musk's new space tourism business and a leap ahead of competitors likewise offering rides on rocket ships to well-heeled customers willing to pay a small fortune to experience the exhilaration of spaceflight and earn amateur astronaut wings.

The Inspiration4 team was led by its wealthy benefactor, Jared Isaacman, chief executive of the e-commerce firm Shift4 Payments Inc, who assumed the role of mission "commander."

He had paid an undisclosed but reportedly enormous sum - put by Time magazine at roughly $200 million - to fellow billionaire Musk for all four seats aboard the Crew Dragon.

Read more: SpaceX's first private crew motivates cancer kids from orbit

Isaacman was joined by three less affluent crewmates he had selected - geoscientist and former NASA astronaut candidate Sian Proctor, 51, physician's assistant and childhood bone cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux, 29, and aerospace data engineer and Air Force veteran Chris Sembroski, 42.

Isaacman conceived of the flight primarily to raise awareness and donations for one of his favorite causes, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a leading pediatric cancer center in Memphis, Tennessee, where Arceneaux was a patient and now works.

The Inspiration4 crew had no part to play in flying the spacecraft, which was operated by ground-based flight teams and onboard guidance systems, even though Isaacman and Proctor are both licensed pilots.

SpaceX already ranked as the most well-established player in the burgeoning constellation of commercial rocket ventures, having launched numerous cargo payloads and astronauts to the space station for NASA.

Two rival operators, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc and Blue Origin, inaugurated their own astro-tourism services in recent months, with their respective founding executives, billionaires Richard Branson and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, each going along for the ride.

Those suborbital flights, lasting a matter of minutes, were short hops compared with Inspiration4's three days in orbit.
The Pentagon retreated from its defence of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month, announcing Friday that a review revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack, not an Islamic State extremist as first believed.

The strike was a tragic mistake," Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, told a Pentagon news conference.

For days after the August 29 strike, Pentagon officials asserted that it had been conducted correctly, despite 10 civilians being killed, including seven children. News organisations later raised doubts about that version of events, reporting that the driver of the targeted vehicle was a longtime employee at an American humanitarian organisation and citing an absence of evidence to support the Pentagon's assertion that the vehicle contained explosives.

McKenzie said the vehicle was struck in the earnest belief that it posed an imminent threat.

I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that strike," McKenzie said. Moreover, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or a direct threat to US forces," he added, referring to the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate.

McKenzie apologised for the mistake and said the United States is considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters two days after the attack that it appeared to have been a righteous strike and that at least one of the people killed was a facilitator for the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, which had killed 169 Afghan civilians and 13 American service members in a suicide bombing on August 26 at the Kabul airport.

After McKenzie's remarks, Milley expressed regret.

This is a horrible tragedy of war and it's heart wrenching," Milley told reporters travelling with him in Europe. We are committed to being fully transparent about this incident.

In a dynamic high-threat environment, the commanders on the ground had appropriate authority and had reasonable certainty that the target was valid, but after deeper post-strike analysis our conclusion is that innocent civilians were killed," Milley added.

Accounts from the family, documents from colleagues seen by The Associated Press, and the scene at the family home  where Zemerai Ahmadi's car was struck by a Hellfire missile just as he pulled into the driveway  all painted a picture of a family that had worked for Americans and were trying to gain visas to the United States, fearing for their lives under the Taliban.

The family said that when the 37-year-old Zemerai, alone in his car, pulled up to the house, he honked his horn. His 11-year-old son ran out and Zemerai let the boy get in and drive the car into the driveway. The other kids ran out to watch, and the Hellfire missile incinerated the car, killing seven children and an adult son and nephew of Zemerai.

The airstrike was the last of a US war that ended as it had begun in 2001  with the Taliban in power in Kabul. The speed with which the Taliban overran the country took the US government by surprise and forced it to send several thousand troops to the Kabul airport for a hurried evacuation of Americans, Afghans and others.

The evacuation, which began August 14, unfolded under a near-constant threat of attack by the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate.

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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin apologised Friday for a drone strike in the Afghan capital Kabul that mistakenly killed 10 civilians, including children, during the chaotic US pullout last month.

Also read: Pentagon reverses itself, calls deadly Kabul strike an error

"I offer my deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed," Austin said in a statement.

"We apologise, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake," he said.

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The first space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday and the four crew members -- a billionaire and three other Americans -- have already seen more than 25 sunsets and sunrises.

SpaceX has released few details about their adventure since they reached an orbit which is more distant than that of the International Space Station.

Here's what we know about their life on board:

The four space tourists are aboard the SpaceX crew capsule called Dragon.

It is 8.1 meters (26.7 feet) tall and has a diameter of four meters (13 feet).

The capsule is composed of a trunk, which is inaccessible to the crew, upon which sits the living quarters.

The entire volume of the capsule is just 9.3 square meters (328 square feet).

Also read: Who gets sick in space? Orbital tourists may offer better clues

Chris Sembroski, a 42-year-old Air Force veteran who is one of the crew members, has compared it to travelling with friends in a van -- one you can't step away from though if you want to take a break.

The exact technology behind the toilets aboard the capsule is a SpaceX secret.

But Hayley Arceneaux, one of the four crew members, said in a Netflix documentary that the "bathroom is on the ceiling."

"Really literally a panel that we take off and there's like a funnel," Arceneaux said. "There's no upside down in space."

The toilet is located near the clear glass observation dome, or cupola, installed on Dragon, which provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the cosmos.

"When people do inevitably have to use the bathroom, they're going to have one hell of a view," billionaire Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, told Business Insider.

Privacy is ensured with a simple curtain.

SpaceX released a video call Friday between the Inspiration4 crew and patients at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

The 29-year-old Arceneaux, who was treated for bone cancer as a child at St. Jude and works there now as a physician assistant, was asked by a patient what the astronauts do for "fun" in space.

She said they have spent time "eating, doing chores and looking out the window at the world."

Sembroski said they've also been doing "a lot of blood tests and glucose monitoring."

The astronauts were also asked what is their favorite "space food."

"My favorite space food is pizza which I had yesterday and I'll probably have for dinner tonight also," said Sian Proctor, 51, who teaches geology at a small college in Arizona and was a finalist to become a NASA astronaut.

Musical interludes are also planned. Each passenger drew up a 10-song playlist and Sembroski planned to bring his ukelele.

The instrument and other objects are to be auctioned later with the proceeds going to St Jude.

The goal of the mission is to raise $200 million for the hospital, with Isaacman personally donating $100 million.

SpaceX tweeted on Thursday that the crew had carried out a "first round of scientific research."

One of the goals of the mission is to collect data on the effects of the environment of space on complete novices.

Their cardiac rhythms, sleep and blood oxygen levels will be monitored along with radiation exposure.

Their cognitive functions were tested before the flight and will be examined again on their return.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he believed US President Joe Biden was targeted with "unfair criticism" over troops withdrawal from Afghanistan and termed his decision as the most sensible thing to do, according to a media report.

In an interview to Russian broadcaster RT, Khan said he wasn't sure whether the US had any coherent policy on what they were going to do in the war-ravaged country, the Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.

Referring to the US pulling out troops from Afghanistan and commending the American president for his decision, he said, "There was so much unfair criticism of President Biden, and what he did was the most sensible thing to do."

Read more: US military admits Kabul drone strike killed 10 innocent Afghan civilians

The prime minister also called upon the US to devise a strategy if a humanitarian crisis broke out triggered by a feared halt in international help to Afghanistan.

"There will be far-reaching consequences in terms of the refugee problem, which Pakistan and Iran will feel more as they have taken more number of refugees," he cautioned.

Khan stressed that the US has a big role to play as it was there in Afghanistan for 20 years.

The only reason the US invaded Afghanistan was terrorism, he said, adding, "What would be the achievement if Afghan soil becomes a place for terrorists again? We should not let Afghanistan drift towards another crisis."

Khan also said he was deeply hurt by the remarks of US senators against Pakistan over the Afghan debacle.

"Pakistan is the country that gave the greatest number of sacrifices for the US in its war (against terrorism). We were asked to become part of this coalition when Pakistan had nothing to do with 9/11 as there wasn't any Pakistani involved. We had no reason to enter the war," he said.

Khan said it was painful to see the US making Pakistan a scapegoat for its failures.

Rejecting allegations that Pakistan helped the Taliban in the fight against US forces, he said, If we believe this is the case, it means Pakistan is stronger than the US and the whole of the Europeans."

Khan underlined that the Taliban were a reality now and the world didn't have a choice except to incentivise them for a stable country.

"The international community must encourage them to walk this path and hopefully it will lead to peace," he said, adding that around 75 per cent of the Afghanistan's budget is through aid, and if this monetary assistance is stopped, the country will fall.

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Taliban soldiers cradling AK-47s and M16 assault rifles mingle among families at Kabul Zoo, a novelty experience for many of the young fighters from rural Afghanistan.

As visitors set up picnic spots in the shaded grounds, enjoying ice creams and salted pomegranate seeds, heavily armed Taliban gunmen peer into the enclosures housing lions, leopards, camels, wolves, ostriches and macaques.

After years of fighting in the countryside, the capture of the capital was the first time many had entered a large city, let alone a zoo.

They take selfies and pose for group photos, but the relative tranquillity is upended suddenly when one fighter grabs a deer by its antlers and his friends roar with laughter.

Read | Taliban replace women's government ministry

After Friday prayers, scores of armed Taliban fighters turn out  and many more are without weapons  wearing traditional hats, turbans and shawls. Some sported the eye makeup popular among Afghan men.

One Taliban member, 40-year-old Abdul Qadir, who now works for the interior ministry, said he was sightseeing with a group of male friends.

"I really like the animals, especially those which can be found in our country," he says. "I like lions very much."

Asked about the armed presence  unheard of in other zoos around the world  he says the Taliban were in favour of barring guns from the venue so that "children or women should not feel scared".

Also Read | 3 dead as series of explosions hit Afghanistan's Nangarhar province

The zoo was long a haven for women, children and young lovers in a capital that has little public space for anyone but men.

A unit of six armed men from the Taliban's intelligence directorate  wearing full military fatigues, combat webbing bursting with ammunition and steel handcuffs, peaked caps and knee pads  huddle for a team picture with a turbaned mullah.

The designated photographer coordinates the shot, which is closely examined by the group afterwards.

A thumbs-up from one of the fighters, with a Taliban flag poking out of his magazine pouch, shows their approval.

Later, a different group of gunmen offer their rifles to boys as young as eight, who take snaps with their mobile phones.

The showpiece is a lion, named simply "White Lion", which sleeps on a deck in its enclosure, measuring about 20 metres by 30 metres.

The zoo's most-treasured occupant was Marjan, a male lion who was a symbol of Afghan survival living through coups, invasions, civil war and the Taliban's first rule, until he died in 2002.

A bronze statue of the big cat, once injured by a grenade attack, greets visitors on their way in, while a plaque on its grave reads: "Here lies Marjan, who was about 23. He was the most famous lion in the world."

Another popular attraction is the aquarium and reptile house, where women in niqabs, burqas and hijabs shepherd young girls and boys around the tanks.

A python is coiled up in a large glass enclosure as goldfish, catfish and turtles swim around in tanks lining the walls.

Samir, who is in Kabul waiting to return to London where he lives, is at the zoo with his young son and nephew.

He says they have been having "a very hard time" since the Taliban stormed to power in mid-August.

"We didn't expect (the Taliban) to come so quickly. It's quite peaceful in Kabul, but the thing is, the way they are, people don't feel safe."

Nestled between steep hills and next to the Kabul River, entry to the zoo costs 40 cents for Afghans, although some Taliban soldiers walk in without paying, flagrantly disregarding the sign saying "No Guns in the Zoo".

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The US military has admitted that a deadly drone strike days before its pullout from Afghanistan was a "tragic mistake" as it did not kill the ISIS-K planners bent on attacking the Kabul international airport, and instead killed 10 innocent civilians, including an aid worker and seven children.

Briefing reporters on the results of the investigation of the August 29 drone strike in Kabul, General Kenneth Frank McKenzie, the commander of the US Central Command, also said it was "unlikely that the vehicle and those who died in the attack were associated with Islamic State-Khorasan or were a direct threat to US forces".

The strike by a Hellfire missile in Kabul on August 29, which was launched in an effort to kill ISIS-K planners, instead killed 10 civilians, he said.

Read more: Girls excluded from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan

"Our investigation now concludes that the strike was a tragic mistake," he admitted.

The Pentagon had maintained that at least one ISIS-K facilitator and three civilians were killed in what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley had previously called a "righteous strike" on the compound in Kabul last month.

However, the strike must be considered in the context of the on-ground situation at the Hamid Karzai International Airport following the ISIS-K attack that killed 13 US soldiers and more than 100 Afghan civilians. Also, a substantial body of intelligence had indicated the imminence of another attack, McKenzie said.

He said that having thoroughly reviewed the findings of the probe and supporting analysis, he is convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that drone strike.

"It was a mistake, and I offer my sincere apology. As the combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome," he told reporters.

"Moreover, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to US forces. I offer my profound condolences to the family and friends of those who were killed. This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport," he said.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also apologised for the errant strike.

"We apologise, and we will endeavour to learn from this horrible mistake," he said in a statement.

Austin also offered condolences to the family of Zamarai Ahmadi, the driver of the car targeted in the strike.

"We now know that there was no connection between Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities on that day were completely harmless and not at all related to the imminent threat we believed we faced, and that Mr. Ahmadi was just as innocent a victim as were the others tragically killed," he said.

The relatives of the victims at the time told Afghanistan's TOLO news that the airstrike had targeted a car full of civilians.

If I were with them, I would also have been killed. My brother was a good man, he was like a father to us, said Ajmal, a relative of the victims.

Read more: It's in the Taliban's interest to include women

They have created a horrifying incident. Children were killed, they were burned. Bodies were slain. Our neighbours came and extinguished the car fire, said Aimal, the father of a victim.

At the Pentagon briefing, McKenzie said that 48 hours before the drone strike, sensitive intelligence indicated that the compound was being used by ISIS-K planners to facilitate future attacks.

"We were also receiving a significant number of reports indicating multiple avenues of attack, being planned simultaneously by ISIS-K would attempt to harm our forces, with rockets, suicide explosive vests, and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices," he said.

"In the 36 hours preceding the strike, our leaders at the airport and in the strike cell received more than 60 different pieces of intelligence related to imminent threats, with some corroborating and some conflicting with events observed from our UAVs flying above Kabul throughout the day," the commander of the US Central Command added.

One of the most recurring aspects of the intelligence was that ISIS-K would use a white Toyota Corolla as a key element in the next attack. Since the compound at point number one was the strongest lead for the series of imminent attacks, intense surveillance of the compound was initiated on the morning of August 29, he said.

Giving a detailed account of the strike, McKenzie said the investigation now concludes that the strike was a tragic mistake.

"First, I will stress, this was not a rushed strike. The strike cell followed and observed this vehicle and its occupants for eight hours while cross-checking what they were seeing with all available intelligence to develop a reasonable certainty of the imminent threat that this vehicle posed to our forces, he said.

While the initial reports indicated a secondary explosion, the initial investigation could only conclude that there was a possible to probable presence of external accelerants that could include either explosive material in the vehicle or ignition of the gas tank of the vehicle.

Subsequent analysis could not rule out the presence of a small amount of explosive material but determined that the most likely cause was the ignition of gas from a propane tank located immediately behind the car, McKenzie explained.

"While the team conducted the strike did so in the honest belief that they were preventing an imminent attack on our forces and civilian evacuees, we now understand that to be incorrect," he said.

"I'm here today to set the record straight and acknowledge our mistakes. I will end my remarks with the same note of sincere and profound condolences to the family and friends of those who died in this tragic strike," McKenzie said, adding the US is exploring the possibility of ex gratia payments.

Human rights group, Amnesty International said Friday's admission was an an "important step toward accountability" but added that Washington needs to take more steps, including paying reparations to family members and survivors of the strike.

"The US must now commit to a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into this incident. Anyone suspected of criminal responsibility should be prosecuted in a fair trial," said Brian Castner, a senior crisis adviser with Amnesty International's Crisis Response Programme.

House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement that "after such a devastating failure - one that, by the Department's estimate, killed 10 civilians, at least 7 of them children - it cannot be the last step."

"We need to know what went wrong in the hours and minutes leading up to the strike to prevent similar tragedies in the future," the California Democrat said, adding that his committee "will continue to press for answers."

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Bollywood choreographer Atul Jindal is gearing up for the most challenging song of his life. Titled Kanta Laga, it features not one but three big artists, namely Yo Yo Honey Singh, and sibling duo Neha and Tony Kakkar. In a freewheeling chat with Metrolife, founder of Delhi-based Big Dance Centre recounts his journey from bagging his first assignment to working with legends like Amitabh Bachchan.

What inspired you to become a Bollywood choreographer?

The Bollywood dance bug bit me early on, when I would dance at parties and family functions. But I realised if I needed to pursue it professionally, I would need to train. So I joined Broadway Dance Centre in New York in 2008 and later, trained in camera work from the University of Southern California. This taught me how to visualise the music for the camera. In terms of inspiration, I look up to Farah Khan and her songs like Ek Pal Ka Jeena and Chaiyan Chaiyan. I also enjoyed Saroj Khans Nimbooda Nimbooda.

Was your family supportive of your career?

Yes, I am quite blessed. I was the first Indian to be selected for training at Broadway in 2008. The course cost Rs 25 lakh but my parents didnt discourage me. If your parents can see your passion, they will support you (in the best way possible).

What were your initial years in the industry like?

I did my first song in 2013. It was Blue Eyes. I have done Love Dose, 4 Bottle Vodka, Loca Loca and many others since. But I am choosy about projects. I am happy to do just eight songs a year. Quality matters more to me than quantity. My journey is not limited to music video choreography alone. I run Big Dance Centre in Delhi and with that, I want to impart dance education and create a community of dancers in India.

Which celebrities have you enjoyed working with?

I loved working with Amitabh Bachchan on the song Party with the Bhoothnath from Bhoothnath Returns. He is a superstar yet he is humble and professional. He practised the song three days back-to-back. In terms of a personal favourite, its Honey Singh. He is a complete performer. He sings well, dances well and he has a great aura. Sometimes background dancers find it difficult to match up to his dance style.

What makes Kanta Laga a tough song to choreograph?

To choreograph a song that suits the dance styles of three artists and is yet new school and commercially viable, is a little difficult. Cracking the hook step is always tricky and the pandemic has made it even more challenging. Earlier, we could rehearse in dance halls and change the steps if artists werent comfortable. These things are difficult to spot and coordinate on Zoom. Im not a fan of virtual dance training. I hope we overcome these difficult times soon.

Tell us about your creative process.

I play a song 50-60 times to form a connection with it. Only then can I think of the style and steps to go with it. I also have to keep the artists in mind  whether they are gifted dancers or not. I have to consider the space, whether it will be shot at a stadium, on a staircase, or in a room. I have to think over the feel of the song. You cant simply copy whats trending (in the dance world).
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused the opposition Congress of only talking about the welfare of tribals to get their votes without actually doing anything for them, and added that the BJP, on the other hand, was committed to the development of the community.

He was speaking at the Gaurav Utsav organised in honour of tribal icons and erstwhile Gondwana Empire ruler Shankar Shah and his son Raghunath Shah at Garrison Ground here.

"Congress always talked about tribal welfare in a bid to get their votes, but did not do anything for their well-being. Their intention was to divide the tribal votes by fielding different parties and faces. But the BJP is committed and worked for the development tribals whenever it got the mandate," he said.

The BJP has provided facilities to tribals, including houses, power supply in their areas, he said, adding that the party was now trying to ensure household water supply for them so that they can lead an honourable life.

Shah said that before the BJP came to power at the Centre, only Rs 4,200 crore were allocated for tribals in the 2013-14 Union budget. "But the amount has now been raised to Rs 7,900 crore...The budget component for the tribal development under various ministries has also gone up to Rs 71,900 crore in 2021-22 from Rs 21,500 crore in 2013-14," he said.

Talking about various schemes launched by the Centre, Shah said that the coverage of scheduled tribal welfare works has been extended to 41 ministries. The Narendra Modi government has set up 18 tribal research institutes in its first term and increased that number to 27 in the second term, he added.

Shah said that during the 'Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav', the ongoing 75th anniversary celebrations of India's Independence, the Centre has decided to revive the memory of forgotten tribal leaders, who fought and sacrificed their lives during the freedom struggle. "Even before the 1857 rebellion, tribal warriors fought for freedom and independence. Historians have forgotten these brave warriors. Nobody else sacrificed their lives for the Independence like our tribal warriors did," the Union minister said.

Recalling the fight of tribal warriors against Mughals and British rulers in different parts of Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere, Shah said that the Centre has announced to set up nine museums and highlight their (tribal freedom fighters') contribution, in different parts of the country, including Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Manipur and Mizoram at a cost Rs 200 crore, of which Rs 110 crore have been spent so far. "We should not let those people succeed who are trying to divide the tribal community," he said.

Before his arrival at the programme venue, Shah was welcomed by MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his cabinet colleagues at Dumna airport around noon. After that, he visited the memorial of erstwhile Gondwana Empire ruler Shankar Shah and his son Raghunath Shah, near Rani Durgawati Hospital, and paid floral tributes. During the programme, Shah also laid the foundation stone for the construction of a museum in memory of father-son duo of Gondwana empire at a cost of Rs 5 crore.

Later in the day, Shah is scheduled to launch the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana 2.0 by handing over cooking gas connections to beneficiaries at the Veterinary College ground, and will then take part in a function at Shahid Smarak later in the evening, a release said.

After that, he is slated to visit Narsingh temple close to Shastri Bridge at 6.10 pm. After visiting Dayodaya Teerth, a place of worship associated with the Jains, at Tilwaraghat along the banks of Narmada river, he would leave for New Delhi around 7.30 pm, an official has said.
With several cases of breakthrough infections being reported globally, the debate on Covid-19 booster shots is heating up. Israel was the first country to recommend Covid-19 booster doses in July and several European nations have since followed, targeting high-risk groups.

While a US panel has approved the booster shot of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for everyone aged 65 and above, as well as people at high risk of developing severe Covid, India made clear its stance that a booster dose is not the central theme of India's vaccination drive at the moment in either scientific discussions or the public health domain.

Meanwhile, a group of health workers, some politicians and their staff have reportedly received a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine over the past few weeks in India. This has either been done without using the Co-WIN portal or through an alternate number, the report suggested. Many of these assessed their antibody levels before getting the dose.

Weighing on the ongoing debate on booster shots, Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla said Friday it was "unethical" to give third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine while developing nations are struggling to access first and second jabs.

One study suggests that after four months of the second dose, the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is less effective at preventing infection (classified as a positive PCR test), with protection falling from 96 per cent to 84 per cent. However, the research is a preprint, meaning that its results have yet to be formally reviewed by other scientists. Similarly, real-life data from Israel suggests that people above 60 who received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine in March 2021 were 1.6 times better protected against infection than those who received their second dose two months earlier. However, the data was less clear-cut when looking across other age groups. This study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

Meanwhile, Poonawalla announced a $4.9 billion (Rs 36,110 crore) deal to take a 15 per cent stake in a rival pharma firm, Biocon, allowing vaccine production to be ramped up. The 15 per cent stake in the Biocon unit is valued at more than $730 million, Biocon's Executive Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said.

Bharat Biotech on Friday said it has submitted all the data pertaining to its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin to the World Health Organization for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) and is awaiting feedback from the global health watchdog. The WHO is currently reviewing the data submitted by the vaccine-maker and the date for a decision on the jab is yet "to be confirmed," according to the update available on WHO website.

Meanwhile, India on Friday set a new Covid-19 vaccination record with over 2.5 crore jabs on a single day coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday, bringing the country within a touching distance of 80 crore vaccination milestone. The mega spike eclipsed the Chinese record of 2.43 crore vaccinations in a single day.

Buoyed by the success, the Union Health Ministry hopes to reach the landmark of 100 crore vaccination by the first week of October, coinciding again with Modi's 20th year at public office. At the end of the day, over 2.5 crore doses were administered, pushing the total vaccination count to 79.3 crore. More than 59 crore vaccines or 75 per cent of the shots have been given as the first dose, whereas 25 per cent of the Indian adults (19.75 crore) are now fully vaccinated.

This has also triggered a political row as the Congress on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should celebrate his birthday every day as some BJP-ruled states "performed" on the day and vaccinated many times the daily average.

India saw a single-day rise of 35,662 new Covid-19 infections, while the active cases increased to 3,40,639, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday. The active cases now comprise 1.02 per cent of the total infections and the national Covid-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 97.65 per cent, it said.

Healthcare officials are now worried about growing complacency as Covid-19 infection rates and deaths decline could lead to people skipping their second vaccine shots, leaving communities vulnerable to the coronavirus. Large numbers of people skipping their second dose would be particularly problematic in areas with low numbers of previously infected people, meaning more people with fewer antibodies, so those communities would be more vulnerable, an expert said.

Meanwhile, a report by Check Point Research pointed out that fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates and fake test results of 29 different countries, including India, are being sold on Telegram. According to the report, a fake vaccination certificate for India is available at a price of about $75 (Rs 5,520) each. Oded Vanunu, head (products vulnerability research) at Check Point Software Technologies, said there are people who don't want to take the vaccine but still want the freedoms that come with being vaccinated such as access to places.
A Delhi court on Saturday summoned TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate for allegedly refusing to join the probe in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma directed her to appear before the court on September 30. In its complaint, the ED alleged that Rujira has refused to appear before the agency here despite repeated summons issued to her.

The couple on Friday approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of summons issued to them by the ED for questioning in the money laundering case, saying they are residents of Kolkata and should not be compelled to join the probe in the national capital.

Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and his wife have challenged the September 10 summons and also sought directions to the ED not to summon them for their appearance in Delhi and thereby not compelling them to join the investigation in the instant case here.

The 33-year-old MP represents the Diamond Harbour seat in Lok Sabha and is the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The plea before the high court also said that a greater degree of protection is granted to a woman under Section 160 of the CrPC, which mandates that she shall not be required to attend any place other than where she resides. It claimed the repeated issuance of summons to Rujira to appear before the ED was ex-facie illegal and mala fide and sought court's intervention before any coercive measures are resorted to by the agency.

The ED lodged the case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the basis of a November 2020 FIR registered by 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.

Local coal operative Anup Majhi alias Lala is alleged to be the prime suspect in the case.

The ED had earlier claimed that Abhishek Banerjee was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade. He has denied all charges.

Abhishek Banerjee said the ED has repeatedly summoned him and his wife for examination in person in Delhi without supplying a copy of the ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) and without specifying whether they are being summoned as witnesses or accused, nor indicating the scope of the investigation being carried out.

He said their examination may take place in Kolkata where ED has a functional and fully equipped zonal office.

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Amid rising paediatric cases of a 'mystery' fever that has taken six lives so far, the West Bengal Health Department has decided to send an expert committee to North Bengal on Friday.

The move came as a political debate started after the Bharatiya Janata Party complained of negligence by the Mamata Banerjee government in handling the 'unknown' fever of the children.

According to a statement issued by the state health department altogether 1,195 children have been admitted in different state government hospitals in North Bengal with complaints of fever, cough and stomach ache. Giving a comparative figure of the previous years the state health department, however, said that this spike is natural during this time of the year.

According to data provided by the department in 2017 between September 1 and 15, there were 2,279 cases; in 2018 it was 2,049 and in 2019 it was 2,083. In 2020, the figure was lowest in the decade with only 640 children who have suffered from the same kind of influenza.

Though the state government has been trying to justify it as a natural phenomenon, in the last five days 223 children have been admitted to Purulia state general hospital and 164 have been admitted to Jalpaiguri district hospital where two children died.

On Wednesday 40 children only 40 children were admitted, and on Thursday the number of cases doubled with 40 more children admitted, of which three died.

The chief minister has said that the children who died had some other problems. Even state Health Secretary N.S. Nigam said that the children were suffering from influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and no other elements of unknown virus were detected. "The expert committee has devised a treatment protocol that will be followed in treating these children," he added.

"Higher level of diagnostic facilities for Respiratory viruses is being created at North Bengal Medical College and School of Tropical Medicine. The expert committee is developing new Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) and the paediatricians are being oriented to diagnose and treat this fever episode.

"The critical care unit for paediatric cases like NICU and PICU has already developed and is being utilised for treating more serious cases. Fortunately, the RS virus infection is generally self-limiting and cured by 3-5 days, and death rate is extremely low for such infection," a senior official of the state health department said.

The state BJP, however, alleged that the outbreak was a result of the callousness of the state government. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari who visited Coochbehar hospital on Thursday wrote to the Union Health Minister detailing out the condition of the children in the state.

"WB Administration seems to be occupied with Bhabanipur bye-elections, as it's their priority. So I'd urge Hon'ble Union Health Minister @mansukhmandviya ji to immediately dispatch a central team of experts to WB, to assist & aid the WB Health Dept in order to save our children," Adhikari wrote on Twitter.

WB Administration seems to be occupied with Bhabanipur by election, as it's their priority. So I'd urge Hon'ble Union Health Minister @mansukhmandviya ji to immediately dispatch a Central team of experts to WB, to assist & aid the WB Health Dept in order to save our children.  Suvendu Adhikari    (@SuvenduWB) September 16, 2021

Governor Jagdeep Dhakhar was also critical of the state government. Speaking to the media Dhakhar said, "I am keeping a close watch on the situation. There are lots of children who have been affected and so I would ask the state government to take a serious note of the situation and work together to save the children."

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Mizoram health department has found that the majority of the new Covid-19 infections in the state capital Aizawl was due to its residents still visiting houses of their neighbours, friends and extended families in the congested colonies despite lockdown or lockdown-like restrictions in place since April.

The Covid-19 situation in Mizoram remained grim with the state reporting over 1,400 cases on Saturday and the positivity rate stood at 17.65%. Of the total 13,640 active cases in the state on Saturday, 8,546 were in Aizawl and 198 of the total 257 deaths so far were also from the state capital.

A review meeting held by Health Minister, R Lalthangliana on Thursday found that the state's lone dedicated Covid hospital, Zoram Medical College was struggling to cater to the influx of new Covid-19 positive persons with both the Covid ward and the ICU stretched to their limits.

"The 34-bedded ICU is constantly operating at 100% occupancy, and immediately needs to be augmented," an official in the health department said on Saturday.

DH on September 15 highlighted how the hilly Northeastern state was grappling with the rising Covid-19 cases and deaths at a time other states were resuming activities following a dip in cases.

Also read: Covid-19 Vaccine Matters: Booster shot debate heats up

The meeting said over 71% of the total Covid-19 related deaths were in Aizawl.

"Even as the government imposed lockdown or lockdown like restrictions for the maximum time in Aizawl since the second wave started in April, residents continue to visit the houses of their neighbours and relatives using the thoroughfares which remain undetected from outside. As a result, the lockdown like restrictions seems to be not working in Aizawl," said the official.

"Unless and until people change their behaviour, preventing new infection will be impossible for the government agencies," he said.

Aizawl's population is about 3 lakh. Thousands live on the buildings constructed on the hill slopes and they use the thoroughfares to reach the houses situated below instead of taking road routes.

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Ending months-long suspense over the power tussle in Punjab, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday resigned from the top state post, saying he felt "humiliated" with developments in the last two months and asserting there are "options" for him in future politics, which he will exercise at right time.

The Congress' decision to go in for the big bang shakeup in the state is akin to the BJP changing its Chief Minister and state cabinet lock stock and barrel in another poll-bound state Gujarat. However, elections in Punjab are just four months away and the internal divide in the state runs deep, raising questions on the impact of the desperate bid to beat the anti-incumbency.

Congress' internal surveys had hinted that the party may find it difficult to win the polls under the incumbent Chief Minister but an angry former CM can make the matters worse for the party. Singh asserted that he had fulfilled more than 90 per cent of poll promises made in the manifesto, not done by any Chief Minister and wondered "what else I could have done?"

"I am not angry. I feel let down. I feel humiliated," he said.

Slamming his bete noire, the Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, who kept up a relentless campaign against him, the Chief Minister called him a "disaster" and an "incompetent" person, who, he will "certainly not accept" as the next Chief Minister of Punjab.

Meanwhile, a meeting of Congress Legislature Party attended by more than 70 MLAs, passed resolutions, asking party chief Sonia Gandhi to pick up the next CM and thank the outgoing Chief Minister's contribution to the state and the party during his nine and half-year tenure.

The meeting happened after 50 MLAs wrote to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, seeking removal of the Chief Minister, which many believe was a scripted play after the high command realised that given the deep divide within the party unit and strong anti-incumbency, changing the 79-year-old CM would be the right decision keeping in mind future Congress interest as well.

A visibly upset Chief Minister conceded he felt isolated and made no bones about his view on the PCC chief saying he will "oppose tooth and nail" if Sidhu replaces him as Chief Minister, whom he accused of being an "anti-national element" recalling how Sidhu had in 2018 hugged Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Indications emerged with the PCC chief Sidhu being a Jat Sikh and given the Opposition of the Chief Minister to his anointing for the CM's post, the Congress leadership could go in for middle path and have a Hindu face, (most probably former PCC chief Sunil Jakhar) as new CM for few months till the elections.

Singh recalled, "Sunil Jakhar was my PCC chief".

Also read: Amarinder Singh-Rahul Gandhi feud not new, turns full circle

"I will not agree with Navjot Sidhu. If Sidhu is going to be the face of the Congress, he will have my total opposition. I will not accept him because I know what his capabilities are. He is a total disaster. He was a minister in my government. He could not run one ministry. How can he run the entire government? He will ruin the entire state," the Chief Minister said.

He also rejected the contention that Sidhu has the support of people or MLAs saying "MLAs respond to anything that Delhi wants," indicating that he sees the party high commands' hand in his removal but declined to answer why it was done, saying it for the Congress leadership to say.

He voiced anguish over the party leadership calling MLAs to meet three times in the last two months.

"If there is no confidence in me then there is no point in my remaining as CM. Now I have resigned. They can make anyone CM," he said tersely.

Asserting that politics is not a static game but a moving game, Singh said, "There are options in. When the options come, I will see," the Chief Minister said, making it clear that he is not going to hang his boots in near time.

However, he did not rule out the possibility of working with the BJP.

"Let us drop this question of what will happen. One task has been completed. There could be other tasks. What to say. Politics is a long term game. In politics, options are never closed. I am 80-year-old and can work for 10 more years. I am not the one to leave this way," he said.

He asserted that he has many friends in politics, which he has cultivated in the last 52 years.

Meanwhile, Opposition AAP hit out at the Congress over the "fight over the chair".

"Congress is a sinking Titanic. It has already hit the iceberg. People have understood this. The biggest casualty has been governance in this ongoing game of thrones in Punjab," AAP leader Raghav Chadha said.
The Income Tax department on Saturday continued for the second day its searches here at properties and institutes linked to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in an alleged tax evasion case, local police officials said.

After conducting searches at the NCP leader's houses in Nagpur and Katol and the National Institute of Technology (NIT) at Fetri the day before, IT officials on Saturday reached the Shri Sai Shikshan Sanshta's office in Ramdaspeth area here.

Searches at the NIT at Fetri also continued, officials added. Teams of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed for the protection of IT officials.

The focus of the investigation was a Rs 4.18 crore donation allegedly received by the Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha, sources said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had alleged earlier that the amount was deposited in cash with four Delhi-based companies and these firms then routed it to Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha Trust, a charitable trust controlled by Deshmukh and his family.

The 71-year-old leader is also being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a corruption case related to allegations of bribery made by former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh.
Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Saturday said Indianisation of the country's legal system is the need of the hour and it is crucial to make the justice delivery system more accessible and effective. He said Courts need to be litigant-centric, and the simplification of justice delivery should be the pressing concern.

"Very often our justice delivery poses many barriers for the common people. The working and the style of courts do not sit well with the complexities of India. Our systems, practice, rules being colonial in origin, it may not be best suited to the needs of the Indian population," Justice Ramana said.

Speaking at an event organised to pay tributes to late Supreme Court judge Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar, he said the need of the hour is the "Indianisation of our legal system." "When I say Indianisation, I mean the need to adapt to the practical realities of our society and to localise our justice delivery system. For example, parties from a rural place fighting a family dispute are usually made to feel out of place in the court; they do not understand arguments or pleadings which are mostly in English, a language alien to them," he added.

Also Read | CJI Ramana terms Indira Gandhi's disqualification in 1975 a 'judgement of great courage'

Further noting that these days judgments have become lengthy, the Chief Justice said it further complicates the position of the litigants.

"For parties to understand the implication of the judgment they are forced to spend more money. Courts need to be litigant-centric as they are the ultimate beneficiaries. The simplification of justice delivery should be our pressing concern. It is crucial to make justice delivery more transparent, accessible and effective," he said.

Justice Ramana said procedural barriers often undermine access to justice. "A common man while approaching the court should not feel scared of judges and the courts; he should be able to speak the truth.

It is the duty of lawyers and judges to create an environment which is comforting for litigants and other stakeholders," he said. "We must not forget that the focal point of any justice system is the litigant, the justice seeker," he said, adding that "usage of alternative dispute mechanisms such as mediation and conciliation would go a long way in reducing the friction between parties and would save resources.

It also reduces the pendency and requirement of having lengthy arguments and judgments." Remembering Justice Shantanagoudar who died on April 25 at a private hospital in Gurugram, where he was admitted due to a lung infection, at the age of 62, as an "extraordinary judge", the Chief Justice said these are the topics he used to discuss with him everyday.

Expressing "deep gratitude" to Shantanagoudar's contribution to Indian Judiciary and the country's jurisprudence and for his friendship, the Chief Justice said, "in losing him the country has lost a common man's Judge. I have personally lost a most cherished friend and a valuable colleague." Justice S Abdul Nazeer, Justice A S Bopanna, Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, Justice B V Nagarathna, Acting Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Satish Chandra Sharma, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Law Minister J C Madhuswamy, several present and former judges of Supreme Court and High Court, office-bearers and members of Bar Council, among others, were present.

Also Read | Need to instil ideals of Swami Vivekananda in today's youth: CJI Ramana

Late Justice Shantanagoudar's family was also present at the event. Recalling his long association with him since a young age, Chief Minister Bommai said Shantanagoudar was a down to earth personality and called him a "common man's judge". "He (Shantanagoudar) was a lively person, he made everyone around him lively. His simplicity, warmth and connection with the roots were really outstanding," he said.

Bommai also recalled that Shantanagoudar wanted to join politics and wanted to contest Lok Sabha polls and had held discussion with his father, former Chief Minister, the late S R Bommai, in this regard. His father advised him to continue with his legal profession as he saw a bright future for him in it, Bommai said.

Recalling his long association, Justice Nazeer said Shantanagoudar was called "Shantamurthy Shantanagoudar", and his intelligence and empathy were the guiding force behind his judgments. Paying tributes, Justice Bopanna said, "his achievements and good deeds will continue to inspire all of us."

Whie Justice Oka remembered Shantanagoudar as a judge who spoke his mind and someone who upheld individual liberty, Justice B V Nagarathna said, as a Judge, he exhibited a great degree of compassion, statesmanship and leadership. "He truly believed that justice delayed is justice denied." Shantanagoudar was elevated as a judge of the Supreme Court on February 17, 2017.

He would have remained in office till May 5, 2023. Born on May, 5, 1958, in Karnataka, Shantanagoudar got himself enrolled as an advocate on September 5, 1980. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Karnataka High Court on May 12, 2003, and became a permanent judge in the court in September 2004.

Later, Justice Shantanagoudar was transferred to the Kerala High Court, where he assumed charge as the acting chief justice on August 1, 2016. He became the chief justice of the Kerala High Court on September 22, 2016, before being elevated as an apex court judge.

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A change of guard appeared imminent in Punjab Congress with indications emerging that Captain Amarinder Singh will step down, but there are serious questions over his bete noire Navjot Singh Sidhu replacing him.

Also, there is still no clarity about the time of such a change of guard as the party leadership is keen to avoid a spectacle ugly power fights and factional pulls and pressures. Much will depend on the Captain himself, who had time and again said he would abide by the decision of the high command.

Indications of a likely change in Congress state unit have emerged hours before the all important meeting of Congress legislature party in Chandigarh on Saturday evening, after 50 legislators wrote to the party high command seeking the Chief Minister's replacement.

While Punjab PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu received the party's central observer Ajay Maken at Chandigarh airport, there is a buzz that the party could go in for an interim Chief Minister for the time being.

Read | Haryana ministers, BJP leaders slam Punjab CM over remarks on farmers stir

Ahead of the likely major shake up, the names of some leaders close to Amarinder Singh as his replacement were doing the rounds, but it remains to be seen whether the party would like to create another power centre in the already faction-ridden Punjab Congress unit just six months away from elections.

"There is no fight (koi ghamasan nahin hai). There is going to be a meeting of Congress legislature party," AICC general secretary and party's central observer for Punjab Maken said, parrying questions about a change of guard in Punjab.

In the 117-member Punjab Assembly, Congress had won 77 seats in 2017 under the leadership of Amarinder Singh.

The letter by 50 legislators to Sonia Gandhi seeking a change of guard was not the first development in this regard. Earlier, more than two dozen Congress legislators last month had raised the banner of revolt, and four ministers from Punjab government had met AICC in-charge for Punjab Harish Rawat, seeking the CM's replacement.

Rawat earlier this month said he can't say that all is well in Punjab Congress.

"I won't say all is well, but we are heading towards that. There are some issues, but we are towards their resolution. We are a political organisation. Issues come up, but they are resolved," Rawat had said.

Perhaps the party's central leadership realised that with both factions led by PCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and Captain Amarinder Singh toughening their stand, a final decision keeping in long term interests of the party is needed now.

Singh, who is the tallest leader of Congress, is 79 and there is a view in the party that Congress needs to look cultivating future leadership in the party and cannot allow the party to go astray as happened in Himachal Pradesh and Assam, where the party could not grow a second leadership.

However, the CM's loyalists in Punjab, many of whom are senior leaders, are not ready to accept the leadership of Sidhu, who came to Congress from BJP more than four and half years back.

With 50 MLAs writing to the party top brass against the CM's continuance, the writing on the wall appears getting clear to Captain himself, who has been a colossal figure in Punjab Congress for decades.

While there was no official confirmation, there was speculation that the Chief Minister spoke to the central leadership to voice his "anguish" over the "humiliation". Singh is also meeting MLAs close to him before the crucial CLP meeting.

Sidhu, who had quit the Punjab cabinet as a minister in 2019, had never left an opportunity to take potshots on Captain, his governments' policies and his style of functioning. Sidhu was made Punjab PCC chief in the third week of July, ignoring the objections from the Chief Minister and his camp followers, indicating that the party top brass is looking for a reboot in the state unit.

While Maken and Harish Chaudhary will attend the meeting as central observers, Rawat will also be present during the meeting. The leadership will be keen that the change of guard is a smooth affair.

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The way to Delhi goes via Uttar Pradesh, said Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stressing that the upcoming state Assembly elections are crucial to restore democracy, secularism and brotherhood.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also said the challenge before the media is to maintain objectivity and transparency as strong journalism leads to strong democracy.

"The way to Delhi goes via Uttar Pradesh, hence, the upcoming elections in the politically significant state holds importance to restore democracy, secularism and brotherhood, the hallmarks of our Constitution," he said.

Read more: Beware of BJP's 'e-Ravans' on social media who'll spread lies ahead of UP polls: Akhilesh to SP workers

Yadav once again claimed that his party will win 400 of 403 Assembly seats in the Assembly polls.

He also alleged that "a section of the media is creating perceptions and setting narratives to earn handsome revenue".

"Print media in particular is facing a big challenge to maintain fair news dissemination without bothering about revenue in the present scenario," he said.

Today, like political parties, the media also stands a "big challenge" to maintain objectivity and transparency without any "bias" during the upcoming UP Assembly polls so that people know the truth, he said.

"When journalism is strong, democracy becomes strong," he added addressing the annual general body meeting of the All-India Federation of PTI Employees Unions here.

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Two unidentified bike-borne men allegedly opened fire outside the paternal house of Tihar Jail's assistant superintendent in outer Delhi's Alipur area, police said on Saturday.

The assistant superintendent, who is posted in Tihar's central jail no. 3, resides in the staff quarters inside the prison premises while his elderly parents live alone at their house in a village in Alipur area of outer Delhi, they said.

According to sources, it is suspected that the jail official had allegedly slapped a Tihar Jail inmate and the incident may have been its fallout.

A senior police officer said all these aspects are being looked into and is part of the ongoing investigation.

The police said the exact motive behind the incident will be ascertained with the arrest of the suspects.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer-North) Rajiv Ranjan Singh said, "We have registered a case under IPC section of attempt to murder and Arms act.

"We are analysing all the CCTV footage and technical evidence. Multiple teams are working to nab the suspects in the case."

The assailants fire three bullets outside the paternal house of the assistant superintendent, officials said

The incident on Friday afternoon was caught on CCTV camera, police said.

According to the police, the two-bike borne men wearing masks and helmets came to the house of the senior jail official.

When his elderly mother opened the door, the unknown assailants asked for her husband. However, when she asked them the reason, they fired three rounds at an iron gate to scare the elderly couple, a senior police officer said.

Soon after the incident, they fled the spot, he said.

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The Punjab Police on Saturday described the Jalalabad motorcycle blast as an "act of terror" and said it has arrested one person in connection with the case.

The accused has been identified as Parveen Kumar, a native of Fazilka district's Dharmupura village, which is just three kilometers from the India-Pakistan border, police said.

A 22-year-old man, Balwinder Singh, was killed after the fuel tank of his motorcycle exploded in Fazilka's Jalalabad on September 15.

During the investigation, Kumar's role in hatching a conspiracy to blow up the motorcycle in a crowded area came to light, the police said.

After learning about Kumar's role, the Fazilka police launched a probe based on the available clues and arrested him on Saturday, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ferozepur Range, Jatinder Singh Aulakh said in a statement.

During questioning, Kumar revealed that the motorcycle that was being driven by Balwinder was supposed to be parked in a crowded area in Jalalabad city, the officer said.

Kumar also revealed that the planning for this "act of terror" was done on September 14 at the house of one Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, a resident of Ferozepur's Chandi Wala village, the IGP said.

Gurpreet Singh, a native of Lakhmir Ke Hitthar village in Mamdot, was also part of the plan, he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Hilori said that based on the inputs gathered from Kumar, all four accused, including Balwinder, have been booked and efforts are on to arrest Sukhwinder and Gurpreet.

He said all the four accused have a criminal background and are related to each other.

Based on Kumar's instance and information provided by a farmer, a tiffin bomb that the accused had hidden in the fields in his village was also recovered, the police said.

On August 8, the Amritsar Rural police had recovered five hand grenades and a tiffin bomb from Daleke village in Lopoke.

On August 20, the Kapurthala police had also recovered two hand grenades, one tiffin bomb and other explosive material from Phagwara.

Another tiffin bomb was used to blow up an oil tanker in Ajnala on August 8.

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The local administration has retrieved over 28 acres of prime government land from encroachment in the outskirts of Jammu city, officials said

On the directions of Deputy Commissioner Anshul Garg, a team conducted the anti-encroachment drive and retrieved 14.89 acres of government land in Ghoumanhasan village. Over 13 acres of government land was retrieved at Teda village, they said.

Recently, 3 acres of land was also retrieved at Chowadi village, out of which two Kanal was handed over to PDD for the construction of a Receiving Station at Chowadi, officials said.

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By Archana Chaudhary

Central Asian countries could unlock their vast economic potential by connecting with the India-backed Chabahar port in Iran, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, making a case for his country to push for stronger trade links in a region that has seen investments pouring in from China.

The Chabahar port, which took years to build, was supposed to open up an important route to connect Afghanistan to Central Asia while bypassing Indias main rival, Pakistan. With the Taliban in power, the port could face a more difficult operating environment although the militant group has said it wanted continue economic and political ties with India.

Modi, who was addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO,  a meeting of leaders from countries who are mostly neighbors of Afghanistan, said Central Asian countries would benefit from connecting with Indias vast market.

Central Asias vast economic potential has remained untapped because of radicalisation and extremism, Modi said in a speech delivered via video link at the SCO meeting in Tajikistan. If the region wants to benefit from fossil fuels or intra-SCO trade, we will need to lay more emphasis on connectivity.

Also Read | Continuing instability in Afghanistan will embolden terrorism: PM Modi

Afghanistan was among the issues discussed by the SCO leaders on Thursday and Friday at Tajikistans capital of Dushanbe. The eight-member bloc includes India, China and Pakistan while Afghanistan is not a member.

Keeping Chabahar port going has been a concern for India as it faces competition from China for influence in the region. Beijing has invested heavily in the port of Gwadar in Pakistan, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the east across Irans border with Pakistan.

The Taliban declined to join talks with India, Iran and Uzbekistan on the Chabahar port and the North-South Transport Corridor, according to news reports, fueling some uncertainty over its future as Afghanistan is a crucial link in the 7,200-kilometre route.

India has backed the North-South corridor, which includes highways and railways connecting Chabahar in Iran with Russia that will cut time taken by shipments between Europe and central Asian markets. Earlier this year, New Delhi proposed the India-Uzbekistan-Iran-Afghanistan Quadrilateral Working Group to discuss shared use of the Chabahar port.

These projects now face delays and may have a part to play in India missing its target to boost overall merchandise exports by $400 billion in the 2021-2022 calender year. Indias trade with the entire Central Asia region including Russia was just $16.1 billion in 2020, just 2 per cent of of its its total annual volumes.

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Actor-philanthropist Sonu Sood, his entities and associates have evaded tax to the tune of Rs 20 crore, kept charity funds unutilised, engaged in bogus contracts and dubious circular transactions all totalling Rs 250 crore, according to the Income Tax department.

The federal tax collection agency is carrying out an operation at two dozen locations linked to the celebrity, who emerged as the messiah of migrant workers during the Covid-19 triggered lockdown.

Two infrastructure companies - based in Lucknow and Jaipur - have also come under the scanner of taxmen.

The IT department on Saturday issued a statement on the search and seizure operation related to Sood, however, has not named him though the press statement mentions that it is related to a prominent actor.

According to the initial estimates, Rs 20 crore tax evasion has been detected and incriminating documents were seized.

Read | Income Tax dept searches places linked to Sonu Sood for second day

A total of 28 premises spread over Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, and Gurgaon have been covered in the search operation, the IT department said.

During the course of search at the premises of the actor and his associates, incriminating evidence pertaining to tax evasion have been found. The main modus operandi followed by the actor had been to route his unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities, the IT department said.

Investigations so far have revealed use of 20 such entries, the providers of which on examination, have accepted on oath to have given bogus accommodation entries.

They have accepted to have issued cheques in lieu of cash. There have been instances where professional receipts have been camouflaged as loans in the books of accounts for the purpose of evasion of tax. It has also been revealed that these bogus loans have been used for making investments and acquiring properties, the press statement said.

The Sood Charity Foundation incorporated by the actor on 21 July, 2020 has collected donations to the tune of Rs 18.94 crore from 01.04.2021 till date, out of which it has spent around Rs. 1.9 crore towards various relief work and the balance of Rs. 17 crore has been found lying unutilised in the bank account of the foundation till date.

It is seen that funds to the tune of Rs. 2.1 crore have also been raised by the foundation from overseas donors on a crowdfunding platform in violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) regulations, the statement reads.

The simultaneous search operations carried out at various premises of an Infrastructure group in Lucknow in which Sood has entered into a joint venture real estate project and invested substantial funds, have resulted in unearthing of incriminating evidence pertaining to tax evasion and irregularities in the books of account.

The search has revealed the group is involved in bogus billing of subcontracting expenses and siphoning off of funds.

Evidence of such bogus contracts found so far are to the tune of over Rs. 65 crore.

Evidence of unaccounted cash expenses, unaccounted sale of scrap and digital data evidencing unaccounted cash transactions has also been found.

Further, it has been unearthed that the infrastructure group/company has entered into a dubious circular transaction to the tune of Rs. 175 crore with an infrastructure company based in Jaipur. Further investigations are being carried out to establish the full extent of tax evasion.

Rs 1.8 crore in cash has been seized during the course of the search and 11 lockers have been placed under prohibitory orders.

The search operation is still continuing and further investigations are in progress.

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Tarique Parveen, an alleged aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested by Thane police on Friday in an extortion case where IPS officer Param Bir Singh is one of the accused.

Tarique Abdul Karim Merchanta alias Tarique Parveen (55), who was already in jail in another case, was wanted in the case registered with the Thane Nagar police station here, an official said.

The present FIR names over 20 persons including Singh, who had been police commissioner of Mumbai and Thane, and some other police officers. It was filed on the complaint of builder Ketan Tanna, who alleged that Singh and other officers extorted money from him by threatening to frame him up in false cases when Singh was Thane police commissioner.

Parveen, accused in another extortion case, was lodged in the Taloja jail.

A court in Mumbai on Friday ordered that he be handed over to Thane police. Thane police produced him before a local court which remanded him in police custody till September 22.

Singh has not been arrested in the case so far. He was transferred from the post of Mumbai police commissioner in March in the aftermath of the `Antilia bomb scare incident'.

He later accused then Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh of corruption, which led to the minister's eventual resignation.

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State-owned airline Air India runs the best chance of finally moving out of the government's hands. On September 15 evening, Tuhin Pandey, Secretary, DIPAM, tweeted, "Financial bids for Air India divestment received by Transaction Adviser. The process now moves to the concluding stage."

Shortly after the tweet, Tata Sons confirmed that it had bid for the Maharaja. Sources also indicated that SpiceJet's promoter Ajay Singh too, had bid.

After two unsuccessful attempts at divesting the Maharaja, the government has made the terms more favourable for the bidders. The government is selling 100 per cent of its equity share capital in the state-owned airline, including Air India's shareholding interest of 100 per cent in AI Express Limited and 50 per cent in Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited.

Air India's divestment process started in December 2020 with the Expression of Interest being called from prospective bidders. The government has since then been taking steps to ensure that this divestment process is successful.

In October last year, the government decided not to predetermine Air India's debt levels and leave it to the market to determine as these were uncertain times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Apart from the market-determined price that the two bidders have quoted, they will have to provide 15 per cent of that value as cash.

Read | Financial bids received for Air India disinvestment; Tatas among suitors

Earlier this month, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that the buyer of a state-run company could carry forward losses of the erstwhile state-owned company and claim up to 30 per cent tax rebate annually.

In another move to encourage buyers, this time around, the new owner only needs to pick up all aircraft-related debt, including normal working capital debt. In contrast, the debt relating to excess working capital and some debt guaranteed by the government has been transferred to a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up a few years ago.

In February 2021, the civil aviation minister had informed Rajya Sabha that national carrier Air India's total debt as per provisional figures for 2019-20 (April-March) was Rs 38,366.39 crore after transfer of debt amounting to Rs 22,064 crore to an SPV.

Air India is an attractive buy this time around as the new owner will get about 1,500 highly trained pilots capable of flying the Airbus 320 aircraft, which criss-cross the country and fly to neighbouring countries. The new owner will also get pilots who can fly the bigger Boeing 777 and 787 aircraft, which are currently doing non-stop flights between India and the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany and other parts of Europe. The new owner will also get over 2,000 trained engineers to look after the fleet, which in May this year stood at 173 aircraft, including 13 Boeing 777-300 Extended Range, three Boeing 777-200 Long Range, 27 Boeing 787-800 and 27 Airbus 321-New Engine Option aircraft.

Another plus for Air India's new owner will be the slots that the airline has in airports around the globe, including in New York, Chicago, London, Narita (in Japan) and Seoul. In Mumbai itself, the airline has 18-morning departure slots. A slot is defined as the scheduled time of arrival or departure made available at an airport to an airline for operating regular flights.

The new owner will thus get an airline that started in 1932, which set the benchmark for other global airlines and sound marketing in many foreign countries to which the airline operates.

Given this situation, it will most likely be the third time lucky for both Air India and the government when divesting the Maharaja.

In 2001, the Vajpayee government attempted to sell Air India, then primarily operating only international flights. The Tatas and Singapore Airlines formed a consortium, but the consortium eventually pulled out with things moving at a snail's pace. Initially, the Hinduja Group was also in the fray at that time. The entire process was called off for various reasons, including the terror attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001.

In 2017 the Modi government again unsuccessfully attempted to sell Air India, and it had by then been merged and was a combination of domestic and international routes. Still, no bids were received as the market was said to be lukewarm to the idea of owning only 76 per cent of Air India's stake that was on offer.

This time around, if the Tatas successfully win the bid for Air India, it will be a sweet victory for the group. The original Air India was set up by JRD Tata, who launched Air India international when known international carriers like KLM, Air France and Imperial Airways were dominant players on the India-UK route. In 1948, a brand new Lockheed Constellation L-749 made its first Mumbai-Geneva-London flight, flying in Air India International's colours.

(The writer is a journalist)
Bengal has been the hub of political violence for decades. From the killing of 16 Anandamargi sadhus and a sadhvi in broad daylight in Kolkata in 1982 to recent post-poll violence, there are innumerable instances of the party-in-power unleashing terror on chosen opponents. Such atrocities going unchecked is the impunity factor ruling party cadres and leaders enjoy.

But this scenario has suddenly undergone a significant change, unnerving a section of the present ruling party, the Trinamool Congress and the state police.

Since last May, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that hundreds of its supporters have been subjected to assault and forced to flee their homes after the Assembly polls outcome. A few English and Hindi TV channels traced such BJP supporters to Assam. The BJP also cried itself hoarse of its supporters being killed and raped. Following the decades-long tradition of successive governments, Mamata Banerjee too went into a denial mode.

But the situation started changing subsequently. A National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team investigated the allegations, and it substantiated some in the report it submitted to Calcutta High Court. In turn, the High Court ordered a CBI probe for those relating to murders and rapes. The state government has recently moved the Supreme Court against the order, but the apex court has not stayed so far.

Also read: A rival rises: Mamata on global list of influentials

Meanwhile, four teams of the CBI have filed more than 30 FIRs. The CBI on Thursday interrogated Sheikh Sufian, Mamata Banerjee's election agent for the Nandigram constituency, about a murder case. The net is widening, and a lot many Trinamool workers are under the lens.

This rare instance of the CBI investigating a non-riot case involving the culpability of hundreds across districts of a state gives Union Home Minister Amit Shah leverage to dent the ruling party cadres' impunity and tweak the situation in the BJP's favour.

To the Trinamool's discomfort, the CBI probe into post-poll violence has come over and above so many other cases related to Bengal, like Saradha, Narada, coal scam and smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh.

The Centre is not concerned about the victims of the fraud cases and wants to leverage those for political purposes has already been clear from the slow or no progress of Saradha and other chit fund cases. But Narendra Modi and Shah should by now have learned that the people of Bengal can see through such cheap designs. The BJP aspired for 200 plus seats in the Assembly of 294 but could bag only 75.

So, it is likely that with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Hindutva brigade would speed up probes in all the cases with the CBI and Enforcement Directorate and will also utilise the Income Tax Department. There are numerous allegations involving almost all the influential Trinamool leaders, and the Centre may leverage these cases to knock down Trinamool's top leadership.

Also read: Former BJP leader Babul Supriyo joins TMC

The CBI has taken to summon Abhishek Banerjee repeatedly. Is the Centre planning to pin corruption charges on Mamata Banerjee's nephew? We shall soon know. The CBI has started interrogating senior ministers like Partha Chatterjee. Two other ministers of the Mamata Banerjee government  Firhad Hakim, the most prominent Muslim face, and Subrata Mukherjee, the senior-most man in the cabinet  are out on bail in the Narada case.

So, the pressure from the central agencies is two-pronged. The central agencies are investigating corruption cases against the upper echelons of the ruling party's leadership. But they are also probing cases of post-poll violence against the party's most belligerent sections of its cadres in the districts. This cadre force had helped the Left Front retain area control for decades and is now propping up the Trinamool. If some of them go to jail facing murder charges by the CBI, it will demoralise the whole lot.

Also read: With Rahul Gandhis failure, Mamata Banerjee is the only alternative to Modi: TMC mouthpiece

Meanwhile, the BJP has brought in the communal angle, and not so subtly, in post-poll violence cases. Suvendu Adhikari, the opposition leader in the Assembly, has said that the violence was targeted against those who adhered to Sanatan dharma (or Hindus). Notably, Suvendu Adhikari, and not state BJP unit chief Dilip Ghosh, met Shah in Delhi at regular intervals for the last few months.

That such pro-Hindu campaigns are hitting the ruling party is evident because while campaigning in her constituency, Bhabanipur, Mamata Banerjee has said she would never allow anyone to "create Pakistan" in India.

As of the Samajwadi Party of Uttar Pradesh, Mamata Banerjee's problem is that the Trinamool is now dependent on Muslim votes to win the state. Her advantage is that unlike in UP, where Muslims comprise 20 per cent of the electorate, in Bengal, the community is 30 per cent.

(The writer is a journalist based in Kolkata)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
The Karnataka Assembly on Friday passed a Bill to set up a Prison Development Board to take up reforms in the states penitentiaries, following a serious debate on the current state-of-affairs.

The Karnataka Prison Development Board Bill envisages skill improvement and welfare of both prisoners and prison staff.

It also talks about the development of modern prison industries, job-oriented skill programmes for prisoners including technical programmes specific to different trades, through the Board.

Piloting the Bill, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said the Board would enable prisoners to walk out of prison as "productive individuals who can fend for their families".

Karnataka has 107 prisons of which nine are central prisons, 21 district prisons, 1 open prison, 29 taluk prisons (under the Prisons Department) and 47 taluk prisons (under Revenue Department).

Their authorised accommodation is 14,080, but the number of inmates in 2019-20 was 14,423 and most of them were undertrials.

The Board will have a separate prison development fund, which will include money raised by manufacturing activities taken up by prisoners, funds generated by sale of property if any, donations from NGOs and through CSR initiatives, among other sources.

The Bill was passed amid scepticism that some MLAs expressed on the prison system having become corrupt with many illegal activities going unchecked.

Former Speaker KR Ramesh Kumar said jails had themselves become a hub of illegal activities, an opinion backed by several other legislators including UT Khader, Ramalinga Reddy and K Annadani.

"Instead of being a deterrent to crime, jail has become an attractive place for youth with all facilities. A culprit walks out with a bigger network that he has gained from the prison," he said.

Some legislators also pointed out that prisoners were unauthorisedly accessing mobile phones from the jail. Prisons have also turned dens for alcohol, drugs and other illegal activities, they alleged. "In Mangaluru, the jammer affects phones outside the prison, not inside," Khader said.

Along with passing the Bill, the government must ensure a clean prison system, Reddy urged.

Minister remembers jail time

Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said his personal experience in the prison strengthened his desire to bring reforms. He was imprisoned for close to six months during the emergency period, the minister recalled, stating that he had to pay about Rs 8,000 to the jailer for his release.

In this context, he also assured that he would issue strict directions to ensure the release of prisoners immediately after their acquittal.

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Kabir Bedi recalls how Salman Khan's newfound stardom pushed him and Sunil Dutt into 'background music' in Kurbaan

Kabir Bedi has always been a huge fan of Sunil Dutt, like so many Indian cinema lovers. In his autobiography, Stories I Must Tell, he had mentioned about a fanboy moment when he had first met Sunil Dutt for the first time. He also shared screen with the actor in Kurbaan. However, he recalled how both he and Dutt were pushed to background music because Salman Khan, a newcomer then, and his sudden stardom.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kabir Bedi (@ikabirbedi)

Interacting with the media in a recent event, Kabir Bedi said, "I'd seen Dutt saab in Mother India and I was like, Oh my God, what an actor. When I came to Bombay, I went to meet him and told him Dutt saab, today my childhood dream has been fulfilled having met you. And then a producer came to me and said, theyve got a film called 'Kurbaan', where Dutt saab and I had to play two giants in a village and they were going to have a clash. And it would be a fantastic clash of titans. It was he who had also recommended Salman Khan's name for the film. He added, I'd heard Salim Khan's son Salman Khan had started acting and he was garnering quite the reputation. So that's how they signed Salman and he had just started his career.

But by the time the film was made, Salman became a superstar. Kabir Bedi recalled, "Bollywood films in those days particularly were shot in a sort of installment plan. You know, theyd shoot a few days every month and it would keep going on. It used to take about two years to make a film and while the shooting for Kurbaan was going on, four of Salman's films released and became superhits. Immediately, the scenes in our film were converted into a love story, and Dutt saab and I became the background music."

The film, that released in 1991 also marked Ayesha Jhukla's debut in Bollywood.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra shares cryptic message on 'new endings' amid Raj Kundra's pornography case

Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty Kudra started her Saturday on a thoughtful note with a message about 'bad decisions' and 'brand new ending', amid the ongoing porn racket controversy surrounding her husband Raj Kundra. Shilpa took to her Instagram handle and shared a Story featuring a picture from a book that included a quote by Carl Bard. The quote read, "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." Below the quote was a note that explained how humans spend a lot of time thinking and analysing their bad decisions, mistakes and more. It further expressed that while one can't change the past, one can move forward in life to make better decisions. It ended with a thought, "I don't have to be defined by things I've done in the past. I can make the future what I want it to be." See the post here:

Earlier, reports had also been doing the rounds that Shilpa is thinking about ending her relationship with husband Raj Kundra and is looking forward to a new beginning with her kids. In a statement given to the police after Kundra's arrest, she had claimed that she had no idea about what Raj had been doing and was busy with her own work.

Recently, Shilpa had paid a visit to Mata Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu and Kashmir's Katra to seek the blessings of the Lord. Pictures doing rounds on the internet showed her taking the journey to the shrine on a horse. She even interacted with other devotees there. Her pilgrimage visit came at the same time when Mumbai Police's crime branch filed a supplementary charge sheet against Raj in the pornography case.

As per information shared by Mumbai police on Thursday, the 1500-page charge sheet contained the statements of 43 witnesses including Shilpa. The charge sheet also included the names of two wanted accused in the case. Raj was arrested by police on July 19 along with 11 other people on charges related to the alleged creation of pornographic films.

Meanwhile, on the work front, after taking a brief hiatus following Raj's arrest, Shilpa is once again busy judging the dance reality show 'Super Dancer 4', alongside Geeta Kapur and Anurag Basu. On the film front, she was recently seen in Priyadarshan's 'Hungama 2'.
The Family Addiction Support Network has begun an emergency fundraising appeal to keep their doors open, with the needing to raise 20,000 to remain active.

The group, which have helped local families impacted by addiction for over 20 years, have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise the 20,000 they need to keep their doors open.

A GoFundMe page and other fundraising events are being organised due to the lack of financial commitment for funding from the Government and because the organisation needs to raise funds immediately to continue delivering the essential services for affected family members, said the FASN in a statement.

The main aim of this emergency fundraising campaign is to avoid closing the doors of the organisation which will force them to abandon families currently availing of services who have nowhere else to turn to.

Alongside the GoFundMe, FASN are organising the FASN 5K & Family Fun Run Fundraiser in collaboration with An Garda Siochana in Louth and its set to take place on October 17th 2021 at 12 noon.

FASN have said all the funds raised will go towards their services.

The group are also seeking support from local businesses to make the 5K a success, saying that there will be sponsorship opportunities for local businesses.

FASN has said that funding is needed from the government to ensure the long-term survival of FASN and that this has already been highlighted in the recent Guerin report, which highlights drug issues in Drogheda.

The Guerin Report has already acknowledged that funding should be given by Government to the Family Addiction Support Network as a priority to ensure their vital services continue for families who are currently living with the effects of addiction in the home, addiction stigma, isolation and in many cases, the serious issue of drug debt intimidation, said the FASN in a statement.

Other organisations including other Drug Projects and Agencies, the HSE, the Drugs Policy Unit & RDTAF, the Irish Bishops Drugs Initiative & An Garda Siochana have also given FASN their support and backing to receive the much needed vital funding promised.

People interested in donating to the FASN should visit their GoFundMe page or visit www.fasn.ie.
Officials believe Portales water supply safe

PORTALES -- Water service to Portales' Super 8 Motel has been shut off while officials investigate concerns of methamphetamine contamination.

Portales City Manager Sarah Austin said Friday night officials have determined there has been no contamination to the city's water supply. "This situation has been contained to just the Super 8 ... The city water is not affected," she said.

Police said they became involved in the investigation Friday afternoon when a motel customer reported a "piece of methamphetamine" came out of a faucet and struck him in the eye. Police confirmed the substance was methamphetamine, according to a police news release.

"It was later found that a large amount of methamphetamine had been introduced to the building's water system and then continued throughout the building," the release stated. Police did not immediately respond to questions about the amount of meth involved or whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the incident.

A motel spokeswoman said the facility is closed but declined to release any additional information.

Austin said testing by New Mexico State Police on Friday night found "inconclusive" results for contamination at the motel. Samples will now be sent to a lab for additional testing, she said.

"We did have the hotel next door tested and they don't have ... problems," she said. "At this time there is no need we see (for city water users) to be worried."

Austin said Super 8 officials have directed motel guests to nearby motels for the night. She said Super 8 was at capacity with about 44 rooms booked.

Eastern New Mexico University is hosting its annual College Daze Rodeo this weekend, resulting in hundreds of out-of-town visitors.

Police were first notified about 3 p.m. Friday.

The water supply to the building was cut "to stop the potential for contamination of the Citys water supply and to protect those still occupying the building," the news release stated.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes methamphetamine as "a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system."

Here is the news release from Portales police:

On Friday, September 17, 2021, at approximately 3 p.m. officers responded to the Super 8 Motel on US 70 in Portales regarding a customer that had, what was believed to be a piece of methamphetamine, strike them in the eye after it came out of a faucet.

Upon officers arrival it was determined that the substance was confirmed to be methamphetamine and the investigation continued. It was later found that a large amount of methamphetamine had been introduced to the buildings water system and then continued throughout the building.

The City of Portales has cut the water service to the building to stop the potential for contamination of the Citys water supply and to protect those still occupying the building. Portales Public Works has determined that there was no contamination to the Citys water supply due to how the substance was introduced to the building'

The New Mexico State Police have been contacted regarding this incident and are handling the potential hazardous material situation. The Portales Police Department will continue with the criminal investigation. Any questions regarding this incident should be directed to the Portales Police Department at [email protected]
The man accused of a carjacking in Cork City confirmed a signed plea of guilty to the charges against him and his sentencing was adjourned until September 29.

Martin Ring appeared at Cork Circuit Criminal Court by video link from prison where he confirmed his signed pleas of guilty.

His barrister John Devlin said that the accused man was on a drug-free wing of the prison and had what is termed enhanced status within the prison.

Mr Devlin BL applied for the judge to direct a governors report on the accused. Judge Helen Boyle acceded to that application as sentencing was adjourned.

Detective Garda Caitriona Molloy charged Martin Ring of 60 Bridevalley View, Upper Fairhill, Gurranabraher, Cork, with producing a knife at Redforge Road, Cork, on June 9 and a second charge of attempting to hijack a 2016-registered Toyota Yaris at the same time and place.

When cautioned that he did not have to reply but that anything he might say would be taken down and could be given in evidence, Ring apologised and added, Its not like me. Im really sorry.

It was reported previously that shortly before midnight on Wednesday, June 9, a man approached a woman sitting in her car on the Redforge Road in Blackpool, and that he was armed with a knife and threatened the woman and demanded that she get out of her car.

The woman did get out of the car but took the keys with her so that when he got into her car he was unable to start it.

After allegedly threatening the woman once again to hand over her keys to him he eventually dropped the knife and fled the area.
Minister for Housing Darragh OBrien will meet the managing director of Irish Water and the chief executives of Dublin and Wexford local authorities on Saturday morning to discuss abject failures in the operation of two drinking water plants.

The serious incidents occurred in drinking water plants that served parts of Dublin and Wexford.

The plants concerned were at Ballymore Eustace which serves parts of Co Dublin, and a plant in Wexford which serves Gorey town, according to The Irish Times.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) informed Mr O'Brien of the incidents, which caused illnesses in the local population in Gorey.

The Minister said he had been informed by the EPA of an abject failure in management oversight, operational control and responsiveness at the two public drinking water treatment plants.

The failures resulted in unsafe water which endangered public health.

The incidents have since been rectified and the water from both plants is now safe to drink, the Minister confirmed.

However, he described both incidents as "concerning and unacceptable, adding that people's safety is paramount.

Mr OBrien said he had already spoken to the managing director of Irish Water Niall Gleeson. He has also consulted with the chief executive of Dublin City Council Owen Keegan and the chief executive of Wexford County Council Tom Enright.
With the American war in Afghanistan now effectively finished and our military presence in Iraq and Syria all but over, you might think America would now be enjoying a peace dividend. This is, however, entirely NOT the case. In fact, Congress is set to pass one the largest military budgets in our nations history.

But it gets worse.

The Pentagon sent a budget request to Congress this year that was an eye-popping $715 BILLION. But, rather than trimming that back and asking them to make the sorts of concessions that are asked for every piece of legislation that could actually improve the lives of Americans, Congress INCREASED that amount to $740 billion.

When you add up Americas military spending, the total price tag comes to nearly $1.3 TRILLION. You can see where that money goes if you read a recent piece by Mandy Smithberger and William Hartung titled What Price Defense?. One of the most shocking revelations for me from that article is that our country has 17 intelligence agencies that all get a piece of that unfathomably large pool of money.

I spoke to Dan Grazier, the Jack Shanahan Military Fellow at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), to get more insight into what seems like an endless military abyss that our country pours so many of our tax dollars into.

What became immediately clear to me is that the military-industrial complex that President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about in his farewell speech is still very much alive and well and consuming our tax dollars.

Along with the Pentagons request to Congress, they are mandated to provide them with an unfunded priorities list, as well. This is a wish list, of sorts, and includes all manner of extra spending. From that list, Congress picked out some items  to the tune of $25 billion  and granted the Department of Defenses wishes.

Whats unique about military spending is that is almost literally the only area where bipartisanship exists. This bloated military budget isnt a Republican thing. Democrats are in on it, too. There are several reasons for this.

First, almost all of that money flows to the military contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing and those private corporations bring jobs and revenue into the communities where they exist. Members of Congress want them in their districts so they can point to all the money and jobs theyre bringing home to their constituents.

Second, in exchange for getting military contracts, these megacorporations shower lawmakers with donations.

Finally, there is a revolving door between federal and the military contractors that ensures that elected officials maintain their fealty to these corporations. They either take positions with them after they leave office or they leave the companies and take positions in government.

The website Military.com recently wrote about a General Accounting Office report that shows just how big a problem this is:

More than 1,700 former acquisition officials, general officers and other senior employees who left the Defense Department in recent years have gone on to work for major defense contractors, the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, found. Watchdog organizations and lawmakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have raised concerns about the so-called revolving door of former DoD officials moving to defense contractors  in some cases, lobbying on issues they used to work on for the government.

It goes the other way, as well. Frank Kendall, the former Vice President of Engineering for Raytheon Company and, more recently, a Managing Partner at the Virginia-based aerospace and defense sector consulting firm Renaissance Strategic Advisors, was Air Force secretary just a couple of months ago.

When were not fighting actual wars, those who profit most from the bloated defense spending concoct other enemies for us to fear and prepare to fight. The current one, Grazier told me, is the new cold war with China. Thats the new big threat, he told me. And theyre using it to goose Pentagon spending.

If you want to be heard on this massive blackhole for our tax dollars, Grazier says the best way is to contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. In addition to asking them to rein in out-of-control defense spending, you should also ask them to support four specific amendments to the budget request that have been introduced:

Amendment 91 would require the Department of Defense put revolving door restrictions into the regulations and contracts.

Amendment 108 would extend the cooling-off period for senior executive branch officials who leave government service from 1 year to 2 years before former officials may lobby their previous agency.

Amendment 397 would reduce the overall authorization level by 10%

Amendment 589 would remove the statutory requirement that the Pentagon provide annual Unfunded Priorities lists to Congress.

Amendment 602 would restrict the 2022 budget request to the amount requested in President Bidens budget.

A full list of the amendments to the House budget bill are HERE.
Western Wellbeing Centre Open Day next week

The Western Wellbeing Centre in Peel is holding an Open Day next week to raise awareness of the services it offers, and to celebrate the provision of community care in the heart of the West of the Island for over a year.

The centre is home of the Western Wellbeing Partnership and provides integrated community care to people living within the catchment area for Peel Medical Centre,

The Open Day on Wednesday will allow people to look at the centres facilities at its base on Derby Road (opposite Shoprite car park), as well as find out more about the regular drop-in sessions it hosts. This includes with Community Mental Health, the District Nursing team, the Benefits team (providing assistance with making a claim, queries with ongoing claims or advice), Hospice Isle of Man and the Welcome Centre Community Support team.
During the Roaring '20s just about everybody was convinced that dirigibles were not just the future of luxury travel but that these lumbering airships could also serve as platforms for scientific exploration and adventure. Why slog through malaria-infested jungles, parched deserts and frozen tundra when you could simply float an expedition to its destination? Among the technology's most fervent adherents were famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and Italian airship designer General Umberto Nobile. In 1928, Nobile attempted to lead the first expedition to land people at the North Pole aboard Airship Italia. However, a brutal storm forced the vessel to crash land, stranding its survivors with precious few provisions and setting off the largest arctic rescue effort in history.

N-4 Down, by journalist and author Mark Piesing chronicles that rescue effort, led by Amundsen himself. In the excerpt below, we get a quick look at just what level of technological prowess the crew of the ill-fated expedition were actually dealing with.

Harper Collins Publishers

From N-4 Down by Mark Piesing. Copyright  2021 by Mark Piesing. Reprinted by permission of Custom House, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Amundsen may have dreamed of multiple air bases in the Arctic Circle, but in 1925 his was one of the only ones. It consisted of two flying boats, no hangars, and a rough runway made from ice.

For the flight he had a team of six men who would be split between the two planes. Lincoln Ellsworth would be in one, Amundsen in the other. The Norwegian had also brought with him for the first time two journalists and a photographer to record the expedition.

The flying boats that Amundsen transported from Pisa, Italy, werent just any flying boats. The N-24 and N-25 were state-of-the-art Dornier Do J whale flying boats, which went on to pioneer many air routes across the world.

These expensive German-designed machines were cutting edge in 1925. This meant that they were all metal, with a whale-shaped hull and high, raised wings. Two stub wings, known as sponsons, kept the plane stable, while ribs on the hull gave the plane the strength to land on sea or ice. Two chunky Rolls-Royce Eagle propeller engines were arranged back to back: one to pull the plane through the air and the other to push it. The Eagle engines were the first aeroengines that Rolls-Royce ever built.

Alas, the pilots were still housed in an unheated open-air cockpit, obliged to wear woolen underwear, sweaters, two pairs of pants, a sealskin greatcoat as well as a leather jacket, a leather flying helmet, gloves, scarves, and heavy boots to stay warm while flying at high speeds. They all had a parachute (one of the conditions Ellsworths father made him agree to in exchange for his money), though the terrible battle to survive they would face if their parachutes worked was something it was better not to think about.

The state of aerial navigation wasnt much better. Pilots, who still who relied on distinguishing features such as railways, rivers, and castles to help them work out where they were going, were always going to be challenged by the featureless and shifting Arctic landscape. As mariners had done for the last two hundred year, sextants could be used to determine their aircrafts altitude, position, and ground speed. These sextants were of less use, of course, when visibility was blocked by fog or thick clouds. Then these early pilots could use a magnetic compass, which becomes less reliable the closer to the North Pole the aircraft flies, or a solar compass, which worked like a sundial by using the position of the sun to establish a bearing (particularly useful near the North Pole).

Radio had started to challenge these far older methods of navigation. Radio direction finding allowed a navigator to find the direction to a radio station, or beacon. Then if you could pick up the signals of two or more stations, or beacons, then you could work out where you were by simple triangulation. Airplane navigators had to take all these readings in conditions that didnt lend themselves to accuracy, taking measurements and keeping records in what was usually a freezing cold  and sometimes open  cockpit in a noisy and unstable machine.

Unfortunately for the crew of his new expedition, the Amundsen of 1925 was not the Amundsen who beat Scott to the South Pole. It could be said that he had lost his eye for detail.

The planes had been test flown in the Mediterranean before they were shipped by train and boat to Kings Bay. What they hadnt been was properly test flown in the below-freezing conditions of the Arctic. In 1925, no one really understood how these flimsy aircraft and their internal combustion engines would cope with the cold of the Arctic, and Amundsen didnt seem particularly curious about the possible distinction. Then there were the sextants that didnt work and the radio sets that hadnt arrived yet, and which Amundsen decided they couldnt wait for. Finally, Amundsen didnt formulate any emergency procedures in the event that one of the planes had to land. Without the radios, there was no way for the crews to talk to each other midflight if something went wrong. He had compounded this risk by turning down the US Navys offer of the giant airship USS Shenandoah to act as a rescue ship the year before. But he did remember to take a moving-picture camera with them.

Amundsens haste was due to his worry that a narrow window in the Arctic weather was set to close. There was also the nagging fear that someone else would fly to the North Pole before him.

Finally, on May 21, 1925, after one last leisurely, rather staged cigarette to calm their nerves, and with a final shove of the plane from the miners  who were given the day off for the occasion  the two overloaded planes roared one after the other across the rough-ice runway like toboggans, the crews feeling every bump in the ice through the flying boats metal hull, then out on to the water and into the air. It was unreal, mystic, fraught with prophecy, Ellsworth wrote. Something ahead was hidden, and we were going to find it.

The low-lying fog quickly cleared. The film that the crew shot of the glaciers of Svalbard comprised the first images ever taken from the air of these rivers of ice.

Amundsens dream of flying over the Arctic Sea was realized. The explorers were covering in hours what would take a week to do with dogs and skis. I have never seen anything more desolate and deserted, Amundsen remarked. A bear from time to time I would have thought, which could break the monotony a little. But noabsolutely nothing living.

After eight hours, they should have been near the North Pole, and the plan was to try to land. But one of the engines of Amundsens plane started to splutter on their descent. It quickly became apparent that they had to land rather sooner than they wanted.

I have never looked down upon a more terrifying place in which to land an airplane, Ellsworth wrote. For what had looked like smooth ice from high altitude turned out to be cut by ridges, gaps of open water called leads, and icebergs.

Amundsens plane made it down safely thanks to the skills of his pilot. Ellsworths was not so lucky. His plane eventually found a stretch of water they too could land on. Unfortunately, distances are deceptive at that height and what had seemed long enough was too short. Ellsworths plane bounced across the surface of the sea and smashed into an ice floe. Water poured in. That the rivets on the hull had burst due to the rough takeoff only added to their problems.

Soon there was nothing Ellsworth and his men could do to rescue it; the flying boat floated there like a dead whale. Ellsworths men were cold and wet, and they had been awake for twenty-four hours. They needed rest and food, but there wouldnt be any of either for a while. They had to try their best to protect the plane from being crushed by the ice or sinking while they tried to salvage what they could. Eventually they stopped, exhaustedand the peril Ellsworth and his men were in suddenly hit him. In the utter silence this seemed to me to be the kingdom of death, he wrote.

The two crews were now separated from each other by many miles. It was twenty-four hours before they spotted each other across the ice pack.

Even when they were in sight of each other, communication across the ice was hampered because no one knew Morse code or semaphore. Instead, the two crews managed to get a rudimentary flag system going between them. It took two to three hours to communicate a simple message. Walking across the ice wasnt an option either. It was simply too dangerous.

They were lucky in the end. The blocks of sea ice floated closer together, making it possible for the crews to be reunited after five interminable days. This still wasnt without risk. Attempts by the men to walk across the ice floes with as much equipment as possible nearly ended in disaster when two of them sank through the slush into the freezing water. One of the men screamed, Im gone! Im gone, as the current tried to pull him under the ice.

Amundsen looked shockingly changed, exhaustion and anxiety cut deep into his face, but he was now back in the world of the ice pack, a world he knew so well. Quickly he took control. He realized that they had to combine the supplies from both planes to give themselves a chance of survival. More important, perhaps, they were able to siphon the fuel out of Ellsworths plane to give them enough to reach home again with the heavier load of all the men on board. But before they could attempt this, they first needed to carve a runway out of the ice. Of course, they hadnt brought any specialized tools with them, despite having planned to land at the North Pole.

Without radio contact, the world first suspected that something had gone wrong when the planes didnt return to Kings Bay straight away. Even then, some people thought that the aviators could have stayed at the pole for a couple of days or even flown on to Alaska, as Amundsen had long wanted to do. Some remembered conversations where Ellsworth had said it might take a year for them to walk out of the wilderness if their plane crashed.

When nothing was heard from them, newspapers across America started to report that the planes were overdue. There were demands for a rescue effort to be launched. But the lack of ships, planes, airships, and any idea of where Amundsen and his men had crashed presented would-be rescuers with a fearsome challenge. Still, the pressure was there. One headline in the New York Times proclaimed, Coolidge Favors Amundsen Relief Should He Need It; President Would Approve Naval Plan to Send One of Our Giant Dirigibles to the Arctic.

The US Navy was keen to launch its own expedition to rescue Amundsen. Two years earlier, naval plans to explore the Arctic with one of its huge dirigibles had been canceled owing to the expense. Now they were pushing the president to dispatch the giant USS Shenandoah or USS Los Angeles airships to search for Amundsen. Either of the two ships could be ready in days for the mission, sources told the New York Times journalist. The flight itself to Greenland (a possible base for the mission) would then take a couple of days, depending on the weather and where the ships were based at that time. Practically, every officer connected with the aeronautical service of the Navy will volunteer in the event that a call for help is made on behalf of Amundsen, the reporter explained.
Countries have assassinated people with drones, but those attacks now appear to include robotic weapons on the ground. The New York Times sources claim Israel assassinated top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on November 27th, 2020 using a remotely-controlled, AI-assisted machine gun. Israel reportedly mounted the gun on a pickup truck by the side of the road and, when Fakhrizadeh's car approached had a distant operator fire the gun using a satellite link.

The attack was precise, sparing Fakhrizadeh's wife, but may not have used facial recognition to assist with aiming as unnamed Iranian officials said. While Israel purportedly used the AI to compensate for the satellite system's lag and gun recoil, operatives identified Fakhrizadeh by staging a decoy car with a camera to force a U-turn and get a clear image.

Neither government has publicly confirmed the use of a robotic gun, although The Times' story is based in part on the Fakhrizadeh family's statements to the media. Iranian investigators only determined the nature of the attack by chance, according to the sources. The Israeli operatives exploded the truck in a bid to destroy the evidence, but the equipment remained intact (if inoperable).

The use of this technology isn't surprising. While the remote gun was supposedly difficult to set up (Israel smuggled parts in very gradually), it both kept agents out of harm's way and avoided raising alarms like a drone. If the gun had been destroyed as planned, Iran might have been unable to determine the assassination method.

If accurate, the report might point to the future of espionage. Assassins can now use robotics to take out targets with little risk to themselves, little warning to enemies and a greater chance of deniability. You won't necessarily see a surge of assassinations as a result (Fakhrizadeh ignored multiple security recommendations), but there's a real chance this won't be the last kill of its kind.
The Russian government still has a strong influence on Telegram despite lifting a ban last year. RadioFreeEurope reports Telegram has temporarily blocked all of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's Telegram chat bots during voting in the country's parliamentary election this weekend. Company founder Pavel Durov said Telegram would obey an election law barring campaigning during elections, calling the law "legitimate."

The move comes despite the nature of the bots and Durov's past statements. One of the bots, Smart Voting, was only meant to identify candidates that could unseat the dominant United Russia party, not just Navalny's Russia of the Future party. Durov also decried Apple and Google removing the Smart Voting mobile app from their respective app stores, calling it a "dangerous precedent" that tolerated censorship.

Russia under Vladimir Putin has routinely cracked down on any political dissent, including actions against Navalny himself (such as an attempted assassination linked to Russian agents) and a long-running effort to quash the broader Smart Voting effort. Officials both threatened Apple and Google with fines and have gone so far as to try and throttle internet infrastructure providing access to Smart Voting.

Whatever the motivations, the decision underscores the fine line tech firms tend to walk in Russia. While they might object to the Putin regime's tight grips on politics and speech, they also can't afford to antagonize the government if they want to have any kind of presence in the country. Telegram may object to Russia's policies, but it risks depriving residents of a relatively safe avenue for free expression if it defies Russian laws.
Changing chief ministers reflects a deep damage to substantive accountability in a democracy.

Parliamentary democracies operate through principles of accountability, as well as allowing for flexibilityto expand or enhance the demands of the democratic will. The head of a government, chosen by the members of the legislature, falls within the category of primus inter paresthe first among equals. They assume the confidence of the legislators (elected by the voters), and in fulfilling this, they stand to add substance to the institution and to the overall operation of parliamentary democracy. It has been argued that the burden of democratisation, seen through the functioning of this post/institution, is incumbent on assuring stability as a means of performing the democratic will, while also ensuring a certain flexibility to remove or replace at times ministerial members using considered judgment that such members are cause for peoples dissatisfaction. Against this background, examining the quintessential kissa kursi ka in Indian politics in many cases dilutes this principle of democratisation or accountability and seems to rely more on capitalising on flexibility to meet specific demands, sometimes very narrowly constructed. The recent case of changing chief ministers of state governments can be a defensible practice given the framework of Indian electoral democracy and, hence, in principle, difficult to condemn. However, the way these changes unfold, points at several glaring constraints as well as barriers to any notion of substantive democracy.

Recently, Gujarats new chief minister took the oath of office, replacing the incumbent who had led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a victory in the last assembly elections in 2017. The sudden replacement, however, caused all sorts of speculation at the causes for this change. In fact, the whole council of ministers were replaced en masse. The thrust in the sudden change appears to be non-performance, with the exacerbated rural distress and poor management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The exact outcome of this change will reveal itself, but there is no doubt that Gujarats politics appears to be in a flux and hence this is to be managed. In this process of managing, we get some indication of how the institution of the chief minister, cabinet, and the political party is placed within the constellation of electoral democracy.
The recent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act judgments of the Bombay High Court have led to a gamut of criticisms from lawyers and activists alike. In light of this situation, this article argues that this judgment cannot be studied in isolation from the larger paradigm of feminist critique of law and engagement with law in India. By the virtue of contextualising the POCSO judgments in this manner, this article aims to propel contemporary feminist politics towards a more rigorous project of engendering criminal law in India.

Recently, there has been a lot of uproar in a case1 involving the sexual assault of a minor, where the trial court under the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (also known as the POCSO Act) and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) convicted the perpetrator. When the perpetrator appealed to the high court, the Bombay High Court ruled that the act did not amount to sexual harassment because it did not involve skin-to-skin contact with the victim, even if the perpetrator had intentions of engaging in sexual assault. The perpetrator was convicted under Section 354 of the IPC for outraging a womans modesty (Deshpande 2021). The sentence of imprisonment for the latter is generally one year, whereas the sentence under the POCSO is three to five years.
2021-09-18

Maeci

The Farnesina Collection reopens to the public on 2 October.

On the occasion of the event "Open House Roma" members of the public will be able to visit the main areas of the Palazzo della Farnesina, which houses the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its contemporary art collection. There will be four shifts, respectively at 10.00, 11.00, 12.00 and 15.00.

The visit  free of charge  will last approximately one hour and thirty minutes. It will include the Hall of Honour on the mezzanine floor and the public areas on the first floor. Visitors will see the historic core of the Farnesina Collection, dedicated, among other things, to Informal Art, Gruppo Forma 1, Optical and Programmed Art, Arte Povera, Transavanguardia and the San Lorenzo Group. The new gallery dedicated to graphics, illustration and street art will also be part of the visit.

Reservation can be made from 18 to 29 September on the Open House Roma website at this link.

The tour will be guided by volunteers from Open House and the Italian Touring Club.

We remind you that, to visit the Farnesina Building you will need to show your Green Pass, wear a mask and respect social distancing throughout the tour. Access will be allowed after showing valid ID and scanning the QRpass (QR-code) on the poster at the entrance. For further information, please visit the Open House event website.

Finally, visits to the Farnesina Collection will resume in November, as part of the Touring Club's "Aperti per Voi" programme, with the collaboration of TCI volunteers who have been making it possible to admire the Farnesina Collection masterpieces since 2016.
Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman vice president and senior shareholder R. Brent Wisner is a finalist for the Consumer Attorneys of California's Consumer Attorney of the Year award for 2021.

Wisner was selected as a finalist for the Consumer Attorney of the Year award for "protecting consumers from a dangerous weedkiller" in the Roundup cancer litigation against St. Louis-based Monsanto Company (now part of Bayer). Many thousands of people from across the nation alleged in lawsuits that exposure to the company's Roundup herbicide causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

During the Monsanto litigation, Wisner and his firm de-designated and published discovery documents now known as the Monsanto Papers that revealed Monsanto executives and scientists knew Roundup caused cancer. According to lawsuits in the litigation, Monsanto concealed the link to cancer instead of informing consumers about the known dangers.

"We know that they are lying because we have the data," Wisner said of Monsanto in a 2018 interview with 60 Minutes Australia about the litigation. "We have their own studies that they themselves conducted that show when you expose animals or expose humans to this, you see genetic damage, you see lymphoma."

Wisner served as co-lead trial in two cases against Monsanto. The first trial in 2018, Johnson v. Monsanto Co., ended in a $289 million verdict for the plaintiff, Dewayne "Lee" Johnson. The next trial Wisner co-led was Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co. This time, Wisner and his colleagues earned a $2.055 billion verdict, one of the largest in the nation in 2019. In addition to his trial wins, Wisner served on the plaintiffs' leadership for the consolidated Roundup Product Cases Judicial Council Coordination Proceedings (JCCP).

The court victories laid the groundwork for last year's $10.9 billion settlements with Bayer to resolve tens of thousands of Roundup cases.

A good deal of attorneys would consider it a job well done and move on to the next case after obtaining two historic jury verdicts and helping negotiate a massive settlement. But Wisner's advocacy goes beyond the courtroom. Before the settlement negotiations ended with a successful resolution, he traveled to the European Union and Canada to discuss the Monsanto Papers and the impact of the litigation, worked with California prosecutors to alter the Roundup label, and gave talks on his work at some of the nation's most prestigious law schools. His efforts made a difference. In 2021, Monsanto (Bayer) agreed to issue a warning label on Roundup products and pull the product from the residential market starting in 2023.

The Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) honors lawyers and members of its organization every year that "significantly advanced the rights or safety of California consumers by achieving a noteworthy result in a case." This year's finalists for the award were selected by a committee of CAOC Executive Committee members, previous Consumer Attorney of the Year award winners, and six members of CAOC's Board of Directors who were randomly chosen for the committee.

CAOC's board submitted secret ballots today to determine the award winner, which will be announced on November 20, 2021, at the organization's 60th Annual Convention.

About R. Brent Wisner

R. Brent Wisner is vice president and senior shareholder at Baum Hedlund Aristei & Goldman where he focuses his practice on mass tort litigation, consumer fraud cases, and pharmaceutical class actions. He manages the firm's San Francisco Bay Area office in Larkspur.

Mr. Wisner's groundbreaking legal work in the trial of Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Co. resulted in a $2.055 billion jury verdict, one of the largest personal injury verdicts in history. At 35 years of age when the verdict was read, he became the youngest attorney ever to win a multi-billion-dollar jury verdict.

His firm recently received the honor of "California Powerhouse" by Law360 for its strong regional presence and major achievements in the Monsanto Roundup litigation and other high-profile cases. Winning more than $4 billion in verdicts and settlements, Baum Hedlund has earned a reputation as a powerful force against corporate interests that show more concern for their bottom line than the lives of its consumers.

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OPELIKA, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama man who took his 2-month-old daughter to a hospital with serious injuries has been charged in the infant's death, police said Friday.

Demarcus Smith, 19, of Opelika, was jailed on a murder charge in the death of Maliyah Stormi Smith, Police Chief Shane Healey told a news conference.
A San Antonio doctor announced Saturday that he violated Texas strict new abortion law, becoming the first person in the state to claim to have helped a patient access the procedure after fetal cardiac activity was detected.

The provider, Dr. Alan Braid, said he performed the abortion Sept. 6, less than a week after the new ban went into effect.

I provided an abortion to a woman who, though still in her first trimester, was beyond the states new limit, Braid, who owns Alamo Womens Clinic, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. I acted because I had a duty of care to this patient, as I do for all patients, and because she has a fundamental right to receive this care.

With the disclosure, Braid opens himself up to what could be the first lawsuits on the substance of the law, which bans abortions after cardiac activity is detected, usually about six weeks into a pregnancy. Under the law, nearly anyone is allowed to sue a provider or other person who defies the guidelines, and those who succeed can collect at least $10,000 in damages. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

NO EXCEPTION: Anti-abortion laws used to exempt cases of rape and incest. Not anymore in Texas.

Abortion providers and their supporters have been trying for months to challenge the law, which they say is unconstitutional, but have run into trouble because of the laws unusual civilian enforcement approach. Legal experts have suggested that the only way to truly block the ban may be to violate it and bring up the constitutional challenge once lawsuits to enforce it are brought.

But until Saturday, no provider had said they planned to do so, warning that it was too risky to open up their clinics to what could amount to endless litigation.

Braid did not say whether he acted alone and provided no other details about the procedure. A call to his clinic went unanswered.

Anti-abortion activists received the news with skepticism, saying it could just be a stunt designed to lure them into a legal challenge.

We are fully aware of this and intend to hold anyone who violates the law accountable, said John Seago, the policy director for Texas Right to Life. But the first step is making sure an actual violation occurred.

Seago said his group, which helped write the law, called Senate Bill 8, was considering its options, including legal tools to gather more information about the supposed violation.

WHITE HOUSE REACTS: Biden administration boosting access to emergency contraception in Texas in wake of strict abortion law

It was unclear immediately whether anyone else had sued Braid or Alamo. Even if anti-abortion activists decline to bring any action, it is possible that someone supportive of Braid could do so, as a way to strategically challenge the law in court.

The law became the most severe abortion restriction in the country Sept. 1 after a divided U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. But the high court has not ruled on the merits of the law.

The Biden administration has sued to block it, arguing that the guidelines flout nearly 50 years of precedent, including the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. A hearing on that case has been scheduled for Oct. 1.

Abortion providers expect the law to cut off between 85 and 90 percent of abortions in Texas and have said the effects already have been devastating, with hundreds of pregnant patients traveling to clinics in other states and many more being left without options to terminate their pregnancies. Some abortion clinics say they will be forced to close if the law continues to stand.

In affidavits submitted with the Biden administrations lawsuit, doctors gave the example of a child who was allegedly raped by a relative traveling with her guardian from Galveston to Oklahoma to get an abortion, and another woman was reportedly selling some of her belongings to pay for the trip to an out-of-state clinic.

Braid is in his 70s and is a longtime abortion provider in Texas and Oklahoma. In his op-ed, he said the new law has created conditions similar to those when he started his obstetrics and gynecology residency, in 1972. It was the year before the Supreme Court established a constitutional right to abortion before viability, and the procedure was effectively illegal in the state.

For me, it is 1972 all over again, he wrote.

I fully understood that there could be legal consequences, Braid added, but I wanted to make sure that Texas didnt get away with its bid to prevent this blatantly unconstitutional law from being tested.

jeremy.blackman@chron.com
In just two months, itll begin looking a lot like Christmas in San Antonio  and you can thank about 150 students at the University of the Incarnate Word for that.

For the 35th year in a row, a million  well, between 1.1 million and 1.2 million  light bulbs will illuminate UIWs main campus.

The universitys Light the Way is the unofficial official start of the holiday season in San Antonio, said Meghan Kuentz, UIWs special event manager.

Were going to put on our lights, and then it trickles down the river into the downtown area, and really brings illumination and the holiday festive spirit to San Antonio.

But before those lights can be switched on at the Nov. 20 kickoff  ushering in Bing Crosby tunes and holiday whimsy  someones got to check every single one of those 1 million light bulbs.

Thats where the students come in.

On ExpressNews.com: Things to do in San Antonio this weekend: Garrett T. Capps, Leon Bridges, Public Theatre, Dwight Yoakam, Carlos Mencia

On Saturday morning, instead of sleeping in or prepping for an exam, they volunteered to hunt for dead or broken light bulbs  not on a string of lights wrapping around a living room, but on 200 miles worth of wiring.

Its a lot of lights, Kuentz said.

The lights are left up all year, except for when theyre taken down during the annual bulb-checking event. That means Mother Nature takes a toll. Some bulbs get broken, while others lose their color.

If we dont replace them, well just have white lights everywhere, Kuentz said. Which is just not the look.

And then theres the thieves.

Weve found the squirrels like to take the light bulbs, Kuentz said. They're rascals.

For many of the students who each thumbed through dozens or hundreds of lights Saturday, it was a way to support Light the Way, which they said is one of the universitys most cherished traditions.

Ive heard a lot of people come out to fix the lights, UIW freshman Betzaida Diaz said. I just thought that this was interesting because the Light the Way event, Ive never been to it, but I want to support it.

diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
In a Fox News interview Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the situation at the border an "invasion" and a threat to Americans.

It was one of the many reactions from political figures around the country to the thousands or migrants, mostly Haitians, gathered in the Texas border town of Del Rio seeking asylum.

Patrick blamed President Joe Biden and said that if the migrants were granted citizenship they would probably become Democrats.

On ExpressNews.com: Gov. Abbott sends troops to assist Border Patrol after thousands of migrants arrive in Del Rio

"This is not authorized by the state of Texas, it's not welcomed by the state of Texas or any other republican state that I know, and they're not invited," Patrick said in the interview. "This is trying to take over our country without firing a shot."

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a tweet Thursday that companies are working quickly to build a border wall.

More than 50 congress members, including notable names like U.S. Reps. Maxine Waters of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, called on the Biden Administration in a letter to end the deportations of Haitians and to provide humanitarian aid for those waiting at the border.

In response to Patrick, state Rep. Diego Bernal, D-San Antonio, tweeted that the lieutenant governor's comments were "dangerous," noting that immigrants come to the country to seek a better life.

U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, shared several tweets Friday accusing Biden of creating the "crisis" at the border.

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz visited Del Rio on Thursday and also blamed Biden's political decisions. In a video on Twitter, Cruz called the migrants "illegal aliens."

"This is wrong, this is not humane, this is not compassionate. This is lawless and it is in inviting suffering," he said in the video.

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
Its an interesting story of the church, an alcoholic, a carillon and Dr. Peale  all in one. This is my transcript of a sermon he gave, probably in the mid-1980s. I grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y., less than a 30-minute drive on Sunday mornings from lower Manhattan and Peales church at 29th Street and Fifth Avenue. I was already living in San Antonio but still getting mailed cassette (tapes) of his Sunday sermons. When I heard this one, my jaw dropped. I think the story may have been repeated in his autobiography.

 Jim Berg

The Little Church of La Villita had an eventful history, but this is the only episode that involves someone who was nationally famous at the time.

Norman Vincent Peale, a Methodist minister, was head pastor of the Marble Collegiate Church from 1932 to 1984, had long-running radio and television shows and wrote more than 40 books. One of them was The True Joy of Positive Thinking: An Autobiography, a collection of essays and sermons published in 1984 that includes a mention of the Rev. Paul Soupiset  one of several in Peales work.

Soupiset, a former clothing-store manager and salesman, felt called to enter the ministry in his late 40s  inspired by Peale, according to his son, Fred Soupiset.

Not a regular churchgoer, Paul stayed home on his only day off while his wife and children went to St. Matthews Methodist Church in north Houston. One Sunday, he happened to turn on our new 10-inch RCA table model TV and tuned into Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. The pastors upbeat mix of psychology and religion lit a fire under Dad, and he committed his life to serving God and man in a significant way, his son remembered. He became active in our church and began to study for ministry in the Methodist Church.

Soupiset took correspondence courses toward becoming a licensed local preacher or LLP in the Methodist Church, which he achieved by the time the family moved to San Antonio in 1955. Still working in retail at Russells clothing store on Alamo Plaza, he completed his supervision at Highland Terrace Methodist Church and filled in for pastors of other area churches. Busy as he was, Soupiset was still looking for a greater challenge  and he found it when he discovered what was then La Villita Church, locked and empty at 508 Villita St.

On ExpressNews.com: 'Ultramodern' subdivision in San Antonio forecast housing trends

As he told the San Antonio Light, April 18, 1960, hed been inspired by Peales broadcasts to have a little chapel in the heart of some city. When he didnt find one in Houston or San Antonio, he decided to found one.

The small, stone Gothic Revival building he had seen on lunchtime walks had made the cut in 1939 when the city undertook a federally funded restoration of the 200-year-old neighborhood of La Villita  clearing shacks and sparing structures of historic value. The church dated back to 1878, when the congregation of German Methodists who built it received its charter from the Southern Methodist Church. After they outgrew it and moved, it was an early home of St. Philips Episcopal Church, a historically Black congregation.

The church had some down time and received a needed renovation in 1941, as La Villita was readied to be a municipal showplace. During the early 1940s, it was the La Villita Theater for puppet shows and experimental productions. Redubbed The Little Church Around the Corner, echoing the name of a show-business wedding favorite in New York, it hosted an evangelical mission that broadcast guest speakers on the radio in 1943, then housed a Red Cross training center for the duration of World War II. After that, the city promoted the church as a convention and wedding venue. The Daughters of the American Revolution, or DAR, used it for a memorial service at their convention in 1945, and the church was on the La Villita tour given to visiting dignitaries. Unchurched couples who wanted a religious site for their nuptials could choose from a list of clergy of different denominations to act as their officiant.

From 1947 through 1954, the Business Mens Bible Class met each Sunday morning at what they called the La Villita Chapel for fellowship and lectures. A nonsectarian group that dated back to the mid-1920s, the class previously had met in ballrooms at the Gunter, Plaza and Menger hotels. After an hour-and-a-half at La Villita, members were expected to attend services at their home churches. When the Business Men  who reached an unwieldy 2,000-plus membership  disbanded for good to start smaller groups elsewhere, the little church was left alone again.

When Soupiset first visited the church, according to Peales story in an undated reprint from Guideposts magazine, of which he was co-publisher, cobwebs and dust were everywhere. The only equipment: Some pews stacked in a corner and one rickety table. Unfazed, he asked the city and was given a month-to-month rental. Because he still had commitments to two other churches, Soupiset scheduled his Sunday candlelight vespers service for 6 p.m.

In the early days of his ministry at the nondenominational Little Church of La Villita, the pastor still worked full time in retail. There was no formal membership, no pledge cards and a need to fund the twice-weekly distributions of food and clothing to the needy. The church was supported entirely by donations, and Soupiset didnt take a salary for the first year or so.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio's first zoo not moved but scrapped and sold

He gave up a good income in the clothing business and walked in faith that the Lord would provide for our family, Fred Soupiset said. (Eventually) he did receive income from the little his ministry brought in. There were times without income and times of moderate income, but he felt so strongly about his calling that he relied on Gods provision.

During the first year, a friend of the church made an anonymous gift of a new carillon (bell tower) and organ. Wanting to honor Peales inspiration, Soupiset wrote him a letter inviting him to their dedication. As Peale said in the taped sermon you transcribed, Since I'd never had bells dedicated to me before, I thought I had to go. I had a vision of them pealing out all over the City of San Antonio. So I went down and helped him dedicate the bells and gave a talk  of course.

It was at this time that an alcoholic gets into the story  but it wasnt the Rev. Paul Soupiset.

At the 1957 dedication ceremony, as Peale says in his autobiography, the man who made the statement dedicating the bells, an ex-alcoholic, got flustered and said in memory instead of in honor of the still-extant Peale. The unnamed man got confused with Soupiset, who is presented by Peale as lost, confused, depressed and drunk on Saturday night in more than one retelling.

The Little Church pastor did minister to alcoholics but wasnt one himself, says his son. He was given the label by one of Dr. Peales ghost writers. When it appeared in a national publication, I immediately wrote to Dr. Peale to ask for a retraction. He wrote back a letter of sincere apology, explained what had happened and offered to make it right.

With the best of intentions, thats not what happened. The conflation of Soupiset with Unnamed Recovering Alcoholic Statement reader was recycled by Peale multiple times  but always in the context of great admiration for Soupisets ministry and pride at being associated with it.

On ExpressNews.com: Brackenridge Park's Mexican Village catered to San Antonio tourists for 20 years

In his decade as pastor, the Little Church established traditions of serving Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, hosted the Starving Artists Show and beat back an effort to oust him and the unsightly food lines before HemisFair 68.

Soupiset died Dec. 11, 1968, of a heart attack. The funeral was held in the Little Church, with wealthy benefactors crowded next to the humblest of his flock  so many that windows were open on both sides for people to stand outside and listen.

In his eulogy, assistant pastor David Edmunds called him a man of great faith who wanted to minister to the needs of people in a very practical way.

historycolumn@yahoo.com | Twitter: @sahistorycolumn | Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn
Bexar County Sheriffs Office

A San Antonio man accused of shooting another man during a child custody exchange has been indicted on a murder charge.

Prosecutors allege that Devonte Riondo Cambell, 34, fatally shot Parnell Keith Curtis on June 20. The Family Violence Division of the Bexar County District Attorneys Office is handling the case. If convicted, Campbell faces five to 99 years or life in prison and a possible fine of up to $10,000.
City Council budget-approval sessions tend to be predictable and dull.

Council members inevitably praise city staff for all their hard work and express pride over the new budget, which they describe as a righteous document.

This year was different.

The council has four new members and three of them  Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Teri Castillo and Mario Bravo  are insurgents elevated to the dais by progressives, with the understanding that their mission is to disrupt complacency, shake up the protocol, challenge old assumptions and afflict the comfortable.

At both Wednesdays final budgetary work session and Thursdays budget-approval session, the three freshmen were in their full glory.

McKee-Rodriguez, a former high-school math teacher, employed his arithmetic skills to argue against the proposed $15 million increase in the citys police budget, a hike of more than 3 percent.

The East Side councilman pointed out that if the city increased its police funding by 3 percent annually over the next decade, in 10 years wed be facing a police budget $172 million bigger than where it currently stands.

Given that a recent state law all but negated the possibility of big cities reducing their police budgets, even small annual increases essentially become locked in and irreversible.

McKee-Rodriguez introduced a budget amendment that would have trimmed $5.7 million from the proposed police budget increase, with the thought that the funding could be used to give residents property tax relief.

It was a small gesture, an attempt to repurpose less than half of 1 percent of San Antonios general-fund budget. But its bigger purpose was to break the chain of municipal rote thinking when it comes to police funding.

McKee-Rodriguezs amendment failed by an 8-3 vote. Unsurprisingly, the three votes of support came from McKee-Rodriguez, Bravo and Castillo.

For his part, Bravo fired off an array of amendment proposals at the end of the budget process: $10 million for homelessness and mental health; $200,000 to study the effectiveness of past housing investments; $200,000 to study management practices at CPS Energy; $500,000 for outreach to people not taking advantage of homestead-exemption eligibility; $2.45 million in bond assistance for small contractors (based on an idea from McKee-Rodriguez) and the use of Solid Waste Management funds on a deconstruction program for demolished buildings (based on a concept championed by Castillo).

Bravo faced criticism from some of his colleagues, who suggested he was throwing out too many unvetted ideas at the last minute and using the budget process for policy matters that should be introduced in council committees.

None of his proposals made it in the budget, but he planted seeds and got commitments from three council committee chairs to take up his suggestions.

It was messy, Bravo said of his effort. But it was fruitful.

Bravo, McKee-Rodriguez and Castillo were rebelling against the accepted idea that freshman council members should be observers rather than participants in their first budget cycle.

All three took office in mid-June. A month was lost during the councils annual July sabbatical. Then, in mid-August, City Manager Erik Walsh introduced the proposed budget. In mid-September, the council had to vote.

For Bravo, this dynamic meant getting up to speed on fiscal nuances while putting a staff together and answering the backlog of 2,000 emails waiting for him when he assumed office.

Theres definitely structural challenges to being able to get any projects funded when youre first elected, because of the timeline, Bravo said.

Theres little time for genuine discussion or negotiation about budget priorities. New council members are left to scramble for crumbs.

The senior council members will tell me, Thats just the way it is. Dont be upset. It happened to me too, Bravo said. Im like, You get that its a problem, and you havent done anything to fix the process.

Bravo extended his critique to the way council members routinely approve contracts and board appointments without knowing anything about the details. His bigger point seemed to be that it does no good to call council members policymakers if theyre confined to a structure that discourages policymaking.

He voiced his opposition to the process by abstaining on the final budget vote.

The way the process is, instead of saving some things for the final allocations, you end up with more of a business-as-usual budget, Bravo said. When you have a council where theres no real coalitions to get to six votes, youre just going to get whatever the staff proposal was.

These three freshmen will lose some battles. But theyll make plenty of noise along the way.

ggarcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @gilgamesh470
Benjamin Franklin was right about death and taxes, but new taxes only become inevitable when a Democrat is elected president, and here we are.

The House Ways and Means Committee released an outline of tax proposals to offset President Joe Bidens jaw-dropping spending plans, and its the expected assortment of tax increases on business and the affluent that Democrats like to pretend can fund a social welfare state of the sort that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has long pined and advocated for.

The individual tax rate would increase from 37 percent to 39.6 percent, the capital gains rate from 20 percent to 25 percent, and the corporate tax rate from 21 percent to 26.5 percent, among sundry other provisions befitting the hideously complex U.S. tax regime.

Its a sign of the scope of Biden plans that the committee version represents a step back from his tax proposals, yet still clocks in at an enormous $2.2 trillion in estimated new revenue over ten years.

The corporate taxes are particularly noxious. Democrats love the politics of taxing corporations, based on the lazy and wrongheaded idea that the corporate tax is the way to stick it to executives and shareholders. To the contrary, if businesses are taxed at a higher rate, they have less resources available for the capital investments that improve worker productivity over time. This ultimately means lower wages for workers.

It is telling that no one is talking about going back up to the pre-Trump rate of 35 percent.

According to the Tax Foundation, a top corporate rate of 28 percent, the level that Biden favors, would once again give the U.S. the highest rate in the OECD at 32.3 percent once state-level corporate taxes are factored in as well. France currently has the highest rate but is set to reduce it next year.

Whats the sense in instantly making the business environment in the United States less favorable and giving a competitive advantage to foreign countries?

While the Way and Means draft rejects Biden proposals such as taking the capital gains rate all the way up to 39 percent (!), it does everything it can to try to hold anyone making less than $400,000 harmless. As the Washington Post puts it, The efforts are designed to avoid even the appearance of affecting middle- and lower-income households.

This is where the Democrats are willing to talk the talk about a cradle-to-grave welfare state, but not walk the walk. There can be no European-style welfare state, at least not sustainably so, without European-style taxes.

The dirty secret about the Scandinavian countries that the left constantly holds up as a model is that they arent afraid to tax the middle class. These alleged models of social justice tax more than we do and tax much more broadly, realizing that taxing the rich and corporations isnt enough to fund extensive and generous social programs.

The Tax Foundation calculates that if the U.S. had a tax system comparable to Denmark, we would be taxing all income over $70,000 at 55.9 percent, Denmarks top rate.

The Ways and Means tax hikes would, sure enough, create Denmark-like rates. As Robert Frank of CNBC notes, the combined state and federal top tax rates in New York City would be 61.2 percent, in California 59.7 percent, and in New Jersey 57.2 percent. But the rates wouldnt reach down into the middle class. In fact, Democrats from high state taxes are determined to raise the cap on federal tax deductions for state and local taxes  limited in Donald Trumps tax reform  to reduce the tax bite on their relatively affluent constituents.

Maybe dont increase taxes in the first place?

Indeed, rather than trying to spend historic amounts of money while their slender majorities last, itd be better for the country if Democrats sought to fund their priorities by reallocating dollars within the already vast federal budget. But standing the aforementioned Benjamin Franklin on his head, they believe that a trillion saved is a trillion wasted.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)  A 2-year-old was killed Friday in what police say appears to be an accidental shooting in Lawrence, Kansas.

Police responding to a shooting found the toddler critically injured, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. The child was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
FAIRFIELD  Its the Year of Kindness at Notre Dame Catholic High School and administration and students put the theme into action following the destruction Hurricane Ida caused in LaPlace, La.

The community of Notre Dame in Fairfield collected nearly $15,000 of donated items and cash in 48 hours. On Tuesday, Principal Chris Cipriano and Assistant Principal Scott Bannon arrived at St. Charles Catholic High School in Louisiana, after a 1,400 mile drive, to deliver the Uhaul truck of donated items.

It was really affirming to us to see how positive they were after all theyve been through, Cipriano said. They still had hope. They had smiles on their face and they were appreciative of what we did. They are really an inspirational community.

When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana at the end of August, Cipriano and his staff wondered how they could directly help the people that were impacted by the storm. Cipriano began researching and found St. Charles Catholic High School.

I identified St. Charles because it reminded me so much of ND  a diverse Diocesan high school, in the suburbs, with almost 450 students, he said. In my email, I offered our prayers and made an inquiry to see if the ND community could be of assistance.

About a week later, someone from St. Charles responded, thanking him for reaching out and expressing the need of their community. Cipriano said this launched Notre Dames 48-hour collection and plans were put into place on how to deliver the bevy of donations.

It really spoke to the good that is out there, Cipriano said. There was such a willingness to help with an area that needed help the most. This was one of our first big acts of kindness this year and to see the response of the community, it really was a humbling experience to see how quickly the community responded and in such an overwhelming fashion.

Cipriano said the devastation and destruction he saw when he and Bannon arrived in Louisiana was unimaginable and tough to describe in words.

The pictures that I saw on television dont do it justice, Cipriano said. Those 150 mph winds caused a lot of destruction down there. Most folks still didnt have power back and they were still under a boil water advisory.

It was a community that needed help, he added.

He believes the Notre Dame response and experience from this opportunity was driven by personal connection. He said that while the community could have donated to organizations like the American Red Cross, the personal connection drives home the importance of kindness, something he thinks the students fully understand now.

I think everyone appreciates the power of this experience, Cipriano said. Our community rallied to support a high school that was 12 states away and that no one has ever heard of before. They made a commitment to spread kindness.
NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP)  Police in Florida said they are working with the FBI to find 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, whose girlfriend disappeared during a cross-country trek in a converted van.

North Port police said late Friday that Laundrie's parents told them that they haven't seen him since Tuesday. Police said they spoke with the family at the family's request.

Laundrie and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, left in July on a journey that took them to national parks out West. She was reported missing on Sept. 11 by her family and is now the subject of a nationwide search joined by the FBI.

Investigators said Laundrie returned in the van to his parents home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. Theyve identified him as a person of interest in the case.

The investigation is now a multiple missing person case, police said, adding that they are not investigating a crime.

An attorney for Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Associated Press on Friday night.

Earlier in the week, Petito's family pleaded for the Laundrie family to tell them where their son last saw her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on Long Island. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

Police video released by the Moab Police Department in Utah showed that an officer pulled the van over on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park. The body cam video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police cruiser while officers also questioned Laundrie.

Laundrie says on the video the couple got into a minor scuffle that began when he climbed into the van with dirty feet, and said he didnt want to purue a domestic violence charge against Petito, who officers decided was the aggressor.

He told the officers he wasn't going to pursue charges because he loves her. It was just a squabble. Sorry it had to get so public, Laundrie says on the video.

Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

The official conversation with the family came shortly after the North Port chief Garrison had publicly vented frustration over Brian Laundrie's lack of help on Wednesday, pleading for Laundries lawyer to arrange a conversation. Two people left on a trip and one person returned! an earlier tweet by the police chief had said.

Their trek in the Fort Transit van began in July from New Yorks Long Island, where both grew up. They intended to reach Oregon by Halloween according to their social media accounts, but Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Laundrie drove the Ford Transit van back to Florida on Sept. 1 alone, police said. Petitos family filed a missing persons report last Saturday with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Petitos parents released a letter through their attorney on Thursday to Laundries parents, asking them to help investigators locate Petito, despite their instinct to protect their son.

Bertolino, Laundries attorney, said the Laundrie family is hoping for Petitos safe return, but he had asked them not to speak with investigators.

Were still trying to nail down geographic areas, Garrison said recently. Theres a lot of information we are going through. Our focus is to find Gabby.

In other developments, a sheriff in Utah said Friday that detectives have determined there is no connection between Petito's disappearance on the trip and a still-unsolved slaying of two women who were fatally shot at a campsite near Moab, Utah  the same tourist town where Petito and Laundrie had the fight in which police intervened.

The two women's bodies were found Aug. 18, six days after the traffic stop involving Laundrie and Petito. The two women, Kylen Schulte, 24, and Crystal Turner, 38, had told friends they feared a creepy man they had seen nearby might harm them.

Utah's Grand County Sheriff Steven White said without elaboration in a news release the two cases were unrelated.
DENVER (AP)  A judge on Friday sentenced a former student to life in prison without parole for a 2019 shooting inside a suburban Denver high school that killed one teenager and injured eight others, telling the defendant he had shown no remorse and had failed to help a devastated community understand his actions.

Devon Erickson, now 20, was convicted in June of 46 charges, including first-degree murder in the death of Kendrick Castillo, an 18-year-old senior hailed as a hero for trying to stop the attack on a classroom at STEM School Highlands Ranch, south of Denver.

Prosecutors said Erickson partnered with fellow student Alec McKinney in the May 7, 2019, shooting. McKinney told investigators that he planned the attack for weeks and intended to target classmates who repeatedly mocked him because he was transgender, according to court documents. Since Erickson was 18 at the time of the attack, he faced a mandatory life sentence.

After a lengthy and emotional hearing in which survivors shared their pain, trauma and disruptions to their lives, Judge Theresa Michelle Slade added hundreds of years of prison time to Erickson's life sentence for multiple charges of attempted murder and other counts.

Wearing handcuffs, a red-and-white-striped prison suit and a blue mask amid the coronavirus pandemic, Erickson displayed virtually no emotion except for blowing his nose into his mask after sentencing. But just after his parents, sister and grandfather told him they loved him in their testimony, his voice broke when the judge asked if he wanted to speak. He declined.

I dont think there is anything I can say to you, Mr. Erickson, that would make any difference," Slade said, recounting how the shooting had devastated not only those at the school and their families but untold numbers of people beyond the suburban community where the school is located.

The judge said Erickson never tried to explain his actions, leaving a gaping hole for a community seeking at least some sense of closure.

I dont believe, Mr. Erickson, at least for now, that it makes a difference to you, Slade said. So what you do the rest of your life in prison, that's not on me. It's on you.

McKinney, who was 16 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to life in prison last year but could become eligible for parole after about 20 years under a program for juvenile offenders.

Erickson and McKinney targeted a classroom of students sitting in the dark as they watched a movie at the end of their senior year. The two entered through separate doors to maximize the number of students they could kill, prosecutors said.

Erickson and McKinney concocted a victim-hero plan in which McKinney would either kill himself or be killed by Erickson, prosecutors said.

The shootings stopped when Castillo and two other students, Joshua Jones and Brendan Bialy, charged Erickson, whose gun jammed after he fired four times. A school security guard apprehended McKinney.

Defense attorneys argued that Erickson was pressured into participating by McKinney, who testified against Erickson after pleading guilty last year. The defense also suggested that Castillo was accidentally shot as he pushed Erickson against a wall.

Statements Friday by teachers, former students, their parents and Castillos mother and father wove a harrowing picture of lives shattered by enduring trauma, panic attacks, recurring nightmares of gunshots, blood, screams and heavily armed SWAT teams rescuing those in hiding inside the school.

One teacher said she became so frightened of working with older students and worrying about what they might do that she now teaches younger children.

Jones and Bialy, who were shot while helping Castillo subdue Erickson, didnt hide their disgust.

He killed Kendrick, and he didnt care, Jones said, nearly heaving at the witness stand. I would implore you to put him in jail for as long as you can.

The defendant is a loser, Bialy said. He walked into a classroom, armed, with vulnerable students, and he lost.

Castillos parents, John and Maria Castillo, proudly, if painfully, described their son as an only child who was happy  a young man of faith always ready to help others.

We dont want to forget Kendrick, but its an emotional journey that most people will never understand, and I hope they dont, John Castillo said.

Defense attorney David Kaplan insisted that Erickson was exceptionally remorseful. Witnesses and family described him as an unselfish and cheerful person who helped others and loved school, a jazz singer who gave lessons to younger students  and someone who fell under the sway of McKinney.

Ericksons father, Jim Erickson, read aloud the names of those injured and apologized to them, teachers, students, law enforcement and the broader community.

We pray for these people every day, he said, crying. We hope that they can find peace, and we hope that they can find forgiveness  and I know thats a hard ask, forgiveness.

At his sentencing last year, McKinney said he did not want leniency. But he also suggested the shooting was Ericksons idea.
Good morning, it's Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, the day of the week I pass along quotations intended to be inspirational or thought-provoking. Today's comes from Jeb Bush, with an assist from Donald J. Trump.

In yesterday's morning note, I contrasted Donald Trump's rhetoric on immigration to Ronald Reagan's. The 45th U.S. president did not fare well in that comparison. Several loyal readers of this daily missive complained that I had been unfair to Trump, specifically by asserting that when Trump discussed building his border "wall" on Sept. 15, 2015, he'd said nothing about that wall having "doors" -- as Reagan had done in his farewell address while describing his metaphorical "shining city on a hill."

One Florida reader, a resident of Boca Raton, pointed out that Trump several times specifically invoked doors when discussing his wall in the late summer and autumn of 2015.

-- Aug. 23, 2015: "This will be a wall with a very big, very beautiful door, because we want the legals to come back into the country." Interview with CBS News

-- Oct. 28, 2015: "We're going to have a big, fat beautiful door right in the middle of the wall. We're going to have people come in, but they're coming in legally." Republican presidential debate.

-- Nov. 14, 2015: "People will come through the openings in that wall -- we'll have a few of them -- and they'll come in and they're going to come in legally." Rally in Beaumont, Texas.

I've made no secret in my writing the last six years that I was offended by Donald Trump's tone when discussing immigrants, particularly those from Mexico. It started when he made his presidential announcement speech on June 16, 2015.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. They're not sending you; they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems," he said in his ad-libbed speech at Trump Tower in New York City. "They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime. They're rapists and some, I assume, are good people, but I speak to border guards and they're telling us what we're getting."

I was hardly the only political observer who found such language appalling. Still, that doesn't give me the right to mischaracterize what Trump said on the topic of immigration. So if you are one of the readers bothered by my selective quotation Thursday, consider this a mea culpa.

That is not going to be my last word on this subject, however, because I believe the populist right makes the same mistake on immigration as the progressive left.

It has become commonplace on the left to demonize this country. America was founded on "white supremacy," they like to say, and remains a "racist" country hostile to immigrants and people of color. This is palpable nonsense, which is undermined every single day by the very people who are coming here. The 1 million or so legal immigrants (almost all of them from Asia, Africa, and Latin America), as well as the untold numbers of illegal migrants crossing the border, are coming to America because they see this nation the way immigrants have always seen it: as a welcoming place, and a beacon of opportunity.

As for those who want to "Make America Great Again," well, if you look at our nation through the eyes of those leaving their country and their culture behind to come to the United States, America looks like a pretty great place already. Why hate on those who want what we have -- who want to become Americans?

In other words, the woke left demonizes America while the populist right demonizes those who want to become Americans. In my view -- and traditionally this was a view held by most Democrat and Republican officeholders -- both these extremes consider this issue through the wrong prism. Here is how Jeb Bush expressed it during an April 6, 2014, interview with Shannon Bream of Fox News.

"The way I look at this is, someone who comes to our country because they couldn't come legally ... and they crossed the border because they had no other means to work, to be able to provide for their family, yes, they broke the law, but it's not a felony.

"It's an act of love," Bush added, "it's an act of commitment to your family."

And that's my quote of the week.

Carl M. Cannon is the Washington bureau chief for RealClearPolitics. Reach him on Twitter @CarlCannon.
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Yami visited Dakshineswar Mandir and Kali Bari Mandir in Kolkata to seek the blessings of the Goddess. A source revealed, "Yami has a firm belief in Shakti Peeth  & visiting temples, and always makes sure to offer her prayers despite her busy calendar. The actress made it a point to visit both temples early in the morning because she didn't want to cause any inconvenience to the locals and her team's shooting schedule."

Yami Gautam is having a jam packed year. While she is garnering all the love for her performance in Bhoot Police, the actress recently wrapped the shooting schedule for LOST, her next project. Shot in Kolkata, the investigative drama features her as a crime reporter. While on schedule for the film in Kolkata, the actor took out time to offer her prayers at the famous holy temples of the city.
SYDNEY, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Kalkine Media is organising the next edition of the "INVEST NEST" webinar series, titled 'Australian businesses with a progressive Customer-first approach', on September 23, 2021.

Life events are less predictable than they were in the past and organizations need to pull up their sleeves to remain relevant in today's marketplace. An amazing customer experience is one of the biggest competitive advantages a company can have. In Kalkine Media's Exclusive Invest Nest Webinar, meet the business leaders of two Australian businesses with a progressive customer-first approach. The webinar will help potential investors discover valuable information as top leaders of the companies navigate through insightful business information and discuss emerging themes in the Australian market.

Adapting customer experience in the times of coronavirus with Kalkine Media's valued clients, Skin Elements & Hallmark Business Pty Ltd.

Skin Elements is an award winning ASX-listed company committed to designing and formulating natural, organic, health and wellness products for the global market. It partners with nature to source only the best, most healthy ingredients for its brands. The Company has a track record of developing natural products that have received approval with the Australian TGA, USA FDA, and other significant regulators. Know how Skin Elements is working towards providing world-class wellness products in the global market from Mr. Peter Malone, the Executive Chairman of Skin Elements Limited.

Hallmark Business Sales Pty Ltd is driven with a focus on delivering quality service to its clients, including transition to retirement with the sale of the business, or an acquisition to grow the existing business and wealth. Know how Hallmark Business Sales helps its clients in achieving the best result on their terms while experiencing maximum return on their investment from Mr. Peter Gwynne, Managing Director of Hallmark Business Sales Pty Limited.

About Kalkine Media

Kalkine Media operates across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK and the US. It aims to keep its readers abreast of the latest and trending news on the equity and commodity markets, the unravelling economy and other business developments.

Webinar Registration Link -

https://kalkinemedia.com/webinar/register/87452527426?utm_source=pressrelease&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=two-australian-businesses-with-a-progressive-customer-first-approach

Contact- honey.bhargava@kalkinepr.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1341740/Kalkine_Logo.jpg
New Operations and administration staff added to support growth

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - September 17, 2021) - Maitri Health Technologies Corp. (CSE: MTEC) (FRA: D84) ("Maitri") a global platform for healthcare security, announces hiring of new key project management leadership and administrative functions to meet demands from new and existing clients across North America.

Maitri is expecting to continue to add needed staff for laboratories and field personnel for COVID-19 screening tests over the coming months. This is a result of the increased spread of COVID-19 variants and increased testing in all organizations.

"Navigating through the Delta Variant surge is a priority with our new and existing clients," said Andrew Morton, CEO of Maitri. "We have an expanding opportunity to sell our health-tech platform while answering the call to support immediate needs of TV/Film Studios, Fortune 500 and education with their testing needs. Our commitment to our vision of 'Unstoppable is Possible' is supported by our labs located in key hubs the United States."

Debt Settlement

The Company also announces that it has reached an agreement with an arms-length creditor pursuant to which it will settle outstanding indebtedness totaling $579,310 through the issuance of 2,000,000 common shares at a deemed price of $0.27 per share. The creditor has agreed that the common shares issuable in connection with the settlement will be subject to restrictions on resale for a period of twenty-four months following issuance.

About Maitri Health Technologies

Maitri Health Technologies Corp. (CSE: MTEC) (FRA: D84) is a global platform for healthcare security, diagnostic testing and occupational health-tech. Our mission is to ensure that "unstoppable is possible" for businesses and their employees through innovative, customized healthcare models. Maitri offers a system for businesses and organizations that helps engage employees and creates strategies to manage health and safety. Maitri's system includes software, a network of top healthcare professionals and integrated laboratories for Fortune 500 companies, Hollywood productions and major sporting and music events. Our stable, scalable system is an integrated health-tech platform that securely manages data while delivering comprehensive workplace health and safety outcomes. For more information: https://maitrihealth.ca and www.bloomhealthpartners.com.

For more information: investors@maitrihealth.ca

On behalf of the board of directors,

MAITRI HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES CORP.

Andrew Morton, Chief Executive Officer

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward looking. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except as required under the applicable laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/96948
Two new excavator products released: XE600 and XE690 DK MAX

XUZHOU, China, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The XCMG Excavator Machinery Business Department of XCMG has manufactured a total of 200,000 units of excavators since its establishment in 2008, the fastest OEM brand to reach this level of sales across the engineering manufacturing industry. The 200,000th excavator that rolled off the assembly line was the XE380DK.

Standing on the shoulders of giants, XCMG Excavator has built itself into a world renowned excavator brand. As of July 2021, total exports of XCMG excavators have increased by 152 percent year-on-year, the highest in the industry.

"Marking the production and sales of 200,000 units of excavators is a milestone for XCMG and a new starting point," said Wang Min, chairman and CEO of XCMG. "Business in overseas markets will be an important direction for XCMG's future development and we'll expand the layout of excavators and other machinery products as well as full-cycle service in Asia-Pacific, Belt and Road Initiative countries, Africa, the Americas and more, providing better services to customers."

XCMG hosted a special event on September 16 celebrating the landmark achievement and the release of two new 60-tonnage excavator products - the XE600 and XE690 DK MAX, both are designed for heavy load mining working conditions with the following highlights:

Featuring 28 core technologies, equipped to operate in six major working conditions: material crushing, stonework loading/unloading, earthwork excavating, blocking/piling, rock spallation and material handling.

Leading performance in terms of reliability, digging/piling efficiency, economic efficiency, adaptability, operating comfort, crushing capacity and advanced intelligence.

Flexible product combinations competent to meet any kind of operational requirements, precise matching with 60-80 tonnage mining dump trucks;

Super stability guarantee, the XE690DK MAX in particular, has the heaviest machine weight of products of the same class, suitable for heavy load construction;

Excelling working performance, ability to equip maximum strengthened buckets of the same class;

High-torque walking traction achieved with large displacement motor and reduction box of high functional density;

Highest matching power of large displacement engine, with XE600 reaching the level of 65-tonnage excavators and XE690DK MAX reaching 100-tonnage (also the only product equipped with an 8-cylinder engine);

Industry-leading digging force achieved with a high-efficiency hydraulic system, equipped with a heavy-duty, high-efficiency hydraulic pump.

Tested successfully under three extreme conditions: high altitude of 4,500 meters, cold test at -40 degrees Celsius and high temperature test at 50 degrees Celsius.

Eight companies signed purchase contracts at the release event, totaling 100 units of the new 60-ton excavators.

In the past five years, overseas sales of XCMG excavators have achieved the fastest growth across the industry, and the export volume ranks steadily among the top three.

"Since 2008, it's been XCMG's mission to create 'Advanced and Endurable' products that are recognized and respected in the international market, and we thrive to reach the summit of the excavator industry with our honest, persistent and innovative teams," added Mr. Wang.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1629291/XCMG_Excavator_Logs_Cumulative_Production_Sales_200_000_Units.jpg
Update: iQOO has confirmed the launch of iQOO Z5 5G smartphone in India on September 27th. It has also confirmed Snapdragon 778G SoC offering 40% improved CPU and GPU performance compared to Snapdragon 768G in the iQOO Z3. It will pack LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage.

In China, the company has posted the rear image of the phone that shows 64MP (f/1.79 aperture) triple rear camera a gradient design in some models. It also shows a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Earlier: iQOO has started teasing the launch of iQOO Z5, the companys new mid-range smartphone and the successor to the iQOO Z3 in India on Amazon.in. The company already confirmed that the phone will launch in China on September 23rd. Since Amazon has started teasing the Great Indian Festival sale, the India launch is expected by the end of September.

In China, iQOO already confirmed that the phone will come with a centre punch-hole screen with 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, h DCI-P3 color gamut, HDR10 support and TUV Rheinland low blue light certification. This could be an LCD screen with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. It will be the companys first phone to be powered by Snapdragon 778G SoC compared to Snapdragon 768G in the predecessor.

It will come with a 64MP main camera and two other cameras, which are expected to be ultra-wide and a macro camera. The company has also posted samples.

The phone will come with LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, stereo speakers, and Hi-Res AUDIO wired and wireless dual certification. The phone will pack a 5000mAh battery. A recent Geekbench listing revealed the model number as V2148A and 8GB of RAM for the phone. 3C certification revealed 44W fast charging.

According to a report from GSMArena, the phone will be priced under Rs. 30,000 in India, and the company says it will make it the segments best performance and gaming device.

Motorola edge 20 that was launched recently powered by the same Snapdragon 778G SoC costs Rs. 30,000, and Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G that will launch in the country on September 29th should be priced cheaper than that.
Carla Peoples covers the social and nonprofit scene in Galveston. Her column appears in the weekend edition. Contact her at cstayhouston@sbcglobal.net with Seaside Scenes in the subject line.
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.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agra Ventures Ltd. (AGRA or the Company) (CSE: AGRA) (Frankfurt: PU30.F) (OTCPK: AGFAD), a growth-oriented and diversified company focused on the international cannabis industry, announces that it has changed its auditor from Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP (Former Auditor) to Baker Tilly LLP (Successor Auditor) effective September 17, 2021. In accordance with National Instrument 51-102, the Company has filed Notice of Change of Auditor, together with the required letters from the Former Auditor and the Successor Auditor in respect of this change under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.



Separately, on September 2, 2021, the Company was served with a Petition in the British Columbia Supreme Court seeking an order granting the Petitioner leave of the Court to commence a Civil Claim (the Claim) in the name and on behalf of the Company against certain proposed Defendants. The Company takes the allegations contained within the Claim seriously and has engaged legal counsel to investigate the alleged matters and to respond to the proposed Petition.

ABOUT AGRA VENTURES

Agra Ventures Ltd. (AGRA or the Company) is a growth-oriented and diversified company focused on the international cannabis industry. The Company is dedicated to the cultivation, distribution and marketing of high-quality cannabis and cannabis-infused products worldwide. AGRAs primary asset in Canada is Boundary Bay Cannabis located in Delta, BC, which is one of the largest cannabis greenhouse facilities focused on the cost-optimized cultivation of high-potency cannabis. Abroad, the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary, Farmako GmbH, is focused on becoming Europes leading distributor of medical cannabis. Farmako currently has active product distribution operations in Germany and expects to commence active operations in the United Kingdom in 2021.

For more information about Agra Ventures, please visit https://agraventures.com/ and its profile page on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Nick Kuzyk, Investor Relations

E: ir@agraventures.com

T: (800) 783-6056

The CSE and Information Service Provider have not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this release.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

Except for statements of historic fact this news release contains certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as plan expect project intend believe anticipate estimate and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions may or will occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information including factors beyond the Companys control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Agra Ventures described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or managements estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Companys filings with Canadian securities regulators which are available at www.sedar.com.
Vancouver, Canada, Sept. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Nasal decolonization is recommended by the WHO and CDC to reduce hospital acquired infections (HAIs), [1] which have been exacerbated by COVID. [2]

HAIs in U.S. hospitals cause up to $45 billion of direct extra medical costs annually. [3]

Ondine Biomedical, which specializes in photodisinfection-based medical devices, presented in vitro and in vivo results which demonstrated elimination of the SARS-CoV-2 genome after less than a few minutes of photodisinfection treatment at the recent European Society of Photobiology conference in Austria.

Ondines photodisinfection technology was also shown to destroy spike protein and receptor binding domains from various major viral variants including the highly infectious Delta variant from India. These findings underscored in vivo outcomes provided by industrial users, where COVID-19 infection rates in treated workers were shown to significantly decline compared to untreated workers.

Dr. Nicolas Loebel, President and Chief Technology Officer, told the meeting, The nose is a major reservoir of SARS-CoV-2. As the majority of COVID-19 transmissions are from asymptomatic carriers, Ondines approach to this highly infectious virus is to focus on reducing transmission by decolonizing the noses of patients of all pathogens. This application is a natural extension of Ondines Steriwave nasal photodisinfection technology which has been deployed over the past ten years in Canadian hospitals and clinics to reduce healthcare associated infections.

When a colonized person coughs or sneezes, pathogens can be aerosolized in the upper airway and transmitted to other patients, coworkers, and healthcare professionals. This could occur whether or not the patient is vaccinated or has COVID-19 symptoms. We believe that a powerful, rapid decolonization method like Steriwave could become a key component of viral transmission control alongside masks, vaccines and antibody therapies.

The majority of current pathogen-directed therapies fail at some point through development of resistance, continued Loebel. Given the continued emergence of virulent SARS-CoV-2 mutations which can span the globe in a matter of months, we intend to advance our photodisinfection-based protocols and clinical efforts as fast as possible to provide patients as well as healthcare professionals with a new tool in the battle against these and other types of emerging respiratory pathogens.

The nose has been identified as an ideal breeding ground and reservoir for many pathogens including MRSA, Candida auris and SARS-Cov-2. Steriwave has been shown to rapidly and painlessly eradicate bacteria, viruses, and fungi in the nose. The patented platform technology involves a two-step process: the application of a liquid photosensitizer to each nostril, followed by illumination with non-thermal laser light for less than five minutes. This combination destroys the pathogens via oxidative stress. Key benefits of this painless nasal decolonization approach include instant, broad-spectrum action; simple integration into hospital and clinic workflows; high compliance rates; and lack of resistance generation by the targeted pathogens.

Steriwave has received the CE mark and is approved in Canada and in a number of other countries for intranasal pathogen decolonization. In the United States, Steriwave is currently going through clinical trials for regulatory approval. Steriwave has been used in Canadian hospitals over the past decade for nasal decolonization to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections.



About Photodisinfection

Steriwave photodisinfection therapy retains effectiveness despite re-use; is simple and painless to administer, takes only minutes to eliminate bacteria, virus and fungi; requires no compliance or complicated multi-step treatment regimens; and can be applied by any medical professional. This is of particular importance during the current pandemic, as research has demonstrated that pathogen cofactors worsen COVID-19 outcomes by altering natural skin immunity and host defenses. [4]

Ondines Steriwave photodisinfection technology provides an alternative in the fight against drug-resistant infections. Also known as antimicrobial photodynamic disinfection therapy (aPDT), this light-activated antimicrobial kills a broad spectrum of drug-resistant bacteria, viruses, and fungi, including those in biofilms, while substantially reducing local inflammation. The CE-marked Steriwave technology involves applying a photosensitive agent to each nostril, followed by illumination of the area via non-thermal laser light for less than five minutes. This causes an oxidative burst which destroys the pathogens. When the light is turned off, the reaction ceases.





About Ondine Biomedical Inc.

Ondine Biomedical Inc. is a Canadian headquartered, medical device company led by Founder and CEO, Carolyn Cross. Ondine has developed a patented, painless, photodisinfection technology platform used in treatment and prevention therapies for a broad-spectrum of pathogens - bacterial, viral and fungal - including multidrug-resistant strains. In addition to Steriwave for nasal disinfection, other applications of the photodisinfection platform are under development, including treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, decolonization of burns and wounds, disinfection of endotracheal tubes to reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia and most recently, the development of topical antiviral therapy for the upper respiratory tract to reduce SARS-CoV-2 titre and transmission.

Sources:

[1] Surgical Site Infection Prevention: Key facts on decolonization of nasal carriers of Staphyloccus aureus (WHO).

Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (WHO 2018).

New WHO recommendations on preoperative measures for surgical site infection prevention.

Strategies to Prevent Hospital-onset Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections in Acute Care Facilities (CDC).

[2] COVID-19 Impact on HAIs in 2020

[3] Economic burden of healthcare-associated infections: an American perspective

[4] Evaluation of bacterial co-infections of the respiratory tract in COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU

Attachments
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hagens Berman urges ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. (NYSE: ATIP) investors and Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II (NYSE: FAII) investors with losses in excess of $100,000 to submit your losses now.

Class Period: Apr. 1, 2021  July 23, 2021

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: Oct. 15, 2021

Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/ATIP

Contact An Attorney Now: ATIP@hbsslaw.com

844-916-0895

ATI Physical Therapy, Inc. (ATIP/ FAII) Securities Class Action:

The investigation focuses on statements by ATI Physical Therapy, its senior management, Fortress, and others concerning ATI Physical Therapys financial performance, operations and business prospects leading up to and after its merger with special purpose acquisition company Fortress Value Acquisition Corp. II that closed on or about June 16, 2021.

More specifically, ATI Physical Therapy, senior management, and others have touted the companys growth opportunities through new clinic openings and accelerated hiring.

But on July 26, 2021, slightly a month after the merger closed, ATI Physical Therapy reported disappointing Q2 2021 financial results and slashed its full year revenue expectations by as much as 12%, blaming the dismal outlook on accelerated attrition of physical therapists and a corresponding reduction in estimated new clinic openings.

The company also disclosed it has determined that the revision to its 2021 forecast constitutes an interim triggering event that requires further analysis with respect to potential impairment to goodwill and trade name intangible assets.

Then, on July 28, 2021, Barrington Research reportedly accused ATI of failing to provide a good defense for why the companys original guidance (which was officially maintained up until yesterday) ever made sense, stated [w]e are all shocked by what has unfolded at ATI, and concluded ATI has, unfortunately, fully earned the time we believe it will spend in the penalty box.

Most recently, on Aug. 9, 2021, ATI announced its CEO (Labeed Diab) left the company effective immediately.

These events sent the price of ATI Physical Therapy shares crashing lower.

Were focused on investors losses and whether company insiders overstated ATI Physical Therapys asset values and expected 2021 revenues, said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.

If you invested in ATI Physical Therapy or Fortress and have significant losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firms investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding ATI Physical Therapy or Fortress should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email ATIP@hbsslaw.com.

About Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman is a national law firm with eight offices in eight cities around the country and over eighty attorneys. The firm represents investors, whistleblowers, workers and consumers in complex litigation. More about the firm and its successes is located at hbsslaw.com. For the latest news visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @classactionlaw .
NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) between March 13, 2020 and December 15, 2020, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), of the September 30, 2021 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action.



SO WHAT: If you purchased Tyson securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Tyson class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2022.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than September 30, 2021. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs Bar. Many of the firms attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Tyson knew, or should have known, that the highly contagious coronavirus was spreading throughout the globe; (2) Tyson did not in fact have sufficient safety protocols to protect its employees in its facilities; (3) as a result, Tyson employees contracted and spread the coronavirus within the facilities; (4) as a result of the foregoing, Tyson would face negative impact to its production, including complete shutdowns of certain facilities; (5) due to the failure to protect its employees, Tyson would suffer financial harm related to its lowered production; and (6) as a result, defendants public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the Tyson class action, go to http://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-register-2022.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investors ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

lrosen@rosenlegal.com

pkim@rosenlegal.com

cases@rosenlegal.com

www.rosenlegal.com
Waukesha, WI (53187)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Thunder possible. High near 65F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Variable clouds with showers at times, and perhaps a rumble or two of thunder, especially early. Low 59F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Governor Northam Announces Production of Raymond and Ray in Virginia

Project will film in Central Virginia this fall

RICHMONDThe Governor today announced that the feature film Raymond and Ray, from Apple Original Films, will shoot in Central Virginia this fall. The film stars Ethan Hawke (Before Sunset, Boyhood) and Ewan McGregor (Halston, Fargo).

Raymond and Ray tells the story of half-brothers who have lived in the shadow of a difficult father. Rodrigo Garcia (In Treatment, Albert Nobbs) will write and direct. Oscar-winner Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity, Roma) will produce with Bonnie Curtis (Saving Private Ryan, Albert Nobbs) and Julie Lynn (Albert Nobbs, To the Bone). Lynn is a board member for the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville, and a graduate of the University of Virginia. Gabriela Rodriguez and Shea Kammer will serve as executive producers.

Major projects like Raymond and Ray shine a powerful spotlight on and increase awareness of all that Virginia offers, said Governor Ralph Northam. We look forward to working with the films exceptional team and to the economic benefits a film of this scale will bring to Virginia workers and businesses.

The Virginia film, television, and new media industry is a source of strong economic growth for the Commonwealth, said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. The industry has provided high-wage jobs and revenue to many Virginia communities throughout times of economic uncertainty and especially so for our hard-hit hospitality industry. Projects like Raymond and Ray continue to build our profile as a preferred production location, and we eagerly anticipate the expansion of this important Virginia industry.

Attending the lovely Virginia Film Festival whetted our appetite to film in the Commonwealth, said Raymond and Ray director Rodrigo Garcia and producers Alfonso Cuaron, Bonnie Curtis, and Julie Lynn in a joint statement. The Virginia Film Office has been amazing, and were thrilled to bring Raymond and Ray here, with Apples support, to take advantage of the gorgeous locations and fall colors."

We are honored to welcome the many new and familiar faces of Raymond and Ray to Virginia, said Virginia Film Office Director Andy Edmunds. There is truly no greater testament to Virginias rich assets, talented workers, and film-friendly atmosphere than repeat customers of this distinction, and were enthusiastic about another special opportunity to grow our partnership.

Recent major projects that have been filmed in Virginia include the feature film Tapawingo, the Hulu limited series Dopesick, AMCs The Walking Dead: World Beyond, and Apple TVs Swagger.

Raymond and Ray will be eligible for a Virginia film tax credit or grant. The exact amount will be based on the number of Virginia workers hired, Virginia goods and services purchased, and deliverables including Virginia tourism promotions.

For more information about Virginias film production industry, please visit the Virginia Film Office website . To learn more about Virginia tourism, please click here

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The Red Bull Racing team can enjoy a free weekend, but next week another Grand Prix is scheduled. The Austrian team will then travel to Russia where they will try to score some points with Max Verstappen.

The Dutchman faces a tough challenge, however, as the circuit seems to favour Mercedes. In addition, Verstappen faces a three-place grid penalty due to the incident with Lewis Hamilton in Italy and will most likely change his engine.

Horner has confidence in Verstappen

Team boss Christian Horner hopes Red Bull can pull surprise, he said on Red Bull's official website. "I was looking through the results at the Russian Grand Prix and back in 2018, Max went from last to first before needing to make his pit stop. We were second there last year but its a circuit we have never won at. It has been a Mercedes stronghold."

"For me, Monza and Sochi, Ive them marked down mentally as Mercedes circuits so it will be a challenge. We have the grid penalty to take for Max too, but in Sochi its not such a handicap because of the strength of the tow down to turn one. Im looking forward to it and seeing how we get on."
Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation will deliver 20 units of the all-electric eCanter truck to the Australia Post fleet. In October, Australia Post will become the first local customer to integrate the electric light-duty truck into its daily operations.

Australia Post is a government business enterprise providing postal services in Australia. The organization has the largest electric fleet in the country, with more than 3,000 electric delivery vehicles.





The eCanter trucks will run in major cities across Australia to support parcel deliveries. Australia Posts StarTrack subsidiary, which provides express logistics solutions for enterprises, will also be operating the eCanter. The trucks will be supported by the FUSO retail network and the e-mobility experts of Daimler Truck and Bus Australia, which oversees the import and distribution of FUSO, Mercedes-Benz, and Freightliner brand commercial vehicles.

The eCanter for Australia is shipped from Tramagal, Portugal, and comes with the same standard specifications as the models currently available in Japan and Europe. In order to support safe driving in city environments, the vehicle is installed with safety features such as the Advanced Emergency Braking System, the Lane Departure Warning System, as well as the Electronic Stability Program. The vehicle was also tested through a six-month local trial, during which it was operated with a maximum load.

The eCanter is the series-produced all-electric truck developed by MFTBC as a solution to urban environmental issues such as noise, exhaust gas and CO2 emissions. The eCanter, which falls under the 7.5-ton gross vehicle weight class, ensures a range of about 100 kilometers per charge. The electric drive system carries a motor (maximum output: 135 kW; maximum torque: 390 Nm) and six high-voltage (370 V, 13.5 kWh) lithium-ion battery packs. With quick-charging stations, the vehicle only takes up to approximately 1.5 hours to fully recharge.

Based in Kawasaki, Japan, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) is one of Asias leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, with 89.29% of its shares owned by Daimler Truck AG and 10.71% by various Mitsubishi group companies.

MFTBC manufactures a range of commercial vehicles including light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks and buses, and industrial engines for more than 170 markets worldwide. In 2017, MFTBC introduced the eCanter, the first all-electric light-duty truck in series production in Japan. In 2019, the Super GreatJapans first heavy-duty truck fitted with Level 2 Automated Driving Support Technologyfollowed as a benchmark in the Japanese commercial vehicle market.

MFTBC operates under the umbrella of Daimler Trucks Asia, together with its partner organization Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) in India.
Stellantis is exploring two new connected safety notification technologiesMulti-access Edge Computing (MEC) and Safety Cloudin North America, giving drivers advanced notification warnings of potential hazards in their path.

Greater connectivity speeds, improved hardware and expanded software expertise have opened new opportunities for Stellantis with safety systems being one of the many areas we focus on. Through smart and strategic partnerships, we will capitalize on next-generation systems and prove out the technology.Mamatha Chamarthi, Head of Software Business and Product Management

MEC. Working with the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) partnership, one test will demonstrate a cellular 5G connection with the MEC platform, allowing localized systems to quickly make decisions at the point where data is collected. For example, it uses on-site cameras and sensors to collect detailed data at an intersection that is beyond what a single vehicle can see with its on-board systems. The MEC system can locally process and communicate safety risks to on-site pedestrians and approaching vehicles.

The MEC platform demonstration evaluates a faster data exchange infrastructure for future technology applications with the ability to deliver a value chain for new connected services and increased levels of vehicle autonomy.

5GAA demonstration partners include Intel, Verizon, Harman, Altran, Telus and American Tower. Testing of Stellantis vehicles and partner technologies will be conducted at the University of Michigans Mcity Test Facility with near-term plans to expand testing to the Detroit area with cooperation from the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The initial test includes a pair of 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid vehicles equipped with Uconnect.

MEC platform technology is expected to launch nationwide within the next decade.

Safety Cloud Notifications. The second system is closer to production and emerged from Star Up, a company-wide innovation challenge that enables Stellantis employees to present new customer-focused technology concepts to the highest levels of management.

One of the innovative ideas that emerged from the event proposed an advanced warning system to indicate when emergency vehicles are in close proximity.

Engineering teams collaborated with HAAS Alert to pilot a new feature that delivers alerts to the vehicles Uconnect system when responding emergency vehicles and/or other roadway hazards tracked by the Safety Cloud digital warning system are in close proximity. The program leverages greater connectivity capability in the first automotive test of real-time Safety Cloud notifications.

The initial test includes company-owned vehicles in metro Detroit with 2018 model-year and newer Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram vehicles equipped with Uconnect. The pilot project will measure and identify the effectiveness of delivering safety alerts to in-car screens, the impact the service has on driver safety and opportunities for improvement.

Pending the results, Stellantis may develop a commercial roll-out plan.
Kevin Macy rings a bell after completing the 9/11 Memorial Walk on Saturday. Macy, carrying an American flag, walked 12 lengths along Grant Street in Rock Springs to simulate 343 flights of stairs to memorialize the 343 emergency responders who lost their lives on 9/11.

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Sweetwater County came together to honor and remember those who lost their lives.

On Saturday morning, the Rock Springs Fire Department hosted a Memorial Walk to honor 343 New York City firefighters who gave their lives while working to save victims of the attacks. Residents were invited to join firefighters in climbing Grant Street in Rock Springs. Four lengths of Grant Street simulated the 110 stories of the World Trade Center buildings.

Although the walk started at 7 a.m., people began showing up as early as 6:30 to start their treks down and up the hill. Some ran, some walked in groups and chatted, some carried their children on their backs. Many firefighters wore their gear, while some other residents carried weight vests or hose bundles provided by the fire department to simulate the weight firefighters carried into the twin towers. Many participants received a commemorative challenge coin and all were invited to ring a bell at the top of the street when they finished their walk.

Those who wanted to do more were given the option to walk 12 lengths of Grant Street to simulate 343 flights of stairs in honor of the 343 firefighters who died on 9/11. Kevin Macy rose to this challenge, doing several of his laps with a fire hose or weight vest and carrying an American flag for the entire walk.

After the walk, a memorial ceremony was hosted in front of Western Wyoming Community College. Representatives from county first responder services and law enforcement agencies were present at the ceremony. Members of the United States Marine Corp and local veterans were also present.

The memorial began with a flag ceremony, during which the Rock Springs High School band and choir performed the national anthem. Following the flag ceremony, Rock Springs Fire Chief Jim Wamsley and Mayor Tim Kaumo gave speeches, a letter from Senator John Barrasso was read and a prayer was shared by Pastor Jimmy Chrisawn from the Rock Springs First United Methodist Church.

"We as Americans vowed to never forget this day, and to never forget those who perished during these events," Kaumo said. "I can assure you that we will never forget ... We as Americans will stand together, we will protect one another, and we will fight for all that's right."

Following the memorial ceremony, local first responders and law enforcement hosted an open house event in the Western Wyoming Community College parking lot with emergency vehicles, demonstrations and free food.

"As we look back on that terrible day 20 years ago, let us stand together, looking out for each other, pulling together to help one another remember what this flag waving above us represents," Wamsley said of the memorials.

Memorials and tributes continued at other events throughout the day. A flag presentation that took place in Bunning Park during the Downtown Rock Springs ARTember event. A color guard from American Legion Archie Hay Post 24 presented a flag donated by Wyoming Senator John Barrasso. The flag was flown at half staff while "Taps" played, followed by a moment of silence to honor those who lost their lives.
Stan Blake was chosen to receive the Labor Leader of the Year award at the Wyoming State AFL-CIO convention last weekend.

The AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is a federation of 56 national and international labor unions. The Wyoming council is "one of nearly 500 state and local labor councils," according to wyomingaflcio.org.

The Wyoming AFL-CIO hosted its 58th annual convention in Sheridan last weekend. The convention takes place each year the weekend after Labor Day. Last year's event was limited and held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so this year's convention combined awards and honors from both 2020 and 2021. During the convention, Blake received the 2020 Labor Leader of the Year award.

"I was honored," Blake said. "I was literally almost brought to tears. They started to flow a little bit."

Blake served as a Wyoming legislator for 14 years representing House District 39 in Green River. He also works for the Union Pacific Railroad and has worked as the State Director of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) transportation union Wyoming Legislative Board for roughly a dozen years.

"All this could never have been done without the support of my wife, Terri June Blake," Blake said.

Blake reckons that, out of his 14 years in the legislature, he was gone from home for two and a half years. He stressed the importance of his wife's help and sacrifice throughout his life and work, contributing to all he's been able to accomplish.

When Blake was given the Labor Leader award, several people present at the convention gave speeches about Blake and the significance of the work he's done.

"It was a unique moment, hearing all the nice things said about me," Blake said.

Jan Able, a railroad worker from Ten Sleep, nominated Blake for the award. The nominations were kept secret until the award was presented, and Able shared a photo of Blake when he was younger.

"The smile is the same," Blake said with a laugh, looking back at the photo.

Able also spoke about the work Blake has done over the years to help railroaders, such as fighting for a two-person crew bill to be passed in Wyoming. This bill would create a state law requiring a minimum of two people on a train, a conductor and an engineer.

Chauffe Schirmer was another person who spoke about Blake's impact. Schirmer is a national representative for the Utility Workers Union of America, and was elected at this convention to the Wyoming State ALF-CIO Board. She is a second-generation utility worker originally from Rock Springs who is now a constituent of House District 39, and was a constituent under Blake when he served as a legislator.

Schirmer first met Blake through work he did with the Equality State Policy Center. Blake worked with the ESPC for 16 years, helping teach classes that give Wyoming citizens the chance to learn how to be a citizen lobbyist and be involved in the legislative process.

"I realized how accessible the legislature is because of Stan," Schirmer said, saying Blake shared his knowledge at labor day picnics and the ALF-CIO state convention.

As Schirmer got to know Blake better and found more common ground with him through their involvement with unions, she learned how much he has done for workers.

One example she gave was how Blake helped increase benefits paid out by Workers' Compensation when there was a surplus. When others suggested the excess funds go towards insurance, Blake made sure the funds increased the benefit payout to the injured workers who needed it.

Blake has also consistently fought for the safety of railroad workers and railyards, which is also important for community safety, according to Schirmer.

"I know Stan to be a strong advocate for the rights of not just railroad workers but all workers in general, and our families," Schirmer said.

Blake explained that his involvement with unions evolved over time. He was told to join a union when he started working for Union Pacific. After a few years of paying union dues he decided he wanted to know what that money was being used for, and he has been actively involved ever since.

Blake believes unions are rebounding. He explained how unions got their start and became influential at the turn of the century and through the early 1900s, and he believes they're coming back and becoming more important again. Unions help ensure workers receive living wages and good benefits, and they help the economy, according to Blake.

And, when it comes down to it, Blake said, "it's all about keeping the workers safe."
Local members of Healthy Wyoming will host a candlelight vigil in Rock Springs next week to honor and remember our neighbors who have died and who are suffering because they cannot afford healthcare.

The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Bunning Park. Everyone is invited to attend.

The vigil in Rock Springs is part of a series of events hosted by the Healthy Wyoming coalition in communities across our state this month, mostly on Sept. 17. Vigils are scheduled in Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Rock Springs, Sheridan, and Gillette. Others are being planned in Lander, Jackson, Cody, Thermopolis, and elsewhere.

Wyoming is experiencing a healthcare crisis, with tens of thousands of adults unable to afford basic care, Rock Springs resident Bernadine Craft said. The human cost of this crisis is staggering, and it impacts all of us. But this cost is rarely acknowledged in public. Families and friends are too often left to grieve and struggle in isolation as their loved ones suffer and die. Were hoping to change that.

The vigils will publicly bring together community and faith leaders, individuals directly impacted by the healthcare crisis, and Wyoming residents who are dedicated to finding solutions.

In addition to providing opportunities to honor our neighbors, these events will demonstrate to state policymakers that the people of Wyoming demand action.

We recognize that Wyomings political leaders have the ability to prevent death and suffering through policy decisions like expanding Medicaid, Healthy Wyoming organizer Marcie Kindred said. We understand that they can save peoples lives, and we ask them to immediately act.

The vigils across the state will look different in each community, as local residents are responsible for organizing each one. They will differ in size and scope, but they will all be orderly, respectful gatherings. All events will take place outdoors, where COVID-19 transmission rates remain very low. Participants will respect social distancing and wear masks when appropriate. The events will be livestreamed and recorded when possible.
SALIDA, Colo. (AP)  A judge ruled Friday there is enough evidence for the case to proceed against a southern Colorado man who was charged with first-degree murder nearly a year after his wife was reported missing on Mothers Day 2020.

Judge Patrick Murphy ruled Barry Morphew, 53, should stand trial for the presumed death of Suzanne Morphew, a 49-year-old mother of two daughters who was reported missing after she did not return from a bike ride near her home in the Salida area. The judge set cash bail at $500,000, and restricted Morphew from traveling outside of Chaffee County and having contact with several people involved in the case.

Barry Morphew posted a video on social media pleading for his wife's safe return soon after she vanished. He was arrested May 5, 2021, amid what authorities described as an extensive and ongoing investigation that involved dozens of searches in Colorado and interviews of more than 400 people in multiple states.

Suzanne Morphews body has not been found.

Murphy said there is probable cause Barry Morphew might have murdered his wife and that he had motivation to do so, but the judge also noted that probable cause is the lowest standard of proof in the criminal justice system, Denver television station KUSA-TV reported.

Is it possible Mr. Morphew would be convicted? Yes, the judge said. Is it fairly likely he would be convicted? ... This case could go either way in front of a jury.

He outlined three possible scenarios: Barry Morphew killed his wife, someone else killed her or she disappeared on her own.

During a preliminary hearing in August, investigators said Suzanne Morphew had an affair with a man for two years. Prosecutors also presented text messages between her and a friend from 2019 and 2020 in which she complained that her husband was picking fights and putting their children in the middle.

Meanwhile, Colorado Bureau of Investigation agent Joseph Cahill testified during the preliminary hearing that a partial DNA profile created from male DNA left on Suzanne Morphews glovebox matched profiles developed in unsolved sexual assault cases in Chicago, Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona. DNA from Barry Morphew was not found in the DNA sample, according to his lawyers.

Barry Morphew also is charged with tampering with a human body, tampering with physical evidence, possession of a dangerous weapon and attempting to influence a public servant.

Judge Murphy decided to unseal the arrest affidavit by noon Monday, saying, The meat of this case has been heard by the public. Morphew entered a not guilty plea, and his trial is set to begin May 3.
WASHINGTON (AP)  It was an hour President Joe Biden would no doubt like to forget.

On Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged that a drone strike in Afghanistan killed 10 civilians, including seven children, not terrorists. A panel advising the Food and Drug Administration voted to not recommend COVID-19 booster shots for all Americans over age 16, dashing an administration hope. And France announced it was recalling its ambassador to the United States out of anger for being cut out of a secret nuclear submarine deal Biden had struck with the United Kingdom and Australia.

The headlines, all within an hour, underscored the perils for any president from situations that can define a term in office.

Already, Biden has seen public approval numbers trend downward as the pandemic has deepened and Americans cast blame for the flawed U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The administration had hoped to roll out tougher vaccine guidelines, a new international alliance to thwart China and a recommitment to what Biden has done best: drawing on his years on Capitol Hill and knowledge of the legislative process to cajole fellow Democrats to pass the two far-reaching spending bills that make up the heart of his agenda.

Those ambitions are now more difficult to achieve.

Biden has proclaimed defeating the pandemic to be the central mission of his presidency. But the United States is now averaging more than 145,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases per day, compared with a low of about 8,500 per day three months ago.

The president has tried to shift the blame for the resurgence of cases to the more than 70 million Americans who have not gotten a vaccine and the GOP lawmakers who have opposed his increasingly forceful efforts to push people to get a shot. Aides had hoped for full FDA approval for the boosters, yet the advisory panel only recommended them for those over age 65 or with underlying health conditions or special circumstances.

Biden aides in recent days had quietly expressed relief that the Afghanistan withdrawal  like the war itself for much of its nearly two decades  has receded from headlines. That feeling was shattered Friday afternoon when the Pentagon revealed the errant target for what was believed to be the final American drone strike of the war.

Biden had long advocated leaving Afghanistan. Even after a suicide bombing killed 13 American service members, he told advisers the withdrawal decision was correct. He is known for his certitude, a stubbornness that flashed when he dismissed suggestions that he express regret for how the withdrawal occurred.

Aides have since been quick to note that more than 120,000 people have been successfully evacuated and they say U.S. efforts are securing the steady departure of others from under Taliban rule.

The end in Afghanistan was part of an effort to refocus foreign policy on China, an aim that accelerated with the surprise announcement of the agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

But not only did Beijing balk, so did Paris, as France angrily accused the U.S. of cutting France out of the alliance and scuttling its own submarine deal with Australia.

And then France recalled its ambassador after its officials expressed dismay that, in their estimation, Biden had proven to be as unreliable a partner as his predecessor Donald Trump.

The strain with France came just as Biden had hoped to pivot to his ambitious domestic agenda.

But there are ideological divides among the Democrats on Capitol Hill about the $3.5 trillion spending package meant to be passed in tandem with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. And all of Congress will be forced to juggle the White Houses legislation while being swamped with imminent deadlines on the debt ceiling and government funding.

The West Wing is re-creating a legislative strategy that worked to secure passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief in March and pushed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill through the Senate in August, according to a half dozen White House aides and outside advisers who were not authorized to publicly discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

With Biden cajoling lawmakers, the infrastructure bill is to be passed through the House along with the $3.5 trillion spending bill that contains many of the presidents priorities, such as like climate change and child care, and would pass the Senate along party lines.

Because the Senate is in a 50-50 tie and Democrats margin in the House is only a handful of seats, few votes can be lost. It could be a formidable task to unite Democratic moderates such as Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who want a far smaller spending bill, with liberals including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has steadfastly said it could not shrink.

The White House also has begun filling the presidents schedule again with events meant to highlight the need to pass the bills, including linking visits to the sites of natural disasters  fires in California and Idaho, hurricane damage in Louisiana and the Northeast  to the climate change funding in the legislation.

This past Thursday, on what had previously been tentatively planned as a down day for Biden, the White House scheduled him to give a speech from the East Room during which he zeroed in on how tax enforcement to get big corporations and wealthy Americans to pay more would help fund his plan, without offering any new details.

But there are roadblocks. Manchin told Biden that he could not support $3.5 trillion and White House aides have begun signaling that they would settle for a smaller package, even if it raises the ire of progressives.

Bidens advisers believe that, even if there is some unhappiness with the package, no Democratic lawmaker would want to be perceived as undermining the centerpiece of the agenda of a president from their own party.

The White House is also scaling back the presidents travel so he can support the agenda on Capitol Hill, but its led to concerns among some Democratic lawmakers that Biden isn't doing enough to personally sell the legislation to their constituents across the country.

Some aides worry about the exposure level Biden may have faced when he mingled in groups during a recent trip to the West and his three stops to mark the Sept. 11 anniversary, two officials said. Biden, 78, also did not get a summer vacation. His plan to spend time at his Delaware home in August was scuttled by the Afghanistan crisis.

Aides had finally scheduled him a break, a long weekend at his house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.. He reached his home Friday just after 1:30 p.m.

Ninety minutes later, any hope for a quiet weekend vanished.
Back in June, reports claimed that Huawei was no longer planning to release another flagship following the P50 series, which launched back in July. It was reported and heavily speculated that Huawei wouldn't be releasing a proper Mate series, likely due to both the US-Huawei ban and supply chain constraints.

A new report from a senior expert of the DSCC (Display Supply Chain Consultants) claims that the Mate series flagship is still planned for release in Q4 of this year. According to the expert, Davin Naranjo, (via Fast Technology) Huawei will release the Mate 50 series some time in October.

Huawei Mate 40 Pro

There's currently a global launch event set to take place in Vienna, Austria on October 21 at 3PM for Huawei. Although the company hasn't revealed which device it plans to launch in October, we were under the impression that Huawei was going to launch the P50 series Pfor global markets outside of China.

The teaser from last week showed a device that looks to be the P50 Pro, but the report questions whether it could be the upcoming Mate series. Upon closer inspection, the recent teaser's camera bump's lowest point is above the volume rocker, which doesn't match up with the P50 series, leading us to believe this might be a new phone altogether.

Regardless of whether it arrives or not, availability of a new Mate series might be quite limited. At this point we don't know which reports to believe. We can only wait until October 21 to see what Huawei is planning for global markets.

Not much is known about the Mate Series aesthetic and design outside of the recent teaser, but we're expecting to see a camera setup similar or more improved over the Huawei P50 series. The possibility for Qualcomm chips is also possible, as Huawei managed to ship the vanilla P50 model running the Snapdragon 888.

Source  Via




Haiti - FLASH : Thousands of Haitian migrants detained in the USA in a makeshift camp





The massive arrival since September 14, 2021, of more than 8,000 Haitian migrants (according to figures from local authorities) who have crossed the Rio Grande (border with the United States) in recent days has overwhelmed the American immigration authorities, who improvised a "makeshift camp" under the international bridge that connects Del Rio (Texas) to Ciudad Acuna (Mexico) in South Texas while waiting to process asylum claims, creating an unprecedented logistical challenge for Americans.



Illegal migrants sleep in the open, lacking all basic services, conditions that threaten to create a new humanitarian emergency on the southern border.



The Biden government closed the border bridge between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna on Friday (September 17th).



Authorities in Del Rio say more than 12,000 migrants including Haitians have arrived in the camp and expect more in the coming days.



Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday announced the closure of 6 border crossings with Mexico to "prevent caravans of migrants from invading the State...".



The sudden and massive influx of migrants presents the Biden administration with a new border emergency at a time when illegal crossings have peaked in 20 years.



The migrants arriving in Del Rio seem to be part of a larger wave of Haitians but also migrants from Honduras, Venezuela and El Salvador among others, heading north.







It is not known how many more could arrive in the coming days. The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is working to send additional officers to Del Rio to help process migrants, assigning them numbers as they line up to be formally apprehended, the first step in a refugee claim or other form of U.S. protection claim.



Note that most migrants are likely to be released in the United States with a notice to appear in court at a later date.



Note that according to statistics from the American border authorities, 29,000 people of Haitian origin, over the past 11 months, have traveled the jungles of Darien Gap in Panama, lived in migrant camps, suffered from criminal gangs in Central America, faced and escaped the border guards and military troops along the highways of southern Mexico https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34658-haiti-mexico-muscular-interception-of-migrants-dozens-of-haitians-arrested-video.html to finally arrive along the border of Mexico with the United States.



Republican Party leaders blamed Biden for his policies on Friday, blaming him for the massive influx of thousands of migrants to the southern border, which has seen a record number of irregular immigrant arrivals since taking office by President Biden in January 2021.



Bruno Lozano aka "Ralphy" Democratic mayor of the town, El Rio on Thursday urged the Biden government to recognize this new migration crisis and warned of the "serious consequences" that this crisis could have for safety and health.



To be continued...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34734-haiti-politic-200-illegal-haitian-migrants-intercepted-in-mexico-returned-to-guatemala.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-34669-icihaiti-chiapas-a-caravan-of-haitians-marches-towards-the-usa.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34658-haiti-mexico-muscular-interception-of-migrants-dozens-of-haitians-arrested-video.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34268-haiti-mexico-more-than-2-000-illegal-haitian-migrants-arrive-in-tapachula.html



SL/ HaitiLibre


















By William Schwartz | Published on 2021/09/14

After Ram quickly and predictably resolves the situation involving the art smugglers attempting to accost Chun-gi at the front door of the art competition, "Lovers of the Red Sky" is refreshingly mundane in its plotting. There are no gods to be seen as Prince Yangmyeong patiently explains the rules for the competition, and then the artists get right to painting. Important nuances like paper availability and brushstrokes are specifically noted in terms of the production of proper art.

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Years ago I watched a drama called "Saimdang: Light's Diary" that purported to be about the famous artist Saimdang, best known for appearing on the South Korean equivalent of a fifty dollar bill. The drama consistently frustrated me by not actually discussing art at all, and frequently confusing different kinds of art genres as requiring the exact same skillset. Given that Ram is blind, yet inexplicably invited to observe an art competition, one might expect the same dubious logic here.

Not so! In fact, Ram's presence is eventually justified quite logically, with note being made that the artists are being expected to produce compelling sentiment on a moment's notice. While the art competition initially seemed like a possible pretext for Prince Yangmyeong to get close to Chun-gi, the prince acquits himself quite well in justifying the art competition's existence. He also makes it very clear that the purpose of the competition is for the entrants to be fairly adjudicated on the basis of skill.

This anachronism is briefly at odds when Prince Yangmyeong inexplicably and arbitrarily signals disgust with a specific piece. But that too proves compelling, as the characters, many of them new, proceed to discuss artistic form. Many even detect Prince Yangmyeong's ulterior motive, though only a few are able to discern its purpose. Most intriguingly at all, we get a late hint that Chun-gi is more important than she's been led to believe, for reasons yet to be clearly described.

I've already resigned myself to accepting the fact that whatever this ominous destiny is, it will have something to do with the gods, none of whom I consider to be interesting either as characters or as drivers for the greater plot. But ah, to live in the moment, with more down-to-earth masters of the art of painting! As the episode title indicates, we've got at least one more episode of the art competition before the divine drama returns. So I'm just going to enjoy it while I can.

Review by William Schwartz

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"Lovers of the Red Sky" is directed by Jang Tae-yoo, written by Ha Eun, and features Ahn Hyo-seop, Kim Yoo-jung, Gong Myung, Kwak Si-yang, Kim Kwang-kyu, Choi Kwang-il. Broadcasting information in Korea: 2021/08/30~Now airing, Mon, Tue 22:00 on SBS.
By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2021/09/17

Suicide is a rather significant issue for S. Korea, with the country ranking 10th in the world, but first in the OECD. Albert Shin shoots a short that focuses on a specific aspect of the issue, that of Internet suicide pacts, where strangers meet online and make a pact to rendezvous somewhere to commit suicide together.

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"Together", which premieres at TIFF, focuses on two such individuals, a young woman and a middle aged man, who find themselves meeting in a seaside motel, after agreeing to comit suicide together. Sharing a reluctant intimacy that derives from sharing such a common cause, the two make their preparations and try to fall asleep, but soon realize that they cannot shut their eyes. The girl then proposes to have a drink, and eventually the two of them start partying in the room. Alas, their "ritual" is not stopping...

Albert Shin shoots a film that aims at showing the futility of the whole concept, with particularly the suicide pact presented as something ridiculous, essentially making no sense, even more so for the young girl, who despite her will to kill herself, still wants to party one last time, in a testament to her overall mentality. At the same time, the short presents a comment on human nature, as, even under these extreme circumstances, the two protagonists seem to be looking for empathy and some sort of connection with other people, which can also be interpreted as the reasoning behind doing the act with someone else.

Also quite interesting is Shin's choice not to have them talk about the reasons for committing suicide, with his focus being on the mental state before and during such an act, rather than the reasons that led to it.

Cinematically, his approach is exceptional, with Moon Myoung-hwan's cinematography being impressive on occasion, particularly during the partying scene, where the red lights flood the image, and in two frames, one involving the girl sitting in the mirror with the man in the background, and one showing the view of the sea from the window. Heo Seo-hyeong's set design also takes full advantage of the room, while Cam McLauchlin's editing makes the most of the 12 minutes of the movie through a rather fast pace with frequent cuts, with the abrupt one close to the end being particularly impactful.

The acting is also of high level, with Ahn So-yo as the girl and Kim Jae-rok as the man showing a wonderful chemistry and two characters that become likeable for different reasons altogether.

"Together" is a very interesting and very well shot short, particularly for the ways Albert Shin manages to communicate his comments in such a short time, while making his audience empathize, and essentially like his protagonists.

Review by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Together" is directed by Albert Shin, and features Ahn So-yo, Kim Jae-rok. Release date in Korea: No release date in Korea yet.
By Panos Kotzathanasis | Published on 2021/09/17

Albert Shin is a Canadian filmmaker, best known for his critically acclaimed Canadian Screen Award-nominated films "In Her Place" (2014) and "Disappearance at Clifton Hill" (2019). Shin has also founded the Toronto-based production company Timelapse Pictures with producing partner Igor Drljaca.

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On the occasion of his short film, "Together" premiering at Toronto International Film Festival, we speak with him about the rate of suicides in Korea, the concept of the suicide pact, the impressive party scene, the location and the casting of the movie, and Korean cinema at the moment.

The interview contains significant spoilers

Why do you think people commit suicide?

I think the reasons are very personal each time. However, I find it very interesting that Korea has a very high rate of suicides, especially among the developed nations, where it is the highest of all and has been for a very long time. I think that is a question the country and the people are trying to figure out for themselves and it actually touches on the whole age spectrum. Elderly suicide is high, youth suicide is high, adult suicide is high. It is an interesting question; I don't know where the reasons come from, but obviously, the government and the people are doing their best to stop it as much as possible. Even the topic my movie is focused on, the suicide pacts, of people finding each other on the web and scheduling simultaneous suicides, if you go on Google of Naver here in Korea and type in anything that has to do with suicide, you get a pop up that says 'please call this hotline'; essentially they blocked any material on the internet that deals with sucide. Furthermore, the bridges in Korea are suicide-proof and there are hotlines everywhere, it is very conscious in the minds of society there. However, where there is a will there's a way of course, and even these tactics have not changed the overall mentality, the suicide rate is still very high.

Can you give us some more details about the suicide pact concept?

Several years ago, I shot a feature film titled "In Her Place" and in the movie, there is a component that deals with suicide. Therefore, I did a lot of research in Korea about the subject matter, and I found about this internet suicide pact concept where people that are suicidal or thinking of commiting find themselves on message boards, find each other and then decide to go at it together. I thought that there was something very strange and beautiful but also oxymoronic about committing an act like that, which is essentially a very personal "journey" since nobody can actually go with you, but wishing to do it with other people, in some sort of solidarity about leaving this life. It was actually an issue some years before in Korea, since employees would go into hotel rooms and find four or five people together dead. When the police would look into the people, they would find that they were all strangers, from different parts of the country, and that they gathered there specifically to do that. It was an issue that I wanted to explore, hopefully in a sensitive manner, not trying to be sensational or judgemental.

In the film, the protagonists never mention the reasons they want to kill themselves. Why did you make this choice?

I think everybody's reasons are different and I thought that, by giving a reason, I would essentially trivialize the whole concept. Instead, I wanted it to be a reflection on ourselves, rather than the two specific people in the film, that is why I kept them nameless and knowing about each other as little as the audience of the movie knows about them. To create this subjective idea of ' stranger '. I also think that if people have already made the decision to go through it, they would not try to conceptualize it during the act, they would have conceptualized it before, they meet with each other to make sure that they go through with it. They are not meeting to try and change each other's minds, they have already made up their minds, the reason is almost irrelevant at that point.

How old is Ahn So-yo, the female protagonist of the film, supposed to be in the story? The man makes her 21 but she is surprised by that estimate.

(laughter) I do not know if she would want me to tell you. I shot this movie a few years ago, before the pandemic, but she was not 21. Her reaction to him making her 21 is quite appropriate to how old she actually is, sorry Ahn (laughter)

Can you give me some details about the party scene in the movie, also on the way you shot it, because it is rather impressive with the intense red colors?

You do not see exactly how they get in the room, in the hotel, but all I suggest before getting to that scene is the door opening up a little bit. The situation is very awkward and very tenuous regarding what they are doing there; the tension and the awkwardness in the room would probably be very palpable. The actors that I chose and the characters that I made are a man and a woman, and thus, there are potentially other connotations that could arise from a situation like this. All of these unspoken tensions in the room, I wanted them to go in a bit more benevolent path than a sinister or darker one; to lead into a kind of a final 'hurrah!'. We are not exactly sure how it got there, but hopefully, we can see how it got there, possibly, using our own imagination, into drinking and partying as if there is no tomorrow.

The process I shot this movie is based on addition by subtraction; it is a very small movie, shot only in one room, with two actors, a mirror, a burner and some coal, and that's it. So my question was how to extrapolate drama from these elements and how to shoot it in a square room in essence. I gave myself very few elements, and the red lighting was something I discovered when I was scouting different locations, in these motel rooms in remote places. Sometimes, they have these mood setters, mood lights that can be intensely red, or dalliances of different kinds. I thought this would be an interesting component in a visual way, part of using the few tools I had to change the overall visual language of the movie a little bit.

What about the song that is heard in the scene?

It is a very famous song from the 60's, titled "Beautiful Rivers and Mountains" by Shin Joong-hyun. I really love it. I think it has different meanings for different people; for people in Korea, it is really famous, like a Beatles or Rolling Stone song, it is definitely part of the zeitgeist. Furthermore, the artist was very much influenced by Western music, and I thought that the song had an interesting sensibility that kind of matched myself, since I was born and raised in Canada but I am a child of Korean immigrants, therefore I am somewhat between spaces and that is why this artist really spoke to me.

Why doesnt' the girl commit suicide in the end?

For me, it was really important to have a hopeful ending, because, obviously, the film is very sad. I wanted to comment on how tenuous it all is, because, evidently, this is a decision you cannot take back. This whole ritual, of finding someone on the internet, taking the trip to a place that is not your home, essentially aims into building yourself to go through with this act. However, if something deviates from this process, it might throw you out, you might want to press the pause button. And maybe the pause button is what saves your life, maybe the course of your life changes. Or maybe not, and two weeks later, she will try it again with somebody else, but I wanted to show how fragile this decision can be, that even the smallest deviation from the process can change the whole thing.

So, if you continued the movie, would she change her life completely or would she commit suicide later on?

(laughter) Actually, the film started as a feature that followed this specific character, and it was a bit more fantastical, not as neo-realistic as this movie is, but she does go on a journey. In my mind, she still goes on this journey, that becomes strange and sad and horrifying, but in the end, hopeful, she finds a reason to live.

Can you tell me a bit about the location the film was shot? Was it difficult persuading the people in charge of the hotel to let you shoot a suicide scene in their room?

(laughs) We shot in off-season, in December, so I think they were happy for the business and they did not care that much. We shot in Kanghwa Island, which is on the border with North Korea. It is kind of close to where Lee Chang-dong shot "Burning", when you look at the horizon, North Korea is just over the bay. I spent more time finding the location than anything else, but when I found out that place and the view, and the geometry of the room, which was not exactly square, I thought that this was the place that would tell the story.

So the view from the window in the end is North Korea?

It could be, yes, not directly in the front, but the mountains in the background could be North Korea.

Could you give us some details about the casting?

One of the excuses for me making the movie was to work again with the actors I worked in my feature film. The female protagonist, Ahn So-yo acted in that film and is also a friend of mine whom I adore. The man, Kim Jae-rok, also had a small part there, and I thought the two of them would make an interesting combination. Even the people behind the scenes are the ones that I worked with before, it was kind of fun to bring the band back together.

What is your opinion of the Korean movie industry at the moment?

Right now, the movie industry is in disarray due to the pandemic, but in general, the Korean industry is in a good place because they have a very robust and strong domestic market. The people in Korea watch and love local movies and they have their own star system. And for a small country with such an isolated language, doing so well on an international scale is something impressive. Obviously, Korea also had a nice streak the last few years, with "Parasite" and "Burning" and all those festival auteurs who brought the spotlight on local cinema.

On the other hand, Korean filmmakers do not shoot films so frequently, we see movies that are years apart, as in your case for example, in contrast to Japan, for example, where a number of directors shoot even more than a film per year. Why is that in your opinion?

Without going too deep about my personal feelings for the Korean film industry in certain respects, I would say that, despite what I just mentioned, it is still difficult to shoot movies in Korea. All these masters of Korean cinema, the Lee Chang-dongs, the Park Chan-wooks, the Bong Joon-hos, they came up during the infancy of the New Wave of Korean cinema. The studio executives and the big conglomerates that fund these movies, at the time, did not know what worked in terms of profit, so they gave a lot of power to the filmmakers to try even crazy things. Out of that, you got all these great, weird, idiosyncratic movies and these filmmakers, which are internationally renowned. But now that the industry has developed, it is much more of a studio system now, where the funders have a lot of control on how these movies are made. Because of that, filmmakers have a harder time making the movies they want to make, in the way they want to make them. And furthermore, as the industry becomes more robust, it also becomes more expensive and therefore, it also becomes harder to make movies on a smaller scale.

So, are you working on anything new at the moment?

(laughs) Yes, I am working on a Canadian feature film, with a Canadian and US cast, which will be shot in Newfoundland. It is very different from this short; it is a big fantastical movie that deals with a lot of social issues, an allegory for the times we live in. I am very excited, and I am hoping to shoot next year.

I am also writing a Korean-American film at the moment and I also have this dream project which I hope I will shoot in Korean one day. I want to do both things, shoot films in North America, but not forget Korea, because I really enjoy making movies there, more than anywhere else.

Interview by Panos Kotzathanasis

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"Together" is directed by Albert Shin, and features Ahn So-yo, Kim Jae-rok. Release date in Korea: No release date in Korea yet.
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Published on 2021/09/18 | Source

Korean movie "Agape Acts 29" added to HanCinema database

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"Agape Acts 29" (2021)

Directed by Sohn Young-ho

With Ryu Jin-seok, Ji Mi-ri,...

Synopsis

In 2004, during the war between Iraq and USA, a pastor on a mission was arrested and detained in Al-Fallujah and was revived five times throughout his life.



Release date in Korea : 2021/09/24
Published on 2021/09/18 | Source

Korean movie "Changgeuk, Farewell my Concubine" added to HanCinema database

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"Changgeuk, Farewell my Concubine" (2019)

Directed by Wu Hsing-kuo

With Kim Jun-soo, Jung Bo-kwon, Kim Geum-mi, Heo Jong-yeol, Yoon Seok-an, Cho Yoo-ah,...

Synopsis

The Chinese Imperial Dynasties two thousand years ago. King Hoe promised his disciples that the first person who entered Hamyang, the capital of Jin, would be king. The Cho Dynasty is led by the god of war Hang-woo, marched from the north, and the Han Dynasty led by a good man, Yu-bang, marched from the south to Hamyang. Yu-bang arrived in Hamyang first, but Hang-woo breaks through the Hamgokgwan at once and Yu-bang's life is on the line. Hang-woo holds a banquet when Yu-bang came and begged for his life. Hang-woo's schemer Beom-jeung tries to kill Yu-bang by setting a trap in Hongmunyeon, but Hang-woo rejects the advice, saying it is not a head-to-head match. Meanwhile, Yu-bang retreats. The end of the Korean War is coming to an end. After hearing The advice from Jang-ryang, Yu-bang gradually takes the lead in battle with various methods such as slowly moving and striking the enemy hard, being surrounded by enemy from all sides. Hang-woo's wife, Woo-hee is wondering if there is any way to help her husband, who seems to be losing...

Release date in Korea : 2021/09/23
Published on 2021/09/18 | Source

Korean-Japanese movie "The Asian Angel" added to HanCinema database

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"The Asian Angel" (2021)

Directed by Yuya Ishii

With Sosuke Ikematsu, Choi Hee-seo, Joe Odagiri, Kim Min-jae, Kim Ye-eun,...

Synopsis

Tsuyoshi (Sosuke Ikematsu), who recklessly flew to Korea with his son believing in the words of his brother Toru (Joe Odagiri), who said he was doing well as a business in Seoul, is on the verge of throwing himself on the unfamiliar streets of Seoul because his brother was scammed by his partner.

Then Toru seduces Tsuyoshi, who was frustrated by saying that he had a brilliant business item, and heads to Gangneung, and meets three siblings Sol (Choi Hee-seo), Bom (Kim Ye-eun), and Jung-woo (Kim Min-jae) who are filled with stories on the train to accompanies him.



A fate that happened in a life full of bad luck!

When we're desperate for miracles, we meet!

Release date in Korea : 2021/10
The co-chair of the Health Body in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, Dr. Joan Mustafa, explained that the deaths are a man from Hasaka, a woman from Qamishlo, a man from Derik, and a man from Deir ez-Zor.

While the new infections are 163 males and 110 females.

On Saturday, the body recorded 4 new cases of recovery from COVID 19.

The total number of cases of infection, according to the Health Body, reached 24,520, while 853 deaths were recorded, and 2,046 cases of recovery from the virus in NE, Syria.

T/S

ANHA
Flat Rock retiree takes aerial thrill ride

Marilou Reed poses in the outfit she wore when she drove her red Miata to the airport to board a Bandit sport plane.

Marilou Reed has always had a fascination with small planes. So when the Bandit Flight Team made a dramatic flyover last year above her Kenmure home, she decided, I want to go with them.

She got her chance when the Bandits donated a flight for the Kenmure Fights Cancer on line auction last month. Reed made the highest bid, writing a check for $2,000.

She drove her red Miata to the general aviation terminal at Asheville Regional Airport on Saturday morning, Sept. 4, to meet the team, which is led by Jim Kilpatrick. The pilot in the two-seater was Sam Huffstetler, an Air Force veteran and current Airbus A320 airline captain.

We sat side by side and he did all the driving, Reed said.

The experience, she said, was totally fantastic, totally out of this world. Told that some people might not be comfortable with a thrill flight, she said, I know. Everybody told me that they would throw up.

Im just interested in little planes and I like little planes, she said. It wasnt scary. It was exhilarating, just completely exhilarating, and I have to say its not only the flying but these pilots, when you see how close they fly  these guys are skilled beyond belief to keep these planes that close. To me they looked like they were going to bump into each other.

Flying kit-made sport aircraft at 125 mph about 1,000 feet up, the Bandits fly in a delta formation, releasing dramatic white smoke at the leaders cue.

We say we bring smoke and noise, Kilpatrick said in an interview from his home in Cary.

The Bandits made two passes over Main Street during the Apple Festival and two over Kenmure, which on that day was holding a fundraiser for Folds of Honor, a charity that provides scholarships for the survivors of fallen and disabled military service personnel. That meant that the Bandits on a single flyover helped three nonprofits  Kenmure Fights Cancer, Folds of Honor and the North Carolina Apple Festival.

Im just very grateful these guys offered this opportunity, Reed said. I dont know how else youd get to do something like this. Im grateful for the Bandit team and the leader, Jim Kilpatrick, in particular for offering this opportunity.
Dear Miss Manners:

I was asked to drive for a friends daughters birthday party, as my car can carry a few more passengers than my friends. My daughter was invited, so I didnt mind too much. The event was a little over an hour away.

When the day came, no gas money was offered. My friend even suggested taking the girls to lunch at a pricier restaurant afterward. I split an appetizer with my friend, trying to save her some money. When the bill came, she asked the waiter to split our appetizer onto separate checks.

I was shocked that she was so inconsiderate. The party was at lunchtime (noon) and she never intended to feed the kids. In the end, I covered my daughters lunch, my half of the appetizer and the gas to get to the party.

In my opinion, this is very rude! Am I being unfair?

Gentle Reader:

Asking for gas money for a party that your daughter was attending seems to Miss Manners a bit miserly and ungracious. But apparently those traits run in your circle.

If your friend had no intention of feeding the children, then she should not have suggested going to a restaurant, nor held the event at noon. And she certainly should have thanked you for attending  with more than half a potato skin.

Dear Miss Manners:

Ive read many complaints about people in restaurants changing their babys diaper at the table. Im wondering what your suggestion is for where parents (or other caretakers) should change diapers when there is no changing table available.

Must we get down on the bathroom floor for diaper changes? Im surprised by the number of restaurants and stores that do not have changing tables  even places that market themselves as family-oriented.

Gentle Reader:

In those cases, you may ask the restaurant management where the best place to do it is. Miss Manners assures you that they have a vested interest in finding you somewhere sanitary and discreet  and if they do not, they only have themselves to blame for any stinky consequences.

Dear Miss Manners:

My husband and I have a difference in conversational styles. When someone is talking, I was raised to comment on their remarks before adding new details from my own experiences.

For example, an acquaintance was reminiscing about her trip to Alaska, remarking on how long it stays light there in the summer. My husbands response was to tell her that when we went to Edinburgh, he found it stays light just as late there.

To me, this sounds like one-upmanship, but my husband doesnt see it that way. What are your thoughts?

Gentle Reader:

One persons one-upmanship is anothers related experiences, also known as social conversation. Miss Manners does not see anything inherently wrong with your husbands sharing his perspective, although of course tone is important. If you hear him over-emphasizing I a lot  as in Well, when *I* travel to exotic places   or comparing yacht sizes, then you may rightly put him in check.

Visit Miss Manners at missmanners.com, where you can send her you questions.

Andrews McMeel Syndication
Although she made it up the 13-foot warped wall in her first race on Sept. 16s Season 3, Episode 3 of American Ninja Warrior Junior on Peacock, Grace Schneider did so just after fellow Houstonian and training partner of two years Levi Meeks.

That result caused Schneider, a fifth grader from Spring Branch ISDs Wilchester Elementary School who goes by the nickname The Flying G, to face off against Isabel Johnson who had won the other seeding race, in the elimination round. She beat Isabel and then won the rematch with Meeks in the final showdown to advance to the quarterfinals.

Other Houston area ninjas: Cy-Fair area American Ninja Warrior siblings go all-in in premiere

A watch party was held at Wilchester Elementary to watch the episode, which had been taped in June, though Schneider could not reveal the results before the episode aired.

We are so excited for Grace and would love to celebrate her in any way we can, Wilchester Principal Liz Goodman had said.

Schneider got involved with the sport of ninja by training and competing in competitions at RISE at the Warehouse, which is owned by American Ninja Warrior contestant Ryan Meeks, Levis father.

In their seeding race, both Schneider and Meeks completed all five obstacles and climbed atop the warped wall and hit the buzzer, but Meeks did so shortly ahead of Schneider, winning the head-to-head race.

When co-host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila asked her how it felt to run that first race and hit the buzzer, Schneider responded, It was amazing. It was a really good experience racing against Levi.

Inclusive fitness: New League City gym opens to bring adaptive fitness to Greater Houston

In her elimination race against Isabel, both competitors went out on the fifth obstacle, the flying saucers, but Schneider won the race on account of having reached that fifth obstacle sooner.

In the 9 to 10-year-old final showdown race, the rematch between Schneider and Meeks, Meeks got out to an early lead, but fell on the flying saucers while Schneider completed the course and will continue on to the quarterfinals, where she will compete against the 9 to 10-year-old winners of the other episodes.

Grace has a strong interest in math and science and, particularly, space and NASA. She wore an astronauts helmet to the starting line of the first race (but took it off before running the race).

Wilchester fourth grade math and science teacher Rachel Marino was the one who hosted the after school watch party at the school.

Marino had written a recommendation letter for her then-student to the shows producers.

Grace is extremely dedicated, driven, and goal-minded, said Marino. All of these traits she exhibited not only at school, but she also incorporated them into her Ninja training for competitions! I could not be more proud of her hard work and perseverance!

Grace had attended a casting call for American Ninja Warrior Junior back in February. She then submitted a video, was interviewed, and submitted another video before a long waiting period.

One Friday night, my parents knocked on my bedroom door to tell me I had been chosen to compete on the show! she recalled.

The date for the quarterfinal episode of American Ninja Warrior Junior has not yet been announced.

elliott.lapin@hearst.com
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  Alabama could see its shipments of monoclonal antibodies reduced as federal officials take over distribution to equitably dispense the limited life-saving resource during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state health officer said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the change was needed after just seven states Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Georgia and Louisiana accounted for 70% of monoclonal antibody orders in the country. Given this reality, we must work to ensure our supply of these life-saving therapies remains available for all states and territories, not just some, the department said in a statement.

The seven states are also among those that have the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

State Health Officer Scott Harris said Friday that federal officials told states Monday that providers would no longer be able to order the drugs directly but would have to place those orders through state health departments. Federal officials will use a formula to decide how many doses  of the about 150,000 available each week each state will get as they ration the treatments in response to a national shortage.

They will allocate the total number of doses we will have for our state based on our case numbers and our hospitalization numbers, Harris said.

Harris said he is concerned that the change would disrupt the supply. We are really sorry to say there are probably going to be some patients who arent able to access that drug who thought they were going to have that available to them, Harris said.

Antibody treatment is a highly effective therapy that can blunt the worst effects of COVID-19 and prevent the disease from getting worse and requiring hospitalization.

There is no question that the monoclonal antibodies keep people out of the hospital, Dr. Mike Saag, an infectious disease expert at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said this week. The Medical Association of the State of Alabama issued a statement this week expressing concern that it will end up limiting supply and access to the effective treatment.

Doctors continue to emphasize that vaccination, rather than a secondary treatment, is the best way to prevent severe COVID-19 disease.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  An Omaha Marine killed last month in Afghanistan was remembered at his funeral Friday as a hero who died while trying to help others.

The Rev. Suzanne Howe recalled Bible scripture in describing the actions of Marine Cpl. Daegan Page, who was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. The blast also killed at least 169 Afghans and came as people were desperately trying to board planes to leave amid the Taliban takeover of the country.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A Utah county sheriff said Friday detectives have determined there is no connection between the disappearance of a Florida woman who went missing during a cross-country trip with her boyfriend and a still-unsolved slaying of two women who were fatally shot.

Police in Florida had said Thursday a possible connection was being explored because the women were found dead in the same tourist town of Moab, Utah, where the missing woman, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie had an emotional fight to which police had been called.

But Grand County Sheriff Steven White said in a news release the two cases are unrelated, without providing any details.

The two women killed, newlyweds Kylen Schulte, 24, and Crystal Turner, 38, had told friends they feared a creepy man they had seen nearby might harm them before their bodies were found Aug. 18.

The dispute between Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, occurred on Aug. 12 and was caught on police body camera. Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

Petito and Laundrie started their drive across the U.S. in July from New Yorks Long Island, where both grew up. They intended to reach Oregon by Halloween, according to their social media accounts. But Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Laundrie drove the Ford Transit van back to Florida on Sept. 1 alone, police said. Petitos family filed a missing persons report last Saturday with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Police in North Port, Florida, where the couple lived, say Laundrie is a person of interest in her case. He has not been charged, but he is also not cooperating.

Petitos parents released a letter through their attorney on Thursday to Laundries parents, asking them to help investigators locate Petito, despite their instinct to protect their son.

Laundries attorney, Steven Bertolino, said the Laundrie family is hoping for Petitos safe return, but he has asked them not to speak with investigators.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri man who taught English in China has been sentenced to nearly 42 years in federal prison for attempting to blackmail a former student into sending him pornographic images of herself.

Curtis Baldwin, 48 contacted the 12-year-old via the WeChat message service in November 2019 after leaving his job in China and returning to Springfield, Missouri, the U.S. attorneys office said in a news release Friday announcing the sentence.
They seem to be lining up to challenge Texas two-term attorney general, Ken Paxton. Wonder why?

State Rep. Matt Krause, a Republican from Fort Worth first elected in 2012, recently announced that he was joining the field of GOP candidates seeking to unseat Paxton. It already includes Land Commissioner George P. Bush and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman.

Two Democrats  former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski and Dallas civil rights attorney Lee Merritt  have also set their sights on Paxton. They will face off for their partys nomination.

Krause and Bush are not seeking releection to their respective posts in order to run, and Guzman stepped down from the state Supreme Court before announcing her bid. So its safe to assume that theyre running to win, rather than to raise their public profiles.

Why then are Paxtons Republican challengers approaching this primary with such a diffident attitude to the man theyre trying to unseat?

Take Krause, for example, since he just got in the race.

As your Attorney General, I will continue to fight to keep critical race theory out of our schools, protect Texas families from the crisis at our southern border, and stand proudly with our men and women in law enforcement, he said in a campaign announcement.

This would be a fine pitch, perhaps, in a typical Republican primary. Krause is a founding member of the Texas Houses Freedom Caucus and had one of the most conservative voting records of any member during this years regular legislative session, according to an annual ranking put out by political scientist Mark Jones of Rice University.

But Paxton himself is a pretty far-right guy, who was endorsed by most of the Freedom Caucus types, including Krause, in his first bid for attorney general seven years ago. And more to the point, Paxton  the states chief law enforcement officer  continues to face a plethora of legal problems.

Since 2015, Paxton has been under indictment for alleged violations of state securities law, all of them felonies. The case remarkably has yet to go to trial, allowing Paxton to do what he does best  file lawsuits promoting conservative causes, like those brought against school districts over mask mandates intended to keep kids safe. Paxton is also reportedly the focus of an FBI investigation after seven of his top aides accused him of abusing his office to help a donor. All have since resigned or been fired. Paxton also faces a civil lawsuit brought by four of those whistle-blowers, who argue that they were fired in retaliation. Paxton has denied all of the accusations.

That seems like relevant information for Texas voters to have about Paxton  as well as worthwhile information to highlight, if youre trying to beat the guy. And yet Krause, for his part, didnt point out any of this in announcing his campaign  instead referencing Paxtons legal troubles as obliquely as possible.

Its more important than ever that we have an Attorney General who will focus completely on fighting to protect Texas, Krause said in his statement.

In subsequent interviews with Hearst Newspapers and other outlets, hes acknowledged Paxtons legal woes, but suggested that these are a political liability rather than legitimate, troubling issues that should completely disqualify his candidacy.

On HoustonChronicle.com: GOP State Rep. Matt Krause jumps into Texas attorney general race

There would be that cloud there if he's the nominee, Krause told north Texas radio host Mark Davis on Thursday.

Indeed, there would. In 2018, Paxton barely won re-election against Democrat Justin Nelson, an attorney with an impeccable professional record but limited finances and a relatively low name ID.

Bush and Guzman, to be fair, have indicated that Paxtons checkered record will be a focal point of their respective campaigns.

Enough is enough, Ken, Bush said at his own campaign kickoff, in June. Youve brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to this office. And as a career politician for 20 years, it's time for you to go.

Still, at this same event, Bush was distributing koozies with a silhouette of himself and former President Donald J. Trump, whose endorsement he was seeking. Talk about a great way to muddle a message about integrity. (Trump went on to endorse Paxton, anywaynot a huge surprise, given that Paxton went to court late last year to try and overturn Democrat Joe Bidens electoral college victory. The Supreme Court rejected the bid in a one-page order for lack of standing.)

In any case, this kid-gloves approach to Paxton is not working, for his Republican challengers. The embattled incumbent is struggling a bit with fundraising. Still, he retains strong support among Republicans and conservatives, according to polling from the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project last month.

In particular, fully 50 percent of Texans who identify as extremely conservative approve strongly of the job hes doing. And why would Paxtons challengers be surprised by that, given their relative circumspection about the scandals surrounding him  which will surely be the key issue in the general election, should he survive the primary?

I think its just individual cases of personal ambition, Paxton told radio host Davis on Friday. I personally think weve got enough trouble running against the Democratic Party and being indicted.

Lets be clear about something: Paxton is the only person in this field whos under indictment. In fact, hes the only statewide or otherwise prominent Republican elected official in Texas currently under indictment. You dont actually have to be embroiled in scandal to succeed in the GOP primary.

And if Krause, Bush, or Guzman want to beat Paxton  or convey the impression that the Republican Party of Texas stands for the rule of law  they should be driving that point home every single day between now and the primary.

erica.grieder@chron.com
Jay R. Jordan / Jay Jordan, Staff

A 16-year-old girl died and an 18-year-old male was sent to the hospital after a crash Friday evening involving the pickup they were traveling in, according to Houston police.

Around 6:40 p.m. Friday, the 18-year-old was driving the Dodge Ram and traveling northbound on Buffalo Speedway when it struck a Chevy Cobalt driven by a 40-year-old woman who was traveling eastbound on Darlinghurst Drive, according to police spokesperson John Cannon. The Cobalt was passing through the intersection of the two roads when it was struck.
When Jazz Paz learned that the 93-year-old woman she takes care of waited 24 hours for a hospital bed, she choked back tears.

The womans family hired Paz, a retired nurse, to be a companion for the woman back in February. Paz found her absolutely endearing. She laughed at her quick-wit, keenly listened to her childhood stories about living through the Great Depression and was impressed that someone her age was exercising daily.

Every day I was just amazed at how strong this woman was mentally and physically, said Paz, 69, of Southwest Houston. She didn't have any indications of being sick until she got this urinary tract infection.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston-area ICU beds remain scarce even as COVID hospitalizations decline across Texas

Given the womans age, her family and her doctor had pause about sending her to the hospital while the ICUs were near capacity, Paz said. Initially, they decided to treat her with antibiotics and keep her at home when she became ill.

Data suggests that Paz and her clients familys decision wasnt unfounded. About 98 percent of Texas ICU beds are full, and of those full beds 43 percent are used for COVID-19 patient, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which oversees a 25-county hospital preparedness region including the Houston area. The majority of hospitalized COVID patients  86 percent  are unvaccinated, according to the to the Peterson Center on Healthcare and Kaiser Family Foundation. Meanwhile, as hospitals across Texas and the nation fill and emergency rooms and ICUs are crowded with COVID patients, those with other medical needs, like Pazs client, are left waiting.

A dire situation

We're still in a very dire situation, the hospitals are absolutely full, the emergency departments are full, said Dr. David Persse, the chief medical officer for the city of Houston, where hospital occupancy closely reflects the state trend. In Harris County, 98 percent of beds are full, with COVID patients occupying 39 percent of those beds, according to SETRAC data as of Friday.

The ambulances are having prolonged times to offload patients, because there's no room in the emergency department, and the situation is very bad, Persse said.

Pazs client became one of those patients waiting. She didnt respond to the antibiotics and the infection reached her blood, so she had to be hospitalized a couple days after her diagnosis. She returned home on hospice after four days at the hospital. Paz said it was the right decision keeping her out of the hospitals, but wonders if she would be coming home on hospice if she had gone to the doctor earlier.

There are so many people that didnt take their shots, and now they are overwhelming the system, Paz said. I'm just very angry that my friend is coming home on hospice because she couldn't get the immediate care she needed.

Paz and her client arent the only ones.

Daniel Wilkinson, a U.S. Army veteran, who earned a Purple Heart in Afghanistan,went to the hospital in Bellville, west of Houston to be treated for gallstone pancreatitis, a treatable condition in which a gallstone blocks the pancreatic duct and causes inflammation. For nearly seven hours, Wilkinson waited. Multiple hospitals told his doctor they didnt have a bed for him because they were taking care of so many COVID patients, according to news reports. By the time a bed in a Houston V.A. hospital opened, it was too late. Wilkinson died the next day at only 46.

COVID HELP DESK: Are we past the peak of the delta variant surge in Houston?

This problem isnt unique to Texas. Martin DeMonia of Cullman, Ala.,died of a cardiac emergency after not being able to get a bed. Hospital staff contacted 43 hospitals in three states in search of a Cardiac ICU bed and finally located one in Mississippi, according to his obituary.

Managing crisis

The effects of the overflow are felt before patients even step foot in a hospital. During COVID spikes, first responders have kept patients on stretchers for up to five hours waiting to transfer care, Persse said. It has since improved, but wait times remain.

On a Wednesday afternoon in mid-September, about 26 out of the citys 104 ambulances waited in emergency environments across the region  six for more than an hour.

This hospital overcrowding were dealing with was and is 100 percent preventable, Persse said. Many of those people (in the hospital) were exposed by somebody who was unvaccinated. So, almost all of these COVID admissions could have been avoided if people got vaccinated.

About 59 percent of Texans are fully vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Harris County, 62 percent of the eligible population  those who are 12 or older  are fully vaccinated, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

About 128 patients were waiting for an ICU bed on Aug. 19 in the SETRAC 25 county area, the highest level that month. In September the peak was 95; its currently about 65. Although, it's an improvement, its still above pre-pandemic levels, when fewer than 20 people waited at a time.

The recent decrease in the number of patients waiting is due to the hospitals ability to adapt, rather than a downturn in COVID cases, which continue to plague the area, said SETRAC CEO Darrell Pile.

Some have received additional beds as they hired more nurses. And many hospital administrators tell Pile they have been able to shorten COVIDs patients' stays in the ICU with medications to treat symptoms and more beds staffed in the general hospital.

The hospitals are doing a fine job managing this terrible crisis, Pile said, but the volume remains extraordinarily high.

There are 310,411 active COVID cases in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, including 56,985 in Harris County.

Triage and Solutions

Anyone who thinks they need urgent medical attention should seek care, Pile said. He recommended calling 911 and describing their symptoms to the paramedics who can determine if they need hospital level of care.

Other medical experts, like Dr. Jill Weatherhead, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, recommend telemedicine.

Patients have definitely held off on routine screenings and seeking medical care to limit their exposure, Weatherhead said. One thing that is being done is telemedicine. It ensures that patients are able to be in contact with their provider.

Danielle Rushing, 51, of Hunters Creek, has found telehealth helpful when deciding whether to send her 76-year-old mother to the hospital.

Her mother stays at Belmont Village Senior Living, which started using a telehealth platform specialized for urgent care since the onset of the pandemic, leading to an 85 percent drop in emergency room visits among residents.

Rushing said she used the platform four times, and its helped her determine when its necessary to take her mother to the emergency room. After a bad fall, doctors determined it was necessary to go to the emergency room. But the screening did save her at least one emergency room trip: When Rushings mother experienced stomach issues and lost her appetite, Rushing grew concerned she had a UTI and took her to the hospital.

As the symptoms persisted she wondered if shed have to take her again. Together, Rushing and her mother decided to use the telehealth program again. In addition to the standard video chat with a health professional, the teleheath apparatus included machines to capture the patients vitals and other medical equipment.

They ran the test and assured me that she didnt have to go to the ER again, Rushing said, And that to put her in the ER again during COVID when there are (limited) hospital beds available would be very distressing for her.

Eventually, COVID cases will be low enough where people like Rushing and Paz wont have to debate whether to send loved ones to the emergency rooms, Persse said. In the mean time, people need to get vaccinated so the health care system wont be flooded with COVID cases, he said.

We clearly failed at that because hospitals are completely overwhelmed, Persse said. This impacts not only patients who have COVID but all the patients who have any other medical problems for which they would need emergent care.
The death of a 4-year-old girl in Galveston County made national news last week. But new questions are emerging about the role COVID-19 played in her sudden passing.

Kali Cook, 4, died at home the morning of Sept. 7 after a brief fever, said her mother, Karra Harwood. Two days later, Galveston County health officials released a statement calling it the countys first COVID-related death in a child younger than 10.

But the announcement may have been premature  medical examiners had not yet performed an autopsy on the preschooler.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Houston-area ICU beds remain scarce even as COVID hospitalizations decline across Texas

While Cook posthumously tested positive for COVID, the official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy that was performed Sept. 10, said John Florence, chief medical examiner for Galveston County.

Medical examiners performed an X-ray and took tissue samples from Cooks major organs, Florence said, which may shed light on her swift death. Toxicology results are still pending.

The circumstances of the 4-year-olds death remain unclear, said Dr. Philip Keiser, the Galveston County Health Authority.

As we further investigated, we realized we did not have all the information, Keiser said. We did the autopsy because a lot of questions needed to be resolved.

A doctor consulted by The Chronicle said the timeline is unusual for viral infections in children.

The tiny subset of children who die of the virus typically exhibit severe symptoms that require hospitalization, said Dr. Zahra Ghazi-Askar, a pediatrician at Stanford University. In some cases, they may contract a rare complication known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) that causes prolonged fever, dizziness and stomach pain, but they rarely die immediately after contracting the virus, Ghazi-Askar said.

Harwood told the Chronicle that her daughter died in her sleep five hours after developing a fever on Labor Day. The preschooler had been full of energy the evening before and was otherwise healthy, her mother said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'Almost like not being vaccinated': 2 million Texans have missed their second COVID vaccine

Twenty-seven children under the age of 10 have died of COVID in Texas since the pandemic began, according to health officials. But that may be an undercount. The state does not update its tallies until after death certificates are filed weeks or months after a death, meaning recent child fatalities like Cooks are not captured in current data.

As of Thursday, 263 children with COVID were hospitalized statewide, slightly down from a recent all-time high.

It is unclear where Kali first contracted the virus. The Galveston County health department does not believe she became infected in her pre-kindergarten classroom at Kenneth E. Little Elementary School in Bacliff.

Harwood and Kalis two siblings also tested positive for COVID. Harwood told the Galveston County Daily News she wasnt vaccinated.

About half the population of the Bacliff ZIP code where the family resides is fully vaccinated slightly lower than the statewide average of 60 percent, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Kali last attended school at on Sept. 1, six days before her death, the Dickinson Independent School District said in a statement.

The school does not have a mask mandate, but face coverings are strongly recommended, according to district policy.

We cant require them due to Governor Abbotts executive order, said Tammy Dowdy, a spokeswoman for the district.

Some school districts  including Austin, Dallas and Houston  have implemented mask mandates in defiance of the governors order. Locally, health professionals agree that Houston Independent School Districts mask mandate is responsible for reducing transmission inside Texas largest public school system, in stark contrast to other area schools that have reported ballooning case counts.

Superintendent, Carla Voelkel, called Kalis death heartbreaking and said the district had made therapists available to its students and staff.

nora.mishanec@chron.com
A second Sugar Land resident has been diagnosed with West Nile encephalitis, the city announced Friday.

Second case of West Nile encephalitis detected in Sugar Land, officials say

Dr. Joe Anzaldua, the city's medical director and health authority, was informed today of the diagnosis. The first case was detected earlier this month.

Most people infected with West Nile do not experience any symptoms and recover on their own. About 1 in 150 people who are infected develop encephalitis or meningitis, severe illnesses that affect the central nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those symptoms can include high fever, headache, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, vision loss and paralysis.

On HoustonChronicle.com: 'Almost like not being vaccinated': 2 million Texans have missed their second COVID vaccine

Recovery might take several weeks to a month, the CDC reports, and severe illness may be fatal.

Humans can contract the West Nile virus from a mosquito bite. Infected mosquitoes get it from feeding on infected birds. There are no medications to treat or prevent the infection.

The city of Sugar Land will continue spraying to control the mosquito population. The city is also working closely with the Texas Department of State Health Services to trap and test mosquitoes for the presence of the West Nile virus.

"Residents should use insect repellent whenever they are outdoors and avoid going outside at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active," said Anzaldua, who added that the city has a comprehensive monitoring and testing program intended to keep the public safe. "People over 50 years old and those with compromised immune systems are at a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if infected with the virus. If people have symptoms that cause them concern, they should contact their healthcare provider immediately."

julian.gill@chron.com
The Biden administration has pledged to help boost access to emergency contraception in Texas as part of its response to the states strict new abortion law banning the procedure after six weeks.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Bacerra said Friday the agency will send more funding to family planning clinics here through its local Title X administrator, a nonprofit in Austin called Every Body Texas. The administration did not disclose the amount, but a representative for the group said it will be used to increase supplies of different types of contraception that can stave off pregnancy if taken shortly after having unprotected sex.

Were trying to make sure this is a normal part of an interaction and increases the number of people who dont just have access to emergency contraception, but actually have it on hand, said Mimi Garcia, the groups director of communications.

Emergency contraception, sometimes known as the morning-after pill, is currently available for free at many low-income family planning clinics, but only for patients who request it. It can cost about $50 at a retail pharmacy. There are no age requirements to purchase it and parental consent is not required, according to pro-choice groups, which stress that emergency contraception is not the same as the so-called abortion pill.

The financial infusion comes as abortion providers and their supporters are scrambling to minimize the impacts of the new law, Senate Bill 8, which went into effect earlier this month and bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many people realize theyre pregnant. The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, allowed the law to take effect, pointing to SB 8s unique enforcement approach. It allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and others who assist in obtaining the procedure if they defy the states guidelines. But the high court has not ruled on the merits of the law.

The Biden administration sued this month to block the law, arguing that it infringes on the constitutional right to access abortion before a fetus is viable. A hearing on that case has been set for Oct. 1.

In his announcement Friday, Bacerra said the health agency will also help doctors and their staff if they face employment discrimination for having provided abortions after six weeks in Texas. No providers have publicly defied the law so far, and some have stopped providing abortions altogether.

HHS is taking actions to support and protect both patients and providers from this dangerous attack on Texans health care, Bacerra said in a statement. Today we are making clear that doctors and hospitals have an obligation under federal law to make medical decisions regarding when its appropriate to treat their patients. And we are telling doctors and others involved in the provision of abortion care, that we have your back.

jeremy.blackman@chron.com
SpaceX is one step closer to receiving federal approval to launch its Super Heavy rocket and Starship spacecraft into orbit from South Texas.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which issues commercial launch licenses, released a draft environmental review Friday that describes the various ways SpaceX might affect the regions air quality, noise level, wildlife, water and more.

The review also provided details on how the Super Heavy and the Starship, being tested in Boca Chica, an unincorporated area outside Brownsville, are being developed to carry humans to the moon and Mars.

MORE: Elon Musk brings exploding rockets and real estate to South Texas. Not everyone is happy.

The FAA plans to hold virtual public hearings Oct. 18 and 20, and the public is invited to submit comments through Nov. 1. SpaceX has conducted test flights of its Starship but cannot launch the combined Super Heavy and Starship into orbit until the FAA completes its licensing process, which includes the environmental review and other safety and financial responsibility requirements.

Please add your voice to the public comments. Support is greatly appreciated! SpaceX founder Elon Musk said on Twitter. Humanitys future on the moon, Mars & beyond depends upon it.

The combined Super Heavy and Starship are expected to be 400 feet tall. The Super Heavy could have up to 37 Raptor rocket engines, and the Starship could have up to six of these engines. Up to this point, Starship prototypes have flown with three.

Once operational, the combined Super Heavy and Starship could launch to orbit five times a year.

But launches and tests could be more frequent while the company develops these vehicles. Starship could take suborbital flights, in which the vehicle climbs to a high altitude and then lands without circling the Earth, up to 20 times a year. The Super Heavy could launch three times a year, suborbital or orbital, with or without the Starship on top.

Texas 4, the only road leading to SpaceX, could be closed for up to 500 hours a year for nominal operations, which means everything is going as planned. SpaceX is seeking an additional 300 hours a year to clean up debris after explosions, crash landings or other anomalies.

Frequent road closures, currently allowed for up to 300 hours, have become a point of contention as Texas 4, also known as Boca Chica Boulevard, connects Brownsville to a beach, homes of retirees, a wildlife refuge and a state park.

When SpaceX first proposed launching rockets from South Texas, it was going to launch the tried-and-true Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. It did not say it would use the area for rocket testing, which has already resulted in multiple explosions. The additional 300 hours for anomaly response closures suggests that explosions are likely to continue, said David Newstead, director of the coastal bird program for the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program.

It basically acknowledges that this is a testing site, and theyre going to expect failure and expect more debris in the refuge, he said. And basically what theyre saying now is, We want to keep doing that, and we want you to agree to it.

Before releasing its draft environmental review, the FAA collected comments outlining concerns and support for SpaceX.

Among the concerns were potential impacts on protected species and habitat, the closure of public areas and the safety of launch operations, given the proximity to nearby liquefied natural gas facilities. Among the positive impacts identified were economic benefits to the regional economy, new jobs and the continued innovation and progress of commercial space transportation.

As a local from Brownsville, I am in full support of SpaceX and their mission! said @austinbarnard45 on Twitter.

The proposed @spacex Starship/Super Heavy project in Boca Chica is the BEST space-related thing to have happened, added @xsaltwedgex, ever since the last AMAZING thing that SpaceX did... whatever that was, as there are SO MANY amazing things being done by them. Lets goOOoOO!!

The draft environmental review was prepared by SpaceX under FAA supervision. Its summary of environmental consequences covered a wide variety of impacts. Under climate, for instance, the environmental review said launch-related and power plant operations are estimated to emit 47,522 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. This is substantially less than total greenhouse gas emissions generated by the U.S. in 2018, the review said. As such, the companys proposed actions are not expected to result in significant climate-related impacts.

Similarly, the sonic boom created when Starship and Super Heavy return to land isnt expected to cause significant noise impacts. There could be structural damage on South Padre Island with minor impacts, such as glass breaking, but this is expected to be rare.

Construction could permanently fill 17.16 acres of wetlands. Fill material would be required to elevate areas out of the floodplain, and the proposed expansions would result in the filling of 25.8 acres of floodplain. The environmental review said the relatively small area (less than 1 percent of the contiguous area) would not result in new areas being subject to 100-year floods, nor would it result in existing areas subject to 100-year floods becoming more prone to floods. As such, the SpaceX project is not expected to have significant impacts on water resources.

PREVIOUS DRAMA: Inside the FAA-SpaceX regulatory saga that delayed Starship SN9

The environmental review also outlined SpaceX mitigation efforts, including eliminating unnecessary light during turtle nesting season and monitoring disturbed areas for the spread of non-native vegetation.

If the FAA determines that the companys environmental impacts would be significant  and that those impacts could not be properly mitigated  it could require an Environmental Impact Statement. The draft shared Friday was a less-rigorous Environmental Assessment.

SpaceX conducted an impact statement prior to building in South Texas, but the proposed Super Heavy-Starship launches prompted this additional environmental review. Michael Parr, president of the American Bird Conservancy, questioned conducting a less-rigorous Environmental Assessment when the companys scope of work has expanded so dramatically.

He said the area is an important winter habitat for shorebirds. It has one of the largest winter concentrations of the piping plover, a shorebird listed under the Endangered Species Act.

Were not happy with the location or the scale of the operation at all, he said. It should be reduced, not expanded. Were all in favor of exploring space. Its great, but there are plenty of places to do this.

This article has been updated with new dates for public comments after the FAA extended the comment period.

andrea.leinfelder@chron.com

twitter.com/a_leinfelder
Lisa Andrews was headed to the Harris County District Attorneys Office on Friday feeling relieved.

The attorney had spent a year fighting to see evidence that prosecutors had compiled to charge her client, a former Houston police officer tied to the deadly Harding Street raid, with overtime theft and other crimes. The states highest criminal court had ruled in her favor, and prosecutors had said they would comply.

Then she received an email from one of the main prosecutors in the case. They were asking the Court of Criminal Appeals to take another look.

Ive never seen anything like it in my entire legal career, Andrews said.

Dane Schiller, a spokesman for the DAs office, sharply challenged Andrews claims and said prosecutors had shared nearly 80,000 documents with defense attorneys over the last year.

The defense wants everyone to forget that their clients are accused of being corrupt cops and that their years-long scheme was uncovered after two innocent people were shot to death in their home, he wrote in an email. But we seek justice, and that includes exercising all our legal options with the court.

COURT RULES: Texas judges order DA Kim Ogg to stop withholding Harding Street raid evidence  yet again

The case dates back to the Jan. 28, 2019, Harding Street raid, when Houston police narcotics officers raided a home in south Houston. A firefight erupted, and two residents, Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, were killed. Four officers were wounded by gunfire.

Investigators found that the officer who orchestrated the raid, Gerald Goines, had lied about buying drugs at the home. The ensuing scandal led to an internal police investigation, as well as probes by the FBI and the DAs office. Goines resigned and charged with crimes in federal and state court. Meanwhile, a Harris County grand jury indicted Goines and 10 other current and former Houston Police Department officers with crimes in state court  the majority of which involved alleged document tampering and theft by lying about overtime. Goines case has yet to go to trial.

When District Attorney Kim Ogg first announced the charges against Goines and his fellow officers, she described their alleged misconduct as straight-up graft that can literally rot an institution from the inside out. In the following months, Ogg sought to have one charge  a murder count against officer Felipe Gallegos  dismissed. In August, Ogg said misconduct by a former prosecutor handling the case raised concerns about his judgment and promised a grand jury would review the case again, even as defense attorneys accused her of using the situation as a delay tactic to avoid a loss at trial.

After Andrews client, former Houston Police Sgt. Clemente Reyna, was charged with aggregate theft and tampering with government documents, she asked the DAs office to produce mapping data and the reports that Oggs investigators used as the basis for their charges against former Sgt. Thomas Wood, who was charged with similar crimes. Defense attorneys for three other former officers made similar requests.

CHRONICLE INVESTIGATION: Botched Houston drug raid not the first

Oggs prosecutors refused, arguing that they should not have to turn over documents that they considered work product. They said state law specifically exempted them from having to turn over internal notes and reports.

In August 2020, Visiting Judge Leslie Brock Yates, who was standing in for the judge handling the case, first ordered prosecutors to hand over the materials.

They refused. Instead, they asked the judge officially handling the case for permission to withhold the documents.

State District Judge Frank Aguilar shot down their request, as well. In response, Oggs team took the matter to the 1st Court of Appeals, which denied the prosecutors request in May. Oggs team again appealed, this time to the Court of Criminal Appeals, the states highest criminal court. At the time, Schiller, the DAs spokesman, said the DAs office had decided to appeal because the appellate court hadnt answered the question, Do we have to share these documents at this time?

We will definitely ask a higher court, the Court of Criminal Appeals, to make that determination, Schiller said in May.

On Wednesday, the Court of Criminal Appeals, in a 7-2 opinion, upheld the rulings from Yates, Aguilar and the lower appellate court and ordered prosecutors to turn over the documents that Andrews and her colleagues were seeking.

On Friday, however, prosecutors informed Andrews and her fellow defense attorneys they were going to ask the Court of Criminal Appeals for a do-over. Attorney Paul Doyle, who is representing former Officer Hodgie Armstrong, criticized the move by Oggs civil rights prosecutors as a desperate and unethical attempt to circumvent the discovery rules.

What this tells you is that they are 100 percent hiding evidence, he said. Members of law enforcement should be deeply concerned that these public servants are being treated different than any other citizen in Harris County.

Ed McClees, representing Wood, said he was similarly surprised.

I dont know what to tell you, man, and Im at a very rare loss for words, he said. Its unfathomable to me a prosecutor would ignore an order from the CCA, the highest criminal court in the state.

Others in the legal profession voiced concern about Oggs handling of the Harding Street prosecutions.

Its ridiculous how arrogant these prosecutors are, thinking they dont have to abide by the highest courts order, said Harris County Criminal Lawyers Association President Joe Vinas, and its clear that they are actively hiding something they dont want the defense to know.

A NAME CLEARED: Otis Mallet clears his name, 12 years after conviction based on ex-HPD cop Gerald Goines' evidence

Murray Newman, a former prosecutor and a vocal critic of Ogg, said the move appeared to be a stall tactic by the district attorneys subordinates.

They are asking the same people who looked at (their motion) in the first place to look at the same set of facts and come to a different conclusion, he said. Its silly. I dont know how anyone involved in this could look a judge in the eye and say their motion for reconsideration has merit.

Grant Scheiner, former president of the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, said he believed the move was futile and unproductive. It is particularly worrisome because it could create a loophole to the Michael Morton Act, a state law meant to ensure defendants have access to information used to prosecute them, he said.

Im a little perplexed, he said. Its not in the DAs offices best interest to try to hang on to these offense reports. It looks bad and it hobbles the defense, but it also slows down cases. Why would they want to do that, especially with the courts so backlogged?

Amanda Peters, a legal professor at the South Texas College of Law Houston who worked in the DAs office for eight years, said it was fairly common for a losing party to seek a rehearing but that such cases were rarely granted. The Goines prosecution was different, she said, because the DAs office had investigated portions of the case itself, rather than relying just on evidence produced by police investigators. And while lawyers frequently argue over discovery in civil litigation, state law requires prosecutors to disclose all their evidence to defendants.

In criminal practice, the DAs office shows its hand to the defense, she said. The fact that the DAs office is trying to hide its cards is not only highly unusual, but it concerns me. And Im surprised the DAs office, knowing its ethical obligations, is fighting so hard to not disclose what it must.

Clarification: A previous version of this story incorrectly described Gerald Goines' departure from the Houston Police Department. He resigned.

st.john.smith@chron.com
A journey to appreciate Houstons Hispanic Heritage begins at the Heritage Society in downtown, where a large mural facing the Sam Houston Park portrays people and events that shaped the Mexican American culture.

We are going to take people on a journey from 1836, when the city was founded, all the way to present-day to celebrate the Hispanic Heritage Month, said R.W. McKinney riding an open-top, adapted school bus.

Aided with projections of black and white photos of early Mexican American settlers, audio of retro musical recordings and other features, McKinney said the journey will begin by understanding that the land where you stand on now was once Mexico.

McKinney is better known for Mister McKinneys Historic Houston that operates the Houston History Bus.

At the Heritage Society Friday McKinney said while many people know that Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual observance in the United States, many others are not aware of its meaning or of the significance this culture has played locally and in the country.

More Information Hispanic bus tours Tour one: Central side of Houston Pick up: At the Heritage Society at 1100 Bagby St., 77002. When: Saturday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m., and Tuesday Oct. 12 at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets/information: www.HeritageSociety.org Tour two: North side of Houston Pick up: Moody Part, 2999 South Wayside, 77023. When: Saturday, Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and Sunday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Tickets/information: www.MisterMcKinney.com and 713-364-8674. Social media: @MisterMcKinneysHistoricHouston and the @HoustonHistoryBus. See More Collapse

Passed by Congress first as a week-long observance in 1968 and extended in 1988 to a month, the Hispanic heritage observances were proclaimed by two U.S. presidents from Texas: Lyndon B. Johnson and George H.W. Bush , respectively.

Congress chose the beginning of the observance every year on Sept. 15 to coincide with the celebration of Independence Days in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Mexico celebrates its independence on the 16th, Chile on the 18th and Belize on the 21st.

Hispanic Heritage Month is an opportunity to acknowledge and honor the vibrant Latino culture living and growing in this land, said Alex Lopez Negrete, owner of Lopez Negrete Communications, one of the largest Hispanic own marketing firms in the U.S. and headquartered in Houston. Its an opportunity to spotlight critical history and contributions of Latinos to the fabric of America.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Meet 10 Houston Latinos making a difference in the region

Hispanic and Latino are the two most accepted terms by people in the United States with heritage or ancestry from Spain or Latin American countries.

In most of the 33 countries south of the Rio Grande and the Caribbean, Spanish is the predominant or official language since they were colonized by Spaniards beginning in the 15th Century. A few Latin American countries, however, speak other languages, such as Portuguese in Brazil. But despite some language differences, Latin American countries share many cultural, ethnic, geopolitical and historical commonalities.

Founding culture

We (Latinos) are a founding culture of this society, and we are increasingly the largest and growing demographic, said Pamela Quiroz, a sociology professor at the University of Houston and director of its Center for Mexican American Studies.

The Hispanic population grew by 11.6 million people in the country from the previous decennial census, which represented 51 percent of the total population growth in the country in that period. The increase of Latinos was mostly driven by U.S.-born babies, according to Pew Research Center. In Texas, Hispanic residents increased more than in any other state. They now represent 39.3 percent of the population, according to U.S. Census data, which is almost equal to whites with 39.7 percent and to the population of Latinos California (39.4 percent).

As the largest racial or ethnic group in Houston and Harris County, with over 40 percent of the population, Latinos represent a major consumer and productive segment of society, Quiroz said.

A recent study from the UH Center for Mexican American Studies indicates that both foreign and native-born Hispanics in the Houston metropolitan area combine an economic impact of more than $980 million a year.

Latinos comprise 35 percent of the labor force in the metro area. However, that percentage rises significantly  to 62 percent in areas such as construction, extraction and maintenance occupations. It is 47 percent for service occupations, and 45 percent for production and transportation, the study said. Many of those labor segments are essential areas of the economy that will be essential for the Houston regions economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, said Gabriela Sanchez-Soto, a visiting scholar who authored the study.

Every day, not just this month, Latinos are at the center of building our future, raising our children, feeding our community, and healing our sick, said Lopez Negrete. He added that looking at the history of Texas, its inevitable to reflect about Latinos who have been a part of labor history, science history, and music history with figures such as [labor activist] Emma Tenayuca, NASA [aerospace engineer] Diana Trujillo, and the legendary Selena Quintanilla.

HOUSTON'S NEW LEADERS: Black and brown leaders continue to care for Houston's trans communities

Tour operator McKinney said he cannot wait to show Houstonians the richness of the Latino culture and history in the city. Hispanic Heritage bus tours will take different routes, begining Oct. 2, he said Friday. With him at the celebration Friday were the Sam Houston Math, Science and Technology Center High School Mariachi Band, the Mixto Ballet Folklorico, and leaders of the community such as former Houston Councilwoman Gracie Saenz, among others, were at the bus tours announcement and celebration Friday.

For McKinney, Hispanic Heritage Month is not just about Latinos but about Houston and Houstonians. Its about people who work hard and thrive and are tolerant and inclusive, similar to the story of the Anglo population, the black population here.

Houston, with its diversity, will continue to be the best city in the nation thanks in no small part to Mexican Americans and Hispanics, he said.

Houstonians dont have to learn how to love each other and how to be inclusive and encompassing and welcoming, he said. We do that anyway.

olivia.tallet@chron.com

Twitter.com/oliviaptallet
Regarding As aquifers vanish, farmers face future of a new Dust Bowl, (Sept. 12): I read the article with thoughts of deja vu.

In the early 1970s, I took a geography class at Sam Houston State University. I was told that the Ogallala Aquifer was being pumped dry by farmers. We have had at least 50 years to change our ways but we continue to do the same thing. Now we have to pay the piper.

This reminds me of a similar, local problem. We continue to build in the floodplain and get flooded out. Humans dont learn from their mistakes. With human-created climate change you dont get a second chance. Will we learn to correct ourselves before its too late?

Brandt Mannchen, Humble

He who shall not be named

Regarding America has always run from the truth of itself, (Sept. 12): I always enjoy and look forward to reading Leonard Pitts columns on Sunday mornings. But I was especially thrilled to read his reference to a particular person who was not happy to see the monument to Robert E. Lee removed in Virginia described as a retiree who used to work for the federal government. I would be extremely happy to never see that particular retirees name or picture in print or any sort of media. Thank you, Mr. Pitts, for keeping him as one who shall not be named.

David Aylsworth, Houston

Misinformation

Regarding Houston Methodist doctors experience increased hostility amid ivermectin, COVID misinformation (Sept. 10): If you are speeding on the freeway, lose control of your car and drive into the barriers, the last thing you want to do is yell at the tow truck driver because he is driving too slow.

If you try to install a new sink or toilet and instead flood your bathroom, you can call on a licensed plumber to clean up the mess. But you dont get to advise him on what wrenches to use.

So if, because of all the junk you have been reading online, you consider yourself an expert, refuse to get vaccinated, refuse to mask up or take any other precautions  and if, despite your firm beliefs, you still get COVID and need to be cared for at the hospitals ICU  go ahead and tell the doctors and nurses exactly what they are doing wrong and that the only reason you are still there is because they refuse to treat you with horse dewormer and aquarium cleaner. You have a valid point.

Niklas Oberfeld, League City

Harris County budget

Regarding Democrats pitch Harris County property tax cut but Republicans want to go deeper, (Sept. 14): I read with interest the current state of the Harris County budget, wherein commissioners Jack Cagle and Tom Ramsey are threatening to, once again, refuse to show up to work because they dont like the math. Reducing the commissioners rationale to the kitchen table economic discussion that Republicans like to tout, the conversation at the kitchen table goes something like this:

Judge Lina Hidalgo: Well, the family has grown, and we have more kids, plus another one on the way. Thats more mouths to feed, clothe and educate. We need to have more money if were going to take care of everything.

Cagle: Well, the solution then is Im going to go to work and tell the boss I get paid too much, and I want a pay cut.

Hidalgo: No. The family needs this if were going to survive.

Cagle: Im not going to have this discussion. And if you dont like it, Ill just leave the house, I wont show up for work at all, and not come back.

Great family values there, guys.

Sean Kelly McPherson, Houston

Inconsistency

Regarding Opinion: Texas put a bounty on my rabbi. Is it time for us to leave?, (Sept. 16): State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Baytown, promoted on his Twitter bio that he is a baby-murder bounty hunter. In 2019, he was one of only two legislators to vote against HCR 42, a Chronicle-endorsed continuing resolution encouraging Texans to be organ and bone marrow donors. The resolution was in honor of my late wife, Dr. Anh Reiss, who died of leukemia at age 48, and as an obstetrician delivered thousands of babies. I would love for the Chronicle to ask Cain how this vote was pro-life.

Joshua Reiss, Houston
I grew up in rural Oklahoma, and always knew firsthand that musical theater mattered here. Middle school and high school productions were frequent even in my small town, and the several churches in the area put on musicals regularly, to say nothing of the ease with which Broadway tunes like Youll Never Walk Alone from Carousel and Day by Day from Godspell made their way into weddings, funerals, parades and revival meetings. It wasnt until I scanned wider that I discovered how it mattered in these overlooked, under-examined spaces. Musicals spread across the geography of this place in ways that illuminate how we believe and imagine. In place after place, musicals matter because they help us practice belonging to America and continue believing in it.

Take the fundamentalist Mormon community in rural Arizona who adapted The Sound of Music into a polygamous propaganda piece where songs and dances swapped from other musicals made sure the governess Maria fell not for a grieving captain with seven children but rather for a multi-wived captain happily seeking yet another. The production was shocking and also touching. Its creators crafted an idea of America in their own image by crafting a musical where they belonged. Their example shows how musicals help communities of all kinds rehearse living in better versions of America. How can you belong in America, they ask, if you dont first find yourself in an American musical?

Its no surprise, really, that you find musical theater mattering in profound ways within religious settings, in those American communities where faith matters most. A performance of the musical Samson in Branson, Mo., used the magic of the stage to make Samson and Delilahs distant (if not mythical) past align with values of todays evangelical Christianity  the musical providing the enchanted spackling to cover gaps and cracks in a modern religious facade troubled by secular reasoning. Through strange rituals and performative customs, musicals, like many religions, look beyond this world with bleary-eyed anticipation. All things will work out in the end, they celebrate. And in the end, we can live in a world that has been fully remade, with villains banished and problems resolved.

In her 1966 book, Purity and Danger, anthropologist Mary Douglas noted that communities decide what makes dirt dirty, that describing something as dirty has little to do with impurity; rather, dirt is, as she put it, matter out of place. Ive come to think of musicals in similar ways. Musicals lie about the world  they smooth over our reality with their alternate one, where people burst into song and dance and strangers know one anothers choreography. They rush to simplified and tidy endings, and unlikely reconciliations. I saw this in a homemade production by the Oklahoma Senior Follies in which senior citizens portrayed youthful scenes of lust, danced suggestively and good-humoredly essentialized the older years as the best time of their lives. Americans often conflate increased aging with decreased value. But through the musical stage, aging performers created a not-yet world where this was not the case. Our here-and-now world doesnt work that way.

Musicals are clever lies  and we need more of their deceptions. Lies have a bad reputation. With truth a fluid concept these days, it sometimes feels as if we are stuck pitting one set of truths against another and battling it out indefinitely. Lies offer a way out. They open space for stories about worlds that dont yet exist. They give us a chance to invent the kind of idylls we want to live in, places more committed to justice, community and healing. Dont get me wrong, truth does matter. But there are times when telling a lie is more righteous than being honest: when doctors recommend a harmless placebo for an anxious patient, for instance, or when one flatters a friend with exaggerated feedback they want to hear. Lies are exercises in imagination, hotbeds of creativity, projections of promise. Lies, like musicals, to borrow Douglas phrase, are stories out of place.

This lesson gets lost if we crease musical theaters map to only one city  New York  and chart performances only as some escapade of selling silliness. The pandemic has given America an opportunity to rethink where, how and why musicals happen. Broadway may be returning with ticker tape but my experiences in the middle of America suggest that musical theater ought to be re-placed  reimagined as powerful, multi-sited performances of an America that might be.

I am happy for the return to normalcy Broadways reopening signals. I am glad for my friends and former students whose livelihoods depend on the theater industry. And Im glad for the laughs, tears and thrills audiences can once again come to expect night after night. But I also keep it in perspective. Musical theater is bigger than Times Square. Its hopes and dreams and fantasies and deceptions spill the banks of New York, flowing through the hills and cities of Americas middle lands and into the hearts and minds of people most would never think to associate with musical theater. Musicals are as big and wide as America, and America can only be as big and wide as our musicals help us to imagine.

Johnson is a musicologist at Oklahoma City University and the author of Mormons, Musical Theater, and Belonging in America and Lying in the Middle: Musical Theater and Belief at the Heart of America. This piece was first published by Zocalo Public Square.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick referred to the Haitians massing at the Texas border as pawns in a Democratic plan to take over this country in a Thursday night interview on Fox News, making an argument that is part of a conspiracy theory known as The Great Replacement.

The theory  embraced by white supremacists and far-right nationalists in the U.S. and Europe for about the last 100 years  holds that minority ethnic groups are engaged in a plot to take power from whites, with the ultimate goal of domination or extermination of the white race.

Let me tell you something, Laura and everyone watching: The revolution has begun. A silent revolution by Joe Biden and the Democrat Party to take over this country, Patrick said, speaking on Laura Ingrahams Fox News show. (Democrats) are allowing this year probably 2 million  thats who we apprehended, maybe another million  into this country. At least in 18 years, even if they dont all become citizens before then and can vote, in 18 years if everyone of them has two or three children youre talking about millions and millions and millions of new voters. And they will thank the Democrats and Biden for bringing them here. Who do you think theyre going to vote for?

Patrick took it a step further.

We now will have illegals in this country denying citizens the right to run our government, Patrick said. This is trying to take over our country without firing a shot.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

The Texan who has been charged with shooting and killing 23 people at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, Patrick Crusius, was linked to an online manifesto that made a similar argument.

This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas, it said, adding that the Democratic Party intends to dominate the U.S. government by flooding the country with immigrants living in the country illegally and courting their votes, drowning out Republicans.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, The Great Replacement theory is embraced by white supremacists because it goes hand in hand with their beliefs about the impending destruction of the white race and because it echoes the 14 words of their rallying cry: We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.

The Texas AFL-CIO, which has 235,000 members, condemned Patrick on Friday.

The El Paso shootings and other violent episodes point up how dangerous it is to mark new Latino and Black immigrants, who cannot vote, as partisan political enemies. The Haitian immigrants who triggered Patricks words are fleeing multiple disasters and taking a lawful road in search of asylum, not invasion, Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy wrote in a statement. Dan Patricks remarks are the essence of white supremacy, and we condemn them.

So did representatives of the Anti-Defamation League.

Hate must never become a political platform. We need leaders to speak out against this. It will be detrimental to our democracy, said Mark Toubin, the groups Southwest region director.

Patricks remarks also ignore recent election returns. Immigrant communities and voters of color, especially Latinos, are far from certain to vote for Democrats. While Latinos have historically leaned Democratic, in 2020 many moved toward the GOP  fueling larger-than-expected victories for the party in Texas and Florida.

Zapata County, on the Mexican border and with a vast majority of Latino residents, supported Donald Trumps reelection, the first time in more than 100 years that the county went red.

Depicting immigrants as an invading force, however, has been a common theme in Republican politics, both in Texas and at the national level. When Trump announced his candidacy for president, he took on anti-immigrant rhetoric as a core part of his platform, famously saying Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

On Thursday night, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, joined Patrick in referring to the Haitians gathering at the border as an invasion in a Fox News interview.

Since at least 2014, Patrick has used the term invasion to describe immigrants seeking entry to the U.S. at the border, many of whom are seeking asylum from their home countries because of unsafe conditions. In 2019, Patrick made a similar remark, framing the invasion as a Democratic plot to take over the country.

The reason the deceivers  the Democrats and the mainstream media  have this manufactured cover-up is because they want another 10, 15, 20 million to continue to pour in, to where they turn those into votes one day and they control the country and they move our country to the left, Patrick said in February 2019.

And in June, when Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill into law to erect a wall along part of the Texas-Mexico border, Abbott joined Patrick in describing the immigration influx as an invasion, with Abbott remarking that homes are being invaded.

A spokesman for Patrick did not respond Friday to a request for comment.

edward.mckinley@chron.com
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Pittsfield Man Arrested After Stabbing Incident

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Police arrested Pittsfield man Joshua Lofink who was charged with Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon and Vandalizing Property.

Thursday, Sept. 17 at approximately 10:30 PM, Police received the report of a disturbance involving a motor vehicle crash and multiple stabbing victims in the 700 block of Tyler Street.

Officers responded and found two people who were stabbed. Police provided medical aid with the assistance of bystanders, the fire Department, and County Ambulance.

The victims were transported to Berkshire Medical Center with serious injuries, and are currently both in stable condition.

Patrol Officers and Detectives identified the suspect as Joshua Lofink, age 36, of Pittsfield.

This afternoon at 12:22 PM, Mr. Lofink was taken into custody by members of the Patrol Division, Anti-Crime Unit, and Detective Bureau.

He is charged with:

Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon (2 counts)

Vandalizing Property (vehicle tires) (2 counts)

Lofink is expected to be arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court this Friday Sept. 17.
Athenaeum Director Alex Reczkowski poses with a copy of the civics guide 'This Is Your City' in the exhibit for the late Edward Reilly, Pittsfield's 33rd mayor and longtime friend of the library. Karen Reilly receives a proclamation from Mayor Linda Tyer on behalf of the city of Pittsfield. State Rep. John Barrett III, who was mayor of North Adams during Edward Reilly's tenure in Pittsfield, speaks to the gathering on Friday. The Reilly exhibit includes newspaper clippings, photos, citations, documents and other ephemera. A reception follows the presentations. PreviousNext

Civics Guide Launched in Honor of Late Pittsfield Mayor Ed Reilly



Karen Reilly, left, is presented with a declaration from the state House of Representatives by state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Former Mayor Edward Reilly was known for his ethical leadership and commitment to the school system as well as to the Berkshire Athenaeum.

On Constitution Day, a civics guide titled "This Is Your City" was launched in dedication to Reilly, who died in 2019.

This helpful booklet explains the ins and outs of Pittsfield's governmental infrastructure to help inform students  and residents  of civic engagement duties in the city. It was created in partnership with the library, the Reilly family, Pittsfield Public Schools, and the city of Pittsfield.

"This is an invitation, it's an invitation to get to know Pittsfield, it's documentation of who we are and what we do, and it's a challenge to get involved," Library Director Alex Reczkowski said at a small, in-house celebration on Friday.

Reilly's family and local officials gathered to mark the launch of the booklet and honor the former mayor, city solicitor, vice president and treasurer of the athenaeum, and friend.

Within the celebration was an exhibit featuring awards, newspaper articles, and personal items that showed his legacy in the community.

Karen Reilly said her husband was first inspired to run for mayor when they attended a recital at a local middle school and saw buckets on the ground to catch water dripping from the ceiling.

Reilly was the city solicitor from 1983 to 1987 and elected as mayor in 1992. During the three terms that he served until 1998, he had a number of accomplishments that still impact the community today.

His wife said he was especially proud of the $47 million, seven-school building needs project and his time as chairman of the School Committee and as president of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.

In 1993, he cut the ribbon for the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center, which he decided should be located in the old Capitol Theater. He was also seen as an advocate for the senior population.

He was vice president and treasurer of the Berkshire Athenaeum for 15 years and had been trustee and a member of the Friends of the Athenaeum until his death.

"He brought things to Pittsfield, that had been missing," Reilly said. "Perhaps, a positive attitude, confidence, his ambition played into this in a huge way, cooperation, trust, innovation, transparency, but a lot of grit came with that, and he just enjoyed every minute of what he did."

She added that he never needed notes when publicly speaking because of his photographic memory.

Similarly, his daughter Sara referred to him as a "human dictionary" and a "generally chill kind of guy."

"My dad's involvement with this beautiful library over the years was never a surprise to me," she said. "I could always hear the passion in his voice when he talked about this place and the people in it."

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier presented the family with a citation from the House of Representatives and Mayor Linda Tyer presented them with a proclamation from the city, both in celebration of Reilly's life.

State Rep. John Barrett III said Reilly's involvement in the MMA and its affiliate the Massachusetts Mayors Association really gave recognition to Western Massachusetts, which sometimes seemed like a "foreign country," he said, compared to the eastern end of the state.

"What Ed brought to government was so important, he got involved in the MMA, and he eventually became president, which basically means that he was the head of the 351 cities and towns, and became a spokesman, and that's quite an honor from coming from an area like Berkshire County to achieve the success," the former mayor North Adams said.

"He gave voice to this area, and it was a time when, I believe while he was in office, and he got a lot of money back to this area because of him and policies in the organization that he represented."

Reilly was the last MMA president from Berkshire County until North Adams City Councilor Lisa Blackmer 21 years later in 2016.

Barrett said that of all the things Reilly would want to be remembered for, it was the importance of civic responsibility, especially in leaders.

"He was a student of government, he was a student of civics, he was a student of public service in so many ways," he said to the Reilly family.

"I think the best thing to say about someone who comes out in public service in politics is he was a man of integrity, he was a man of honesty, and he always stayed the course during all of the times that he was involved in controversial issues and for that, your family can be very proud of that, and he was one of the finest gentlemen that I met in public service and I've met a lot of them over the years."

Library Trustee William Cameron said Reilly's legacy as mayor and chair of the School Committee is in the generations of students who have benefited from his service.

"The School Committee is a somewhat obscure body, and I think it benefited greatly from Ed's leadership at a time when the Education Reform Act had been enacted in 1992 and took effect I think in 1993, he was a great leader and an avid defender of adequate resources for the public schools in Pittsfield," Cameron said.

"I will always think of Ed, as not only a student but himself as an educator."

Reilly was also the founder and first president of Pittsfield Community Television's board of directors.

He was the city solicitor in 1986 when the contract for PCTV was signed and drawn up and Executive Director Shawn Serre said he was largely responsible for insisting that the cable company provide funds for PCTV as compensation for public rights of way.

Serre said he first met Reilly at a board meeting in the library and soon realized that he had a "tremendous amount of knowledge" on the topic.

Reilly went on to host "That's Our Opinion," and "From The Corner Office" on PCTV. Both of the programs involved him taking unfiltered calls from the public and Serre said he handled them all with grace.

"He'll just always be remembered as someone who made a significant contribution to our organization and of course our city," Serre concluded.

Reczkowski thanked the Reilly family for their contribution in creating the guide and the exhibit of his life.

"Deciding how to celebrate and honor such a warm-hearted, private man was a bit of a challenge, a global pandemic, getting in the way of celebration was certainly a stumbling block," he said.

"But in the end, it almost feels like Ed was guiding this all along. We came together, we talked about what was important to Ed, the community, the future of this community and our schoolchildren, and civic engagement and so it's fitting that we're gathered here today on Constitution Day to honor his memory."
The Elizabeth Freeman Center has switched to smaller walks for its annual fundraiser in light of the pandemic and to be more representative and inclusive. There are six walks planned this month with the first on Sunday in Williamstown.

Freeman Center's 'Rise For Safety and Justice' Walks Aim to Represent All

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Elizabeth Freeman Center's annual fundraiser to support survivors of domestic and sexual violence has undergone a couple of changes to be more inclusive and fit the needs of the pandemic.

The former "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event is now "Rise Together For Safety and Justice," a series of smaller fundraising walks throughout Berkshire County to stand against gender-based violence.



The event's original symbol was a red shoe and featured men walking a mile in perceivably feminine footwear down North Street at the year's last Third Thursday event In 2019, the event drew hundreds of supporters and raised at least $75,000 in its ninth year.



Some in the LGBTQ-plus community saw this theme as being harmful and collaborated with the center to create an event that is representative of all gender identities and sexual orientations.



Due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing large gatherings, the event was transformed into a series of six smaller walks across the county between Sept. 19 and Sept. 29.



"In some ways, it is profoundly different, and in some ways, it is profoundly the same," board of directors member Susan Birns said.



"We have always intended for it to be safety and justice for everyone, we are hoping that our new symbolism makes that even more clear."



The Freeman Center hopes to raise $110,000 to support its free and confidential services to the community. Currently, donations are at around $80,000.



The center provides counseling, shelter, and legal advocacy to victims of domestic and sexual violence through offices in the three parts of the county. It also serves youth with violence prevention programs.



Birns explained that it takes even more funds to provide these services during the COVID-19 pandemic where there is an increased need. Over the last year and a half, the center remained open and provided vital services to the community.



"We were providing three meals a day to everybody in our shelter, which didn't use to be part of the package, they couldn't congregate in the kitchen and all be cooking it once, so we were providing three meals a day, that hadn't been part of our funding, or a part of our services in the past," she said.



"So that was something that we needed extra funds for, there have been special pots of money from various funding sources, government sources, primarily to help offset some COVID costs, But the need exploded."



The pandemic increase was not linear but Birns said that calls on the EFC hotline calls increased by overall 40 percent and increased 60 percent for shelter specifically.



Not only did the calls come in at a greater volume, but the severity of violence being reported increased.



"At first, we were terrified because the calls dropped precipitously and this was not just in Berkshire County, but nationally, hotlines were getting way fewer calls, and you can just imagine some of the difficulties. One of the things that people used to do is leave the house to make a call so you could do it safely and hide it but when you were all of a sudden sheltering at home with the person who was abusing you, it became a lot harder," Birns said.



"A lot of the places that people could go to learn about resources, not everybody has a computer, or they didn't have the ability to use it privately because the abuser would come and check their search history so would go to the library, but the libraries are closed."



Although the red shoe logo is retired, the center retains its goals of funding its services, building community, raising awareness, and honoring those who have lost their lives to domestic violence.



In a six-year period, there were 11 domestic violence-related deaths in Berkshire County. In May, former Pittsfield resident and transgender activist Jahaira DeAlto, along with her friend Fatima Yasin, were murdered in Boston by Yasin's husband.



To donate, visit the fundraiser website. The public is encouraged to share the fundraiser and events on social media with the hashtag #WhyWeRise.



The fundraiser has received major donations from Berkshire Roots, Berkshire Food Co-Op, The Berkshire Eagle, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Jane Iredale, and Onyx Specialty Papers.



'Rise Together for Safety and Justice' schedule:

 Williamstown: Sunday, Sept. 19, at noon; meet at Tunnel Street Cafe



 North Adams: Monday, Sept. 20, at 5:30 p.m.; meet at City Hall



 Pittsfield: Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 5:30 p.m.; meet at Persip Park at the intersection

of North Street and Columbus Avenue.



 Great Barrington: Wednesday, Sept. 22, at 5:30 p.m.; meet at Town Hall



 Lee: Monday, Sept. 27, at 5:30 p.m.; meet at Town Hall



 Lenox: Wednesday, Sept. 29, at 5:30 p.m.; meet at Roche Reading Park next to the library
Thousands of seabirds have been found dead or starving along the Northumberland and Scottish coasts  with climate change being blamed by some experts.

The sheer number of carcasses discovered  including those of guillemots, razorbills, puffins and kittiwakes  has been called unprecedented by experts.

Birdwatchers have reported hundreds of dead animals washing up on beaches, while hundreds more have been seen floating at sea. Some carcasses have been picked up inland, along rivers.

They have been discovered from north east England all the way up to Orkney  a distance of some 300 miles  over the last four weeks.

"The birds are emaciated  they are little more than skin and bone with many half their usual weight which is catastrophically low," said Dr Francis Daunt, ecologist with the CEH.

He said one possible cause of the suffering was poisoning from algal blooms  but others have said climate change is almost certainly a key factor.

As the sea off the east coast warms up, sand eels, white fish and other traditional prey for seabirds appear to be moving deeper under water, effectively putting them out of reach of their flying predators.

Keith Marley, who runs New Arc wildlife rescue centre in Aberdeenshire, said he was certain the catastrophe was caused at least in part by global warming.

I have no doubt this is related to climate change, he said. Its been confirmed its not bird flu and you dont get toxic incidents effecting an area this big so you have to look at the conditions and the obvious conclusion is changes to sea water temperatures are having an impact.

It is the younger birds we are seeing mostly dying and they are the ones that cannot dive as deep to reach their prey so that would appear to be the issue.

He said that while his centre had been able to rescue some birds found on beaches nearby, many were so badly starved by the time they washed up on land, that even if they were still alive, there was nothing that could be done for them.

The birds were seeing are exhausted, underweight, battered about, he said. The numbers are totally unprecedented.

Although such mysterious mass die-offs are not entirely unusual  they can be caused by anything from bird flu to bad weather  the sheer extent of the suffering has made this one particularly notable.

The CEH is now recording the number and location of all dead birds and will carry out post-mortem examinations on their bodies.

It will then monitor breeding colonies next spring to see if numbers are reduced.
Boris Johnson has used the Brexit divide to create a winning coalition of voters. The biggest new part of that coalition is working-class Leave voters who used to vote Labour, and who switched to the Conservatives in last years election. They gave Johnson a string of Tory gains in the north of England, the Midlands and north Wales, an uneven strip of seats known as the Red Wall.

The big question of post-Brexit politics is what will happen to the voters in those seats. It is a question that Deborah Mattinson tries to answer in a new book called Beyond the Red Wall. It is the first substantial attempt to understand this important group of voters, and it is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the next election.

Mattinson is well placed to carry out this study. I should declare an interest, as she helped me brilliantly with focus group research for a book about the attitudes of voters in 1989, called Me and Mine, in which I tried to find out if Margaret Thatcher had converted the British people to the virtues of Tory individualism (an early Question To Which The Answer Was No).

Mattinson worked for the Labour government under Gordon Brown, an experience she wrote about in Talking to a Brick Wall  its that wall metaphor again. She says she gave that book its title because the Labour Party lost the knack of listening to voters, although there may have been a double meaning referring to Browns inability to listen to advice.

She confesses that at no point in the decades I spent advising Labour did she run polling or focus groups in Red Wall seats  they were taken for granted. That may be a bad thing, or an argument against the first-past-the-post voting system, but it was entirely understandable until the EU referendum brought to the surface a cultural divide that tested long-established party loyalties.

Still, she has made up for it now. She has brought her research skills, built around focus groups, to the task. She spoke to people who used to be Labour but who voted Tory in 2019 for the first time, in Accrington, Darlington and Stoke-on-Trent.

The Red Wall description was invented by James Kanagasooriam, a Conservative pollster. He is one of the sharpest spotters of modern political trends. He is also credited with identifying the latent Tory voters in Scotland who would respond to an unashamedly unionist message in the 2017 election  an insight that yielded 12 Tory gains when Ruth Davidson was leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.

Mattinson spoke to Kanagasooriam for the book, and he explained that although the Red Wall is a geographical term, he saw it as defined by attitudes towards culture, state, belonging and place.

Johnson delivering a speech in Dudley in June on the economic response to coronavirus (AFP/Getty)

Those attitudes existed before, but previously they were part of Labours electoral coalition, which dominated politics until 2010. Tony Blairs New Labour had enough social conservatism to it  tough on crime and strong on national security  that he was able to keep these voters on board along with his liberal-left middle-class supporters. Brexit broke that alliance and created new ones, as most vividly demonstrated by the loss of Blairs own seat of Sedgefield in County Durham.

If Red Wallers could build a wall, as one of them said to Mattinson in a focus group, they would build it around London to keep its resented inhabitants in their place

After the election, the Red Wall quickly became a staple of commentary about the new Johnson government, but one of the first observations that Mattinson makes is that the description is not one that Red Wallers themselves recognise. These voters have a strong sense of local identity and loyalty, and an intense patriotism, but little sense of a common interest with other parts of the Red Wall. Many share a striking sense of isolation, Mattinson says, recounting how one of her interviewees said that her social life extended as far as a street two blocks away, and that she never went into town  namely Accrington town centre, which was a few hundred yards away at the end of her road.

They feel distant from the big cities of the north and Midlands, and positively hostile towards London. Indeed, if Red Wallers could build a wall, as one of them said to Mattinson in a focus group, they would build it around London to keep its resented inhabitants in their place.

Mattinson admits she was taken aback by the strength of feeling against London: people thought not just that it was unfair that Londoners were better off, but that they had actually robbed the north of its resources.

These are the kind of insights that are hard for political activists and commentators to understand. As Charlotte Alter, national correspondent for Time magazine, commented on the coverage of the US presidential election, the most pervasive bias in political coverage is not left versus right, its follows politics versus doesnt follow politics. She added: By default, nearly everyone who covers politics falls into the follows politics category, which makes it really hard to understand people who dont. That is what makes Mattinsons book so valuable: it allows those who follow politics to understand the values of those for whom politics is mostly a distant irritation.

Many of the themes of Red Wall values are familiar: besides attitudes to London, these voters resent immigration, they want tough action on crime and they mourn the decline of the high street. Immigration may not look salient in opinion polls  it has dropped down the league table of most important issues facing the country ever since the EU referendum  but that is deceptive. It is one of the reasons focus groups are so useful: they help tease out the things people really care about, as opposed to their superficial answers to what Lynton Crosby, the Tory elections guru, calls pop-quiz opinion polls.

Law and order is the second theme. Red Wallers care about crime and antisocial behaviour. This was the values-based part of the electorate captured by Blair with his tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime message and his policy of antisocial behaviour orders.

The Walsall branch of M&S, which was closed in 2018 as part of sweeping measures to the chains Midlands stores (Getty)

The third theme is the state of the high street in so many northern towns: a reminder, possibly a sepia-tinted one, of a better yesterday. People in each of the places Mattinson visited were intensely proud of the glories of their industrial past, and contrasted it with the modern economy of fulfilment centres and tanning salons. Focus groups often complain about boarded-up shops, the spread of charity shops and cash converter shops, and the decline of pubs, libraries, post offices and cafes. In many places, the closure of Marks and Spencer was highly symbolic of second-class status in the British retail universe  even if focus group members said they didnt shop there themselves (nothing decent in it at all  just old lady clothes).

These were Labours voters, inherited from a time when class was the main determinant of political identity and voting behaviour. But Brexit changed that, and in the last two elections, the Conservatives have become more successful at appealing to the working classes. By the last election, there was no significant class difference between Labour and Tory voters. The photo that summed up that election was of construction workers holding a sign they had made themselves saying: We love Boris.

As the Tory vote became more working-class than ever, the Labour vote under Jeremy Corbyn paradoxically became more middle-class than it had ever been under Blair. Mattinson quotes Paula Surridge, the Bristol University psephologist: Labour had been moving away from working-class voters for some time, but when Corbyn took over this became turbo-charged.

Protesters gather outside John Smedley Mill in Matlock ahead of the prime ministers arrival during the 2019 election campaign (Getty)

Keir Starmer understands the challenge. That is why he appointed Claire Ainsley as his director of policy. The former director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the anti-poverty organisation, she wrote a book called The New Working Class in 2018, and is credited with Labours recent emphasis on patriotism. She and Mattinson both see voting Leave as a vote against a distant class of London-based politicians. In Red Wall seats, voters tend to think it is Labour politicians who have stopped listening to them. Despite Johnsons background, they thought he was on their side. Mattinson quotes Julie from Darlington, who said he was funny and down to earth even though hes posh  I do like the man. Maria from Stoke thought he was a strong leader who cares about the country and cares about ordinary people.

The question, though, is how long this will last. The opinion polls are contradictory. Although Johnsons personal rating has worsened in recent weeks, more people still say they would vote Conservative than Labour in an election. What is striking about public opinion this year is that the huge disruption of coronavirus has left the parties roughly where they would have been, if nothing else had happened apart from Labour replacing an unpopular leader with a relatively popular one.

Over the longer term, up to the likely date of the next election in 2024, one of the uncertainties is whether getting Brexit done  not just leaving the EU, but leaving the EU single market after the transition period finishes at the end of this year  will start to change the way that Brexit decides politics. Will the way people voted in the referendum four years ago have less of a role in party voting in future?

Everything about Mattinsons research suggests not. Listening to voters over three decades has taught me that Brexit was a symptom, not a cause, she writes. Exposure of these stark cultural and ideological differences had been a very long time coming. So it is likely to be a long time going, too.

Mattinsons book makes sobering reading for any Labour supporter who thought that simply replacing Corbyn with Starmer would transform the partys prospects. It has eliminated a negative, and put Labour back in contention again, but this book shows how hard it will be hard for the Labour Party, even under new management, to overcome the Brexit values divide.

Beyond the Red Wall: Why Labour Lost, How the Conservatives Won and What Will Happen Next by Deborah Mattinson (Biteback, 16.99) is available now
Zoe Kravitz has defended herself from a critic who took issue with the actors choice to attend the 2021 Met Gala in a dress they claimed left her practically naked.

On Monday, the Big Little Lies star arrived at New York Citys Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual fashion event in a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello crystal slip dress, which she paired with a matching silver crystal thong.

While the 32-year-olds outfit prompted praise from many of her fans on social media, one individual criticised the look on Instagram, writing: I dont understand why they go practically naked. Shes gorgeous. Why does she feel the need to wear a dress like this?

The comment prompted a response from Kravitz, who acknowledged that everyone has a body before claiming that being uncomfortable with the human body is colonisation/brainwashing.

Being uncomfortable with the human body is colonisation/brainwashing, the actor replied, according to a screenshot shared by the Instagram account Comments By Celebs. Its just a body. We all got em.

In response to the High Fidelity stars comment, many applauded the actor for standing up for herself.

Yes Zoe!! one person commented on the post, while another fan said: Zoe for president.

Others shared their own defenses of the actors outfit choice, with someone else writing: Because Zoes naked body is gorgeous? Simple equation the weird body-shamer didnt get.

Zoe Kravitz attends the 2021 Met Gala (AFP via Getty Images)

This is not the first time that Kravitz has defended her clothing choices, as she previously called out a headline that read: Zoe Kravitz Goes Braless While Meeting Up With Friend For Lunch on her Instagram Stories in July, with the actor writing at the time: Time to evolve. How is this headline ok?

During this years Met Gala, Kravitz was joined by rumoured boyfriend Channing Tatum, who opted for a black tuxedo by Donatella Versace for the event.
Prince Harry has reflected on his late grandfathers listening skills, with the Duke of Sussex revealing that Prince Philip gave him a space to speak about his time in Afghanistan without probing.

The Duke of Sussex spoke candidly about the royal, who died on 9 April 2021 at the age of 99, during a new BBC programme Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers.

While reflecting on his grandfathers unwavering support, Prince Harry recalled Prince Philips reaction to his military career, explaining that the duke was very matter of fact.

Going off to Afghanistan he was very matter of fact and just said: Make sure you come back alive ... then when I came back, there wasnt a deep level of discussion, more a case of: Well you made it. How was it? Thats how he was, Harry recalled. He was very much a listener, he sort of set the scene for you to be able to share as much as you wanted to share but he would never probe.

Prince Harry served two tours in Afghanistan, first as a forward air controller, during 2007-08, and later as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner in 2012-13, while his grandfather served as a Naval officer during World War II.

The Duke of Sussex later honoured the military connection he shared with his grandfather during Prince Philips funeral, which saw Prince Harry wearing his military medals.

During the programme, the Duke of Edinburghs son Prince Charles also spoke of his fathers dedication to the military, with the Prince of Wales recalling how the royal took very seriously the fact that he was involved in the three armed forces.

Well he took very seriously the fact that he was involved in the three armed forces ... and obviously the Navy was his main service but he took an inordinate interest in everything to do with the other two, Prince Charles said. He read up an awful lot and thought about it and so he certainly put a lot of the generals and others through their paces, if you know what I mean. Hed always thought of a better way of doing it.

According to the dukes grandson Prince William, Prince Philips dedication also extended to the care the armed forces received.

The Duke of Cambridge said: Hes always set a very good example about how we have to look after the welfare of the military and represent them and be there for them, and understands, you know, the trials and tribulations that they all go through.

Elsewhere in the programme, which airs on Wednesday at 9pm on BBC One, the dukes family discussed his love of barbecuing, with the Prince of Wales describing his fathers dedication as an art form.

He adored barbecuing and he turned that into an interesting art form. And if I ever tried to do it he ... I could never get the fire to light or something ghastly so (hed say): Go away! Prince Charles recalled, while the Duke of Cambridge added: Every barbecue that Ive ever been on, the Duke of Edinburgh has been there cooking ... hes definitely a dab hand at the barbecue.

I can safely say theres never been a case of food poisoning in the family thats attributed to the Duke of Edinburgh.

The late royals love of food also extended to cooking shows, according to the Countess of Wessex, who said: Cooking is something that I love talking to him about. And he loves watching cookery programmes. Hairy Bikers, I think is one of his favourites.

The programme, which includes clips of interviews that took place with members of the royal family before and after Prince Philips death, was originally meant to mark the dukes 100th birthday.

While the Queen did not take part in the interviews, she granted the documentary-makers special access to her private film collection.
Four gang members who stabbed NHS worker David Gomoh have received life sentences for murder.

Gomoh was repeatedly stabbed in the street whilst on the phone to his girlfriend before staggering home and bleeding to death in front of his family.

The 24-year-old, from Canning Town, was a marketing graduate who worked in procurement for the NHS.

David Ture, 19, Vagnei Colubali, 23 Muhammad Jalloh, 19, and Alex Melaku, whose turned 18 a day before sentencing, were all found guilty of Gomohs murder.

Colubali and Jalloh were given minimum terms of 27 years, Ture a minimum of 26 years, and Melaku 21 years.

All four defendants were also sentenced to concurrent terms for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent to an unidentified man who escaped.

Judge Mark Lucraft QC said the killers had carried out a "brutal murder" which had involved a "significant degree" of planning.

He said: "The four of you are part of a north-side Newham gang, who have a feud with gangs on the south-side of the borough.

"I have no doubt there are many who live in all parts of the borough impacted by the acts of those like the four of you, who seem to kill simply for the sake of it and show little or no regard for human life."

Describing Mr Gomoh as a lone, innocent and entirely unsuspecting victim, he said he had unfortunately been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In a victim impact statement, Gomohs mother Marian said she is "haunted" by recurring nightmares about what happened, adding: "I felt numb, paralysed by grief and pain. Why David?"

She said the "psychological and emotional torture escalated" during the trial, as she listened to details of what happened to her "beautiful son".

She added that he had "so much to live for; so much unfulfilled promise and so much needed by the NHS trust he worked for to help distribute PPE and other stocks, so much humanity and compassion to share".

Marian said her sons murderers had "walked uninvited into our lives and destroyed Davids life", adding: "their contempt for a human life is just beyond comprehension.

Gomohs sister Lizzie paid tribute to her "fun-loving, amazing brother" and said his death has had a "devastating impact on us all".

The family was already grieving at the time of his death having recently lost their father.

In a statement released after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Laurence Smith, who led the investigation for the Met Police, said: "These four defendants carried out a senseless attack on a completely innocent man and there is absolutely no doubt that London is a safer place with them behind bars."
Police have made several arrests after racist and sectarian singing took place during Orange Order processions that shut streets across Glasgow.

Thousands of people marched on city centre roads and past Catholic churches, prompting counter-protests.

Members of Call It Out, a campaign group that opposes anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bigotry, held vigils outside churches on the routes.

Up to 800 police officers were deployed to manage the event.

Chief superintendent Mark Sutherland, the divisional commander for Greater Glasgow, said: We are aware that on a number of occasions today there have been outbreaks of racist and sectarian singing by some of those attending to support the Orange Order processions, this is utterly unacceptable and we completely condemn this behaviour.

He said police were seeking to take action against those intent on causing harm and dividing our communities and several people were arrested in connection with various offences.

Once again, we see a number of people intent in causing offence and stirring up hatred by singing unacceptable sectarian and racist songs. I want to again condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms, Ch Supt Sutherland said.

It is clear that sectarianism remains a serious, ongoing problem in Scotland and whilst policing has an important role in tackling this type of behaviour, this is a collective problem and needs to be addressed in a collective, collaborative manner.

The Church of Scotland condemned anti-Catholic bigotry and sectarianism.

We have a very close working relationship with the Roman Catholic Church, it wrote on Twitter.

Over the years we have worked together to tackle sectarianism and support one another.

Crowds lined city centre streets as the marches went along roads such as George Street and West George Street, and there was a large police presence at Glasgow Green where members of the parades gathered in the afternoon.

Glasgow City Council said 32 roads had been closed off for the processions until the mid-afternoon.

In 2018 a Catholic priest was attacked outside St Alphonsus Church in the city as an Orange walk marched past.

Call It Out said its supporters had gathered outside St Benedicts in Easterhouse and Blessed John Dun Scotus in the Gorbals as marches went past to say no to hatred on the streets of Glasgow.

Our resolve is stronger than ever and those willing to stand with us are growing in number. No to anti-Catholic marches past Catholic churches No to institutional anti-Catholicism, it tweeted.

Additional reporting by Press Association
The government has intervened to restart CO2 production after concerns that meat, beer and fizzy drinks could be in short supply as a result of the skyrocketing prices of natural gas.

Wholesale gas prices have risen sharply, partly as a result of higher demand as economies around the world begin to recover amid the ongoing Covid pandemic.

The high prices have also been blamed on lower flow of gas to the UK from Norway and Russia, and maintenance issues at some gas sites.

What has gas got to do with food?

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is used to stun animals before they are slaughtered, and the gas is also used in meat processing and storage.

CO2 is also used to make beer and soft drinks fizzy. The gas is a by-product of making fertiliser.

Two fertiliser plants, in Teesside and Cheshire, suspended their operations indefinitely this week as a result of the global shortage of natural gas that is used to power them.

This chain of events has had a knock-on effect on supplies of meat and carbonated beverages.

How did the government respond?

After dire warnings about shortages from the food industry the government stepped in and decided to subsidise a US-owned fertiliser manufacturer to ensure the supply of CO2.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng brokered the deal that will mean millions of pounds of taxpayer money will provide limited financial support to towards CF Fertilisers running costs to prevent a food supply shortage at Britains supermarkets.

The deal will be in place for three weeks and Environment Secretary George Eustice said the agreement is "going to be into many millions, possibly the tens of millions".

He told Sky News: "The truth is, if we did not act, then by this weekend, or certainly by the early part of next week, some of the poultry processing plants would need to close, and then we would have animal welfare issues - because you would have lots of chickens on farms that couldnt be slaughtered on time and would have to be euthanised on farms. We would have a similar situation with pigs.

"There would have been a real animal welfare challenge here and a big disruption to the food supply chain, so we felt we needed to act."

The deal means that CO2 operations at the Billingham plant in Teesside can immediately restart, officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) said.

Mr Eustice suggested the second plant would also be brought back online.

What are the industries saying?

Meat producers and food industry chiefs had called on the government to step in and warned that if they didnt then food shortages would soon follow.

Ian Wright, the chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, warned on Tuesday that consumers would start seeing shortages in poultry, pork and bakery products within days.

He told BBCs Today programme that the Co2 problems come on top of Brexit-related issues and a shortage of lorry drivers.

He said: "We have been saying for several weeks now that the just-in-time system which underpins both our supermarkets and our hospitality industry is under the most strain it has ever been in the 40 years it has been there.

"It is a real crisis."

After the government intervention later that day Mr Wright welcomed the deal, but warned that the supply chain continues to be fragile.

He said: "I think its a temporary solution but its a welcome one, and means there wont be many noticeable shortages on the shelves, although there are already some because of staff shortages."

Mr Wright warned that although food would continue to enter warehouses in the lead-up to Christmas, "the supply chain is so fragile that any other shock might do it in as well".

Prior to the governments plan, Richard Griffiths, chief executive of the British Poultry Council, told the BBC: "We grow and slaughter around 20 million birds a week, the vast majority of those are chicken. We also trade, so total consumption in this country is somewhere around 30 to 35 million birds a week.

"It will be a real challenge if there is a shortage of CO2 to the point that slaughterhouses cannot process the birds. That is really the worst case scenario, which is why we are so hopeful that the Government can step in here."

Is it just meat and fizzy drinks that are affected?

Fresh fruit and vegetables could also have been impacted by the shortage of CO2, according to the Cucumber Growers Association, as greenhouses are pumped with the gas to boost crops.

What about industries not related to food?

The healthcare sector was also under threat due to the shortage of CO2, as the gas is used in surgical procedures. Although not mentioned by the government, CO2 is also used in the manufacturing industry, as well as refrigeration.
NHS trusts are wrongly charging deeply vulnerable migrant women for their maternity care, new research has found.

Maternity Action, who carried out the study, said terrified women are ringing their helpline saying they are too scared to attend antenatal appointments in case they are charged for their healthcare.

The organisation discovered many NHS Trusts are routinely ignoring or misinterpreting the law on requesting payment from overseas women for maternity care, despite the fact the government's own policy stipulates the most vulnerable women should not be charged.

Rules specify overseas women from outside the European Union who are expecting a baby must be charged for NHS care  with debt from maternity care affecting future immigration applications.

Charges start at around 7,000 but potentially double if there are complications with the pregnancy.

Ann, whose daughter was born prematurely and died soon after she gave birth, is in the process of challenging NHS charges due to the fact she is destitute.

She said: I didnt attend any antenatal appointments because I didnt know if I would have to pay. When I was 28 weeks pregnant I experienced severe pain and went to hospital. My daughter was born but only lived a few hours.

While the baby was blue in my hands, the lady from the overseas office came and said: If you sleep on our bed were going to charge you.

They were so business-like, even though I had just lost my baby and was crying. I got a bill for around 5,000 from the NHS before I could even bury my daughter.

Ann said debt firms called and text every other day urging her to pay - adding that she was forced to keep explaining she had no money whatsoever and her daughter had died.

She said: I still owe that money now and get letters and phone calls. I regularly go without food so my other child can eat, but I dont know how I will ever afford to pay it back.

The deaths of three pregnant women were directly linked to the Conservative governments charging system in a major report that came out in December. The women died after delays in seeking help due to wrongly thinking they would have to pay for care.

Ros Bragg, director of Maternity Action, said: Its likely that many women and families will arrive here from Afghanistan, and when they do, theyll be met with a brutal maternity charging system that cant be trusted to protect them.

She said it is difficult to overstate the repercussions maternity charging has on the health of both mothers and their babies.

Were asking the government to suspend charging for maternity care immediately in light of our findings, Ms Bragg added.

Clare Livingstone, professional policy advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: Charging these women is not only wrong, it is dangerous. There must be no barriers that prevent or makes these women fearful of coming to our maternity services for the care they need.

Many have come from areas of conflict and may have had little or no antenatal care. This can have very serious consequences for their pregnancy and their baby and migrant women have a right to NHS maternity services, just like any other woman in this country.

Midwives should not be pressured into reporting womens immigration status. Their job and their focus must be on giving these women the safest and best possible care.

Current government rules state people who have applied for asylum, have been trafficked or are victims of domestic abuse are exempt from NHS charging.

Dr Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: By charging them, the NHS is putting these women under extreme stress at a time when they need support and complete access to maternity care.
 Close Boris Johnson jokes about number of children Jacob Rees-Mogg has during Tory conference

The prime ministers conference speech about his vision for a high wage economic revival has been condemned as economically illiterate bluster by a leading think tank.

Amid severe staff shortages widely blamed on Brexit, Boris Johnson rebuked businesses for reaching for the same old lever of uncontrolled immigration and suggested British workers should be prioritised instead.

After he spoke to Tory delegates at his partys conference in Manchester on Wednesday, the free market Adam Smith Institute criticised his words as vacuous and economically illiterate.

The organisation added that it was reprehensible for him to suggest that asylum seekers make the country poorer. This dog whistle shows that this government doesnt care about pursuing evidence-based policies, it said.

In his remarks, Mr Johnson did not address either the fuel crisis or the 6bn welfare cut that happened on the same day.

Meanwhile, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned that council tax could need to rise by as much as 5 per cent annually for the next three years to keep up with government spending.
Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said that the government does not expect that there will be gas supply emergencies in the colder months ahead of his talks with the energy industry.

The government is to hold urgent talks this weekend with representatives from the energy sector over wholesale gas prices hitting a record high.

Mr Kwarteng will talk with chief executives of gas producers, the National Grid, suppliers, and industry regulator Ofgem to discuss the extent of the impact of surging prices amid higher global demand for gas.

Ahead of the meeting, he tweeted: Britain has a diverse range of gas supply sources, with sufficient capacity to more than meet demand.

As well as an increase in prices expected in October, annual gas and electricity bills are also set to soar by up to 280 next year due to the 60 per cent increase in wholesale energy prices.

Dermot Nolan, a former Ofgem chief executive, said that he believes high energy prices will be sustained for the next three to four months.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: It is very difficult to see what the government can do directly in this regard.

Natural gas prices are at record highs as countries around the world begin to recover from the Covid pandemic.

High energy prices are also linked to maintenance issues at some gas sites, a fire in Kent knocking out a major electricity cable connected to France, low gas supply from Russia and Norway, outages at some nuclear stations, and lower levels of solar and wind power generation.

Low gas storage levels could contribute to prices of gas increasing even further, Alexei Miller, head of Russian supplier Gazprom, said on Friday.

At an online conference, Mr Miller said Europes gas in storage is currently 22.9 billion cubic metres below normal levels.

He added that Europe will enter the autumn/winter period with shortages in underground storage.

The day before his comments, the energy price hike led suppliers to withdraw their lowest fixed-rate offers.

Sky high gas prices have led to two small energy companies  Utility Point and Peoples Energy  going bust after locking-in customers on fixed-rate tariffs that were no longer sustainable for the firms.

The price rises have been incredibly rapid as 18 months ago they were at their lowest rates for 20 years, according to Martin Lewis, founder of website MoneySavingExpert.

The cheapest deals cost 40 per cent more than a year ago and are still rising, according to his website.

The government was warned on Friday that many households are facing a triple-whammy of challenges in paying their energy bills this autumn and winter.

Charities such as the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the Labour Party, and the Citizens Advice Bureau said that households on low incomes will struggle with the higher prices, the end of the coronavirus furlough scheme, and the end of the 20 increase to Universal Credit welfare payments that has been paid out during the pandemic.

Ed Miliband, Labours shadow business secretary, said: A basic duty of government is to ensure secure, affordable energy supplies for businesses and families.

It is a fundamental failure of long-term government planning over the last decade that we are so exposed and vulnerable as a country and it is businesses and consumers that are paying the price.

If we had been investing at sufficient scale in diverse, secure, zero carbon energy supplies and making energy efficiency a much bigger priority, we would not be in such a precarious position.

Ministers must recognise the severity of the cost of living crisis now facing families as a result of rising energy prices and their unfair tax rise and cancel the cut to Universal Credit.

They must also ensure security of supply and take the long-term action to put in place a much more robust, resilient and diverse energy infrastructure.

A government spokesperson said: The UK benefits from having access to highly diverse sources of gas supply to ensure households, businesses and heavy industry get the energy they need at a fair price.

We are monitoring this situation closely, they added.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing a tough battle against his Conservative Party rival, Erin OToole, in Canadian elections on Monday.

Trudeau called the early election in hopes of winning a majority of seats in Parliament but has faced criticism for calling a vote during a pandemic in order to cement his hold on power. Here's a guide to Monday's election:

_____

WHATS AT STAKE?

Trudeau and his Liberal Party could lose power to the Conservative Party after six years in office. Trudeau has struggled to justify why hes holding the election early amid the pandemic, and the opposition has been relentless in accusing him of doing it for his own personal ambition. But Trudeau is betting that Canadians will reward him for navigating the coronavirus crisis better than most countries.

Canada has seen far fewer cases and deaths than many other nations, and Trudeau's government spent hundreds of billions of dollars to prop up the economy amid lockdowns. After a slow start Canada is now one of the most vaccinated countries in the world and leads the G-7 in vaccination rates. Trudeau recently reopened the border, but only to the vaccinated.

If elected, OToole says he will close the borders to prevent dangerous variants from coming in. In addition, OToole has pulled his Conservative Party to the center in a bid to win power and is now calling himself a progressive.

_____

PANDEMIC POLITICS?

Trudeau argues having the Conservatives in power during a pandemic isnt wise, saying Canadians need a government that follows science. OToole isnt requiring his party's candidates to be vaccinated and wont say how many are unvaccinated. He describes vaccination as a personal health decision.

Trudeau supports making vaccines mandatory for Canadians to travel by air or rail, something the Conservatives oppose. Trudeau points out the dire situation in Alberta, run by a Conservative provincial government. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the province might run out of beds and staff for intensive care units within days. Kenney has apologized for the crisis and is now reluctantly introducing a vaccine passport and imposing a mandatory work-from-home order two months after lifting nearly all restrictions.

The Liberals, in turn, are running an attack ad that quotes OToole praising Kenney for his management of the pandemic, saying it's been better than Trudeaus federal government.

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TRUDEAU FATIGUE?

Trudeau gambled by trying to capitalize on his governments handling of the pandemic but hes been accused of calling the election early for selfish, political reasons.

Tall and trim, Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, when he was first elected in 2015. He appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone and in Vogue magazine, but analysts say high expectations and overexposure have contributed to some irritation with him. Photos of Trudeau appearing in black and brownface when he was younger also surfaced in the last election in 2019, casting doubt on his judgment.

_____

WHAT DOES O'TOOLE STAND FOR?

The son of a long-time politician, OToole advertised himself as a true blue conservative who vowed to Take Back Canada! when he won his partys leadership just a year ago. Now hes calling himself progressive and disavowing social and fiscal policies that made him his partys leader. Polls show OToole could defeat Trudeaus Liberal Party despite criticism he will say and do anything to get elected.

OToole now favors a carbon tax he promised to kill and the Conservatives disparaged. OToole reversed the partys position on guns three weeks into the campaign, contradicting the Conservative platform he put out last month by pledging to maintain the Liberals list of prohibited firearms.

______

FAR RIGHT IMPACT?

A politician who narrowly lost the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2017 now leads a far-right party that opposes vaccines and lockdowns. Polls suggest as much as 5% to 10% support for Maxime Bernier and his People's Party of Canada, which could bleed support from the Conservative Party and help the Liberals retain power. A worried O'Toole said Friday that while there are other parties, there's only one party that has a chance to defeat Trudeau  the Conservatives.

Anti-vaccine supporters of the Peoples Party have tried to disrupt Trudeaus campaign rallies. One party member was arrested for throwing gravel and rocks at Trudeau, and there have been protests outside hospitals.

A growing number of vaccinated Canadians are becoming increasingly upset with those who refuse to get vaccinated. It has been the biggest wedge issue for Trudeau.

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A MINORITY GOVERNMENT?

Canadians dont directly elect the prime minister. Instead, the post goes to the leader of the party that either wins the majority of seats in the House of Commons or can ally with another party to reach a majority. Trudeau called the early election in hopes of winning a majority but polls suggest that no party is likely to get a majority of Parliaments 338 seats, so an alliance may be needed to pass legislation.

If Conservatives win the most seats  but not a majority  they are expected to seek an arrangement with the separatist Bloc Quebecois party in Quebec. Trudeaus Liberals would likely rely on the leftist New Democrats. The Liberals entered this election with 155 seats, the Conservatives had 119, the Bloc Quebecois 32 and the leftist New Democrats 24. The Peoples Party had none.
A Kentucky judge has refused to force doctors to administer a horse deworming drug after a Covid patients wife sued the hospital treating him.

Angela Underwoods husband was brought into an intensive care unit earlier this month, after he became seriously ill with Covid. Ms Underwood, a registered nurse, pressured the Louisville hospital to treat him with ivermectin, the horse deworming drug that has been falsely claimed to be effective against Covid in recent months.

Despite the treatment being promoted by some high-profile media and political figures, the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health have all issued warnings against ivermectin, saying it can cause serious harm.

Ms Underwood sued Norton Brownsboro Hospital after it allegedly refused to give the drug to her husband, Lonnie Underwood, without a court order and supervision by an authorised doctor.

As a registered nurse, I demand my husband be administered ivermectin whether by a Norton physician or another healthcare provider of my choosing including myself if necessary, read the complaint filed by Ms Underwood, which asked the court to designate its use as medically indicated, reports The Washington Post.

Jefferson Circuit Judge Charles Cunningham denied her emergency order request on Wednesday in a ruling that slammed those who have pushed ivermectin as a viable option for Covid treatment. He said the court: cannot require a hospital to literally take orders from someone who does not routinely issue such orders, adding that the Kentucky Supreme Court only allows admission of scientific evidence based on sufficient facts or data.

Unfortunately, the Internet has no such rule. It is rife with the ramblings of persons who spout ill-conceived conclusions if not out-right falsehoods, Judge Cunningham wrote in a damning court order. He continued: If Plaintiff wants to ask the Court to impose her definition of medically indicated rather than the hospitals, she needs to present the sworn testimony of solid witnesses, espousing solid opinions, based on solid data.

Kentuckys new cases of Covid have slightly increased in the past week, and as of Wednesday, almost 2,600 people in the state were hospitalised for the virus, including 644 in ICU beds.

Ms Underwood filed the suit on 9 September in Jefferson County Circuit Court and later amended her complaint to demand her husband be treated with intravenous vitamin C as well as ivermectin.

I am his healthcare advocate, read her complaint. The studies and research does show the effectiveness of the medication when given to those patients in the trial.
Police in Florida are searching a 24,565-acre park for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of missing YouTuber Gabby Petito.

The FBI is assisting with the search of the Carlton Reserve outside of the city of North Port.

Mr Laundries family told police they believe he entered the area earlier this week and have not seen him since Tuesday.

North Port Police announced the search in a tweet on Saturday morning.

The Carlton Reserve is home to feral hogs, alligators, and panthers, and has 80 miles of hiking trails. A warning on the parks website says that most of the trails are currently flooded.

Mr Laundrie, who had been named as a person of interest following his fiancees disappearance, had refused to speak with police after returning alone from the couples road trip across the US.

He has not been seen for several days, according to his attorney, who informed authorities that his family had not seen him since Tuesday.

The attorney for the Laundrie family called FBI investigators Friday night, indicating the family would like to talk about the disappearance of their son. The family now claims that they have not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week, North Port Police public information officer Josh Taylor told the New York Post.

In a statement sharing a photograph of Mr Laundrie and requesting information as to his whereabouts, police said they were now conducting multiple missing persons investigations regarding Mr Laundrie and Ms Petito and that while he was a person of interest in his fiancees disappearance, he was not wanted in connection with any crime.

We understand the communitys frustration, we are frustrated too, North Post Police Department said.

Mr Laundrie returned home alone on 1 September from the couples cross-country van trip. Her parents reported her missing 10 days later.
The fiance of missing van life blogger Gabby Petito has also disappeared, his attorney has said.

Brian Laundrie, who had been named a person of interest by police following his fiancees disappearance, had refused to speak with police after returning alone from the couples road trip across the US.

Mr Laundrie has not been seen for several days, according to his attorney, who told Florida police that his family had not seen him since Tuesday.

The attorney for the Laundrie family called FBI investigators Friday night, indicating the family would like to talk about the disappearance of their son. The family now claims that they have not seen Brian since Tuesday of this week, North Port Police public information officer Josh Taylor told the New York Post.

In a statement sharing a photograph of Mr Laundrie and requesting information as to his whereabouts, police said they were now conducting multiple missing persons investigations regarding Mr Laundrie and Ms Petito and that while he was a person of interest in his fiancees disappearance, he was not wanted in connection with any crime.

We understand the communitys frustration, we are frustrated too, North Post Police Department said.

Ms Petito, 22, was reported missing by her family on 11 September. They last heard from her in late August. She spoke with her mother on the phone on 25 August and the family recieved text messages from her on 26-27 August explaining that she had bad signal. The family have since expressed doubt that the messages were sent from her phone.

Ms Petito and Mr Laundrie had been on a cross-country road trip in their van, with Ms Petitio documenting the trip on social media. The pair travelled from New York in July and Ms Petito was last seen in Salt Lake City, Utah on 24 August.

Mr Laundrie returned home to North Port in Florida, where the couple lived, without his fiancee. He has since refused to speak with police , with the family saying they would be remaining in the background during the hunt for Ms Petito.

The family lawyer has since informed police that Mr Laundrie has not been seen by his family for days and that they would like to speak with the FBI about his disappearance.
Police in Utah have determined that YouTuber Gabby Petitos disappearance is not related to a recent double-homicide that occurred near one of Ms Petitos last known locations.

It has been determined that the Gabby Petito missing person case is not related to the double-homicide case involving Chrystal Turner and Kylen Schulte, the Grand County Sheriff said in a statement.

Ms Turner, 38, and Ms Schulte, 24, were found dead in mid-August near their campsite in the La Sal Mountains.

Ms Petito last spoke with her family at the end of August, two weeks after police in the nearby Moab, Utah, area stopped her and her fiance Brian Laundrie over concerns about a potential domestic violence incident. They were separated over night but no charges were filed, according to police records.

Previously, Utah police had been exploring a potential connection between the two cases.

Were looking at everything, I mean, anything and everything that was suspicious around that time or were not ruling anything out at this time, the sheriffs office said earlier this week. So were just investigating the information as it comes in.

After the couple left Utah, Ms Petitos whereabouts remain a mystery. Mr Laundrie returned home to Florida without her, driving the van the couple used for the cross-country voyage.

Ms Petitos family has expressed doubt that her final text message  No service in Yosemite  is true, given that the couple was likely still hundreds of miles away from Northern California when it was sent.Police across multiple jurisdictions in Florida, Utah, and beyond are involved in the investigation, and the FBI is assisting with forensics.

Investigators have seized the pairs converted van used on the trip, and are scouring digital records for more information. Police have not identified any evidence of a crime.

Police have received more than 1,000 tips related to the investigation, and were reportedly inside of Mr Laundries home on Friday. So far, he has refused to assist investigators with locating Ms Petitos disappearance and hasnt spoken publicly about the case. Officials have spoken to a TikTok witness who claims she gave a ride to Gabby Petitos boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, by himself.

Police in Florida say they spoke to a woman who claims she and her own boyfriend picked up Mr Laundrie in Grand Teton National Park on 29 August, who was hitch-hiking alone.

As the investigation continues, conspiracy theories have flourished online, such as that Gabby Petito couldve disappeared or been harmed inside a Zone of Death in Yellowstone National Park, a strip of uninhabited land under federal jurisdiction where some have argued it would be difficult to prosecute crimes committed.
Missing van life blogger Gabby Petito told police that her fiance didnt think she could make her travel website successful and described him as a downer following an argument that prompted bystanders to call 911.

Ms Petito was reported missing by her family on 11 September after her fiance Brian Laundrie returned from their trip alone at the beginning of the month. She was last heard from at the end of August, several weeks after having an argument with Mr Laundrie that resulted in law enforcement being called.

In body cam footage shared by Utah police  who responded to a 12 August call about the pair having a dispute  the 22-year-old tells an officer: I just quit my job to travel across the country, and Im trying to start a blog, a travel blog, so Ive been building my website.

Ive been really stressed, and he doesnt really believe that I can do any of it ... so thats kind of been like ... hes like a downer, she added.

The dispute between the pair saw Ms Petito hit Mr Laundrie, she said in the footage, adding that Mr Laundrie had grabbed her by the face. Neither was charged in the incident, which occurred several weeks before Ms Petitos disappearance, although they were separated for the night  with Mr Laundrie staying in a nearby hotel while Ms Petito slept alone in the van.

Since returning from the couples cross-county road trip solo, Mr Laundrie has been named as a person of interest by police investigating her disappearance but has thus far has refused to speak with authorities.

And on Friday, Mr Laundries family lawyer contacted police to say that he had disappeared and his family had not spoken with him since last Tuesday (14 September).

Police have since confirmed that they are now conducting two missing persons investigations.

However, the family of Ms Petito have accused Mr Laundrie of hiding. In a statement posted to Twitter, they said: All of Gabbys family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing.
Michael Davis, a former police sergeant in Arkansas, has been charged with manslaughter for recklessly shooting and Hunter Brittain, an unarmed 17-year-old killed during a traffic stop gone wrong.

This is something, Jesse Brittain, the boys uncle, told CBS News. Were going to take this and see what else [the special prosecutor in the case] has got to say and hopefully this will stick. He wont be an officer no more and he cant kill no more kids.

The case has garnered national attention, as calls for police reform continue around the country in the wake of last summers widespread Black Lives Matter protests. Heres what you need to know.

What happened the night Hunter Brittain died?

Early in the morning of 23 June, Hunter Brittain was hard at work fixing his truck so it would be ready in time to make his construction job at 6am. He took the vehicle for a test drive down Highway 89, outside of the city of Cabot, Arkansas, and was pulled over as the car began to smoke and cause a racket.

The teen was having trouble shifting the truck into park, according to a friend in the car at the time, so Mr Brittain jumped out of the car to retrieve a jug in the trucks bed he used as a backstop for the ageing vehicle.

Davis, an eight-year veteran with the Lonoke County Sheriffs office, gave the boy commands to stop and shot him before he could see what he was retrieving, which turned out to be a jug of antifreeze.

Jordan King, a friend of Brittains in the truck at the time, said he didnt hear any commands to stop.

They didnt say one word that I know of, he told KATV. I didnt hear it and it happened so fast.

There is no body camera footage of the incident, though the officer had a camera in his possession.

What happened to the officer who shot Hunter Brittain?

On 1 July, the the sheriffs office announced it had fired sergeant Davis for failing to comply with the agencys body camera policy.

Due to that failure, I have terminated the employment of this deputy, the sheriff said in a video statement on Facebook. Without all the evidence I cannot make any determination on whether the shooting was proper.

What has been the reaction to the shooting?

The family of Mr Brittain, who dreamed of being a NASCAR racing driver, was heartbroken over the shooting and called for full transparency from the sheriffs department.

He was my grandson. Im his grandmother. Ive had him for the last five years of his life, his grandmother Rebecca Payne said after the killing. Were ready to find out something. Its time they start letting us know something.

Community members also rallied behind the Brittain family, demanding Justice for Hunter.

The case attracted attention from national civil rights leaders better known for their work with Black Lives Matter. They argued that the shooting shows how police violence affects all people and called for reform.

The issue of policing is not about Black and white, Reverend Al Sharpton said at a eulogy for Mr Brittain. Its about right and wrong.

The Brittain family is being represented by Ben Crump, the same civil rights lawyer who represented George Floyd, a Black man murdered by a former Minneapolis police officer last summer.

What happens now?

Davis could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Hes currently being held in an undisclosed jail, after being booked in Lonoke County.

His attorney did not respond to a request for comment.

Hunter Brittains family has called for police reform, including an end to qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that shields many police officers from legal action when accused of committing crimes in the court of their duty.

Your life had meaning, youre loved and your family will not stop advocating until we have justice for you, Hunter, his uncle Jesse said at his eulogy. And also justice for all of our other brothers and sisters dying at the hands of law enforcement hired to protect and serve us around this country.

They have also pushed for state laws that would require officers to have their body cameras on their entire shift.
A father and son are both in custody in connection with the bizarre and violent deaths of four people found fatally shot in an SUV in Wisconsin  after the younger suspect turned himself in to Arizona police more than a days drive away from the Midwest crime scene.

Antoine Suggs, 38, was taken into custody on Friday in Gilbert, Arizona. Warrants had been issued two days earlier by the Dunn County Sheriffs Office in Wisconsin for his arrest and that of his father, Darren Lee McWright, 56, who also uses the surname Osborne.

Mr McWright was arrested on Wednesday night in Minnesota  which borders Wisconsin  and is being held in Ramsey County Jail in St Paul. He is charged with four counts of hiding a corpse.

The victims found in the SUV in a Wisconsin cornfield were Nitosha Flug-Presley, 30; her friend Jasmine Christine, Sturm, 30; Sturms brother, Matthew Isiah Pettus, 26; and Sturms boyfriend , Loyace Foreman III. Flug-Presley was from Stillwater and the rest were from St. Paul.

Flug-Presley and Suggs, according to the victims family, had been involved in some type of relationship, and witnesses reported seeing the pair at St. Paul bar the White Squirrel the night before bodies were discovered by a farmer in his Dunn County, Wisconsin field. Thats about 60 miles east of St. Paul.

Investigators said street-camera footage outside the White Squirrel showed a dark SUV at about 2:08a.m. Sunday, AP reported. The passenger side is open and the footage shows Sturm run into the vehicle. Another witness said she saw Flug-Presley, Sturm and Pettus get into a black SUV in the early morning hours, according to the complaint.

All four victims were shot once in the head, according to the complaint. Flug-Presley was found in the front passenger seat of the 2008 Mercedes Benz GL and the other three victims were in the backseat.

Damone Presley Sr. told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that father and son were known to his family and hed not only grown up with McWright but had recently run into him. He saw the suspect about a month ago and Mr McWright expressed his condolences on the loss of Mr Presleys mother last year.

Im just not understanding, he told the paper Thursday, adding that he didnt know of any problems between Mr McWright or Mr Suggs and members of his own family.

"He frequently hung around some younger cousins of mine," Mr Presley said of Mr Suggs, adding that he was confident that justice is coming.

Following his arrest in Arizona, Mr Suggs is awaiting transport back north.
New details have further illuminated whats known about the disappearance of Gabby Petito, a YouTuber from Florida who did not return from a cross-country van trip in August with her fiance Brian Laundrie, who police have labeled a person of interest in the case.

A day before her family reported her missing, Ms Petitos father Joseph was involved in a public service incident at Laundries home, where he and Gabby lived with Laundries parents, according to heavily redacted police documents reported by Fox News.

The records, which are largely obscured due to the ongoing investigation, do not indicate the reason for the call on 10 September, but note that police came back twice the following day and seized the couples Ford Transit van, which they had used to cross the country.

UPDATE: Rick Stafford, the Petito familys attorney, said that the records shouldnt be read to indicate some kind of exchange between Laundrie and Joseph Petito that day.From what I understand, on September 10 is when Joe Petito called the North Port, [Florida] police department to report his daughter missing, Mr Stafford told The Independent. That whole day he was in Vero Beach, which was on the other side of the state. Hes never even been to Brian Laundries house, and hes never been on the block, Mr Stafford added. If there is a report, when that report comes out, its going to be the missing persons report that was taken over the phone from Joe to the North Port police department.

Previously, Mr Petito had told Fox News, which reported the public service incident, that he wasnt aware Mr Laundrie had returned to Florida until 11 September.

"Brian got home on 1 September, and we didnt even realize he came home alone or was even home until Sept. 11 when we reported her missing," Mr Petito told the network on Friday. "It wasnt unlike them to go for a few stretches without checking in but I still cant believe hes home and wont tell us where our daughter is!"

The Independent has reached out to the Petito familys attorney.

Ms Petito last spoke with her family at the end of August, two weeks after police in Utah stopped the couple over concerns about a potential domestic violence incident. They were separated overnight but no charges were filed, according to police records.

Gabbys family has expressed doubt that her final text message  No service in Yosemite  was sent from their daughter, given that the couple was likely still hundreds of miles away from Northern California when it was sent.

Mr Laundrie returned home from the trip without Ms Petito, and has since hired a lawyer and declined to assist investigators with their search for the missing young woman. Police have not identified evidence of a crime.

Law enforcement agencies across multiple jurisdictions in Florida, Utah, and beyond are involved in the investigation, and the FBI is assisting with forensics.

Investigators have seized the pairs converted van used on the trip, and are scouring digital records for more information.
 Close Gabby Petitos father calls Laundrie family cowards

During an interview on Dr Phil McGraws show, Gabby Petitos family said they hoped Brian Laundrie would be found alive.

Ms Petitos father, Joseph Petito, said he wants Mr Laundrie to see the inside of a jail cell for the rest of his life. Mr Laundrie has not been charged in the death of Ms Petito.

Police activity at the Carlton Reserve picked up after several days of scaled back searches. Mr Laundrie is believed to have hiked in the preserve on 13 September and has been missing ever since.

An ex-FBI agent has suggested Mr Laundrie is still in contact with his parents via their family lawyer.

Asked whether she thought the missing 23-year-old was in touch with his family, Jennifer Coffindaffer told a News Nation Now journalist: Yesalthough very loosely through the attorney.

Ms Coffindaffer, who worked for the FBI for more than 20 years, added: He has attorney-client privilege, as long as he doesnt do anything in furtherance of crime.

In a separate interview on Dr Phil McGraws show, Richard Stafford, the lawyer representing the Petito family, claimed Mr Laundrie stole his girlfriend Ms Petitos credit card and used it after leaving her in Wyoming. The claim came during an interview that also featured Ms Petitos family.

Mr Laundries sister, Cassie Laundrie urged her brother to come forward to get us out of this horrible mess.

Speaking on ABC News in an exclusive interview aired on Good Morning America she said: I would tell my brother to just come forward and get us out of this horrible mess.

The state attorney for Palm Beach County in Florida claimed more serious criminal charges against Ms Petitos missing boyfriend were extremely likely if hes found alive.

David Aronberg defended his office for not filing charges against Mr Laundrie, saying prosecutors have a higher burden to prove cases beyond any reasonable doubt, but said he thought more charges were coming.
Two of California Governor Gavin Newsoms children have tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement from his office.

Mr Newsom has not tested positive. Both children have mild symptoms and will quarantine.

The governors children tested positive for Covid-19, spokesperson Erin Mellon said in a statement on Friday night. The governor, the first partner, and the other two children have since tested negative. The family is following all Covid protocols.

She added: The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic.

All four of the Newsom children are under the age of 12 and therefore are not eligible for vaccination per the current CDC guidelines. The two children, who have not been named to protect their privacy, tested positive on Thursday.

Politico reports the governors office said that it does not appear that the children were exposed to the virus at school or at any campaign events prior to Mr Newsom successfully fending off an unsuccessful recall attempt.

Governor Newsom received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April and has not received a booster shot.

The Newsoms experience is similar to that of many families with young unvaccinated children who are still susceptible to Covid-19  and this is not the first time that their family has been affected by the virus.

They entered into a 14-day isolation period in November after the children were in contact with a California Highway Patrol officer who had tested positive. In the same month, one of the children was quarantined after a classmate also tested positive for the virus.

Both of the elder children, aged 10 and 11, were pulled out of summer camp back in July when it was discovered that other campers were maskless despite state policies mandating masks.

Neither the governor, nor first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, are known to have contracted Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

California currently has one of the lowest Covid-19 transmission rates in the nation and the lowest case rate.

More than 82 per cent of the population over 12 have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and strict local mask and vaccination mandates have been credited with keeping cases down even during the spread of the Delta variant.
 Close Nancy Pelosi condemns upcoming Justice for J6 rally

Washington, DC is hunkered down in advance of a protest on behalf of people arrested for their alleged part in the US Capitol insurrection at the start of this year. The Justice for J6 rally, organised by a onetime Trump campaign staffer, is ostensibly a protest against the persecution of the 600-plus people who have been taken into custody. It is seen by some as part of a broader right-wing attempt to rewrite the narrative of the attack on the Capitol as a mostly peaceful incident, with the participants reframed as simply naive citizens earnestly concerned about the 2020 election.

However, there are concerns that the protest could attract extremist groups with other, more nefarious grievances  including some of the violent actors who joined the insurrection itself. That said, experts in extremism have reported that organisations such as the Proud Boys are telling their members to stay away from the protest. The organisers insist it will be a peaceful event  but the US Capitol Police are taking no chances.

Follow live updates on the event below.
At the opening of the Justice for J6 Rally, organiser Matt Braynard was quick to say that people who partook in violence against police officers during the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol should be held accountable.

But moments later, he invoked the name of Ashli Babbitt, the rioter who was shot and killed while trying to breach the House and who threatened the lives of police officers and members.

These contradictory ideas dominated the rally, which was sparsely attended by only a couple of hundred people (despite organisers suggesting ahead of the gathering that up to 700 people could attend). There were limited amounts of confrontations, with the exception of one counter-protester getting into an argument with a demonstrator, which led to the police separating them, and another person on a bike screaming who was escorted out by police.

Retired boxer and conservative activist Cara Castronuova was one of the leading voices at the event and decried the treatment of people she considered political prisoners, criticising the false narrative of 6 January being an insurrection when not one person has been charged with this crime, which she said was tampering with the potential jury pool.

Ms Castronuova also criticised the media for suggesting the gathering would be a white supremacy rally.

Do I look like a white supremacist to you, Ms Castronuova, who has Chinese and Italian heritage, asked, adding that she voted for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton along with Donald Trump.

But absent from the dais, as freelance journalist Molly Conger noted, was the co-founder of Ms Castronuovas Citizens Against Political Persecution  Randy Ireland of the Proud Boys. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mr Ireland had touted the event last month.

Some of the people who attended the 6 January rally said that they thought there was unfair treatment of those arrested, and sought to parse between people who committed acts of violence versus those who just walked into the Capitol.

I think the violent criminals who assaulted police, they should be punished, said Adam, who did not give his last name. But the people that were let in by Capitol Police  the police removed the guardrails, open the door and let people in  that to me is entrapment.

Adam was also carrying an American flag featuring the symbol of Three Percenters, a right-wing militia movement according to the Anti-Defamation League, but said he wasnt aware of the connotations of the symbol or the organisation. Later on, Mr Braynard noted he asked people to remove the flags, which they did.

Similarly, Ms Castronuova read a letter supposedly from Nicole Reffitt, the wife of someone imprisoned for his actions, saying her laptop was trashed by the FBI. But WUSA9s Jordan Fischer reported that her husband was a Three Percenter. Earlier this year that he was charged with bringing a semi-automatic handgun to Washington and carrying a semi-automatic weapon on Capitol grounds.

Jennifer Bakalov, who is from Minnesota, said she did not go inside the Capitol complex but was inside the grassy area and wanted to go into the building.

The only reason I didnt go in was because my friend was with me and she was afraid, she said, but added that she had wanted to go in not to hurt anyone but to put pressure on our congressmen and put the fear of God in them. When pressed about what that meant, she said it just means to make them understand that we the people are the ones who govern this nation, not the other way around.

Ms Bakalov said she was disappointed at the low turnout levels.

I wish more people would show up, but I know theyre doing rallies all across the nation too, so that could be a reason why theres not so many attendees, she said. She added that she was also disappointed in former Vice President Mike Pence for allowing the election to be certified. I think he totally betrayed our nation.

At one point, Mr Braynard tried to compare and contrast how 6 January rioters were treated compared with Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who protested outside Nancy Pelosis office with environmental activists in 2018 before she was sworn in, and people who protested now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs confirmation inside Senate office buildings adjacent to the Capitol.

But Madea Benjamin, the co-founder of the left-wing protest group Code Pink, was in the crowd and said that she had protested Mr Kavanaughs confirmation and took umbrage at the comparison.

Its ridiculous because everything we do, and you had to sign something during that Kavanaugh hearing saying you were a peaceful protester, you were not engaged in any violence, Ms Benjamin told The Independent. She noted that her partner who got on a chair was charged with violent crime and went to federal court and it took a year to deal with the charge.

Its totally disingenuous the way he is trying to one, portray 6 January as a peaceful intervention, and two that we dont face consequences, she said.

The rally did not feature members of Congress, although there were two congressional candidates present. The first being Mike Collins, who is running for Georgias 10th District, and the second was Joe Kent, who is running in Washingtons 3rd district against Rep Jaime Herrera Beutler, one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Mr Trump for inciting the insurrection. Mr Trump has endorsed Mr Kent.
It was an hour President Joe Biden would no doubt like to forget.

On Friday, the Pentagon acknowledged that a drone strike in Afghanistan killed 10 civilians, including seven children, not terrorists. A panel advising the Food and Drug Administration voted to not recommend COVID booster shots for all Americans over 16, dashing an administration hope. And France announced it was recalling its ambassador to the U.S. out of anger for being cut out of a secret nuclear submarine deal Biden had struck with the United Kingdom and Australia.

The punishing headlines, all within an hour, underscored the perils for any president from the uncontrollable events that can define a term in office.

They came as Biden has seen public approval numbers trend downward as the COVID-19 crisis has deepened and Americans cast blamed for the flawed U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The administration had hoped to roll out tougher vaccine guidelines, a new international alliance to thwart China and a recommitment to what Biden has done best: drawing on his years on Capitol Hill and knowledge of the legislative process to cajole fellow Democrats to pass the two far-reaching spending bills that make up the heart of his agenda.

Those ambitions are now more difficult.

Biden has proclaimed defeating the pandemic to be the central mission of his presidency but the U.S. is now averaging more than 145,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases per day, up from a low of about 8,500 per day three months ago.

The president has moved to shift the blame for the resurgence of cases to the more than 70 million Americans who havent gotten a vaccine and the GOP lawmakers who have opposed his increasingly forceful efforts to push people to get a shot. Aides had hoped for full FDA approval for the boosters, yet the advisory panel only recommended them for those over 65 or with underlying health conditions or special circumstances.

Biden aides in recent days had quietly expressed relief that the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal  like the war itself for much of its nearly two decades  has receded from headlines. That feeling was shattered Friday afternoon when the Pentagon revealed the errant target for what was believed to be the final American drone strike of the war.

Biden had long advocated leaving Afghanistan and, even after a suicide bombing killed 13 American service members, and told advisers the decision was correct. The president is known for his certitude, a stubbornness that flashed when he shot down suggestions that he express regret for how the withdrawal occurred.

Aides have since been quick to note that more than 120,000 people have been successfully evacuated and contend that quiet U.S. efforts are securing the steady departure of others from under Taliban rule.

The end in Afghanistan was part of an effort to refocus foreign policy on China, an aim that accelerated with the surprise announcement of the agreement between the United States, United Kingdom and Australia.

But not only did Beijing balk, so did Paris, as France angrily accused the U.S. of cutting France out of the alliance and scuttling its own submarine deal with Australia.

And then France recalled its ambassador after its officials expressed dismay that, in their estimation, Biden had proven to be as unreliable a partner as his predecessor Donald Trump.

The strain with France came just as Biden had hoped to pivot to his ambitious domestic agenda.

But there are sharp ideological divides among the Democrats on Capitol Hill about the size and substance of the $3.5 trillion spending package meant to be passed in tandem with the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. And all of Congress will be forced to juggle the White Houses legislation while being swamped with imminent deadlines on the debt ceiling and government funding.

The West Wing is recreating a legislative strategy that worked to secure passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief in March and pushed the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill through the Senate in August, according to a half dozen White House aides and outside advisors who were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations. With Biden cajoling lawmakers, the infrastructure bill is to be passed through the House along with the $3.5 trillion spending bill that contains many of the presidents priorities  like climate change and child care  and would pass the Senate along party lines.

With the Senate in a 50-50 tie and Democrats margin in the House only a handful of seats, few votes can be lost, and it could be a formidable task to unite Democratic moderates, like Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who want a far smaller spending bill, with liberals like Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who has steadfastly said it could not shrink.

The White House also has begun filling the presidents schedule again with events meant to highlight the need to pass the bills, including linking visits to the sites of natural disasters  fires in California and Idaho, hurricanes in New York and New Jersey  to the climate change funding in the legislation.

And this past Thursday, on what had previously been tentatively planned as a down day for Biden, the White House scheduled him to give a speech from the East Room during which he zeroed in on how tax enforcement to get big corporations and wealthy Americans to pay more would help fund his plan, without offering any new details.

But there are roadblocks. Manchin told Biden that he could not support $3.5 trillion and White House aides have begun signaling that they would settle for a smaller package, even if it raises the ire of progressives.

Still, Bidens advisers believe that, even if there is some unhappiness with the package, no Democratic lawmaker would want to be perceived as undermining the centerpiece of the agenda of a president from their own party.

As the activity moves back to Washington the White House is also scaling back the presidents travel to support the agenda on Capitol Hill, but its led to elevated concerns among some Democratic lawmakers that Biden wasnt doing enough to personally sell the legislation to their constituents across the country.

The White House notes that Bidens Cabinet has been traveling aggressively to promote the legislation, even when the president has been kept back in Washington.

The scaled-back travel comes amid some worry from aides about the exposure level Biden may have faced when he mingled in groups during a recent grueling trip west and his three-stop journey to mark the September 11th anniversary, two officials said. Biden, 78, also did not get a summer vacation. His plan to spend time at his Delaware home in August was scuttled by the Afghanistan crisis.

Aides had finally scheduled him a break, a long weekend at his house in Rehoboth Beach along Delawares coastline. He reached his home Friday just after 1:30 p.m.

Ninety minutes later, any hope for a quiet weekend vanished.
Revamp the tax code and important federal health care and environment programs. Spend $3.5 trillion over 10 years, but maybe a lot less. Ensure that no more than three Democrats in all of Congress vote no because Republicans will be unanimously opposed.

Try to finish within the next couple of weeks. And oh yes: Failure means President Joe Biden s own party will have repudiated him on the cornerstone of his domestic agenda.

That's what congressional Democrats face as they try writing a final version of a massive bill bolstering the social safety net and strengthening efforts to tame climate change. Here's a guide to pivotal differences they must resolve:

PRICE TAG

After weeks of negotiations, the White House and top Democrats compromised on a $3.5 trillion, 10-year cost for the bill. That's a huge sum, though a fraction of the $61 trillion the government is already slated to spend over that period.

But moderates led by Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have said $3.5 trillion is too expensive, and votes from every Democrat in the 50-50 Senate are mandatory for success. Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have recently acknowledged what seems inevitable to many: The final cost may have to drop.

Manchin has suggested limiting the total to $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, which progressives reject as paltry. Liberals led by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders I-Vt., initially said at least $6 trillion was needed for serious efforts to help families and curb global warming.

Eventually a compromise will be reached, with some expecting it in the $2 trillion to $2.5 trillion range. But since House committees just finished crafting a $3.5 trillion version of the package, a smaller price tag means some Democratic priorities would have to be trimmed.

TAXES

To pay for much of the bill, the House Ways and Means Committee approved $2.1 trillion in tax boosts, mostly on the rich and corporations. But some details and numbers seem likely to change.

Biden, who's promised to not raise taxes on people earning under $400,000, will probably get his proposal to raise the top individual income tax rate on the richest Americans to 39.6%. That would be up from the 37% approved under former President Donald Trump.

But Democrats also want to raise other levies on the wealthiest, and it's unclear which will survive and in what form.

For example, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has expressed interest in boosting taxes on the value of some large estates that heirs inherit. Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., omitted that proposal from his panel's plan.

In addition, Democrats want to provide popular tax credits for children, health care and child care costs and many low-income workers. Should the size of the overall bill shrink, Democrats might have to save money by delaying, gradually phasing in or out or limiting some of those breaks. Some moderates say a proposed tax credit for buying electric vehicles shouldn't go to higher-earning people.

Biden wants to raise the 21% corporate tax rate to 28% but may have to settle for around 25%. Democrats face other differences over taxes on corporate foreign income and stock buybacks.

MEDICARE

Three moderate Democrats blocked a House committee from approving a top priority for Biden and progressives: saving hundreds of billions by letting Medicare negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals it buys. Another committee approved the language, so it's not dead.

Still, the plan is strongly opposed by drug manufacturers and some moderates want to water it down. A less aggressive measure could emerge.

Democrats planned to use the savings to pay for another progressive goal: expanding Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing benefits. If the drug-pricing language is diluted and produces less savings, it's unclear how the Medicare expansion would be financed.

SALT AND IRS

In a town that loves acronyms, SALT, shorthand for state and local taxes, is on the table.

Democrats from high-tax coastal communities are demanding an increase in the current $10,000 limit on deductions taxpayers can claim for state and local taxes they pay. In a chamber where Pelosi can lose no more than three Democratic votes, they have leverage.

To ensure their support, many think that deduction ceiling will be increased. To make up for the lost revenue, the IRS could be given extra money or banks might be required to report more financial transaction information to the IRS, ideas aimed at bolstering tax collections.

TIMING

Last month, Pelosi told moderate Democrats that the House would consider their top priority, a separate $1 trillion bill financing road and other infrastructure projects, by Sept. 27.

In what seems a mutual political suicide pact, progressives have threatened to vote against that bill unless moderates are supporting the $3.5 trillion package, which liberals treasure. Ideally, Democratic leaders would love for both bills to be voted on together.

But with so many loose ends, it seems highly unlikely the larger, social and environment measure will be finished then. That's raised questions about how Pelosi will keep her party's antagonistic wings supportive of each other's priority bills and how she will shepherd the two measures to passage.

DEMOCRATS' SECRET WEAPONS

Democrats have two things going for them.

For one thing, a collapse of the effort would mean a jarring failure to enact their highest priorities, weakening their bid to retain their congressional majorities in next year's elections. Every Democrat knows that.

Another is Pelosi herself, who's proven deft at holding Democrats together and squeezing out the votes she needs.

House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., summed up the two factors in an interview last week, describing what he tells Democrats.

Ive said everybody should be posturing and doing the best you can to stand up for your priorities, but in the final analysis youre going to vote for this thing," Yarmuth said. And by the way, have you met Nancy Pelosi?
More than 260 people have been arrested in Melbourne and Sydney as police clashed with anti-lockdown protesters.

Violence broke out as 700 people gathered in Melbourne despite some 2,000 officers securing the city centre with checkpoints, barricades and the suspension of all public transport.

Stones, bottles and traffic cones were thrown as the trouble flared yesterday in the citys Richmond and Hawthorn neighbourhoods.

Victoria Police said six officers required hospital treatment following the attacks.

What we saw today was a group of protesters that came together not to protest freedoms, but simply to take on and have a fight with the police, said commander Mark Galliott.

It followed a 4,000-strong protest in August which officials had described as the most violent in the city for 20 years.

In Sydney, riot squad officers, highway patrol, detectives and general duties police were also deployed to the streets as around 300 people gathered to protest against the ongoing coronavirus measures there.

Elsewhere in Australia, a demonstration was also held in Brisbane, despite the fact that the city is not in lockdown.

It comes as the country continues to grapple with an outbreak of the Delta variant of Covid-19 which has seen Sydney, Melbourne and the capital Canberra placed in strict lockdown for weeks.

Most of the restrictions are to remain in place until at least 70 per cent of those aged over 16 are fully vaccinated, which is likely to be late October or early November.

A high rate of compliance with public health orders has helped Australia keep the number of infections relatively low, with just under 85,000 cases and 1,145 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

But opposition has been growing as lockdowns continue to impinge on peoples personal freedoms.
Australia has made a huge diplomatic error, the French ambassador said after Canberra ditched a multibillion-dollar submarine deal with France.

Jean-Pierre Thebault was recalled to Paris along with the French ambassador to the US after Australia opted for a new deal with America and Britain, cancelling the deal signed in 2016 for Frances Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines.

I think this has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership because it wasnt a contract, it was a partnership that was supposed to be based on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity, Mr Thebault said before leaving Canberra.

Australia on Thursday joined the US and UK in Aukus, a trilateral security partnership, which will at first work to deliver eight nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy.

France has said it was not given sufficient warning of the $90bn (65bn) deals cancellation and that the Aukus announcement was unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners.

Mr Thebault on Saturday said he was very sad to be forced to leave.

I would like to run into a time machine, if possible, and be in a situation where we dont end up in such an incredible, clumsy, inadequate un-Australian situation, he said.

Australia said it regretted the recall of the French ambassador, that it valued the relationship with France and would keep engaging with Paris on other issues.

Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests, a spokesperson for Marise Payne, the Foreign Affairs minister said in a statement.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said France was a vital ally and that the United States would be engaged in resolving the differences in coming days.

Relations between Australia and France have sunk to their lowest point since 1995, when Canberra protested Frances decision to resume nuclear testing in the South Pacific and recalled its ambassador.

Public opinion in France, where Emmanuel Macron is expected to seek a second term in an election due next year, has soured on Australia and the United States.

You can understand for geopolitical reasons Australia getting closer to other anglophone countries like the United States and Britain, said Louis Maman, a Parisian surgeon out for a stroll on the Champs-Elysees on Saturday.

But there was a real contract and I think there was an alliance and a friendship between Australia and France. Its spoiling a friendship, he said. I took it as a betrayal.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Algerias leader has declared a three-day period of mourning starting Saturday for former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika whose 20-year-long rule, riddled with corruption, ended in disgrace as he was pushed from power amid huge street protests when he decided to seek a new term.

Bouteflika, who had been ailing since a stroke in 2013, died Friday at 84.

His public appearances had been rare in the final years of his presidency, and he had not been seen since Abdelmadjid Tebboune took office as the new president in late 2019.

Flags are to fly at half-mast during the mourning period, the presidents office said.

The honours reflect Bouteflikas role in Algerias brutal seven-year war for independence from France that ended in 1962.

The former presidents lawyer, Salim Salim Hadjouti, said Bouteflika was being laid to rest in an official ceremony at El Alia Cemetery, in the section where martyrs of the revolution for independence are buried, a special honour.

Since Bouteflikas death, public television has not shown images of him, a clear sign that authorities prefer not to go overboard with a farewell as the north African nation has turned past the Bouteflika era.

Early on in his mandate, Tebboune announced his policy of a new Algeria.

Tebboune has led a fight against corruption, including in the Bouteflika clan as it emerged that a close circle of officials around the president were enriching themselves and allegedly making decisions in the place of the ailing president.

Bouteflikas brother and special counsellor Said was acquitted in January by a military appeals court of allegedly plotting against the army and the state, but faces corruption charges.
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www.indiainfoline.com is part of the IIFL Group, a leading financial services player and a diversified NBFC. The site provides comprehensive and real time information on Indian corporates, sectors, financial markets and economy. On the site we feature industry and political leaders, entrepreneurs, and trend setters. The research, personal finance and market tutorial sections are widely followed by students, academia, corporates and investors among others.
Registration Of Child Marriages Will Now Be Allowed In Rajasthan After New Bill Passage

Agencies

Amid uproar, the Rajasthan Assembly on Friday passed the Rajasthan Compulsory Registration of Marriages (Amendment) Bill, 2021 by voice vote to amend a 2009 Act on compulsory registration of marriages within 30 days of the marriage. The new legislation, opposition BJP has claimed will legitimise child marriages. Read more.

Here are the other top stories of the day:

Like 'Halal' Is For Meat, World's 1st Certification For Vegetarian Food 'Sattvik' Launched

Agencies

The Sattvik Council Certification scheme, the world's first vegetarian food safety and regulatory compliance for vegetarian and allied adherents, was launched with global audit partner Bureau Veritas. Read more.

New GST Changes: Here's A List Of What Will Cost More And What Will Become Cheaper

Agencies

The latest GST council decisions came as a mixed bag for industry even as several of them hailed the government move to announce clarifications around the exact rates that would apply on several items including greeting cards, packing material, cartons to railway parts. Read more.

West Bengal: College Professor Refuses To Speak To Dalit Student, Calls Him 'Impure'

Agencies

A student of Visva-Bharati University (VBU) has alleged that he was subjected to casteism by a professor. The student has alleged that the professor refused to have a conversation with him and called him "impure". Read more.

Bangla Sahib Gurdwara Closed For Visitors Over COVID Protocol Violation; Social Media Reacts

Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee

The sub divisional magistrate (SDM) of Chanakyapuri has issued an order to close down the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara for visitors with immediate effect alleging violation of Covid-19 protocols. Read more.
Picture the lowest temperatures that the Earth experiences in tundra regions (between -28C to -50C). Now multiple it by 10, errr, perhaps infinity and you have the world's coldest temperature ever!

A group of scientists recently managed to break the ice ceiling (pun intended) to artificially create conditions for the coldest temperature ever on Earth. The coldest measurable temperature on the thermodynamics scale is currently -273.15C (-459.67F) - and no object is capable to reaching this temperature because it would require breaking laws of physics, somethings scientists haven't been able to do yet.

Unsplash

Understanding temperature

-273.15C (-459.67F) is the absolute zero temperature. What is temperature? We think of it in numbers but the temperature of anything is essentially a measure how fast molecules or atoms within a substance are moving - also called the average kinetic energy of those particles.

Also read: Volcanoes Help Cool Earth Temperature During Climate Change, Says Study

Unsplash

Absolute zero temperatures refer to a point where particles in a substance are not moving at all - making it the "absolute zero". No lower temperature is possible because nothing is slower than motionless... or so we thought. But scientists don't like being told "no". So they went ahead and created conditions to record the lowest and coldest temperature ever - roughly 38 picoKelvin (39 trillionths of a degree above the absolute zero threshold).



How was the coldest temperature created?

Undertaken by scientists at the University of Bremen in Germany, the scientists reached 38 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero by slowing down a quantum gas using magnets, as reported by New Atlas. The record-breaking temperature effectively makes this moment one of the coldest places in all universe.



Also read: Climate Change Effect: Antarctica Records Hottest-Ever Temperature Of 18.3 Degrees Celsius



Unsplash

In 2003, scientists from MIT did something similar by slowing down sodium atoms, bringing them one-half of a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, which held the world record for the longest time. The temperature could be sustained only for 2 seconds but scientists are optimistic that it may sustain for 17 seconds in a weightless environment, like the International Space Station.

What a fascinating project, right? If you agree (or even if you don't), let us know in the comments below. For similar stories from the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
In Indian Matchmaking, Mumbai-based matchmaker Sima Taparia guides clients in the U.S. and India in the arranged marriage process, offering an inside look at the custom in a modern era. It is executive produced by Oscar-nominated Indian American director/producer Smriti Mundhra, Aaron Saidman, Eli Holzman and J.C. Begley. (photo via IANS)
Indian American actor Michael Maliakel (l) and Michael James Scott attend the Opening Night at Bloomingdales 59th Street celebration of NYC event Sept. 9, 2021 in New York City, while Indian American actor Shoba Narayan (right) attends the annual Make Equality Reality Gala hosted by Equality Now Nov. 19, 2019 in New York City. (Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Bloomingdales; Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Equality Now)
Activists of the Indian Youth Congress party shout slogans as they take part in a protest against the rising unemployment while marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday as the 'National Unemployment Day' in New Delhi, India on Sept. 17, 2021. (Mayank Makhija/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A demonstration in east Belfast has called for an end to the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Crowds holding aloft Union flags and banners which read stop the protocol and uphold Northern Irelands sovereignty: Trigger Article 16 gathered at Templemore Avenue amid a police presence on Friday evening.

The protesters walked along the Newtownards Road to the sound of loyalist band music for a short distance before hearing a number of speeches outlining opposition to the post-Brexit arrangements.

Loyalists during a rally against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Newtownards Road, Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

TUV leader Jim Allister and loyalist activist Moore Holmes were among the speakers.

The crowd heard that both DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson and UUP leader Doug Beattie had been invited to attend.

Mr Allister said the gathering proved that opposition to the protocol is not dying down.

He described the protocol as unionists implementing their own self destruction.

If we do not kill this protocol, it will kill the union, thats the reality, he said.

Loyalist activist Moore Holmes speaks during a rally against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Newtownards Road, Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

This is the seminal moment, the seminal challenge of our generation and were going to rise to it, unless we come to that realisation then this union that binds us, that gives us all we believe in will indeed be bled to death before our eyes.

Its up to us, its up to our politicians and I leave east Belfast tonight mightily encouraged to see that people are exercised on a Friday evening to come out such as this and to say as our forefathers said, up with this we will not put.

Mr Holmes called for the collapse of the Stormont Assembly.

Loyalists during a rally against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Newtownards Road, Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

That is the only way in which one can put maximum pressure on the protocol, to coerce the British government into taking the unilateral action that they need to take, he said.

Legal action, political action and  societal action must continue.

We can wait and hope for solutions to be found by the English men but the solutions for Ulster will be found in Ulster.

Let our voice be heard in the great halls of Westminster, let it echo in Dublins Dail, let it be heard in the cold walls of Stormont.

Loyalism will not accept the Irish Sea border.

Loyalists during a rally against the Northern Ireland Protocol in Newtownards Road, Belfast (Peter Morrison/PA)

It is the latest in a number of demonstrations which have taken place in loyalist areas in Northern Ireland.

There is significant anger among unionists and loyalists at the protocol which was agreed by the UK and EU as a way to maintain free-flowing land border on the island of Ireland after Brexit.

They regard the additional checks on goods arriving to the region from the rest of the UK as a border in the Irish Sea.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson (Peter Morrison/PA)

Earlier this month, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said his partys ministers in the Stormont Executive will resign if the UK Government does not take action over the protocol.

At the weekend the DUP leader expressed concern there could be further unrest on the streets of Northern Ireland over the protocol.

Earlier this year, there was significant disorder to which loyalist anger at the protocol was linked.
The grandfather of a six-year-old boy who survived a cable car crash in Italy that killed his immediate family and is now the target of a bitter custody battle has defended his decision to spirit the child off to Israel.

Eitan Birans parents and younger sibling were among 14 killed in May when a cable car slammed into a mountainside in northern Italy.

He is now the focus of a custody battle between his maternal grandparents in Israel and his paternal relatives in Italy.

Shmulik Peleg, his maternal grandfather, was questioned by Israeli police on kidnapping suspicions and placed under house arrest amid an ongoing investigation.

Eitans paternal relatives say he was taken without their knowledge and have filed a legal complaint in Italy seeking his return.

In an interview with Israels Channel 12, the 58-year-old said Eitan was happy, surrounded by his family members.

He is in the place where he is supposed to be, in his home, in Israel, he said.

He acknowledged driving the child from Italy into Switzerland before flying him back to Israel, saying we departed in a totally legal way.

He insisted that his thoughts are devoted only to the good of the child, the good of Eitan.

Eitan and his parents were living in Italy at the time of the accident, and after his release from a Turin hospital following weeks of treatment, Italian juvenile court officials ruled the child would live with a paternal aunt near Pavia, in northern Italy.

Italian daily Corriere della Sera said Mr Peleg drove Eitan in a rented car to Lugano, Switzerland, where they boarded a chartered flight to Tel Aviv.

In the interview, Mr Peleg declined to comment on why he did not take a regular flight out of Italy.

Italian authorities also opened an investigation this week. The boys paternal aunt, Aya Biran, filed a formal request with the Italian court system seeking Eitans return to Italy. She had also told police that Mr Peleg last Saturday had failed to return Eitan to her home as agreed.

Eitans relatives in Israel deny abducting him and insist they are acting in his interest.
Guest Column UN Ambassador Saga Spotlights Chinas Cautious Approach to Myanmar

Myanmar people in New York rally on Sept. 13 in support of the current UN Ambassador U Kyaw Moe Tun ahead of the General Assembly meeting. / Kyaw Soe Latt

The decision to defer the decision on who should be Myanmars representative to the United Nations until November may seem like a partial victory for the countrys pro-democracy movement. But while it will prevent a delegate appointed by the junta from addressing the UN General Assembly this month, the deal that the United States has brokered with a host of other countries, including China, also includes what almost amounts to a gag order on the current representative, U Kyaw Moe Tun.

According to a Sept. 13 report in Foreign Policy, a US global affairs magazine, U Kyaw Moe Tun, who was appointed by the ousted democratically elected government, has to hold his tongue when addressing the General Assembly. He must also, according to the informal agreement, refrain from using the tough rhetoric he deployed last year in denouncing the militarys power grab. The UN has now appointed a nine-member committee on UN credentials, which will be charged with determining the rightful representative of Myanmar. It is chaired by Sweden and includes delegates from Bhutan, the Bahamas, Chile, China, Russia, Sierra Leone, South Africa and the United States.

It is anybodys guess what will happen in November, but the general rule is that the government that controls the capital and holds territory will represent that country at the UN. There have been some exceptions, though, like the Republic of China on Taiwan, which represented the whole of China until 1971 when the government in Beijing and the Peoples Republic of China took over the post. After the Vietnamese intervention in Cambodia during the new year of 1978-79, the ousted government, called Democratic Kampuchea, continued to represent the country at the UN, although it was based only in some remote areas along the border with Thailand.

But since Democratic Kampuchea was the name of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime that the Vietnamese had ousted, a coalition had to be formed, including two non-communist factions, one led by Prince Norodom Sihanouk and the other by Son Sann, a former prime minister. The enlarged Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea was allowed to retain the countrys seat in the UN mainly because Western states and China were opposed to the Vietnamese intervention. That coalition was dissolved only when the UN intervened in Cambodia in the early 1990s, elections were held and a fully legitimate government took over in Phnom Penh.

A similar situation existed in Haiti after a Sept. 30, 1991 coup that ousted the elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. On Oct. 11, the General Assembly adopted a resolution that condemned the coup, demanded the restoration of the legitimate government of President Aristide, and called for full observance of human rights. The UN also intervened there and a year later, Haiti was once again properly represented in the General Assembly.

In October 1997, the UN Security Council imposed sanctions against a military junta in Sierra Leone and demanded the return of the countrys elected government, which happened in February 1998. The UNs Credentials Committee has also on two occasions deferred making any decision at all, as it did with Afghanistans representation after the Talibans takeover of power in 1996, and with Cambodias after a coup in 1997 when it, for a while, was uncertain who actually represented the country.

But all those cases are entirely different from what has happened in Myanmar after the Feb. 1 coup. Taiwan and Cambodia were issues high on the Wests security agenda, while those who had seized power in Haiti and Sierra Leone had no foreign friends and no one was opposed to punishing them until some semblance of democracy had been restored. In Afghanistan, Ravan A.G. Farhadi, a veteran diplomat, was appointed UN representative in 1993 and simply continued to represent his country until 2006. The Taliban, another body with few foreign friends apart from various terrorist networks, never represented Afghanistan in the UN although it controlled the capital and most of the country from 1996 until the US invasion in 2001.

The Myanmar junta, however, does have foreign allies, among them China, Russia and its partners in ASEAN. In particular, Russia, which is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has no interest in isolating the junta in Naypyitaw. On the contrary, its defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, told junta leader and coup maker Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during the latters visit to Moscow in June that his government was committed to strengthening military ties based on the mutual understanding, respect and trust that have been established between our countries. Reuters reported at the time that defense ties between Russia and Myanmar have grown in recent years with Moscow providing army training and university scholarships to thousands of soldiers, as well as selling arms to a military blacklisted by several Western countries.

Russia would definitely prefer to have Min Aung Hlaings coup government representing Myanmar in the UN, and it is highly unlikely that ASEAN would establish relations with the National Unity Government (NUG), which is made up of ministers, MPs and others who were ousted in the coup. But then comes the big question: China. Why did China agree to support the deferral of Myanmars UN representation until November? There is no easy answer to that question, but the leaders in Beijing must be aware of the rise in anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar since the coup. Many people have noticed that China refers to the Min Aung Hlaing regime as the government and called sanctions imposed by Western nations inappropriatewhich has further angered the population at large.

It is possible that the leaders think supporting the US proposal might smooth those sentiments. And the Chinese dont want to repeat the mistakes of the past when they threw in their lot with previous juntas and put all their eggs in one basket. What happened after 2011, when Myanmar opened up to the West and attracted visitors like then US President Barack Obama, then British Prime Minister David Cameron and other Western leaders, took Chinas security planners by surprise. It was almost a year before Beijing had adjusted to the changes and began courting Myanmars new government.

Myanmar is of utmost strategic importance to China as it is the only neighbor that provides it with a reasonably safe link to the Indian Ocean. China is also one of the top foreign investors in Myanmar and has numerous important infrastructure projects in the country as part of its global, multi-trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. For that reason, Chinas Myanmar policy comes in different shapes. On a government-to-government level it maintains relations with whoever is in power in Naypyitaw. Then comes party-to-party relations, a peculiar distinction as the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) controls the government as well as the military. But it enables the rulers in Beijing to deal with governments as well as all sorts of political parties and even insurgents. For years, China gave massive support to the now defunct Communist Party of Burma while it as the same time had cordial relations with the Ne Win government in the then capital Yangon.

Likewise, today, Chinas security services provide political support to ethnic armed groups in northern Myanmar and make it possible for them to acquire Chinese weaponry. And when the National League for Democracy (NLD) sent a congratulatory message to the Communist Party of China on the 100th anniversary of its founding on July 1, it answered back to its Myanmar party-to-party friends with a polite thank-you letter.

The present turmoil in Myanmar is not in Chinas interest and no one knows what the future holds. It is therefore wise for China to keep all options open, but it would be very surprising if Beijing decided to support U Kyaw Moe Tun even after November. Such a decision would definitely anger Min Aung Hlaings junta, and put into jeopardy Chinas investments in Myanmarand, possibly, make it difficult for the Chinese to develop their economically as well as strategically important China-Myanmar Economic Corridor from Yunnan down to the Bay of Bengal.

While standing primarily behind the junta, China will surely also continue to maintain party-to-party relations with the NLD and perhaps, on a much lower and discreet level, also the NUGas well as with the ethnic rebels in the north. No Western country can match that kind of warped foreign policy, and that makes China the most powerful foreign player in internal developments in Myanmar. But it is, in the end, the people of Myanmar who, for better or worse, will shape the future of their country.

Bertil Lintner is a Swedish journalist, author and strategic consultant who has been writing about Asia for nearly four decades.



You may also like these stories:

Myanmar Shadow Govt Claims 580 Junta Troops Killed Last Month

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US Sanctions Pose Huge Risks for Myanmar Businesses
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Showers in the Vicinity

Today

Steady light rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. Thunder possible. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%.

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.

Tomorrow

Rain early with thunderstorms developing in the afternoon. High 69F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
MBC's most awaited spy action Kdrama The Veil, starring Namgoong Min, Kim Ji Eun, and Park Ha Sun, aired for the first time on Friday, September 17.

In the pilot episode, Han Ji Hyuk, played by Namgoong Min returns to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) after a year of suspicious disappearance to seek revenge from the traitor who betrayed him.

The Veil episode 1 recorded a high rating during its run, and is expected to continue to receive positive feedback from the public.

The Veil Episode 1: Namgoong Min Returns After a Year of Disappearance to Seek Revenge

Han Ji Hyuk, the top field agent of NIS who disappeared for a year, returns to the organization with a lost memory to find the traitor who dropped him into the abyss.

In the first episode aired on September 17, Han Ji Hyuk was found on a smuggled ship and was arrested by the Coast Guard. The top agent was covered with filth and blood.

As he returned to the organization, no one welcomed him and was given the cold shoulder. His colleagues and fellow spy agents thought he was long dead.

However, Ji Hyuk has lost some of his memory. In the medical examination performed on him, the traces of his memories were erased by a periodically small amount of medication. Because of this, he only remembers the memories he had with his colleagues a year ago.

Thankfully, the second deputy director of the NIS overseas division Do Jin Suk (Jang Young Nam) performed a hypnotic treatment to regain Ji Hyuk's lost memories, as well as restore his position in the organization.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Namgoong Min's Kdrama 'The Veil' Reveals 3 Thrilling Points Ahead of Its Much Awaited Premiere

With immense desperation, he tries to remember the lost memories but fails. In the end, Ji Hyuk was in pain. He isn't able to find any clue about the traitor who tried to kill him nor what happened that fateful day. Because of that, Ji Hyuk's resolve is to attempt to harm himself.

Seo Su Yeon Resents Han Ji Hyuk With Her Life

Seo Su Yeon (Park Ha Sun), the head of the crime investigation unit of NIS, hears about the news of Han Ji Hyuk's return.

The crime investigation unit head shows a disdained attitude towards her colleague, who was the sole person who was accompanied by her lover Oh Kyung Seok (Hwang Hee), another colleague a year ago. However, Kyung Seok unexpectedly died. She then waited for Han Ji Hyuk, the only survivor.

Su Yeon's sarcastic yet impactful question "How does it feel to have fallen into the abyss?" raises expectations and curiosity.

Han Ji Hyuk Unravels the Secret Within the Organization

As Han Ji Hyuk's past seems to be taking shape bit by bit, his co-workers start to resent him as he rushes towards his goal.

Han Ji Hyuk heads to the Incheon Port to meet Kang Pil Ho (Kim Jong Tae), whom he believes is the only man who understands him in the organization, and asks for help.

Director Kang then hands over the gun he had at the time of his disappearance. After that, Han Ji Hyuk is assigned to the field support team with a new partner, Yoo Je Yi (Kim Ji Eun).

In the midst of this, Ji Hyuk sees a strange flickering light with regular intervals in the house opposite him, and figures the message through Morse code.

He then heads to where the code is leading him, and finds a mysterious USB which contains the messages that Han Ji Hyuk sent to himself before he lost his memory.

He said, "There is a traitor within the organization and I will find him."

The Veil Records a Blissfully High Rating With First Episode

The newest spy action Kdrama The Veil recorded an average of 12.2% viewership rating during its first broadcast, a high percentage that suggests a blissful run of the series.

The Veil recorded a nationwide percentage of 8.2%. The production team of the drama wishes to continue receiving positive feedback from the public.

Follow KDramastars for more Kdrama, KMovie, and celebrity news updates!

KDramastars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
A mother's claim that her children's school was assigning Black students to certain classes has shaken up one Atlanta school community with some parents insisting the principal would never group students based on race.

It's also fueled a debate about whether the practice would even be considered legal or productive for the children.

Kila Posey filed a civil rights complaint with the US Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights last month. She alleges that during the 2020-2021 school year Mary Lin Elementary School Principal Sharyn Briscoe designated only two second-grade classes for Black students without the consent of families while White students were able to be placed all six second-grade classes. Posey and Briscoe are both Black.

According to the complaint, the assistant principal at the school admitted in a recorded phone conversation in August 2020 that she was aware of the class separation Briscoe created, noting that "class lists are always tough" and that she wished the school had more Black children. The district's chief academic officer also acknowledged in a recorded conversation in March 2021 that Briscoe admitted to designating classes for Black students, the complaint states.

Regina Molden, Briscoe's attorney, said in a statement to CNN on Wednesday that Briscoe was "extremely concerned about the recent allegations of wrongdoing."

"Given that this is an active investigation, however, Ms. Briscoe is limited in what information she can share right now, but is looking forward to telling her side of the story at the appropriate time and place," Molden said.

Mary Lin is in a predominately White, middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta. The school had 599 students in grades kindergarten through fifth, according to the Georgia Department of Education's latest data. Of those, 60 students are Black. In March, the second-grade class had 98 students, 12 of whom are Black and 81 are White, the data shows.

Atlanta Public Schools have said very little about Posey's claim -- other than a statement saying "appropriate actions were taken to address the issue and the matter was closed"-- leading many parents to question her accusation against a principal they say is adored in the community.

"All anyone has to do is pick up a yearbook from last year and previous years to see that that any claim of grouping Black students together is obviously ridiculous," a group of Black families from Mary Lin said in a statement obtained by CNN. "We have a small number of Black students, but it's a very loving and inclusive community of families of all races and backgrounds, led by our well-respected principal."

The statement also said that Posey's complaint and public remarks have made the school and Briscoe "the target of hateful and harassing phone calls and emails." The families say they are concerned for their own safety.

The legal risks

If Posey's allegation is true, one expert says grouping students by race in certain classes can benefit them because it prevents feelings of isolation and leads to higher success rates. Other legal experts warn that the school may be breaking the law. Assigning Black students to two classes and White students to six violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 14th Amendment and may also violate state or local anti-discrimination laws, said Michaele Turnage Young, senior counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

"Essentially what has happened is these children are being discriminated against because of their race," Young said.

While Young was uncertain how common or rare it is, she said the NAACP LDF has worked with schools that attempted to assign students to classes based on race to educate them about the laws. Some were majority Black schools clustering White students.

Young pointed to research that shows children actually thrive better in diverse settings with students who don't look like them.

"Sometimes people have very good intentions, but they're not necessarily acquainted with all the research and they're not necessarily acquainted with the legal requirements," Young said.

On Tuesday, Posey said she too believes Briscoe broke the law. She said despite the backlash from other parents, it's not fair that Black students have fewer options for classes than White students.

Posey told CNN's John Berman last week that she found out about the school's practice when she requested her child be placed in a certain teacher's class. Briscoe she said, told her that was not a "Black class" and that her daughter would not have anyone who looks like her in the classroom.

"It's disheartening to know that in 2020, after George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, we've done all the marching and I'm here in 2021, you know, having this conversation with someone that looks just like me," Posey said.

Posey is a former Atlanta Public Schools employee who now runs her own company, The Club After School, which offers after-school programs at schools in APS and the DeKalb County School District, according to the complaint. Posey's husband is a school psychologist at Mary Lin.

Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, an associate professor in the School of Education at Virginia Commonwealth University, said schools need to create alternatives to placing students in classes based on race so they aren't violating the law. That could mean designating times, safe spaces or groups for children to gather with people who identify with them.

"I think there are ways to do this ...without doing something that may or may not be legal," Siegel-Hawley said. "And without making classroom assignments the sole deciding factor."

'A good practice'

One race relations expert, however, said grouping students by race creates a healthier classroom environment.

Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, former president of Spelman College and author of "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations about Race," said if a student is the only person of their identity in one classroom, they are more likely to stand out in ways that lead to stereotyping.

Tatum said she believes Briscoe, if Posey's allegations are true, may have been following psychological research that says when there are three or more students of a minority group in one classroom, they are more likely to be seen as individuals and not stereotyped. This gives students a better chance of having a positive learning experience, she said. The same practice can be applied to gender, Tatum said.

"It is beneficial to not be a token," Tatum said. "What I imagine is that the principal was trying to create a learning environment where no Black child would have to be in that uncomfortable position."

Some parents agreed with this notion.

Andee Schroeder, a White parent who has a third-grade son at Mary Lin, said she was not aware there were designated classes for Black students but trusts that if it's true, Briscoe is "100 percent well-intentioned."

"It's unfortunate that this (controversy) is happening over what is probably a good practice," Schroeder said. "She works her tail off to make sure every child is set up for success."

Sabrina, a Black parent at Mary Lin who declined to provide her last name for fear of harassment from critics, said while she would never demand that her child be placed with a certain teacher, she feels comforted when there are other Black students in the class with her daughter. Being the only Black person in a setting often comes with a level of pressure and responsibility that isn't easy to accept, she said.

"I'm not appalled, I'm not offended by the idea that gender matters, temperament matters, needs matter and that race matters," she said. "I would say I'm glad my child won't be the lonely only."

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GOP Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio announced on Thursday that he will not seek reelection, becoming the first of the 10 House Republicans who had voted in January to impeach then-President Donald Trump to decide to retire. Trump has targeted the Republicans, trying to purge them from the party.

"1 down, 9 to go," Trump said in a statement after Gonzalez's announcement.

The other nine House Republicans have also faced backlash, including from Trump, members of their party and primary challenge threats. But they're also well positioned in that their campaigns have raised in most races more money than their primary challengers.

After Gonzalez's announcement, Rep. Liz Cheney, who had also voted to impeach Trump, tweeted, "On Constitution Day, Donald Trump's statement about Rep. Anthony Gonzalez reminds us all, once again, that Trump is at war with the Constitution."

In a statement announcing his decision, Gonzalez cited "toxic dynamics" within the Republican Party.

"While my desire to build a fuller family life is at the heart of my decision, it is also true that the current state of our politics, especially many of the toxic dynamics inside our own party, is a significant factor in my decision," he said.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming

Cheney has faced sharp criticism from Wyoming to Washington since voting to impeach Trump for "incitement of insurrection" after a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol on January 6 in attempt to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election. Afterward, Cheney said Trump "summoned," "assembled" and "lit the flame of this attack" and that "there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

The Wyoming Republican Party then censured her, and, after she repeatedly called out Trump's "Big Lie" that the 2020 election was stolen, House Republicans ousted her from her leadership post as conference chair.

Those moves sent a high-profile message about the Republican Party's priorities, its ongoing loyalty to the former President and the limited extent to which it is willing to tolerate dissent. After a months-long search for a challenger to Cheney, Trump endorsed former Wyoming national Republican committeewoman Harriet Hageman last week.

In an interview with CNN, Hageman, a former Cheney supporter, repeatedly declined to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the presidential election, saying, "I think that there are legitimate questions about what happened during the 2020 election." Hageman also said she would "absolutely not" have voted to impeach Trump, and that those who "trespassed or destroyed property should be held responsible for their own actions," rather than the former President, who she believed was not granted proper "due process."

Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

Kinzinger has been in the national spotlight often since his impeachment vote and has become a leading critic of the Republican Party's embrace of Trump's "Big Lie" and other conspiracy theories.

The Illinois Republican launched a political action committee as part of an effort he's calling "Country First" that seeks to counter the GOP's embrace of conspiracy theories and the former President.

The effort has already run into challenges. He recently endorsed a Texas GOP congressional candidate, Michael Wood, who ran unsuccessfully in a crowded field on a platform calling for Republicans to turn away from Trump and reject conspiracy theories.

"I think what's important is that people see there are people out there that support you, that will back you if you do the right thing," Kinzinger told CNN of the endorsement. "It's a long-term battle for the soul of the party."

Kinzinger has been censured by several county GOP organizations in Illinois and drawn a pro-Trump primary challenger, Catalina Lauf, who has said she is running against him, arguing that he "betrayed his constituents" and criticizing his impeachment vote.

Rep. John Katko of New York

John Katko has faced criticism from Trump and local GOP leaders in his home state of New York as a result of his impeachment vote. But he has displayed a unique ability to win his district even though Democratic presidential nominees have carried it.

In the run-up to the vote to oust Cheney from her position as the No. 3 House Republican, Katko said he would support GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik, another New York lawmaker. "I have every confidence that Elise will be a superb leader for all of our conference, not just some," Katko told The Auburn Citizen, though he also called Cheney "a good friend."

The congressman has stood by his impeachment vote, telling CNN in February, "Hell no," when asked if he had any regrets over the vote to impeach Trump.

In August, John Murtari, a software engineer and an Air Force veteran, became the first Republican to challenge Katko.

Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan

In September, Trump endorsed Michigan state Rep. Steve Carra in a challenge to Upton, who the former President labeled a "RINO," or "Republican in name only."

Trump specifically noted that Upton had voted for impeachment in making his endorsement, and said, "He doesn't deserve to keep his seat."

Upton has also faced rebukes from Republicans at the state-level following his impeachment vote.

When he announced he would vote to impeach, Upton said in a statement, "The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next."

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington

In Herrera Beutler's home state of Washington, the state's Republican Central Committee passed a resolution condemning Trump's impeachment "without question or exception" and expressing disappointment at the congresswoman and Rep. Dan Newhouse, another Washington Republican who voted to impeach.

The congresswoman defended her vote to CNN in February, saying, "When push comes to shove, I'm gonna stand with the Constitution, which is why I actually I'm at peace with it."

Herrera Beutler also said that she's "not worried" about a potential primary challenger.

"There's a lot of Republicans who disagreed with me on it, and I totally respect that," Herrera Beutler said at the time. "They don't expect you to agree with them on everything, but they want to be able to trust you."

One challenger, Joe Kent, a retired US Army Special Forces officer and Gold Star husband, told CNN in July: "I think Trump won, but I want to prove it." He has described himself as an "American First Republican" and has taken on the congresswoman specifically over her impeachment vote, saying that she "no longer represents our community's values." He is speaking at a right-wing rally on September 18 supporting those who attacked the Capitol on January 6.

"All Americans are entitled to due process, the J6 political prisoners have been deprived of this for 9 months," Kent told CNN. "All Americans should be outraged that this is happening and that so few of our political leaders have spoken up against this."

Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington

Despite pushback he has faced, Newhouse told CNN in February he does not have regrets about his vote.

"Can I say that's a dumb question?" the congressman said when asked if he has any after receiving backlash from Trump supporters. "I do not regret it."

At the end of January, Newhouse rebuffed a call for his resignation from a number of county GOP leaders.

"I am not resigning," Newhouse said, according to the Spokesman-Review. "Many Republicans have agreed with my vote, and many have disagreed. For those who disagree with me on this issue, I hope they will remember my lifelong support for conservative causes and values."

Newhouse also faces the threat of a primary challenge. One Republican opponent looking to unseat him, Loren Culp, has stressed his support of Trump and says on his campaign website the district "should be represented by a constitutional conservative who will always put America First." But Culp has only raised roughly $23,000, according to the latest available FEC data, far less than what Newhouse has raised.

Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan

Meijer has been censured by GOP county groups, and Tom Norton, the third-place finisher in a 2020 primary won by Meijer in western Michigan, has said he is running again, citing the congressman's impeachment vote.

Meijer has spoken out about his concerns over the future of the Republican Party in the wake of January 6.

In an interview with CNN earlier this year, Meijer expressed concern that baseless conspiracy theories like QAnon will destroy the GOP from within if Republicans don't decisively and unequivocally condemn the false and dangerous beliefs and take action to stop their spread.

"When we say QAnon, you have the sort of extreme forms, but you also just have this softer, gradual undermining of any shared, collective sense of truth," Meijer said.

The Michigan freshman believes conspiracy theories fuel "incredibly unrealistic and unachievable expectations" and "a cycle of disillusionment and alienation" that could lead conservative voters to sit out elections or, in a worst-case scenario, turn to political violence, like what happened on January 6.

Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina

Rice has also faced headwinds in his home state over his impeachment stance, and a number of Republicans launched campaigns to take his seat representing a red district in the northeast part of the state.

The South Carolina Republican Party voted in January to formally censure Rice, who had not been expected to vote for impeachment but who explained after his vote that the President's response to the riot led him to vote alongside the chamber's Democrats.

Rice told CNN in February he stood by his vote. "In eight years in Congress, I probably had a hundred votes that I could have gone either way, and I maybe second-guessed a little bit," he said. "This is not one of them."

Rep. David Valadao of California

Valadao of California has also had to grapple with the threat of a primary challenge in a swing district.

The "issues" page on a website launched by candidate Chris Mathys, a former Fresno city councilman, includes just three sentences targeting the congressman's impeachment vote. But Mathys, who said he believes that Trump won the 2020 election, raised just $12,300 in the second quarter of 2021, and gave his campaign a $100,000 loan. Valadao raised over $482,000 during those three months, and had on hand nearly $820,000 -- quadruple Mathys' figure.

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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's jacket is worn by an elder after Trudeau gave it to her to warm up during a campaign stop in Iqaluit on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021. Nearly 5.8 million Canadians voted in advance polls, says Elections Canada, but residents in nine communities in Nunavut will have to wait until Monday to cast their ballot. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier take a stroll on the boardwalk near the Perce rock, following a meeting on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 in Perce, Quebec. The Gaspesie region in eastern Quebec is best known to outsiders for its charming villages, outdoor recreation opportunities and panoramic views of the St-Lawrence river, but it could also become contested territory during a fall election.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Whether it's stolen urinals, smashed floor tiles or missing soap dispensers, the destruction is apparent in school bathrooms across the United States.

It's the latest trend to go viral on Tiktok, called "devious licks": Middle school, high school and college students vandalize school property, most commonly bathrooms, and post their results on the social media app.

TikTok has been quick to shut down the trend, with the company removing many of the videos from its platform.

Search the term "devious licks" on the app now, and a message from TikTok appears: "No results found. This phrase may be associated with behavior or content that violates our guidelines. Promoting a safe and positive experience is TikTok's top priority. For more information, we invite you to review our Community Guidelines."

"We expect our community to stay safe and create responsibly, and we do not allow content that promotes or enables criminal activities. We are removing this content and redirecting hashtags and search results to our Community Guidelines to discourage such behavior," a TikTok spokesperson told CNN.

People have shared the videos on other platforms as well.

A quick search on Twitter revealed a copious catalog of "devious lick" videos, which featured people stealing a bathroom sink and other school property.

Some bathrooms are partially shut down

In response, some schools are locking bathrooms for large portions of the day.

While the intent is to prevent further vandalism, it could have negative consequences, said school counselor Phyllis Fagell, author of "Middle School Matters: The 10 Key Skills Kids Need to Thrive in Middle School and Beyond--and How Parents Can Help."

"I have a lot of empathy for administrators who are dealing with this behavior," Fagell said, but she warned that punishing everyone for the actions of a few students can sow mistrust.

Allowing students to use the bathrooms when they please is a basic sign of respect, she added. "If adults want kids to show respect, they have to show respect in return."

Some children also have social anxiety and closing the bathrooms for parts of the day could exacerbate it, said John Duffy, a clinical psychologist and family therapist in Chicago.

"Some of my socially anxious clients choose to suffer significant discomfort than disrupt a teacher in class to use the bathroom for fear of the social attention," he said. If the bathroom is locked, many kids will become anxious that the facility is unavailable to them, he added.

CNN reached out to Shakopee West Middle School in Shakopee, Minnesota, one of the schools who partially shut down their bathrooms, and is still awaiting a response.

Why students are vandalizing schools

Tweens and teens are vulnerable to peer pressure and are trying to establish where they fit in socially, Fagell said.

Middle school students, in particular, are desperate for acceptance and may make impulsive decisions to fit in, Fagell said. They're more prone to impulsive behavior because their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for logical thinking, isn't fully developed yet, she explained.

Over the past year, Duffy said several boys have been referred to him by schools for vandalizing property. One of the students who had destroyed a bathroom admitted that he didn't want to do it but succumbed to peer pressure.

The student "felt it was wrong, but he was dared to do it by a group of classmates at a party, a group he desperately wanted to be a part of," Duffy said.

What parents can do

It's important for parents to be aware of social media trends like "devious licks," so Duffy recommended parents speak with their children about their social media habits.

If parents are non-judgmental, their kids will likely teach them about the latest trends, which gives parents the opportunity to prevent their children from making mistakes with serious consequences, he said.

Because children's problem-solving abilities aren't fully developed, parents should also be a role-model and walk their child through the process, Fagell said.

Parents could explain what some of the negative consequences would be if they vandalized the school and provide counter examples for why they should do the right thing, she said.

Parents should not underestimate the power of disappointment. "It's critical that parents actually verbalize that they would be very disappointed if they ever got a call saying, 'Your child has done something to vandalize the school,'" Fagell said.

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EUGENE, Ore.  Lane and Douglas counties will receive $1.7 million in housing choice vouchers from the American Rescue Plan Act.

The program assists very low-income families, the elderly and the disabled with affording decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market.

RELATED: HOUSING VOUCHERS ON THE WAY TO FOUR RURAL OREGON COUNTIES

Public housing agencies receive the money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and send them out.

Lane County will receive $1.6 million and Douglas County will get just over $90,000.
LANE COUNTY, Ore. -- A decision made by an advisory committee for the Food and Drug Administration could allow people 65 and older to get a booster shot.

KEZI 9 News spoke to local health officials about whether they agree with this decision. Dr. Patrick Luedtke with Lane County Public Health said he believes there is not enough data for him to be comfortable with full FDA approval of a booster shot for all.

MORE: FDA's vaccine advisers meet to decide whether Americans need boosters

"The experts who are on the committee do not believe that there is enough data now to say we all need a booster, we all need a third dose for the COVID prevention. And frankly, I agree with that and you've probably heard me say it several times before, I don't think we have the data yet, so I think they made a good decision," said Luedtke.

Luedtke said there are still a lot of things that need to be looked over before the booster shot can be approved for those 16 and older.

He said there are a small number of cases of young males and young adults who got myocarditis -- or inflammation of the heart muscle -- after receiving their second shot of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most patients who get myocarditis respond well to medicine and rest. But Luedtke said because of this small number, he agrees with the advisory committee's decision.

"We don't have enough data to say that it's the right thing so it was a good decision," said Luedtke.

Luedtke also went into detail about what the differences between the booster shot and the third dose are. A third dose comes shortly after the first two, while a booster dose comes many months later.

"A booster dose is meant to do what that word says: something is waning and you need to increase it." Luedtke said.

A third dose is meant for people who still need a full response to the vaccine.

"The science behind that is you need three doses in order to create the initial immunity. If that immunity wanes, then you need a booster dose to get it back up," said Luedtke.

People like Reece Morgan, a Eugene resident who is immunocompromised, is eligible for a third dose, and might also need a booster shot.

"I have a problem with my immune system. I have organs that don't work properly. So if I could get something that could help me stay healthy, and help my family stay healthy, then 100% I'd get it," said Morgan.

As far as a timeline for Lane County, people 16 and older will have to wait to roll up their sleeves for a third time, since the FDA did not approve the shot for this age group.

If you still want to get vaccinated, Lane County Public Health has a list of vaccine clinics where you can get your shot. People who are at a higher risk are able to get a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
PORTLAND, Ore.  Students in the Portland metro area have been back in school for at least a week, and already thousands are in quarantine after potentially being exposed to COVID-19 in school.

There's not much consistency in how districts track and share the overall picture of COVID in their schools, but many are now changing that.

"How about some data? We're quarantining hundreds of kids  how many have COVID?" said Eric Happel, who has three daughters in Portland Public Schools. .

Turns out, statewide, we don't really know.

"Parents absolutely want to know up to the moment exactly what's going on  and no surprises," said Jennifer Dale, who has a student in the Lake Oswego School District. "And I think thats what we saw this week with a couple schools, that those are big surprises."

Happel and Dale both believe data should drive decisions so their kids  and all students  can stay in school this year.

"Making informed decisions with information is something we need to be doing a lot more of," Happel added.

To try and answer that call, Portland Public Schools (PPS) launched a detailed online dashboard this week. It's updated with COVID cases and quarantines multiple times a day.

"Our families are asking us in this COVID time for transparency and clear information so they can feel safe and good about what is happening in schools," PPS Board of Education Director Eilidh Lowery said.

But not all Oregon districts are doing this.

The Oregon Department of Education has no requirements on tracking and posting these numbers. This has led to a patchwork of policies on how districts share information with families and the public, and what kind of information they share.

"Parents have a right to expect there's consistency in the way policies are applied and the way data is communicated and we're not seeing that," Dale said.

The Gresham-Barlow School District is one that shows active cases and quarantines in students and staff. Their online dashboard is updated on Mondays.

Tigard-Tualatin School District told KGW it was launching a dashboard Friday. They plan to update it every Friday.

Others, like Lake Oswego, only post cases. Those numbers do not show the full picture, and Dale calls the site "bare bones." Lake Oswego School District said Friday it is now working to add quarantines and the percentage of vaccinated staffers to its tracker.

Some districts, including Beaverton and Hillsboro, rely solely on Oregon Health Authority data which lags days behind.

Beaverton School District told KGW Friday it is now creating its own real-time dashboard and plans to launch it next week.

"We're simply not satisfied with the one to two-week time lag," Beaverton School District communications officer Shellie Bailey-Shah said. "We think we owe it to our community to be fully transparent about what COVID looks like in our schools right now."

From tracking the virus in schools to tracking vaccines, PPS sent families a survey about their kids' vaccination status.

PPS leaders and parents hope that information keeps kids in the classroom.

"I'm happy to share that information," Happel added. "Once we have this change and know people are vaccinated, we need to change those quarantine rules."

"It helps with contact tracing to know who's vaccinated and who's not. It helps us know what our populations are doing so we can be responsive and supportive," Lowery said. "Knowing people's vaccination status is one tool that can help us keep kids in school full-time five days a week."

KGW also learned Friday that the PPS school board is planning to meet with staff and Multnomah County health officials next week to talk about a possible vaccine mandate for students. They'll look into any legal, health and equity issues.
Police in Florida resumed their search Tuesday for Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito, who has been missing for almost a week.

Laundrie's disappearance comes after he and Petito embarked on a cross-country trip in June, only for him to return alone in September. The search for Petito has made national headlines with daily developments, and Laundrie's disappearance has only added to the confusion.

North Port Police are searching Tuesday for Laundrie on the Venice side of the Carlton Reserve, a 25,000-acre nature reserve, they said. Agents were requested Monday afternoon, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson Adam Brown.

Laundrie has not been charged and is not suspected of a crime at this point, authorities said. He had refused to speak with police, leaving authorities stumped and powerless in their investigation.

Here's why the search for Laundrie has been so difficult for authorities:

Laundrie had a multiple-day head start

Laundrie's family told police Friday night they have not seen the 23-year-old since Tuesday. His family told police he left home with his backpack and told them he was going to the Carlton Reserve.

Police in North Port, Florida, tweeted Saturday that authorities were searching the reserve, an effort that included the use of drones and bloodhounds who had used articles of Laundrie's clothing taken from his home to get his scent, said police spokesperson Josh Taylor.

In a place like a nature reserve, foliage and the lack of sunlight affects visibility, according to Chris Boyer, executive director of the non-profit National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR). The night can also hamper efforts, especially if the person being sought has no source of light or fire.

But when it comes to people eluding authorities, the search becomes much more difficult. An evasive person is more than likely wearing clothing that helps them blend in with their surroundings, Boyer said. In order to avoid being seen by helicopters or drones, an individual may also crawl in creek beds and avoid leaving tracks -- such as footprints, trash or evidence of a fire.

Boyer said technology like night vision goggles, drones and thermal sensors could help in pinning down a person's location.

Before he disappeared, Laundrie had been home in North Port for about two weeks.

He and Petito had been touring Western states together in her van for months until he returned to North Port on September 1 without her.

The family told police the last time they saw him was September 14.

Cheryl Dorsey, a retired Los Angeles police sergeant, told CNN on Monday she was curious why Laundrie's parents did not alert authorities about his leaving Tuesday.

'I get that he's a grown man,' Dorsey said, adding that he's still just in his early 20s. 'What influence, if any, do (his parents) have over him? He decides to go backpacking and they couldn't stop him?'

Wilderness searches are difficult

North Port police said Monday they shifted the focus of their search for Laundrie and are no longer looking for him in the nature reserve. 'At this time, we currently believe we have exhausted all avenues in searching of the grounds there,' Taylor said.

However, police said Tuesday morning they were again searching for him at the reserve. Authorities have been at the reserve since 8 a.m. Tuesday, the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said.

Boyer, the NASAR director, said trying to find a person in the wilderness can be very difficult.

'It's really hard to find people even when they want to be found,' he told CNN on Monday.

What makes finding Laundrie difficult, though, is the distance he could have already traveled before authorities started looking for him.

'The search area starts to grow every hour he could be in a car or be on foot,' Boyer said. 'It gets pretty daunting, to be honest.'

Laundrie has not been charged with a crime

Laundrie has not cooperated with police in their search for Petito, and because he has not been charged with a crime or been named a suspect, police are unable to do any more than file a search warrant.

The FBI executed a search warrant Monday on Laundrie's parents' home, where he lived with Petito.

The FBI removed Christopher and Roberta Laundrie from the home, executed the search warrant, and then brought them back inside for questioning, Taylor said. The search of the home concluded Monday evening, the FBI tweeted.

Police visited the home last week but the family refused to talk and instead gave authorities their attorney's information, Taylor said.

On Saturday, Taylor reiterated police were limited in what they could do because 'we don't have a crime.'

'Laundrie is not a suspect in a crime. We think he is likely one of the last people to see Gabby Petito alive, and for that reason he's a very important witness,' said Andrew McCabe, CNN senior law enforcement analyst and former deputy director of the FBI.

Before he vanished, Laundrie was silent about Petito's disappearance. North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison told CNN's Don Lemon last week that Laundrie had invoked his Fifth Amendment right, which generally means a person cannot be forced to make statements they feel might be negative or used against them.

Steve Moore, retired FBI supervisory special agent, told CNN on Monday that in order to obtain a search warrant, authorities would need to have probable cause there had been a crime and the person at the home was involved in the crime.

'What I believe people in law enforcement are doing right now are making sure they have all the t's crossed and i's dotted because I think they believe -- and I believe -- they know who did this and they want to make sure their case is perfect at this point,' Moore said.

McCabe told CNN's Ana Cabrera on Monday police had gotten to the point where 'the search warrant absolutely has to be executed.'

'Primarily, I think what the investigators will be looking for are anything that he may have written, any recordings of his thoughts, if he wrote any notes, if he kept a journal,' or any electronic activity and history he may have, McCabe said.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Dealing the White House a stinging setback, a government advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan Friday to give Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots across the board, and instead endorsed the extra vaccine dose only for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.

The twin votes represented a heavy blow to the Biden administration's sweeping effort, announced a month ago, to shore up nearly all Americans' protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.

The nonbinding recommendation  from an influential committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration  is not the last word. The FDA will consider the groups advice and make its own decision, probably within days. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to weigh in next week.

In a surprising turn, the advisory panel rejected, 16-2, boosters for almost everyone. Members cited a lack of safety data on extra doses and also raised doubts about the value of mass boosters, rather than ones targeted to specific groups.

Then, in an 18-0 vote, it endorsed extra shots for people 65 and older and those at risk of serious disease. Panel members also agreed that health workers and others who run a high risk of being exposed to the virus on the job should get boosters, too.

That would help salvage part of the White House's campaign but would still be a huge step back from the far-reaching proposal to offer third shots of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to Americans eight months after they get their second dose.

The White House sought to frame the action as progress.

Today was an important step forward in providing better protection to Americans from COVID-19," said White House spokesman Kevin Munoz. "We stand ready to provide booster shots to eligible Americans once the process concludes at the end of next week.

The CDC has said it is considering boosters for older people, nursing home residents and front-line health care workers, rather than all adults.

The FDA and CDC will most likely decide at some later point whether people who received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson shots should get boosters.

During several hours of vigorous debate Friday, members of the panel questioned the value of offering boosters to almost everybody 16 and over.

I dont think a booster dose is going to significantly contribute to controlling the pandemic, said Dr. Cody Meissner of Tufts University. And I think its important that the main message we transmit is that weve got to get everyone two doses.

Dr. Amanda Cohn of the CDC said, "At this moment it is clear that the unvaccinated are driving transmission in the United States.

In a statement, Kathrin U. Jansen, Pfizer head of vaccine research and development, said the company continues to believe that boosters will be a "critical tool in the ongoing effort to control the spread of this virus.

Scientists inside and outside the government have been divided recently over the need for boosters and who should get them, and the World Health Organization has strongly objected to rich nations giving a third round of shots when poor countries dont have enough vaccine for their first.

While research suggests immunity levels in those who have been vaccinated wane over time and boosters can reverse that, the Pfizer vaccine is still highly protective against severe illness and death, even amid the delta variant.

The unexpected turn of events could reinforce criticism that the Biden administration got out ahead of the science in its push for boosters. President Joe Biden promised early on that his administration would follow the science, in the wake of disclosures of political meddling in the Trump administrations coronavirus response.

The FDA panel's overwhelming initial rejection came despite full-throated arguments about the need for boosters from both Pfizer and health officials from Israel, which began offering boosters to its citizens in July.

Sharon Alroy-Preis of Israels Ministry of Health said the booster dose improves protection tenfold against infection in people 60 and older.

Its like a fresh vaccine, bringing protection back to original levels and helping Israel dampen severe cases in the fourth wave, she said.

Representatives for Pfizer argued that it is important to start shoring up immunity before protection begins to erode. A company study of 44,000 people showed effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was 96% two months after the second dose, but had dropped to 84% by around six months.

Both Pfizer and the Israeli representatives faced pushback from panelists. Several were skeptical about the relevance of Israels experience to the U.S. Another concern was whether third doses would exacerbate serious side effects, including rare instances of heart inflammation in younger men.

Pfizer pointed to Israeli data from nearly 3 million boosters to suggest side effect rates would be similar to those already reported.

Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, said he was supportive of a third dose for adults over 60 or 65, but I really have trouble supporting it for anyone down to age 16.

While an extra shot would probably at least temporarily reduce cases with mild or no symptoms, the question becomes what will be the impact of that on the arc of the pandemic, which may not be all that much, Offit said.

Bidens top health advisers, including the heads of the FDA and CDC, first announced plans for widespread booster shots in mid-August, setting the week of Sept. 20 as an all-but-certain start date. But that was before FDA staff scientists had completed their own assessments of the data.

Earlier this week, two top FDA vaccine reviewers joined a group of international scientists in publishing an editorial rejecting the need for boosters in healthy people. The scientists said studies show the shots are working well.

On Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said the Biden administration announcement was not aimed at pressuring regulators to act but was instead an attempt to be transparent with the public and be prepared in the event that boosters won approval.

We have always said that this initial plan would be contingent on the FDA and the CDCs independent evaluation, Murthy said.

The Biden plan has also raised major ethical concerns about impoverished parts of the world still clamoring for vaccine. But the administration argued that the plan was not an us-or-them choice, noting that the U.S. is supplying large quantities of vaccine to the rest of the globe.

The U.S. has already approved Pfizer and Moderna boosters for certain people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients.

Some Americans, healthy or not, have managed to get boosters, in some cases simply by showing up and asking for a shot. And some health systems already are offering extra doses to high-risk people.
CHARLES CITY, Iowa  A guilty plea has been entered over two break-ins at the Dairy Queen in Charles City.

Rene Hernandez, 33 of Charles City, was accused of two counts of third-degree burglary after police said he tore off a roof vent to get inside the restaurant on August 23 and 24. Investigators say Hernandez went through cash drawers and money bags and stole about $3,000 in cash and checkbooks and $63 in rolls of coins.

Hernandez has pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree burglary. His sentencing is scheduled for November 9 in Floyd County District Court.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Community members observed National POW/MIA Recognition Day in the Med City Friday.

The POW/MIA Riders Association held a vigil at the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial, honoring American prisoners of war and service members who remain unaccounted for.

The White House says 81,600 service members remain missing in action from conflicts since World War II.
PARIS (AP)  France said late Friday it was immediately recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia after Australia scrapped a big French conventional submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology.

It was the first time ever France has recalled its ambassador to the U.S., according to the French foreign ministry.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement that the French decision, on request from President Emmanuel Macron, is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made by Australia and the United States.

He said Wednesday's announcement of Australia's submarine deal with the U.S. is unacceptable behavior between allies and partners.

A recall of ambassadors is highly unusual between allied countries. In 2019, Paris recalled its envoy to neighboring Italy after the countrys leaders made critical public comments about the French government. Last year, France recalled its ambassador to Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed mental health treatment.

Earlier Friday, a top French diplomat spoke of a crisis in relations with the U.S.

The diplomat, who spoke anonymously in line with customary government practice, said that for Paris this is a strategic question concerning the very nature of the relationship between Europe and the United States about the Indo-Pacific strategy.

He would not speculate on the effects the situation would have on France's relationship with the U.S. Theres a crisis, he stressed.

Macron has not commented on the issue since President Joe Bidens announcement of a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain, leading France to lose a nearly $100 billion deal to build diesel-electric submarines.

France has pushed for several years for a European strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the region stretching from India and China to Japan and New Zealand. The EU unveiled this week its plan for the Indo-Pacific.

The French diplomat said Friday that Macron received a letter from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday morning announcing the decision to cancel the submarine deal.

French officials then decided to reach out to the U.S. administration "to ask what was going on," he said. He added that discussions with Washington took place just two to three hours before Biden's public announcement.

Le Drian on Thursday expressed total incomprehension at the move and criticized both Australia and the U.S.

It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed, he said. This is not done between allies.

He also compared Biden's move to those of his predecessor, Donald Trump, under Trumps America First doctrine.

Paris had raised the issue of the Indo-Pacific strategy during the June 25 visit to Paris of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing the importance of its submarine program with Australia, the diplomat said.

We said that is was for us a very important and critical component in our Indo-Pacific strategy, he said. Blinken met with Macron during the visit.

The French diplomat said Australia never mentioned to France before its will to shift to nuclear-powered submarines, including during a meeting between Macron and Morrison in Paris on June 15.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Local leaders celebrated with a group of America's newest citizens as the nation marked Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

During a ceremony at the government center Friday, officials from The City of Rochester and Olmsted County congratulated recently naturalized citizens, handing them certificates, cupcakes, and beverages alongside members of their families.

"I feel very happy, very proud of myself. I'm sure everyone else here feels the same as me," said Carolina Torres, one of the Rochester residents recognized during the celebration. "One day I decided that I wanted to do my citizenship. I studied, my son, he helped me too, so I want him to be proud of me."

Torres didn't speak English when she came from Central America in 2009, one of the many obstacles she and others beside her overcame before receiving citizenship, along with paperwork, civics tests, and so much more.

"I know for a lot of people it's something easy, but for all of us that come from a different country, it's not." Torres said.

But after years of progress, their hard work paid off Friday, as leaders of the community they've joined took time to welcome the newly naturalized Americans, handing them certificates of citizenship.

"Thank you to each and every one of you here today, who are so important to our community, and we appreciate the skills, talent, and care you share and bring to us," said Rochester City Council President Brooke Carlson.

RPS Interim Superintendent Dr. Kent Pekel says in many ways we create our country through our schools, and for most of our nation's history, educators considered it their jobs to make new community members forget where they came from, their language, and their customs. But just like the students who roam the hallways at RPS, Dr. Pekel believes schools have learned a lot since those days.

"The days of saying the job of American schools is to assimilate everyone at the expense of their past, I'm happy to say, are mostly gone," Dr. Pekel said. "Today we're wanting to embrace your global perspective, your abilities, your talents, and especially the ideas and energy of your children."

And in the mind of Torres, America means everything.

"We love this country, I love this country, I'm very fortunate for this country, because I feel free, and I'm able to help my family back home. Thank you," said Torres.

The Department of Homeland Security says through September 23rd, The United States will welcome 21,000 new citizens in 335 naturalization ceremonies.
BELLEVUE, Iowa  Authorities are investigating a death at a state park in eastern Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says local officials were notified around 4:21 am Saturday about an individual who had apparently fallen from a bluff at Bellevue State Park. The individual was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Jackson County Sheriff, Bellevue Police Department, Bellevue Fire Department and Maquoketa Police Department assisted with this incident, which remains under investigation by the DNR and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

State officials say Bellevue State Park remains open for visitors.
ROCHESTER, Minn. - Rochester legend Second Street Joe Johnson has been on the streets of the Med City, the roof of The Canadian Honker, and now "Roasted Bliss" is naming a sugar cookie after the local star.

"Roasted Bliss" is a local coffee shop and bakery that moved to Rochester from St. Charles earlier this year.

Owners Ali Johnson and Stephanie Donovan are making it their mission to give back to the community however they can.

"I think we always look for ways to give back to the community," said Donovan. "It's something that's really important to Ali and me. Many times we'll drop off donations to the fire station, places like that in the community. Just making sure we're always giving back and doing what we can to support others. I think, during the pandemic - during these hard times, it's just something we do consistently. Something we do for our business. It's a part of us."

Second Street Joe is known all over town for his constant joy and kindness to all who have the chance to meet him.

Johnson and Donovan just made it a little bit sweeter.

"We know Joe gives so much back to the communities - always very friendly, offering kindness, lots of smiles to people every day," said Donovan. "We wanted to do something to honor him. So we came up with the cookie name "All American" to really name it after him and continue to support that kindness in the community and give back."

Johnson said Joe's reaction to the news was an astounding thumbs up.

Johnson and Donovan want to make "Roasted Bliss" more than just a bakery.

"We want our customers to know that we're all family," said Johnson. "It doesn't matter what your beliefs are, what you're going through right now if you're having a hard time if you're happy...we want to celebrate with you. And we just want it known that we're here for everyone."

The "All American" cookie will be a sugar cookie with red, white, and blue sprinkles.

Second Street Joe will visit "Roasted Bliss" this Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
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...DENSE FOG ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 AM TO 9 AM CDT THURSDAY... * WHAT...Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog. * WHERE...Portions of west central Illinois and portions of central and northeast Missouri. * WHEN...From 1 AM to 9 AM CDT Thursday. * IMPACTS...Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you. &&
People are observed for possible side effects after receiving a coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination center in Seodaemun District of Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap



1st shot vaccination rate to reach 70% by Friday



By Lee Hyo-jin



The government has decided to allow the use of leftover COVID-19 vaccines for second shots, in a bid to speed up its vaccination drive amid the unrelenting increases in coronavirus infections nationwide.



Leftover vaccines refer to spare doses that have become available after someone canceled or did not show up for their appointment. Eligible recipients can book the slot for a "no show" vaccine through a real-time search system on Kakao and Naver.



Starting Friday, second doses can be booked through the leftover vaccine reservation system, according to the COVID-19 Vaccination Taskforce. Previously, the leftover doses had not been available for second shots.



In addition, the government has decided to shorten the dosing interval for people booking the leftover vaccines. While the gap between two shots of the mRNA vaccines  Pfizer and Moderna  is set at six weeks, people can reserve leftover doses three weeks after receiving a first shot of the Pfizer vaccine or four weeks after the Moderna vaccine.



But the health authorities noted that recipients who are not booking their second shots through the leftover booking system will still get their second dose six weeks later.



Such changes to the policy are expected to enable more people to get their second shots ahead of schedule.



As of Thursday, a total of 35.41 million people, or 69 percent of the population, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while around 42 percent have been fully vaccinated, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).





A smartphone user touches a device screen showing maps of available leftover vaccine slots in areas of Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Light rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. Thunder possible. High 71F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 62F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
For more than 20 years, Australia tried to maintain good relations with both the United States and China.

It was good for trade and peaceful regional relations. But on Thursday, with the announcement of a new security deal with the United States and the United Kingdom, which will see Australia eventually field nuclear-powered submarines, Canberra made its position clear -- it has chosen Washington over Beijing.

By choosing sides, some experts say Australia has unnecessarily antagonized China, the country's largest trading partner, while at the same time making itself overly reliant on the US for protection should tensions escalate in the Indo-Pacific.

In recent years, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has moved to embrace the US more closely as a security partner, building a personal relationship with former President Donald Trump and attempting to do the same with his successor.

At the same time, relations between Canberra and Beijing have been slowly unraveling, a spiral which only worsened after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic amid questions over the virus's origins.

On Thursday, China reacted angrily to the new security deal with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijan saying the blame for deteriorating relations "rests entirely with the Australian side."

Yun Jiang, editor of the China Neican newsletter and researcher at the Australian National University, said the deal was the "final nail in the coffin" of Australia's relationship with China, effectively eliminating any chance for rapprochement, at least in the short term.

"Until there is a new equilibrium in the international balance of power, I think the relationship is going to be tense," she said.

Going nuclear

Morrison joined US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday morning, Australia time, to announce the new policy. The plan, which Biden called "historic," doesn't explicitly mention China but is clearly directed at Beijing.

Under the agreement, named AUKUS, the three countries will hold meetings to coordinate on cyber issues, advanced technologies and defense to help them better meet modern-day security challenges.

And the US and UK will help Australia build and maintain nuclear-powered submarines, a major boost for Canberra's military arsenal, although Morrison said the ships may not join the fleet until 2040.

In a press conference following the announcement, the Australian leader described the deal as a "forever partnership."

"A forever partnership for a new time between the oldest and most trusted of friends. A forever partnership that will enable Australia to protect our national security interests, to keep Australians safe," he said.

The same day Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lijan said Australia should "seriously consider whether to view China as a partner or a threat."

Australia's past success in balancing its relationships with the US and China guaranteed the country's security and economic prosperity under successive governments.

In October 2003, then US and China leaders George Bush and Hu Jintao addressed Australia's parliament on consecutive days. In November 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to Australia, where he praised the relationship between the two countries and was photographed with a koala.

Australia's economy greatly benefited from its strong relationship with Beijing. Exports to China jumped from about $3.6 billion in 2000 to more than $74 billion by 2015. Some economists claim it was China's lucrative market for resources which helped shield Australia from recession during the global financial crisis.

But in 2017, the Chinese government was outraged when then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced plans to crack down on foreign interference in Australia's domestic politics.

The ruling Communist Party saw the move as targeted squarely at them and the relationship never recovered.

Calls by Prime Minister Morrison in April 2020 for an investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, a politically sensitive topic for the Chinese government, further aggravated Beijing. Australian exports to China began to encounter difficulties entering the country, including long customs delays and temporary tariffs.

As of September 2021, Australian coal, wine, barley and beef have all been affected by the trade tensions with China.

No way back

Some say the AUKUS deal has taken Australia to the point of no return.

Rory Medcalf, head of the Australian National University's National Security College, called it a "rubicon moment" for Australian foreign policy.

"It is Australia signaling that we don't see a way back in the China relationship, that the best we can hope for is competitive coexistence, a situation where there is a stable determent balance in the region," he said.

Under the AUKUS agreement, Australia will become the seventh country in the world to operate nuclear-powered submarines, after the US, the UK, China, Russia, France and India.

But experts said it will also leave Australia much more beholden to the US for its military capabilities.

Without a domestic nuclear industry, Australia will be forced to get its fuel from America, in addition to any training and technical knowledge in how to operate the submarines.

"In Australia there's a lot of talk about sovereign capabilities and this basically goes against that," ANU's Jiang said. 'We're pretty much more dependent on the US for our defense."

Former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating said in a statement that the AUKUS agreement was a "further dramatic loss of Australian sovereignty" and could force the country into a conflict between the US and China.

'Big and powerful friends'

Australia is far from alone in moving closer to the US. Lowy Institute senior fellow Richard McGregor said other members of the security alliance known as "the Quad," India and Japan, are also working with the Biden administration to balance the rise of China.

"This is just one of many different kinds of deals and partnerships that are being forged throughout the region in response to China," he said.

Medcalf said even Britain's agreement to help furnish Australia with military hardware was a dramatic shift in its own foreign policy.

For the near future at least, Australia and China will likely settle into a period of chilly relations, with McGregor saying it was possible Beijing would look to punish Canberra over the AUKUS agreement, perhaps even attempt to reduce international student numbers in Australian universities.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Morrison said Chinese leader Xi had an "open invitation" to discuss the new agreement.

While the Chinese government's reaction to the AUKUS deal was strongly disapproving, it was nothing compared to a blisteringly aggressive editorial published by state-run tabloid the Global Times Thursday.

The nationalistic tabloid warned if war broke out in Taiwan or the South China Sea "military targets in Australia will inevitably become a target hit by Chinese missiles."

"Australians troops are also most likely to be the first batch of Western soldiers to waste their lives in the South China Sea," the paper said.

On Friday Australia Defense Minister Peter Dutton told Sky News such statements "make the case for us."

"I think their comments are counterproductive and immature and frankly embarrassing. What does Australia want? We want sustained peace in our region. We want that stability."

However, some question the wisdom of Australia's decision to tie the country's security so closely to the US.

Jiang said she believes it is still important for Australia to balance its relationship between Washington and Beijing, in the same way as other regional nations such as Singapore and Indonesia have been forced to do.

She said Australia's turn towards the US is tied more to culture rather than to sensible foreign policy, aimed at ensuring the country's "big and powerful friends stay in Asia."

But Medcalf said the rift between Australia and China was inevitable, as the two systems of government are simply incompatible. He claimed the idea in the 2000s that Australia could have a positive relationship with China had been an "illusion."

"Once China really took that totalitarian turn over the last eight or nine years, a lot of minds in the Australian policy establishment really woke up to the fact that our old relationship was not sustainable," he said.

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The New York State Land Title Association (NYSLTA), the city's professional association for title companies and professionals, has elected its Officers for the 2021-2022 year at its annual NYSLTA Convention.

James Thanasules was elected President of the Association. Thanasules serves as the Senior Vice President, Chief New York State Counsel for insurance leader AmTrust Title. With almost three decades of experience, Thanasules is expected to continue to guide the NYSLTA after outgoing president Jean Partridge.

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"I am incredibly proud and thankful to begin my term as President of NYSLTA, and thank outgoing president, Jean Partridge for her leadership and guidance to the Association during a trying year," Thanasules said during the announcement. "The title industry served homebuyers in unprecedented numbers over the past year while working under constraints of social distancing and remote business processes-and showcased that our industry benefits and protects consumers, and is vital to the New York State economy. I look forward to continuing our imperative work."

NYSLTA Officers 2021-2022

The full list of The New York State Land Title Association officers for the year 2021-2022 are the following:

President-James Thanasules President-Elect-Eric Swarthout Treasurer-Beth Alonso Title Section Chair-Steve Vincini Title Section Vice-Chair-Robin Schwartzman Agent Section Chair-Richard Giliotti Agent Section Vice-Chair-DeAnna Stancanelli Immediate Past President-Jean Partridge

The election was held at the New York State Land Title Convention, an annual NYSLTA event in Rye, New York.

Originally formed in 1921, The New York State Land Title Association, Inc. (NYSLTA) was created to advance the interest of all parties involved in abstracting, examining, or insuring titles to real estate. Its members include professionals from title insurance companies, abstract firms, title insurance agents, law firms, and more.

RELATED ARTICLE: Real Estate Leader Compass Taps Grace Goro Kaage as New Managing Director
The Pentagon admitted there has been an airstrike error in Afghanistan, confirming that there were 10 civilians killed in an attack meant for ISIS-K.

An American military official with knowledge on the matter said that 10 civilians, including seven children, were mistakenly killed in the airstrike, adding that it was necessary to prevent an attack on American troops, according to a Daily Wire report.

U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said in a video statement that they now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K.

McKenzie also noted that he is fully responsible for the strike and the outcome, being the combatant commander.

READ NEXT: Pentagon Employees Encouraged to Report Cases of "Havana Syndrome" in New Defense Department Memo

Airstrike Meant for ISIS-K

The airstrike was launched after suicide bomb attacks had resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans near the Kabul airport. The terrorist attack was claimed by ISIS-K, according to a CNBC report.

The general said that the U.S. is eyeing reparation payments for surviving family members of those killed in the airstrike. However, McKenzie also noted that it would be difficult to deliver the payments with the U.S. having no presence in Afghanistan.

Earlier assertions of senior defense officials turned out to be false, including the explosive the military were loaded in the truck of a white Toyota sedan that was hit by the drone's missile was probably water bottles.

Officials also earlier claimed that a secondary explosion in a densely populated area where the attack took place was probably a propane or gas tank.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of the military's inquiry into the drone strike, degerming who should be held accountable, according to The New York Times report.

Congressional lawmakers are also eyeing for their own accounting from the Pentagon.

The Taliban had also commented on the matter, with a spokesman for Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, Zabihullah Mujahid, saying that the attack killed seven people.

Mujahid noted that the Taliban was also investigating, according to a Reuters report.

Gen. Mark Milley said that in a dynamic high threat environment, officials had the proper authority and reasonable certainty that the target was valid.

Intelligence failure of the United States had raised questions, including whether the United States can keep track of al-Qaeda and Islamic State threats.

Also, it poses a question of whether the U.S. can act quickly on the threats it gets.

Victims of the Airstrike Error

Military officials said that they did not know the name of the driver of the car that the drone strike targeted.

He was deemed suspicious due to his activities that day such as visiting a suspected Islamic State safe house and driving a white Toyota Corolla that was the same model the intelligence identified as involved in an imminent plot.

The intelligence also noted that the driver loaded the vehicle with what they thought explosives.

Reports from The Times identified him as "Mr. Ahmadi." He was reported to be traveling for work, involving moving colleagues to and from work.

Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced the same problem of civilian death from drone strikes in more than two decades.

READ MORE: Sen. Mitch McConnell Says Pres. Joe Biden Won't Be Impeached Over Afghanistan, Says Hold Him Accountable at 'Ballot Box'

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Afghan drone strike that killed 10 civilians was 'a mistake': Pentagon - from ABC News






After missing out last year because of the pandemic, the "Thrill Capital of the South" Six Flags Over Georgia has announced the return of its hit Fright Fest for 2021.

The park's premier Halloween event returns for 20 select nights, starting from September 18 to October 31. Thrill-seekers can look forward to five, brand-new haunted mazes as well as a range of new and reimagined scare zones, live shows, and of course, family-friendly daytime offerings.

ALSO READ: Halloween and COVID-19: Safety Tips to Avoid Unexpected Injuries

During the day, the visitors' "little monsters" can enjoy their share of family-friendly fun with a Trick-or-Treat trail, activities for pumpkin decorating, a spooktacular storytelling session, Halloween-themed games, and the park's safe and kid-friendly rides. Children 12 years old and younger are encouraged to dress up in their favorite costumes and compete for the first-place prize in a wickedly fun costume contest.

When night falls, the park transforms into a sinister showcase filled with ghosts and ghouls. As guests go around the park, they will be forced to confront their fears in six frighteningly immersive scare zones where a number of scare actors lurk in every corner, waiting to jump scare their unsuspecting victims. However, when guests need a break from the fear, they can sit back and relax as they enjoy three live Halloween-themed shows and the Six Flags Over Georgia collection of thrill rides and roller coasters.

The wickedly creative minds behind Fright Fest have also designed five brand-new and elaborately themed mazes that will be making their debut this Halloween. These exciting mazes are:

Home Haunt: The Jordan Family's homemade haunted house is open for Halloween, with guests just dying to get in.

Zombie Zoo: Zombies are placed in cages and put on display, but how long will they stay restrained?

Clown Hell: This maze is set to ruffle a lot of feathers as it answers the question of where clowns go after they die.

Haunted Holiday: Christmas is coming early this year, but there is one gift that should've stayed wrapped under the tree.

The Haunted House: Wander the heinous hallways of this ominous house of spirits. View the ghosts of tormented souls that died and have been brought back from the grave.

Fright Fest at Six Flags Over Georgia is open for select nights between September 18 to October 31. More information is available at the Six Flags website.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 Terrifying Latino Urban Legends to Tell Your Kids this Halloween
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Friday called on President Joe Biden to deploy National Guard troops in Del Rio, Texas as thousands of Haitian migrants overwhelmed the small town.

McCarthy said that National guards at the southern border would help the Border Patrol agents "to control the situation." The House minority leader also emphasized that the Biden administration should recognize the Haitian migrant surge as a "national security crisis."

McCarthy's call came a day after Texas Governor Greg Abbott walked back on his decision to shut down border crossings.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has sought the help of Texas in closing the border amid the surge of illegal migrants. However, the White House reversed itself hours later.

The Texas governor then designated the state's Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to maintain their presence around ports of entry to deter crossings.

READ NEXT: Federal Judge Bars Biden Administration from Using a Trump-Era Policy in Expelling Migrant Families

Kevin McCarthy Urges Kamala Harris to Plan on Texas Southern Border Migration

Kevin McCarthy also called on Vice President Kamala Harris to update the Americans about the administration's plan in securing the southern border.

"I am inviting the Vice President to brief Members of the Republican Conference next week to provide an update on the administration's plan to secure our southern border and our country," McCarthy said.

The Republican leader also asked for clarification on why the airspace was restricted over a Texas bridge, where thousands of Haitian migrants gathered.

The Federal Aviation Administration, acting on a Border Patrol request, has temporarily banned drone flights around the bridge until September 30, unless for security purposes, Associated Press reported.

Kevin McCarthy linked the situation at the border to the efforts of House Democrats to pass legislation that would immediately grant citizenship for up to 10 million illegal immigrants.

"It is no coincidence this is happening... This is a wakeup call to Democrats that their policies are putting American lives in danger and must be abandoned," McCarthy noted.

Haitian Migrants Under Texas Bridge

McCarthy's call to President Joe Biden and his administration happened as thousands of migrants, composed of predominantly Haitians, gathered under an international bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

The Haitians gathered under and around the Del Rio bridge after suddenly crossing the border from Mexico. Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez estimated the number of migrants in the area at around 13,700 as of Friday, adding that more Haitians are traveling through Mexico by bus.

Reuters reported that apart from the Haitians, the crowd of migrants under the bridge were joined by Cubans, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans. Verde County Judge Lewis Owens said the vast majority of the migrants have been under the bridge for as long as six days.

Haitian migrants were also reported to assemble in camps near the Mexican side of the border to wait while deciding whether to enter the U.S.

Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said the migrant surge in their area is something that "needs to be brought to light," adding that the issue needs quick attention and response in real-time.

Update from earlier today. pic.twitter.com/5hXu3eYyB5  Mayor Bruno Ralphy Lozano (@BrunoRalphy) September 17, 2021

READ MORE: USCIS New Rule: Migrants Applying for U.S. Citizenship Must Show Proof of COVID Vaccines

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Written by: Joshua Summers

WATCH: Thousands of Haitian Migrants Converge on Texas Border Town - From KHOU 11
An Ecuadorian drug mule traveling from Spain back to Ecuador died after cocaine capsules hidden in his stomach burst during a stopover in Istanbul, police in Turkey said Friday.

The 45-year-old Ecuadorian national was heading to the outgoing flights terminal of Istanbul Airport for a connecting flight to Ecuadorian capital Quito when he collapsed.

Ecuadorian Poisoned by Cocaine

The Ecuadorian national, who came from Madrid, collapsed at the terminal and hit his head on the ground. The health care crews present at the airport provided first aid and took the man to a hospital, but he succumbed also due to the wound in his head.

Based on the forensics examination, the victim was poisoned when two capsules of cocaine exploded inside his stomach for an unknown reason. According to Daily Sabah, Turkish police found 400 grams or 14 ounces of cocaine in his stomach when he was examined.

Based on a security camera footage that caught the incident, the Ecuadorian national suddenly collapsed backward at a security checkpoint at the Istanbul Airport's terminal, and blood leaked from his mouth after he collapsed.

Because of its location, situated in the European continent and Asia, Turkey became a transit route for drug smugglers between the two continents.

Last year, the Turkish police seized tons of drugs in the country. Authorities in Turkey have confiscated an estimated $19 billion worth of illegal drugs in 2020.

READ NEXT: Uniformed National Guard Soldier Arrested After He's Caught Trying to Transport Cocaine in Texas

Homicides as Revenge for Key Drug Seizure in Ecuador

Last month, seven people were gunned down in Guayaquil, Ecuador after a record cocaine seizure. It was an attack that triggered drug cartels and gangs responsible for the storage and transport of cocaine in Ecuador to retaliate, InSight Crime reported.

The wave of killings came after the Ecuadorian authorities seized 9.6 tons of cocaine, which was a record haul in recent years, authorities said during the August 13 news conference.

Based on a video news release, police discovered a massive amount of drugs after they smashed a false wall in a warehouse in Vergales, a neighborhood in northern Guayaquil.

The stash house, where the drugs were hidden, was disguised as a water bottler and seller. However, Ecuadorian authorities found that the cocaine was packaged in some 9,500 bricks and ready for shipment to Mexico and the United States.

El Universo reported that the slayings started hours after the discovery of the drugs. It began when motorcycle assassins shot two men.

On August 15, six gunmen also opened fire on a couple. The incident was allegedly linked to the former leader of the Lagartos gang, which is one of Ecuador's largest gangs.

Ecuadorian Police Colonel Henry Tapia said that gangs were behind the spate of killings, which all occurred in southern Guayaquil. Tapia noted that "lower criminal gangs" and not a bigger criminal group were looking for those responsible for the loss of the cocaine shipment.

READ MORE: 'Drug Kingpin' Associated With Sinaloa Cartel Arrested for Trafficking Drugs From Mexico to Alaska

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Extraction of Drug Package From Stomach - From monzahmed
Mexico is set to host a summit that will convene recently elected members of a "pink tide" of leftist Latin American leaders.

The details of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) fourth summit, wherein 16 Latin American leaders confirmed to attend, were announced on Friday by Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Aljazeera reported.

Presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Venezuela, and Peru, among others, are set to meet on Saturday, September 18, at the CELAC summit. CELAC is seen to discuss Latin America's response to the pandemic and the creation of funds to respond to climate change-derived disasters.

Together with Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, new leftist Latin American leaders seen to be among the heads of state at CELAC include Argentina's Alberto Fernandez, Peru's Pedro Castillo, and Bolivia's Luis Arce.

READ NEXT: Brazil to Suspend $324 Million COVID Vaccine Deal With India's Bharat Biotech

Latin American Leaders and CELAC

Marcelo Ebrard said CELAC discussions would also center on what plan Latin America and the Caribbean "will follow to have the equipment, vaccines, and tests for any other contingency," according to Euro News.

It is also expected that Mexico will also push for a unified plan to replace or reform the Organization of American States (OAS), with Mexico being the president pro tempore of the CELAC. Several CELAC members see OAS as an "interventionist" instrument of the U.S.

Latin America had first introduced its so-called "pink tide" of socialist leaders in the early 2000s. However, some of its leaders have died or been ousted, such as Venezuela's late leader Hugo Chavez and Bolivia ex-president Evo Morales.

The Latin American countries viewed as part of this ideological group have been referred to as "pink tide" nations with the objective to promote free-market policies in the region, economic cooperation, and regional integration and countering U.S. influence.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who is expected to attend the summit, just made his first foreign visit after huge protests erupted in July.

Diaz-Canel, who attended a lavish military parade at Mexico's 200th anniversary of independence on Thursday, said that Mexico's help during the protests in the country became important as Cuba faced a "multidimensional war."

Reuters reported that Mexico had sent a lifeline to Havana by sending ships loaded with fuel, food, and oxygen tanks.

Latin America Amid the COVID Pandemic

Latin America has faced increasing cases of COVID infections, crippling its hospital facilities and killing thousands of people every day.

According to New York Times, Brazil earlier experienced a slow vaccine rollout. Recent data showed that around 64 percent of the population already received at least one dose of a vaccine shot.

The region currently projects lower infection rates as vaccination rates have improved. Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Colombia initially had huge spikes of COVID cases. The same was the case for Uruguay and Paraguay.

But Carla Domingues, an epidemiologist who ran Brazil's immunization program until 2019, said the situation now has cooled off across Latin America.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro prided Brazil as having one of the best performances on vaccination around the world. Meanwhile, more than 70 percent of the population has been fully vaccinated in Chile and Uruguay.

Fernandez of Argentina said in late July that the path to normalcy is near, with some of the borders in Latin America moving to reopen borders. Fernandez noted that people deserve a life they can laugh without a face mask and hug those they love.

An April New York Times report said that Latin America had once accounted for 35 percent of all COVID deaths in the world despite accounting for just eight percent of the global population.

The region has experienced one of the strictest lockdowns and longest school closures. Its economy has also been widely affected.

READ MORE: Guatemala Struggles With COVID Vaccine Rollout, Corruption Issues

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WATCH: Mexico Celebrates Day of Independence as Onlookers Protest Against Cuban President - From WPLG Local 10






Brian Laundrie, the fiance of missing YouTuber Gabby Petito, was reported missing on Friday as police officers arrived at Laundrie's home in Florida.

Brian Laundrie's lawyer, Steven Bertolino, confirmed that the 23-year-old went missing after his family members last saw him on Tuesday morning, ABC 7 reported.

"Be advised, the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie is currently unknown," Bertolino wrote to reporters. Laundrie's attorney further noted that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) already went to Laundrie's home in North Port, Florida to assist the family in locating him.

Bertolino said the FBI is now looking for both Gabby Petito and her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Petito's mother, Nichole Schmidt, does not believe that Brian Laundrie was missing, saying that her daughter's boyfriend was only hiding.

"He's [Laundrie] not missing he's hiding! Gabby is missing," Schmidt told DailyMail.

READ NEXT: Utah Police Says They Are "Not Ruling Out" Possible Link Between Double Murder and Gabby Petito Case

Police Arrives in Brian Laundrie's Home in Florida

The report that Brian Laundrie went missing came as authorities arrived at the Florida home of Gabby Petito's boyfriend on Friday. The Laundrie family reportedly called the police and the FBI to their home to help them find their son.

The Daily Mail reported that the police officers were seen with evidence bags, and they removed items from the house in order to assist with the search. Police officers reportedly entered Laundrie's home after a family member authorized them.

The police officers also searched a silver convertible Ford Mustang in the driveway that belonged to the family before they went back into the house again. After more than two hours inside the home, investigators left.

In a tweet, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said that the conversation between the Laundrie family and police had concluded, adding that a statement would be made once they have the details.

"We ask for calm! Please let us work through this and information will be forthcoming," Garrison noted.

The conversation at the Laundrie home is complete. Once we have the details, a statement will be made. We ask for calm! Please let us work through this and information will be forthcoming.@NorthPortPolice  Chief Todd Garrison (@NPPDPoliceChief) September 18, 2021

Petito's stepfather, Jim Schmidt, said their family was happy that the family of her daughter's boyfriend allowed the police officers inside their home and cooperated with them. However, Petito's dad said he's not going to speculate on anything as he does not know what to believe anymore.

A North Port Police Department spokesperson told CNN that they have more details about Petito's case, but they cannot release them yet.

"This has been a very quickly developing situation here in just the last hour really for the most part. So we're working through that," the spokesperson said, adding that they want to be accurate in everything that they will say.

TikTok User Claims Brian Laundrie Hitchhiked Days Before Gabby Petito's Disappearance

A woman named Miranda Baker claimed in a TikTok video that she and her boyfriend gave Brian Laundrie a ride days before Gabby Petito went missing.

While at Grand Teton National Park in Colter Bay, Wyoming on August 29, Baker said Laundrie, who was alone, approached them and asked them for a ride.

The TikTok user said Petito's boyfriend told them that he needed to go to Jackson and since they were also going to Jackson that night, she said, "hop in," and Laundrie hopped in the back of their Jeep.

Baker noted that Laundrie was wearing long sleeves, a backpack, hiking boots, and pants, and he offered to pay them at least $200 for the 10-mile ride.

Baker also said that Laundrie told them that he was camping for several days without his fiancee as she was working on their social media page back at their van.

The TikTok user further noted that Laundrie told them that he and Gabby Petito were camping out in the middle of nowhere along Snake River and not on a regulated campsite through the national park.

Baker added that Laundrie suddenly freaked out when she brought up that they were going to Jackson. Petito's boyfriend then asked them to pull over, and he exited the Jeep near Jackson Dam in Grand Teton National Park.

Baker said she recognized Laundrie from TikTok, which made her call the authorities. The TikTok user noted that they have been in contact with different people "to help piece together different parts of this case."

Gabby Petito disappeared on a cross-country road trip with Brian Laundrie. The couple was traveling to Oregon when the 22-year-old YouTuber stopped communicating with her family in Wyoming in late August.

Brian Laundrie was named a person of interest by North Port police after returning home with Petito's white Ford Transit van on September 1 or 10 days before Gabby Petito was reported missing by her family.

READ MORE: Florida Female Paddleboarder Survives Possible Alligator Attack Using Her Oar

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WATCH: Brian Laundrie Missing Since Tuesday, Search for Gabby Petito Continues - From FOX 13 Tampa Bay
STAFF working at a DIY store in Limerick city were left concerned after a planning notice was posted on the shop  without the knowledge of the company.

Workers for Homebase at the Dublin Road saw a planning application seeking a change of use of the premises from a warehouse store to one allowing the sale of sporting and leisure goods.

This sparked panic among the 30-or-so staff, many of whom faced redundancy in 2013 when the store was in examinership.

And it caused local management to contact the head office of the DIY retailer.

In a memorandum to staff, seen by the Limerick Leader, Karen Turner, the divisional business manager at Homebase confirmed negotiations were ongoing with the operators of the Parkway Retail Park over the renewal of the firms lease.

While she said these talks were going well, a third party has also approached the landlord.

As part of their initial discussions with them, a planning application has been submitted and posted outside the building. This was done without our knowledge  and were sorry this meant we couldnt talk to you first. We know this may have caused you some concern, and weve spoken to the landlord about it, she said, describing the move as speculative".

A Homebase spokesperson said: We are committed to continuing to trade in Limerick.
A LIMERICK woman appointed to a prominent presenter role in RTE has spoken of her delight in landing her dream job.

Baghdad born, but Limerick-made, Dooradoyle native, Reem El-Hassany has landed her first on-screen role as a news presenter for RTEs news2day team.

She joined Micheal O Scannail, from Wexford, who has been in the role for the last year and is helping her get her feet on the ground.

Presenting a weekday news service intended for children comes naturally for the University of Limerick (UL) masters in journalism graduate, who has loved working with kids since a young age from babysitting to teaching younger children in South Korea as well as always being around her little cousins.

Its a really big step up here, knowing that the stories are going to be on air and that children will be watching them. I want to make sure that I am telling the stories that children want to hear. My older family members may let me know that I stuttered or stumbled but my little cousins are so proud. Ive had overwhelming support from my family, she stated.

Both Reems parents are doctors and having always been around medicine growing up as well as loving chemistry in secondary school, she decided to pursue a degree in pharmacy in the UK.

Seeing the career move as a natural box ticking exercise, her real childhood dream was always to go into presenting and reporting. After landing her new role, she admitted that those that were close to her said finally youve gotten what you always wanted, whilst others that knew her less wondered why are you doing that?.

Having moved over from Iraq with her family at the age of two, Reem is yet to return to her native homeland. One of her dreams is to return to the place where her parents were born and raised, to learn about a rich history as well as a completely different world and side of my life.

Growing up, there was always a strong emphasis on retaining her Arabic culture through language and customs. It wasnt until she fine tuned her Arabic that she was really able to form a very strong bond and connect with cousins and relatives.

In spite of her deeply entwined Arabic roots, When I think of home, I think of Limerick. I think of walks around Mungret Park, going to the Crescent and heading to Tesco. Limerick has been my home forever and Im really proud to be representing my county. I am looking forward to telling more Limerick stories in future, she added.

Returning home indefinitely from her teaching duties in South Korea in 2020 due to Covid-19, Reem decided to pursue her passion and hone her reporting skills whilst undertaking a one-year masters degree in journalism at UL.

During the semesters live news day, she took the leading presenting role, drawing on previous experience in secondary school where she presented a radio show as well as working as a research assistant at her colleges student union.

The leap from small time student newsroom to silver screen national news presenter has been a daunting one, but she admits taking the opportunity in her stride. I feel like it has been all go since I started three weeks ago. At the moment I am just riding the wave. It is the best way to learn. You either have to just go for it or you will fall off. Only now am I getting my bearings together. Theres so much to learn here and everyone wants to help. Its a big jump getting used to the new software and editing systems.

The RTE 2 and RTE News presenter put her previous experience to the test, visiting Grace Park Educate Together National School in Dublin for her first live TV package, where she talked to local schoolchildren about returning to the classroom. Her favourite part of the job is the challenge of heading out to film and quickly returning to the studio to edit so that the kids can see what they have done.

We are very conscious of making sure we film what the children want to see and learn about. It means the world to me when my little cousins send me a video or voice note telling me how proud they are and that they told all their friends in school about me she concluded.
GARDAI have launched an investigation after a man was discovered with serious injuries in the city last night.

At approximately 10pm, officers received reports of a man in his 30s walking on the Ennis Road with what appeared to be an injury.

He was treated at the scene, before being transferred to University Hospital Limerick where his injuries were described as serious.

A technical examination of the scene in the Westfield Park area is currently taking place.

Mayorstone Gardai are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident which led to the injuries to come forward.

They are particularly appealing to anyone who was in the Westfield Park and Ennis Road areas yesterday evening between the hours of 8pm and 10pm, who may have camera footage to make it available.



Anyone with any information in relation to this incident is asked to contact Mayorstone Garda Station on 061-456980, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any station.
A NEW poem by John Liddy is one of the most powerful ever homages to Limerick.

It is ambitious in its range, taking in events and incidents in Limericks past and more recent past and featuring many of the familiar places and characters who gave the city its edge, colour and grittiness.

I just hope what you have in your hands is a poem that sings of people and place. I hope it works for you the reader, John said when the book was launched at the Limerick City Art Gallery earlier this month.

I have been writing this book-length poem all my life. I am still not finished with it, he went on. I am not finished with it because the relationship with Limerick continues for as long as I am alive.

John, who was reared in Limerick and has been living and working in Madrid for several decades, has always retained his link to the city.

And it is Limerick city, and to a somewhat lesser degree, the county, that is the star of this poem, according to Dr Eoin Devereux of UL in his foreword to Arias of Consolation.

It works, he says, like a multi-layered mind-map of the city and county and is a paean to a place which has been shamefully maligned and stigmatised too many times.

The poem abounds with people and places still remembered with affection. Here is Dodo Reddan wheelin dogs a pram or Frankie Flynn singing There is an Isle or the fresh air gang going the extra mile for apples in the Lemon Field .

Here too is reference and story for Caseys Fish Shop, Nonie Meaghers, The Tholsel and Joe Mahones.

And Limericks own distinctive vocabulary is given its own place: crawthumpers who were only gaggin for it with a nobber in the gob, urging you to be wide of being nabbed by a ghoulbag when coggin the ekker.

The citys lanes find their own place as do tiny nuggets of stories from Ashford, Bruff, Kilfinane, Knockfierna Ballingarry and so many more places.

But as Dr Devereux points out, John Liddy does not gaze at the city and county through a nostalgic lens. Instead, the Arias, written in eight sections, unveil the poets thorough warts-and-all knowledge of Limerick. While echoes of the past ripple through the poem, Liddy is as comfortable writing about 21st century Limerick as he is thoroughly knowledgeable about its long and complicated past, asserts Dr Devereux.

It is, arguably, the most important poem written about Limerick since the publication of Bard Hogans Drunken Thady and the Bishops Lady in 1861, he declares.

The poem, John Liddy himself explained, went through 20 drafts and there was a lot of work involved in what to leave in and what to leave out.

It is difficult to write an epic poem and maintain it, he continued. But what helped him was finding the structure, the three-line structure which he said he got from the late poet Derek Walcott.

He also thanked artist John Shinnors for the wonderful drawings he did and which are on the cover and inside pages of Arias of Consolation.

Dominic Taylor of the Limerick Writers Centre which published the book under its imprint Revival Press, said it was another very important addition to the canon of Limerick literature.

This book, I believe, will stand the test of time and be a rich source of enjoyment, reference about the social history of Limerick and its people for many years to come, as well as being great poetry.

Arias of Consolation is available through the Writers Centre at limerickwriterscentre.com or in bookshops.
Several banks in the country have cut their home loan rates with the onset of the festive season in order to make housing more affordable than ever before. Recently, India's three public sector banks--the State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National bank (PNB), and Bank of Baroda (BoB), and private lender Kotak Mahindra Bank announced a slew of offers on home loans.

Demand for home loans has increased because of a greater interest in home buying triggered by the Covid pandemic, which has caused both work and education to shift to the homes, and also a downward trend in home prices.

Here's a comparison of home loan rates among banks during the festive period:

State Bank of India (SBI) home loan at 6.70%

The SBI said it would be offering home loans to its customers at concessional interest rates in two phases. According to the SBI Chief General Manager (CGM) Umesh Kumar, the first phase will be operated from September 1 to October 31, while the second phase will be operational from November 1 to December 31.

Customers wishing to take a home loan during this period can get it with a minimum floor rate of interest of 6.70%, irrespective of the loan amount.

Earlier a borrower availing of a loan greater than 75 lakh, had to pay an interest rate of 7.15%. With the introduction of the festive offers, a borrower can now avail home loan for any amount at a rate as low as 6.70%, the SBI said in a statement.

Besides, the country's largest public lender has also waived off processing fees and occupation-linked interest premiums. SBI has removed this distinction between a salaried and a non-salaried borrower. Now, there is no occupation-linked interest premium being charged to prospective home loan borrowers.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) home loan at 6.60%

The PNB has also slashed the interest rate on home loan above 50 lakh by 0.50% to 6.60%. The home loan rates are lowest among public sector banks, the PNB claimed.

The state-owned lender said the rate will be linked with the applicant's credit score. Besides, the bank informed that it was already offering a full waiver of service charges/processing fees on home loan, vehicle loan, personal loan, pension loans, myProperty loan and gold loans under its 'Festival Bonanza Offer'.

Bank of Baroda (BoB) home loan at 6.75%

State-owned Bank of Baroda is offering a waiver of 0.25% in the existing applicable rates for its home loans. The bank's home loan rates start at 6.75%. BoB has also waived off processing fee on home loans.

Kotak Mahindra Bank home loan at 6.50%

Kotak Mahindra Bank has announced a 0.15 percentage point cut in its lending rate, offering mortgages from 6.50%. The private lender said the home loan at a rate of 6.50% is only a festive period offer and will remain active till November 8. The offer on home loans will be available for both fresh home loans and also to balance transfers, the bank added.

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Emphasising on the need to reopen the tourism sector in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the Centre has given priority to the states that are popular tourism centres in its vaccination campaign.

PM Modi made the comment while interacting with healthcare workers and beneficiaries of the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Goa via video conferencing, a day after the coastal state completed 100 per cent first vaccination dose coverage for its adult population.

It has not come up for discussion but India has given a lot of priority to the states with potential tourism sector in its vaccination campaign," PM Modi said. But it was very important that our tourism destinations reopen. Himachal Pradesh, Goa are some examples of the same. Everyone eligible has received their first dose already. We are now working on Uttarakhand to achieve the same."

Tourists can visit these places with a feeling of safety after everyone's vaccinated. Goa is one of the very few tourism centres in the world where tourists can travel safely. The central government has also recently taken several steps to encourage foreign tourists as well. It has been decided to give free visas to 5 lakh tourists visiting India," he added.

Remembering the contribution of former Goa Chief Minister and Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, PM Modi said that the way shown by him is being taken forward by his successor Pramod Sawant and his team to develop the state.

Work has already started on the production of over 50 components in Goa under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan. Goa is now 100 per cent electrified, and every house in rural Goa is being connected with clean drinking water under the Jal Jeevan Mission," said PM Modi.

This commitment towards good governance was shown by the Goa government even during Covid. They did not leave any stone unturned in providing all support to every poor, every farmer and every needy," he added.

A day before, on the 71st birthday of PM Modi, India reached its highest ever single-day vaccination coverage by administering around 2.26 crore doses yesterday

We saw how the nation kept looking at CoWIN dashboard yesterday. More than 15 lakh vaccinations every hour, over 26,000 vaccinations every minute took place yesterday, and more than 425 people were administered vaccines every second yesterday," Modi said.

Several birthdays have come and gone. But this one was very special and memorable. It is very usual to become very emotional at this age, but yesterday was very special for me," the prime minister said.

He lauded the tireless efforts shown by the doctors and healthcare workers during the ongoing pandemic. Their hard work has reflected on the record number of vaccination yesterday," PM Modi said.

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The U.S. is pushing to extend a United Nations waiver on a travel ban against the Taliban, Western officials say, an effort meant to facilitate negotiations with the group and part of the U.S.s broader diplomatic overture to encourage the group to abide by its human rights and antiterror commitments.

If approved by the U.N. Security Council, the extension of the waiver would allow a Taliban delegation to travel to Doha, Qatar, where negotiations with U.S. officials have typically been held. The current waiver expires next week and the Security Council on Tuesday is expected to consider extending it. The waiver would also allow access to banking services while traveling.

I think it will be extended by Wednesday," said Eoghan McSwiney, a senior diplomat at Irelands mission to the U.N. He said the current proposal is to allow a three-month waiver for the same individuals previously approved to travel.

Theres a general understanding that theyll need to be able to travel to continue to facilitate talks, whatever the future of Afghanistan looks like," he said.

Discussions are under way on [the] possible extension" of the travel waivers, added a diplomat at the Security Council. The decision will have to be taken by consensus, as is the case with decisions of the sanctions committees," he said.

Besides the U.S. and Irelandwhich holds the Councils rotating presidencyother members include the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia.

This exemption has facilitated in-person communications between the Taliban and U.S. and other international officials, allowing us to state clearly our expectations for their behavior, said a spokesman for the U.S. mission at the U.N. Of course, safe passage remains a high priority for the United States and others in the international community," he added, referring to Americans, other expats and Afghan allies trying to leave the county.

As the U.S. grapples with how to handle both the short-term crisis of its pullout from Afghanistan and the long-term reality of having to now deal with the Taliban as the countrys ruling power, the Biden administration has been wary of both provoking the group with more sanctions and easing the pressure campaign against them.

U.N. member nations agreed under Security Council sanctions levied after the Sept. 11 attacks two decades ago to prevent blacklisted Taliban members from traveling outside Afghanistan. A narrow exemption to that travel banallowing restricted travel by a few named individualswas originally issued in 2019 by the U.N. Security Council to facilitate peace talks in Qatar to end a war between the Islamist faction and the U.S.-backed Afghan government.

The sanctions also require blocking and freezing Taliban assets.

But contrary to its commitments in the peace deal reached in February 2020 with the Trump administration, the Taliban took advantage of the agreed U.S. pullout to seize control of the country, taking over the capital and the government in mid-August. U.S. officials say the Taliban are violating the terms by continuing to allow al Qaedas presence in the country and hindering asylum seekers from leaving Afghanistan.

The Taliban, meanwhile, say the U.S. isnt honoring its commitments made in 2020 to lift sanctions against the group.

The United States has made a commitment in this regard but has not fulfilled it yet," said Anas Haqqani, a senior leader of the Taliban whose brother heads the terrorist-designated Haqqani network, on Thursday in a meeting with foreign journalists in Kabul.

U.S. officials say its commitment to consider lifting sanctions and to ask the U.N. to do the same was contingent on the Taliban complying with the deals terms.

In the wake of the Talibans seizure of the country, the Biden administration has been weighing how to leverage the sanctions and Afghanistans financing needs in its post-takeover talks with the Taliban.

Among the 11 members of the Taliban currently allowed to travel are Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the Talibans political office whos now acting first deputy prime minister of Afghanistan. The waiver allows them to travel to an unspecified range of destinations for the purpose of peace negotiations. It is yet unclear how broadly the new exemption would allow the Taliban representatives to travel.

These exemptions were for the benefit of talks with the Afghan government," said a European official familiar with the proposed exemption. That government no longer exists."

The waiver extension is likely to draw further criticism from some Republican lawmakers who have criticized the Biden administrations overtures to the Taliban, but U.S. and allied officials say their treatment of the new government in Afghanistan will be determined by the Talibans behavior.

We will calibrate our approach to the Taliban according to the actions they take, Barbara Woodward, the U.K.s ambassador to the U.N., said at a Security Council meeting Friday.

Ghulam Isaczai, who was appointed Afghanistans ambassador to the U.N. under the former government and is still treated as the countrys envoy by the Security Council, last week urged against an extension of the travel-ban waiver.

Any further extension of the mechanism would be misused for the purpose of gaining international recognition for their new noninclusive government," he said.

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The Knights Templar was an order of devout Christians founded in Jerusalem sometime between A.D. 1118 and 1119, after the First Crusade (1096-1099). The Order was created to protect Europeans traveling to the Holy Land, among other duties. The knights were known across Europe as an elite fighting force with a strict code of conduct and, eventually, immense wealth. For nearly 200 years, the Knights Templar were at the center of politics and finance in Europe and took part in the Christian military campaigns in the Holy Land. Then, in 1312, Pope Clement V officially dissolved the Knights Templar.

Creation of the Knights Templar

In the seventh century, a Muslim Arab army conquered Jerusalem and the Holy Land, ending Christian rule in the region under the Byzantine Empire , also called the Eastern Roman Empire. By the end of the 11th century, the Byzantine Empire had lost more territory to Muslim invasion, including more Christian holy sites, according to historian Peter Frankopan's book " The First Crusade " (Belknap Press, 2012).

As a result, in A.D. 1095 Alexios I Komnenos asked Pope Urban II for assistance in fighting the Muslims. "His call for help was a desperate last roll of the dice for a ruler whose regime and empire was on the brink of collapse," Frankopan wrote. In response, the pope called for the capture of Christianity's holy sites in the Holy Land, beginning the First Crusade. "Nobody called it the First Crusade back then, but their objective was to get the holy places back under Christian control," Malcolm Barber, emeritus professor of history at the University of Reading in the U.K., told All About History magazine in an email.

A multinational army was raised for the Crusade, led by several of Europe's monarchs and nobility. The Crusaders succeeded in capturing not only Jerusalem but also much of the region. They created four territories, known as Crusader States: the County of Edessa (1098-1150), the Principality of Antioch (1098-1287), the County of Tripoli (1102-1289) and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (1099-1298), which was also known as Outremer, meaning "overseas," from the French term "outre-mer."

Related: Crusader battlefield is unearthed in Israel

After most of the Crusaders returned to Europe, there remained a need to defend the Holy Land, as well as govern its population, which included Christians, Jews, Muslims and new settlers from Europe. "They needed to consolidate their hold on Jerusalem and the immediate vicinity," Barber said. "They didn't really have a consolidated state which you would colour in a solid area on a map. Another problem they had is that a certain number of places they controlled were very easy for an enemy to infiltrate, and there was nothing really to keep law and order. So, it was these circumstances that produced the Templars."

Pope Urban II at the Council of Clermont in 1095, announcing the First Crusade (Image credit: Public Domain / Bibliotheque nationale de France)

The Order of the Poor Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem, abbreviated to the Knights Templar, was created by Hugues de Payens, a French nobleman who had remained in Jerusalem after visiting sometime between 1114 and 1116. The name came from the Templar headquarters, located on the Temple Mount, in a wing of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which, at the time, served as a royal palace, rumored to be built on top of the ruins of the Temple of King Solomon, Discover magazine reported in 2020.

The Templars were first organized as a charity, acting as bodyguards to pilgrims traveling to and from the Holy Land. "They would set up patrols to protect people coming from the ports  in particular, from Jaffa, which was the main port closest to Jerusalem," Barber said. "Mostly, it was to deal with bandits and brigand groups, not to fight big battles against large forces, which, of course, they wouldn't be able to do in such small numbers."

The Knights Templar were officially recognized by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem in 1120, at the Council of Nablus. The king assigned tax revenues to the group to keep them clothed and fed. Before this, the knights were supported by donations from the Order of St. John of the Hospital in Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller , which the pope approved in 1113.

Despite this charitable support, the knights were not from poor backgrounds, Jones said. "The very first Templars were actually very wealthy, well-connected people," he told All About History magazine. "The first Templars swore oaths of chastity and poverty, but the only people that need to swear an oath of poverty are those who aren't poor to begin with."

Templar rules and organization

The Council of Nablus established 25 laws for the members of the Knights Templar to obey. These included a declaration regarding the use of violence, according to Jones. "It was Canon 20, and its first line stated simply that "if a cleric takes up arms in the cause of self-defence, he shall not bear any guilt," he wrote.

In 1129, the Council of Troyes, led by Hugues de Payens and Bernard of Clairvaux, created a further 68-point code of conduct for the Templars, known as the Primitive or Latin Rule. This set out regulations governing how the Templars should conduct themselves at all times and was designed to promote and showcase their piety and zeal. The rules covered everything from clothing, the types of horses they could ride, the length of their hair, the style of their beards and how much meat they could eat each week. In particular it forbade members from any contact with women, even female family members.

Related: Crusader hospital reconstructed in Jerusalem

However, according to Barber, many of these rules were eventually bent or even broken in order to attract new followers. "In the following years, they became more famous and got more recruits, so there was a demand for a Latin Rule that was more appropriate to their activities," he said. As the Templars grew in number, the Latin Rule became more flexible, and recruits did not have to join as full-time members, and some joined for a fixed period before leaving.

An aerial view of the Temple Mount from the south, including the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, which the Knights Templar used as their headquarters (Image credit: Andrew Shiva / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 4.0)

The organization included a variety of roles for noncombatant and frontline Templars. There were financiers involved in running the charity. The Grand Master was the absolute ruler of the order, and below him, the Seneschal served as his deputy. Next in the hierarchy were the Commander of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Commander of the City of Jerusalem, the Commander of Tripoli and Antioch, the Commander of Houses, the Commander of Knights and the Knight Brothers. The knights were a relatively small group, because they had to be noblemen. They wore the iconic white surcoat with a red cross representing Christ's sacrifice and their own willingness to martyrdom.

The Turcopoliers, senior officers, oversaw the Sergeant Brothers, who were not nobility and wore brown tunics with the red cross. The Under Marshal oversaw footmen. Knights rode into battle under the Beauceant banner, which featured the red cross with a horizontal black-and-white background.

The Turcopoliers, senior officers, oversaw the Sergeant Brothers, who were not nobility and wore brown tunics with the red cross. The Under Marshal oversaw footmen. Knights rode into battle under the Beauceant banner, which featured the red cross with a horizontal black-and-white background.

Knights in the crusades

The idea of Christians using violence to defend the faith was a controversial topic in the Middle Ages, with theologians such as St. Augustine of Hippo discussing how to reconcile the pacifist teachings of Jesus with fighting for spiritual gains, according to Barber.

"Inevitably, they couldn't fulfill their function without actually fighting," Barber said. "That then threw up the very difficult question of the legitimacy, within Christian society, which has been a perennial question throughout the centuries. Is Christianity about turning the other cheek, or is it about defending God's patrimony?"

The knights of the Crusades were at the time described as "militiae Christi," meaning "knighthood of Christ," according to Jones. "Given the strain on resources in the crusader states in the 1120s, it was a matter of necessity to concede that a cleric from time to time could wield weapons without reproach."

In 1139, Pope Innocent II's papal bull, or ruling, called Omne Datum Optimum (Every Good Gift), placed the Templars under direct protection from the papacy and confirmed the Latin Rule. The papal bull declared that the Templars did not have to pay tax or tithes (a portion of income) to the church and were free to travel across borders unhindered. They answered to nobody but the pope himself.

A 14th-century depiction of knights during the Siege of Jerusalem, 1099, part of the First Crusade (Image credit: Getty Images / Hulton Archive)

As the Knights Templar membership grew, it became a wealthy organization. It funded building projects across Europe and the Holy Land, including chapels that were constructed with circular naves, copying the design of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Templar buildings became so widespread, and the organization was so wealthy, that a myth emerged that the Templars were the world's first bankers, according to Jones.

"A better way to describe the Templars' sphere of business in modern terms would be as a financial service," Jones said. "Because they had such a vast and wide network of property, which was sanctified and well defended in many cases, they had access to a large repository. One could place their valuables with the Templars while they went off to the Crusades and protect their wealth in the meantime. The Templars were, much like many financial institutions of today, offering lots of different services. For instance, they were running the accountancy and auditing processes of the French government of the early 1100s and beyond."

End of the Templars

Once the Crusades were over and Muslim forces controlled Jerusalem, military orders, including the Templars, were blamed for the loss of the Holy Land. After the Mamluks conquered the city of Acre in 1291, the Templars and others retreated to the island of Cyprus.

Related: Vatican publishes Knights Templar papers

This prompted demands to reform the military orders. "From this point on, we start to hear a call for the Templars and all the other smaller orders to be combined into one super order, which would then, presumably, be used to retake the Holy Land," Jones said. Philip IV of France, who was in financial debt to the Templars, ordered the mass arrest of French Templars on Oct. 13, 1307, confiscating their property and wealth, History Today reported.

Detail of a miniature of the burning of the Grand Master of the Templars and another Templar. (Image credit: British Library / Public Domain)

Prosecutors charged the Templars with spitting and trampling on the cross and engaging in illicit sexual acts, as well as made accusations that the Templars' secretive ceremonies and beliefs were perverted and sacrilegious. "These people were looking for anything that could be used against the Templars, but the researchers found very little  we can see this from the records of the Templars' trials in 1307," Jones said. "Philip's case against the Templars had three main points: worshipping idols, spitting on the cross and that the Templars had been kissing one another in their induction ceremonies.

"We know a lot about these practices because we have copies of the French and Catalan Rules of the Templars, which describe the long and elaborate initiation processes that they used," Jones added. "These practices required the prospective member to present himself before his fellow Templars and be inducted into the order with the 'Kiss of Peace.' There was nothing untoward about this element of the ceremony until you get to around 1306 and King Philip IV of France's campaign to disassemble the Knights Templar."

Under torture, the Templars confessed to the charges. In 1308, Pope Clement V absolved the Templars of heresy, but the order and its reputation had already been damaged. In March 1312, Pope Clement V disbanded the Templars as an organization, and the order's members were arrested across Europe. Two years later, Jacques de Molay, the last Grand Master, was burned at the stake in Paris, on a charge of relapsed heresy.

Temple Church in London, built in the 12th century, was the Templar headquarters in England. (Image credit: MJ Kim / Staff / Getty Images)

Knights Templar today

Today, ruined and preserved Templar buildings can still be seen in Europe and the Near East, though they represent only a fraction of the many properties that originally belonged to the organization. "They had extensive estates right the way across western Christendom and in the East, until they began to lose them," Barber said. "When they retreated to Cyprus, they took their archive with them, but it doesn't exist anymore. The conventional view is, when the Turks took Cyprus in the 16th century, the archive was probably destroyed at that point."

Since the end of the original Knights Templar, other groups, including neofascist organizations, have attempted to revive the order or take inspiration from the Templars' practices, Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2018.
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The claim to theatrical fame of the Long Island hamlet of Yaphank has thus far rested with PG Wodehouse, who included the town in his lyrics for Jerome Kerns satirical hymn to the simple life, Bungalow in Quogue. But in the new play by current Tony Awards nominee Bess Wohl (Grand Horizons), now playing at the Old Vic in London, the area takes on a starkly different hue. The intriguing, darkly suggestive title Camp Siegfried produces an immediate frisson of history that underpins the play and its strengths. But there are moments when Wohls handling of that also leads to its weakness.

The tension between suggestion and literal depiction is neatly exemplified by Rosanna Vizes set, which for the most part consists solely of wooden slats, deftly lit by Rob Casey, hanging across the stage. This acts as a screen for the occasional burst of Tal Rosners black-and-white video footage of healthy-looking children, but more often serves as an elegant symbol of the woods where the camp is set.

Its here in the summer of 1938 that Luke Thallons strapping, healthy boy meets Patsy Ferrans studious, Latin-loving girl (named only in the script as Him and Her). Not only is she 16 and he 17, but he considers himself both older and wiser and sets about telling her what to do at the camp where he has been coming for years but where she is a newcomer.

As in the extraordinary real-life history of the camp, they are both German children who, we gradually understand, are being indoctrinated. But unlike in The Sound of Music, they are being actively encouraged not only to fraternize with each other after dark, but, we slowly discover, to breed. The camp is inculcating them with German values, especially those of the Nazis.

Wohls study of the effects of indoctrination, and the way teenagers thoughts, doubts and fears are hung upon their relationships, offers plenty of insight. In successive short scenes, she engagingly teases out the stages of their relationship from attraction through suspicion to connection and beyond as the two look at themselves, at each other, and at their future as increasingly guided by the camps ideology.

The more layered the writing, the stronger it is. But in the latter part of the play, overstatement gets the better of Wohl. Her thesis of the obvious dangers of the era, which the characters dont recognize but which the audience does, grows less effective as the play proceeds. And the parallels with the present (the play was written during Donald Trumps re-election campaign) feel too underlined. Despite Ferrans faultless performance, her two long speeches, one political, one personal, are explicit when something less so would have more power.

Director Katy Rudd occasionally pushes her actors a little hard: At the final preview, it felt that a little more relaxation would allow the play to breathe. But she has cast it brilliantly. Last seen being ideally and intellectually smug in Tom Stoppards Leopoldstadt, rising star Luke Thallon transforms himself here into a buoyant, perfect gilded youth, chopping logs and glowing with self-assurance. A sense of zeal shines off him. Hes particularly good at indicating while not actually showing the cracks beneath his surface confidence.

He is ideally matched by the magnetic Ferran who, already armed with one Best Actress Olivier for her revelatory Alma in Summer and Smoke, was previewing as Honey on Broadway in Joe Mantellos Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? when COVID-19 scuppered the production. Much of her vivid stage power derives from controlled understatement. Her character is as nerdy as she is nervous, but Ferran keeps her physicality taut rather than taking the obvious choice of trembling. By never resorting to display acting and instead giving space for the text do the work, she effectively adds an entire thoughtful layer to the character that you can feel the audience homing in on.

Ultimately, despite its many felicities, as the evening progresses you realize youre never in doubt about what the author wants you to think. Thats great in a thesis, but less so in a play. As Ferran and Thallon beautifully show, sometimes the less you explain, the stronger the drama.

The Old Vic, London; 1,067 seats; 90 ($124 top). Reviewed Sept. 16, 2021, opened Sept. 17. Running time: 1 HOUR, 30 MIN.

Running Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Production

An Old Vic production presentation of a play in one act by Bess Wohl.

Crew

Directed by Katy Rudd. Sets and costumes, Rosanna Vize; lighting, Rob Casey; sound, Ian Dickinson for Autograph; video, Til Rosner, production istage manager, Tamsin Withers.

With

Patsy Ferran, Luke Thallon.

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Chris Petrikin has stepped down from his role as executive vice president of global communications and corporate branding at Paramount Pictures. His exit comes on the heels of the announcement this week that ViacomCBS is replacing studio chief Jim Gianopulos with Nickelodeon head Brian Robbins. More executives are expected to follow him out the door during the leadership transition.

Petrikin was closely aligned with Gianopulos, with the pair working together for a decade at 20th Century Fox. After Stacey Snider took over the studio, Petrikin left Fox to form a strategic communications and crisis management consultancy.

Petrikin joined Fox in 2007 from the William Morris Agency to oversee corporate communications, media relations, trade advertising, awards campaigns, special events, and charitable activities. He joined William Morris in 2002 after working as a reporter and editor for several publications, including Variety, Daily Variety, Inside.com, and Inside Magazine.

Robbins is being tasked with expanding Paramounts contributions to Paramount Plus, the new streaming service that ViacomCBS launched with the hopes of loosening Netflixs dominance and competing with the likes of HBO Max and Disney Plus. His appointment was a shock at the film studio where Gianopulos was well-respected and well-liked. Many of the top executive core, a group that includes motion picture president Emma Watts and distribution chief Chris Aronson, worked alongside Gianopulos at Fox before joining him at Paramount.

Robbins is a former child actor who once starred on ABCs Head of the Class. He reinvented himself as a producer and director, overseeing such films as Hardball, Varsity Blues, and the critically pummeled Norbit, before becoming an entrepreneur. Robbins launched AwesomenessTV, a YouTube channel aimed at teenagers, which he later sold to DreamWorks Animation and then Viacom.

A spokesperson for ViacomCBS did not respond to a request for comment.

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The strangeness of Clint Eastwoods Cry Macho cannot be boiled down to any one thing  theres a lot going on  but its origins as a movie, one starring and directed by this particular Hollywood figure, no less, are surprisingly scattered. In so many ways, the movie plays like a straight shot of Eastwood on Eastwood, an act of summary, revision, and rhyme that almost could have been shocked to life by Doctor Frankenstein. Its components  its tropes and genre scaffolding, its shambly yet economical ease, so characteristic of the directors work of late  make it hard for anyone familiar with Eastwoods filmography, particularly his work behind the camera, not to think of everything thats come before it. Eastwood is in his nineties now, so to some degree every new film he makes cant help but feel like a culminating work, a knowing act of self-reflection; we expect nothing of our elders if not the capacity to look backward at the vast landscape of a life, rather than forward, where  well. We assume there must not be much on that end of the spectrum to see.



Were wrong about that. But Cry Macho nevertheless bears all the marks of a film looking backwards, dredging up old routines, seeing how they play out now that the Eastwood of yore isnt quite that man anymore. The movie doesnt exactly discourage comparisons to Eastwoods ongoing cinematic obsessions. Its A Perfect World (1993): a story of a man, a child, a kidnapping plot, and an overriding antithesis to the easy signaling of goodness or evil that any of that might imply. Its Gran Torino (2008): Eastwood the man playing on the idea of Eastwood the icon, with the additional, extraordinary hurdle of race and cultural differences being mapped back onto the history of that icon. Its The Mule (2018): rueful to the point of verging on meta-textual, loose in the limbs, self-aware with a question mark  the work of a late-career veteran whose primary concerns now are not with clean, classical, realistic dramaturgy or auteurish fussiness, but rather simply telling the story. Getting in, getting out, going home, and then somehow emerging with an unplaceably odd, ideologically vexing piece of Hollywood art anyway.

All of thats bubbling about in Eastwoods new movie. And somehow, theres room for yet more. Because Cry Macho also feels of a piece with any number of Eastwoods films about the perils of notoriety, a subject hes uniquely qualified as a director to explore. Everyones an icon nowadays  fine. But surely theres some VIP lounge among even that sacred echelon for people who are sincere, indisputable visual and cultural icons. People whove cut an inimitable figure into the big-sky horizons of the culture. That in itself wouldnt explain why, since his very first outing as a director (Play Misty for Me), Eastwood has returned, again and again, to the situation of fame, of legend. But its maybe one reason that his movies have had more of interest to say on the subject than most other movies. We could be talking about the hero of Unforgiven, whose violent reputation precedes him at first like a curse, then like a promise; or the more recent Sully, with its reluctant hero, very much a man who sees himself less as a savior than as a person who acted on human and professional instincts, but who gets drawn before the firing squad of public scrutiny regardless, impelled to explain those instincts.



We could keep going  Bronco Billy is at least worth mentioning  but the point is that Cry Macho looks like a duck, talks like a duck, and is therefore a Clint Eastwood movie. That it was once almost an Arnold Schwarzenneger movie, and before that, a Roy Scheider vehicle; that Eastwood originally turned the project down, in the 1980s, to instead make a Dirty Harry movie; that the movie really only exists, in the grand scheme of things, because the 1975 novel on which it is based, written by N. Richard Nash, became a novel after studios rejected it as a script  all of thats interesting. But its not as germane to strange feelings Cry Macho gives you with shots as simple to describe as Clint Eastwood on a horse, wearing his age but not succumbing to it. Or of Eastwood trading light verbal punches with a wise-ass youngun whose prized possession is a cock named Macho.



Eastwood stars as Mike Milo: once a rodeo icon and skilled horse trainer, now a has-been being fired in the opening scene of his own movie. His boss, Howard (Dwight Yoakam), lays it out in a ramble of a monologue things you sense hes wanted to say for some years. Mikes a nobody now. There was an accident; there was, separately, a tragedy. Then came drinking, drug abuse  you know how these things go. He is now an inconvenience. Until he isnt. A year after the firing, Howard needs a favor. Its a strange favor in any light  would you please, kindly, travel to Mexico to kidnap my teen son, whom I have not seen since he was six, from his abusive mother?  but for Mike it bears the additional pressures of his being washed out and, worse, of his not being able to say no. He owes Howard one, what with the long-term employment post-fame and all.



So its a movie about a kidnapping  but, Mike has to assume, one undergone for good reasons. When Mike lands in Mexico City, most signs point to the boy in question, Rafo (Eduardo Minett), being only too happy to leave. People say hes a bad egg. He runs the streets, he claims by contrast, because all the bad stuff happens at home. His mother Leta (Fernanda Urrejola) strikes an odd (generously), troubling (more frankly) chord in her characterization, pivoting from knowing power to seductive desperation, the sum of which is ultimately that Rafo is better off. Would you be surprised to learn that the same can be said of his father? But never mind  the old man, the kid, and the kids beloved rooster make their way, and the things that are supposed to happen between them, in a movie like this, more or less happen.



They happen at a surprisingly slack, easygoing pace, expanding beyond our central pair to encompass a world of danger (by way of federales and who-knows-who else) and a bit of tender loving care from a kindly woman named Marta (Natalia Traven), whose generosity bespeaks something close to genuine virtue. Theres much more than can be said about the what and who and why of it all, but whats satisfying and interesting about Cry Macho really does boil down to these essences. The movie ambles tonally between immediate danger and lackadaisical discourse, allowing most of all for an intent focus on the sudden spring of new, unexpected pleasures, the kind that a seen-it-all man like Mike doesnt seem to have imagined were still ahead of him. The plot of Cry Macho is straightforward: Mike and Rafo make their way part-way, then take shelter in strangers kindness, and all the while, uncertainties  police  circle them like vultures.

A new, good life brushes up against the agonizing reality of this being a hunt, not a vacation: the realization that whats good must in fact be temporary. Mike falling in love; Rafo finding a place that feels like home  of course these things cannot last. Cry Macho is unabashed in its sentimentality, to the point of being almost too swift about it. Suddenly, Mike and Marta are dancing, and it feels too good to be true, which it is. Its the sentimentality that makes the movie work; Eastwood has never shied from making a male weepie, and less so from rending the fact of his own age into a dramatic problem. The script (co-written by Nick Schenk and N. Richard Nash) at times has a prime-time movie literalism. Eastwood is at a point in his career where a bit of processed cheese in the script has hardly proven to be a reason not to use it. In this movies case, the storys tonal switcheroos will undoubtedly, for many, prove suspect; it feels off, it feels corny.



But it also feels pleasingly hands-off. The movies showing us where we ought really to be looking, and its not at the most implausible scenes or unsatisfying bits of plot maneuvering. Its at the twinkle in Eastwoods eye, shots of which hit at precisely the right moment, that reveal a world of experience. And at Mike and Rafos unencumbered comfort with each other, which outweighs the words stuffed into their mouths much of the time. Its also at the swirling indiscriminate quality of the police and similar authorities, who are characterized from the very start  in the moment that Mike crosses the border into Mexico  as equal parts powerful and ineffectual. Detached from their power is any sense of actual moral authority. Its all for show, and not for the first time in an Eastwood picture, though like in Richard Jewell and The Mule, the show is terrifying enough.



Thats an idea worth sitting with. It marks a throughline, sometimes more obvious than not, in Eastwoods career as both an actor and director, ranging from the nameless vigilante of Sergio Leones Westerns, who was his own authority, to the tragic overstepping of the cops in A Perfect World and the pestering government officials in Sully. The idea is one of virtue  as distinct from heroism or even moral or political goodness. And virtue, Cry Macho and other Eastwood movies tell us, is all the more striking for feeling so rare. It feels a bit out of fashion, especially as Hollywood movies have defined it over the years, and most especially as Hollywood movies of the terrain Eastwood is identified with, like Westerns, have defined it.

Virtuousness in Eastwoods films is wholly distinct from the question of whos wearing the badge, who has the authority. Look at the awkwardness, the utter lack of fashionability, of virtue as we saw it embodied by Eastwoods take on Richard Jewell. Here is a man who, with unfettered, embarrassing, goofball hubris, acts out his desperate desire to be a cop by fraudulently pretending to be one; who as a lowly security guard gets cropped and crowded out of the social domain of real cops to the point of becoming a joke; and who, in the wake of an actual act of heroism, becomes not the hero, but the scapegoat.



In a moral universe so keenly prescribed as this, the goodness we see in Cry Macho  goodness that seems to come with age or, as in the case of Marta and Mike both, after great sacrifice  resounds even as, scene to scene, the movie feels shaky. The degree to which this proves satisfying will vary from person to person. But as a fact of the movie, as a straight line to its heart, it manages against expectation to add up to something. Cry Macho gives us two endings  one evenly bittersweet, the other more firmly to either side of the line. The endings themselves are maybe foregone conclusions. But the feelings they inspire defy the odds.
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It may not have been as big and celebrity-filled as it usually is, but the TV Academys annual pre-Emmy party for performer nominees on Friday night was still a star-studded affair.

Pose star Mj Rodriguez, who goes into the Emmys on Sunday as the first trans woman to be nominated for an Emmy in a lead acting category, said she has been receiving a steady stream of texts from co-stars Billy Porter (who is also nominated) and Indya Moore since the start of the weekend. I just want to constantly keep making that change, Rodriguez told me on the red carpet. I want to constantly keep making history. I want to be at the front of change.

Rodriguez said she is proof that trans women are making inroads in Hollywood. I am testimony that it is possible, she said. Theres no excuses. The door is wide open and you can run right through it. Theres no crack. Theres no slipping in.

She acknowledges that there are plenty of trans women who helped pave the way for her success. Im glad I could be the one who held [the door] open a little longer, Rodriguez said.

Also at the party, held outside at the TV Academys offices in North Hollywood and hosted by Ketel One Vodka, were nominees Anthony Anderson, Giancarlo Esposito, O-T Fagbenle, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Brendan Scannell, Chris Sullivan, Jeremy Swift, Bobby Berk, Madeline Brewer and Yvette Nicole Brown.

Kathryn Hahn, nominated for her work as Agatha on WandaVision, told me she isnt writing an acceptance before the ceremony. Oh, god no! she exclaimed before explaining that she was happy the cast of the Disney Plus show will finally be able to celebrate the shows success together and in-person. [Agatha] is the part like when youre a little kid saying, Im going to be an actor, Hahn said of her work on the show. This is the kind of part you dream about when youre a little kid.

Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham said the cast and crew of the Apple TV Plus show will toast their 20 noms  whether they win or lose  with drinks. A lot of drinks.

Were English. Do you think were going to get probably quite drunk afterwards? Yes, yes, yes, she said. Knowing us lot, itll probably be like margaritas coming out of our eyeballs.

Proof of full vaccination was required to attend the Friday night party. Press on the carpet as well as publicists and event staff also had to wear masks. The menu included chicken sliders, salmon, noodle dishes and mini fruit pies.

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It tells the story of Alanis Morissettes rise, and of how she took over (and changed) the pop music landscape, in 1995, with the release of Jagged Little Pill. The album went on to sell 33 million copies; it remains the second biggest-selling album of the 90s, and the 12th biggest album of all time. But even before those stats piled up, you could feel the revolutionary fervor of it.

Early in the documentary, theres a nicely edited sequence of Morissette running out onto the stage at the start of a number of the concerts she did on that tour (which lasted for 18 months). That sounds like a standard way to kick off a music doc, but I was stunned by the shudder of electricity that went through me as I saw her take the stage. The crowds are screaming, and Alanis, in her long straight hair and T-shirts and loose-fitting dark pants, commands her rock-star moment with a spirit of casual exhortation that few musicians of the time could summon. She wasnt just giving a concert  she was bringing the news. The news about all the things women were not going to be quiet about anymore. In Jagged, she takes the stage like a furious herald angel.

As an album, Jagged Little Pill did something intensely idiosyncratic, which is why some members of the rock-critic establishment didnt get it. The album took two aesthetics in popular music that, up until that time, had been almost completely separate, and it fused them. One was the eruption of anger. In You Oughta Know, the first Morissette song to be played on the radio (it broke her into the stratosphere virtually overnight), the accusations poured out of her, and she delivered them as though possessed, with a holy snarl. Yet as bold as the song was, there was undeniably a context for that kind of expression. It was rooted in the ferocity of grunge, which grew out of 80s alternative, which grew out of punk, which grew out of primal rage. When I listen to Alanis Morissette, she often sounds, to my ears, a bit British, or maybe Irish or Scottish, as if she were singing with a hint of a brogue. The way I always interpreted that is that she needed that inflection to make the words crack like a whip, almost as if she were Joni Mitchell channeling John Lydon.

But thanks to how Morissette and her co-writer and producer, Glen Ballard, conceived, composed, and produced Jagged Little Pill, the albums anger was embedded in a lavish pop sensibility. Ballard, the producer of Wilson Phillips and Paula Abdul, gave it a wall of sound; the melodies were hooky and lyrical. That fusion, of defiance and sonic sensuality, is at the heart of what enticed so many listeners  and also put some of them off, as if Morissette, in taking her volcanic emotions and turning them into compulsively listenable pop, had somehow appropriated the anger of purer rockers and made it commercial.

Actually, she made it all new. Most of the songs on Jagged Little Pill were more confessional than angry, and the way Morissette sang them, she lifted the emotions and made them incantatory. Yet there was always a lot of sniping about her. How many times in the 90s did you have the conversation  for me, it was dozens  in which somebody said, She doesnt actually know what irony is. If it rains on your wedding day, thats not an example of irony. Ive never quite been able to define, in words, what irony is, but I do know this: Ironic is such a powerful song, and the image of rain on your wedding day is such an indelible image (of saddened dreams, of enduring love, of life itself), that the song makes it ironic. Maybe thats its true irony.

Alison Klayman, the director of Jagged, is a scrupulous filmmaker who goes off in new directions each time; she has made films about the underadvertised dangers of psychotropic drugs (Take Your Pills), the fascist drama of Steve Bannon (The Brink), and the heroism of Ai Weiwei (Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry). In Jagged, she looks at Alanis Morissettes life with open eyes, taking us back to that moment in the 90s, but also taking stock of what that moment means from the vantage of our own era. Morissette was just 21 when she became a superstar. Shes 47 now and talks to Klayman sitting cross-legged in a leather chair in her study, backdropped by a wall of books so looming and organized that it looks like it could be the set of a Wes Anderson film. To say that Morissette is articulate about her experience would be to understate the case; theres an enlightened Zen passion to her grasp of things. Part of the fascination of Jagged is that the story its telling looms even larger now, because we can see the trails Morissette was blazing, the doors she cracked open. Its not just that she broke glass ceilings (though she did that too). Its that she crafted a whole new way for women to imagine themselves.

She grew up in Ottawa, and the fact that she started off as a 15-year-old pop star in Canada, a kind of Debbie-Gibson-meets-Tiffany doing aerobic dances to manufactured synth pop, seemed, in the 90s, a kind of fluky fact about her (and not, in the end, all that exotic, given the comparable careers of people like Justin Timberlake). There were those who tried to shame her for her teen-pop backstory, as if that undercut her credibility. But Klayman, in fact, treats it as the integral first chapter of Morissettes mythology.

As a girl who became a (minor) celebrity, shoved into the thresher of the pop industry, working with the producer Leslie Howe, she was already peeking behind the magic mirror; she had an experience of the world that was precocious and traumatic. During video shoots, she wasnt allowed to eat (Morissette says this caused her eating disorders that lasted for years), and she alludes to what happened to her sexually  the experiences that, at the time, she viewed as consensual, but that she now sees more clearly as statutory rape. The Alanis we see in clips from the time  on talk shows, at award ceremonies  looks giddy but vulnerable, with a fawn-in-the-headlights look under her frizzy big hair. The lie she was telling was in what she denied: that though she was a star (and, indeed, because she was a star), the world of men was crushing her.

She cooperated less and less, chafing at the role of pop princess. But since thats all her record label, MCA, wanted her to be, the label dropped her. Which could have been the end of the story. That she persevered makes her no different, in theory, than a great many other pop stars. But once she put the teen-pop 1980s behind her, Morissette became a musician in search of an identity. And part of her story is that everything she was now turning her back on  the synthetic musical fakery, the sexual victimization  became the rocket fuel for her next act. Justin Timberlake didnt need to have a reckoning over his NSYNC days. George Michael, in the Freedom! 90 video, immolated his shiny black leather jacket as an act of liberation, but come on  its not like someone at the record company forced him to dress that way for the Faith video. Alanis, in reinventing herself, was ripping her entire being out of the patriarchal pop machine. Thats what set the stage for the exaltation of her anger.

In Los Angeles, she played a demo of one song for Glen Ballard, and that was it; he saw the light. Ballard didnt have a record-company budget to work with Alanis, but between February 1994 and February 1995, they did 20 day-long sessions in which they wrote and recorded 20 songs at his home studio. In every way, recalls Ballard, it was like a secret hand-made project that we just kind of amused ourselves with. (It was also a mode of two-person collaborative recording that paved the way for Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish.) Morissette and Ballard believed in what they were doing but didnt know what they had, and when they shopped the album around to the major labels, no one wanted it. It was the young executive Guy Oseary, working for Madonnas boutique label, Maverick Records, who came to the rescue. He signed Alanis, and the rest became history as soon as KROQ, the seminal L.A. rock station, began to play You Oughta Know. Within a week, thousands showed up for Alaniss second club gig.

Documentary filmmakers are always looking for access. In the case of a film like Jagged, that means, in no small part, access to footage  the backstage video and home movies, the intimate documentation of a tour that took place 25 years ago. Klayman gets extraordinary access, which allows her to channel the excitement of that tour, and the brash intimacy of backstage rock culture. Morissette, at 21, was so young yet wise; her feminist outlook had a cosmic consciousness. Her band members were five dudes, most of them bleach-blond, and they shared a trust and affection thats visible. Theres one moment of tension, however. The band members, notably the drummer Taylor Hawkins (who went on to join Foo Fighters), talk about all the fans they slept with on the tour, acknowledging that they calculatedly dangled the prospect of meeting Alanis, and therefore her status as a liberated rock heroine, as a lure. The most debaucherous tour I ever did was with Alanis Morissette, says Hawkins with a grin. The men acknowledge their hypocrisy, and Morissette says that she was incredibly pissed off at them for it.

Is this the section of the film that Morissette now objects to? Jagged premiered at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 14, and Morissette made a point of not being there to support it, saying, This was not the story I agreed to tell. She said she found the finished documentary salacious and unfactual. She was not specific in her allegations  which is why I ask if this five-minute section about the offstage behavior of her band members was what she objected to. Perhaps it was the stories of her own abuse at the hands of exploitative men back in her Canadian teen-pop days. Yet Morissette, in the film, forthrightly addresses each of these issues. And they are all, in my view, relevant and fair game for a documentary filmmaker.

Obviously, Alanis Morissette has every right not to like a film about her (even if she cooperated with it). But what I can testify to is that Jagged is not a movie that goes on exploitative detours; its actually a model of how to make a documentary that understands and celebrates an artist but also takes the long view of her. Unlike so many recent music docs, it doesnt shy away from cultural criticism: Writers from Lorraine Ali to Hanif Abdurraqib offer insightful testimony as to what it was that made Morissette an incandescent talent. The films deconstruction of You Oughta Know is brilliant. But it also has Kevin Smith pointing out that Morissette made music men strongly identified with. (Thats part of the empathy of rock.) On stage, as the movie captures, her ferocity was rapturous, but most of her music was laced with joy. Much as I love Jagged Little Pill, there are days when my favorite Alanis Morissette song is Thank U, off the follow-up album, a song about the journey from pain to happiness  and one that, by the end, is so suffused with happiness that it makes your heart stopand start again. Only a true voice can do that.

Reviewed online (Toronto Film Festival), Sept. 15, 2021. MPAA Rating: Not rated. Running time: 97 MIN.

Production

An HBO release of a Ringer Films production, in association with Aliklay Productions. Producers: Jaye Callahan, Alison Klayman, Kyle Martin. Executive producers: Bill Simmons, Jody Gerson, Marc Cimino.

Crew

Director: Alison Klayman. Camera: Julia Liu. Editor: Brian Goetz. Music: Ilan Isakov, Tom Deis, Alanis Morissette.

With

Alanis Morissette, Glen Ballard, Lorraine Ali, Hanif Abdurraqib, Kevin Smith, Shirley Manson, Guy Oseary, Johanna Stein, Lisa Worden, Steve Baltin, Chris Chaney.

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A Mexican citizen used a fake green card he had purchased for nearly $2,300 to go through International Bridge 2, according to an arrest affidavit.

Oscar Martinez-Perez, of Actopan, Veracruz, Mexico was charged with use and attempt to use a counterfeit legal permanent resident card.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is moving the national headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management back to the nations capital after two years in Colorado, reversing a decision by former President Donald Trump's administration to move the agency closer to the region it serves.

The land management bureau, which oversees nearly one-fifth of the nations public lands, lost nearly 300 employees to retirement or resignation after its headquarters was moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, in 2019. Grand Junction will be rechristened the agency's western headquarters, Haaland said in a news release, and have an important role to play in the bureaus clean energy, outdoor recreation, conservation, and scientific missions."

With control of 245 million acres, the agency has broad influence over energy development and agriculture in the western U.S., managing public lands for uses ranging from fossil fuel extraction, renewable power development and grazing, to recreation and wilderness.

Trump's first interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, initiated the headquarters move west and called it a needed reorganization that put top agency officials closer to the public lands it oversees. The move was completed under David Bernhardt, who succeeded Zinke in 2019.

Critics said the Trump administration intended to gut the agency and pointed to the number of people who refused to transfer to Colorado as evidence of the administrations bid to get rid of career employees. A similar mass exodus occurred after two Agriculture Department research agencies were moved from Washington to Kansas City, Missouri, under Trump.

Haaland, who opposed the BLM move as a congresswoman from New Mexico, visited the Colorado headquarters in July a fter being confirmed as interior secretary.

Top Colorado Democrats, including Gov. Jared Polis and members of the states Congressional delegation, wanted the headquarters to stay in Grand Junction. Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper said Haalands decision to keep a presence in Grand Junction will help ensure we have a fully functioning agency that understands the West.

To succeed, the western headquarters must be a strong, permanent presence that engages the community and adds a Western perspective and value to the BLMs mission, Hickenlooper said. The Trump administration scattered jobs throughout the region and assigned only a few dozen positions to a shell headquarters in Grand Junction, Hickenlooper added.

Haaland said in her statement that the past several years have been incredibly disruptive to the organization, to our public servants and to their families.

Theres no doubt that the BLM should have a leadership presence in Washington, D.C.  like all the other land management agencies  to ensure that it has access to the policy, budget and decision-making levers to best carry out its mission,'' she said. BLMs presence in Colorado and across the West will continue to grow, she added.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the bureau does not need two headquarters.

The Biden administrations answer for everything is to double the size of government, Barrasso said. The single headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management belongs in the West, closer to the resources it manages and the people it serves.

What the BLM needs "is an honest director who doesnt bring shame to the agency,'' Barrasso said, referring to President Joe Bidens nominee to lead the bureau, former Democratic aide Tracy Stone-Manning, who received no Republican support in an energy panel vote on her nomination in July. Barrasso and other GOP senators have lambasted Stone-Manning over alleged links to a 1989 environmental sabotage investigation.

Stone-Manning will face a full Senate vote in order to become the new director. It would take every Senate Republican plus at least one Democratic lawmaker to block her confirmation in the evenly divided chamber. Haaland, who would be Stone-Mannings boss, reiterated her full support for the nominee during her Colorado visit.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A statue of Christopher Columbus that was taken down from Mexico Citys central boulevard wont be going back up for months.

Restorers say that years of protest graffiti and weather have taken their toll on the 1877 statuary and it will not be ready for reinstallation until the first half of 2022, and when it does go back up it will be at a less prominent and sensitive location.

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. Protesters frequently targeted the Columbus statue for graffiti.

City authorities announced this week that Columbus and the four missionaries who surround him will be reinstalled in a park in an upscale Mexico City neighborhood. The prime site on the citys iconic Reforma boulevard will be given to a statue representing an Indigenous woman, but a replacement hasn't been picked yet.

The decision to replace him has raised hackles in Mexico City, just as the presence of the Italian explorer had angered supporters of Indigenous rights. They say Columbus didn't discover the Americas  Indigenous people had long lived here  and that he only ushered in a colonial era of theft, displacement and death.

Diego Jauregui is the restorer heading up a team from the National Institute of Anthropology and History that has been given the task of restoring the standing figure of Columbus, and the seated figure of the monks around him.

Jauregui tries not to get into the politics of it all.

The only thing I can say is that we do not have any control over what meaning people ascribe to the historical monuments or cultural patrimony," said Jauregui.

Culture and society are changing and we cannot avoid things happening, he said, in a apparent reference to red paint that demonstrators doused Columbus with, to protest the treatment of Indigenous people.

What we can do, however, is to fulfill our duty to protect, safeguard and transmit to future (generations) these historical monuments, beyond whatever meanings or controversies," he said.

Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the spot on a traffic circle on Reforma boulevard should be given to an Indigenous woman because to them we owe ... the history of our country, of our fatherland."

Sheinbaum said the function of statues is to communicate history, and the fact that Columbus appeared in a heroic pose in such a prominent spot had the effect of silencing the other part of the story. Replacing him at the spot is an act against historical silence, she said.

Sheinbaum appeared happy with a decision by a city committee to put the explorer in a quiet park in the ritzy Polanco neighborhood, where protests seldom occur. She has called him a great international personage.

But opposition to what critics call erasing history has also sprung up. A petition posted on the Change.org site calling for Columbus to be returned to his original spot has garnered over 31,000 signatures.

We Mexicans, and particularly residents of the capital feel indignant and offended by the removal of our historical patrimony, the petition states.

We think this is a populist decision by the mayor that represents only a minority of the population who agrees with her revisionist version of history, without taking into account that the statue has nothing to do with ideology, it reads.

But supporters of the move say the time had come: This year is the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Aztec city 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 Mexicos 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.

City authorities had originally proposed that a modernist head of an Indigenous woman, a sculpture known as Tlali, would go on the spot. But now they say a decision has yet to be made.

Mexico City is not the only metropolis that has had problems. Columbus statues have been attacked and even toppled in Chile, Colombia and the United States. In 2013, the city government of Buenos Aires, Argentina decided to replace a Columbus statue near government headquarters with one of Independence hero and part-Indigenous Juana Azurduy.

Jauregui works on restoring the bronze Columbus statue in a protected, tent-covered area. The layers of paint and graffiti reflect all the Oct. 12s it has lived through.

As it became a recurrent phenomenon, you just see it as part of your work, as something inevitable that happens, he says of the damage.
PARIS (AP)  Americas oldest ally, France, recalled its ambassador to the United States on Friday in an unprecedented show of anger that dwarfed decades of previous rifts.

The relationship conceived in 18th century revolutions appeared at a tipping point after the U.S., Australia and Britain shunned France in creating a new Indo-Pacific security arrangement.

It was the first time ever France has recalled its ambassador to the U.S., according to the French foreign ministry. Paris also recalled its envoy to Australia.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement that the French decision, on request from President Emmanuel Macron, is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made by Australia and the United States.

He said Australia's decision to scrap a big French conventional submarine purchase in favor of nuclear subs built with U.S. technology is unacceptable behavior between allies and partners.

Ambassador Philippe Etienne tweeted the announcements are "directly affecting the vision we have of our alliances, of our partnerships and of the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.

The Biden administration has been in close contact with French officials about the decision to recall Etienne to Paris, National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said.

We understand their position and will continue to be engaged in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance," she said in a statement. France is our oldest ally and one of our strongest partners, and we share a long history of shared democratic values and a commitment to working together to address global challenges.

State Department spokesman Ned Price also stressed the value the U.S. places on its relationship with France and expressed hope that talks between the two sides will continue in the coming days, including at the United Nations General Assembly next week.

Macron, however, for the first time since he came into office in 2017, won't be making a speech to the annual meeting of world leaders. Le Drian will instead deliver the French address.

The Australian government said it regretted France's decision to recall its ambassador to that nation.

Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests, Foreign Minister Marise Paynes office said in a statement. It added that Australia valued its relationship with France and looked forward to future engagements together.

The decision to recall the ambassador represents a shocking turnaround for France under Macron, who  after an increasingly bitter relationship with former President Donald Trump  warmly clasped hands with Biden at a G-7 summit in June and confirmed that America is back.

Macron has not yet commented on the issue. The recall is his boldest foreign policy move yet in a four-year presidency in which he has sought to strengthen Frances diplomatic footprint and role in European policy-making, and to rally Frances neighbors around his vision for a Europe less dependent on the U.S. military umbrella.

France has pushed for several years for a European strategy for boosting economic, political and defense ties in the region stretching from India and China to Japan and New Zealand. The EU this week unveiled its plan for the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier Friday, a top French diplomat, who spoke anonymously in line with customary government practice, said that Macron received a letter from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday morning announcing the decision to cancel the submarine deal.

French officials then decided to reach out to the U.S. administration "to ask what was going on," he said. He added that discussions with Washington took place just two to three hours before Biden's public announcement.

Le Drian on Thursday expressed total incomprehension at the move and criticized both Australia and the U.S.

It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed, he said. This is not done between allies.

He also compared Biden's move to those of Trump under his America First doctrine.

Paris had raised the issue of the Indo-Pacific strategy during the June 25 visit to Paris of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing the importance of its submarine program with Australia, the French diplomat said.

We said that it was for us a very important and critical component in our Indo-Pacific strategy, he said. Blinken met with Macron during the visit.

The French diplomat said Australia never mentioned to France its will to shift to nuclear-powered submarines, including during a meeting between Macron and Morrison in Paris on June 15.

A recall of ambassadors is highly unusual between allied countries.

In 2019, Paris recalled its envoy to neighboring Italy after the countrys leaders made critical public comments about the French government. Last year, France recalled its ambassador to Turkey after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Macron needed mental health treatment.

___

Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington, Edith Lederer at the United Nations, Rod McGruk in Canberra, Australia, and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to the story.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A judge ruled Friday that prosecutors can't argue that a man who shot three people during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin is affiliated with the Proud Boys or that he attacked a woman months before the shootings, bolstering his position as he prepares for a politically charged trial.

Kyle Rittenhouse is set to stand trial beginning Nov. 1 on multiple counts, including homicide. The 18-year-old argues he opened fire in self-defense after the men attacked him. Prosecutors say they have infrared video from an FBI surveillance plane that shows Rittenhouse followed and confronted the first man he shot.

Kenosha was in the throes of several nights of chaotic demonstrations after a white police officer shot Jacob Blake, a Black man who was paralyzed from the waist down. Rittenhouse traveled from his home in Antioch, Illinois, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) to Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, in response to a call on social media to protect businesses there.

Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz with an AR-style semiautomatic rifle, killing Rosenbaum and Huber and wounding Grosskreutz. Conservatives across the country have rallied around Rittenhouse, raising $2 million to cover his bail. Black Lives Matter supporters have painted him as a trigger-happy racist.

During a hearing Friday on several motions, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger asked to argue at trial that Rittenhouse subscribes to the Proud Boys' white supremacist philosophies and violent tactics. Binger pointed out that Rittenhouse was seen at a bar with members of the white nationalist group's Wisconsin chapter in January and traveled to Miami days later to meet the group's national president.

Binger also asked the judge to allow evidence that Rittenhouse attacked a woman in June 2020 as she was fighting his sister. He also wants to show jurors video from 15 days before the shootings in which Rittenhouse said he would like to shoot some men he thought were shoplifting from a pharmacy.

Binger said Rittenhouse's affiliation with the Proud Boys, the fight and the video show Rittenhouse's propensity toward violence. He described Rittenhouse as a chaos tourist and teenage vigilante who came to Kenosha looking for trouble.

Rittenhouse attorney Corey Chirafisi countered that none of the events are relevant to the shootings. Nothing shows Rittenhouse was connected to the Proud Boys on the night of the protest or that the shootings were racially motivated, Chirafisi said, pointing out that Rittenhouse and the men he shot were white.

Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder agreed with the defense about the June fight and interactions Rittenhouse has had with the Proud Boys. He deferred a decision on the pharmacy video but said he was inclined to exclude it.

It was during discussion about that video that Binger said prosecutors have infrared surveillance footage that he said shows Rittenhouse chasing Rosenbaum, who was the first person Rittenhouse shot.

Rittenhouse attorney Mark Richards maintained it was Rosenbaum who started chasing Rittenhouse, yelling out, Kill him! He said Rosenbaum cornered Rittenhouse in front of a row of cars in a parking lot and threw a bag at him before trying to grab Rittenhouses gun.

Binger said the surveillance footage shows Rittenhouse chasing Rosenbaum with a fire extinguisher before Rosenbaum turned to confront him. Binger said Rosenbaum was probably trying to push the barrel of Rittenhouses rifle away.

After Rittenhouse shot Rosenbaum, people in the streets began chasing him. Video from the night of the protests shows Rittenhouse shot Huber after Huber hit him with a skateboard and tried to grab his gun. Grosskreutz then approached Rittenhouse with a gun and Rittenhouse shot him.

Schroeder denied a defense request to argue that Rosenbaum was trying to steal Rittenhouses rifle because Rosenbaum was a sex offender and couldnt legally possess a firearm.

He delayed ruling on defense requests to dismiss a charge that Rittenhouse possessed his gun illegally because he was a minor and to allow testimony from an expert on police use-of-force. He set another hearing for Oct. 5.

___

Associated Press writers Michael Tarm in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and Doug Glass in Minneapolis contributed to this report.
MENOMONIE, Wis. (AP)  A suspect in the shooting deaths of four Minnesotans who were found in an abandoned SUV in Wisconsin surrendered to authorities in Arizona on Friday.

Dunn County Sheriff Kevin Bygd said in a statement that Antoine Darnique Suggs, 38, turned himself in to police in Gilbert, Arizona, a Phoenix suburb. He said Suggs had been living in the Phoenix area recently before traveling to Minnesota in the last couple of weeks.
Shock.

Thats what Ruth Simmons, the president of a historically Black university in Texas, felt in December when she received a call informing her that the school would be gifted $50 million  many times the size of the previous largest contribution it has received. Simmons, who leads Prairie View A&M University, thought she misheard the caller, so she asked for the amount to be repeated: Five-Zero.

The donor this time was MacKenzie Scott, who has reset the philanthropic agenda for racial equity while barely saying a word. Similar stories of surprise have flooded in from across the country in the past year as colleges and nonprofits received unexpected gifts from Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett.

Scott, a 51-year-old novelist, received the bulk of her fortune from her 2019 divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. After the police killing of George Floyd, she funded the top recipients of racial equity donations in 27 states, according to an AP analysis of preliminary data from the philanthropy research organization Candid. The data, which includes only contributions from institutional funders, shows that Scott was responsible for $567 million distributed to such organizations. (Two organizations declined to say how much they received from the philanthropist.)

In at least 11 states, Scott provided the majority of racial equity-oriented contributions to the top recipients. She was the sole major donor to these groups in 10 other states, with donations for education dominating her giving.

Scotts impact in some states could be larger still, because it remains unclear how all of the $8.7 billion she has donated since 2020 has been distributed to individual organizations. The impact of the donations per state is also difficult to analyze because some of them, like those given to schools and national organizations, may have broader benefits.

Theres no question in my mind that anyones personal wealth is the product of a collective effort, and of social structures which present opportunities to some people, and obstacles to countless others, Scott wrote in a July 2020 post announcing $1.7 billion in contributions. She said her funding decisions were driven by a deep belief in the value different backgrounds bring to problem-solving on any issue.

Scott, later joined by Jewett, backed those words with hundreds of millions of dollars in donations to HBCU powerhouses like Morehouse College and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, to little-known groups like Yee Ha olnii Doos Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund and to chapters of international groups like United Way.

Many organizations say Scotts gifts were the largest theyve ever received.

After Scott's split with Bezos, she pledged to give most of her wealth away, echoing the vows of other mega-donors like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Since then, her donations have flowed into the hands of organizations focused on racial equity, COVID relief and other issues. Because of the extraordinary growth in the value of Amazon stock, Scott's wealth is even larger today  about $60 billion, according to Forbes  than it was when she started giving her money away.

That means Scott's ability to influence philanthropy will continue for the foreseeable future. Her intention, she has said, is to keep giving until the safe is empty. And because her gifts come with no strings attached and allow organizations to set their own priorities, it's been a welcome change for many who feel hamstrung by donor pet projects.

The most cherished gifts are definitely those that are unrestricted because a complex university has a wide variety of needs, said Simmons, who notes those gifts allow universities to deal with their meat-and-potatoes issues.

When Prairie View A&M received Scotts $50 million gift last fall, it created a $10 million scholarship fund for students most vulnerable to dropping out because of a job loss or some other financial stress brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, Simmons said, the school has given more than $5 million in scholarships from that fund, with the rest set to be awarded by the middle of next year.

It helped immensely in terms of addressing the pressing needs of students who could not meet their financial obligations, said Simmons, adding that many Prairie View A&M students work to supplement their financial aid.

A large chunk of Scott's donation  $35 million  was put in the schools endowment, which now stands at $143 million.

This is just a stark contrast to what weve seen, particularly in recent decades, as donors have asserted themselves not only through the gifts, but also (by) wanting to be on boards or being able to get as close to the things that theyre funding as possible, said Tyrone Freeman, a professor at Indiana Universitys Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. (The AP and the Lilly School receive funding from the Lilly Endowment.)

Yet Scott's donations have also prompted some calls for greater transparency. As an individual, she isn't subject to the same disclosure requirements that apply to mega-donors who contribute through charitable foundations. Nor do her announcements reveal how much she gives to individual groups. That means the amounts that these organizations receive are known only if they announce it themselves. Many have not.

By providing such sizable donations to nonprofit organizations, Scott took on the role as a leading benefactor of the U.S. nonprofit sector, said Maribel Morey, executive director of the Miami Institute for the Social Sciences. Asking for greater transparency is just giving more agency to the public, so they know how and why decisions are being made about the public good.

A spokesperson for The Bridgespan Group, the philanthropic consultancy firm that advises Scott on her donations, told the AP that the company doesnt comment on its clients but encourages unrestricted donations.

Some of Scotts racial equity contributions intersected with COVID-19 relief because the effects of the pandemic were disproportionately felt in minority communities. Around the same time that Prairie View A&M received millions, Ethel Branch, a former attorney general of the Navajo Nation who started a COVID relief fund for Native American Navajo and Hopi families in the early days of the pandemic, received a call informing her that $10 million was coming her way.

It was at a time when we had pretty much exhausted all of our GoFundMe dollars, said Branch, who leads the Utah-based Navajo & Hopi Families COVID-19 Relief Fund. I couldnt even go on social media because there were too many people posting about losing family members. And it was just a really dark time.

The group, and its 1,300 volunteers, used the funding to provide water, personal protective equipment and food to Navajo and Hopi families in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico, Branch said. All told, they reached over half a million people.

But nearly a year since Scott's gift, Branch says the relief fund's resources are dwindling  a result, perhaps, of pandemic donor fatigue and an assumption that the group might no longer need money because of Scott's gift.

By contrast, Prairie View A&M has had more contributions from other donors after Scott's donation. At universities, big donors commonly have buildings or centers named after them. Yet there isn't going to be a Scott Center at Prairie View. She didnt want that, Simmons said.

So the HBCU head came up with a little secret and established a writing program named after Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize-winning Black novelist who taught Scott during her college days at Princeton University and who hired her as a research assistant on the 1992 novel Jazz.

Thats as far as we could go in demonstrating our gratitude for her generosity, Simmons said.
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.

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Judge Seamus Hughes has handed down a number of fines for breaches of Covid-19 regulations at last weeks sitting of Longford District Court.

Viktorija Preisaitiehe and Dinis Biedr of 11 Ardagh Woods, Longford were each fined 250 for being more than five kilometres from home. They told the court they were travelling to B&Q to purchase flowers and paint for their home.

Wayne Stokes was charged with organising a party on February 4, 2021, at 3 Padraic Colum Heights. Gardai were called to a gathering on the property at approximately 3.45pm and discovered a number of people at the property.

Mr Stokes told gardai that the gathering was of family members following an anniversary mass. A fixed penalty notice was issued and remained unpaid.

Judge Hughes fined Mr Stokes 250, giving him three months to pay.

Stephen Murtagh, 5 Victory Court, Earl Street, Longford, was charged with being more than five kilometres away from home.

Gardai were called to a gathering at Moy Mews at approximately 1pm on March 13 and alleged that Mr Murtagh was among those present.

Mr Murtagh said he was visiting his mother but didnt remember attending the gathering.

Gardai told the court that, while Mr Murtaghs mother lives in Ballymahon, she did not live in Moy Mews, so he had no essential reason to be there.

I actually dont remember what situation he (Gda OBrien) was on about, said Mr Murtagh, indicating that he would not be pleading guilty to the charge.

Juge Hughes fined him 500 for attending the gathering and gave him three months to pay.
With the back-to-school rush, and the darker evenings, its easy to forget the summer thats just passed but for some of us, its been a summer like no other in Longford.

Longford Live and Local began preparation in early June and finally put on its debut gig on July 9.



Since then the Live and Local team under the careful stewardship of project co-ordinator Shane Crossan of Republic of Culture, has staged 50 concerts across the county with an attendance of over 7,000 people at 27 venues.

In doing so, the programme has supported 120 local musicians toward a much-awaited return to live performance.

A festival of this scale would seem unachievable in the most normal of times, but this programme was even delivered in compliance with Covid-19 public health guidelines throughout.



It introduced venues not commonly used as performance spaces and brought the music into the heart of local communities again right on their doorsteps.

It is also significant that Longford County Council hosted more live music events outside of Dublin in July and August, than any other county in Ireland!

Showcasing talent of all ages and genres, fans enjoyed country and western music, trad, RnB, indie, rock n roll, classical, jazz, blues and folk all performed by local musicians  such is the depth of talent that lies within the boundaries of County Longford.

The summer saw Longfordians bask in beautiful sunshine and brave biblical rain as they revelled in the opportunity to blow off some steam to the likes of Mick Flavin, Declan Nerney, Ravens Edge, AudioPilot, Aoife Mulligan, Ril Og, Purify, Gipsy Boii-G and more incredible homegrown talent.

And this weekend is no exception as the final event of the Longford Live & Local summer programme takes place.

Cronin play this Saturday, September 18 at Drumlish Community Centre and theres no way better to finish the festival than with Irelands hardest working band.

Brothers Johnny and Michael Cronin alongside Fiachra Milner and Brian Murphy have become the go-to band on the professional music scene.

Cronin are best described as celtic indie with soul. Based out of Transmission Rooms Recording Studio, the four-piece host artists such as Shane MacGowan, The Academic, The Blizzards, Kodaline and have shared the stage with U2, Van Morrison, Maise chiefs and more.

The band are regular collaborators with punk poet Shane MacGowan and made a stellar return to the stage at Mullingars Music at Meares Court festival last weekend.

This weekend will be Live and Locals 50th concert and it will be the finale of the festival.

So, go to Eventbrite, book your free tickets and well see you there.
Three New Ice Cream Shops to Scoop You Off Your Feet

Food, Wine, & Dining

By Ls Cohen Published: September 18 2021

Places to satisfy your sweet tooth.

When youre out and have a craving for ice cream check out one of these new ice cream joints. Best thing is they are all located in some of the best walkable villages on Long Island so you can take your cone on the go.

Cloud Nine Ice Cream & Cereal Bar Opens in Smithtown

Photo: Cloud Nine Ice Cream & Cereal Bar Facebook page.

The owners of Cloud Nine Ice Cream & Cereal Bar were first inspired to launch a fusion dessert place after they went to a similar shop in New York City a few years ago. Lexi Balunas and Matt Pesko opened Cloud Nine Ice Cream & Cereal Bar in Patchogue last year serving up ice cream infused with cereal. Now, they have brought their delicious concoctions to Smithtown.

Location: 83 E Main Street, Smithtown.

Munchies to Satisfy Sweet Tooth of Late Night Partiers in Patchogue

Photo: LS Cohen.

Imagine youre out with friends at dinner or drinks at your favorite haunt in Patchogue Village and you suddenly get a craving for a cookie. Where are you gonna go? If Savannah Schwack has her way, you will pop into her new late night dessert shop on Main Street called, appropriately enough, Munchies. Click here to read more.

Location: 50 Main Street, Patchogue.

Ice Cream Chick Now Serving In Huntington

Photo: Ice Cream Chick Facebook page.

A new ice cream place has opened in Huntington, and while the owner is stepping out on her own, she has globs of ice cream parlor experience behind her.

According to a story on Huntington Patch, owner Christine Cairo worked at Krisch's in Massapequa for years before she thought of starting her own shop.

Cairo's brother owns Krisch's, and she received an offer to make the Huntington storefront a Krisch's satellite, the story says. Her husband, Paul Cairo, also said she could share the name Strong Island Ice Cream  the parlor he founded in Nesconset. However, Christine declined and opted to fly solo instead.

The Ice Cream Chick occupies the same site where Herrell's Ice Cream used to be but closed this June after 13 years in business, according to a story in Greater Huntington.

Location: 46L Gerard Street, Huntington, (631) 673-1100.
(Alliance News) - Holiday bookings are expected to soar after the UK government announced a relaxation of international travel rules, but concerns have been raised over a changed approach to Covid-19 testing.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed on Friday that the traffic light system is set to be replaced from October 4 by a single, reduced "red list" of destinations from where travellers arriving in England will have to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel.

People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning from non-red list destinations, and from the end of October they will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

Alan French, chief executive of travel firm Thomas Cook, said October half-term bookings were up 200% compared to August and he expected this figure to increase as a result of the changed system.

"Based on our bookings already today, I would expect this weekend to be the biggest of the year so far as people take advantage of the great deals on offer, the new easier rules on testing and the simplified system for international travel," he said.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of holiday company Tui UK, part of Tui AG, said he had already seen "an uptick in bookings for Turkey in October" and expected a boost in customer confidence with the new rules.

Online travel agency Skyscanner said it saw a 133% spike in traffic in the 30 minutes following Shapps's announcement, while there had been "huge increases" in searches for destinations such as Turkey and the Maldives in anticipation of Friday's news.

But Labour has raised concerns over how the monitoring for coronavirus variants will continue amid the plans to scrap PCR test requirements.

Shadow transport secretary Jim McMahon said: "PCR tests play a crucial role in identifying variants of concern and ministers must now set out in detail exactly how they will continue this surveillance a including whether they plan to increase sequencing of tests a to ensure we do not see a repeat of the failings that allowed the Delta variant to spread rapidly through the country."

The Scottish Government said it would drop the traffic light system but would not follow England in removing the pre-departure test requirement for the fully vaccinated returning from non-red list countries.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson said there were "concerns" this would "weaken our ability to protect the public health of Scotland's communities".

Scotland will also not copy England in using lateral flow tests on day two at this stage.

The Welsh government said it would consider the UK government's proposed changes, but health and social services minister Eluned Morgan warned they could "weaken the line of defence on importing infection and increase opportunities for new infections and new variants to enter the UK and Wales".

Both administrations said they would mirror the changes to the red list destinations.

Under the changed travel system for England, unvaccinated passengers from non-red list countries will have to take a pre-departure test, and a PCR test on days two and eight after returning.

However, travellers who have a valid vaccination certificate from 17 additional countries and territories a including Japan and Singapore a will be treated as if they had been jabbed in the UK.

Meanwhile, eight countries a including Turkey, Pakistan and the Maldives a are being removed from the red list with effect from 4am on Wednesday.

Travellers from Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman, Bangladesh and Kenya will also no longer be required to hotel quarantine from that date.

Shapps said the measures were intended to strike the "right balance", simplifying the system while managing the public health risk "as No.1 priority".

Airport Operators Association chief executive Karen Dee said the easing of restrictions should encourage more people to travel over the winter, but urged ministers to go further.

easyJet PLC chief executive Johan Lundgren said it was a "welcome step forward" which would make travel to Europe significantly easier although there was more that needed to be done.

By PA Reporters

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
Leaders of the EU's bloc of nine southern European members on Friday demanded urgent global action to combat a worsening climate crisis and build a sustainable future for the Mediterranean region.

Leaders from Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, Malta, Portugal and Spain met in Athens to discuss climate change after devastating summer wildfires highlighted the challenges a warmer world poses for southern Europe.

The Mediterranean was now suffering "unprecedented ecological damage and response capabilities are being stretched to the limit", they said in a joint statement after their meeting, joined by EU Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.

"Such vulnerability is going to increase due to the accelerating impacts from climate change in the region leading to losses in welfare in terms of economic impacts due to climate change," the statement said.

EU scientists have said the Mediterranean has become a "wildfire hotspot" as human-induced climate change is making heatwaves more likely and more severe.

Greece was hit by its most intense blazes on record amid an intense heatwave this summer and in southern Italy fires ravaged swathes of land, while deadly flooding swept western Europe.

"This summer's destructive fires hit particularly Greece, Italy and Cyprus. They left no Mediterranean country unscathed, while Europe's north suffered deadly floods," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told a joint news conference after the summit.

"It's the strongest proof that the environmental crisis affects us all, he said. "And as there is a common risk, our defences should be common as well."

In Greece, hundreds of businesses and houses have been burnt to the ground, with the fires overwhelming national civil protection and fire fighting responses and forcing Greece to ask assistance from other EU countries.

The Mediterranean countries agreed to boost cooperation among themselves in planning and prevention and called on the EU to strengthen its civil protection mechanisms to help better protect citizens and the environment against "increasingly severe and complex disasters".
For decades, Bollywood movies have succeeded in entertaining audiences with the stories of the hero taking on the big, bad villains to save the girl he loves.

Now, while the concept of the messiah saving the day, continues to live on even in modern Bollywood films, the idea of villains in films has changed.

 Disney Plus Hotstar

One no longer needs to look the scariest or the evilest in order to play the role of a modern-day Bollywood villain.



Having said that, we surely have to admit that, somehow, Bollywood villains of the 90s and the early 2000s just hit differently.

 Twitter

Be it their physical presence, their evil "I'm Up to No Good" expressions, or just their ridiculously haunting laughter, everything about them was scary and would keep us hooked to movies right until the very end.



Keeping that in mind, here are some classic Bollywood villains of the 80s, 90s, and the early 2000s that still continue to scare us:

1. Amrish Puri

 Eastern Films

Amrish Puri was one of those actors that really defined Bollywood's most iconic villains that are remembered to date.



Be it his scary physical presence, his intimidating voice, or fierce eyes that saw right through you, Amrish succeeded in scaring not only us but the most courageous of on-screen heroes.

His performances as the criminal mastermind Mogambo in Mr. India (1987) and Thakur Durjan Singh in Karan Arjun (1996) were insanely intimidating for movie watchers, and he downrightly looked the evilest villain there ever was.

2. Ashutosh Rana

 Vishesh Films

No one can forget that Ashutosh Rana's horrific ululating scene from the 1999 Akshay Kumar-Preity Zinta thriller film Sangharsh.



Known for sporting the most intense facial expressions on the tv screen, Ashutosh really scared kids and adults alike with his performances as Lajja Shankar Pandey in the film.

Other than that, his role of a psychotic serial killer Gokul Pandit in Dushman (1998) too left audiences scarred for ages.

Unlike his reel life, Ashutosh is actually known to be a completely opposite person, however, as a result of his performances, he's forever carved his legacy as being one of the scariest Bollywood villains one has ever seen.

3. Raza Murad

 Zee5

With over 250 Bollywood films to his name, you can say that Raza Murad had quite a presence as a classic movie villain.



However, one of his most iconic performance that struck a chord with viewers was when he played Sir John in 1989's Ram Lakhan starring Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff.

Raza played the role of a foreign national and a smuggler known to be one of the most dangerous men in the world. His character even had a glass eye to make his character look scarier for movie watchers, and guess what? He succeeded.

4. Mahavir Shah

 Twitter

Remember that harami-looking guy, who'd stop at nothing to kidnap the hero's girlfriend and do bad things to people in movies?



Well, this was what actor Mahavir Shah played in a lot of movies.

Now, while we know that obviously, Bollywood's villains are notorious for doing that on a regular basis, the fact that Mahavir played those roles effortlessly, all goes down to his acting talent.

Whenever on the screen, audiences would know that the hero and anyone close to him is bound to be in trouble.

This is the reason why he's regarded as one of Bollywood's classic scary villains.

5. Pankaj Dheer

 Twitter

While we may not always remember the names of the villains as well as that of the heroes, we sure still remember their faces.



The face of Pankaj Dheer is one of those faces that brings back memories of the scariest villains in movies.

A corrupt and evil police inspector, a gangster, or a hired assassin, Pankaj Dheer has played many roles in his overall career and has excelled at them wonderfully.

What may interest you even further is that his son, Nikitin Dheer, is also a Bollywood regular now, and you might have already seen him in this year's release Shershaah.

Regardless of how Nikitin fairs in the industry, he'd be looking up to his dad for cementing his legacy as one of Bollywood's scariest villains.

6. Yashpal Sharma

 Twitter

You know that whenever you see this person on the screen, he's going to give the hero shitloads of trouble.



Yashpal Sharma's amazing performance in Ajay Devgn-starred Gangaajal (2003) is a reason why he became one of the most hated on-screen characters.

His character of Sunder Yadav was downright evil in the film and people are just filled with fear and hatred towards him and he goes on about his life in the movie.

Now, he might have done roles that might be different in other movies, but people are probably always going to remember him as a big, bad scary Bollywood villain from Gangaajal.

7. Mukesh Rishi

 Prime Video

A tall and muscular build, scary expressions, and a towering voice. That was what all Bollywood villains would like to have, and well, that's exactly what actor Mukesh Rishi had in plenty.



The actor may have a done a wonderful role of a good guy in Aamir Khan's Sarfarosh, but his performances as a classic Bollywood villain still remain fresh in the minds of the audience.

I mean, imagine a villain with the presence of Mukesh coming up to you to collect Hafta.

I don't know about you, but I'd empty my pockets straight away as he's clearly one intimidating Bollywood villain that one would clearly keep a distance from!
It was actor Sonu Sood who came forward and selflessly helped millions of migrant workers, Covid patients and literally anyone who reached out to him in the times of the pandemic.

He became the SOS call for the people of India who instantly labelled him messiah, saviour, Robin Hood and real-life hero for his philanthropic work.

 Instagram/Sonu Sood

While he was going all out to help people in need, some wondered where he was getting so much money and funds from to spend so generously.



While many said that it was smart investing and savings, others said it was hard work he had put in for years in one of the most money-making industries- Bollywood.

 Instagram/Sonu Sood

A few days ago, Sonu Soods various properties were searched by the Income Tax Department including his Mumbai home and 28 other locations (Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, Gurugram) linked to him for three days in a row. The actor was also questioned by the I-T officials regarding the same.



 Instagram/Sonu Sood

After three days of search, the Income Tax department said on Saturday that the actor is involved in tax evasion of over Rs 20 crore.



During the course of search at the premises of #SonuSood and his associates, incriminating evidence pertaining to tax evasion has been found. The main modus operandi followed by @SonuSood had been to route his unaccounted income in form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities, said the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a statement.

 Instagram/Sonu Sood

Meanwhile, Twitter is divided over this major development.



While some are surprised and wondering if the messiah of the poor has in fact done an income tax fraud, others think he is being targeted because he tried to do some good in society.

There is no social service, no messiah only vested opportunities. Always had this hunch that this fraud is hiding something in the garb of social service. Pehley AAP, now tax evasion #SonuSood



Sonu Sood evaded tax of over 20 crore: Income Tax department https://t.co/mMJurYqR6l  Desh (@iDeshSharma) September 18, 2021

Sonu Bhaiya kya kar diya ye.

20 crores ka hisaab kaun dega ..#SonuSood #IncomeTax  Mudit (@MuditHastir) September 18, 2021

Sonu Sood loyalists refuse to admit that the actor could be in the wrong and are supporting him.

This comes after Sonu met AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a few days ago and speculations of him joining the party surfaced. Although Sood brushed off any such plans, his fans think that this is political propaganda against him.

How dare Sonu sood to take away Modis credit by doing expectedly amazing work in the time of crisis and to set up an example on how a govt shouldve worked.?



And then becoming brand ambassador for delhi govt.



Income tax survey or raid is just a small thing.  Dhoni forever  (@zindagijhandbaa) September 18, 2021

Mr. Sonu sood ke 100 khoon maaf hain, he came forward during the corona crisis, he has already repaid the country through his service. He put the money to good use. #meraRobinhood  R Tandon (@tondonr) September 18, 2021

 Instagram/Sonu Sood

The actor is yet to make a statement on this. So, lets not jump to conclusions.


I am going to be in Michigan for an extended period of time for work/school. Am I required to register my vehicle here?

I am going to be in Michigan for an extended period of time for work/school. Am I required to register my vehicle here?

According to the Michigan Vehicle Code, a vehicle owner is required to register their vehicle in Michigan after staying in the state for 90 days. It is not necessary to title the vehicle in Michigan, however in order to comply with Michigan law, a Michigan certificate of no-fault insurance must be obtained in order to register your vehicle with the Michigan Secretary of State. If your out-of-state title is being held by a lien holder or leasing company, you may take your previous state registration (it can be recently expired) or proof of your out-of-state title to any Secretary of State office. The Secretary of State will issue a Michigan registration and plate to a vehicle with an out-of-state title. For a list of insurance companies authorized to issue Michigan no-fault insurance, please visit the DIFS website at: www.michigan.gov/difs.
The Midland County Inclusion Alliance is offering four free virtual seminars to help equip families with age-appropriate tools and information for speaking to their children about diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and the importance of an inclusive community.

Inclusion 101 for Families, slated for Tuesday, Sept. 21, is a partnership with Midland Public Schools (MPS) led by teachers and community council members and designed to help build a stronger, more inclusive community. These introductory workshops will be offered in two grade groups: grades K-3 at 7 p.m. followed by grades 4-8 at 8 p.m.
What do you wish you had learned in school?

The Daily News posed this question to many people walking around downtown Midland on Friday, Sept. 17. Here is what they had to say:

Michael Reitz

Michael Reitz is a Saginaw resident who works in Midland and wishes he learned how to work with others in an office, handle workplace disputes, and how to communicate in a professional manner. He would have liked to learn about the habits of professional conduct.

Training people on how to resolve conflict and communicate around it effectively ought to be part of preparation for professional life, Reitz said.

He also wished he had learned how to write emails in a professional way, such as to work colleagues or an elected official. He said that skill is highly valuable and under appreciated.

Carolee and John Kolmer

Similar to Reitz, Midland resident Carolee Kilmer wishes she and others learned about workplace environments and how to deal with different personalities in those settings. In particular, she wishes people would learn how to treat people with respect in the workplace, and how recognize a toxic work environment and when to leave.

This stems from a previous job that she described as having a toxic environment and dealing with bullies in the workplace. She also said anyone who had new ideas were shut down. Her husband, John Kolmer, agrees and wishes they would teach kids how to make compromises in a workplace.

He also wished schools taught about different cultures and develop appreciation for them in students. He said almost all innovations related to technology, ideology, art, cuisine, etc. was imported to the U.S. and appreciate other cultures and the American melting pot.

John Kolmer has work colleagues who are from outside the U.S. and he said they feel valued and included. He wishes schools would teach kids to appreciate cultures outside of their communities.

(Cultural fluency is) the value of seeing the world differently than we do now, and stretching beyond Midland, John Kolmer said.

Both the Kolmers would also like to see schools teach kids how to be more environmentally friendly and how to be eco-sustainable. Carolee Kolmer would have liked to learn how to handle personal finances, like balancing a checkbook.

Stephanie Milligan

Personal finances is something Midland resident Stephanie Milligan would have liked to learn in school. Particularly, she wished she had learned how to budget and plan for expenses.

She said while in college, she would work every other semester. Even though she had a lot of income coming, she wished she had known how to save and plan for those times of no income and how to be financially stable to do the things she wanted to do.

Milligan would learn how to plan for expenses from relatives but it would have been useful to learn in high school, she said.

Dan Hickman

One thing Midland resident and Dow engineer Dan Hickman said he lacked is what he considers a good classical liberal education during his time in school. He said he saw school as a means to an end, with the end being employment and how to function in the workforce.

Hickman said this resulted in him being not fully educated as a whole person, just to be a worker. He would have like to have learned and gained a true appreciation for subjects like theology, philosophy, and history in school.

For instance, he said he wished with history, that he did not just learn the facts but how it connects to other subjects. He wanted to see the big picture.

Answering the why questions, doing more than just the what, but understanding the why questions and how all these things are important and connected, Hickman said. To be a good citizen, I think you really need to understand that big picture stuff.
ISLAMABAD  Pakistans prime minister says he has initiated a dialogue" with the Taliban to prod them to form an inclusive government that would ensure peace and stability not only in Afghanistan but also in the region.

Imran Khan tweeted on Saturday that he took the initiative after his meetings this week in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, with leaders of countries neighboring Afghanistan.

The Taliban last week announced an all-male interim government that includes no women or members of Afghanistan's minorities  contrary to their earlier pledges on inclusivity. They have also since moved to curb women's rights, harking back to their harsh rule when they were in power in the 1990s.

Khan says he had detailed discussions with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organizations meeting in Dushanbe. The economic and security group is made up of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.

After meetings in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistans neighbors and especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks Khan said in the tweet.

He said After 40 years of conflict, this inclusivity will ensure peace and a stable Afghanistan, which is in the interest not only of Afghanistan but the region as well.

Khan did not say what form his dialogue would take or elaborate on his plans.

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MORE ON AFGHANISTAN:

 Pentagon reverses itself, calls deadly Kabul strike an error

 Taliban replace ministry for women with one restricting them

 After Afghanistan pullout, US seeks NATO basing, intel pacts

 Friction among Taliban pragmatists, hard-liners intensifies

 Indiana Marine killed in Afghanistan remembered as hero

 Afghan killed by drone praised by co-workers in US aid group

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

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JALALABAD, Afghanistan  Witnesses say a series of three explosions that targeted Taliban vehicles in the capital of Afghanistans eastern Nangarhar province has left at least three people dead and 20 wounded.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday in Jalalabad, but the increasingly violent Islamic State affiliate is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan. The militant group is a rival of the Taliban, Afghanistans new rulers.

It wasnt immediately clear whether Taliban officials were among the dead and wounded.

Also on Saturday, a sticky bomb exploded in the capital of Kabul wounding two people, said police officials. The target of the Kabul bombing was not immediately clear.

 By Shershah Ahmdad

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KABUL, Afghanistan  Afghanistans new Taliban rulers set up a ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice in the building that once housed the Womens Affairs Ministry, escorting out World Bank staffers Saturday as part of the forced move.

Its the latest troubling sign that the Taliban are restricting womens rights as they settle into government, just a month since they overran the capital of Kabul. In their first period of rule in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the womens affairs ministry, announcing it was now the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.

Staff of the World Banks $100 million Womens Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program, which was run out of the Womens Affairs Ministry, were escorted off the grounds Saturday, said program member Sharif Akhtar, who was among those being removed.
George Malkemus, who co-founded Bantam-based Arethusa Farm Dairy with partner Tony Yurgaitis, died Thursday after a long illness, Arethusa representatives announced Friday. He was 67.

"It is with a heavy heart that we tell you our beloved George Malkemus passed away yesterday evening at his home in New York City after a long battle with cancer," Arethusa announced in posts on Facebook and Instagram.

"Our George was very private  preferring not to trouble anyone with his health concerns. Though, throughout his illness, George and Tony worked together planning for and insuring the future of Arethusa," the post stated. "Even in our grief, we will honor George and his legacy by following his wishes - to celebrate his life and continuing to serve our community the very best that Arethusa Farm has to offer."

Malkemus and Yurgaitis, known for their work as high-powered fashion executives with the Manolo Blahnik shoe brand, started Arethusa Farm Dairy with the goal of saving open farmland. They bought the Bantam farm in 1999, and then became interested in establishing their own dairy herd and bought purebred registered Holsteins, Jerseys and Brown Swiss cows.

In a 2016 interview, Malkemus expressed his contentment with life on the farm:

"Its a different kind of satisfaction," he said. "What we experience on the farm is so different than what we do in New York City. The city is not all about clothes and jewelry and being thin. People there have children and home and work with charities. But its the city. We come here and the people are so different. Its a different lifestyle and, of course, there are the cattle and working with our employees here. Its part of our lives now. Its soothing."

Two decades after its founding, Arethusa produces coveted "old fashioned" ice cream, milk, butter, fine cheeses, yogurt and holiday eggnog. Its Bantam dairy shop is next door to its full-service restaurant, Arethusa al tavolo, and across the street from its bakery Arethusa a mano.

A scoop shop in New Haven by the Yale campus features ice cream with freshly-made waffle cones and Arethusa's full line of dairy products and a West Hartford cafe opened in 2020 with coffee, pastries, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, salads and ice cream.

In July, Food & Wine magazine named Arethusa's ice cream as the best in Connecticut. Writer David Landsel said the decision was a tough call, noting the Nutmeg State's "small-town mom-and-pop operations" as well as "destination-worthy farmstead creameries."

An Arethusa representative had no further comment Friday afternoon.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)  Dozens of University of Kansas students have staged a sit-in in front of the chancellor's office to protest the handling of allegations that a fraternity member sexually assaulted another student.

The sit-in Friday follows protests Monday and Tuesday outside the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house. A spokesman for the fraternity has said that the organization has been made aware of the allegations involving one of its new undergraduate members and the university was immediately notified.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  A crowd gathered Saturday in Jefferson City to celebrate the states bicentennial, with a World War II nurse leading the parade.

KTVO reports that Edith Harrington waved to the crowd from a military jeep, followed by about 100 entries that highlighted the history of the Show-Me state. The 98-year-old joined the United States Cadet Nurse Corps in 1943.

The festivities also marked the election of state officeholders in 2020, whose traditional inauguration events were delayed because of the coronavirus.

Missouri turned 200 years old last month. Territorial residents first sought statehood in 1818 but the request became bogged down in Congress by a dispute over whether slavery should be allowed.

In March 1820, President James Monroe signed legislation known as the Missouri Compromise. Maine was allowed into the union as a free state. Missouri was allowed to draft a constitution as a slave state, so long as no other new slave states formed north of Missouris southern border.

Missourians thought they had become a state, but the parties were premature.

Missouris first constitution, which sought to exclude free Negros or mulattoes from the state, prompted further opposition in Congress.

After a second compromise, Monroe signed legislation finally making Missouri the 24th state on Aug. 10, 1821.
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  The USS John S. McCain sailed out of Tokyo Bay on Friday, leaving Japan after 24 years with 7th Fleet and the heartbreaking loss of 10 crew members from a collision in 2017.

The Navy announced the guided missile destroyers departure on Friday. It is named for three generations of naval officers bearing the same name, including the late Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican who ran for president in 2008.

The McCain is headed for Naval Station Everett, Wash., its new homeport, according to the Navy. While stationed at Yokosuka, the destroyer and its crew landed in the heart of unsought controversy.

The ship collided with a Liberian-flagged tanker, the Alnic MC, in the Strait of Malacca near Singapore, on Aug. 12, 2017. The collision killed 10 sailors and heavily damaged the destroyer.

The incident was one of two collisions by 7th Fleet destroyers that summer. On June 17, 2017, seven sailors died aboard the USS Fitzgerald when it collided with a Philippine-flagged container ship, ACX Crystal, about 80 miles southwest of Tokyo.

The McCain was sidelined for repairs until June 2020. The destroyer bears a memorial plaque engraved with the names of the 10 sailors who lost their lives on the ship.

"John S. McCain and her Sailors have proven time and time again our Navy's resolve to answer the call in support of our nation and our allies," the ships skipper, Cmdr. Tin Tran, said in a Navy news release. "After 24 years of faithful overseas service, we are ready to head back home to America, back to Washington State. Our sailors will forever remember the bonds of friendship and hospitality Japan has shown us."

The McCain will join 3rd Fleet, which operates in the Eastern Pacific.

The McCain will be replaced by the USS Ralph Johnson, which is en route to Japan, said 7th Fleet spokesman Lt. Mark Langford.

"It is definitely a changing of the guard with USS John S. McCain and her crew departing the 7th Fleet after over 24 years in Japan," the commander of Destroyer Squadron 15, Capt. Chase Sargeant, said in the release. "The contributions of the current and all previous crews in defending peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific cannot be overstated.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) departs Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) while shifting its homeport to Naval Station Everett, Washington, and bringing an end to 24 years of being forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet. (Ryo Isobe/U.S. Navy photo)

The McCain arrived at Yokosuka in summer 1997, and over the years took part in numerous operations and exercises.

In 1998, it deployed to support the USS Independence battle group as part of Operations Southern Watch and Desert Thunder. During the beginning of the War on Terror, the McCain supported the USS Kitty Hawk strike group in 2002 and 2003 as part of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.

In 2011, the ship took part in Operation Tomodachi, which provided humanitarian assistance following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

The ship made headlines again in May 2019, when multiple media outlets reported that the White House had asked the Navy to keep the destroyer out of sight during then-President Donald Trumps visit to Yokosuka.

Trump did not deny the report, which first appeared in the Wall Street Journal.

I would never do a thing like that, he told reporters at the time. Now, someone did it because they thought I didnt like him. OK? And, they were well meaning, I will say  they thought they were doing me a favor because they know Im not a fan of John McCain.

On Feb. 4, the McCain steamed past the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, islands built up by China with military installations, in a demonstration of freedom of navigation, according to the Navy. The next day, the destroyer transited the Taiwan Strait, another routine Navy exercise that challenges Chinas claims in the region. In April, the McCain made another pass through the strait.

The McCains homeport shift follows the departures of other Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in recent years. The USS McCampbell and USS Stethem left Yokosuka in 2019 and 2020, respectively. In August, the USS Curtis Wilbur left.

The destroyers USS Higgins, USS Stethem and USS Dewey arrived in August and September to replace them.
Rangers reliever John King recently underwent surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, the team informed reporters (including Jeff Wilson). Hes expected to be ready for Spring Training in 2022.

King hasnt pitched since July 9, landing on the injured list with what the team initially called shoulder inflammation. That he required this procedure to address the issue is a bit discouraging, since some pitchers (most prominently Matt Harvey) never regained their effectiveness after bouts with thoracic outlet syndrome. Thats not to say TOS surgery is automatically a crushing blow, however. As one example, the Diamondbacks Merrill Kelly underwent a thoracic outlet procedure last September and has been durable (aside from a battle with COVID-19) and essentially as productive this season as hed been in years prior.

The Rangers have had a below-average relief group this season, but King had been a bright spot before his injury. The southpaw frequently worked multiple innings, tossing 46 frames over 27 appearances. Despite a below-average 20.7% strikeout rate, King posted a 3.52 ERA thanks largely to his ability to keep the ball on the ground. The sinkerballer racked up grounders at a 57% clip, a top thirty mark among the 320 relievers with 20+ innings pitched.

That performance was impressive enough that King was initially reported to be part of the Yankees deadline acquisition of Joey Gallo. He was eventually removed from the deal as part of a later reshuffling, with Joely Rodriguez heading to the Bronx instead. (King was already on the IL at the time and didnt return to pitch this season).

Assuming hes ready for Spring Training as expected, King should have the inside track at landing a season-opening spot in the Texas bullpen. The 27-year-old isnt slated to reach arbitration eligibility until after the 2023 campaign at the earliest, and future optional assignments could push back that timeline even further.
The Red Sox announced theyve reinstated ace Chris Sale and closer Matt Barnes from the COVID-19 injured list. Ryan Brasier was optioned to Triple-A Worcester, while Michael Feliz was designated for assignment to clear roster space.

Sale and Barnes become the two latest players to return after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Sox are still without Christian Arroyo, Yairo Munoz, Jarren Duran, Jonathan Arauz, Danny Santana and Phillips Valdez for virus-related reasons. Sale and Barnes were perhaps the two most impactful players yet to return from the outbreak before this evening, though.

After missing all of 2020 and a good portion of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, Sale returned to make five starts before testing positive on September 9. He turned in a few vintage performances before contracting the virus, working 25 innings of 2.52 ERA ball with a quality 27.5% strikeout percentage and a tiny 5.5% walk rate. Getting a few more great starts down the stretch would be critical for a Boston team that enters play tonight tied with the Blue Jays and holding a half-game advantage over the archrival Yankees for the American Leagues two Wild Card spots.

Barnes missed a bit more time than Sale did, as he tested positive on August 30. That couple weeks on the shelf required him to make a pair of minor league rehab appearances this week before returning to the active roster. One of the leagues best relievers in the first half, Barnes had a disastrous August and will be looking to return to his early-season form down the stretch.

The Red Sox signed Feliz to a minor league deal near the end of August and selected him to the major league club a couple weeks later. He made just four appearances for Boston, tossing 5 1/3 frames of two-run ball before losing his spot. The Red Sox will place the 28-year-old on waivers over the next few days.

Feliz has split the 2021 season between three teams, pitching for the Pirates and Reds in addition to his work with the Sox. Hes posted a 7.32 ERA in 19 2/3 innings between that trio of clubs despite solid strikeout and walk rates (25.3% and 6.9%, respectively). Opposing hitters have popped four home runs off the fly-ball pitcher in that limited body of work.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has boasted of barging uninvited into a video conference call hosted by his political opponents.

An enthusiastic user of social media, Hun Sen said Friday he intruded into the Zoom call to warn his opponents that he and his spies were keeping a close eye on them.

The Sept. 9 call was held by former members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, which a court dissolved in 2017. Cambodia's courts are widely seen as doing the bidding of Hun Sen's government, in this case eliminating the sole credible opposition party ahead of the 2018 election. The party had been expected to present a strong challenge to Hun Sens Cambodian Peoples Party, which instead swept the parliamentary polls.

Clips of part of Hun Sen's sudden intrusion on the video call have been circulating on social media. They show Hun Sen holding a 12-minute conversation with Long Ry, a former opposition lawmaker.

In their chat, Hun Sen complained that members of the former opposition party insulted him personally even though, he claimed, he had tried to promote a culture of dialogue.

A spokesman for Hun Sens party, Sok Eysan, initially denied that the intrusion and exchange had taken place, saying the video clip was a fabrication.

Hun Sen, however, during a live television broadcast Friday opening a COVID-19 vaccination campaign for children, acknowledged the exchange and said he had listened in on about 20 previous calls of his opponents without revealing his presence or showing his face.

He also wrote on his Facebook page about his exploit, stressing that he had not been reaching out to negotiate, but to warn them against disruptive activities.

U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia quoted Long Ry as saying that Hun Sen was able to join the Zoom meeting because one of his team members shared the meeting link or password with others so they could listen. He said he would be happy to invite Hun Sen to future meetings to discuss national issues.

But morally, when people sneak a peak into our affairs, we are not happy, it quoted Long Ry as saying. In politics, I think we should employ honest and straightforward methods, and not take advantages of others by secretly sneaking into their affairs.

Most senior members of the Cambodia National Rescue Party fled into exile after the party was dissolved. Hun Sen has been in power for more than 36 years and said repeatedly he has no intention of stepping down soon. Human rights groups and Western nations accuse his government of suppressing democratic and human rights.

Crashing other people's Zoom conferences became a small fad last year when use of the application skyrocketed during the pandemic as many people began working at home. It is usually accomplished by obtaining a password, which is often casually circulated to invitees.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, according to Washington's peace envoy, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic U.S. troop pullout from the country.

The development came amid rising concerns over the future of Afghanistan under the Taliban. The country's new Islamic rulers on Friday ordered that boys but not girls from grades six to 12, and male teachers but no women teachers return to school and resume classes, starting Saturday.

The statement, posted on the Facebook page of the now Taliban-run education ministry, underscored fears that the Taliban might again impose restrictions on girls and women. Since taking power, the Taliban had allowed girls in grades one to six to resume classes. When they ruled Afghanistan previously in the late 1990s, the Taliban banned girls and women from attending school and work.

U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted he was grateful that more Americans were able to leave on a Qatar Airways flight. There was no immediate information how many Americans were on the flight.

An Afghan official said more than 150 passengers were on the flight, though it was not immediately clear how many were Americans. In the past one week, more than 300 foreign nationals as well as U.S. green card holders and Afghans with special visas have left Afghanistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

He said more flights were expected on Saturday, including another Qatar Airways flight. Its unclear how many American nationals are still in Afghanistan, but Khalilzad tweeted we remain committed to get them out if they want to come home.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter confirmed that the plane departed Kabul on Friday and told reporters that officials were still trying to determine how many Americans, green card holders or holders of special immigrant visas for Afghans were on the flight heading to Doha, the Qatari capital.

Qatar Airways' first flight out of Kabul with the cooperation of the Taliban was on Sept. 9, the first such large-scale departure since the U.S. forces withdrew on Aug. 30. There have been several chartered flights since, including by Pakistan International Airlines, to airlift foreigners and Afghans desperate to leave and fearing the Taliban, and a few commercial flights out of Kabul International Airport.

Porter said that in all, between the charter flights and overland crossings, a total of 36 U.S. citizens" have left Afghanistan since the U.S. troop pullout.

The Taliban order for the boys and male teachers to return to junior high and high schools went against earlier promises by Afghanistan's new rulers to guarantee girls equal access to education and harkened back to their past harsh rule. Since taking over, the Taliban have only allowed women back to work in the health sector and as teachers in grades one through five.

At a news conference last week, the Taliban minister for higher education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, had said classes would be gender segregated but that girls would have the same access to education as boys.

Earlier this month, the Taliban declared their interim, all-male government  devoid of any women or members of the country's minorities. The 33-member Cabinet is stacked with veterans of the Taliban's hard-line rule from the 1990s and the 20-year battle against the U.S.-led coalition.

This is unlikely to win the Taliban the international support they desperately need to avoid an economic meltdown.

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Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
CHANDLERVILLE  With spring several months off, the risk of flooding from the Sangamon River is minimal right now for this Cass County village.

But village officials are trying to prepare for potential flooding by replacing a broken levee pump along the villages northern border.

Village trustee Ted Flinn said the villages current pump is not operational and has been broken for more than a year.

Its broken and cant be fixed, Flinn said. The price to fix it would basically buy a new one.

The pump broke last spring, forcing the village to rely this year on sandbagging and pumps from the Illinois Department of Transportation to prevent flooding this year. Thats something they want to avoid next year.

The pump helps prevent water from reaching the village by funneling any water that breaches the levee back into the river.

The village hasnt had any major flooding events in several years, but they dont want to take any risks, Flinn said.

Every year we expect some flooding and we have a lot of sandbagging efforts, Flinn said. Thankfully its been a long time since weve had water reach the village.

Estimates for a new pump are between $40,000 and $60,000, and the village is looking for funding programs to help cover the cost, he said.

After finding out the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesnt offer any funding programs that would cover it, the village is planning to reach out to state Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, to see if she had suggestions. Flinn said.

Im sure there is something out there to help small towns like us, he said.

If outside funding isnt found, the village will have to find a way to cover the cost within its own budget, Flinn said.

The village is talking with a Peoria company to consider its options for available pumps and to get a better idea of costs.

Its a project the village is trying to get moving quickly, Flinn said.

Personally, I would like to see us have one this fall if we can, he said. I dont know if it will happen. We need it for the spring and Im hoping we can get something locked in and done.
Site Selection magazine has named Ameren Corp. as a top utility in economic development for its work in Illinois and in Missouri.

It is the third straight year for Ameren to receive the recognition from the business publication, which covers corporate real estate and economic development.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Police searched a vast Florida wildlife reserve on Saturday for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, while across the country the FBI hunted for clues about the missing woman in a mountainous national park in Wyoming.

More than 50 North Port police officers, FBI agents and members of other law enforcement agencies searched the 24,000-acre (9,712-hectare) Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Florida area of the Gulf Coast.

Authorities used drones, scent-sniffing dogs and all-terrain vehicles in the reserve, which has more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) of trails, as well as campgrounds. Investigators took some of his clothing from his parents' home Friday night to provide a scent for the search dogs.

AP

His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week," North Port Police tweeted Saturday.

Meanwhile, the FBI in Denver said Saturday that agents were conducting ground surveys at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, with help from the National Park Service and local law enforcement agencies, seeking clues to Petito's disappearance. Her last known contact with family members was from the national park known for its mountainous terrain.

AP

Laundrie and Petito, 22, left in July on a cross-country trek in a converted van to visit national parks in the U.S. West. Police said Laundrie was alone when he drove the van back to his parents home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. Petitos family filed a missing persons report Sept. 11 with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Investigators in Florida were hopeful Laundrie was somewhere in the wildlife reserve near Sarasota. Depending on his skills, he could survive out in the reserve for some time, said police spokesperson Josh Taylor at a news conference.

Certainly, we prepare for all different possibilities, but you know, our goal is to locate him and bring him back to North Port, Taylor said.

AP

Laundrie's family earlier told officers that they haven't seen him since Tuesday. Police said the conversation Friday evening was the first time they'd spoken with the Laundries in detail about the case, and that the meeting came at the family's request. An attorney for the family called FBI investigators and said they wanted to talk about Laundrie's disappearance, police said.

Investigators were trying to verify the story told by Laundrie's family members that they believe the reserve is where he went with only a backpack, Taylor said. One mystery is how Laundrie got to the reserve. Family members told investigators he took his car, but the vehicle was found back at his family's home, not at the reserve.

Earlier, the North Port Police said in a statement that they understood the community's frustration over the lack of progress in finding the missing woman.

We are frustrated too," the statement said. For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiance, Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken to investigators in detail."

Laundrie has been identified as a person of interest in the case.

It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime, North Port police said in Friday's statement. It added that the investigation is now a multiple missing person case.

AP

An attorney for Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Friday night.

Attorneys for the Petito family released a statement saying Laundrie was not missing.

All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing, the statement from the law office of Richard B. Stafford said.

Earlier in the week, Petito's family pleaded for the Laundrie family to tell them where their son last saw her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on Long Island, New York. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

The couples trek in the Fort Transit van began in July from Long Island. They intended to reach Oregon by the end of October according to their social media accounts, but Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Police video released by the Moab Police Department in Utah showed that an officer pulled the van over on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park. The body cam video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police cruiser while officers also questioned Laundrie.

Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.
PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA -- American Samoa reported its first case of coronavirus on Friday.

The U.S. territorys acting governor and health officials said the islands first case of COVID-19 was of a resident who returned to America Samoa from Hawaii this week.

The infected traveler flew in on Monday, the first day of newly resumed commercial flights from Honolulu to Pago Pago. The route had been suspended since March 2020.

Officials say the resident was fully vaccinated and had traveled to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. They say the traveler tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the flight back to American Samoa.

American Samoa requires all travelers to be vaccinated and to quarantine.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 FDA advisory panel rejects widespread Pfizer booster shots

 Biden faces limits of $1.9T COVID aid as some states resist

 England simplifies COVID-19 rules for international travelers

 Trial begins over coronavirus outbreak at Austrian ski resort in 2020

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 See AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

BATON ROUGE, La. -- A child is among the latest to die from COVID-19 in Louisiana, state health officials said Friday.

Heath department figures showed the state death toll from the illness grew by 52. One of the victims was a child between the ages of 5 and 11.

It was the 15th death of someone younger than 18 in Louisiana since the pandemic began early last year. And its the sixth pediatric death since a fourth surge began this summer.

Coronavirus hospitalizations continued to drop. They fell to 1,367 in Fridays figures, 64 fewer than the previous day. Hospitalizations are down from a peak of more than 3,000 in August but still well above the pre-surge levels of mid-summer.

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WASHINGTON  After overwhelmingly rejecting a plan to give Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, an influential federal advisory panel has approved the extra shots for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.

The twin votes Friday represented a blow to the Biden administrations sweeping effort to shore up nearly all Americans protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. The decision was made by a committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration.

The vote recommending the booster shots for older Americans and other high-risk groups helps salvage part of the White Houses campaign but is still be a huge step back from the sweeping plan proposed by administration a month ago to offer booster shots of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to nearly all Americans eight months after they get their second dose.

During several hours of vigorous debate Friday, members of the panel questioned the value of offering boosters to nearly everyone.

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WASHINGTON  The White House says President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit next week aimed at calling the world to account on defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting, to take place on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, is meant to encourage more countries to do more to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 and improve coronavirus treatments.

Press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden will be asking participants to commit to of a higher level of ambition on global vaccinations and therapeutics, along with preparing for the next pandemic.

The U.S. has committed to donating the more COVID-19 vaccine doses than any other nation to the rest of the world, and Biden is expected to ask other well-off nations to make bolder vaccine sharing commitments.

The White House says world leaders, philanthropists, industry representatives and non-governmental organizations will participate.

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BEND, Oregon  Dozens of people in Oregon have contacted the states poison center after self-medicating against COVID-19 with a drug used to treat parasites, with five becoming hospitalized and two of them winding up in intensive care units, authorities said Friday.

The drug they used was ivermectin, which has no proven use against the coronavirus and is instead approved to treat some parasites in people and some animals.

COVID-19 is a devastating disease and can be very frightening, but the public does not need to use -- nor should it use -- unproven and potentially dangerous drugs to fight it, said Robert Hendrickson, medical director of the Oregon Poison Center at Oregon Health & Science University.

Between Aug. 1 and Sept. 14, the Oregon Poison Center at OHSU managed a total of 25 cases. Five of those cases involved hospitalization, and two people were so severely ill that they had to be admitted to an intensive care unit.

Across the country, calls to poison control centers regarding ivermectin overdoses or exposures has increased five-fold from the pre-pandemic level, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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WASHINGTON  An influential federal advisory panel has overwhelmingly rejected a plan to offer Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, dealing a heavy blow to the Biden administrations effort to shore up peoples protection amid the highly contagious delta variant.

The vote by the committee of outside experts assembled by the Food and Drug Administration was 16-2, with members expressing frustration that Pfizer had provided little data on the safety of extra doses. Many also raised doubts about the value of mass boosters, rather than ones targeted to specific groups.

In an extraordinary move, both FDA leaders and the panel indicated they were likely to take a second vote Friday afternoon on recommending the booster shots for older Americans and other high-risk groups.

That would help salvage part of the Biden administrations campaign but would still be a huge step back from the sweeping plan proposed by the White House a month ago to offer booster shots of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to nearly all Americans eight months after they get their second dose.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn.  A federal judge has again blocked Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee from allowing parents to opt out of school mask requirements aimed at limiting coronavirus infections.

U.S. District Judge Sheryl Lipman issued a preliminary injunction on Friday for schools in Shelby County, Tennessees largest county. Parents in two Memphis suburbs are suing on behalf of their children with health problems.

They argue the Republican governors executive order has endangered these students and harmed their ability to attend classes in person by allowing others to opt out of a mask mandate and spread infections.

It is that unmasked presence that creates the danger to these Plaintiffs, the judge wrote Friday.

Lipman had already issued a temporary restraining order on Sept. 3 stopping schools from allowing parents to opt-out. It was set to expire Friday. The preliminary injunction continues blocking the governors order as the federal lawsuit proceeds.

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ISLAMABAD  The British government took Pakistan off from its travel ban list starting next Wednesday, a move which was welcomed by Pakistani authorities.

The announcement was made by the top British diplomat to Pakistan, Christian Turner and the British Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter. Pakistan was added to the red list in April, and people traveling from Pakistan to Britain had to quarantine and pay for a 10-day stay in a government-approved hotel.

On Friday, Turner in a tweet said he was pleased to confirm Pakistan is off the red list, saying I know how difficult the last 5 months were for so many who rely on close links between the two countries.

Pakistans planning minister Asad Umar took to Twitter to welcome the British governments decision. The country is currently facing a fourth wave of coronavirus, which has started subsiding.

Pakistan has reported 1.2 million confirmed cases and 27,072 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.

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YUMA, Ariz.  An Arizona couple was sentenced after coughing on Walmart employees who asked them to wear masks and for fighting with police.

A judge sentenced 39-year-old Frank Robert Montoya to 18 months in state prison minus 113 days served. Victoria Parra-Carranza, 25, received 30 days in the county jail and a three-year probation term.

Both were convicted in April of aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and other crimes for the incident in 2020, the Yuma Sun reported.

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WASHINGTON  The federal government is spending $2.1 billion to improve infection control procedures in health care settings, aimed at preventing the transmission of diseases inside hospitals, dialysis centers and other facilities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is allocating the funding from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill that was signed into law by President Joe Biden this year.

Of the new funding, $500 million will create and train strike teams to help facilities with known or suspected COVID-19 outbreaks.

CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says the funding will dramatically improve the safety and quality of the health care delivered in the United States during the pandemic and in the future.

Nearly $900 million will be spent over the coming years to support research and training on new ways to control the spread of infections.

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NEW DELHI  India officials say a record 21 million vaccine doses were given across the country in a special drive on Friday, a birthday gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi who turned 71.

India has vaccinated 770 million people, 20% fully vaccinated and 62% with single doses, according to the Health Ministry.

The ministry advised people to take precautions to avoid another deadly surge during the upcoming October-November festival season. India was hit by a devastating surge of infections from April to June this year, overwhelming hospital beds and oxygen supply in hospitals.

Meanwhile, youth members of main opposition Congress party clashed with police during a street protest Friday demanding jobs amid massive unemployment triggered by the pandemic.

On Friday, India reported 34,403 new cases and 320 confirmed deaths.

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INDIANAPOLIS  Indianas largest hospital system says 125 workers are no longer employed with the health network after they didnt comply with its mandate for all employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Indianapolis Business Journal newspaper reported Indiana University Health says the employees left the hospital system after a two-week unpaid suspension period that ended Sept. 14.

The employees represent less than 1% of IU Healths work force of about 36,000. The health system operates 15 hospitals and dozens of outpatient clinics around the state. IU Health said Sept. 2 it estimated 97% of its employees were vaccinated.

IU Health announced in June it would require all doctors, nurses and other employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1.

___

WASHINGTON  Government advisers are debating whether to recommend extra doses of the Pfizer vaccine, a key step toward the Biden administrations plan to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to most Americans.

Scientists inside and outside the U.S. government have been divided in recent days over the need for boosters and who should get them. A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers will vote Friday on the safety and effectiveness of boosters.

This week, two top FDA vaccine reviewers joined a group of international scientists in publishing an editorial rejecting the need for boosters in healthy people. The scientists said continuing studies show the shots are working well despite the delta variant.

A Pfizer study of 44,000 people showed effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was 96% two months after the second dose and 84% after about six months.

If the FDA approves the extra doses, a separate committee convened by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will debate on Wednesday who should get boosters and when. The CDC has said it is considering boosters for older people, nursing home residents and front-line health care workers, rather than all adults

The World Health Organization has strongly objected to rich nations giving a third round of shots when poor countries dont have enough vaccine for their first.

___

LONDON  The British government says it plans to simplify rules for international travel during the coronavirus pandemic and will make an announcement Friday.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says on Twitter hell set out measures to simplify international travel later today in order to reduce costs, take advantage of higher levels of vaccination, and keep us all safe.

The government is under pressure to scrap its traffic light system that ranks countries as red, yellow or green -- high, medium or low risk from the coronavirus.

Airlines and travel businesses say Britains requirements are keeping people away and hampering recovery from the pandemic.

At present, people coming from red list countries must spend 10 days in a government-approved quarantine hotel. Unvaccinated travelers from yellow list countries must self-isolate for 10 days at home, while fully vaccinated travelers need to take coronavirus tests before and after arriving in Britain.

Its likely the government will ease the rules that require travelers to take a highly sensitive and pricey PCR test two days after arrival. They could use a cheaper but less sensitive test instead.

Any changes will apply only to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland set their own policies.

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia  Cambodia is vaccinating children ages 6 to 11 so students can safely return to schools that have been closed for months due to the coronavirus.

Prime Minister Hun Sen inaugurated the campaign Friday, with his grandchildren and young family members of other senior officials shown being given their shots.

Cambodia already has been vaccinating older children. Hun Sen says he ordered health officials to study if children ages 3 to 5 can be vaccinated.

Nearly 72% of Cambodias almost 17 million people have received at least one COVID-19 shot since vaccinations began in February. Chinas Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines account for most inoculations.

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GENEVA  The World Health Organization and United Nations on Friday declined to indicate how many in their workforces have been vaccinated.

We wont have that because its confidential, said Dr. Margaret Harris, a WHO spokeswoman.

U.N. Geneva spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said: We dont disclose this kind of information. Its something that is said to the medical service. So, no, unfortunately, we wont be able to give you these numbers.

Vellucci says shell look into whether percentages of staff that had been vaccinated could be provided.

In November, WHO indicated 65 of its staffers had tested positive for COVID-19 at the time, confirming information in an internal e-mail obtained by The Associated Press. The U.N. office in Geneva has often indicated how many of its staff tested positive.

Governments list how many people are vaccinated against the coronavirus, and the WHO compiles the information and reports on it. Some countries and companies require vaccines for their workers to go to their jobs.
Provided

Luke Worrell of Jacksonville and Kim Connor of Springfield are the winners of Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Clubs Pork Bundle Blast raffle.

Their names were drawn by Rotary District 6460 Gov. Ryan Byers during the clubs Sept. 14 meeting.
ADULT FICTION

Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson: Davidsons novel takes place between 1977 and 1978 in Northern California forest territory, as Rich Gundersen, a fourth-generation logger, is poised to make a big profit. Hes just purchased a stretch of land full of old-growth redwoods whose sale could provide security for his family. However, anti-logging protesters are trying to halt work and are suspected of having left a childs skull in the forest to prompt an investigation. This is an impressively well-turned story about how environmental damage creeps into our bodies, psyches and economies.

ADULT NONFICTION

All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the German Resistance to Hitler by Rebecca Donner: Donner brings her heroic great-great-aunt, Mildred Harnack, to life in this stunning biography. Born in 1902 in Milwaukee, Mildred met her future husband, German native Arvid Harnack, while attending graduate school at the University of Wisconsin. The couple settled in 1929 in Germany, where they viewed the rise of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi party with alarm. In 1933, they began holding secret meetings with a loose network of like-minded people and distributing anti-Nazi literature to workers and students. As Germany prepared for war, the couple and other members of the Circle took greater risks. In 1942, after Germany cracked the cipher code used by Soviet intelligence, revealing the names and addresses of group members, the Harnacks fled for Sweden but were captured, tortured and tried for treason. Youll have to read the book to find out what happens next.

DVD

The Informer: Honorably discharged Special Ops soldier Pete Koslows world is turned upside-down when he is jailed after a fight to protect his wife. Hes given a chance for early release by becoming an informant for the FBI and using his covert skills in an operation to take down The General, the most powerful crime boss in New York. Caught in a world of impossible choices, Koslow must return to prison, where he formulates a plan to escape the clutches of three of New York Citys most powerful organizations  the mob, the NYPD and the FBI  to save himself and his family.

CHILDRENS BOARD BOOK

Counting with Owl and Bird by Rebecca Purcell: Owl and Bird take a walk and count the things they see. Bold, colorful illustrations with cute characters and simple text enable babies and toddlers to learn about the concept of numbers.

JUVENILE GRAPHIC NOVEL

Mr. Corbett is in Orbit! by Dan Gutman: In this first book, A.J. and his friends at Ella Mentry School are headed on a field trip to NASA headquarters. But their tour guide, Mr. Corbett, is a total space cadet! And what happens when A.J. accidentally launches the whole class into outer space?! Full of visual gags, space aliens and hilarious full-color illustrations, this is the weirdest graphic novel in the history of the world!

Did you know?

The library will host the Zoom program The Dogs of Chernobyl at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Contact Sarah Snyder at ssnyder@jaxpl.org for login information. If you cannot access Zoom from home, you may watch on the big-screen television in the librarys meeting room.
Prosecutor: Jurors conclude Durst heir killed them all View Photo

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  Robert Dursts long, bizarre and deadly run from the law ended when a Los Angeles County jury convicted him in the murder of his best friend more than 20 years ago.

The 78-year-old New York real estate heir, who was long suspected but never charged in the disappearance of his wife in New York in 1982 and acquitted of murder in the 2001 killing of a neighbor in Texas, was found guilty Friday of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman.

Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and hes been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said outside the Inglewood Courthouse. Considering what hes done, he got a lot more of a life than he was entitled to.

Durst, who is sick and frail and sat throughout the trial in a wheelchair, was not present when the verdict was read. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus, an odd twist on the jurys final day.

The global pandemic significantly altered the course of the trial, suspending it in March 2020 after only two days of testimony. After a 14-month break, possibly the longest in the U.S. legal system, the case resumed in May for four more months of testimony.

Durst faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18.

The jury found Durst ambushed Berman and killed her because she was a witness to a crime, which prosecutors said was the suspected killing of Kathie Durst, who has never been found. Berman was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000.

Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Dursts longtime confidante who, at the time of her death, was prepared to tell police she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didnt think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Bermans killing, Kathie Dursts disappearance and the 2001 killing of Morris Black, a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

He killed his wife and then he had to keep killing to cover it up, Lewin said.

Lewin, who met with jurors after the verdict, said they believed prosecutors proved Durst killed Kathie Durst and murdered Berman and Black.

The defense said they believed there was substantial reasonable doubt and were disappointed in the verdict, attorney David Chesnoff said. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

In many ways, Durst had only himself to blame for an investigation that took on new life after he rejected the advice of lawyers and everyone he knew to participate in an incriminating documentary about his apparent bad luck of having people close to him go missing or get knocked off.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession.

Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: There it is. Youre caught.

Lewin credited filmmakers Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling with getting the case rolling.

Without them having conducted the interviews we wouldnt be where we are, Lewin said. That was the starting point, no question.

The verdict gives some justice to the family of Kathie Durst, Jarecki said in a statement, as Kathies murder will now likely also be prosecuted.

Dursts decision to testify in his own defense  hoping for a repeat of his acquittal in the Texas killing  backfired as he was forced to admit lying under oath, made damning admissions and had his credibility destroyed when questioned for nine days by Lewin.

There has never been a defendant that Im aware of that has perjured himself so may times about so many different things in such a short period of time, Lewin said. It was absolutely shocking.

The story of Durst, the estranged scion of a New York real estate developer, has been fodder for New York tabloids since his wife vanished. He provided plot twists so numerous that Hollywood couldnt resist making a feature film about his life that eventually led to the documentary and discovery of new evidence in Bermans slaying.

Durst ran from the law multiple times, disguised as a mute woman in Texas and staying under an alias at a New Orleans hotel with a shoulders-to-head latex mask for a presumed getaway. He jumped bail in Texas and was arrested after shoplifting a chicken sandwich in Pennsylvania, despite having $37,000 in cash  along with two handguns  in his rental car.

He later quipped he was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

Durst escaped close scrutiny from investigators when his wife disappeared. But his troubles resurfaced in late 2000 when New York authorities reopened the case and his lawyer told him to be prepared to be charged in the case.

He fled a life of luxury to Galveston, Texas, where he rented a cheap apartment as Dorothy Ciner, a woman he pretended couldnt speak. He eventually dropped the disguise after mishaps that included igniting his wig at a bar while lighting a cigarette.

Just before Christmas, he traveled to LA to visit Berman for a staycation with plans to see some of the tourist sites, Durst testified. He found Berman dead on a bedroom floor when he arrived.

Berman, a writer who had been friends with Durst since they were students at the University of California, Los Angeles, had serious financial problems at the time. Durst had given her $50,000, and prosecutors suggested she was trying to leverage more money from him by telling him she was going to speak with the cops.

Nine months after her death, Durst killed Black. Durst said he came home to find Black, a friend, in his apartment holding Dursts .22-caliber pistol.

Durst was acquitted after testifying the 71-year-old was killed in a struggle for the gun. Durst then chopped up Blacks body and tossed it out to sea. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

After the trial and the ghastly evidence of the dismemberment, Durst said he became a pariah. Despite an estimated $100 million fortune, he was turned away by multiple condominium associations and said the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wouldnt take his money unless he donated anonymously.

Durst thought a 2010 feature film Jarecki made based on his life, All Good Things, starring Ryan Gosling as him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, had been largely accurate and painted a sympathetic portrait, despite implicating him in three killings. He only objected that he was depicted killing his dog  something he would never do.

He reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to sit for lengthy interviews for a documentary. He encouraged his friends to do the same and gave the filmmakers access to boxes of his records.

He came to deeply regret his decision after The Jinx aired on HBO in 2015, calling it a very, very, very big mistake.

The documentary filmmakers discovered a crucial piece of evidence that connected him to an anonymous note sent to police directing them to Bermans lifeless body.

Durst, who was so confident he couldnt be connected to the note, told filmmakers only the killer could have written the note.

When filmmakers confronted him with a letter he sent Berman a year earlier  with identical handwriting and Beverly Hills misspelled as Beverley on both  he couldnt tell them apart.

The gotcha moment provided the climax of the movie as Durst stepped off camera and muttered to himself on a live microphone in the bathroom: Killed them all, of course.

During 14 days of testimony that was so punishing Judge Mark Windham called it devastating, Durst denied killing his wife and Berman, though he said he would lie if he did.

He was forced to admit for the first time that he had written the note and had been in LA around the time of Bermans death.

Lewin said jurors told him they didnt believe Dursts explanations for the note or the apparent confession during an unguarded moment.

Durst claimed the hot mic didnt catch his full thought, which he said was: Theyll all think I killed them all, of course.

Thats exactly what the jury concluded, Lewin said.

By BRIAN MELLEY

Associated Press
Guinea says it wont let detained ex-president leave country View Photo

CONAKRY, Guinea (AP)  Guineas junta leaders vowed Friday that deposed President Alpha Conde would not be allowed to seek exile, saying they would not cave to mounting pressure from regional mediators who have imposed targeted sanctions after this months coup.

The statement came just hours after leaders from the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS met with junta president Col. Mamady Doumbouya in Guineas capital. The military rulers dismissed rumors that the West African neighbors were negotiating a way for Conde to leave the country.

Conde is and will remain in Guinea, the junta said following the conclusion of the talks. We will not yield to any pressure.

ECOWAS and other members of the international community have called for Condes immediate release ever since he was detained in the Sept. 5 coup that overthrew him after more than a decade in power.

By Thursday, the bloc pressed ahead with targeted sanctions after the junta failed to meet the demand. The regional bloc put travel bans into effect for the leaders of the Sept. 5 coup and their families, and also froze their financial assets.

Fridays delegation to Guinea was led by Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the current chair of ECOWAS, along with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara.

Conde came to power in 2010 during the countrys first democratic elections since independence from France in 1958. At the time, there were hopes that his presidency would turn the page after decades of dictatorship and corrupt rule in Guinea, home to mineral riches including the worlds largest reserves of bauxite.

However, Conde pressed for a constitutional referendum last year that paved the way for him to seek a third term in office. His bid to extend his rule sparked violent demonstrations by those who said he had bended the rule on term limits to his benefit.

He ultimately won another five-year term in October, only to be toppled by the coup 10 months later.

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Larson reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Toussaint NGotta in Abidjan, Ivory Coast contributed.

By BOUBACAR DIALLO and KRISTA LARSON

Associated Press
Active COVID-19 Cases May thru September 17, 2021 View Photos

Tuolumne Public Health reports 17 new COVID-19 cases since yesterdays report including one new case at the Sierra Conservation Center. There are 263 active cases including 12 who are hospitalized. The total current case rate, a 14-day average for Tuolumne County is down to 49.5 per 100,000 population from 51.4 yesterday. A total of 4,236 have been released from isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, 263 cases are currently active, there have been 99 deaths and 1,620 inmate cases for a total of 6,218 total cases.

Todays newly reported cases include 6 cases age 17 or younger and 4 cases are age 60 and older. The gender and age breakdown is; 1 girl and 2 boys age 0-11, 2 girls and 1 boy age 12-17, 2 women and 1 man age 18-29, 1 woman 30-39, 2 men age 50-59, 2 women age 60 -69, 1 man age 70 to 79, and 1 man age 80 to 89.

Of the 16 new community cases, 13 were unvaccinated and 3 were vaccinated. The one new Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) inmate cases brings the total active inmates up to 10 according to the California Department of Corrections. There are three correctional facilities in the state with more active Covid cases.

Calaveras County Public Health reports 17 new Covid cases since yesterdays report and 125 active cases the most the county has had since the beginning of the pandemic. The active cases include 3 current Covid hospitalizations. There are 6 new cases age 0-17 and 3 new cases in individuals age 65 years old or older. Since the pandemic began Calaveras has had 483 Covid-19 positive people who are 17 and under and 582 Covid-19 positive people 65 and over. Calaveras has vaccinated 51.71% of their eligible population.

Mariposa County Public Health There are 7 new Covid cases since yesterday, 71 active cases including 11 Covid hospitalizations. The public health team took the time to review some case information from their Delta Wave, from July 15th  September 15th which brought 470 new COVID-19 cases. They state Thats half of all cases weve had during the entire pandemic. We are also saddened to share that we have seen 5 deaths during this time. We continue to see that the vast majority of cases are in unvaccinated individuals and of the 23 total cases that were hospitalized during this wave, only 3 were fully vaccinated. Another trend we are seeing from this latest wave is an increase in youth cases. Compared to the previous 13.5 months, we are seeing 2x as many cases in youth under 12 and about 3.5x as many cases in youth age 12  17.

COVID-19 Testing Beginning on Sunday, September 19, 2021 the Tuolumne County state testing site located at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds will add an additional testing lane which will increase the number of appointments available each day. If you believe you have been exposed to COVID, schedule an appointment to get tested 5 days after exposure. If you are having any symptoms, please get tested right away. The State testing site is open 7 days a week beginning from 7 AM to 7 PM at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds. Appointments should be made rather than walking in. Appointments can be scheduled at www.lhi.care/covidtesting or by calling 888-634-1123. Testing is also available through, some pharmacies, at Rapid Care or the hospital emergency department if you are experiencing any symptoms, or contact your healthcare provider.

COVID-19 Vaccines Vaccine appointments can be made at local pharmacies and through myturn.ca.gov or by calling 833-422-4255. Anyone 12 and older is eligible for a COVID vaccine, Pfizer is approved for anyone age 12 or over. As detailed here healthcare workers are required to be vaccinated by September 30. The Pfizer vaccine requires 3 weeks between doses and the Moderna requires 4 weeks. The J&J vaccine requires only one dose. Call or email with any questions you may have Tuolumne is available at (209) 533-7440 Health@tuolumnecounty.ca.gov, Mariposa at (209) 259-1332 or mariposacovid19@gmail.com more numbers are available on our COVID-19 vaccine page here.

County/Date

Tier Color Active

Cases New Cases

Total Cases COVID

Deaths Amador 9/16 141 33 2,912 49 Calaveras 9/17 125 17 3,245 67 Mariposa 9/17 71 7 967 12 Mono 9/17 57 20 1,271 5 Stanislaus 9/17 2,322 283 71,817 1,229 Tuolumne 9/17 263 17 6,218 99
Police: Missing Florida woman and slain couple unrelated View Photo

SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  A Utah county sheriff said Friday detectives have determined there is no connection between the disappearance of a Florida woman who went missing during a cross-country trip with her boyfriend and a still-unsolved slaying of two women who were fatally shot.

Police in Florida had said Thursday a possible connection was being explored because the women were found dead in the same tourist town of Moab, Utah, where the missing woman, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, and her boyfriend Brian Laundrie had an emotional fight to which police had been called.

But Grand County Sheriff Steven White said in a news release the two cases are unrelated, without providing any details.

The two women killed, newlyweds Kylen Schulte, 24, and Crystal Turner, 38, had told friends they feared a creepy man they had seen nearby might harm them before their bodies were found Aug. 18.

The dispute between Petito, 22, and Laundrie, 23, occurred on Aug. 12 and was caught on police body camera. Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

Petito and Laundrie started their drive across the U.S. in July from New Yorks Long Island, where both grew up. They intended to reach Oregon by Halloween, according to their social media accounts. But Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Laundrie drove the Ford Transit van back to Florida on Sept. 1 alone, police said. Petitos family filed a missing persons report last Saturday with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Police in North Port, Florida, where the couple lived, say Laundrie is a person of interest in her case. He has not been charged, but he is also not cooperating.

Petitos parents released a letter through their attorney on Thursday to Laundries parents, asking them to help investigators locate Petito, despite their instinct to protect their son.

Laundries attorney, Steven Bertolino, said the Laundrie family is hoping for Petitos safe return, but he has asked them not to speak with investigators.

By BRADY McCOMBS

Associated Press
Agents search in Wyoming for woman, in Florida for boyfriend View Photo

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Police searched a vast Florida wildlife reserve on Saturday for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, while across the country the FBI hunted for clues about the missing woman in a mountainous national park in Wyoming.

More than 50 North Port police officers, FBI agents and members of other law enforcement agencies searched the 24,000-acre (9,712-hectare) Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Florida area of the Gulf Coast.

Authorities used drones, scent-sniffing dogs and all-terrain vehicles in the reserve, which has more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) of trails, as well as campgrounds. Investigators took some of his clothing from his parents home Friday night to provide a scent for the search dogs.

His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week, North Port Police tweeted Saturday.

Meanwhile, the FBI in Denver said Saturday that agents were conducting ground surveys at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, with help from the National Park Service and local law enforcement agencies, seeking clues to Petitos disappearance. Her last known contact with family members was from the national park known for its mountainous terrain.

Laundrie and Petito, 22, left in July on a cross-country trek in a converted van to visit national parks in the U.S. West. Police said Laundrie was alone when he drove the van back to his parents home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. Petitos family filed a missing persons report Sept. 11 with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Investigators in Florida were hopeful Laundrie was somewhere in the wildlife reserve near Sarasota. Depending on his skills, he could survive out in the reserve for some time, said police spokesperson Josh Taylor at a news conference.

Certainly, we prepare for all different possibilities, but you know, our goal is to locate him and bring him back to North Port, Taylor said.

Laundries family earlier told officers that they havent seen him since Tuesday. Police said the conversation Friday evening was the first time theyd spoken with the Laundries in detail about the case, and that the meeting came at the familys request. An attorney for the family called FBI investigators and said they wanted to talk about Laundries disappearance, police said.

Investigators were trying to verify the story told by Laundries family members that they believe the reserve is where he went with only a backpack, Taylor said. One mystery is how Laundrie got to the reserve. Family members told investigators he took his car, but the vehicle was found back at his familys home, not at the reserve.

Earlier, the North Port Police said in a statement that they understood the communitys frustration over the lack of progress in finding the missing woman.

We are frustrated too, the statement said. For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brians fiance, Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken to investigators in detail.

Laundrie has been identified as a person of interest in the case.

It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabbys disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime, North Port police said in Fridays statement. It added that the investigation is now a multiple missing person case.

An attorney for Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Friday night.

Attorneys for the Petito family released a statement saying Laundrie was not missing.

All of Gabbys family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing, the statement from the law office of Richard B. Stafford said.

Earlier in the week, Petitos family pleaded for the Laundrie family to tell them where their son last saw her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on Long Island, New York. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

The couples trek in the Fort Transit van began in July from Long Island. They intended to reach Oregon by the end of October according to their social media accounts, but Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Police video released by the Moab Police Department in Utah showed that an officer pulled the van over on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park. The body cam video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police cruiser while officers also questioned Laundrie.

Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

By MIKE SCHNEIDER

Associated Press
SAN DIEGO (AP)  A 22-year-old former nursing student pleaded guilty to the murder of one person and the attempted murders of 53 others in connection with a 2019 deadly shooting at a Southern California synagogue on the last day of Passover, effectively ending the possibility of facing the death penalty.

John T. Earnest entered a similar guilty plea on July 20 on state charges in San Diego Superior Court and agreed then to serve the rest of his life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.

In the federal case, sentencing has been set for Dec. 28. Defense attorneys and prosecutors are also recommending a term of life in prison, plus 30 years, according to the plea.

Federal prosecutors had said previously that they would not seek the death penalty, and Fridays plea agreement finalized that decision. In July, the Justice Department halted all federal executions after an unprecedented run of capital punishment in the Trump administration, though the order didnt prohibit prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has said he has reservations about the death penalty, issued the moratorium as officials conduct a review of the governments policies and execution protocols.

Earnest opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle during the last day of Passover services in April 2019 at Chabad of Poway, northeast of San Diego. The attack killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye and wounded three others, including an 8-year-old girl and the rabbi, who lost a finger.

After Earnest emptied his initial magazine, several congregants rushed at him. Earnest fled in his car and, shortly after, called 911 and confessed that he had just shot up a synagogue. Earnest was apprehended by local law enforcement who found the rifle and additional ammunition in his car.

In his plea Friday he admitted that he set also had fire to an Escondido mosque on March 24 with seven people sleeping inside, though no one was hurt.

He said he carried out the attacks because he wanted to kill Muslims and Jews.

A federal grand jury in May 2019 indicted Earnest on 113 charges, to which he pleaded guilty on Friday.

This nation stands with Lori Gilbert Kayes family and the survivors of these unspeakable acts of terror, Acting U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman said in a statement. We emphatically reject the defendants hate, racism and prejudice, and we hope the conclusion of this case brings some measure of comfort to all those affected by his heinous crimes.

By JULIE WATSON

Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)  Police searched a vast Florida wildlife reserve on Saturday for 23-year-old Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, while across the country the FBI hunted for clues about the missing woman in a mountainous national park in Wyoming.

More than 50 North Port police officers, FBI agents and members of other law enforcement agencies searched the 24,000-acre (9,712-hectare) Carlton Reserve in the Sarasota, Florida area of the Gulf Coast.

Authorities used drones, scent-sniffing dogs and all-terrain vehicles in the reserve, which has more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) of trails, as well as campgrounds. Investigators took some of his clothing from his parents' home Friday night to provide a scent for the search dogs.

His family says they believe he entered the area earlier this week," North Port Police tweeted Saturday.

Meanwhile, the FBI in Denver said Saturday that agents were conducting ground surveys at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, with help from the National Park Service and local law enforcement agencies, seeking clues to Petito's disappearance. Her last known contact with family members was from the national park known for its mountainous terrain.

Laundrie and Petito, 22, left in July on a cross-country trek in a converted van to visit national parks in the U.S. West. Police said Laundrie was alone when he drove the van back to his parents home in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 1. Petitos family filed a missing persons report Sept. 11 with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Investigators in Florida were hopeful Laundrie was somewhere in the wildlife reserve near Sarasota. Depending on his skills, he could survive out in the reserve for some time, said police spokesperson Josh Taylor at a news conference.

Certainly, we prepare for all different possibilities, but you know, our goal is to locate him and bring him back to North Port, Taylor said.

Laundrie's family earlier told officers that they haven't seen him since Tuesday. Police said the conversation Friday evening was the first time they'd spoken with the Laundries in detail about the case, and that the meeting came at the family's request. An attorney for the family called FBI investigators and said they wanted to talk about Laundrie's disappearance, police said.

Investigators were trying to verify the story told by Laundrie's family members that they believe the reserve is where he went with only a backpack, Taylor said. One mystery is how Laundrie got to the reserve. Family members told investigators he took his car, but the vehicle was found back at his family's home, not at the reserve.

Earlier, the North Port Police said in a statement that they understood the community's frustration over the lack of progress in finding the missing woman.

We are frustrated too," the statement said. For six days, the North Port Police Department and the FBI have been pleading with the family to contact investigators regarding Brian's fiance, Gabby Petito. Friday is the first time they have spoken to investigators in detail."

Laundrie has been identified as a person of interest in the case.

It is important to note that while Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime, North Port police said in Friday's statement. It added that the investigation is now a multiple missing person case.

An attorney for Brian Laundrie, Steven Bertolino, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Friday night.

Attorneys for the Petito family released a statement saying Laundrie was not missing.

All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing, the statement from the law office of Richard B. Stafford said.

Earlier in the week, Petito's family pleaded for the Laundrie family to tell them where their son last saw her. Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts who met while growing up on Long Island, New York. His parents later moved to North Port, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

The couples trek in the Fort Transit van began in July from Long Island. They intended to reach Oregon by the end of October according to their social media accounts, but Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Police video released by the Moab Police Department in Utah showed that an officer pulled the van over on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hitting a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park. The body cam video showed an emotional Petito, who sat inside a police cruiser while officers also questioned Laundrie.

Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.
Biologists for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) say the states white-tailed deer population looks strong ahead of the archery-only season opener.

Last years estimated population of 5.4 million deer was down from the previous two years. However, biologists say that the population should see an increase if fawn recruitment predictions hold true this season.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP)  Police video shows a Florida woman who disappeared during a cross-country journey in a converted camper van had an emotional fight with her boyfriend in a Utah tourist town before she vanished.

The video released by the Moab Police Department shows that an officer pulled over the van on Aug. 12 after it was seen speeding and hit a curb near the entrance to Arches National Park.

Inside was Brian Laundrie, 23, and his 22-year-old girlfriend, Gabrielle Gabby Petito, who was reported missing by her family a month later and is now the subject of a nationwide search joined by the FBI.

Police in North Port, Florida, where the couple lived, say Laundrie is a person of interest" in her case. He's not been charged, but he's also not cooperating.

North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison publicly vented his frustration over his lack of help on Wednesday, pleading for Laundrie's lawyer to arrange a conversation. Two people left on a trip and one person returned! the chief's tweet said.

The body camera video shows Petito visibly upset when an officer approached them.

Weve just been fighting this morning. Some personal issues, she tells him, adding that she suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder that affects her behavior.

Some days, I have really bad OCD, and I was just cleaning and straightening up and I was apologizing to him saying that Im so mean because sometimes I have OCD and get frustrated, she said.

Laundrie says on the video the couple got into a minor scuffle that began when he climbed into the van with dirty feet, and said he didn't want to pursue a domestic violence charge against Petito, who officers decided was the aggressor.

Im not going to pursue anything because she is my fiancee and I love her. It was just a squabble. Sorry it had to get so public, Laundrie says.

Ultimately Moab police decided not file any charges and instead separated the couple for the night, with Laundrie checking into a motel and Petito remaining with the converted sleeper van.

Petito and Laundrie started their drive across the U.S. in July from New York's Long Island, where both grew up. They intended to reach Oregon by Halloween according to their social media accounts, but Petito vanished after her last known contact with family in late August from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, authorities said.

Laundrie drove the Ford Transit van back to Florida on Sept. 1 alone, police said. Petito's family filed a missing persons report last Saturday with police in Suffolk County, New York.

Petito's parents released a letter through their attorney on Thursday to Laundrie's parents, asking them to help investigators locate Petito, despite their instinct to protect their son.

We believe you know the location of where Brian left Gabby, the letter said. We beg you to tell us. As a parent, how could you let us go through this pain and not help us? As a parent, how could you put Gabbys younger brothers and sisters through this?

Laundrie's attorney, Steven Bertolino, said the Laundrie family is hoping for Petito's safe return, but he's asked them not to speak with investigators.

"I cant speculate as to why hes not talking, but he has the pieces to the puzzle that we need to find Gabby, Garrison said Thursday on ABCs Good Morning America.

Laundries sister, Cassie Laundrie, told Good Morning America in an excerpt of an interview released in advance of its airing on Friday's program that she was concerned. Obviously me and my family want Gabby to be found safe, Laundrie said. Shes like a sister and my children love her, and all I want is for her to come home safe and found and this to be just a big misunderstanding.

Garrison said at a news conference Thursday that the investigation remains a missing persons case, not a murder probe, and that no intensive searches have begun because it's unclear exactly where authorities might look.

We're still trying to nail down geographic areas, the chief said. There's a lot of information we are going through. Our focus is to find Gabby.

The missing woman's father, Joe Petito, also appeared at the news conference to urge anyone with knowledge about his daughter to come forward.

What I want from everybody here is help. Whatever you can do to make sure my daughter comes home, Im asking you to help. Nothing else matters right now, Joe Petito said.

Authorities are also looking for any possible connection between Petito's disappearance and the still-unsolved slaying of two women who were fatally shot at a campsite near Moab.

Their bodies were found Aug. 18, six days after the incident between Laundrie and Petito. The two women, Kylen Schulte, 24, and Crystal Turner, 38, had told friends they feared a creepy man they had seen nearby might harm them.

They're looking into that potential connection, said Joshua Taylor, public information officer for North Port police. I have not heard of any information that links these two cases together. I understand the timing is suspicious. You never know. I'm not going to say we've ruled it out.

Petito and Laundrie were childhood sweethearts on Long Island before moving in 2019 to live with his parents in North Port, about 34 miles (54 kilometers) south of Sarasota.

An eight-minute YouTube video titled Van Life: Beginning our Van Life Journey features happy and romantic scenes from the couples trip.

Petito is white, 5-foot-5 (1.6 meters) and about 110 pounds (50 kilograms), with blonde hair and blue eyes, police said. She has several tattoos including one on a forearm that reads, let it be.

_____

Associated Press writer Sophia Eppolito in Salt Lake City contributed to this story.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Wisconsin judge on Friday rejected a lawsuit seeking to remove the state Department of Natural Resources policy boards leader from his post even though his term has ended.

Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn ruled against Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul in the lawsuit he brought seeking to force Fred Prehn to leave the board. Kaul said he would appeal.

Prehn, a Wausau dentist, was appointed by former Republican Gov. Scott Walker in 2015. Although his term ended May 1, he has refused to step down, denying Democratic Gov. Tony Evers appointee Sandra Naas a seat and maintaining a 4-3 majority for Republican appointees.

Prehn argued that a 1964 state Supreme Court ruling means he does not have to leave until Naas is confirmed by the Senate, but Republicans who control the chamber have made no move to set a confirmation hearing or answer questions about whether they plan to do so.

Citing the state Supreme Court precedent, the judge granted Prehns request to dismiss the case, though she said she is not condoning Prehns actions," the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The Court cannot help but feel that the citizens of Wisconsin are the losers when the legislature fails to hold confirmation and other hearings in a timely manner, Bailey-Rihn wrote. A timely confirmation hearing would have eliminated the need for the States filing and saved the taxpayers attorneys fees incurred in this matter.

More than 150 people appointed by Gov. Tony Evers are still awaiting Senate approval, and more than two-thirds of them have been waiting more than 100 days. Several have been waiting for nearly three years.

Prehn told the State Journal that he was pleased with the judges order and encouraged lawmakers to get on with the confirmation process.

Thats their end of the stick, Prehn said. They need to do that, or the governor maybe needs to try another nominee.

In the meantime, Prehn said he intends to remain on the board and said he hopes the department's staff will engage with the lawfully appointed board.

Prehn canceled the September meeting after a top DNR official told him no one from the agency would participate.

Environmental and conservation groups, including the Sierra Club, Midwest Environmental Advocates and the River Alliance of Wisconsin, asked Kaul last month to take legal action to force Prehn out. They fear his presence on the board prolongs conservatives control of the DNR, leading to more decisions that favor businesses and farms rather than the environment and wildlife.

Democrats frustrations with Prehns refusal to step down came to a head last month when the board voted 5-2 to set the quota for this falls wolf hunt at 300 animals. DNR biologists recommended setting the limit at 130 wolves, saying the impact of a February hunt on the wolf population isnt yet clear.
Scientists find evidence of humans making clothes 120,000 years ago Guardian (The Rev Kev)

Can Flight Attendants Tell If You Dont Put Your Phone Into Airplane Mode? Conde Nast Traveler

Italys Book Doctor Craftsmanship Quarterly

New York Times essay complains its sexist for Elizabeth Holmes to be held accountable for Theranos disaster Fox (The Rev Kev)

Why Facebook is using Ray-Ban to stake a claim on our faces MIT Technology Review

36,000 gigatons of carbon heralded historys biggest mass extinction Ars Technica

It was complete pandemonium: the towns grappling with bear attacks bear attacks Guardian

#COVID-19

The tangled history of mRNA vaccines Nature (Dr. Kevin)

mRNAs History- And Its Future Science (Dr. Kevin)

Biologists Rethink the Logic Behind Cells Molecular Signals Quanta (David L)

Biden Administration

Russia

Waste Watch

CLEARING THE TINDERBOX Science

Burned trees and billions in cash: How a California climate program lets companies keep polluting Phys.Org (RM)

The Big Lie Thats Destroying the Wild Horses of the American West Counterpunch

Are we eating ourselves to extinction? Guardian

Class Warfare

The revival of the anti-monopoly labor tradition https://t.co/e4SUjwlDcq  Matt Stoller (@matthewstoller) September 17, 2021



Our Famously Free Press

This is a really bad look. https://t.co/i2e5e8451y  Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) September 17, 2021

The only reason the Pentagon was forced to admit its drone strike story was false is all eyes were on Kabul, which enabled the NYTs superb investigation proving the story was false. But usually, the same thing happens and they dont get caught  thanks to media stenographers. pic.twitter.com/vr0dXaciyi  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 18, 2021

Those reports about scores of Afghan civilians killed by US troops firing wildly after the airport suicide bomb have been totally buried.https://t.co/sCxgPhGS9Q  Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) September 18, 2021

China?

India

New India-US Partnership Could Lead To More Equitable Climate Action India Spend

Myanmar

Occupy Wall Street

Drew this during #Occupy, which began 10 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/uYl9c98mYJ  Dracula Awareness Activist (@bombsfall) September 17, 2021



Antidote du Jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
By Brett Wilkins. Originally published at Common Dreams

Following a rare Pentagon admission Friday that a remote-controlled airstrike which killed 10 Afghan civilians in the closing days of the war in Afghanistan was a horrible mistake, anti-war and human rights advocates asserted that war crimes are not oopsies, while calling on the U.S. to end drone strikes in the so-called War on Terror.

On Friday, Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., the commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), told reporters at a Pentagon press conference that the August 29 drone strike that killed 43-year-old Afghan aid worker Zamarai Ahmadi and nine of his relativesincluding seven childrenin the capital Kabul was carried out in the profound belief that an attack by militants of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) on Kabuls international airport was imminent.

At least 182 people, including 169 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. troops, were killed in the August 26 bombing. The South and Central Asian branch of Islamic State, known as ISIS-Khorasan, claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, the explosives U.S. military officials claimed were being loaded into the white Toyota Corolla sedan owned by the California-based nonprofit Nutrition and Education International (NEI), where Ahmadi had worked for the past 15 years, were most likely bottles of water.

We now know that there was no connection between Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities on that day were completely harmless and not at all related to the imminent threat we believed we faced, and that Mr. Ahmadi was just as innocent a victim as were the others tragically killed, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement Friday.

Pentagon acknowledges Aug. 29 drone strike in Afghanistan was a tragic mistake that killed 10 civilians | NYTimeshttps://t.co/y4EjP6lYlc  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) September 17, 2021

At a September 1 press conference, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Mark Milley called the bombing a righteous strike. As recently as Monday, Pentagon officials defended the errant strike, claiming it was necessary to thwart another imminent attack on U.S. troops.

However, investigations by The New York Times and The Washington Post revealed thatcontrary to the Pentagons claimsthere were no explosives in the Toyota, that the men loading the vehicle were not militants, and that there were numerous other additional victims in the vicinity of the sedan destroyed by a missile fired following hours of surveillance.

The only way to stop this from ever happening again is to end drone strikes https://t.co/QnNvAC2ETR  Afghans For a Better Tomorrow (@AfghansTomorrow) September 17, 2021

In a dynamic high-threat environment, the commanders on the ground had appropriate authority and had reasonable certainty that the target was valid, but after deeper post-strike analysis, our conclusion is that innocent civilians were killed, Milley said. This is a horrible tragedy of war and its heart-wrenching, and we are committed to being fully transparent about this incident.

Journalists, anti-war activists, and others noted that as many as 48,000Afghan civiliansand at least around 900,000 men, women, and children in the broader War on Terrorhave been killed by U.S. and allied bombs and bullets over the past 20 years, while calling for an end to drone strikes.

Remember that we killed thousands of civilians via drone strikes, so this is not really an aberration. This simply got more public scrutiny because Afghanistan was the leading headline that week. pic.twitter.com/YeQQdUnbRM  Omar Baddar   (@OmarBaddar) September 17, 2021

Olivia Alperstein, media manager at the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies, tweeted that the U.S. should apologize for all the drone strikes, and put an end to drone warfare once and for all.

Brian Castner, senior crisis adviser at Amnesty Internationals Crisis Response Program, on Friday called the Pentagons admission an important step towards accountability for the killings in Kabul, but added that much more remains to be done.

Castner continued:

The U.S. must now commit to a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into this incident. Anyone suspected of criminal responsibility should be prosecuted in a fair trial. Survivors and families of the victims should be kept informed of the progress of the investigation and be given full reparation. It should be noted that the U.S. military was only forced to admit to its failure in this strike because of the current global scrutiny on Afghanistan. Many similar strikes in Syria, Iraq, and Somalia have happened out of the spotlight, and the U.S. continues to deny responsibility while devastated families suffer in silence. The U.S. must ensure that it ends unlawful strikes, consistently and thoroughly investigates all allegations of civilians harmed in attacks, and publicly discloses its findings.

The leftist advocacy group Afghans for a Better Tomorrow tweeted, The only way to stop this from ever happening again is to end drone strikes.

That was not a mistake.  Anand Giridharadas @ The.Ink (@AnandWrites) September 17, 2021

Shoaib Haider, a judge who is Ahmadis second cousin, told CNN that the strike should be investigated as a potential war crime.

We hope the United Nations and human rights supporters will carry out an assessment of such incidents, Haider said, in order to avoid future tragic incidents like this one, in which innocent children and members of a family were eliminated.
(Natural News) A North Carolina teen is living a nightmare after developing neurological symptoms following the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Sarah Green was a healthy 16-year-old when she got Pfizers COVI-19 vaccine. However, following her second dose on May 4, a headache immediately set in at the base of her neck radiating up to her temples in a feeling that she describes as being like getting hit by a bus. The headaches persisted across a span of three weeks, and she also began to develop small facial twitches.

On May 23, her neck was twitching every 15 seconds, so she went to her dad for help. Her parents say that she also had trouble speaking; she would start to say a word and then it seemed as though her brain was simply resetting, and she would just start over.

At a local hospital, Sarah was given an EEG, CT scans and MRIs with and without contrast. Her results came back normal, so a doctor claimed she had a nervous twitch and needed to see a mental health professional. However, during the MRI with contrast, the young girl stopped breathing and needed to be pulled out of the machine and intubated. Strangely, the doctor sent her home afterward without referring her to a neurologist.

Her mother said that when the symptoms began, she did not initially link them to the vaccine. However, after filling out forms for the hospital that asked about things that might have changed in her health status, it turned out that the only thing that had really changed recently was the vaccine.

When she asked the doctor if her daughters condition could be related to the vaccine, she says he became very defensive. As soon as we said it was the vaccine, it was like they couldnt get us out of there fast enough, she said.

Another doctor told them that she believed Sarah had a functional movement disorder. The doctor maintained that it was not related to the vaccine despite admitting to seeing more cases since the vaccines were approved because, the doctor claimed, people are stressing themselves out about the vaccine and the issue is psychosomatic. However, Sarah was never nervous about getting the vaccine and got it willingly.

According to her mother, Sarah was able to get the vaccine without parental consent because they live in North Carolina. She felt that she needed it because she was working in a fast food restaurant on the frontline and was told that it would be mandated. Her mother also believes that a giveaway of a dozen donuts from Krispy Kreme was part of her motivation.

Risks were not properly explained

Sarah claims that she was told that she would only be risking a sore arm by getting the vaccine, but months later, her life has changed dramatically. This semester, she had to drop two college classes due to her symptoms and is no longer able to drive because shes unable to turn her head in certain ways without experiencing tremors. She was also unable to write due to constant tremors.

Her mother reported her vaccine injury to the CDCs Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and Pfizer. When she asked Pfizer if anyone had reported the same symptoms, they told her they had not. However, The Defender reported earlier this month on a 30-year-old woman who experienced severe neurological problems after the vaccine who also said she had reported the injury to Pfizer, and countless others have had similar experiences.

For Sarahs mother, one of the worst parts of this ordeal is the sense of helplessness she feels after having so many doctors dismiss her concerns. You feel like theres nothing you can do and nobody who can help you, she said.

Sources for this article include:

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

ChildrensHealthDefense.org
(Natural News) Fans of Amazon are sure to be receptive to the online e-tail behemoths latest technology, Fire TVs, because they will simply make streaming the companys video offerings, programs and movies that much easier.

What the company isnt telling the owners of those new TVs, which start shipping in October, is that they will literally be inviting in the government surveillance state that visionary author George Orwell warned about in his prophetic book 1984.

The Verge, a site that reports on technology, notes:

Amazon is officially in the TV business. The company has announced its first lineup of Amazon-branded 4K Fire TVs, which will begin shipping in October. This is a major expansion from the companys Fire TV Edition collaborations, where its popular streaming software comes preloaded on sets manufactured by other TV makers. But with its new Omni and 4-Series, Amazon is describing these as Amazon-built TVs.

The Omni series is the higher-end of the two, and beyond offering better picture quality, its other key selling point is hands-free voice control. Amazon includes far-field microphones in each model of the Omni series, which comes in 43, 50, 55, 65, and 75 inches. (Only the 65- and 75-inch models have Dolby Vision, but the others at least get HDR10.)

Cool, right?

The Verge went on to note that by building the TV, Amazon executives think they will be able to create a more seamless Fire TV user experience than previously, when users were required to use the Fire stick, a streaming device that plugs into other smart TVs.

But heres the catch. The new tech really just gives Amazon and, by default, the government, an easier ability to listen in on TV owners.

Amazon believes that Alexa voice controls add a major convenience factor, The Verge reports.

On Omni sets, voice commands are always available  even if the TV is off. These voice commands can be used for finding something to watch, like usual, but you can also adjust the TVs brightness, volume, or switch inputs with Alexa, the outlet continued.

As Natural News has reported, however, these voice command modules and devices that tens of millions of Americans have in their homes are all secret listening and recording devices.

When these devices, like Amazons Echo, first became popular, they were introduced as part of the internet of things (IOT), whereby more technologies for our homes and businesses were connected to the internet. How convenient it would be, for instance, to be at work and adjust the temperature in your home; to set alarms; to activate security measures, and so forth. Only, as stated by The Verge, these devices are constantly listening for commands, which means that, by design, they are always listening.

And since they are connected to the internet, that means they are subject to monitoring by a plethora of government agencies, as well as hackers.

We reported:

Much like Apples iPhone, which contains a listening apparatus via Siri that can be activated in a room simply by speaking out loud, the Amazon Echo is programmed to listen for certain verbal commands telling it to turn on, for instance, or to connect to a certain app. Amazon says the device contains far-field voice recognition that can hear a persons voice across the room, even while music is playing.

But this dream comes at a price, warn skeptics whove investigated the capability of the Amazon Echo to spy on people and deliver information to hackers or even government officials.

By making their own TVs, Amazon is simply skipping the middleman devices that people may or may not purchase (nearly everyone has a TV and if it is one that can do all that cool Amazon stuff, so much the better).

Would these tech companies make products the government can exploit? You bet; allowing that access means Uncle Sams deep state wont come after the tech giants with regulatory regimes that would put them out of business.

Welcome to Orwells 1984. We have officially arrived.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

TheVerge.com
(Natural News) The government of Australias northeastern state of Queensland has launched a new check-in system for its residents in-home quarantine, requiring them to answer a randomly-timed text message within 10 minutes. If they do not, police officers will show up at their doorsteps.

The new rules went into effect immediately after they were crafted. They were pushed by the state government of the ruling left-wing Labor Party after health authorities discovered just one new locally transmitted COVID-19 case.

Queensland government demanding to know where residents in quarantine are at all times

On Thursday, Minister for Health and Ambulance Services Yvette DAth told residents in-home quarantine that they will receive one text message at a random time at least once a day from her department, Queensland Health.

The message will feature a link that the recipient has to open and respond to within 10 minutes.

Additionally, Queensland Healths new rules require residents in-home quarantine to keep their mobile data and geolocation services on their mobile phones activated at all times.

This means even if residents respond within 10 minutes, they might still get a compliance visit from the Queensland Police Service if their response was outside an acceptable geolocation range.

This means Queensland Health will be able to ensure individuals in-home quarantine are at the residence theyre lawfully required to be at, said DAth. It specifically allows authorities to identify if anybody is away from their approved residence.

The new restrictions will apply to all close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases. Potential breaches in the restrictions will be assessed by the QPS to identify whether further action is required.

DAth justified the system by saying it would enable real-time monitoring of compliance.

For more than 18 months, text messages, phone calls and random inspections for compliance have long been the hallmarks of our home quarantine system, but as the virus evolves, so must our response, said DAth.

Any Queensland resident who violates their home quarantine can be fined up to AU$13,785 ($10,082), spend up to six months in jail and be forced out of their homes and told to go to state-recognized quarantine hotels. They must pay for their mandated stays at the hotels. (Related: MEDICAL POLICE STATE: Elderly Australian couple forced to drive 300 miles to quarantine hotel after filling out form incorrectly.)

New restrictions passed after discovering just one new local COVID-19 case

The Queensland government passed these new restrictions after state health authorities reported one new local case of COVID-19 in the state.

State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday the one local case was linked to a school cluster on the south side of Brisbane.

That student is in home quarantine and has not been infectious in the community and once again I want to thank all of the families that are still doing home quarantine, they are keeping Queenslanders safe, claimed Palaszczuk.

The state has two other cases, but they were acquired overseas and have been forced to stay in hotel quarantine.

Following this, Palaszczuk announced that tens of thousands of residents from a city in the neighboring state of New South Wales are no longer welcome after the state recorded one new COVID-19 case.

The city Lismore in New South Wales, which is less than a hundred miles to the south of the Queensland capital of Brisbane, has around 40,000 residents and has been placed under lockdown due to the one positive case.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said anyone who has been in the local government area that includes Lismore within the past 14 days is not allowed in Queensland.

Those currently in Queensland who have been in the Lismore area in the last 14 days should come forward, get tested and isolate until they receive a negative test result, she said during a press conference.

While Youngs statement made it sound like a suggestion, QPS will most likely follow up with Queensland visitors from Lismore forcefully if necessary.

We know the situation can quickly escalate with this virus, which is why it is important we respond appropriately, added Young. I understand this is tough for some, but it is necessary in ensuring we can continue to protect Queenslanders.

Learn more about the state of lockdown and quarantine in Australia by reading the latest articles at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

News.com.au

ABC.net.au

BrisbaneTimes.com.au
(Natural News) An upcoming book by two Washington Post writers, just leaked to the corporate press, seeks to paint General Mark Milley as a hero of the resistance to President Donald Trump. If any of it is true, it amounts to an actual coup.

(Article by Nebojsa Malic republished from RT.com)

Excerpts from Peril, due to be published in a week, appeared on Tuesday on CNN and in the Washington Post, which employs its two authors  Robert Costa and Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame. It claims to be based on more than 200 interviews with firsthand participants and witnesses of the last three months of Trumps presidency.

NEW: CNN obtained an early copy of Peril from @realBobWoodward @costareports, which details how CJCS Gen. Milley took action in Jan. to limit Trump from launching nuclear weapons, telling officers not to take any action without consulting with him first https://t.co/LDZvBaeKyj  Jeremy Herb (@jeremyherb) September 14, 2021

The coverage in corporate outlets dovetails neatly with their institutional bias against the Trump presidency and their established narrative about the 2020 election, the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, and the resistance of career bureaucrats and deep state institutions to rogue Trump.

In their telling, Milley  the US Army general who chairs the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emerged as the hero who saved the day, coordinating with the CIA, the NSA, top Democrats, and even his Chinese counterpart to protect America from an unhinged president.

Good. Thank you General Milley. https://t.co/jvltXxWQZZ  Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) September 14, 2021

On January 8, Woodward and Costa claim, Milley called a secret meeting at the Pentagon and instructed officers in charge of the National Military Command Center not to take orders from anyone unless they go through him first.

No matter what you are told, you do the procedure. You do the process. And Im part of that procedure, he reportedly said, and made them verbally acknowledge the order.

Milley also canceled Trumps orders for withdrawal from Afghanistan by January 15 and even reached out to his Chinese counterpart to reassure him the US would not attack, according to the book.

In the books telling, Milley went so far as to pledge he would alert his counterpart in the event of a U.S. attack, stressing the rapport theyd established through a backchannel. https://t.co/7nCDFPhLBo pic.twitter.com/NkrK9p6rGv  The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 14, 2021

Meanwhile, he also got a phone call from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California). Costa and Woodward include an alleged transcript of the call.

What Im saying to you is that if they couldnt even stop him from an assault on the Capitol, who even knows what else he may do? And is there anybody in charge at the White House who was doing anything but kissing his fat butt all over this? Pelosi said, adding, You know hes crazy. Hes been crazy for a long time.

Madam Speaker, I agree with you on everything, Milley responded. After the call, he reached out to NSA Director Paul Nakasone and told him Needles upkeep watching, scan. He also reached out to CIA Director Gina Haspel, telling her to Aggressively watch everything, 360.

In other words, the top military official was telling the intelligence community to spy on the elected government. Costa and Woodward acknowledge as much, writing that Milley was overseeing the mobilization of Americas national security state without the knowledge of the American people or the rest of the world.

For those paying attention at home, this is a lot closer to a coup than anything we saw on January 6th. https://t.co/eaFlI1jwHQ  Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) September 14, 2021

According to them, however, this was fine because Milley believed his actions were a good faith precaution to ensure there was no historic rupture in the international order, no accidental war with China or others, and no use of nuclear weapons. Apparently loyalty to the international order trumped the US Constitution and his oath to it.

He wasnt alone, either. According to Woodward and Costa, it was Haspel  appointed by Trump in May 2018  who called Milley and said the US is on the way to a right-wing coup.

The whole thing is insanity. He is acting out like a six-year-old with a tantrum, the CIA director reportedly told Milley.

I know were supposed to be all worried about how crazy Trump was in this story but this, if true, is legit treason. pic.twitter.com/BmXmZlHPyX  Inez Stepman  (@InezFeltscher) September 14, 2021

While the Washington establishment largely applauded Milleys conduct, one of their own was outraged. Alexander Vindman, the now-retired lieutenant-colonel instrumental in Trumps first impeachment over Ukrainegate in 2019, tweeted that Milley must resign because he set an extremely dangerous precedent by usurping civilian authority.

What is described here is wrong, he added. There is no deep state but this narrative feeds into one.

If this is true GEN Milley must resign. He usurped civilian authority, broke Chain of Command, and violated the sacrosanct principle of civilian control over the military. Its an extremely dangerous precedent. You cant simply walk away from that. #dotherightthingintherightway https://t.co/izsMMCFPrz  Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) September 14, 2021

The riot on January 6 saw several hundred pro-Trump demonstrators break into the US Capitol just as the joint session of Congress was hearing objections to the electoral college vote count. The session was interrupted, and when the Congress reconvened later that night, those objecting were overruled by the outrage over what the Democrats and the media dubbed the insurrection.

Reports at the time spoke of Pelosi consulting with the Pentagon, Vice President Mike Pence and other institutions, but conspicuously omitted Trump  who was technically still commander-in-chief.

This summer, Milley drew criticism over blaming the riot on white rage and appearing to endorse the Democrat narrative while insisting he and the military were apolitical. However, it was his comments from a year prior  in June 2020  that cast doubt on Woodward and Costas narrative about January 6 being his motivation.

Read more at: RT.com and Conspiracy.news.
(Natural News) Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) fatalities in September 2021 were higher than the year prior. According to the agencys data, COVID-19 deaths during the first 10 days of September 2021 are almost twice as high as the number of deaths from the first 10 days of September 2020. The higher fatalities form part of the fourth wave of COVID-19 that comes alongside mass vaccinations in the U.S.

According to the agency, daily COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. never go beyond 960 from Sept. 1 to Sept. 10, 2020. Meanwhile, daily COVID-19 fatalities from Sept. 1 to Sept. 10, 2021, go as high as 1,860.

Despite the trend of daily COVID-19 deaths staying under 1,000, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine on Dec. 11, 2020. The regulator later grants the Pfizer vaccine  to be called Comirnaty  full approval on Aug. 23, 2021. The FDAs full approval of Comirnaty paves the way for both private and public entities to mandate COVID-19 vaccination.

Around 179 million Americans complete the two-dose Comirnaty vaccine since its December 2020 authorization. However, the vaccine is unable to stop the spread of the more contagious B16172 delta variant from India. The strain now comprises almost all of the COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and even causes breakthrough infections in people.

During a recent White House press conference, President Joe Biden proceeds to denounce unvaccinated Americans. He says during a Sept. 9 press briefing: This is a pandemic of the unvaccinated. [Its] caused by the fact that  we still have nearly 80 million Americans who have failed to get the shot. Biden continues that unvaccinated Americans who catch COVID-19 overcrowd our hospitals and [overrun] emergency rooms and intensive care units.

Biden issues a thinly veiled threat toward Americans declining the COVID-19 vaccine in the same press conference: Weve been patient, but our patience is wearing thin. And your refusal has cost all of us.

The vaccines are driving the latest wave of infections

However, many sources claim that the vaccines for protecting people against COVID-19 are actually responsible for driving up cases and deaths. One article by Christopher Yates of the University of Bath in the United Kingdom quotes a report by Public Health England (PHE) about COVID-19 deaths there. The PHE report says out of 274 people who died from the delta strain within 28 days of testing positive for COVID-19, 63.4 percent  163 Britons  have at least one dose of the vaccine.

Aside from the U.K., Israel is another country facing a rise in COVID-19 cases despite vaccinating its population. The Middle Eastern nation uses the Comirnaty vaccine on its population, alongside some doses of Modernas mRNA vaccine. Israel prides itself as the most vaccinated nation due to injecting its citizens in record time, even surpassing the U.S. at one point. (Related: 95% of severe patients in Israeli hospitals are vaccinated, warns doctor.)

But two studies in Israel show that the Comirnaty vaccine itself contributes to the spread of COVID-19 infections. One study from Tel Aviv University and Clalit Healthcare Services shows that the Pfizer shot increases the likelihood of people catching SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Through analyzing COVID-19 test results from both unvaccinated and vaccinated Israelis, the researchers seek to find out if vaccinated Israelis contract variants of concern than unvaccinated citizens.

According to their findings from April 2021, Israelis who get two doses of Comirnaty are eight times more likely to contract the South African B1351 variant than unvaccinated individuals. They also note that the British B117 variant is more prevalent in Israelis who get one dose of Comirnaty. However, the researchers clarify that infection rates caused by the B117 strain are the same in both unvaccinated and fully vaccinated Israelis. (Related: Study finds Pfizer coronavirus vaccine puts people at HIGHER risk of covid variants.)

Later, Israeli health officials report that Comirnaty is only 39 percent effective against the B16172 delta strain. The countrys Ministry of Health (MOH) notes this finding in a July 22 report. It adds that the MOHs finding is based on COVID-19 cases between June 20 and July 17  concurrent with the delta variants spread throughout the country.

The July 22 MOH report also shows Comirnatys diminished effectiveness over time. It says that Israelis who get the vaccine in January 2021 only have 16 percent protection against COVID-19 transmission, while those who are vaccinated in February 2021 are 44 percent protected. Israelis who get the shot in March 2021 have 67 percent protection, while those who get vaccinated in April 2021 have 75 percent protection.

CDC.news has more articles about the public health agencys tactics to promote fear and vaccines.

Sources include:

NationalFile.com

WhiteHouse.gov

TheConversation.com

TimesOfIsrael.com

TheEpochTimes.com
(Natural News) Climate protesters who blocked a major road near London caused a dangerous pile-up, prompting one woman to be airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

(Article by Paul Joseph Watson republished from Infowars.com)

Well done, clowns.

As we highlighted earlier, the demonstrators were from a group called Insulate Britain  yet have succeeded on two separate occasions in blocking thermal insulation engineers from getting to work.

https://twitter.com/PoliticsForAlI/status/1438063682488082434

However, their actions today caused a drastically more serious incident after they stopped traffic at two sections of Britains busiest motorway, the M25.

Woman airlifted to hospital after Extinction Rebellion criminals cause a multiple car crash. Throw them in jail. https://t.co/AvNqnPH6IB  Christopher Snowdon (@cjsnowdon) September 15, 2021

A crash involving four vehicles led to a woman in her 50s being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries, and witness Steve Glenn, who was commuting to work clockwise on the M25, told The Telegraph: The cars ploughed into the back of each other. It was so blatantly obvious what had happened. The standstill traffic was caused by the protest.

An image of one of the vehicles involved in the crash shows it crushed to half its size.

This is the car thats covered in the article. I really hope everyone is ok. pic.twitter.com/d3Pcq001s3  Luke  (@Superspurs131) September 15, 2021

Despite the dangerous activities of the protesters, the police behaved towards them as if they were providing customer service and only made arrests after the crash.

If you have any questions at all, just ask, and if any of you are in any discomfort or need anything just let me know and we will try and sort you out in a nice way, I couldnt phrase that any worse could I? [smiling] If you need any assistance at all then let me know, a police officer said to the protesters.

I've never seen or heard such pathetic and selective policing in all my life. Are the police running a five-star sodding hotel, or defending the laws of the land and ensuring hard-pressed British workers can get to and from work without some hippy sat in the middle of the road?! pic.twitter.com/uc1hU3O2SN  Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) September 15, 2021

The demonstrators are an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, who routinely block roads in London, causing anger amongst ordinary people trying to get to work.

Last year, they infamously tried to stop a busy train setting off early in the morning, prompting irate commuters to drag one man down from the roof of the carriage.

Read more at: Infowars.com and Stupid.news.
(Natural News) Missouri chiropractor Dr. Eric Nepute denounces draconian health measures for children with his guest Karen Kingston. The two voice out their criticism during the Sept. 14 episode of Real Talk with Dr. Eric Nepute, which airs on Brighteon.tv. Nepute and Kingston claim that Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) quarantines and tests cause more harm than the actual disease the measures seek to address.

Nepute starts his show by recapping an event in St. Charles County, Missouri. During a Sept. 13 council meeting, the chiropractor takes to the floor to voice out his opposition to mask mandates and required quarantines in schools. Two councilmen also bring forward a resolution repealing the health measures, Nepute adds.

According to Nepute, school districts in the county claim they lack the authority to change these mandates. Meanwhile, the county council also claims they likewise lack the authority to repeal these  with state lawmakers the only ones authorized to do so. Thus, the Sept. 13 council meeting, which has more than 200 attendees, serves as a conversation for all stakeholders. Nepute says several attendees are in favor of getting rid of the draconian measures that are happening in schools.

The chiropractor adds that one parent receives a positive response to her Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The parents FOIA request asks the St. Charles County Department of Public Health to give the exact number of quarantined children in the county during the previous school year. According to the department, 29,372 children have had to isolate themselves during the last school year. Nepute points out that of that number, only 1.2 percent test positive for COVID-19.

Nepute points out that the children undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which have a very high false-positive rate, prior to isolation. We would have recognized that quarantines are good if they actually stop the spread of the virus. [But] out of 30,000 kids, there was 1.2 percent  quarantined last year [who tested] positive for COVID-19, he says.

Aside from mandatory quarantines for children being ineffective, Nepute also mentions that these and other COVID-19 measures cause childrens IQ points to drop by 20 to 30 percent. He adds that 30 percent of children now deal with some type of social, emotional [or] mental health issue because of the lockdowns. True enough, a study by researchers from Rhode Island appear to back up Neputes claims.

The researchers argue in their Aug. 11 study that babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic have IQ scores 27 to 37 points lower than those born before the pandemic. They point to lockdown policies such as mask mandates, stay-at-home orders and school closures as the main factor behind the lower IQ score. These mandates negatively impact the first 1,000 days of a childs life, which is the most crucial phase in their development.

We [find] that children born during the pandemic have significantly reduced verbal, motor and overall cognitive performance, they write. The Rhode Island researchers warn: [Even] in the absence of direct SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19, the environmental changes associated [with the] COVID-19 pandemic is significantly and negatively affecting infant and child development. (Related: Study finds lockdowns lower childrens IQ and cause mental health issues.)

Karen Kingston shares Kafkaesque experience with these measures

Nepute then turns to Kingston, who proceeds to relate her sons recent experience with their school administration. The former Pfizer employee-turned-whistleblower shares how her son has to prove he is negative for COVID-19, even though his symptoms belong to an entirely different illness.

According to Kingston, her son gets sent home one Friday for purportedly having COVID-19 after a stomach ache from bad food. She returns the following Monday to inform the school authorities that her son does not have COVID-19. Kingston meets with the principal and assistant principal who claim that a stomach ache is a symptom of the disease.

She denies this and asks the two officials: If every time someone coughs or sneezes, youre sick until proven healthy? This is draconian, this is Kafkaesque. Why are you guys doing this? The assistant principal and the principal then claim that they do not have authority to diagnose if a child does not have COVID-19. Kingston laments the lack of discernment from both officials.

Kingston and her son then visit a doctor to get a COVID-19 test before he can return to school. The doctor asks if her son has any symptoms, and she tells the doctor that he has none. Kingston adds that her son simply took a dump and his stomach ache disappeared. However, she mentions that the clinic is unable to test him as he has no symptoms of COVID-19.

My son had to confess to having symptoms for a disease he had no symptoms of, in order to get tested, to prove that he didnt have the disease. But because he had to lie and say that he had a symptom, he had to quarantine for three more days before he could go back to school. This is the definition of Kafkaesque, Kingston says.

Because of this, she strongly disagrees with COVID-19 testing for children. Children do not need to prove that they are healthy. Theyre not sick until proven healthy. Thats just not the way it works, especially for something that is most normally known as the common cold.

Nepute agrees with Kingston, also pointing out the dangers of using PCR tests. The test usually involves inserting a long cotton swab into the nasal cavity to obtain a test sample. Jamming up a cotton swab  four [to] six inches up your nose  can cause serious harm, he says. (Related: Study: Covid-19 nasal swabs may be causing meningitis infections.)

Watch the full episode of Real Talk with Dr. Eric Nepute here.

MedicalTyranny.com has more articles about testing, quarantine and other draconian COVID-19 measures for children.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

AllNewsPipeline.com

medRxiv.org
(Natural News) The AstraZeneca Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine claims the life of another individual in the United Kingdom. Healthy 35-year-old mother of two Alpa Tailor is the latest person to succumb to blood clots and low platelet count, two known side effects of the vaccine. Little do her relatives know that the same vaccine she took to protect her family would be responsible for her sudden death.

Tailor initially gets her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine in March, and later falls ill on April 8. She first complains of a headache before experiencing slurred speech and a facial droop. These prompt her relatives to rush her to the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.

Doctors at the hospital soon diagnose Alpa with vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis as a consequence of getting the vaccine. Thrombocytopenia involves patients having low levels of platelets, which are cells that help with blood clotting. Thrombosis meanwhile happens when blood clots block veins or arteries, causing strokes and heart attacks.

Alpa then undergoes surgery to relieve pressure on her brain, with doctors initially thinking she responds well to treatment. Neurosurgeon Dr. Jonathan Hyam says he is quite optimistic for Alpas prognosis around a week after her procedure. However, medics discover after a CT scan that she is suffering from massive bleeding in the brain  leading to her death. Hyam adds that he was really surprised following the news of Alpas passing.

Authorities then call for an inquest on Alpas death at St. Pancras Coroners Court. A post-mortem examination determines that she has multiple blood clots in the brain. Senior coroner Mary Hassell says she has no hesitation with ruling that the vaccine is behind Alpas death. She adds: Everything points in the same direction, which is that Alpa had the AstraZeneca [vaccine] at a time when many, many thousands of people  had died from [the] coronavirus.

Alpa joins many experiencing serious reactions because of the COVID-19 vaccine

Alpas husband Anish says after the inquest: The death of our beloved Alpa has left a huge void in our hearts and in our lives. [She] was a wonderful wide, loving mother, amazing daughter, sister and friend. Life has changed for us in an unimaginable way.

Alpas relatives also reminisce about her. She always had a smile on her face, enthusiastic and very creative, one relative says. Another relative says Alpa touched hundred of hearts in her 35 years of life and will be remembered for her laugh. A third describes her as a loving and caring mother who puts the needs of her children before hers.

The AstraZeneca vaccine, made in partnership with the University of Oxford, is one of four vaccines approved for use in the U.K.  alongside the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. But according to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, there are 416 recorded cases of VITT and 72 deaths following injection with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Alpa joins the many individuals dying after injection with the two-dose AstraZeneca vaccine. Months earlier, 39-year-old British model Stephanie Dubois experiences low platelet count and brain bleeding weeks after getting the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. She first gets her COVID-19 vaccine dose on May 6  reporting full-body shakes, breathing difficulty, dizziness and headache.

Duboiss parents send her to a hospital for breathing problems on May 14, slipping into a coma by May 19. Her friend Andrew Powers says Stephanie is not expected to come out of a coma. Three days later, Dubois dies of a serious thrombotic episode. (Related: British model dies days after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.)

Meanwhile, Cambridgeshire artist and mother of six Sofia Gomes loses her ability to speak after her second AstraZeneca dose on May 19. She also experiences side effects such as leg pain and a high fever following her first dose. Gomes believes her condition is a severe allergic reaction to her vaccination.

Gomess partner Victor Plowman says she is clutching her throat and could only whisper on the evening after her second dose. We thought she was having an allergic reaction, so I called an ambulance and she went up to [the] hospital, he continues. Gomess condition baffles doctors and other specialists, but they assure her that her voice will return. (Related: Woman left unable to speak after receiving second dose of AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.)

Given her inability to speak, Gomes expresses her frustration through writing. I am trying to stay positive for my family, but I am really worried and this has affected me [by] a huge amount. I feel bad that I cant help my baby develop her speech, and one of my sons is autistic so it has been difficult not being able to communicate with him properly, too. I miss reading stories to my children and singing to them at night, and I miss being able to speak to my family in Portugal over the phone, she writes.

VaccineDeaths.com has more articles about the dangers of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk 1

Mirror.co.uk

Gov.uk

TheScottishSun.co.uk

DailyMail.co.uk 2
(Natural News) Nearly 3,000 members of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) have applied for exemptions to the police departments Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandate.

More than 2,600 LAPD officers have applied for religious exemptions from the citys vaccine mandate. An additional 360 have applied for medical exemptions.

These nearly 3,000 LAPD officers all submitted their exemption applications before the departments Sept. 13 deadline for requests for mandate waivers. (Related: Seattle cops organizing against COVID-19 vaccine mandate could lead to 200 officers losing their jobs.)

We have seen a number of our personnel who have filed for an intent to have an exemption, based on either medical or sincerely held religious belief, said LAPD Chief Michel Moore. The department will wait for the city to provide instructions relative to the interpretation and what will happen to those intentions to file.

Moore added that around 6,573 LAPD employees  sworn officers and unsworn members alike  have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Tuesday. The department has a total of 12,315 employees.

The rest are being coerced into getting vaccinated under threat of unemployment following the passage of an ordinance from the Los Angeles City Council.

On Aug. 18, the city council approved an ordinance ordering all city employees  including the LAPD  to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 5. Exemptions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. But even if city employees get exemptions, they have to go through twice-weekly COVID-19 testing to still be eligible for employment with the city.

To aid in the vaccination of its employees, the LAPD approved the creation of a mobile vaccination program. Department officials believe the mobile vaccine clinic can reach out to unvaccinated employees at their homes and get them to reconsider vaccinations.

In the last two weeks, the mobile vaccination program has vaccinated an additional 156 LAPD employees.

The LAPD does not have the lowest vaccination rate among the citys other departments. This distinction goes to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), the Department of Recreation and Parks (LADRP) and the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), which have vaccination rates of 30 percent, 38 percent and 34 percent, respectively.

Mayor to go after those who abuse vaccine exemptions

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is setting his sights on the thousands of city employees applying for religious and medical exemptions to the vaccine mandate.

Every city employee is required to provide their vaccine status, and the deadline [to apply for exemptions] has passed, said Garcetti. Anyone who hasnt given us that information must do it now.

The citys original deadline for applying for exemptions was on Sept. 7. It was extended because over 10,000 city employees had not provided the city with proof of vaccination. This included over 7,800 workers from LADWP, nearly 4,000 workers from LADRP, over 3,800 employees from the LAPD and 1,500 from the LAFD.

This [vaccine mandate exemption] policy allows for medical and religious exemptions to protect certain workers health and constitutional rights, but let me be absolutely clear: We will not tolerate the abuse of these exemptions by those who simply dont want to get vaccinated, said Garcetti.

To anyone thinking about filing a disingenuous exemption request, I strongly urge that you reconsider, he added. Every request will be carefully vetted, and our goal will always be to get as many Angelenos vaccinated as possible.

Out of 57,476 city workers, the data shows that over 5,100 have requested religious exemptions, with over half of those waiver requests coming from the LAPD.

Garcetti is in the process of negotiating with labor unions that represent city employees  including Los Angeles police union  regarding possible disciplinary procedures for employees who refuse to get vaccinated and do not have a waiver and for those who fail to report their vaccination status.

Learn more about the vaccine mandates all over the United States and the people and groups like the LAPD officers that are resisting them at Vaccines.news.

Sources include:

NewsPunch.com

FoxLA.com

LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com

NBCLosAngeles.com
(Natural News) Judge Fred Mosely talks about lies and deceptions on the latest episode of Laws of Life on Brighteon.TV. He discusses with Beth Townsend a situation involving a store owner and a lady customer who bought a nice looking outfit, wore it in an event and brought it back the following business day.

Townsend shares the story of her sister, who told Townsend that she had done that five times before, although she confessed the truth to the store owner each time. Sometimes you take matters into your own hands, but it doesnt make it right, says Townsend. The accountability was there, but at the same time, its a slippery slope.

Mosely says by making a full disclosure, Townsends sister has rectified the situation.

Your sister had shown accountability and responsibility by making full disclosure. That brought her out of any moral obligation, says Mosely. Because the store owner could have said to her, you used it, I want to be paid at least something for the use of my garment, but apparently [the owner] didnt say it, [and] accept the item from the person who made a full disclosure.

The same cant be said with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony Fauci.

Fauci eats, sleeps and breathes lies

Fauci has repeatedly insisted that the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIAIDs mother agency, has funded nothing that could reasonably be considered gain-of-function research in Wuhan, China. (Related: Fauci LIED, he and his agency DID fund illegal gain-of-function research in Wuhan.)

Dr. Richard Ebright, a biosafety expert at Rutgers University, tells conservative magazine National Review that NIH has funded research in Wuhan that matches the definition of gain-of-function research of concern for which federal funding was paused in 2014-2017.

The Intercept has also published new documents  including a grant proposal  describing research that Ebright again deems gain of function. The viruses they constructed were tested for their ability to infect mice that were engineered to display human type receptors on their cell, says Ebright.

NIH announced in 2017 it would resume funding gain-of-function research

On Dec. 19, 2017, the NIH announced that it would resume funding gain-of-function research involving influenza, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

Carrie Wolinetz, head of the NIH Office of Science Policy, said: Gain-of-function experiments allow us to understand how pandemic viruses evolve, so that we can make predictions, develop countermeasures, and do disease surveillance.

Four years prior, the NIH had suspended funding gain-of-function studies involving influenza, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. Back then, over 200 scientists signed the Cambridge Working Group declaration arguing for a cessation of experiments creating potential pandemic pathogens until there has been a quantitative, objective and credible assessment of the risks, potential benefits, and opportunities for risk mitigation, as well as comparison against safer experimental approaches.

Fauci lied about the amount given to Wuhan lab

Fauci has also lied about the amount of taxpayers money given to the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to study bat coronaviruses.

He has said during a Senate questioning that $600,000 was donated to the WIV in the span of five years, but documents obtained by conservative activist group Judicial Watch has revealed that the actual figure was $826,277.

White House continues to defend Fauci

Despite all the lies and deceptions, the White House continues to defend Fauci. (Related: REVEALED: White House visitor logs reveal Fauci/Klain situation room meeting after gain of function moratorium.)

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is indignant when asked if President Joe Biden would consider relieving Fauci of his positions as NIAID director and chief medical adviser to the president.

NIH has never approved any research that would make a coronavirus more dangerous to humans, a reminder that there are previous and different coronaviruses than the existing one were battling, says Psaki, pointing out that the genomes of the coronaviruses described in the NIH research are different from the virus that has caused the ongoing pandemic.

At least, Townsend refuses to condone the actions of her sister.

I dont think you can make a wrong, right. Wrong is wrong, and right is right, Townsend says. The Bible clearly states that were tested on little things, then that leads to big things. Little things are where we learn to be sensitive to Holy Spirit.

Townsend shares a lesson from a sermon that she has heard before: We dont just pull the weeds, we plant seeds.

In our life, in our homes and our businesses, were busy pulling out whats obviously bad or obviously wrong. But at the same time, we have to be very careful what we are planting and allowing to grow, says Townsend.

Its still not clear what kind of seeds the Biden administration is trying to plant and allow to grow, but the pieces of evidence suggest that Fauci is clearly a weed  a deeply rooted one.

Watch the Sept. 14 episode of the Laws of Life here:

You can catch the Laws of Life live every Tuesday at 11-11:30 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.

Follow Lies.news for more news related to lies and deceptions.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

News.Yahoo.com

TheLancet.com

DailyMail.co.uk
(Natural News) Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons expert Peter Pry warns of the dangers these armaments pose to the United States. He shares this warning to Connecting the Dots host Dan Happel during the shows Sept. 14 edition on Brighteon.tv. Pry further mentions that enemy nations can use EMP weapons to indirectly knock out the electric grid and food supply.

First, Pry gives his background and shares how he picks up pertinent knowledge regarding EMP weapons. Despite his multiple doctorate degrees, his time at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) proves to be the most fruitful source of his knowledge. Pry comments that he basically spent [his] professional life working in the field of national security.

The expert continues that his stint at the CIA allows him to learn from nuclear weapons designers, physicists and electrical engineers. However, one thing that sets him apart from his colleagues is his knowledge of how enemy nations will utilize these nuclear armaments against the United States. Pry also adds that his background of adversary countries military doctrine and military exercises gives him an edge.

Happel then asks about what EMP weapons are and what are the governments lapses in planning against these weapons. With one electromagnetic pulse weapon, [enemy nations] could really hurt the U.S., the Connecting the Dots host comments.

Pry defines EMP weapons as those that generate high amounts of electricity upon detonation. [The EMP] is so powerful, were talking about thousands of volts per meter, he says. According to Pry, volts per meter (VPM) means that targets will receive 1,000 to 3,000 volts depending on how long they are in meters. For example, a vehicle that measures five meters long that gets 3,000 volts will have 15,000 VPM injected into it at the speed of light.

Pry continues that a computer cord measuring two meters long might have 6,000 VPM injected into it at the speed of light. He points out that computers and other electronic devices are designed to operate on 120 volts or less. If you get a little bit above that voltage, it will fry things and short [them] out.

EMPs could be used to target the U.S.s electric grid

The expert elaborates that EMP weapons, whether nuclear or non-nuclear, can generate powerful electrical fields. Even a crude, first generation atomic bomb  [that] terrorists could cobble together will generate an EMP, Pry says.

He adds: That would be enough to do something like collapse the eastern electric grid of the U.S. if you fire that thing off a freighter [or] use  a meteorological balloon to get it up above to 30 kilometers. Were talking about a high-altitude burst for a nuclear EMP attack, by the way.

Pry tells Happel that when an EMP weapon is dropped from an altitude of 30 kilometers, the resulting electric field will have a radius of 600 kilometers. Higher altitudes result in a larger area of effect, he adds. Pry says: If you go [up] to 300 kilometers, you can cover all 48 of the contiguous [U.S. states] plus most of Canada and a good chunk of Mexico with a single weapon.

The expert nevertheless warns that an EMP weapon attack will bring about the collapse of society. Despite the existence of three grids in the mainland U.S.  the Eastern Interconnection, the Western Interconnection and the Texas Interconnection  an attack on just the eastern grid will spell doom for the country. According to Pry, 75 percent of electricity nationwide comes from the eastern grid  with most of the population living off the power it produces. (Related: Russias super electromagnetic pulse weapon could destroy U.S. grid, expert warns.)

Pry calls EMP weapons anti-technology weapons that can subtract in the equation of our modern civilization. Many vital aspects of civilization such as telecommunication, transportation and industry fall after an EMP attack, he adds.

Even the food supply is vulnerable to EMP attacks

Pry also elaborates on the effects of an EMP attack on the food supply. According to the expert, foods spoil immediately after the electric grid fails because temperature control systems and refrigerators no longer function. Stocks in grocery stores can only last for about three days, while those stored in big regional warehouses can only feed people for 30 days. (Related: Tips for surviving an EMP attack in America.)

Even bringing in food becomes a problem due to the transportation system being knocked out. The grocery stores are resupplied by the transport system, which wont work because trucks and cars  are paralyzed. We wouldnt be able to import food because the ports wont work. All those heavy cranes require vast amounts of electricity, Pry tells Happel.

The expert continues: Even if the world was generous enough to send food to our shores, they would end up piling [at] the ports. You cant offload it off the ships. And then, how are you [going to] transport it to the interior of the country  where its needed?

Pry says an EMP attack would replicate the conditions for a nationwide famine such as the one in Somalia. He cites the African country being unable to deliver food to different regions due to the lack of a transportation system. Even though the United Nations sent huge quantities of food  [for] the starving Somalian population, [it] would pile up at the docks because there was no transportation system adequate to get the food where it was needed, the expert adds.

Click here to watch the complete first part of Dan Happels Connecting the Dots on Brighteon.TV with Peter Pry as a guest.

EMP.news has more articles about the dangers of an EMP attack by the U.S.s enemies.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Energy.gov
(Natural News) The latest episode of the Sheriff Mack Show of Brighteon.TV talks about vaccine mandates and why people should be given the freedom of choice in terms of getting their shots, as opposed to the tyrannical mandates that the Biden administration is pushing.

Republicans call vaccine mandate tyrannical

Many are criticizing President Joe Bidens vaccine plan for employers, calling it tyrannical.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said that he opposes Bidens plan because he supports individual or business choice. One of the key parts of the presidents proposal requires companies with over 100 employees to require its workers to get vaccinated or show weekly test results to serve as proof that they are negative for COVID-19.

Lee said in a press conference that Bidens proposal is a very ill-advised law and that he thinks it is a bad idea. He later issued a statement that he wont allow this power grab and in the meantime, I will stand up for all Tennesseans.

However, he does believe that the vaccine is the best tool available to fight the pandemic. It is simply the approach that is wrong, and that he is standing united against any federal overreach.

State Representative Jason Zachary said that the president does not have the constitutional authority to force people to put something in their body that is against their will. (Related: Biden goes full tyrant, announces sweeping vaccine mandates rooted in OBEDIENCE, not science.)

Outrage from Republicans has kept the air chilly over the governments response to the pandemic.

Biden reportedly stated that the COVID-19 vaccination is not about freedom or personal choice, but protecting ones self and those around them.

Gov. Lee, however, is not convinced. He shared that instead of fighting together, a lot of cynical and divisive edicts came out of the White House by pitting the vaccinated against the unvaccinated, businesses against employees and federal government against states.

When the Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of the first COVID-19 vaccine in December, many celebrated vaccination, but there are others who are less enthusiastic, and for good reason: fears of the vaccine being rushed or experimental is real.

The U.S. is no stranger to anti-vaccination movements, but there are people who are wary about getting the vaccine, despite not being anti-vaccination. Some value liberty above all else, and the vaccine mandates are seen as an intrusion of their personal choice.

David Dunning, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan said that a lot of people are uncertain rather than hostile. For a lot of people its really about the nuts and bolts of getting the vaccine, rather than any sort of ideological stance, he said.

Sheriffs reject Bidens COVID-19 mandates

Elected law enforcement officers have also called the presidents mandates tyrannical, and unconstitutional government overreach. The presidents mandates to get vaccinated or submit to regular testing sparked an outcry particularly in sheriffs, many of whom are facing reelection.

Sheriff Mack Show guest Sheriff Chris Brown of Arkansas also says that he is willing to uphold the U.S. Constitution and wont enforce such mandates. The pushback from sheriffs coincides with calls from GOP governors to fight the presidents order.

Sheriff Tim Ryals in Faulkner County, Arkansas, said that the mandate is truly an attempt of tyranny with such an overreach of authority.

It is in that defense and the defense of individual liberty that the Faulkner County Sheriffs Office will not mandate the COVID vaccine for any of our employees nor will we enforce any such mandate in Faulkner County, he added.

Organizations representing firefighters and police officers wrote a letter in defiance of a possible vaccine mandate for city workers in Charlotte, North Carolina. There is also pushback from police unions in Chicago and Richmond, Virginia. In Portland, Oregon, members managed to exempt themselves from a city vaccine mandate, as well.

Get updates about COVID-19 vaccination mandates and more at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

TennesseeLookOut.com

CNet.com

MiamiHerald.com
(Natural News) The government may be pushing the agenda that everyone should get vaccinated; however, a video that went viral showed that there are more serious adverse effects that an individual can experience after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

A vaccine injury victim speaks out about the serious adverse effects of a COVID-19 vaccine on her body.

In her video, the woman talked about the many complications brought about by a vaccine after her inoculation on May 3.

According to the woman, she developed Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, which is a rare but serious disorder that affects the skin, mucous membrane, genitals, and eyes, and is usually caused by an unpredictable adverse reaction to medications.

The woman said that the disorder presented as blisters and rashes, and one of the blisters burst inside her intestine, which caused bleeding. As the bleeding in her intestine continued, she also shot a blood clot to her left kidney and lost 90 percent of its function.

Im constantly swelling up in the morning, so much so I have issues. I cant bend my hands. sometimes the swelling closes up my eyes and I cant see through my eyes, she said.

She said that she constantly swells up in the morning to the point that she cant bend her hands, or the swelling closes up her eyes. She also added that she had very severe periods since she got vaccinated, to the point that she wanted to faint.

It remains unclear which company manufactured the vaccine she took, however, her story is only one of many being ignored by the government.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome post-vaccination

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is an acute hypersensitivity reaction that causes necrosis of the mucous membrane and the skin.

Although bacterial and viral infections are considered to be causative factors for developing SJS, medications are also thought to be a major cause. Rare cases of SJS have been linked with other vaccines such as smallpox vaccine, varicella and measels, mumps and even influenza vaccination.

A known case of SJS in a patient that received a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine showed that the disorder presented following the inoculation without exposure to any other drug. The patient, a middle-aged woman from Saudi Arabia complained of the presence of bullae that ruptured and refilled five days after her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine. (Related: UN vaccine experts ADMIT to massive, global vaccine cover-up.)

SJS should be monitored properly, without treatment, the symptoms can become severe or even life-threatening. It is not always clear which medications are causing the disease, so it is imperative to stop all non-essential medications.

The length of time it takes to recover from SJS varies on the severity of the disease, from a few weeks to many months before fully recovering.

Changes in menstrual periods to be investigated as COVID-19 adverse effect

A report from The BMJ noted that a link between COVID-19 vaccines and changes to period and unexpected vaginal bleeding should be investigated as primary care clinicians and those working in reproductive health have been approached by women experiencing these events shortly after vaccination.

More than 30,000 reports of these events have been made to U.K.s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) yellow card surveillance scheme for adverse drug reactions by September 2, 2021 across all COVID-19 vaccines currently offered.

Most people who reported changes in their period after vaccination found that it returns to normal the following cycle, and that there is no evidence the COVID-19 vaccination adversely affects fertility. In clinical trials, unintended pregnancies still occurred at similar rates in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.

Research exploring the possible association between COVID-19 vaccines and menstrual changes may help understand it mechanisms that are linked to immune stimulation.

Follow more COVID-related stories at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

InfoWars.com

NHS.uk

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

BMJ.com
(Natural News) Arizona has just become the first state in the nation to file a lawsuit against President Joe Bidens extreme vaccine mandate aimed at American workers. The states attorney general, Mark Brnovich, filed the 15-page lawsuit on Tuesday.

In a tweet announcing the lawsuit, which calls the mandates unconstitutional, Brnovich said: The federal government cannot force people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Biden Administration is once again flouting our laws and precedents to push their radical agenda. Ive filed the first lawsuit in the nation against these unconstitutional mandates.

One specific aspect of the mandate that the lawsuit takes aim at is its violation of the Equal Protection Act by showing favoritism toward illegal aliens and contempt for actual U.S. citizens. It reads: [U]nauthorized aliens will not be subject to any vaccination requirements even when released directly into the United States (where most will remain), while roughly a hundred million U.S. citizens will be subject to unprecedented vaccination requirements.

The lawsuit also cites a report showing that 30 percent of the migrants held in federal detention facilities refused the vaccine, while 18 percent of migrant families have tested positive for COVID-19 prior to being released by Border Patrol. Moreover, one fifth of unaccompanied minors entering the country have also tested positive for the virus.

It also points out that while those who enter the country illegally are not subjected to any sort of vaccine mandate, aliens who go through the proper legal channels to get work visas and enter the country lawfully will indeed be subject to a mandate if they are employed by a company with 100 or more workers. This makes it appear that illegal aliens are getting preferential treatment when it comes to health freedom.

The lawsuit also sheds light on just how many Americans are going to be affected by the mandate. According to their breakdown, this includes 80 million people working for employers who have 100 or more employees and 17 million health care workers whose facilities receive federal Medicaid or Medicare. Federal executive branch employees and contractors who work with the federal government must also comply, with no option to test out of it. In addition, almost 300,000 educators who receive federal funds via the Head Start program will be affected, totaling around 100 million Americans.

The suit does not mince any words, stating: Under our Constitution, the President is not a king who can exercise this sort of unbridled power unilaterally. And even George III wouldnt have dreamed that he could enact such sweeping policies by royal decree alone.

In addition, it called the move one of the biggest infringements on peoples individual liberties that any administration has ever attempted to impose on the American people.

Many similar legal challenges in the works

This is just the first of what will likely be many legal challenges to Bidens proposed mandate. Immediately after he announced the controversial mandate plan, several Republican governors promised to fight it, including the governors of Texas, Indiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Montana, Arizona and Tennessee.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has already said that Texas will soon be suing the Biden administration over the mandate, and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey said the mandates will never stand up in court.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster had very strong words for the president, saying: The American Dream has turned into a nightmare under President Biden and the radical Democrats. They have declared war against capitalism, thumbed their noses at the Constitution, and empowered our enemies abroad. Rest assured, we will fight them to the gates of hell to protect the liberty and livelihood of every South Carolinian.

Yesterday, 24 Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to President Biden urging him to reconsider the plan, which they call disastrous and counterproductive. They cite its threat to individual liberty as well as its potential to exacerbate hospital staffing problems.

Sources for this article include:

WesternJournal.com

FoxNews.com

USNews.com

TheCenterSquare.com
(Natural News) Another COVID whistleblower has come forward as exclusively reported by Gateway Pundit to allege that the statistics about ICUs being overrun are wildly inflated, over-reported, and in many cases an outright LIE by political officials.

(Article by Ben Wetmore republished from TheGatewayPundit.com)

Josh Snider worked in facilities management at Missouri Baptist Medical Center or MBMC, I watched our hospital administrators say in the media that our intensive care units were overflowing with COVID patients, at 98% capacity, knowing that it was a complete and utter lie.

THIS MISSOURI HOSPITAL NEVER HAD 98% ICU OCCUPANCY, ADMINISTRATORS LIED TO UNCRITICAL MEDIA

Snider relates that the MBMC hospital, part of a larger $5.5 billion annual network within the Barnes Jewish hospital system in St. Louis, Missouri, actually shut down three out of four floors of intensive care during COVID because they were UNUSED.

HOSPITAL SHUT DOWN ICU FLOORS, DRAMATICALLY REDUCING CAPACITY

And even after shutting down three-fourths of our ICU capacity, they were still never more than 50% full with that drastically reduced overall capacity. These medical systems that are saying they are overrun with COVID patients are likely LYING TO THE PUBLIC, Snider said.

MBMC has refused to comment for this story after repeated requests for comment.

Snider provided documentary proof of the COVID case load of the MBMC system, whose COVID patients do not track national trends, and where the number of COVID patients in ICU were, at many points, a single, solitary person.

I would have to adjust the airflow in some of the rooms of people in the ICU with COVID, they were fine. I believe in COVID, I know its serious, but I also personally saw people who were fine, they had a terminal case of boredom. I spoke with these people and they werent sick at all, they felt fine but were told they had to stay there. Many brought their PlayStations with them to waste away the days with video games instead.

WHISTLEBLOWER TALKED TO PATIENTS IN INTENSIVE CARE WHO WERE FINE, BORED, PLAYING VIDEO GAMES

This matches news today from World Net Daily that many COVID hospitalizations were for mild or non-existent cases.

The case charts published by the MBMC hospital chain also demonstrate that COVID hospitalizations were always very minor. Snider says their ICU COVID capacity was 60 patients.

Snider provided an INSIDER CHART from the hospital that shows VERY DIFFERENT NUMBERS than were being reported to the public and to the government.

These charts, provided by Snider, show that there was a relatively normal track for COVID infections at the MBMC Center, an acute care facility in St. Louis. Even during periods of infection spikes in the national population, those spikes are not found in the hospital data. As well, the bottom line showing serious cases of COVID requiring intensive care remain significantly small and reduced throughout the months of the pandemic.

HERE IS THE CHART RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC, where the LIES CAN BE SEEN

INTERNAL: on August 18, 2021, MBMC said they had 19 COVID patients in ICU. EXTERNAL: on August 20, 2021, MBMC told the public they had 35.3 COVID patients in ICU.

THE PUBLIC NUMBERS ARE OFF FROM THE INTERNAL REPORTS OF COVID PATIENTS IN THE ICU BY ALMOST 100%

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Here is the chart generated from information submitted to the US Department of Health and Human Services, as published by the Gannett News Service:

The government reports this data very poorly on this site as well.

Snider has provided his personal statement, documentary evidence, and clear data discrepancies that all suggest that hospitals are not telling the public the truth about the COVID pandemic.

The real flu season in the hospital was always more serious than COVID has been, Snider said. Flu season in a hospital is very challenging, and even the tamest flu season in years past was still worse than COVID has been so far. The people who have been suffering and sadly dying are clearly people who are hundreds of pounds overweight, and people with multiple other comorbidities like stage 4 cancer. Im not a Doctor, but the response and panic to this virus is clearly wildly disproportionate to reality.

Read more at: TheGatewayPundit.com
After being temporarily suspended from Twitter for questioning the COVID vaccine, pop star Nicki Minaj encouraged Americans to open your f**king eyes to the censorship currently happening in the West, adding that her ban made her think that theres something bigger going on.

(Natural News) (Article by Jack Hadfield republished from NationalFile.com)

Minaj, the Trinidadian-born pop star, had made global news in recent days, for tweeting in support of medical freedom, explaining that someone she knows became impotent after taking one of the controversial COVID vaccines and then urging her followers to pray and weigh the benefits of getting vaccinated. In response, globalist media outlets became enraged at the star, with only Tucker Carlson and other pro-freedom outlets defending her. On Wednesday evening, Minaj even tweeted out a clip of Carlson defending her, causing an even greater backlash from pro-vaccine defenders.

Shortly after posting the clip from Carlsons show defending her tweets on the COVID vaccine, Minaj was temporarily suspended from Twitter. In a post to Instagram Stories, Minaj said that just as she was about to post a poll on the site, she realised that she had been put in Twitter jail, because they didnt like what I was saying over there. In an email to National File, Twitter claimed that there had been no enforcement action taken on her account, casting confusion as to why Minaj was not able to post.

Minaj proceeded to go live on Instagram, slamming the censorship from Twitter just for asking questions about the COVID vaccine. You cant speak for the fear of the mob attacking you, Minaj said, saying it should give people chills up and down your f**king spine, comparing what happened to the oppression of Christians across the world and other authoritarian regimes:

You should be able to ask questions about anything youre putting inside your body. We ask a bunch of questions about the most simple things But you cant just innocently ask a question about something going in your body? I remember going to China and they were telling us that you cant speak out against the people in power there. I remember all of us thinking, oh okay, well we understand and we respect the laws here, and that its so different where we live Dont yall see that we are now living in that time, where people will turn their back on you People will isolate you if you simply speak and ask a question.

In what may not be a surprise to some, Minaj added that many other musical artists feel the same way as her, but theyre afraid to speak up for fear of the same backlash happening to them. I will never use Twitter again, she added, noting that her ban from Twitter was making her think that theres something bigger happening with censorship in general around the COVID vaccine:

I kept on seeing all these people with all these conspiracy theories I was like, oh what, please. But what in the world scared yall that much that made you disable my f**king Twitter? I have not put out anything that I said was a fact about anything. I simply said we should be able to ask questions and speak. Its scary when they start telling you that you cant ask questions about anything Listen to me. Please. Open your fucking eyes. Open your eyes! Thats all.

Read more at: NationalFile.com
(Natural News) DEL RIO, Texas  A law enforcement source within CBP tells Breitbart Texas that the total number of migrant detainees held at the makeshift camp exceeds 12,000. The pace has increased substantially in recent hours, according to the source.

(Article by Randy Clark republished from Breitbart.com)

The Border Patrol is struggling to deal with what may be the worst migrant humanitarian crisis in the agencys history. The local Border Patrol stations and processing facilities have reached capacity and can accept no more migrants. Available buses are being used to transport the migrants away but are not sufficient to meet the demands at present.

The Border Patrol in Del Rio is shutting down all highway inspection checkpoints to divert personnel to assist in the crisis. Local officials from the city held a news conference near the encampment on Thursday and described the situation as a humanitarian crisis. Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez says law enforcement officers are overwhelmed and feel abandoned by the federal government. The sheriff says local authorities are already investigating an assault among the migrants that occurred Thursday.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
The bandicoots, often known as 'snout pokes,' are small nocturnal marsupials native to Australia, that has been saved from extinction by conservation authorities.

The Once-Extinct Animal Reintroduced to The Endangered Species

The Eastern Barred Bandicoot inhabited the grassy plains of Victoria's southwest until it was nearly wiped out by feral cats, non-native foxes, and habitat loss.

When the bandicoot population in Victoria, Australia's Victoria state, plummeted in the years leading especially in the late 1980s, only 150 animals remained in the area, scavenging for food in rusted-out cars near a landfill.

Conservationists committed millions of dollars in captive breeding. They were relocated to fox-free islands after conservationists built various predator-free places for them, some of which were gated and others which were guarded by trained dogs.

Victoria's Environment Minister Lily D'Ambrosio announced the shift in the conservation status of the bandicoot on Wednesday saying she was excited about the program's success since it was the first time an animal's status has been modified from "extinct in the wild" to "endangered."

It provided them "hope that with persistence, determination, and the support of the government, volunteers, and communities, we can win the fight against extinction," said Amy Coetsee, threatened Species biologist at Zoos Victoria.

Coetsee stated that her organization was "100% confident" that the Eastern Barred Bandicoot was safe in the wild.

According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Australia has the highest mammal mortality rate of any country on earth.

Also read: Scientists Unlock the Maternity Methods of Spider Mummies From 99 Million Years Ago!





Australia's Endangered Animal "Bandicoot"





The term "pandi-kokku," which means "pig-rat" in Teluga, an Indian language, inspired the bandicoot's name.

The long-nosed bandicoot can be found from north Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania on Australia's east coast. The range of the Northern Brown Bandicoot stretches from northern to eastern Australia, as far south as New South Wales. It is also found in Papua New Guinea's south.

Both species can live in a wide range of environments, including heaths, woodlands, and rainforests. They prefer environments with dense vegetation for daytime protection and open regions for nighttime foraging.

They consume both plants and animals, including insects, insect larvae, lizards, mice, and snails, as well as fungus, grass seeds, berries, and fruit. When their muzzles come across food, they 'grunt' enthusiastically, and when disturbed, they produce a loud squeak.

Bandicoots sleep in camouflaged nests during the day, which are shallow burrows lined with grass, leaf litter, and other material. While it is raining, they kick a layer of soil over the top of the nest to keep it dry. They can also hide from predators and take shelter from the elements in abandoned burrows, tunnels, and logs.

They are territorial and typically solitary animals they use a gland behind their ear to indicate their territory, but they are very vulnerable. Habitat loss due to urbanization and land clearance, predation by foxes, cats, and dogs, and collisions with cars are the primary dangers to bandicoots.

In Australia and New Guinea, there are around 20 species of bandicoots, with many of them listed as endangered or extinct.

Also read: Modern Snakes Evolved From Tough Survivors of the Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid
The sun occasionally emits massive outbursts of particles and radiation that may cause havoc on Earth.

Scientists researching these eruptions and how they influence our world have focused on a single, seemingly apex occurrence for more than 150 years: the Carrington Event of 1859.

Here, a solar explosion slammed onto Earth, injecting enough energy into the planet's magnetic field to trigger a tremendous geomagnetic storm that produced stunning auroral displays but also ignited electrical fires in telegraph wires.

The Carrington Event

Because electronic infrastructure was so rudimentary at the time, the storm was dismissed as a mere annoyance. However, experts now see the Carrington Event, along with another storm of equal size in 1921, as a forewarning of future disasters.

Both storms, however, pale in contrast to a historic megastorm of colossal proportions that happened about A.D. 775 and was likely 10 to 100 times greater, as revealed in 2012. Nicolas Brehm of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich adds, "It was really, truly astonishing. We never imagined something this big could happen."

Scientists speculated that the ancient megastorm was caused by a once-in-10,000-years "superflare" bursting from the sun, even thousands of times more intense than a typical solar flare.

A direct strike by such a superflare now would very certainly be catastrophic for our modern, globally-connected society. Fortunately, they're uncommon occurrences.

Related Article: Expert Warns 'Situation Worse than Covid' if Government Ignores Solar Flare Defense

Probability of It Happening Again

Scientists report the probable finding of two terrifyingly powerful solar events in a preprint study headed by Brehm, published on Research Square and submitted to Nature Communications.

The first happened in 7176 B.C. when nomadic hunter-gatherer tribes gave way to agrarian settlements, and the second occurred in 5259 B.C. when the world emerged from its most recent ice age. Both occurrences are considered to be at least as powerful as the one in 775 A.D., making the three the most powerful solar flares ever recorded. Scientists have been looking for more severe occurrences like the eighth century for the past decade.

The team led by Brehm is the first to discover some. "It's a fantastic accomplishment," says Fusa Miyake of Nagoya University in Japan, who conducted a study that found the 775 events in 2012. As a result, superflares are now referred to as "Miyake events" by scientists.

Brehm and his colleagues were fortunate in their research. Preliminary evidence for a beryllium 10 spike was initially discovered in ice cores for the event in 7176 B.C.

Following up with tree rings, the researchers found a carbon 14 increase. Bayliss had identified a gap in archaeological evidence during this time period for the incident in 5259 B.C.

Another increase was discovered when the scientists looked at carbon 14 data in tree rings from this time period. Brehm explains that "we found this tremendous increase" for both dates, which is identical in scale to the spikes Miyake saw in the samples that clinched the A.D. 775 event.

"However, they're far too uncommon to have such a high frequency. It doesn't seem to make as much sense as the solar explanation."

He contends that such massive, regular increases were more likely the outcome of increasing solar activity, potentially accompanied by a geomagnetic storm similar to but considerably more intense than the Carrington Event.

According to Bayliss, "the Carrington Event isn't even detectable" in tree rings and ice cores, implying that it was little in contrast.

A Carrington-Like Event Today

The main concern is that if such an event occurred now, it would be catastrophic for satellites in orbit and terrestrial infrastructure.

For example, despite being far smaller than the Carrington Event, a geomagnetic storm in March 1989 produced a 12-hour blackout in Quebec when it overwhelmed the whole province's electrical infrastructure.

A geomagnetic storm caused by a Miyake event today would have far more extensive consequences, including the possibly catastrophic power grid and satellite outages.

According to Sangeetha Abdu Jyothi of the University of California, Irvine, A Carrington Event- level storm today might create an "Internet catastrophe." The energetic particles produced by such a storm may knock out underwater cables connecting countries, causing global Internet traffic to be disrupted for weeks or months.

A Monumental Problem

According to Abdu Jyothi, a calamity like this might cost $7 billion per day in the United States alone. Something more powerful, such as a Miyake event, may produce nearly unquantifiable damages.

"For anything of the Carrington magnitude, we might be able to recover," Abdu Jyothi adds, noting that his data will not be wiped.

"I'm not sure what I'd do with something 10 or 100 times stronger. That hasn't been replicated, as far as I know. I believe it will result in severe data loss. We may lose all of our documents, financial information, and vital health information, with no way of recovering."

Related Article: Internet Apocalypse: How an Intense Solar Flare Might Wreak Havoc in Technology



For more cosmic news, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Rabbits are spreading hemorrhagic disease and Texas Parks and Wildlife are concerned about this. It has been discovered in states like Arizona, Texas, California, and several other places.

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2)

Currently, various states are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. But sadly, there is another disease the U.S. is struggling with this 2021. Local officials are worried that the animal population in Texas and a number of other states are contracting the Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2).

Since last year's March, a lot of cases have been reported in Colorado, Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and a number of other places. So, the local animal population has been battling a life-threatening virus while we've been facing Covid-19.

RHDV2 has been confirmed in the rabbit population of a number of counties all over Texas. These counties include Brewster, Culberson, Gaines, Ward, Hale, Hockley, Terrell, Jeff Davis, Lubbock, Pecos, El Paso, Presidio, Cottle, Hudspeth, and Randall.

In spite of the fact that RDHV2 isn't deadly to humans, it can be unknowingly transmitted to wild animals, leading to limitless amounts of death. For instance, the virus could effortlessly be conveyed from one portion of the state to another if humans have it on their clothing or footwear. And if that eventually happens in Texas or any other state, there will be devastating consequences for local animals.

Also Read: Rare Illness Related to Ebola Kills Domestic Pigs: Is It Harmful to Humans?

Signs of RHDV2

Restating the words of the United States Department of Agriculture : "RHDV2 is highly contagious and, unlike other rabbit hemorrhagic disease viruses, it affects both domestic and wild rabbits. Many times, the only signs of the disease are sudden death and blood-stained noses caused by internal bleeding. Infected rabbits may also develop a fever, be hesitant to eat, or show respiratory or nervous signs."

If you have rabbits or inhabit a region where wild rabbits are widespread, it's crucial to know that in the United States there are no approved RHDV2 vaccines.

So, you should take good biosecurity measures whenever you're close to sick or dead animals. Ultimately, the disease has already led to so much havoc in a number of other countries all over the world.

History of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease

In the 1980s, a new viral disease that was extremely deadly and highly contagious in rabbits - both domestic and wild - devastated the European rabbit populations.

The initial outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) - a new disease - was discovered in the Jiangsu Province of the People's Republic of China in 1984 among a group of Angora rabbits that was commercially bred and imported from Germany.

RHD caused the death of 140 million domestic rabbits in China in less than one year and spread over 50 000 km squared area.

Related Article: Deadly "Ebola-Like" Disease for Rabbits is Spreading and it's Killing Them Fast

For more news, updates about rabbit hemorrhagic disease and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Pig farmers in the United Kingdom are the latest victims of the increasing energy crisis, which threatens to lead to a carbon dioxide shortage in the food and beverage industry.

Due to rising gas prices, several chemical plants in Europe are halting the production of fertilizer, a byproduct of which is carbon dioxide, which is used in fizzy beverages and beer, and in the meat sector to shock animals before slaughter.

Carbon Scarcity Leading to Pig Killings

Because of an impending scarcity of carbon dioxide to kill the backlog of pigs headed for abattoirs that are already understaffed due to labor constraints, meat industry leaders have warned that farmers may be forced to begin "humane" pig culls soon.

It would be the first time since the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease led the government to send the army to British farms to cull cattle two decades ago that farmers would be forced to slaughter their animals en masse.

Related Article: Entirety of Europe Could Face a Staggering Natural Gas Crisis This Winter



High Priority

"We urgently need the secretary of state for business to convene the big CO2 manufacturers to demand that they coordinate to minimize disruption and provide information to Britain's businesses so contingency plans can be made," said Nick Allen, chief executive of the British Meat Processors Association.

Concerns that difficulties in the chemicals business may disrupt CO2 supplies for the food sector prompted the government to hold emergency meetings with representatives from the food and beverage industries and the UK livestock sector.

Yara International, a Norwegian chemicals firm, announced intentions to cut ammonia output by 40% at six sites throughout Europe, including one in Hull, affecting the CO2 supply chain. It blamed its profit margins on record gas prices across Europe.

Related Article: New Renewable Fuel Can Be 3 Times More Powerful Than Gasoline

Immediate Action

The decision comes after a US firm, CF Industries, shut down two fertilizer facilities in the north of England earlier this week, citing high gas prices as a factor. The company's facilities in Billingham, Teesside, and Ince, Cheshire, which employ around 600 people, have been closed.

On Friday, Yara International, a Norwegian chemicals company, announced plans to reduce ammonia output by 40% at six facilities throughout Europe, including one in Hull, putting pressure on the CO2 supply chain. It cited record gas prices across Europe for its profit margins.

The decision follows the closure of two fertilizer factories in the north of England by a US company, CF Industries, earlier this week, citing rising gas prices as a reason. The company's 600-person workforce in Billingham, Teesside, and Ince, Cheshire, has been laid off.

The National Pig Association's chief executive, Zoe Davies, told the Guardian that pig farms were already "near bursting point" and that the carbon dioxide shortage would exacerbate the labor crisis at UK abattoirs.

Also Read: Marine Bacteria Found Capable of Biodegrading Diesel and Oil: Can it Clean Up Oil Spills?

For more news about making the environment sustainable, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Rain this morning. Scattered thunderstorms for the afternoon. High 73F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low around 60F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
(Newser)  A new report shows the world is on a catastrophic pathway toward a hotter future unless governments make more ambitious pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the head of the UN said Friday. The UN report, reviewing all the national commitments submitted by signatories of the Paris climate accord until July 30, found that they would result in emissions rising nearly 16% by 2030, compared with 2010 levels, per the AP. Scientists say the world must start to sharply curb emissions soon, and add no more to the atmosphere by 2050 than can be absorbed, if it is to meet the most ambitious goal of the Paris accordcapping global temperature rise at 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) by 2100. The planet has already warmed by 1.1 C since pre-industrial times, experts said.

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We need a 45% cut in emissions by 2030 to reach carbon neutrality by mid-century, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a virtual meeting of leaders from major economies hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden. The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7 degrees (Celsius) of heating," he said. Some 113 countries including the United States and the European Union submitted updates to their emissions targets, also known as nationally determined contributions or NDCs, by the end of July. Their pledges would result in a 12% drop in emissions for those countries by the end of the decadea figure that could more than double if some governments conditional pledges and assurances about aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050 are translated into action.

Thats the positive side of the picture, said UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa, whose office compiled the latest report. The other one is more sobering. Dozens of countries, including major emitters such as China and Indiathe worlds No. 1 and No. 3 emitters respectivelyfailed to submit new pledges in time for the report. Espinosa called for leaders at next weeks annual UN gathering in New York to put forward stronger commitments in time for the global bodys upcoming climate summit in Glasgow. Leaders must engage in a frank discussion driven not just by the very legitimate desire to protect national interest, but also by the equally commanding goal of contributing to the welfare of humanity, she said. We simply have no more time to spare, and people throughout the world expect nothing less.

Espinosa added that some public pledges, such as Chinas aim to be carbon neutral by 2060, havent yet been formally submitted to the UN and so werent taken into account for the report. An update, which would include any further commitments submitted by then, will be issued shortly before the Glasgow summit, she said. Still, environmental campaigners and representatives of some vulnerable nations expressed their disappointment at the findings. We must ask what it will take for some major emitters to heed the scientific findings and deliver our world from a point of no return, said Aubrey Webson of Antigua and Barbuda, who chairs the Association of Small Island States. (Read more climate change stories.)
(Newser)  "I wish I could talk to him," Cassie Laundrie said this week of brother Brian Laundrie, a person of interest in the case of missing 22-year-old Gabby Petito. That may be a little more difficult now, unless Cassie knows where Brian ishe's gone missing, according to his lawyer, and now the search is on for both him and fiancee Petito, reports WABC. "Be advised, the whereabouts of Brian Laundrie are currently unknown," attorney Steven Bertolino said in a statement to reporters. "As of now, the FBI is looking for both Gabby and Brian."

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Josh Taylor, a spokesperson for Florida's North Port Police Department, told CNN that Laundrie's parents, who share a home with him and Petito there, summoned cops to the residence on Friday evening and said they hadn't seen their son since Tuesday, reports the New York Times. Todd Garrison, North Port's police chief, conceded police don't know where Laundrie is. "He could be anywhere," he told CNN. Bertolino says police removed items from the parents' home that might help in the search for his client.

"It is another twist in the story, for sure," Taylor said. Petito's family, meanwhile, isn't buying it. "All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing," the office of Richard Stafford, the family's attorney, says in a statement, per Fox News. North Port police say despite this development, Laundrie isn't considered a suspect. "While Brian is a person of interest in Gabby's disappearance, he is not wanted for a crime," they noted in a Friday statement. "We are not currently working a crime investigation. We are now working ... multiple missing-person investigations."

They're requesting anyone with any relevant info on either Petito or Laundriewho arrived home in Florida on Sept. 1 without Petito after a cross-country road trip they'd taken togetherto call 1-800-CALL-FBI. Still, Taylor told CNN that police do have more details that they can't yet reveal to the public. "I think that will come out here, very shortly," he said. "We just want to get our ... ducks in a row a little bit. This has been a very quickly developing situation ... so we're working through that. We want to make sure that we are accurate in everything that we're saying." (Read more Gabby Petito stories.)
(Newser)  Los Angeles County's weekend started off with a jolt, with a magnitude 4.3 quake hitting the area around Carson, Calif., on Friday evening. The US Geological Survey reports that shaking from the temblor, which hit right before 8pm local time, was felt throughout multiple counties, including Orange and Ventura, and maybe even as far south as San Diego, per KABC. The LAPD said there were "no significant incidents" tied to the quake, though it warned: "Be prepared for potential aftershocks."

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The depth of the quake was close to 9 miles. CNN reports that the Los Angeles Fire Department went into "Earthquake Emergency Mode," patrolling a 470-square-mile affected area to assess the situation, and concluded its efforts with an announcement that "no major infrastructure damage was noted ... and that there has been no loss of life or serious injury that we can directly attribute" to the quake. That's not to say the incident didn't shake things up.

One Carson City resident told KTLA his vehicle quivered "like crazy," adding: "If you can shake a 4,000-pound car, it's a problem." A 7-Eleven worker also used the descriptor of "crazy" to describe what went down at his Carson store, noting, "Everything started shaking. A bunch of stuff off the shelves, there was wine everywhere, there was chocolate, syrup." Even rapper Soulja Boy took note. "Earthquake just shook the mansion," he tweeted shortly after the quake. Still, seismologist Lucy Jones called the quake "pretty ordinary," noting that the worst of it was "probably a lot of frightened cats." (Read more earthquake stories.)
(Newser)  Conditions were perfect for surfing at New Smyrna Beach in Florida, thanks to big waves from Hurricane Larry. Conditions were perfect for hungry sharks, too, howeverthanks to mullet and other fish hanging out at the sandbars where waves were breaking, per CNN. Venturing into this perfect storm was 16-year-old surfer Doyle Nielsen, whose mom, Lizzy Nielsen, had brought him and his brother down from Georgia to enjoy the surfing. Doyle was surfing when a black tip shark swam up and took a bite. "It felt like someone on their surfboard had come full speed directly at me and hit me super hard . " And then after somebody had yelled, 'There's a shark, get out of there,' I realized what it was , " he told Good Morning America.

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Sam Scribner was drawn to the conditions, too. Scribner is a former surfer, but now uses a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury in 2016, and is now a photographer. He was on the beach taking photos and video of surfers and managed to catch the whole thing. He shared the video on Instagram in hopes that it would find its way to Doyle. Lizzy was watching Doyles brother Logan and missed the split-second attack. When Doyle told her hed been bit, she initially thought he was joking. "He was just standing there, fine," she told CNN. Doyle didnt know there was video of the encounter until he was back home in Georgia, where hes a junior in high schoola high school where the other kids were skeptical that his injury really was from a shark attack. Now he has the video to prove it. (Read more shark attack stories.)
(Newser)  A fully vaccinated person with no symptoms tested positive for COVID while quarantining at a hotel in American Samoathe territorys first case. Flights are suspended, but otherwise nothing is changing on the islands, the Hill reports. The discovery of this positive case during quarantine highlights the importance of why our process is crucial to prevent the spread of COVID-19, American Samoan Gov. Lemanu Mauga said in a statement released on Facebook by American Samoa Department of Homeland security. Travelers to the territory must be vaccinated and quarantine for 10 days upon arrival. Mauga was one of the passengers on the flight with the infected person, a resident returning home from a trip to the mainland US and Hawaii, per US News & World Report.

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The patient, part of a group of 43, has been moved to a government facility for isolation. All 217 travelers quarantined at the same hotel were tested and nobody else had the virus, per the statement. The local government also asked everyone to keep wearing masks and following social distancing practices. There have been no other COVID infections, but a cargo ship that docked there last year reported some cases. None of the people on the ships went ashore, however. (Read more COVID-19 stories.)
(Newser)  A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wife's 1982 disappearance. Durst, 78, wasn't in court for the verdict from the jury that deliberated about seven hours over three days. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus, per the AP.

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Durst, who faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman. She was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000 as she was prepared to tell police how she helped cover up his wife's killing. Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Durst's longtime confidant who told friends she'd provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession. Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: "There it is. You're caught" and "Killed them all, of course." Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didn't think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Berman's killing with Kathie Durst's suspected death and the 2001 killing of a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

The conviction marks a victory for authorities who've sought to put Durst behind bars for murder in three states. Durst was never charged in the disappearance of his wife, who's never been found, and he was acquitted of murder in Galveston, Texas, where he admitted dismembering the victim's body and tossing it out to sea. "Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and he's been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes. We just feel really gratified that he's been held accountable," Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said. Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Friday his team believed there was "substantial reasonable doubt" and was disappointed in the verdict. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

(Read more Robert Durst stories.)
(Newser)  Demonstrators who met in Washington on Saturday to decry the jailing of compatriots in the attack on the Capitol received a far different reception than the rioters did in January. The building was empty this time. The crowd could see the Capitol but was unable to get near it this time; the grounds were surrounded by fencing and heavy dump trucks. There were hundreds of police officers, who easily outnumbered the protesters, Reuters reports, and counterprotesters also were in town. There also may have been more journalists watching than "Justice for J6" rally participants, per the Hill.

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The crowd didn't top 200, well short of the 700 attendees organizers had predicted, but allied leaders had said that the event was a trap and that protesters would be arrested. The Proud Boys had told its members not to go, per the Washington Post. Other rumors warned that opposition activists would come dressed as supporters of former President Trump and disrupt the event. The rally included speakers who repeatedly told the crowd that the people arrested, jailed and charged in the January riot are "political prisoners." Matt Braynard, the main organizer, said, "This is about justice and disparate treatment." The protesters sporadically chanted: "Let them go, let them go."

It was over by midafternoon. Police reported two arrests, both involving weapons violations, per the Post. There were a few confrontations, mostly shouting matches between protesters and counterprotesters, that police broke up. One demonstrator, Eugene Sibick, said his son is jailed in DC, facing charges in the Jan. 6 insurrection. Investigators say Thomas Sibick tore DC police officer Michael Fanone's badge off him and stole his police radio, then buried the badge in his backyard. His father said that Sibick complains about the jail food and that his jailing is "a disgrace to this country." He added: "There were things that happened last summer in Seattle and Portland that were more egregious than what happened here, and those people were let out." (Read more protests stories.)
(Newser)  A Hellfire missile was on its way to its target, a white Corolla in Kabul, when the CIA realized there were civilians in the area, maybe even children in the vehicle. The agency issued an urgent warning to the US military seconds before the missile struck, killing 10 civilians, seven of them children, CNN reports. At the time, the Defense Department said it had targeted an Islamic State extremist. After defending the Aug. 29 attack, Pentagon officials apologized for it Friday, calling the strike a mistake and confirming that only civilians were killed. The CIA and US Central Command issued no comment about the warning.

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The futile warning raises questions about who controls such attacks, per CNN. Intelligence and defense agencies have joined forces to plan and carry out similar strikes for years, with intelligence officials handling surveillance of a possible target, sometimes with drones. The military would receive that intelligence, but the decision on attacking would still be up to the military commander on the ground. Officials say dividing the mission responsibilities can increase the risk of mistakes. In this case, it's not clear whether the CIA knew the decision had been made to launch.

"If they tasked the agency with looking at the target for indications of 'go' or 'no go' criteria, they should have had the ability to get that information and affect whether they launched a strike," said Mick Mulroy, a former CIA and Pentagon official who said he has no inside knowledge of this attack. "If there was no way to know that they were about to launch, there's something really wrong there." Although members of Congress have promised to find out where the Aug. 29 strike went wrong, American officials said civilian casualties in US attacks in Afghanistan have been a consistent failing. "It is a pretty good encapsulation of the entire 20-year war," one said. (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Radical measures are needed to fight obesity which has gone up over the past years, said a top Bahraini health official. Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the President of the Supreme Council of Health, and the Chairman of Bahrain Diabetes Society, also warned that the repercussions of the disease, being chronic, are dangerous to both the individuals and the community.

According to a 2018 survey, 25.7% of the expatriates and 42.8% of the citizens in the Kingdom suffered from obesity. The National Health Survey also puts 39.8% of the residents and 33.2% of the citizens as overweight.

Bahrain, Dr Shaikh Mohammed said, puts top priority for fighting obesity, for which the Kingdom has also designed a wide variety of programmes. They aim at achieving sustainable development goals and reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases by 2030, the SCH President said while inaugurating the Bahrain Obesity Academy conference.

BDS organised the event in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the King Hamad University Hospital, and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Highlighting efforts to fight overweight, Dr Shaikh Mohammed said it includes promoting physical activities, healthy nutrition, healthy lifestyles and establishing specialised clinics.

Bahrain Obesity Academy, he said, will prepare a comprehensive educational programme for 45 doctors on prevention, diagnosis and management of obesity to assist overweight patients. Health Ministry Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health, Dr Meriam Al Hajeri, said that the obesity rates in the Kingdom are warning us on the need to tackle it with urgent priority.

She also called for regional efforts to tackle the issue of overweight. Dr Al Hajeri also pointed out that the Bahrain Obesity Academy conference is the first medical conference since the outbreak began which is a good sign for the sector.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The tender board of Bahrain had awarded projects worth BD11.27 million for Works Affairs during August, said a top ministry official. Ahmed Abdulaziz Al-Khayat, the Undersecretary for Works Affairs at the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning, said the board awarded for the ministry a total of 13 projects during the month.

The awarded projects were mainly in three categories roads, sewage and buildings. This also confirms the ministrys continued efforts to implement governments programme related to infrastructure projects that focus on citizens needs, he said.

Explaining, he said, the board awarded four tenders in the road sector, the most prominent of them being the Isa Town Road Development Project for Block 807 for BD 401,171. The project aims at improving internal road networks, enhance traffic safety and overcome Rainwater clogging in the area.

The ministry is constructing rainwater drainages, repaving roads, improving lighting, traffic and direction signs. On the other projects, he said one of the projects was for parking spaces and developing internal roads in Souq Waqif in Block 1203 in Hamad Town for BD267,274.

Reconstruction of Road 308, creating a median to separate service road to Wali Al Ahed street, constructing an exit on Shaikh Hamad Street from Road 371, establishing a rainwater drainage network on route 308, creating parking lots, amongst others, are part of the project.

The ministry, he said, also awarded three tenders in the sanitation sector, with the most prominent being the time-contracting for sewage works for the 2021-23 period that costs around BD4,250,249 for 15 contractors. In the buildings and maintenance sectors, the board awarded four tenders. 

These were for the comprehensive maintenance of Belqis Primary School for Girls and Zallaq Preparatory School for Boys for BD291,995, he said.

Academic buildings

A project to construct an academic building at Al Sharqi Riffa School for Girls costs around BD1,099,568, and that for Al Budaiya Elementary Preparatory School for Girls costs BD927,000.

The projects aim at accommodating the largest possible number of students amid the coronavirus pandemic and gradually eliminate mobile classrooms currently there, AlKhayat said. The ministry, he said, also awarded a project to demolish and reconstruct the walls of 13 public schools to ensure maximum safety for students.

On the projects put up for tender during August, Al Khayyat said the minister issued 18 in total, with an estimated cost of BD9,626,752. The projects are for adding two lanes on the King Faisal Street, constructing an outlet from King Faisal Street to Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Street near the City Centre Mall, rehabilitating roads in Block 738 in Aali, and Block 926 in Riffa, he added.

On the top projects in the wastewater sector, he said the ministry has plans to construct a sewage network in Block 557 in Budaiya, Deir area of Complex 231 and a primary treatment plant in the Hidd Industrial area.

When it comes to the buildings sector, the ministry has launched tenders for expanding the Kuwait Health Centre, the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club.

Tenders are also up for the preventive maintenance of buildings of Bahrain National Museum, Bahrain National Theatre, Bahrain Fort Cultural Centre and the Arts Centre, the Undersecretary said.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Days after the arrest of Jaan Mohammad Sheikh alias Sameer Kaliya and five others by Delhi Polices Special Cell, a report yesterday said that the 47-year-old Mumbai resident had travelled to Bahrain in 2019 to assassinate a gangster.

Mid-day mentioned sources in Mumbai Polices Crime Branch as saying that Sheikh was hired to kill Ali Budesh on Dawood Ibrahims instructions, but he never completed the job. Sheikh, alias Sameer Kaliya, was arrested from Rajasthan by the Delhi Polices Special Cell on Tuesday for planning terrorist attacks in India, including Maharashtra.

The Crime Branch has received information claiming Sheikh had gone to Bahrain for a few days, but he did not kill Budesh as he feared for his own safety.

An anonymous police officer confirmed the revelation: Police have verified that Sheikh had gone to Bahrain in 2019 and had also received money from Fahim Machmach. Mid-day further mentioned sources in the Crime Branch as saying that Sheikh saw the statues of Budesh while in Bahrain and thought that he would not be able to make it back to India if he killed him.

Sources further said that Sheikh did not kill Budesh because of this fear. Budesh was initially linked with the Dawood gang, police said. He was taken to Dubai by Dawoods people, who then introduced him to one of the most wanted gangsters. However, the relationship between Budesh and the Dawood gang became strained later.

Budesh then sided with Dawoods enemies in Pakistan and relocated to Bahrain. Officers noted that Budesh was sharing information about the Dawood gang with international police agencies.

This is why Dawood had asked Chhota Shakeel to get rid of Budesh. Afterwards, Shakeel delegated this responsibility to Fahim Machmach, who in turn assigned the contract to Sheikh.

This may be noted that extortionist Fahim Ahmed Sharif alias Fahim Machmach was a close aide of fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. He died in Pakistans Karachi due to COVID-19-related complications earlier this year
SOUTHBURY  A fictional book based on the true story of how the town of Southbury kicked out the Nazis has been nominated as a finalist in the 2021 Connecticut Book Awards.

The childrens book, Loiss Story: A Young Girls Inspiration Helps to Stop Hate and Fear, was written by former First Selectman Ed Edelson. Danbury artist Betty Ann Medeiros illustrated the book.

The story is told from the perspective of Lois Lindsay, who was the daughter of the Rev. M. Edgar N. Lindsay, the South Britain Congregational Church pastor who preached against the German-American Bunds efforts to build a Nazi youth camp in Southbury in 1937.

Edelsons book is one of seven finalists in the Bruce Fraser Spirit of Connecticut category, which is an award named in memory of the longtime director of the Connecticut Humanities Council and celebrates Connecticuts sense of place, according to the awards descriptor.

I was quite surprised to receive notification of my being a finalist, Edelson said in a statement. When I realized I was a finalist in the Spirit of Connecticut category I felt very honored.

He is the only young readers book in that category, but competes against four nonfiction books, one fiction and one poetry book.

Among the nonfiction books is The History of Steep Rock Association by Carol Bergren Santoleri, of New Preston.

Other local authors nominated include Cortney Davis, of Bethel, for her poetry book, I Hear Their Voices Singing. She is Bethels poet laureate.

Kerri Arsenault, of Roxbury, was nominated for her nonfiction book, Mill Town, while Amy Poeppel, of Kent, got a nod for her fiction work, Musical Chairs. Davis, Arsenault and Poeppel are among 26 finalists being considered outside of the Spirit of Connecticut category.

Edelson was involved in the creation of a 2012 documentary on Southburys rejection of the Nazis. That documentary eventually made it to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

It was while browsing in the childrens section of the bookstore at the Holocaust museum when we attended the exhibit opening that it dawned on me that there could be and should be a childrens book about what happened in Southbury, he said.

He came up with the idea a few nights later to tell the story through the eyes of a 10-year-old girl.

The book was used as part of the fourth grade curriculum in Region 15 schools. Its available to be purchased on Amazon, as well as at Newbury Place in Southbury and at Hickory Stick in Washington Depot.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Alaska is facing one of the sharpest surges in COVID-19 in the country, the state epidemiologist said Thursday, adding that it's not clear when the situation might stabilize.

A lot of it's going to depend on vaccination coverage rates and measures such as masking, distancing and avoiding crowds, Dr. Joe McLaughlin told reporters.

Health officials said hospitals are stressed, with staffing and capacity issues. The state health department reported about 20% of patients hospitalized in Alaska have COVID-19.

McLaughlin said COVID-19 cases really started to go up in early July, and were still on the upward trajectory.

In late June, the state health department reported increasing statewide transmission following a period of daily case counts in the double-digits, though the test positivity rate remained low, at 1.2%.

Currently, most areas of the state are considered at high alert status, based on reported cases per 100,000 people over the past seven days. The average percentage of daily positive tests for the previous seven days was reported Thursday at 9.7%.

McLaughlin said Alaska has one of the highest case rates in the nation right now.

The department, in a weekly COVID-19 report released Thursday, cited several factors as likely contributing to the current surge, including the highly contagious delta variant; the level to which people are masking, distancing or engaging in other mitigation efforts; vaccination rates and waning immunities, both vaccine-induced and infection-induced immunity.

Statewide, about 57% of residents 12 or older are fully vaccinated, according to the health department.

On Thursday, the Alaska Chamber announced the first winners of a weekly drawing intended to encourage people who haven't been vaccinated to get vaccinated. The adult winner, Carin Kircher of Valdez, will get a $49,000 cash prize and the youth winner, Ethan Benton of Kodiak, will receive a $49,000 scholarship account, according to the chamber. Opportunities to enter continue through October.

There also will be a drawing for people who were vaccinated before Sept. 2. The deadline to enter for that is Oct. 30.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, speaking to reporters on the last day of the special legislative session Tuesday, said he encouraged Alaskans to get vaccinated. On social media the next day, he said the state will continue fighting COVID-19 "on many fronts. However, my Administration will likewise ferociously defend the fundamental rights of every Alaskan.

On Thursday, Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor joined with the attorneys general of 23 other states in a letter to President Joe Biden. Biden has directed the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration to write a rule requiring employers with at least 100 workers to mandate that employees get vaccinated against COVID-19 or test weekly.

The attorneys general call the plan illegal and likely to increase skepticism of vaccines." If Biden doesn't change course, they vowed to pursue legal options.

Biden, in response to threatened lawsuits, last week said: Have at it.

Meanwhile, Bartlett Regional Hospital in Juneau announced that as a condition of employment, staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Dec. 15. The hospital, in a statement, said the terms apply to all employees and contract workers on the hospital campus.

According to the statement, 71 of the hospital's 799 employees and medical staff are unvaccinated.
BROUSSARD, La. (AP)  Sixteen-year-old Anil Cacodcar sits in an eerily lit home office and makes a bold claim  Zombies actually do exist.

Its the main thesis of a 3-minute video he created to explain prion protein diseases in a creative and engaging way. The video includes footage of Anil as well as animated graphics to break down the complex life science topic, all edited together on his home computer last spring.

His video compares prion proteins to zombies, using scientific vocabulary and corny jokes as well as interesting lighting and graphics. He uses easy-to-understand language and shows real-world implications by connecting the topic to current research on Alzheimers disease.

I like zombie movies, Anil said. That was the first thing that popped into my mind  these are zombie proteins.

Zombies served as a great bait to hook viewers, he said.

He did the project himself with editing and animation programs like Adobe After Effects and DaVinci Resolve as well as coding, and his video has made it to the final round of a global competition called the Breakthrough Junior Challenge.

Id never applied code in a way like that outside of the classroom, said Anil, whod learned coding in a computer science class at the Episcopal School of Acadiana.

The ESA senior is one of 30 finalists in the contest, which attracts around 12,000 applicants from 190 countries each year.

The competition calls for students aged 13-18 to produce original videos explaining an important topic in life sciences, physics or mathematics to inspire creative thinking about science, according to its website.

What I like about science is that theres not always a right answer, the high school senior said. Its a truth-searching process. You dont know what youre looking for, but youre coming to a solution.

HOW THE CONTEST WORKS

Video entries are judged on engagement, illumination, creativity and difficulty in addition to a popular vote period on social media. The 30 finalist videos are posted on Breakthroughs Facebook page from Sept. 5-20, and the public can vote with positive reactions (like, love, haha or wow).

The results of the challenge will be announced in November.

Anils video is being shared on Facebook by ESA families, and the school posted about it on Instagram.

I screamed, Anil said about the moment he saw the Instagram post.

Winners earn significant monetary prizes and national recognition for themselves and their schools. Anil would receive $250,000 to a university of his choice, $50,000 for his chemistry teacher, Rachel Snider, and $100,000 to the school for a new science lab.

That is life-changing for the student, the school and the educator, said Snider, who has gotten to know Anil through her classes and school quiz bowl team.

Snider is excited to see it gain momentum for Anils sake as well as what it could mean for those who view the science video.

Its a topic a lot of adults dont know that much about, the teacher said. Its something we can learn as we grow up  that curiosity and why science is cool. We can bring back that curiosity.

Other finalist videos cover topics like probability in the form of a game show, how antibody drug conjugates fight cancer depicted by people dressed as medieval knights, and genetic inheritance as told by Lego. They represent students from countries all over the world.

Anils video caption lists his country as Portugal, his birthplace. He is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Portugal, and he has been at ESA since eighth grade in 2017.

INITIATIVE AND CURIOSITY

Anil found the competition last year during quarantine while looking for things to do and made a last-minute video about mRNA vaccines. That video didnt progress through the contest, but the process taught him a lot, Anil said.

I would not have had time to do it before the pandemic, he said.

Now Anil is a senior in Sniders Advanced Placement chemistry class, quiz bowl captain, Honor Council president and a peer leader at the school.

Snider said finding the competition on his own and making the video are further evidence of Anils initiative and curiosity.

And if he wins, it would bring a positive light to what people here are capable of  creativity and innovation, Snider said.

Thats exactly what Anil aims to do.

To me (this contest) means representing Louisiana well, he said. Were not as optimistic as we should be on education. We have an excellent state with excellent students and excellent teachers.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Democrats in Pennsylvania's state Senate sued Friday evening in a state court to block a Republican-approved subpoena seeking voter information and to put a stop to what Republicans call a forensic investigation of last years presidential election.

Democrats had said they would sue within days after the Republican-controlled Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee voted Wednesday to issue a subpoena.

The subpoena seeks detailed state election records, including communication with counties and the names of who voted in last years presidential election, their birth date, address, drivers license number and the last four digits of their Social Security number.

The subpoena is an outgrowth of former President Donald Trump's baseless claims that he was cheated out of victory last November, and ongoing pressure by Trump and his allies for battleground states where he lost to investigate the election.

The latest ploy by the Senate Republicans is unprecedented and completely unwarranted," Democrats said in a statement. All aspects of the certified 2020 election have been thoroughly reviewed and adjudicated in the courts with no findings of irregularities or fraud. The timeframe to contest the 2020 certified election results is long overdue.

The 53-page lawsuit, filed by all 21 Senate Democrats, contends that the Senate Republican bid to investigate the election illegally treads on the court's duties, violates state law over election audits and seeks information that is barred from public disclosure.

The subpoena was emailed to senior Department of State officials on Thursday, according to a Senate Republican spokesperson.

The majority of the information being requested is already available to the public, according to state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a Democrat. But Pennsylvania law prohibits the public release of a voters drivers license number and Social Security number.

Republicans have maintained that they are exercising appropriate legislative authority to oversee executive branch functions, and they insist what they call an investigation has nothing to do with Trump or overturning the election.

Rather, they say, they are aiming to fix problems discovered in last year's election and improve confidence in elections.

Hopefully it will accomplish one of two things, Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Centre, said at Wednesday's committee meeting. Either it will give us action items to better our laws moving forward for the next election, or we can dispel a lot of concerns about the last election. ... I think both of those are good.

Democrats say Republicans are simply perpetuating Trump's big lie of baseless claims about election fraud that have eroded confidence in elections and are on a path to try to take away voting rights and undermine both democracy and elections.

Meanwhile in Washington on Friday, two Democratic members of Congress  Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, chairperson of the House Administration Committee, and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon of Pennsylvania, the committee's vice chair  wrote to a senior U.S. Department of Justice official to request a federal investigation into the subpoena.

In the letter to Kristen Clarke, chief of the department's civil rights division, Lofgren and Scanlon raised concerns that the subpoena for voter information could lead to voter intimidation and violate federal laws.

In Pennsylvania also Friday, legislators introduced a bipartisan bill in the state Senate to try to fix disputed or gray areas of Pennsylvanias election law. The bill is the product of hearings and a public report last spring.

President Joe Biden beat Trump in Pennsylvania by more than 80,000 votes, according to certified results.

Republicans in Pennsylvania have thus far stopped short of issuing subpoenas for voting machines and ballots from last year's presidential election, as the Arizona Senate GOP did in that state's widely discredited and partisan audit.

The lead contractor in Arizonas review of its election results, Cyber Ninjas, has drivers license numbers and the last four digits of Society Security numbers for voters in Maricopa County, according to an elections department spokesperson for the county. Arizonas Republican-led Senate had subpoenaed that information.

But the quest in Pennsylvania by Senate Republicans for the driver's license and partial Social Security numbers of 9 million registered voters has fueled accusations that the information could easily be compromised and expose millions to identity theft or worse.

Collecting that information for political purposes is unjustifiable and a gross misuse of taxpayer resources, Democrats said in the statement. The fact that they will not share how that personal information will be stored, used or who will have access to it is astonishing.

Senate Republicans say they will give the information to a yet-to-be-hired private contractor and that they will develop contractual provisions to make sure the information is kept secure. However, they have not yet provided information about their vetting process and have given no guarantees that the information won't be given to a party attempting to overturn last years election.

The chairman of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee, Sen. Cris Dush, R-Jefferson, said the information on voters is necessary to investigate allegations that addresses that were listed for a voter were really attached to a building where no one lived.

Dush could give no other details, such as who made the allegations, where the abandoned buildings were located or how many such voter addresses could be tied to abandoned buildings.

___

Associated Press writer Jonathan J. Cooper in Phoenix contributed to this report.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter at https://www.twitter.com/timelywriter.
Not for Distribution to U.S. Newswire Services or For Dissemination in the United States

This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's prospectus supplement dated May 4, 2021, to its short form base shelf prospectus dated September 2, 2020

TORONTO, Sept. 17, 2021 /CNW/ - Halo Collective Inc. ("Halo" or the "Company") (NEO: HALO) (OTCQB: HCANF) (Germany: A9KN) today announces that it has completed its previously announced at-the-market equity financing program (the "ATM Program"). Under the ATM Program, the Company sold an aggregate of 433,426,063 common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") between May 4, 2021, and September 17, 2021. The Common Shares were sold at prevailing market prices for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$20,000,000.

Distributions of the Common Shares through the ATM Program were made pursuant to the terms of an equity distribution agreement dated May 4, 2021, by and among the Company and PI Financial Corp.

The Company expects to use the net proceeds from the ATM Program for general corporate purposes, which may include: (i) working capital; (ii) capital expenditures; and (iii) debt repayments.

The offering under the ATM Program was made pursuant to a prospectus supplement dated May 4, 2021 (the "Prospectus Supplement") to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus dated September 2, 2020 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus"). The Prospectus Supplement and the Base Shelf Prospectus are available on the SEDAR website maintained by the Canadian Securities Administrators at www.sedar.com.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this press release. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the Common Shares, nor shall there be any sale of the sesecurities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Halo Collective Inc.

Halo is a leading, vertically integrated cannabis company that cultivates, extracts, manufactures, and distributes quality cannabis flower, oils, and concentrates and has sold approximately eleven million grams of oils and concentrates since inception. The Company continues to expand its business and scale efficiently, partnering with trustworthy leaders in the industry who value Halo's operational expertise in bringing top-tier products to market.

Halo currently operates in the United States in Oregon and California, Canada, Southern Africa in the Kingdom of Lesotho, and the United Kingdom. The Company sells cannabis products principally to dispensaries in the U.S. under its brands Hush, Mojave, and Exhale, and under license agreements with Papa's Herb, DNA Genetics, Terphogz, and FlowerShop*, a cannabis lifestyle and conceptual wellness brand that includes G-Eazy as a partner and key member.

As part of continued expansion and vertical integration in the U.S., Halo boasts several grow operations throughout Oregon and two planned in California. In Oregon, the Company has a combined 11 acres of owned and contracted outdoor and green house cultivation, including East Evans Creek, a six-acre grow site in Jackson County with four licenses owned and operated by Halo and two third-party licenses under contract to sell all of their product to Halo; Winberry Farms, a one-acre grow site located 30 miles outside of Eugene in Lane County with a license owned and operated by Halo; and William's Wonder Farms, a three-acre grow site in Applegate Valley, under contract to sell all of its product to Halo pending the closing of Halo's acquisition of its licenses and business assets. Halo has recently acquired Food Concepts LLC, a master tenant of a 55,000 sq.ft. indoor cannabis cultivation, processing, and wholesaling facility in Portland, Oregon operated by the Pistil Point entities (the "Pistil Point Acquistion").

In California, the Company is building out Ukiah Ventures, a planned 30,000 sq. ft. indoor cannabis grow and processing facility, which will include up to an additional five acres of industrial land to expand the site. Recently, Halo partnered with Green Matter Holding in California to purchase a property in Lake County, developing up to 63 acres of cultivation, comprising one of the largest licensed single site grows in California. Halo also plans to expand its operations in California by opening three dispensaries in North Hollywood, Hollywood, and Westwood, one of which may serve as the first FlowerShop* branded dispensary.

In Canada, Halo acquired three KushBar retail cannabis stores located in Alberta as a first in its planned entry into the Canadian market, leveraging its Oregon and California brands. With the KushBar retail stores as a foundation, the Company plans to expand its foothold in Canada.

Halo has also acquired a range of software development assets, including CannPOS, Cannalift, and, more recently, CannaFeels. In addition, Halo owns the discrete sublingual dosing technology, Accudab. The Company intends to spin-off these assets and its intellectual property and patent applications into its subsidiary Halo Tek Inc. and expects to complete a distribution to shareholders on a record date to be determined by Halo.

Halo has recently announced its intention to reorganize its non-U.S. operations into a newly formed entity called Akanda Corp., whose mission will be to provide high-quality and ethically sourced medical cannabis products to patients worldwide. Akanda will seek to deliver on this promise while driving positive change in wellness, empowering individuals in Lesotho, and uplifting the quality of the lives of employees and the local communities where it operates, all while limiting its carbon footprint. Akanda will combine the scaled production capabilities of Bophelo Bioscience & Wellness Pty. Ltd., Halo's Lesotho-based cultivation and processing campus located in the world's first Special Economic Zone (SEZ) containing a cannabis cultivation operation, with distribution and route-to-market efficiency of Canmart Ltd., Halo's UK-based fully approved pharmaceutical importer, and distributor that supplies pharmacies and clinics within the U.K. With a potential maximum licensed canopy area of 200 hectares (495 acres), Bophelo has scalability that is arguably unmatched in the world today.

For further information regarding Halo, see Halo's disclosure documents on SEDAR at www.sedar.com

Connect with Halo Collective: Email | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only Halo's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Halo's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". Forward-looking information may relate to anticipated events or results including, but not limited to the expected use of the net proceeds from the ATM Program, Halo's expectations regarding the expansion of processing, production and distribution operations and the financial performance thereof, the Company's plans to expand in Canada and California, the expected size and capabilities of the final facility planned at Ukiah Ventures, the size of Halo's planned cultivation facility in Northern California, the ability of Bophelo and Canmart to serve the U.K. market, the proposed spin-off with Halo Tek Inc. and Halo's proposed plans to re-organize its non-U.S. operations via Akanda Corp.

By identifying such information and statements in this manner, Halo is alerting the reader that such information and statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information and statements. In addition, in connection with the forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release, Halo has made certain assumptions. Although Halo believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. Among others, the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information and statements are the following: changes in the consumer market for cannabis products, changes in the expected outcomes of the proposed changes to Halo's operations, delays in obtaining required licenses or approvals necessary for the build-out of Oregon operations, the proposed spin-out with Halo Tek Inc. or the proposed re-organization with Akanda Corp., delays or unforeseen costs incurred in connection with construction, the ability of competitors to scale operations in Northern California, delays or unforeseen difficulties in connection with the cultivation and harvest of Halo's raw material, changes in general economic, business and political conditions, including changes in the financial markets; and the other risks disclosed in the Company's annual information form dated March 31, 2021 and other disclosure documents available on the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties or other factors materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information or statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.

The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and Halo does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking information and statements attributable to Halo or persons acting on its behalf is expressly qualified in its entirety by this notice.

SOURCE Halo Collective Inc.

For further information: Halo Collective, Investor Relations, [email protected], www.haloco.com/investors

Related Links

https://haloco.com/


WEST HAVEN  When Sammy Rivera bought a home in West Haven 16 years ago, he felt like hed finally made it, he said.

Rivera, who is Puerto Rican, said West Haven was seen as a crown jewel by his neighbors in New Havens Fair Haven neighborhood 20 years ago.

If you were from New Haven and were very poor and you made it to West Haven, that meant youre moving on up. You might as well have moved to Greenwich, Rivera said.

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, West Havens overall population remained almost completely unchanged from 2010 to 2020  the 2020 population estimate of 55,584 is only 20 people higher than in 2010  but the racial and ethnic makeup of the city transformed significantly.

Hispanics like Rivera, who made up an estimated 18.2 percent of the population in 2010, represented 23.7 percent of the citys population as of the 2020 census  becoming the largest racial and ethnic minority group in the city by numbers. The number of Black residents in the city also grew, from 18.3 percent in 2010 to 20.6 percent in 2020.

The citys white population decreased from 56.9 percent of the population in 2010 to 46.7 percent by the 2020 census, with 5,675 fewer city residents identifying as white in the last decade.

Jonathan Wharton, an associate professor in political science at Southern Connecticut State University, said he believes the changes partly are attributable to geography.

West Haven is between two also-diverse, larger cities: Milford and New Haven, he said,

According to the census, the population tracts with the most growth in West Haven were those that border New Haven.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

Wharton said the decrease in the citys white population is a common trend.

Any time you have these migration patterns, which are increasing populations of racial demographics, generally speaking a number of white residents will leave, he said.

Wharton said he believes the changing demographics also can affect the citys political scene. Following the Sept. 14 Democratic primary, a Hispanic candidate in the 8th District was the only candidate not running on the mayors slate to win his race; Wharton thinks the apparent difference in voter behavior could be related to a growing political constituency.

Mark Abraham, executive director of New Haven-based DataHaven, said the population of white adults in West Haven decreased by 15 percent between 2010 and 2020, a change that offset by growth in the adult population in all other racial and ethnic categories. The decline in the population of white adults is larger than the state average decline of 6 percent, Abraham said.

This may suggest that, relatively speaking, homes in West Haven are more affordable to younger and more racially diverse adults than they are in the average town in Connecticut, Abraham said.

Abraham said said that, for several reasons, including being older and having larger family inheritances, white households tend to have more accumulated wealth and therefore are more able to afford homes in towns with higher housing prices, on average, than families of color are.

It could also suggest that West Haven is a more attractive place for racially diverse families to live for other reasons, such as the presence of ethnic groceries, churches, or other institutions, Abraham said. Finally, the student populations at the University of New Haven and Yale University have grown more diverse over the past decade, so that may have some influence on these changing demographics.

Abraham said an additional minor reason that might contribute to the decline in white adults is an increase of residents who identified as white in 2010 who now might identify as multiracial due to changes in the way people perceive their ancestry and racial identity.

There was a 54 percent increase in the percentage of West Haven residents identifying with two or more races on the 2020 census, but that group only makes up 3 percent of the citys population.

Despite the citys diversifying population, Carroll E. Brown, founder and president of the West Haven Black Coalition, believes city government has become less welcoming to people of color. After operating a nonprofit community space on the bottom floor of the Allingtown branch library for years in a space loaned by the city, the library recently was sold to a developer who has built multiple mixed-use developments in the historically Black Allingtown neighborhood.

Brown contends that the market-rate apartments and more high-end retailers in Allingtown represent the citys disregard for the people who have lived in the area for decades. She said many Black residents, especially those in Allingtown, now have to look outside the city limits for programming for children and seniors.

It is no longer a suburban town. Its an urban city, but theyre treating it like its West Haven in the 1940s, 1950s or 1960s, she said.

Mayor Nancy Rossi said that the city is finalizing its proposal for how to spend coronavirus recovery funds, but creating community spaces throughout the city  including in Allingtown  is a priority for her administration.

Arnold Gold / Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

I think its great were more diverse and I hope it continues that way, she said.

Rossi also said her administration began an annual Hispanic American of the Year award  this year won by Rivera  and continues to recognize residents of various nationalities and cultures each year, such as Irish and Italian Americans. She said the city also has become more diverse in ways that may not show on the census form, such as an increase in its Turkish population.

The census also reflects that the city has fewer children now than it did in 2010. According to the survey, the population of residents under age 18 has decreased by 1,087.

Abraham said West Havens changing demographics, with respect to both race and age, are similar to Stratford. However, he said the aging of the population is a statewide trend.

The number of children is declining during the past decade as more of the states population ages into their mid-40s (or beyond), and as young people are more likely to remain single or have fewer children on average, he said.

West Haven Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro said the school district has seen a drop in enrollment, which has led to the closure of two elementary schools since 2010. The district also has restructured itself so that students no longer move to one of two middle schools in sixth grade; they attend an intermediate school for fifth and sixth grades and a middle school for seventh and eighth grades.

Cavallaro said the district is among the most racially diverse in the state, including a growing Muslim population.

It is therefore important to make sure our staff understands the needs of our students and offer them the proper professional development, he said. We are also doing our best to hire a more diverse staff, one that does look more like our student population, but it hasnt been easy. As all districts become more diverse, they are also seeking from the same small pool of available candidates.

Cavallaro said the district also has had to hire bilingual educators at many of its schools because of the growing percentage of English learners  predominantly students who speak Spanish in their households.

It has been a challenge to attract and retain the number needed to adequately run those programs. We have also sought to hire bilingual clerical help to assist those who may be new to the district with the registration process, for example, he said. The issues are real, and we understand how the population has changed and what it will take to meet the needs.

Wharton said he believes the gradual aging of West Haven could be traced to a national trend.

We see with national trends where younger people are waiting to get married and become homeowners, he said.

One way for the city to bring young people into the city, he said, is to create attractive housing options.

Itll be key to keep a lot of these people; for young and mobile people to live and pay property taxes in West Haven, he said.

Mark Zaretsky /Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

City Council Chairman Ron Quagliani said the council funds the West Haven Community House, the West Haven Youth and Family Services, the Community Alliance and other programs for all residents.

We also are investing in projects that support our children and families as well as our seniors, he said, such as school construction, park improvements and senior wellness programs.

Wharton said that he believes the decreasing population of white adults also represents capital flight  middle class homeowners reaching retirement age who are electing to sell their homes and retire outside Connecticut. He said he believes its in the citys best interest to attract new homeowners.

However, he said he believes West Haven is well-positioned to do just that with the recent acceleration of development by the citys shoreline and with its new train station.

West Haven has got all this awesome potential, he said.

Editors note: This story has been edited since it was first posted.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  The new judge you may see in the First Judicial District courthouse downtown is about 2 feet tall, weighs less than 70 pounds and has expressive, loving eyes.

He also has four legs and a tail, which he lightly wags in a manner that says, Im here to help.

Judge is a 3-year-old yellow Lab and the first courthouse facility dog to be employed by District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies office in a collaborative effort with Assistance Dogs of the West.

Yes, Judge is his real name, and neither he nor his role is a gimmick.

An assistance dog who underwent nearly two years of training, Judge has a serious job: His presence is meant to provide a sense of calm, support and love for adults and children who are victims or witnesses of traumatic and violent crimes as their cases move through the court system.

It is the compassionate way of helping them go through this, Aimee Brown, a trainer for Assistance Dogs of the West in Santa Fe, said of the courthouse facility dog program, one gaining popularity around the country.

The dogs, who often sit next to victims or witnesses as they testify in court, can give a child or adult who feels alone on the stand a sense of security, Brown told The Santa Fe New Mexican.

You have a buddy on the stand who is not judgmental, Brown said of the dogs. Theyre there for you.

Long an organization that has trained dogs to give emotional and physical support for clients with disabilities, Assistance Dogs of the West began placing dogs in judicial districts in New Mexico, Arizona and California in 2010.

The organization also has placed dogs with police and fire departments to provide emotional, mental and physical support to vulnerable victims and others involved in stressful situations and cases.

To date, Assistance Dogs has trained and placed 35 dogs, including Judge, in courtrooms around New Mexico, said Linda Milanesi, CEO and president of the nonprofit. Her team puts incoming dogs in the program through temperament tests to see what job would best fit them.

A dog best suited to the job Judge earned must be patient and calm, plus display a connection to children and vulnerable people.

Biddability is another talent such dogs must display  the ability to work for others than just the trainer, so a courtroom handler like Irene Melendez, a victim advocate who handles Judge for the District Attorneys Office, can guide Judge through the necessary paces in the courtroom environment.

Melendez went through weeks of training with Brown and Judge, learning the many commands  90 in all  needed for the job. She said Judge will start working in courtrooms Monday.

Last week, he went through his first meet and greet with a child and her mother involved in an upcoming case.

The young girl got to pet and talk with Judge for about 45 minutes, she said.

He has to build a relationship with them without me being there, Melendez said of Judge.

If a judge allows it, Judge can sit in the witness box with a victim or witness who may be frightened  easing their anxiety as dogs can do when someone is simply petting them, Melendez said.

Otherwise, Judge will sit with Melendez within view of the witness.

Milanesi said dogs like Judge may work with a particular victim or witness for years, accompanying them through the early stages of collecting forensic evidence to pretrial interviews to the actual trial period.

The dogs presence can help those victims and witnesses open up and talk about what they have experienced, Milanesi said.

Carmack-Altwies wrote in an email Friday that her offices goal is to center the safety of victims and witnesses, including emotional safety, and Judge is an important piece of that commitment. It is my hope that this is only the beginning of the program and that we will be able to build an even more robust system of support.

Her office has agreed to abide by the Assistance Dogs of the West Dogs Bill of Rights. That bill includes a promise to be aware of the dogs perception of its work and the world, take action to reduce the dogs stress, protect it from overwork, and find ways to help it relax and exercise.

Judge lives with Melendez and her other dog, Athena, in Albuquerque. He likes to tug, chew on a stuffed piglet and fetch balls when he is not working, she said.

Melendez, who said she responded to Carmack-Altwies call for staff members to take part in the courthouse dog program, said Judge is well suited to his new job.

Hes very mellow, very calm, she said.

She said no matter how you look at it, hes bound to provide support in an environment that can be intimidating to some.

A dog is a persons best friend, whether you are a man, a woman or a child, she said as Judge curled up under her legs, as he is trained to do with witnesses and victims in the courtroom.

Incidentally, the dog earned the name Judge long before he was headed into training for this job. Milanesi said his breeder named the pup Judge early on because he was such a quiet puppy. He was sober as a judge.
HAMDEN  The towns neighborhoods with the greatest percentage of residents identifying as white have a higher average life expectancy than areas with more residents of color, who are more likely to experience adverse health outcomes, according to a new DataHaven report and 2020 census results.

Some of DataHavens analyses, presented in an equity profile, apply only to Hamden, while others apply to the Public Use Microdata Area, or PUMA, to which Hamden belongs. Designated by the U.S. Census Bureau, that PUMA encompasses Hamden, Ansonia, Derby, Woodbridge, Bethany and Seymour.

Across those towns, 38 percent of Black residents over age 65 suffer from diabetes as compared to 18 percent of white residents in the same age group, according to the report.

These outcomes are by design and that design is racism, said Dr. Carmen Black, a psychiatry professor at Yale School of Medicine who studies the effect of racial discrimination on patient care.

The findings are based on DataHaven surveys conducted in 2015 and 2018, according to Mark Abraham, the organizations executive director. He said participants were chosen by randomly selecting phone numbers.

Black said a system of racial prejudices feed into one another to make it harder for people of color to stay healthy.

For example, they are more likely to live in food deserts, Black said, and thats because grocery stores werent designed to be in our neighborhoods. A Black individual also is more likely to have a lower paying job and be unable to afford a car, according to Black.

Stationing the clinics next to public transportation was often not a priority, she said.

All of this is by design.  Communities of color did not wake up and do this to ourselves, Black said. We dont wake up overweight. There are multiple systems designed to keep us that way.

Because of those systems, Black said, the DataHaven report didnt surprise her.

Its absolutely what I expected to see, she said. It was terrible. It was abysmal.

Black and Latino residents of Hamdens PUMA are more likely to experience health risk factors, according to the report, which shows 38 percent of Black residents and 35 percent of Latino residents suffered from obesity as compared to 28 percent of white residents.

Nineteen percent of Latino residents, 14 percent of Black residents and 11 percent of white residents faced food insecurity, the report finds.

At 10 percent, smoking rates were lowest among Latino residents. At 18 percent, they were highest among Black residents.

While the DataHaven report compiles data from multiple sources, these statistics come from the organizations 2015 and 2018 surveys.

Other DataHaven analyses break down other outcomes based on census tracts, geographical areas that have between 1,000 and 8,000 residents. For one neighborhood in the middle of southern Hamden, west of Dixwell Avenue but set back from the New Haven line, the average life expectancy in 2015 was between 75.3 and 77.1 years.

Thats lower than any other tract in town, and according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 39 percent of the tracts population identified as Black residents in 2020, while 21 percent identified as Hispanic and 31 percent identified as white.

Meanwhile, northern Hamden census tracts, which are majority white, had the highest average life expectancy at between 81.6 and 83.5 years. (Data for the northeastern-most census tract was not available.)

Abraham, DataHavens executive director, said the organization compiled the equity profiles because of local demand.

For a long time people have been asking us for data  broken up by race/ethnicity for their town, he said. Its usually just not available.

Some towns have created commissions on racism and are seeking data to help make policy decisions, according to Abraham.

Thats why we thought it was such an important project, he said, noting reports are available for all of Connecticuts 169 municipalities.

The New Haven Register asked Hamdens three mayoral candidates about their plans for addressing the issues evident in the report. Lauren Garrett, who won the Democratic primary Tuesday, and Ron Gambardella, who was endorsed by the GOP, submitted written responses.

Noting there is not a large grocery store in Southern Hamden that stocks affordable healthy food, Garrett wrote, economic development that includes a grocery store for Southern Hamden and infrastructure that supports walking and biking will improve health disparities.

She also suggested increasing community health programs by renovating the Keefe Community Center to include a small room for physical exams, vaccine distribution, or other health supports, then partnering with university health science students and the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center to offer blood pressure screenings, diabetes screenings and provide translation support for our growing Latino population.

Garrett also said she would pursue improvements to outdoor resources in southern Hamden, planting more trees to reduce heat islands and working with the state DEEP and community advocates to remediate and open Olin Powder Farm/Six Lakes to provide access to exercise and fresh air, she said.

Gambardella said he would come up with a communications plan to inform residents about the resources available for underserved populations. He then would identify any barriers that may be getting in the way of an individual seeking medical advice such as lack of transportation and explore solutions such as arranging public transportation or even using apps such as Uber.

He recommended using local community centers for a once-a-month health clinic opportunity where community minded doctors can triage patients at little to no cost.

Gambardella pointed out another disparity reflected in the report: Black residents in New Haven County were more than 10 times as likely than white residents to be diagnosed with HIV between 2016 and 2018. The candidate advocated for improving education about sexually-transmitted infections and said he would get as many eyes and hands on solution driven policies including grants, public health and prevention programming.

Albert Lotto, who is running as an Independent, was unable to respond.

meghan.friedmann@hearstmediact.com
BOISE, Idaho (AP)  Idaho Republican officials are warning President Joe Biden of legal action if his proposed coronavirus vaccine requirement for about 100 million Americans goes into effect.

Gov. Brad Little, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, House Speaker Scott Bedke and Senate Pro Tempore Chuck Winder in a letter Friday say there appears to be no legal basis for the requirement.

If you choose to continue to move forward in this direction, the State of Idaho will have no choice but to take the necessary legal actions to uphold its sovereignty, check the overreach of power by federal bureaucracy, and uphold the system of checks and balances our Constitution guarantees, they wrote in the letter to Biden.

Many Idaho Republican lawmakers are angry with the vaccine mandate announced last week. It requires employers with more than 100 workers to require the workers to be vaccinated or be tested for the virus weekly.

The action Friday follows a warning Thursday to Biden from 24 Republican attorneys general of impending legal action over the vaccine mandate.

The Idaho letter comes a day after the full state entered crisis standards of care because of mostly unvaccinated COVID-19 patients filling hospitals. The standards allow health care providers to give scarce resources, like ventilators, to the patients most likely to survive.

It also comes as Republicans jockey for position ahead of the Republican primary early next year, with far-right candidates and lawmakers calling for the House and Senate to reconvene to outlaw vaccine mandates.

The letter Friday cites three main reasons for opposing the vaccine mandate. It says the power to enforce vaccine policies belongs to states, not the federal government.

It also says the U.S. Department of Labor doesn't have the authority to issue the mandate.

Finally, the letter says state leaders are in the best position to determine appropriate responses.

One size fits all federal solutions are unproductive and do not appropriately balance the specific interests and needs of states or the businesses operating within our states, the letter states.

On Thursday, attorneys general from 24 states sent a letter to Biden threatening legal action over the vaccine mandate. They are from South Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
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NEW HAVEN  The Westville Music Bowl, which has been the site of multiple outdoor concerts over the past months, was the scene of a very different gathering recently.

Vox Church, celebrating its 10-year anniversary, held a church service at the venue recently.
LUMBERTON, N.C. (AP)  A North Carolina man has been arrested on sex charges and failing to notify officials of a change in his online identity as a sex offender, a sheriffs office says.

The Robeson County Sheriffs office says in a news release that Charles E. Richards, 22, of Parkton was arrested on Friday. Richards is formally charged with four counts of indecent liberties with a child who was under the age of 16. Richards is also charged with a felony probation violation.
NEW HAVEN  A police officer authorities say was driving the car involved in a fatal crash in Las Vegas, Nev. has been placed on administrative leave while the New Haven Police Department conducts its own investigation, officials announced Saturday.

Robert Ferraro, a 34-year-old New Haven police officer, was charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving, according to Nevada court records on Friday.

Ferraro will be placed on administrative leave with pay per the New Haven Police Departments policy, and the police department will conduct its own investigation, Acting New Haven Police Chief Renee Dominguez said in a press conference Saturday.

Ferraro has been with the New Haven Police Department since 2015, according to the New Haven Independent.

Authorities said Ferraro was driving a 2020 Rolls Royce Cullinan around 4 a.m. Friday when he entered an intersection at a high speed and began to lose control. He then drove off the side of the road, colliding with a 2021 Ford Mustang, utility poles, landscaping and a fire hydrant.

The car turned onto its roof, ejecting fellow New Haven officer Joshua Castellano from the vehicle. Castellano later died at the hospital, according to a press release from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

New Haven officers Matthew Borges and John Truhart, as well as two women from San Antonio, Texas, were also in the vehicle and suffered minor injuries, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Borges and Truhart will not be placed on administrative leave, Dominguez said.

Ferraro was in court in Nevada on Saturday afternoon. His bail was increased from $5,000 to $100,000, WFSB reported.

WFSB said Ferraro was released on the condition that he stay out of trouble, avoids alcohol, doesnt drive and wears an electronic monitoring bracelet.

Ferraros next court date is Tuesday, according to court records.
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP)  A Texas woman was convicted Friday of capital murder for her role in the slayings of a Wichita couple who were killed after a carnival worker ordered their deaths as part of a fictitious carnival mafia.

A Barton County jury found Kimberley Stacey Younger, 57, of Aransas Pass, Texas, guilty on charges of capital murder, conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, solicitation to commit murder in the first degree and theft, the Kansas attorney general's office said in a news release.
President Muhammadu Buhari seeks foreign loans to fund projects and programmes Nigerians benefit from, the Presidency has said. In a stateme...





President Muhammadu Buhari seeks foreign loans to fund projects and programmes Nigerians benefit from, the Presidency has said.

In a statement on Saturday, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu listed projects and beneficiaries of the loans.

The Buhari administration is under fire after the President wrote to the Senate to approve $4.054bn and 710million credit.

The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government is trying to sell the country.

The opposition said if the legislature approves the latest request, and an additional N5.62trillion loan proposed for the 2022 budget, Nigerias liability under Buhari will hit N40trillion with no clear-cut repayment plan.

But Shehu explained that 15 projects, across the six geo-political zones, are to be financed with the anticipated funds from multilateral institutions, under the 2018-2021 medium-term (rolling) external borrowing plan.

He said the loans will be sourced from the World Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), China-Exim Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Credit Suisse Group and Standard Chartered/China Export and Credit (SINOSURE).

A breakdown of the Addendum to the Proposed Pipeline Projects for the 2018-2021 Medium Term (rolling) External Borrowing Plan, shows that the World Bank is expected to finance seven projects including the $125million grant for Better Education Services for All.

The Global Partnership for Education grant is expected to increase equitable access for out-of-school children and improve literacy in focus states.

The grant, which will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), will strengthen accountability for results in basic Education in Katsina, Oyo and Adamawa States.

Other projects to be financed by the World Bank are, the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for Results as well as the Agro-Processing, Productivity, Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project.

The benefiting states for the agro-processing project are, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Cross River, Enugu and Lagos with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as the implementing ministry.

The objective of the project is to enhance agricultural productivity of small and medium-scale farmers and improve value addition along priority value chains in the participating States, Shehu noted.

The World Bank, he added, is financing the Nigeria Sustainable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project in Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Imo and Plateau States, for the next five years.

Shehu assured that the project when completed, will improve rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene nationwide towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water supply and sanitation by 2030.

A total of 29 states are listed as beneficiaries of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Arid Zone Landscape project, which is expected to reduce natural resource management conflicts in dry and semi-arid ecosystems in Nigeria.

The benefiting states for the project to be co-financed by World Bank and European Investment Bank (EIB) are Akwa Ibom, Borno, Oyo, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Edo, Plateau.

Others include Abia, Nasarawa, Delta, Niger, Gombe, Imo, Enugu, Kogi, Anambra, Niger, Ebonyi, Cross River, Ondo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe and Kwara.

The World Bank is also funding the Livestock Productivity and Resilience project in no fewer than 19 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The China EXIM Bank is expected to finance the construction of the branch line of Apapa-TinCan Island Port, under the Lagos-Ibadan Railway modernisation project.

The French Development Agency will finance two projects, which include the National Digital Identity Management project and the Kaduna Bus Rapid Transport Project. The digital identity project will be co-financed with World Bank and EIB.

The Value Chain Development Programme to be financed by IFAD and implemented in Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, Nasarawa, Enugu and Kogi states will empower 100,000 farmers, including over 6,000 and 3,000 processors and traders respectively.

The loan facility to be provided by European ECA/KfW/IPEX/APC will be spent on the construction of the Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) linking Nigeria with Niger Republic from Kano-Katsina-Daura-Jibiya-Maradi with a branch to Dutse.

The specific project title, Kano-Maradi SGR with a branch to Dutse, has an implementation period of 30 months and will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Transport.

The Chinese African Development Fund through the Bank of China is expected to provide a loan facility of $325 million for the establishment of three power and renewable energy projects including solar cells production facility Phase I & II, electric power transformer production, Plants 1, II, III and high voltage testing laboratory.

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) will implement the project aimed at increasing local capacity and capability in the development of power and renewable energy technologies and infrastructure.

Credit Suisse will finance major industrialisation projects as well as micro, small and medium enterprises schemes to be executed by the Bank of Industry while SINOSURE and Standard Chartered Bank will provide funds for the provision of 17MW Hybrid Solar Power infrastructure for the National Assembly (NASS) complex.

The project, with an implementation period of five years, is expected to address NASS power supply deficit and reduce the higher overhead burdensome cost of running and maintaining fossil fuel generators (25MW installed capacity) to power the assembly complex, the statement read.
Abdulaziz Chibuzor Ude, an elder statesman and former acting chairman of the board of directors of Newswatch, is dead. The Anambra sta...

Abdulaziz Chibuzor Ude, an elder statesman and former acting chairman of the board of directors of Newswatch, is dead.

The Anambra state government announced the passing of the culture enthusiast in a statement issued on Saturday.

Don Adinuba, the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment, said Uze died on Thursday in Lagos state.

According to the Anambra government, he has been buried in his hometown in line with Islamic rites.

In a tribute to the deceased, the Anambra government described the late Uze as an egalitarian who never discriminated against the less privileged or those who did not share his religious views.

The people and Government of Anambra State have received with sadness the news of the death two days ago of Chief Abdulaziz Chivuzor Ude, the internationally renowned publisher, intellectual, art lover, pan Africanist, entrepreneur and philanthropist from Abor, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State who played a significant part in modern Igbo history, the statement reads.

Christened Bertrand at an early age and became the first senior prefect of the College of Immaculate Conception (CIC), Enugu, Ude attended Oxford University where he read philosophy, economics and politics before proceeding to Columbia University in New York where he took a masters degree in international relations.

Ude caught public attention when, while working as an editor at Random House in New York, the worlds biggest book publishing firm, he published Chinua Achebes classic, Things Fall Apart, in the United States during the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-70.

Unknown to most people because of his self-effacing nature, Chief Ude contributed significantly to the creation of Anambra, Enugu, Delta and Ebonyi states.

Apart from being one of the signatories to the petition for the creation of these states to the Ibrahim Babangida military regime, he donated not just cash but also his private jet to transport the Igbo patriots like Dr Alex Ekwueme, Chike Edozie, Dr Akanu Ibiam, Chief CC Onoh and Dr Okadigbo to different cities who signed the petition.

He also donated part of his building at 59 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, to coordinate the campaign for the creation of Igbo states and paid the staff.

Udes Nok book publishing firm in Enugu, New York, London and Lagos, published such outstanding works as Chinweizus The West and the Rest of Us and Romanus Egudus Study of Four West Africans. He was, indeed, a pan Africanist of the finest hue.

Ever humble, he practised egalitarianism in truth and spirit. He never discriminated against the less privileged or those who did not share his religious views. Even after converting to Islam, a result of his deep friendship with founding Guinean President Sekou Toure, a pan Africanist in his own right, Ude remained a big contributor to the welfare of priests and the church in his community.

The Government and people of Anambra State truly mourn the transition of this great Igboman, pan Africanist, publisher and intellectual. We mourn with the Ude family of Abor and the people and government of Enugu State. May Abdulaziz Udes noble soul find rest in paradise.
Popular financial website AbokiFX has announced it has temporarily suspended forex rate updates on its platforms, amid accusation by the C...

In a long statement on its website on Friday, it said the suspension will hold until it gets better clarity of the situation.

Final rates have been posted this evening but the abokiFX news section and the Crypto rates section will still be active, it said.





Read the rest of the statement

AbokiFX was established in 2014 as a research and information service company, to conduct market research and gather data on the parallel market rates.

We also wanted to provide some transparency around the parallel market with the availability of information technology.

abokiFX purely provides benchmark parallel rate information which helps guide our users in almost 200 countries across the world.

abokiFX does NOT TRADE FX, which we have always maintained in our emails and social media platforms.

We do not Trade FX neither do we have the power to manipulate the rates as we DO NOT CREATE the rates.

We are the only entity in Nigeria that has a full set of parallel rates, right from our inception in 2014 when the exchange rate was trading at N166 to $1.

We collated data for years before we started publishing, as we realised the demand increased for our historical data.

To most users of our platforms, we are just a parallel rates board but to many institutions, ranging from IVY league universities, to global businesses and research centres, we are a key source of data, especially, historical data (almost a decades worth of data on parallel rates).

Companies use our data for their internal and external audits as well as planning and budgeting.

We ONLY publish what we source on the streets of Lagos, hence the phrase, Lagos Parallel Rates. The rates sourced are carefully collated, reviewed and a mean rate is published from the data pool. This explains our three daily updates  * Morning, ** Midday, ***Evening.

Sometimes, rates come in late but we have to wait for the full set of rates before they are published, to prevent volatility of rates.

None of our data source providers know who we are or what their rates are being used for. This is to avoid any manipulation of rates.

Our staff have a daily routine of going to the market to gather rates, as all the BDCs in the country have their rates clearly displayed on their rates board and parallel market rate dealers give the information away freely.

All we do is collate all that information and display it on all our platforms daily.





REPLAY OF 2017 vs 2021

In 2017, Nigeria experienced an FX crises and the Naira depreciated to over N500/$1. abokiFX was accused of manipulating the parallel market rates.

Once liquidity was injected, the Naira appreciated and we published the appreciation which is basically what we do.

2021 has seen a similar scenario with the naira depreciating and we have published what we have been given, which has led some to believe we are manipulating the market. Yet no one can complain about our rates deviating +/- 2% from the parallel market rates when they patronise the dealers in the market.

If we do not create the rates, how then can we control the rates. Our only sources of income have been our API and advert sales.





ALLEGATIONS AGAINST OUR DIRECTOR

All allegations against our director are yet to be confirmed but we at abokiFX DO NOT trade FX neither do we manipulate parallel market rates.

Outside the media allegation, we have not received any communication from any government body and our accounts are not closed as stipulated in the media.





WAY FORWARD

abokiFX is fully functional BUT we will not be publishing any form of rates on our platforms for now.

We sincerely hope this suspension will lead to the Naira appreciation from next week.

With our decision to temporarily suspend online rate publication, we are aware that there will be limited visibility of parallel rates information which will impact decision making for many.
Bandits have released 10 students of Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi, Kaduna state. Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna cha...

Bandits have released 10 students of Bethel Baptist High School in Damishi, Kaduna state.

Joseph Hayab, chairman of the Kaduna chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) confirmed that the students were released on Saturday.

Hayab said the released students have reunited with their parents, adding that 21 others are still with their captors.

He said: The bandits have released 10 more of our students to us this evening, remaining 21. They were released this evening and parents were taking their children home.

Hayab lamented the bandits strategy of releasing the students in batches, describing it as torture for the parents.

What the bandits are doing is to torture us. We are celebrating the return of 10 students, but we are having the challenge of those parents who have been waiting and every time, their child is not among those released, he said.

It is very painful, but we thank God that 10 students are back.





On July 5, 2021, bandits invaded the school and abducted 121 students.

The bandits had subsequently said the students would be released in batches when they freed the first set of 28 on July 25, 2021  after they reportedly collected a ransom of N100m.

Following the release of the 28 students, the bandits were said to have demanded another N80m as ransom for the remaining students.

Israel Akanji, president of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), had earlier said that no ransom will be paid for the release of the students.
The Muhammadu Buhari administration says the fresh $4.9 billion external loans will finance 15 projects across six geo-political zones. ...

The Muhammadu Buhari administration says the fresh $4.9 billion external loans will finance 15 projects across six geo-political zones.

Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, made this known in a statement issued on Saturday.

Buhari had sought approval of the national assembly to borrow fresh sums of $4,054,476,863 and 710 million in an addendum to the 2018-2020 external (rolling) borrowing plan.

He also asked the national assembly to approve grant components of $125 million.

According to the presidency, the loans will be sourced from World Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), China Export-Import (Exim) Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Credit Suisse Group, and Standard Chartered/China Export and Credit (SINOSURE).

The World Bank is expected to finance seven projects across different sectors, including the $125 million grant for the education sector.

The presidency said the grant is expected to increase equitable access for out-of-school children and improve literacy in focus states and will strengthen accountability for results in basic education in Katsina, Oyo and Adamawa.

The World Bank will also finance the state fiscal, transparency, accountability and sustainability (SFTAS) programme, agro-processing projects, and the provision of adequate water supply in Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Imo, and Plateau states for the next five years.

According to the statement, states to benefit from the banks agro-processing project include Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Cross River, Enugu and Lagos.

The statement added that 30 states will benefit from the World Banks agro-climatic resilience in arid zone landscape project to reduce natural resource management conflicts in dry and semi-arid ecosystems in Nigeria.

The World Bank will also fund livestock productivity and resilience project in 19 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The China Exim Bank is expected to finance the construction of the branch line of Apapa-TinCan Island Port while AFD will fund the national digital identity management and Kaduna bus rapid transport projects.

IFAD will finance the value chain development programme, and it will be implemented in Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, Nasarawa, Enug, and Kogi states to empower 100,000 farmers, including over 6,000 and 3,000 processors and traders, respectively.

Credit Suisse will finance major industrialisation projects and micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) schemes, while SINOSURE will provide funds for the provision of 17MW hybrid solar power infrastructure for the national assembly complex.

The presidency further said a loan facility by the German government-owned development bank (KfW IPEX-Bank) will be spent on the construction of the standard gauge rail linking Nigeria with the Niger Republic.

It added that the China-Africa Development Fund is expected to provide a loan facility of $325 million for the establishment of three power and renewable energy projects. These include solar cells production facility in two phases, electric power transformer production in three phases, and a high voltage testing facility.
New Jersey Natural Gas

NEW JERSEY NATURAL GAS RECEIVES APPROVAL TO SIGNIFICANTLY EXPAND ITS ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS

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WALL, N.J.  New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) today received approval from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to significantly expand its energy-efficiency programs available through The SAVEGREEN Project (SAVEGREEN) to help customers better understand and manage their energy usage, reduce emissions and save money. NJNG is authorized to invest $135 million over the next three years to provide customized energy solutions to assist residential, public entities, such as schools, and small commercial customers save money on their energy bills. Energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways we can help our customers save energy and money, protect our environment and create a stronger and fairer clean energy economy, said Steve Westhoven, COO of New Jersey Natural Gas. With todays approval, we are committed to helping support New Jerseys clean energy agenda, advancing energy efficiency and providing even more opportunities to help customers save. Beginning in January 2019, NJNG will roll out new and expanded programs for the residential and commercial markets, with programs and features available for low- to moderate-income customers and public entities, to help eliminate barriers to energy efficiency and make the benefits more accessible. These new offerings include Home Energy Reports that provide customized, easy-to-implement recommendations to reduce consumption and improve energy efficiency to participating homeowners. A free, online home energy audit also will be available to help customers better understand their energy usage and opportunities for savings. Also approved is a $49 Home Energy Assessment performed by one of NJNGs Building Performance Institute certified auditors. This comprehensive, independent analysis is designed to help identify potential home energy savings for customers. As a part of this assessment, auditors will install low-cost energy-saving measures, such as insulation gaskets and LED lightbulbs, and provide energy-saving tips. NJNG will promote low and moderately priced energy-efficiency products, such as smart thermostats and weatherization kits, through an online marketplace. No-cost conservation kits will also be provided to local foodbanks to distribute to their clients, helping ensure all customers, particularly senior citizens and low- to moderate-income residents, have access to energy savings. For commercial and industrial customers, NJNG will introduce new offerings to meet their specific needs, while continuing to support specific commercial programs offered by the New Jerseys Clean Energy Program (NJCEP). Qualifying commercial customers implementing energy-efficiency upgrades through NJCEPs Direct Install and SmartStart Building programs will be eligible to participate in NJNGs On Bill Repayment Program (OBRP) for no-interest funding for the amount of the project not covered by NJCEP. To help address the needs of smaller commercial customers, NJNG will introduce SAVEGREEN on Main. This new program will offer qualifying customers using less than 5,000 therms annually, a free energy assessment  including a customized report summarizing energy-saving installation options, upgrades and a cost-benefit analysis for future improvements  to help identify potential energy-saving opportunities. Customers will be eligible for upfront incentives and will be able to finance the balance, up to $50,000, through NJNGs OBRP. NJNG also will offer tailored assistance to help reduce the energy burden for nonprofit organizations and public service entities, such as municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals. NJNG will provide expert service, including an in-depth audit and energy-saving recommendations, to those customers undertaking large energy-efficiency projects, with no up-front costs. NJNG will buy down the simple payback of the recommended energy-efficiency project costs for approved measures and the remaining project costs may be financed through an OBRP. Since 2009, NJNG has invested nearly $160 million in energy-efficiency programs through SAVEGREEN, generating more than $392 million in economic activity in its service territory while reducing greenhouse emissions. Over the last decade, nearly 52,000 customers have participated in SAVEGREEN, and the program has grown the green energy economy in New Jersey for the more than 2,600 contractors who have participated in the program. The average annual impact for the typical residential heating customer using 1,000 therms per year over the life of the program is estimated to be $9.94 or 1 percent. If fully subscribed, the program will result in a reduction of more than 1.5 million tons in carbon dioxide emissions. About New Jersey Resources New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses: New Jersey Natural Gas, NJRs principal subsidiary, operates and maintains over 7,400 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jerseys Monmouth, Ocean and parts of Morris, Middlesex and Burlington counties. NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar and onshore wind projects with a total capacity of more than 335 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions. NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America. NJR Midstream serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its 50 percent equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility, as well as its 20 percent equity interest in the PennEast Pipeline Project. NJR Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey. NJR and its more than 1,000 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project and The Sunlight Advantage. For more information about NJR: Visit www.njresources.com. Follow us on Twitter @NJNaturalGas. Like us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas. Download our free NJR investor relations app for iPad, iPhone and Android.

Mike Kinney, Media

732-938-1031

Dennis Puma, Investors

732-938-1229

Return to Listing
New Jersey Natural Gas

NJNG Announces 100% emissions offset of facility and fleet

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Wall, N.J.  Continuing its leadership on corporate sustainability and reducing emissions, New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) today announced it has completely offset its facility and fleet use of natural gas with renewable energy. By purchasing Renewable Natural Gas Attributes (RNGAs), renewable energy credits generated from the production of Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), all emissions from natural gas use at its facilities and from the use of its Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) fleet vehicles are being offset. The volume of emissions offset through the purchase is the equivalent of supplying the natural gas needs of more than 400 homes for an entire year. This is an important achievement for our company that builds on our commitment to innovation, sustainability and environmental responsibility, said Steve Westhoven, President and CEO of New Jersey Resources, the parent company of New Jersey Natural Gas. As New Jersey Resources continues to lead the way in reducing emissions to meet New Jerseys clean energy goals, this investment highlights the clean, renewable benefits of RNG, and the potential of future in-state RNG generation projects to lower emissions and create clean energy jobs right here in New Jersey. RNG, an innovative, ultra-clean fuel product, consists primarily of methane derived from the decomposition of organic sources such as food waste, landfills, dairy farm by-products or wastewater treatment plants. RNG generation facilities are independently certified with associated production of RNG and assigned credits that can be bought and sold as offsets. In this way, the offsets, formally called RNGAs, operate similarly to Renewable Energy Credits in the wind and solar markets, where the environmental attributes of clean energy production generate credits that can support compliance with emissions reduction goals, while providing revenue sources to producers. When added to existing clean natural gas supplies already serving households and businesses for home heating, water heating and to fuel appliances, RNG makes low-emission natural gas delivery even cleaner. The proven capability of RNG to reduce overall emissions of natural gas in the building and transportation sectors is why states as diverse as California, Connecticut, Oregon and Vermont  25 in total - have already embraced and prioritized RNG production as a sensible way to generate renewable energy from existing waste streams. This is critical in a state like New Jersey that has significant integration of and reliance on natural gas, with 75% of homes utilizing natural gas service for home heating. The announcement is the latest in a long list of leading sustainability accomplishments by NJR and its principal subsidiary, NJNG  a natural gas distribution utility serving over half a million customers. Over the last decade, NJNG has invested more than $1 billion in system improvements, resulting in the most environmentally sound system in New Jersey, as measured by leaks per mile NJNG was the first utility in New Jersey to remove all aged, leak-prone cast iron from its system NJNG was the first New Jersey utility to join ONE Future, a natural gas industry-led group dedicated to reducing methane emission at every level of the natural gas supply chain NJNG was the first utility in the nation to purchase responsibly sourced natural gas through the TrustWell program, which independently certifies responsible practices at the individual well level NJNG sources other natural gas supply from producers accredited through the Center for Responsible Shale Development, which sets comprehensive shale development standards that exceed state and federal standards Just this past year, NJR became the first diversified energy company based in New Jersey to offer Green Bonds, totaling $150 million, to fund clean energy investments, including 50 megawatts of solar capacity across six commercial solar installations About New Jersey Resources New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. It is composed of five primary businesses: New Jersey Natural Gas, NJRs principal subsidiary, operates and maintains over 7,500 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jerseys Monmouth, Ocean, Morris, Middlesex, Sussex and Burlington counties. NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar projects with a total capacity of nearly 300 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions. NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services to its customers across North America. NJR Midstream serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its ownership of the Leaf River Energy Center and 50 percent equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility, as well as its 20 percent equity interest in the PennEast Pipeline Project. NJR Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey. NJR and its more than 1,000 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve  and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project  and The Sunlight Advantage  . For more information about NJR: Visit www.njresources.com . Follow us on Twitter @NJNaturalGas . Like us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas . Download our free NJR investor relations app for iPad, iPhone and Android.

Kevin Roberts, Media

732-938-1197

Dennis Puma, Investor

732-938-1229

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NJR Clean Energy Ventures

NJR CLEAN ENERGY VENTURES AND BOROUGH OF HOPATCONG TURN BROWNFIELD INTO GREEN ENERGY WITH 1.5 MEGAWATT SOLAR PROJECT

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Hopatcong, N.J. October 15, 2020  NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV), the clean energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR), and the Borough of Hopatcong, today, celebrated the completion of a new 1.5 megawatt (MW) ground-mounted solar project at the former municipal landfill. Consisting of nearly 4,000 solar panels, the fixed-tilt array is expected to provide enough clean energy to power 230 homes annually and reduce emissions by 1,435 tons, equal to removing 290 cars from the road each year. The capped landfill has been closed for more than 30 years. NJRCEV will lease 23 acres of this underutilized space from the borough for a term of 25 years with the opportunity to extend the agreement for up to an additional 10 years. The clean power produced will be sold to PJM and further the states clean energy goals. As one of the earliest investors in New Jerseys solar marketplace, NJR Clean Energy Ventures has a long track record of innovation and sustainability, and our Hopatcong solar project reflects that commitment, said Steve Westhoven, president and CEO of New Jersey Resources. By turning this brownfield into renewable, green energy, we are helping to support the states emission reduction goals, grow our business and lead the way to a clean energy future for New Jersey. Hopatcong Mayor Michael Francis said, "This is a win-win for everybody. Each year, the landfill costs the borough money in water testing and fees. We look forward to offsetting these costs and saving taxpayers money while generating clean energy for the state. The Hopatcong solar project was jointly developed and permitted by AC Power LLC and Citrine Power LLC after the developers signed a lease with the borough in 2018. NJRCEV acquired the project in 2019 and completed construction in September 2020. The Hopatcong solar project was approved for Transition Renewable Energy Credits (TRECs) under the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities T grid-connected project application process. TRECs are the credits generated by solar systems that can be sold to meet utility providers renewable energy requirements. Over the past 10 years, NJRCEV has grown to become one of the largest solar investors in the state, with more than $970 million deployed across New Jerseys 21 counties. NJRCEV now maintains more than 350 MW of installed capacity - enough to power nearly 55,000 homes and reduce 322,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. These investments reflect the companys core values and support a clean energy future for New Jersey by delivering clean, safe, and reliable energy, providing customers with low carbon energy solutions and reducing emissions consistent with the states goals. Learn more about NJRs sustainability efforts at www.NJRSustainability.com Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements within this release are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. NJR cautions readers that the assumptions forming the basis for forward-looking statements include many factors that are beyond NJRs ability to control or estimate precisely, such as estimates of future market conditions and the behavior of other market participants. Words such as anticipates, estimates, expects, projects, may, will, intends, plans, believes, should and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements and such forward-looking statements are made based upon managements current expectations, assumptions and beliefs as of this date concerning future developments and their potential effect upon NJR. There can be no assurance that future developments will be in accordance with managements expectations, assumptions and beliefs or that the effect of future developments on NJR will be those anticipated by management. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, certain statements regarding the Hopatcong solar facility. Additional information and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from NJRs expectations are contained in NJRs filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including NJRs Annual Reports on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings, which are available at the SECs web site, http://www.sec.gov. Information included in this release is representative as of today only and while NJR periodically reassesses material trends and uncertainties affecting NJRs results of operations and financial condition in connection with its preparation of managements discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition contained in its Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the SEC, NJR does not, by including this statement, assume any obligation to review or revise any particular forward-looking statement referenced herein in light of future events. About New Jersey Resources New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses: New Jersey Natural Gas, NJRs principal subsidiary, operates and maintains over 7,500 miles of natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve over half a million customers in New Jerseys Monmouth, Ocean, Morris, Middlesex and Burlington counties. NJR Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar projects with a total capacity of more than 350 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions. NJR Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America. 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When animalsspecifically dogsare in need, there's one internet superhero that almost always comes to the rescue: a viral social media account called WeRateDogs. And there was no exception when it came to aiding Louisiana animals in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

WeRateDogs, an account best known for giving dogs (and sometimes "not" dogs) ratings that well exceed 10 on a 1-10 scale, recently helped out the Louisiana SPCA's disaster response fundraiserto the estimated tune of $43,000 with one post:

This is Muffin. She was rescued in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida by @LASPCA. Theyve been working nonstop to rescue displaced animals and provide vet care to affected communities. They desperately need donations through the link below. 14/10 for allhttps://t.co/EoI5ou6wDw pic.twitter.com/PfphSGH2Kq  WeRateDogs (@dog_rates) September 3, 2021

While this may seem like a preposterously high figure, WeRateDogs has a massive audience on social media, with 9 million followers on Twitter, 2.2 million followers on Instagram, and nearly 600,000 followers on Facebook. The post above alone garnered 113,156 likes across all platforms.

WeRateDogs was launched in 2015 by Matt Nelson when he was in college; the account grew so popular that he dropped out to run it full time. Now, the social media sensation has multiple employees to help sell merchandise, comb through the hundreds of dog photos submitted each day, and handle the website.

WeRateDogs is mostly humorous content, with witty comments on adorable pup pictures that get ratings that typically don't go below 11/10 and max out at 15/10.

But at least once a weekthe account has been doing a fundraiser each Friday since 2017the account highlights a minimum of one dog in need of financial help, whether it's vet bills or otherwise.

So the Friday after Ida, the LASPCA were the lucky beneficiaries. Nelson says that WeRateDogs typically focuses on individual canine cases, but some events, like a hurricane, merit a broader stroke.

In just 2020 alone, WeRateDogs raised $1.3 million. To-date, the account has shared over 170 fundraisers.

"Unfortunately, we've had to help fund in the wake of natural disasters more and more lately," Nelson said. "Last year we helped out with the wildfires on the West Coast and I think we've done three or four this year already."

Despite being a dog-focused site, Nelson said he's fine with the fact that the LASPCA will also be helping out cats with the money raised.

"Animals don't know that a hurricane is coming," Nelson said. "There are so many stories about dogs getting left behind; it pulls on people's heartstrings because people know that they're helpless."

The LASPCA takes care of more than cats and dogs. Spokesperson Rebecca Melanson said that the LASPCA accept any animal that's legally permitted to be a pet. In the pastthough not during Idathey've had chickens, guinea pigs, and even horses.

WeRateDogs reached out to the LASPCA via social media on August 31, two days after the storm, asking what the organization needed and offering the boost that their followers so often bring.

Melanson said that funds would be the most helpful, that they would specifically go toward food, transport and community vet care. All of the Plaquemines LASPCA had to be evacuated before Ida, and the New Orleans location housed over 450 animals, almost double what they had before the storm.

Additionally, after the storm, the LASPCA had difficulty buying pet food at stores. They had to make an extra push for not just their own shelters, but to hand out to pet owners in need.

The Louisiana SPCA's fundraiser linked by WeRateDogs bears the description:

"As we work to move animals out of harms way and respond, please consider making a life-saving donation so we can keep even more animals safe during Hurricane season!"

Twelve days after WeRateDogs posted the link to the fundraiser, on September 15, they claimed that their followers helped raise the $43,000 for the LASPCA:

This is Buster and Roscoe. They were separated from their humans during Hurricane Ida. Both were reunited this week by @LASPCA. You all raised over $43k for their relief fund, and helped make this possible. 14/10 for all  pic.twitter.com/omPVE3MpVK  WeRateDogs (@dog_rates) September 15, 2021

Nelson said that the estimated $43,000 fell in line with their typical fundraising figures for a campaign similar to LASPCA's. Before WeRateDogs' boost, the fundraiser was only at $7,000 of their $25,000 target goal, according to Melanson.

"After that, it just kept going up and up," Melanson said. "We're super grateful to them."

The funds helped the LASPCA take in over 200 animals since the storm, including this poor pup, who was found in a dumpster and fittingly named Oscar (the Grouch):

The Louisiana SPCA's fundraiser is still ongoing throughout the hurricane season, and they have employees taking in strays off the street. However, their shelters are a bit full, so they recommend that any owners having difficulty taking care of their pets after the storm use 911 Foster Pets to situate their animals temporarily.

911 Foster Pets is a servicerun almost like a dating appthat works after disasters to give animals temporary shelter until their owners can properly care for them again.

The LASPCA is currently closed for adoptions but are planning on opening up soon with a whole bunch of cats and, yes, doggos in need of a home. 15/10.
Right after parking by a low bridge over Bayou Terrebonne, Hamid "Hammer" Watson lit the charcoal for his brand-new, trailer-mounted grill. Minutes later, the first people started lining up by the table where his cousin Duane "Doogie" Cruse Jr. was fixing plate lunches, drawn as if by a smoke signal from the cooking rig.

Sometimes you offer people a meal and theyll say no, were good. Then they smell that grill and the same people come back again, Watson said. We're doing this so they know people are thinking about them.

Cruse and Watson are New Orleans natives who together run Eltons Bar-B-Krewe, a catering company specializing in outdoor cooking. In the wake of Hurricane Ida, they have been making regular forays from the city to some of the most devastated parishes to the west, serving free meals from their grill and bringing a sense of solidarity to people in their own neighborhoods.

Its taking it directly to them, going to their space, so they dont have to go to some central spot and ask, said Cruse.

These smoky, savory sojourns are another manifestation of community and culture persevering through calamity and turmoil.

The food that Eltons Bar-B-Krewe is giving away is funded by contributions through the Krewe of Red Beans, the Carnival club that has become a multifaceted hub of hands-on support through the pandemic.

One of its earlier initiatives provided paying gigs to musicians and other culture bearers to deliver meals to the most vulnerable in New Orleans. That's how Cruse first intersected with the group.

He is a Mardi Gras Indian, flag boy for the Wild Magnolias. Through Eltons Bar-B-Krewe, he and his cousin have cooked for Krewe of Red Beans endeavors in the city.

Eltons Bar-B-Krewe is named after his grandfather, the man who first taught him to make a fire and sparked the start of his business.

Just last year, during the pandemic, Cruse left his job as a high school teacher to develop his business full-time.

That was a scary time to do it, but I wanted to show my kids that you could follow your dreams, said Cruse, a father of three.

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Those kids are already part of the business in a way.

"They're always my biggest food critics," Cruse allowed.

Working with the Krewe of Red Beans has been a revelation, Cruse said, showing the potential of small individual efforts bound together for a common cause.

Since Ida, Cruse and Watson have been loading up food at home, then driving into different bayou areas to set up their grill in neighborhoods or near some central community spot.

We know what its like from Katrina in New Orleans, Cruse said. Now its our turn to help others.

One deployment took them to the side of Bayou Terrebonne. As if replicating his Indian flag boy duties, Cruse staked a big flag by the trailer that spelled out "BBQ" in fiery letters while Watson worked the grill. Wearing boots and cowboy hats, the cousins met anyone who pulled up with friendly greetings and generously piled plates of beef sausage, pasta alfredo and broccoli.

We may not have a restaurant and all that, but guess what, we have love, said Cruse. And love always wins; you can see that all around you.

+9 Racing to help her bayou home, a New Orleans chef taps a potent grassroots network They are going door to door, though often those doors are off their hinges and the roofs that once covered them are gone.

+13 With catfish, bloody marys, two landmarks of hard-hit Des Allemands vow return after Ida Franks Lounge was dark and hot as Reva Kramer worked inside, mucking out mud that Hurricane Ida had pushed across the bar's floor. And yet, m

+12 'We cant stop.' Inside the community kitchen cooking with heart for Louisiana after Ida The aromas of roasting meat and simmering gravy spreading through the kitchen were hearty and homey. But the pace around the long, bright, cro
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi has unique qualifications to oversee a collection of short films about life during the coronavirus pandemic. He created his 2011 protest project This is Not a Film while under house arrest, allegedly for making a film about Iranian election results. He shot the film with an iPhone from inside his house to comment on the absurdity of his situation. The movie was smuggled out of the country, reportedly in a cake, and screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

For The Year of the Everlasting Storm, he contributed a short film and included six from directors across the globe. Films were made in the U.S., Chile, China and Thailand, and filmmakers were challenged to make their movies in accordance with CDC guidelines at the time of production. Filming was confined to the location of the filmmaker in quarantine and shooting in public spaces was not allowed. The result is a diverse collection of films, ranging from Panahis family story to the nonfiction piece about surveillance, Terror Contagion, to David Lowerys gritty and ominous Dig Up My Darling.

Singaporean director Anthony Chens The Break Away has many elements one might expect of a story about life during the COVID-19 pandemic. It takes place in the early days of lockdown in China. A couple played by Yu Zhang and Dongyu Zhou find that theyre not just shut in, but the walls are also closing in. Their toddler has too much energy to be contained inside, and the dad suddenly finds himself on the hook to parent, which his wife notices is an exercise in chaos. She begins working from home, selling internet service to people who now need home hookups. He cant sell cars during the lockdown, and then that situation deteriorates, as expected income disappears when people cancel previous orders for cars. Fears about the virus are forcing the young family into isolation and obsessive cleaning. With all the changes forced by Covid, much is revealed about the health of their relationship and whether it will survive the pandemic.

Panahi again made a movie in his apartment, a luxe space in Tehran that he shares with his wife and a giant iguana named Iggy. His 90-year-old mother arrives in a hazmat suit and helmet. Shes being extremely careful about the virus and is concerned about everybodys health. But for all her understanding of safety protocols, shes afraid of Iggy, convinced that hes dangerous, a very gentle metaphor for mistrust of the unfamiliar.

Director Laura Poitras documentary Terror Contagion is the most surprising inclusion. Its about surveillance and the use of Pegasus, an Israeli cyber weapons companys software, to spy on journalists, activists, business people and others who fall outside the supposed targets: terrorists and criminals. Members of the investigative group Forensic Architecture discuss digital violence, and the way surveillance sometimes quickly leads to physical violence, as in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi by an assassination team from Saudi Arabia. The group also is concerned about the use of surveillance software related to tracking the pandemic.

New Orleans venue reopenings and events and benefits Sept. 16-19 More New Orleans music venues, museums and attractions are reopening, and some are offering discounts and holding benefits for storm relief. H

Malik Vitthals Little Measures uses animation and selfie videos to tell a story about a man trying to reconnect and regain custody of his children from foster care while California courts perpetually postpone hearings due to the pandemic.

Dominga Sotomayors Sin Titulo, 2020 works to a poignant moment, but in such a slow and distracted way that it doesnt pack much of a punch. The title Everlasting Storm comes from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakuls Night Colonies, which is the most abstract film. It also is plodding, but its central idea is solid.

The filmmakers were asked to make films in the present. Several of them effectively illustrate the way the virus bridges personal health and governmental roles and how that was viewed at a strange moment in time.

The Year of the Everlasting Storm runs at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge.
When Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an executive order earlier this month suspending court deadlines until Sept. 24, he granted a reprieve to many Louisiana renters on the brink of eviction as the state digs out from Hurricane Ida.

But some justices of the peace have been slow to get the message.

On Monday, a Jefferson Parish constable arrived on Saint Jude Street in Marrero to ensure that Nicholas Cemo, a 70-year-old disabled man, turned over his keys and vacated a rental home under a writ issued that morning by Justice of the Peace Mark Spears.

In Belle Chasse, a justice of the peace for Plaquemines Parish, Davey Naquin Jr., held a pair of eviction hearings this week and ordered one tenant to get out by months end, while the other agreed to leave. Naquin said he has since stopped.

Steven Sanders, a Baton Rouge justice of the peace, scheduled eviction hearings on Wednesday for four tenants of an apartment complex, records show, before advocates howled and the landlord agreed to a delay.

Evictions remain shut down in New Orleans, with courts closed until Monday and no plans to restart hearings until Edwards order runs out at the end of the week.

But in areas of Louisiana where justices of the peace handle such matters, some evictions have moved ahead despite Edwards order, though it's unclear just how many of about 380 justices of the peace have acted during the emergency suspension.

Tenant advocates argue that Edwards Sept. 7 order effectively froze all court actions on evictions as evacuees sought to return to their homes in Louisiana, some still without power.

Landlords were just lining up for a long-expected wave of eviction filings before Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana coast on Aug. 29 as a Category 4 whopper that left a million residents and businesses powerless for days or weeks.

Three days earlier, the U.S. Supreme Court halted a federal moratorium on evictions for unpaid rent that had run for a year in a series of U.S. Centers for Disease Control orders that safeguarded tenants facing financial hardship from the pandemic.

The reason the governor put this order in place is that people have unimaginable economic and other types of stress right now because of the storm. Someone who had the financial resources to move probably doesnt anymore, and theyre waiting in line for FEMA, said Hannah Adams, a staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services.

This goes to a larger problem which has always existed with the justice of the peace system, which is that basically there is no oversight over how these courts are operated. Its completely different depending on where you happen to live in the state.

Cemo said hes mostly been living out of his vehicle on the West Bank, parking in hospital lots for safety and restroom access, since 2nd Justice Court Constable Kendall Bussey met him for his rental keys on Monday.

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Ive been having to go to Waveland to clean up and shower, he said. I dont believe all this happened to me, really.

Bussey said he came with a writ of ejection that the landlord, Cemos first cousin, requested that morning from Spears.

The justice of the peace signed the eviction judgment on Aug. 24, ordering Cemo to vacate by Aug. 31.

Ernest Phillips, the landlord, said hed tried to get Cemo to leave since June, claiming hed let the grass grow tall and smoked inside, severely damaging the carpet. Phillips said he returned to court on Monday morning, when it reopened, after he found that Cemo was moving his stuff back in the house. He says, My attorney told me I dont have to leave. Im putting my stuff back in.

Spears also accused Christopher Kerrigan, Cemos attorney with Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, of pushing him to reoccupy the house despite the earlier eviction order. Spears insisted that there were all kind of extenuating circumstances that warranted the eviction.

But Spears and Bussey also said in separate interviews Friday that they had not reviewed Edwards order before Monday.

I have not received any guidance from the attorney generals office, Spears said. I didnt have electricity. I didnt have internet. And the phone service was spotty.

Attorney General Jeff Landrys office, which is charged with training justices of the peace, did send out an email on Sept. 7, noting that Edwards' order applied to all state courts and includes all legal delays associated with evictions.

The email also noted that the order was backdated to Aug. 26, when the governor declared a state of emergency ahead of Ida. A spokesman for Landrys office did not respond to questions this week about any complaints of evictions moving forward since then.

Bussey, the constable, said he tries to work with tenants to arrange a smooth eviction and did so with Cemo, calling him beforehand. Bussey said he might not have made the call had he known of the governors order.

I rely heavily on the justices of the peace to give me the information to move forward, he said.

Bussey said it appeared to him that Cemo had already moved out. Cemo said he returned after the electricity came back on Sept. 8, on the advice of Kerrigan, his attorney, who said his client had the right.

I dont understand what extenuating circumstances would allow the constable and the justice of the peace to work around an executive order of the governor, Kerrigan said.

Cemo left just the same. An appeal would have required him to post a bond.

The governors order didnt seem to mean much for his case, Cemo said, but it was never much of a long-term solution.

I aint got no money, you know? he said. I still would be looking for a place to stay.
Disaster recovery usually provides the necessities of food and water, but a group of St. Tammany artists wants to meet another critical need as well  poetry.

To do that, Slidell poet Dennis Formento said the international celebration of "100,000 Poets for Change" will go forward to help in the recovery from Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

People enjoy poetry, and it shows faith in things coming back, he said. Its vibration; the air goes through your body and makes you feel something incomprehensible. Those who write and those who listen are uplifted.

The annual "100,000 Poets for Change: Northshore Reading and Poetry Picnic" will be held outdoors Sept. 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the grounds of the Women's Center for Healing and Transformation in Abita Springs.

The public is invited to the free event at 71668 Leveson St. and should bring folding chairs or blankets for seating. Masks and social distancing will be observed, and those unvaccinated or at risk are invited to instead watch online.

The program will feature local poets, as well as guest artist Gabor Gyukics, who was named the beat poet laureate of Hungary. There will be an open mic, and poets can come early to sign up for a limited number of time slots.

Diane Elayne Dees, of Covington, is one of the local published poets who will participate. Dees said she tried poetry about 13 years ago just to get myself writing when she hit a dry spell in her career writing creative nonfiction and short stories.

But what began as a writing exercise quickly developed into a love of the form.

I really like words, and I love sounds and music. Poetry is a distillation of rhythms and sounds. That really appealed to me, she said.

Dees has one book of poetry, "Coronary Truth," published by Kelsay Books, and two more in the works. "The Last Time I Saw You," a book of poems in honor of the late New Orleans art critic and photographer D. Eric Bookhardt, will be published by Finishing Line Press this year. Her microchip, "Pandemic Times," is a one-page poetry book that can be folded from the Origami Poems Project.

The important thing is the poetry. Its something that belongs in the public, not something we do in private, but with sound and the human voice, Dees said.

Slidell poet Maggie Sorrells, 88, will also read. She recalls crafting her first poem at age 10. She was encouraged by her high school English teacher to enter a competition, and she won.

Poetry is something Ive always done, said Sorrells, who has a self-published book of poems available on Amazon and enough material for a second.

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Poetry has been a lifeline, she said. Since the (COVID-19) quarantine, Ive added to the collection and revised poems.

As a member of the Live Poets Society of Slidell, she helped bring poetry to senior centers and adolescent treatment centers. In the process, she discovered poetry is both personal and public.

Im writing because I have something to say, she said. We like to feel that energy of when (people) read something and all of a sudden, they get it, they got what you are saying.

Sorrells looks forward to reading with Gyukics.

I have a beat poem that will fit in nicely, she said.

Other poets will include Orisia Haas, Ashley Schilling and Eve Brouwer. Musical duo Raices, with dancer Catalina Reyna, will also perform.

Gyukics is touring the United States after his designation by the National Beat Poetry Foundation. He has written a dozen books of poetry, including "A Hermit Has No Plural."

Gyukics also translated the new book "Theyll be Good for Seed: Contemporary Hungarian Poetry," and previously "Hungarian Swimming in the Ground" with the late Michael Castro.

Formentos books include "Looking For An Out Place" and "Spirit Vessels" with FootHills Publishing. He is the publisher of "Mesechabe: the Journal of Surregionalism" and was commissioned by the St. Tammany Parish Arts Association to write the commemorative poem for the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Formento said having Gyukics at the event shows how American beat poetry reached across language barriers and touched people.

Its part of the social life of poetry, he said.

For information or a Zoom link, email Formento at mesechabe@hotmail.com or visit facebook.com/100ThousandPoetsNorthshore.
Jack Strain, St. Tammany's former top lawman who faces state and federal criminal charges, will go to state court next month to face the most serious charges against him: that he sexually abused underage boys, beginning in his adolescence and continuing into his years as sheriff.

The trial will begin Oct. 25, according to an order signed Friday by Judge A. Bruce Simpson, who was appointed to hear the case after all the judges in the 22nd Judicial District recused themselves.

The trial is expected to last until Nov. 5.

Strain, 58, was indicted in 2019 on four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of aggravated incest and one count each of indecent behavior with a juvenile and sexual battery. He pleaded not guilty.

Strain has twice had a court date set for the state charges, some of which carry a potential life sentence. But the first, in April of 2020, was derailed when COVID-19 restrictions shut down much of normal life in Louisiana, including jury trials.

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COVID looked like it could become a factor again. The second trial date of Sept. 7 was looming when a surge in cases prompted the 22nd Judicial District to suspend jury trials until at least Aug. 31.

Then Hurricane Ida hit southeastern Louisiana on Aug. 29, and the court suspended jury trials again, this time for the entire month of September.

"The DA's Office was prepared and ready to try the case before the closure, and we are prepared and ready to go after," Collin Sims, chief of prosecutions, said Friday. Sims is prosecuting the case along with Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Authement.

Strain's attorney, Billy Gibbens, did not return a call for comment.

Prospective jurors will be told to report to court on Oct. 22 to fill out a questionnaire prepared jointly by the prosecution and the defense, according to the judge's order.

Strain also faces trial in federal court on 16 corruption charges related to an alleged kickback scheme at a Slidell area work-release program that he privatized while he was sheriff. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges, and that trial is set for Dec. 6.
It was a typical after dinner walk.

A 52-year-old woman was out stretching her legs Wednesday near a levee in the Lower 9th Ward when two young teens seemed to innocently join in on the stroll. After a while, the woman told the boys she was headed home, and they asked if they could visit her there.

No. ... I dont know you, she told them. That's when things turned violent.

The pair began beating the woman with large tree branches, breaking her arm and bruising her face until fellow residents scared them away.

On its own, the attack at the corner of Royal Street and Jourdan Avenue would be enough to rattle the neighborhood. But residents say they are particularly concerned that the beating, along with a similar mugging that took place around the corner two days earlier, is part of a broader pattern dating back weeks that involves women being brutalized by a group of two  and sometimes three  teens.

New Orleans police acknowledge that investigators are looking into the possibility that the incidents this week may be linked to other attacks previously reported in the area, but they have yet to announce any arrests.

The woman attacked at Royal and Jourdan, who asked to remain anonymous, hopes that details of her story might produce the break that police need to capture suspects.

Everyone is worried and scared, said the woman, who moved to the Lower 9th Ward with her husband last year. Were being held hostage in our own neighborhood, and it doesnt feel like anything is being done.

The womans ill-fated walk, which began around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, came roughly two days after another woman strolling through the neighborhood was approached by three young males in the 500 block of Deslonde Street.

The trio suddenly grabbed large rocks, demanded the womans belongings and began touching her inappropriately, police said, without elaborating. The woman complied, and the muggers ran off.

The 52-year-old woman said she didn't think anything of it when she was approached on her walk by two boys appearing to be between the ages of 12 and 16. They asked her for a dollar, requested to stroll with her, and made small talk on a levee as they neared the corner of Royal and Jourdan, just around the block from Deslonde, the woman recalled.

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Eventually, the woman was ready to head back home and said, Hey, boys, Im going the other way. She said the pair asked her where she lived and if they could visit her, but she declined.

Why not? one of the boys asked. She said she replied, Because I dont know you, and turned around.

That's when she felt a thick tree branch  debris from Hurricane Ida  strike her across the face and jaw. She instinctively raised her arms to defend herself and fight back. But a blow to her right arm fractured it, incapacitated her, and was followed by more than a dozen additional strikes with branches, mostly to her upper body and head.

She isnt sure whether they were trying to rob her, but she said she felt tugging on her backpack.

They were trying to kill me, said the woman, her arm in a sling, her lip cut and her jaw purple. They just launched into this vicious beating.

The woman screamed as loud as she could, and her shrieks attracted at least two passersby. The boys paused and were chased away by one of the bystanders.

As the woman tried to regain her bearings, one of the bystanders called 911. But after several minutes without police or paramedics showing up, she got a friend to take her to the hospital, where an officer arrived about 1 a.m. Thursday to take her statement, she said.

Now, she plans to canvass her neighborhood for private surveillance camera footage that might help police identify suspects, if not arrest them. Shes since learned from neighbors that other women were similarly attacked before the storm. Exact details werent immediately available, but she felt the beating on her had been previously rehearsed.

While she waits for surgery to insert a metal plate into her broken arm, the woman is urging police to step up patrols in her neighborhood and for fellow residents to keep their heads on a swivel, at least until suspects are caught.

Everybody needs to take this very seriously, she said. The fact that they are juveniles who feel impunity is horrifying.

Police asked anyone with information to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.
Top officials at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans skirted university hiring policies when they moved an in-house lawyer to the job of chief of staff, and they padded the salary of another administrator while creating a publicly funded position for his son, according to an internal audit.

Those are just a few of the allegations of influence-peddling, retaliation and nepotism detailed in the 67-page report on the state-run medical school from the LSU Office of Internal Audit.

The report is critical of the recent behavior of the institution's chancellor, Larry Hollier, recently appointed Chief of Staff Louis Colletta and Keith Schroth, the chief financial officer, among other findings.

Hollier fired three top employees without properly vetting complaints against them, auditors concluded.

Later, other employees told auditors they feared retaliation. Employees asked auditors to email their personal addresses, fearing their accounts were being monitored. Or, they insisted on being interviewed at home, where no one could eavesdrop.

Cori Higginson, the former human resources director, told auditors she was suspended last year for questioning the administration's practices and cooperating with the investigation. She was fired in April, according to the audit.

In a written response to auditors, Hollier defended his work as chancellor and denied allegations of favoritism, nepotism and retaliation. I categorically do not support any of these allegations, and am not convinced that the findings in the report sould (sic) lead to the conclusions that were made," he wrote, while agreeing to review the concerns and make improvements.

As chancellor of the Health Sciences Center, Hollier reports to the LSU president, William Tate IV.

A spokeswoman for the Health Sciences Center referred questions to LSU. Ernie Ballard, an LSU spokesman, said: "We are confident the audit addresses the concerns brought to our attention about certain management practices at LSU Health New Orleans, and we will work with LSU Health New Orleans to ensure that changes are made going forward."

Schroth and Colletta didn't return messages seeking comment. An automated response from Colletta's email address indicated he is no longer with the institution.

Under Hollier, who has been chancellor since 2005, recent job searches for at least five top positions have been compromised, with Hollier at times circumventing search committees and favoring internal preselected candidates, auditors found.

One of them was Colletta, according to the audit. It said Hollier announced the hire before a search committee could even discuss Colletta's candidacy. Hollier then directed the committee chair to provide a letter of recommendation, a day after the fact.

Hollier told auditors he was under no obligation to conduct a formal search, adding that he impaneled search committees to "make sure the individual I want to appoint is valid."

Colletta was the sole candidate for chief of staff. He was selected after he personally huddled with other top officials to draft the job description and set minimum qualifications and a salary range, the audit said.

Colletta, a lawyer first hired as the center's general counsel in 2019, suggested having a law degree should be a prerequisite for the chief of staff. Auditors flagged that move, finding it created the appearance of narrowing the candidate pool, in violation of university policy.

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After a human resources supervisor objected, Hollier agreed to require that candidates have a law, doctorate or medical degree.

Colletta also discussed increasing the job's salary range with the HR director, before a midpoint of around $250,000 per year was set. At one point, he suggested the salary did not need approval from university administration, even though auditors wrote that was required by policy.

"It seems like (human resources) wants to get Baton Rouge involved when it is not necessary," Colletta wrote in a Sept. 16, 2020, email to the HR director.

Other issues around compensation, flagged by auditors, centered on Schroth.

After Schroth assumed the role of vice chancellor for administration and finance, Hollier pushed for him to receive raises that human resources later called "exorbitant." They would have ballooned his annual compensation to more than $462,000.

Hollier arranged the raises while seeking to keep LSU's administration out of the matter.

"We want to avoid having to get any approval from BR so please let me know if this will do that," Jennifer Crisp, an administrator in the chancellor's office, wrote in an Oct. 21, 2020 email suggesting a $402,000 base salary and tens of thousands of dollars more in supplemental pay.

Ultimately, Schroth received more than $69,000 in compensation on top of his base salary, the audit found. The money was initially described as payment for duties Schroth performed outside his job requirements, though auditors concluded they were within his scope of employment.

Schroth's additional pay should have been prohibited without special approval by the university president, auditors found. They found no evidence such approval was granted.

Schroths son, who has worked for the center since 2015, was also selected as director of a newly created Creative Services & Marketing department, the audit said.

The move came after Schroth approached Colletta, his son's supervisor, and contended his son was underpaid. Schroth handed Colletta a folder with a job description for his son's new position, and a national and local salary analysis for similar positions, auditors found.

"Many" employees relayed their concerns about the arrangement to auditors, but the report draws no conclusion on whether Schroth violated any state nepotism rules. Schroth told auditors he was only trying to relay information about his son to Colletta, and that his son "had potential."

Top officials had also pushed for the son, Jeremy Schroth, to receive a 20% raise in his previous position as digital marketing and production manager, which would have increased his salary to more than $98,000, according to the audit.

A September 2020 memo justifying that raise was addressed to Hollier, and appeared to be from Jeremy Schroth's supervisor, Chris Winters. But Winters didn't write it. Hollier ghost-wrote the memo, aided by Keith Schroth, and sent it to himself, auditors found.

After human resources objected, the proposal was dropped. It's unclear how much Jeremy Schroth is now paid in his new role.
When Molly Dees heard the rumbling on Congress Street, she came out to her porch to watch.

It had been about three weeks since the garbage in her St. Claude neighborhood had been picked up. An overwhelming smell of rotten waste wafted from bags spilled along the roadway. The bags sat next to trash bins that hadnt been emptied since before Hurricane Ida.

Actual trash trucks were still nowhere to be found, but Dees took some joy in the sight of a team of city workers as they made their way toward her house, grabbing loose bags along the way.

Yes! Thank you so much! she shouted as the crew moved past.

Dees was among the residents who saw at least some of her trash hauled away on Friday by municipal employees brought in to assist Metro Service Group, the trash hauler whose inadequate efforts pre-and-post storm had left rotting mounds across the city. The plan was announced by Mayor LaToya Cantrell Thursday evening, after the city was unable to find another contractor to assist them in post-storm clean-up.

The crew of about a half-dozen from the Department of Public Works slowly made its way up the street. It was a strange procession with a dump truck in the lead, followed by a front-loader, a pickup truck and a New Orleans Police Department SUV. As they crawled up the street, workers fanned out, grabbing fetid refuse from the curbs. They deposited it into the rapidly filling scoop of the loader, which was then lifted and emptied into the truck in front of it.

Dubbed Operation Mardi Gras to conjure up images of the army of workers that follow Carnival parades, the cleanup had neither the massive manpower nor the pleasant afterglow of a night of revelry.

If we had all the trucks like at Mardi Gras, it wouldnt take any time, said James Montgomery, one of the workers on the crew.

City officials promised 10 crews of workers from the city and other public agencies would be traversing the areas of the city where trash is the responsibility of Metro Service. During a Thursday press conference, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said they wouldnt stop until all the loose bags that litter the sidewalks had been picked up.

The even more nauseating contents of the trash bins  in most cases filled with food that spoiled in the outages following Ida  were left for whatever actual trash hauler eventually might come through.

New Orleans City Council calls trash crisis 'abject failure' as residents aim ire at Metro As New Orleans city workers hit the streets Friday morning in the latest attempt to stem the spiraling sanitation crisis, City Council members

Still, the workers did their best to minimize what they left behind, often picking enough bags out of the cans to allow their lids to at least be closed to help muffle the stench. As they finished with each house, the workers grabbed shovels and brooms to pick up any stray debris.

Montgomery typically works on maintenance for the city, fixing streetlights and signs and other various jobs. Despite the unpleasantness of his task on Friday, he took the duties in good spirit.

Youve got to know the meaning of maintenance: it can be anything, Montgomery said.

In the early afternoon, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Infrastructure Ramsey Green showed up to oversee the efforts, grabbing a bag or two along with the workers. He said it was the fourth crew he had visited since that morning.

The crew on Congress had been working since early in the day  though equipment trouble kept them from making it out as early as they planned  and had made their way down Desire Street and up Gallier Street by about noon. The trash they tossed had filled three 18-cubic-yard dump trucks by that point.

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A smaller two-man crew worked the streets near Elysian Fields in St. Roch, pitching trash bags into a flatbed trailer towed by a pickup, with another truck following along to supervise.

Those working that crew typically cut grass for the city but were unperturbed by their new assignment, with one worker noting that someone has to do it.

Still, they knew many streets lay ahead.

Weve barely scratched the surface, said the worker.

Cantrell made a point on Wednesday of noting that the crews would be accompanied by NOPD officers to prevent any abuse hurled at the workers. But like Dees, most residents who watched the trucks go past were grateful to workers drafted into the disgusting task.

Feelings for the Cantrell administration and for Metro were decidedly less sympathetic.

Cordell Ford, standing across the street, said the city should have been ready before the storm to handle its aftermath, including cleaning up the garbage.

Its just disgusting we cant get anything done, Ford said.

Metro has struggled with collections for months in the areas of the city it covers, which include the lakefront, Gentilly, New Orleans East and the neighborhoods downriver of the French Quarter. After a work stoppage by hoppers seeking higher wages and more protective equipment early in the pandemic  which prompted the company to use inmates to haul trash  it more recently struggled with an inability to hire enough drivers.

When the hoppers went on strike a year ago they could have met their needs, said Ann Haley as she walked back to her home. This is what happened because they didnt.

+5 Trash Parade meant to protest New Orleans sad sanitation situation pops up Saturday Aaron Louisiana Grant said it started as a bitter joke. After two weeks without trash pickup at his Marigny home, Grant said hed had enough.

Even after hiring help from IV Waste, the trash firm owned by Sidney Torres, Metro was unable to pick up huge swaths of its territory in the weeks after Ida. Richards Disposal, which covers most of the rest of the city, struggled with regular pickups as well but had at least made it to many of its routes.

Cantrell administration officials waited more than a week to seek bids for emergency trash pickups after the storm. It took another week before they declared that the only company that sought to assist Metro was not up to the task because it too lacked drivers. Hence the idea of bringing in city workers.

The effort is not a perfect fix: clouds of large black flies continued to buzz along the street and the air still smelled of decay after the trucks had passed.

But at least, Dees said, they got some of it out of here.
Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then afternoon sunshine. High 64F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds overnight. Low around 40F. Winds light and variable.
A Florida doctor and a medical consultant pleaded guilty this week to federal charges arising from a scheme to pressure hundreds of women to get their pelvic mesh implants removed. The effort was intended to increase the value of personal injury claims against the manufacturers of the medical devices.

The guilty pleas  by Dr. Christopher Walker on Friday and Wesley Blake Barber on Tuesday  bring to a close a criminal case brought two years ago by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. The two men pleaded guilty to violations of the federal Travel Act, a law that prosecutors have used to pursue charges of bribery in the health care profession.

Mr. Barber, 51, could face at least four years in federal prison when he is sentenced in December by Judge Raymond J Dearie of U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Dr. Walker, also 51, who pleaded guilty to two counts, could be sentenced to at least eight years when he appears before the judge in January. Lawyers for both men are expected to ask for lesser sentences under the federal guidelines.

The scheme was one of the more unsavory sides of the mass tort case against a half-dozen manufacturers of pelvic mesh including Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson. The case has led to more than $8 billion in settlements for roughly 100,000 women in the United States. Dozens of personal injury firms also collected billions in fees in the process.
SAN JOSE, Calif.  Erika Cheung, a key whistle-blower in the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the failed blood-testing start-up Theranos, wrapped up her testimony on Friday after saying the company had put a priority on speed over accuracy in its blood tests and answering hours of questions by the defense.

Over three days of testimony, Ms. Cheung, a former Theranos employee, detailed how some of the processes the company used to conduct its blood tests were problematic. While the defense sought to show that Theranoss procedures were rigorous and complex, Ms. Cheung said on Friday that its priority was to conduct tests as quickly as possible and that its machines often failed their quality-control checks.

Ms. Cheung said Theranoss blood tests might have been cheaper than other tests, but that did not mean you should give people false information about their health status.

Image Erika Cheung, a former Theranos employee, in 2019. Credit... Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, via Getty Images

Ms. Cheung was a high-profile witness for the federal government, which is trying to make the case that Ms. Holmes intentionally misled investors, doctors and patients about how well Theranoss blood testing technology worked. The company, once held up as a Silicon Valley success story with Ms. Holmes its shining star, collapsed in 2018. Ms. Holmes, 37, faces 12 counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and has pleaded not guilty.
The rise in Haitian migration began in the months after President Biden took office and quickly began reversing former President Donald J. Trumps strictest immigration policies, which was interpreted by many as a sign that the United States would be more welcoming to migrants. In May, the administration extended temporary protected status for the 150,000 Haitians already living in the country. But tens of thousands have attempted to cross into the United States since then despite not qualifying for the program.

False information, misinformation and misunderstanding might have created a false sense of hope, said Guerline M. Jozef, the executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an organization that works with migrants.

Mr. Bidens term has coincided with a sharp deterioration in the political and economic stability of Haiti, leaving parts of its capital under the control of gangs and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. The assassination of Haitis president and a magnitude 7.2 earthquake this summer have only added to the pressures causing people to leave the country. Shortly after the assassination, hundreds of Haitians flocked to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, many carrying packed suitcases and small children, after false rumors spread on social media that the Biden administration was handing out humanitarian visas to Haitians in need.

Most of the Haitians in Mexico  a country that has intercepted nearly 4,000 this year  were not coming directly from Haiti, but from South America, where, like Mackenson, they had already been living and working, according to a top official in the Mexican foreign ministry. The number of Haitians heading northward across the border that separates Colombia and Panama  often by traversing the treacherous jungle known as the Darien Gap  has also surged in recent years, increasing from just 420 in 2018 to more than 42,300 through August of this year, according to the Panamanian government.
WASHINGTON  As a mob of President Donald J. Trumps supporters rampaged through the Capitol on Jan. 6, William J. Walker, who was commanding the District of Columbia National Guard, watched helplessly, waiting for hours for approval to deploy his troops to help a badly overrun police force put down the deadly riot.

He suspected  and still does  that part of the reason for the delay was that Defense Department officials were overly concerned about the optics of sending in the Guard against the pro-Trump rioters, a move that amounted to special treatment of the mostly white crowd when compared to the law enforcement tactics used against protesters at racial justice marches in the recent past.

We were all frustrated by the tight limits that were placed upon us, Mr. Walker said. The 57th anniversary of the march of Dr. Martin Luther King? No restrictions. On July 4? No restrictions. When the monuments were attacked and we came out? No restrictions to move the quick reaction force. The restrictions came for Jan. 5 and Jan. 6.

On Saturday, when pro-Trump protesters are set to descend on Washington to rally in support of those charged in the Jan. 6 assault, Mr. Walker, who is now the top security official for the House of Representatives as its new sergeant-at-arms, said things would be different. This time, he is off the sidelines and a crucial player in preparing the Capitol for potential violence.
Indeed, Mr. Trudeau often boasts about how the government has brought clean water to 109 First Nations communities. But that doesnt mean the problem has gone away. There were 105 boil-water orders in effect at First Nations when Mr. Trudeau took power. But as the government has resolved the problems in some communities, issues popped up elsewhere. Today 52 boil-water orders remain.

Weve got action plans and project teams in each of those communities with the money and the expertise to get it done, Ben Chin, Mr. Trudeaus senior political adviser, told me in Burnaby, British Columbia, this week. Im sure that other boil-water orders will happen and well have to pivot to that, too.

But none of this surfaced during the campaign aside from a block of Indigenous questions during the English debate. Despite a headline-making year, Indigenous issues are still on the fringes of mainstream Canadian politics.

Earlier this year, Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, the New Democratic Party member who represents Nunavut, said she would not seek re-election in part because of the difficulties she faced as an Indigenous lawmaker.

The systems are built to work for certain people, she told The Globe and Mail. Its middle-aged white men.

In this election there are 50 Indigenous candidates, according to the Assembly of First Nations.

In general, it appears that Indigenous people are less likely to vote than other people in Canada. Elections Canadas analysis only counts Indigenous people who live on reserves, leaving many others out. But in 2019, just over 51 percent of that population voted, compared to 67 percent of all eligible voters.
The president is on the cusp of achieving a major expansion in public education, one of the largest expansions of the social safety net, the largest investment in climate change mitigation and overhauls in labor law and drug pricing, said Patrick Gaspard, a former Obama administration official who is now the president of the liberal Center for American Progress in Washington.

Each one of these things is significant in its individual constituent parts, he said, but taken as a whole, it, I think, speaks to the remarkable opportunity that we have  these once-in-a-generation opportunities to set a course that creates growth for all, including and especially those who have been most vulnerable in this economy.

If the effort succeeds, Mr. Biden will have accomplished much of what he campaigned on in one fell swoop. Observers say he will carry a strengthened hand into global summits in October and November that are meant to galvanize the world around transitioning from planet-warming fossil fuels and ending the use of offshore havens that companies have long used to avoid taxation.

White House officials say that the breadth of programs in the package form a unified vision for the United States domestic economy and its place in the world, and that the planks serve as a sort of coalition glue  a something-for-everyone approach that makes it difficult to jettison pieces of the plan in negotiations, even if they prove contentious.

But the sheer scope of its contents has opened divisions among Democrats on multiple fronts, when Mr. Biden cannot afford to lose a single vote in the Senate and no more than three votes in the House.

Centrists and progressives have clashed over the size of the spending in the legislation and the scale and details of the tax increases that Mr. Biden wants to use to help offset its cost. They are divided over prescription drug pricing, the generosity of tax credits for the poor, the aggressiveness of key measures to speed the transition to a lower-emission energy sector and much more.

Even items that are not top priorities for Mr. Biden have opened rifts. On Friday, one of the partys most outspoken progressives, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, took aim at a crucial priority of several top Democrats, including Senator Chuck Schumer, saying she would resist attempts to fully repeal a cap on deductions for state and local property taxes that would aid high earners in high-tax areas.
In 2020, Ms. Malmberg co-founded the nonprofit Goatapelli Foundation to train people in how to use goats to prevent wildfires. She said that of the 200 or so participants, only a few had launched their own businesses. Start-up costs could total $360,000, Ms. Malmberg said, including equipment and the livestock, which she trains herself.

Lani is a leading example of someone who has carved the pathway and is a trailblazer in this industry of prescribed grazing, said Brittany Cole-Bush, one of Ms. Malmbergs mentees and the owner of Shepherdess Land and Livestock in Ojai Valley, Calif. We want to support ecology as much as possible. We want to support the growth of native perennial grasses. Ms. Cole-Bush, who uses goats and sheep in her business, believes that fortifying perennial grasses, rather than planting grass annually, will make the land more tolerant of drought.

Ms. Malmberg, who has a masters degree in weed science from Colorado State University, spends most of the year traveling around the West on jobs. Last year, for the first time, the Bureau of Land Management contracted Ms. Malmberg and her goats for fire mitigation in Carbondale, Colo.

We thought that the goats could achieve our objectives with their ability to work on steep slopes, said Kristy Wallner, a range land management specialist for the bureaus Colorado Valley field office. Its going to be a useful tool for us to use moving forward.

In the rush to prevent worsening wildfires, state and local agencies that want to remove excess weeds rely on herbicides and machinery as well as prescribed burns: intentional fires that periodically clear underbrush, dead trees and other fuels.

Because of the wildfires, more people are understanding the urgency and willing to try different tools beyond what theyre used to, said Jenn Balch, a Goatapelli Foundation board member who plans to start a business in the Northeast that uses goats to restore meadows and overgrown recreational areas.
The extremely transmissible Delta variant of the coronavirus, which overtook all other variants in the United States just a few months ago, now represents more than 99 percent of cases tracked in the country, according to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The variant caused caseloads to surge in Britain and India this spring and summer, and in both countries outbreaks resurfaced after cases had seemed to be on the decline. The Delta variant has been fueling outbreaks in the United States throughout the summer, its contagiousness taking advantage of the number of people who have resisted Covid-19 vaccinations.

The data on Deltas prevalence, contained in the C.D.C.s latest biweekly report of virus sequencing, shows it climbing from just over a quarter of cases in mid-June to near total dominance in September.

Its not unexpected, because its more transmissible, but it is also a strong reminder that we need to have continuous vigilance, said Dr. Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and assistant professor at George Mason University.
Representative Lee Zeldin, a staunch conservative from Long Island and the leading Republican candidate in next years race for governor in New York, revealed that he was diagnosed with leukemia last year and has been receiving treatment.

Mr. Zeldin, 41, told attendees at an Ontario County Republican Party dinner on Friday night that he had been grappling with the diagnosis of early-stage chronic myeloid leukemia since November 2020. He confirmed on Saturday in a text message to The New York Times that he had cancer, and then released a statement.

Over the last nine months, I have achieved complete remission, am expected to live a normal life, and my doctor says I currently have no evidence of this disease in my system, Mr. Zeldin, one of the most vocal supporters of former President Donald J. Trump, said. My health is phenomenal, and I continue to operate at 110 percent.

Mr. Zeldin had mentioned his diagnosis partly because the Ontario County party chairwoman, Trisha Turner, had been facing her own health crises. Brian Kolb, a former state assemblyman, said that Mr. Zeldin had brought her roses, and drew a parallel to her struggles and his own. Mr. Kolb, a Republican, recalled Mr. Zeldin saying he had wanted to make sure that he had his illness under control before he began campaigning earlier this year.
I have recently spent a lot of time reading about the Confederate government and the Confederate Constitution for a small project Im participating in. Its been a fascinating exercise in large part because I did not actually know that much about either. I have a strong working knowledge of the secession crisis, the Civil War and many of the personalities involved in both, but I was not as knowledgeable about the structure of the Confederate government itself or the particular provisions of its constitution.

This is all to say that I thought I would share some of what Ive learned, especially with regard to the Confederate Constitution, which  despite its strong similarities to the United States Constitution, right down to its structure and language  is much more than just a carbon copy. In particular, there are three major differences that are worth unpacking for what they say about the beliefs and ideology of the Confederate leadership.

The first is found at the very beginning. Whereas the U.S. Constitution begins We the People of the United States, the Confederate Constitution begins We, the People of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character.

In The Confederate Constitution of 1861: An Inquiry Into American Constitutionalism, the political scientist Marshall L. DeRosa notes that this was a deliberate change meant to clarify, for good, the status of the states within the Confederacy:

The premise of the C.S.A. framers was that sovereign states entered into a federal system to secure their mutual interests, thereby entering into a compact with other states. The C.S.A. framers were determined to prevent their Confederate governments constitutional mandate to regulate and adjudicate interstate economic interests from taking precedence over the sovereign status of the states.

In short, the preamble to the Confederate Constitution represents a key element of the constitutional thought of Southern secessionists and an attempt, of sorts, to win the argument with Northern politicians like William Seward of New York, a nationalist who saw the Union as supreme over the states, superseding their authority. His vision, and Abraham Lincolns, was of a single national polity. The Confederacy, by contrast, held on to an older (an arguably originalist) view of the Union as, first and foremost, a federation of sovereign states.
Today its clear that the public-health authorities got all kinds of things wrong, and many bad decisions  especially about closing schools  were made in an atmosphere of panic. Still, on the fundamental question of how bad the disease would be, the authorities were more right than their more optimistic critics. Even with rapidly developed vaccines, weve had 670,000 reported coronavirus deaths and counting. Thats fewer, yes, than some of the absolute worst-case projections. But its still more than 50 times more deaths than the early predictions from people who thought the authorities were panicking too quickly.

In that sense weve already run a version of Hayess counterfactual. Covid has been deadlier than many people on the right hoped or predicted, and yet the partisan divide that took shape last spring hasnt really budged, with Republicans still taking the libertarian side in debate after debate  closures, masks, now vaccine mandates.

But Im still not sure Hayes is right about the Covid 10 times worse scenario being basically identical to this one in its divisions. As bad as the coronavirus has been, most people who get it still come out OK, children are especially unlikely to be hospitalized or die, and deaths are concentrated in a population, the elderly in nursing homes, that (to our shame) we already keep somewhat out of mind.

Yes, long-haul Covid is a real problem, but America is good at ignoring its chronic illness epidemics. Yes, there does seem to be a notable tendency for right-wing talk radio hosts to die of the disease  but in the big picture of celebrities, the most famous deaths are more obscure than seemed likely when Tom Hanks or, for that matter, Trump himself fell ill.

And as terrible as it is that one in 500 Americans has died of Covid, its still much easier to have gone through the pandemic without having a close friend or family member die of it  as I have not, for instance  than it would be were the toll one in 50.
Quality control issues like the ones found at Mylan are a leading cause of drug shortages, both at American plants and overseas. Sometimes the F.D.A. shuts down a plant after discovering violations, dramatically reducing a medicines supply. Other times, companies with quality control issues simply opt to stop making a drug rather than invest in expensive upgrades to their aging facilities. The current system simply doesnt reward investments in quality. If a pill is just a pill, it doesnt matter if its made in a state-of-the-art plant or a rusty one.

For example, in 2011, F.D.A. inspectors discovered a host of problems at Ben Venue Laboratories, an Ohio-based drug manufacturer, including poorly maintained equipment that shed particles into the drugs and an inexplicable bucket of urine on the factory floor. Eventually, the company shut its factory down instead of fixing it. The plant happened to be the countrys sole supplier of Doxil, an injectable chemotherapy drug used to treat certain types of cancer. The supply of Doxil dried up. The price of what was left skyrocketed.

In 2016, an explosion at a chemical plant in Eastern China led to a global shortage of an antibiotic combination used intravenously in intensive care. The plant appears to have been the worlds sole supplier of active ingredients needed to make it. Over the past two decades, China has become the worlds top producer of antibiotics, and its aggressive market tactics have driven some American factories out of business. According to the 2018 book China Rx: Exposing the Risks of Americas Dependence on China for Medicine, Chinese companies flooded the U.S. market with penicillin so cheap that American companies could not compete. The last American factory making key ingredients for penicillin closed in 2004.

Drug shortages rarely make the newspaper because doctors can usually switch from a preferred drug to another one. But make no mistake: Shortages are costly, and they can be deadly. A study found that a shortage of an injectable cancer drug in 2009 led to higher rates of relapse in children because the substitute didnt work as well.

Chronic drug shortages of lifesaving medicines that have been around for decades are perhaps the clearest signal that our drug supply is sick. The system that we have right now is so broken that we need a big shake-up, Erin Fox, director of drug information at University of Utah Health and one of the nations top experts on drug shortages, told me.

Mylans executives decided that the company needed a big shake-up, too. Under mounting pressure from bad publicity and the F.D.A., they merged Mylan with a spinoff of Pfizer. Mylan ceased to exist. It was replaced by Viatris, a new entity with global centers in Pittsburgh, Shanghai and Hyderabad. So far, things have turned out all right for Ms. Bresch, who retired with a windfall, and for Mr. Rajiv, who is now president of Viatris. Of course, their factory workers fared worse. In December 2020, the company announced that it was restructuring to cut costs and closing five plants around the world, including the one in Morgantown. A total of 1,431 West Virginians would lose their jobs.

For months, workers hung on to hope that the global pandemic would convince people that the plant had to be saved. They knew that Mr. Trump had directed the F.D.A. to come up with a list of critical drugs, which included everything from aspirin to zanamivir, an antiviral medicine used to treat the flu, as a first step in figuring out where vital medicines are made. Months later, President Biden ordered a committee to whittle down the list. The report, released in June, painted a grim picture: Of more than 100 supercritical medications, about half are made with ingredients that are not produced in the United States.
Before Juhi Singh, 46, who owns a high-end wellness center on the Upper East Side, jetted off to the Amalfi Coast last month, she packed her bathing suits and left her 10-year-old son with his grandmother.

Her personal driver also took her to Sollis Healthcare, a concierge medical service in Manhattan, to measure her antibodies for the coronavirus. She received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in February, and wanted to see if her immunity was still robust before joining friends at a five-star resort overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea.

I wouldnt go on a trip without my antibodies, Ms. Singh said. Its nerve-racking, but my numbers have been good.

An email arrived 24 hours later with her results: 14.8 arbitrary units per milliliter. Although medical experts warn that an antibody count cannot tell if somebody is protected against the virus, patients have been reading into the numbers anyway. Mine have dipped a little bit, but I know my vaccine is still working, and I am still protected, Ms. Singh said.
A majority of the migrants have arrived after monthslong journeys over land from Brazil and Chile, where many were granted permission to reside and work after an earthquake struck the country in 2010. The economies of those countries have been battered by the pandemic. To help repatriated Haitians who have not lived in the country for years, nonprofit organizations and some American officials will be stationed at the Port-au-Prince airport to receive migrants when they deplane, the official said.

People who have been firmly resettled in another country are not entitled to asylum in the United States, which suggests that many of the Haitians at the border would have a difficult time winning their claims for protection in the United States unless they could prove that they were experiencing violence.

However, advocates accused the United States of violating international law by expelling people without properly screening them to ascertain whether they have a reasonable claim to fear returning home. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a question about whether that was the policy. On Saturday, hundreds had claimed fear and were not put in line for deportation, the official said.

Part of the problem is, there are a lot of Haitians coming with a whole bunch of statuses, said Yael Schacher, senior U.S. advocate for Refugees International, a nonprofit organization.

Still, she and others sharply criticized the United States for returning people to Haiti, the Western Hemispheres poorest country, plunged into crisis this summer by a natural disaster and the killing of its president.

Haitians are experiencing a crisis after crisis and deserve compassion, Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, said on Twitter on Saturday. Instead of stepping up deportation, we should be halting it. Its shameful that from administration to administration our cruel immigration policies remain.

Recognizing the difficult conditions in Haiti, the Biden administration recently extended temporary relief from deportation to about 150,000 Haitians already living in the United States, granting them temporary protected status. But tens of thousands have tried to cross into the country since then despite not qualifying for the program, which covers those who entered by July 29, before the recent earthquake.
WALLER COUNTY, Texas  At a roadside bar on farm road 359, where the sprawl of Houston gives way to horse stables and hay rolls, Cindy Schmid and her friend Gail Mikeska gather every Thursday to eat, drink and talk about everything: family, country music, the hard right turn of Texas politics.

We think very differently politically, said Ms. Mikeska, a conservative who owns more than one gun and is generally happy with the trajectory of the state.

Im a Democrat, said Ms. Schmid, whose only gun is an inoperable Civil War antique. I think Texas is losing its freaking mind.

In the span of a few months, the nations second most populous state followed what was perhaps the most conservative legislative session in state history with a special session packed with even more of the prerogatives of the right flank, a pronounced political shift that has caught even many conservative residents off guard. The Legislature is set to convene another special session Monday to consider further laws on cultural issues, such as transgender athletes, and to redistrict the state, likely in favor of Republican members.
But nurses like Ms. Sy have had to turn many others away.

When Covid vaccines were first available, she said, many older people had shown up, but young people had been more hesitant, both to get vaccinated or, if they were sick, to get tested.

For some people, until they experience it, or witness it, they will not trust that the disease exists, said Ms. Sy, who is 60. They do not want to know if they have Covid-19 or not.

Even Mr. Ndiaye, the science teacher, had his doubts at first.

Like his colleagues at Abass Sall secondary school in Liberte VI, a Dakar neighborhood, Mr. Ndiaye, 67, had not really wanted to get inoculated. He had heard wild rumors and conspiracy theories, and he was not sure what to believe.

But on that April morning, when a vaccination team came to his school, the director gathered the teachers together and asked for volunteers, to set an example. Mr. Ndiaye said he was the first to put up his hand.

Now, having seen for himself that the rumors were nothing more than that, rumors, he is something of a vaccine evangelist, encouraging his fellow teachers, students and neighbors to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families.

I personally never met someone who got Covid-19, but I know it exists and it is a deadly disease, he said. I tell people that all vaccines have side effects, and none of them are 100 percent perfect.
No subject is off limits.

El Enjambre provided detailed coverage of the remarkable July 11 anti-government protests in Cuba and searing criticism of the ruthless crackdown that followed.

The hosts also dissected the dismal state of the health care system as Covid-19 cases surged on the island, mocked the sputtering initiatives by the government to allow some private sector activities, such as garage sales, and attempted to read the tea leaves on the future of Washingtons relationship with Havana.

Each episode includes a short, humorous, scripted drama, a segment called History without Hysteria and a lengthy conversation that tends to focus on the issues Cubans have been arguing about on social media over the past few days.

The objective was to create a conversation like youd have on any street corner in Cuba, Mr. Condis said. But we provide only verified facts, because it matters greatly to us to never provide false information.

Mr. Condis said he steered clear of using what he views as needlessly polarizing language, refraining, for instance, from referring to the Cuban government as a dictatorship. The hosts dont take for granted the relative freedom they have enjoyed so far in criticizing the government. After all, Cuba does not have press freedom laws and critical journalists are often subject to harassment and home detention.

At any moment they might go to war with us and take us off the air, Mr. Condis said.

If anyone has been pushing the boundaries its Ms. Sanchez, an ardent critic of the government who first gained prominence as an early adopter of technology in 2007, when she began writing a raw and lyrical blog about life on the island.

In December 2018, when Cubas telecommunications company Etecsa began offering data plans for smartphones, Ms. Sanchez saw an opportunity to expand the reach of her journalism, which had previously been distributed as an emailed newsletter and a PDF file.
In the 40 hours prior to the strike, sensitive intelligence indicated Compound No. 1 on the map was being used by ISIS-K planners, used to facilitate future attacks, General McKenzie said. We have very good intelligence to support that belief that this was an ISIS-K-related center.

However, witness testimony and visual evidence gathered by The Times indicates that this compound was likely the home of NEIs country director, Mr. Ahmadis boss. The director had asked Mr. Ahmadi to stop by his home to pick up his laptop on the way to work that morning.

On Saturday, the director, who has previously asserted to The Times that he was not connected to ISIS, gave a tour of his home while his young children and elderly parents were present, the second such visit by a Times reporter since the attack. Inside the house, childrens English lessons were visible on a white board.

My father built this house. I grew up here, the country director said. I really feel threatened, afraid, insulted, and humiliated by having the label of ISIS.

For security reasons, The Times is not publishing his name or the address of the country director who is seeking to be resettled in the United States.

When asked whether there could have been an ISIS safe house nearby, the director said that he had known most of his neighbors for years, but that there had been a new tenant in the house next door, which shares a wall. He said he found that persons behavior suspicious and had reported him to the Afghan intelligence service. The tenant moved out before the Taliban took over the capital.
BURNABY, British Columbia  Outside a TV studio in a Vancouver suburb where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada was recording an interview days ahead of the countrys election, a man shouted insults, mostly obscene, about Mr. Trudeau and his family while blasting Twisted Sisters Were Not Gonna Take It from a stereo on a cart.

Heckling is something Mr. Trudeau has always faced, but this time the attacks have new bite. After six years in office, a prime minister who promised sunny ways and presented himself as a new face is now the political establishment, with a track record, and missteps, for opponents to criticize. Even if the Liberal Party clings to its hold on Parliament, as observers expect, this bruising election campaign has done him no favors.

Ben Chin, the prime ministers senior adviser, said that no politician could have sustained Mr. Trudeaus initial popularity.

If youre in power for six years or five years, youre going to have more baggage, Mr. Chin said. You have to make tough decisions that not everybodys going to agree with.
For the first time in Alabamas known history, the state had more deaths than births in 2020  a grim milestone that underscores the pandemics calamitous toll.

Our state literally shrunk in 2020, Dr. Scott Harris, Alabamas state health officer, said at a news conference on Friday. There were 64,714 total deaths in the state last year, compared to 57,641 births, Dr. Harris said.

Such a gap had never been recorded, not even during World War I, World War II and the flu pandemic of 1918, Dr. Harris said. Going back to the earliest available records, in 1900, Weve never had a time when deaths exceeded births, he said.

Nationally, the birthrate declined for the sixth straight year in 2020, and some experts say the pandemic may be accelerating that trend. A study from the University of New Hampshire found that half of the 50 U.S. states had more deaths than births in 2020, compared with only five states with more deaths than births in 2019.
LONDON  As relations between France and the United States sink to their lowest depths in decades, Britain has emerged as the unlikely winner in a maritime security alliance that has sowed anger and recrimination across three continents.

The British government played an early role in brokering the three-way alliance with the United States and Australia to deploy nuclear-powered submarines in the Pacific, according to officials in London and Washington. The landmark agreement was announced hours after Australia canceled a $66 billion deal for diesel-electric submarines with France, provoking fury in Paris and quiet satisfaction in London.

For Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who will meet this coming week with President Biden at the White House and speak at the United Nations, it is his first tangible victory in a campaign to make post-Brexit Britain a player on the global stage.

Since leaving the European Union 18 months ago, Britain has cast about for a place in the world. Brexiteers latched on to the phrase Global Britain, which always seemed more a marketing slogan than a coherent foreign policy.
A former senior Iranian intelligence official said that he heard that Israel had even infiltrated Mr. Fakhrizadehs security detail, which had knowledge of last-minute changes to his movement, the route and the time.

But Mr. Shamkhani said there had been so many threats over the years that Mr. Fakhrizadeh did not take them seriously.

He refused to ride in an armored car and insisted on driving one of his cars himself. When he drove with his wife, he would ask the bodyguards to drive a separate car behind him instead of riding with them, according to three people familiar with his habits.

Mr. Fakhrizadeh may have also found the idea of martyrdom attractive.

Let them kill, he said in a recording Mehr News, a conservative outlet, published in November. Kill as much as they want, but we wont be grounded. Theyve killed scientists, so we have hope to become a martyr even though we dont go to Syria and we dont go to Iraq.

Even if Mr. Fakhrizadeh accepted his fate, it was not clear why the Revolutionary Guards assigned to protect him went along with such blatant security lapses. Acquaintances said only that he was stubborn and insistent.

If Mr. Fakhrizadeh had been sitting in the rear, it would have been much harder to identify him and to avoid killing anyone else. If the car had been armored and the windows bulletproofed, the hit squad would have had to use special ammunition or a powerful bomb to destroy it, making the plan far more complicated.

The Strike

Shortly before 3:30 p.m., the motorcade arrived at the U-turn on Firuzkouh Road. Mr. Fakhrizadehs car came to a near halt, and he was positively identified by the operators, who could also see his wife sitting beside him.
KARBALA, Iraq  One night in May, Samira Abbas Kadhim was up late, waiting for her son. She poked her head out of the gate of their small house, looking for him down the narrow street.

Five minutes later, as she was in the kitchen, he was shot dead half a block away.

Her son, Ehab al-Wazni, was one of dozens of antigovernment protest leaders believed to have been killed by militia fighters and security forces since the demonstrations escalated two years ago. But his killing stands out as a particularly brazen attack that has rattled his home city, Karbala, the site of some of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam and once considered one of the safest cities in Iraq.

Karbala, the southern Iraqi city whose gold-domed shrines attract Shiite pilgrims from around the world, has become a flash point in Iraqs internal conflict over the presence of dozens of powerful Iranian-backed militias. Instead of being known mostly as a place for quiet prayer and study, it has become a cauldron of competing armed groups and political interests.
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One wonders why China is being critical about the current international efforts to ensure peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. American President Joe Biden is all set to host a first in-person Quad summit on September 24 in Washington. This summit is to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian and Japanese counterparts Scott Morrison and Yoshihide Suga. In a virtual summit on September 15, American President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison announced to form a trilateral security alliance, called AUKUS.

Beijing views all such developments with suspicion. Asked about the upcoming Washington summit, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman told the media " Forming closed and exclusive cliques targeting other countries runs counter to the trend of the times and deviates from the expectation of regional countries. 

Observers say the Chinese criticism of QUAD and AUKUS is irrational. Both these mechanisms are about ensuring Indo-Pacific security. India, Japan, the US and Australia set up the Quad in November 2017 with a view to developing a strategy to keep the critical sea routes in the Indo-Pacific free of any hindrance. In March this year, President Biden hosted the first-ever summit of the Quad leaders in a virtual format. This vowed to strive for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region that would be unconstrained by any coercion.

Under AUKUS, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States would be sharing information in areas, including artificial intelligence, cyber and underwater defence capabilities. This includes transferring technology to Australia to build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines within 18 months. A nuclear-powered submarine fleet would allow Australia to conduct longer patrols against any elements hostile to security in the region.

There is nothing objectionable about AUKUS. It complements several pre-existing similar arrangements, including the Five Eyes intelligence, cooperation initiative, ASEAN and the Quad, in the region.

Australia today is not seeking to develop any nuclear weapons programme. It has ratified the nuclear NPT. Plans for nuclear-powered submarines are to be developed over the next 18 months. These submarines are conventionally armed submarines only. They would just be powered by nuclear reactors.

The observers suggest Beijing should rather welcome partnerships, such as QUAD and AUKUS. The operationalization of this mechanism would foster closer coordination among the concerned nations to maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific and keep its critical sea routes free for trade and commerce . China is a major economic power in the world today . Stability in the Indo-Pacific region is crucial to its trade and commerce as well.

China would do well to discard its present aggressive territorial ambitions in the region. Beijing today claims almost all of the 1.3 million square miles in the resource-rich South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region. This is not fair. The region is claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam as well.

( The author is a Delhi-based journalist)
Guwahati: Soon after reaching Silchar in the morning hours on Saturday with a two-day visit schedule to Baraka valley, State chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma paid rich floral tributes to the statue of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Rangpur zero point and fondly remembered the former Prime Ministers roles for the development of Bharat and the welfare of people.

It is a privilege to be back in Barak valley. Started my tour today by paying tributes to former PM Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee at his statue, said CM Sarma adding that Vajpayees towering vision continues to guide everyone in the country. Sought his blessings & offered my prayers, stated Sarma.

Later he visited RSS office at Silchar and proceeded to the construction site of the much-anticipated permanent complex of the Mini Secretariat in Srikona area. Besides inspecting the ongoing works, he also took stock of other peripheral activities being undertaken at the construction site.

It may be mentioned that the BJP led government in Dispur has already earmarked and sanctioned rupees 116 crores for the construction of the mini secretariat for the residents of Barak valley. The construction work is expected to be completed by three years, which would help in disposing of the administrative works smoothly.

It will also reduce the precious time for the residents of southern Assam who otherwise has to come to Dispur for various official works. The initiative is also expected to help in implementing government schemes and programs without any encumbrances.

In presence of State forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya, Parliamentarians Rajdeep Roy, Pallab Lochan Das along with legislators Dipayan Chakrabarty, Mihir Kanti Som and Kaushik Roy, etc Sarma also inspected the construction works of Silchar bypass connecting Silchar-Aizawl NH 306 and Silchar-Karimganj NH 37.

He gave clear instructions to the officials of NHIDCL and PWD to take immediate measures so that the construction work is completed within the estimated time and ease the irksome traffic movement.

Later Sarma laid the foundation stone of a multi-utility building of Red Cross Society and also attended a meeting with the stakeholders. He commented that the Red Cross society has a glorious legacy of humanitarian service in the valley. State government has sanctioned rupees 50 lakh for the project and would provide another rupees 50 lakh on receipt of the utilisation certificate, he added.

Saying that the importance of a robust healthcare infrastructure has been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarma informed that the government is giving top priority to development of healthcare sector in Assam. The State must remain prepared for future challenges, he asserted.


There are 4 judgments that have been passed in the Supreme Court in this case WP (civil) 728/2015 and related matters. The last judgment, which is in force now, was passed on 23.10.2018. To understand this 2018 judgment, it is important to first understand the previous three judgments and especially the interesting turn that the case took, after the second judgment was passed, in September 2017.

As an immediate response to the extreme levels of pollution seen in Delhi in 2016, the Court, on 11.11.2016, suspended licenses of all shops selling fireworks in NCR (National Capital Region). Thus, fireworks could no longer be sold in NCR.

Then, around 10 months after this, on 12th September 2017, after hearing detailed arguments of both sides, the Court passed a judgment with two critical observations:

That, there is no clear proof of crackers causing pollution in Delhi; and That, in light of the above, a complete ban on fireworks was too radical and not advisable.

Thus saying, the Honble Supreme Court, lifted the order of suspension on sale of fireworks that was imposed in November 2016. (See screenshots of the extracts from the judgment)

After this judgment, the events took a very interesting turn.

If any judgment goes against us, we ordinary mortals, generally, accept the same as fate and move on or, at best, appeal against the judgment. But the set of petitioners in this case, obviously, are no ordinary mortals. The power and influence wielded by them can be gauged from the fact that when the judgment of the bench was not to their liking, they presented a flimsy document and got the bench that was hearing the case itself changed!

This is not an allegation being levelled by the author but the recorded finding of the Honble Supreme Court itself. See extract from the judgment delivered in Oct 2017:

Even more interesting than the constitution of the new bench, at the behest of petitioners, was the change in views of the new bench. While the earlier bench had said that there was no clear proof of crackers causing pollution in Delhi, the new bench took the view that:

There is direct evidence to show that the direct and immediate cause of pollution in Delhi in 2016 was the burning of crackers during Diwali! (para 10 of Oct 2017 judgment). And that - there is virtually a consensus in the society that the crackers should not be burnt during Diwali (para 10 of Oct 2017 judgment).

Hence, the new bench in October 2017, less than a month after September 2017 judgment, and just a week before Diwali, rolled back the earlier orders which allowed people to sell fireworks in NCR. The way in which the bench did this was also unique.

It (bench) said that it was not sitting in review of the September judgment and was not overturning the judgment. But it (the court) was just changing the date from which the September judgment would become effective  which is from 01.11.2017 - around 12 days after Diwali (celebrated on 19.10.2017). Thus, it reimposed the ban on sales of fireworks in NCR before Diwali  a step which the earlier bench had called too radical and unwarranted,- and lifted the ban again, just after Diwali!

Thus, was achieved a review of a judgment without a formal review and a ban imposed, without actually imposing a ban! The justification given by the bench was that the suspension of fireworks was a step to ...test..and find out if there would be positive effect of this suspension on pollution, during the Diwali period. (Para 14 of October 2017 judgment).

The fireworks were, therefore, banned in NCR - this time, not to stop Pollution but to test and see if it stopped pollution!

Weird though it may seem, the case then hinged on the results of this experiment or test conducted on Diwali. The results were soon submitted in form of two reports. The content of these reports and the Courts interpretations of them, are given hereunder:

CPCB report on level of pollution in Delhi during Diwali 2017 (details covered in part 2)

The report stated that while, NO2 and SO2 levels remained within limits, the PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels showed an increase of up to 2 to 3 times at some places. This, though, dissipated within 2-3 days  leaving no scope for any long term impact.

While what is said in this report is important, what is not said or missed is even more important. Note that:

This report said that Pollution levels increased during Diwali but what it did not state was that on other non-Diwali days, the Pollution levels were even higher or rather, much higher than those seen during Diwali (see graphs in part 2).

If pollution, on days which are months away from Diwali  12 Jun 2018, for instance, with PM 10 levels of 933  is more than double of the level seen during Diwali (PM 10 level of 365 on 20.10.17)  then surely its a sign that there are other factors at play - which are perhaps even more important, in increasing Delhis pollution. But no effort was made by CPCB to bring the above facts to the notice of the Court.

Much worse, CPCB did not deem it fit to even record basic factors like wind speed and humidity which have a direct bearing on quality of air. Expecting it to factor in the impact of crop burning on air pollution was hence, a far cry.

No effort was made to check the chemical composition of the Particulate Matter either - to enable accurate identification and quantification of the source of pollution. The study done by IIT Kanpur, as shown earlier in Part 2, had done a full chemical analysis of the Particulate Matter and it did not identify fireworks as a source of pollution (see relevant portions of Part 2).

Hence, the claim that crackers caused the pollution in Delhi during Diwali, would not stand the test of science.

Report of committee appointed by the Supreme Court to assess impact on health of citizens

This committee stated that ..adverse impact of firecracker bursting..was not significant statistically.

As stated in Point # 4 in Part 2, what the committee means by the above is that they could not find any adverse impact of bursting crackers on the health of citizens in Delhi! With this definitive a conclusion by the Supreme Court appointed Committee, the case against the fireworks should have ended then and there  after all, grave harm and irreversible damage to health of citizens were touted as the main reasons for filing the case.

The Court, nonetheless, interpreted the report differently. See extract:

From the above extract, it looks like the Court was, rather surprisingly - not apprised of the true meaning of the statistical concept of Statistical significance. And was therefore, misled into deriving a meaning which is the exact opposite of what was said in the report! (Refer to Point #4 in Part #2 for a better understanding).

The above misinterpretation notwithstanding, the Honble Court was led into committing another grave error  that of relying on anecdotal and unverifiable claims made by individual petitioners instead of relying on the scientific, evidence based and verifiable reports submitted by NGT, IIT and the Supreme Court appointed committee itself! See extract of the judgment

Thus, to summarise the above rulings for a better understanding:

The Supreme Court, in an emergency response to the severe pollution in Delhi, banned sales of all fireworks (in Delhi) from 11.11.2016. After a detailed hearing and study of various reports, the Court said that there is no clear proof of crackers causing pollution and therefore, lifted the ban on 12.09.2017. The petitioners, unhappy with the ruling got themselves a new bench to hear the case and the new bench now ruled that there is direct evidence of crackers causing pollution in Delhi! Therefore, it re-imposed the ban on 9.10.2017 and lifted the ban back again from 1.11.2017 after Diwali. The reason for banning sales of fireworks during Diwali was  also to enable the Court to test and see the effect it had on pollution! The committee constitute by the Court to monitor this experiment, concluded that the increased pollution during Diwali did not have an adverse impact on health of people. The Court, however, was misled into believing that the Committee had found that there is an adverse impact on the health of people! Hence, the Court, finally on 23.10.2018 banned production and sale of all fireworks other than Green Crackers across India.

You may now draw your own conclusions from the above.

***

Coming up Next  Analysis of the Precautionary Principle - another justification given for the ban on crackers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday congratulated the healthcare workers of Goa for completing 100 per cent of first vaccination dose and said the state is playing important role in the success of the world's largest and fastest vaccination drive "Sabko vaccine, muft vaccine".



Interacting with the health care workers (HCW) and beneficiaries of the Covid vaccination programme in Goa via video conferencing PM Modi said, "Goa is playing important role in the success of the world's largest and fastest vaccination drive - 'Sabko vaccine, muft vaccine'. In the past few months, Goa fought bravely against heavy rainfall, cyclone and flood, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant."

"I thank Team Goa, for their work during such a time. Every eligible person in Goa has received a dose of vaccine. This is a big deal in the fight against corona. Congratulations to all the people of Goa for this. This kind of coordination that Goa has shown to address social and geographical challenges is commendable. The Canacoona sub-division, which is situated far and wide in the state, is proof of the rapid vaccination as in the rest of the state," he added.



Modi further said that Goa's vaccine wastage prevention model will help other parts of the country.



Interacting with healthcare workers and vaccine beneficiaries from Goa, PM Modi also hailed the leadership of state Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for 100 per cent vaccination of the adult population in the state.



Lauding the efforts of healthcare workers and corona warriors who could make it possible to set a new world record by vaccinating over 2.5 crore people on a single day, PM Modi said, "The largest vaccination doses administered on September 17 with over 2.5 crore vaccinations by the Indian healthcare workers is worth admiring and shows our dedication to fight against this pandemic. The government is trying to make sure that not a single citizen of India faces any difficulties during these trying times."



"I also want to appreciate all the doctors, medical staff, people associated with the administration in the country. With the efforts of all of you, India has set a record of giving the vaccine to more than 2.5 crore people in a single day yesterday," he added.



"The achievement shows India's strength and the entire world will acknowledge it," he added further.



Meanwhile, healthcare workers extend greetings to PM Modi, who celebrated his 71st birthday on Friday.



Taking a jibe at Opposition PM Modi said that some parties are experiencing fever after 2.5 crore vaccination. (ANI)






Chinas largest real estate company, Evergrande, is staring at bankruptcy. It has debt of more than USD 300 billion.

The world is not yet out from a Chinese made problem: Covid-19. And, another is already brewing in the country.

Chinese real estate company, Evergrande, is staring at bankruptcy, with more than USD 300 billion of debt and more than 800 stalled projects.

The countrywide protests at its offices are just an indication of the tip of the problem. The rot runs much deeper.

More than a million Chinese home buyers are staring at the complete washout of their hard-earned money. Because Evergrande is in no position to either complete the projects or return the money to buyers.

Akin to the Chinese model of growth, Evergrandes success was built on heavily borrowed money. With its businesses not generating revenue, its in no position to deliver on its promises.

In 2008, Lehman Brothers had a liability of USD 620 billion. The collapse of the American investment bank sent ripples across the globe. And the world was yet to recover fully from that shock when the Covid-19 struck in January last year.

Amid the crisis, it is not yet clear what the Chinese governments response under President Xi Jinping would do. Whether it would allow a massive restructuring or a bankruptcy filing.

In early 2020, the Communist government of China ahs allowed more than 2,00,000 companies to file for bankruptcy.

The massive government crackdown on the Chinese internet companies wiped off billions of dollars from the Chinese market.

According to Bloomberg, Colin Huang, the founder of Chinese e-commerce platform Pinduoduo Inc (PDD), has the unpleasant distinction of being the man who has lost the most money this year. He lost more than USD 27 billion.

Huang is not an exception but a name in a growing tribe. Zhong Shanshan, the chairman of bottled water company Nongfu Spring Co, has lost more than USD18 billion, as has Hui Ka Yan, the embattled developer of Evergrande, and Tencent's Pony Ma, who has lost more than USD10 billion.

And, any attempt at slightest criticism of the government authorities is dealt harshly.

The most famous face of the Chinese wealth, Alibaba founder Jack Ma, disappeared after he criticized the Chinese regulators.

Next year, the Chinese Communist Party will be meeting for its Congress to declare the new leaders of the Communist Party. It is widely expected that President Xi Jinping would be announced the president for the unprecedented third time.
In yet another incident of parallel telephone exchange unearthed by the security forces, such a setup was found inside a house in Malappuram district. One man named Mishab has been arrested in connection with operating this parallel telephone exchange. The police have recovered laptop, mobile phones and other components used for operating this parallel telephone exchange.

Multiple incidents of telephone exchanges being raided by the security forces are coming out in recent times. Earlier, there were reports of Islamic terrorists running such facilities shifting their base from Kashmir to their safe havens in Kerala. Such parallel telephone exchanges are used for terrorist activities. The involvement of Pakistan is also found in such cases.

Parallel telephone exchange operated by one Hussain unearthed in Kerala, investigative agencies suspect terror angle

In yet another incident that shows the established network of Islamic terrorism in Kerala, a parallel telephone exchange operated by one Hussain has been raided in the Palakkad district. Hussain was using his Ayurvedic dispensary shop, named keerthi as a cover for this anti-national activity.

Earlier, similar telephone exchanges were unearthed in Bangalore and Calicut, where the investigative agencies had found connections with ISI and Islamic fundamentalist organisations.

While probing the cases related to other parallel telephone exchanges, the investigative agencies learned about this parallel telephone exchange operating in Mettupalayam, inside an Ayurvedic dispensary.

Earlier, parallel telephone exchanges were mostly found in Kashmir. But after the abrogation of Article 370 and the union government tightening the security, the Islamic fundamentalists have shifted their base to Kerala.



Ibrahim from Kerala Arrested for running a parallel telephone exchange in Bengaluru



Bengaluru central crime branch has arrested Malappuram (Kerala) native Ibrahim Pullattil (36) and his companion for running a parallel telephone exchange illegally in the city. This facility was used to connect foreign calls with the local people without connecting to the authorised telephone exchange.

During the search, 30 sim-box devices capable of handling 960 SIM cards were found.

The investigating agency is probing the terror angle since there is a high probability of using this facility for terrorism-related activities.
September 25 is observed as Tuvvur Hindu massacre Day

This is the 100th year of the flagrant Hindu genocide in Malabar in 1921. Although the Congress, led by Mahatmaji, supported the anti-British pan-Islamic movement launched by a section of Muslims around the world to restore the power of the caliph, the Sultan of Turkey, to open a new path of Hindu-Muslim unity, in Bharat, it also led to flagrant Hindu persecution in the Muslim-majority areas of Ernadu, Walluvanad, Ponnani and Kozhikode taluks of Malabar in Kerala. Many, such as Dr Ambedkar stated that the Mappila riots later evolved into a political ideology and program to cut off Bharat in the name of religion.

It took five months(1921 - Aug. 20 to Jan. 20, 1922) for the British government to overthrow the rebels and restore rule of Law in the areas where the independent Islamic State (Khilafat) had been declared. More than 10,000 Hindus were brutally murdered. About one lakh Hindus had to give up everything and flee. Of these, only about 40,000 refugees have found some relief in refugee camps set up by various movements and local kings, such as the Arya Samaj, the Servant of India Society and Zamurin of Kozhikode. Those who are forcibly converted do not count at all. Records show that close to 3,000 Hindu brothers and sisters who converted to Islam were able to return to Swadharma through the Arya Samaj-initiated purification(shuddhi) activities. Everyone who visited the site noted that there was not a single Hindu house or temple that was not destroyed in the riot-hit area. There will be between 300 and 500 completely destroyed temples. The atrocities committed against women are beyond words. Dr. Anne Basant, who visited Malabar on the instructions of the Congress, wrote that Malabar has taught us what the Khilafat Kingdom (Islamic rule) still means and She further states that we don't want to see another specimen of the khilafat Raj in Bharat(The Future of Indian politics, page 304 ) Inspired by Sree Narayana Guru, the hero of the renaissance of Kerala, Sri. N . Kumaran Ashan, the first General Secretary of the SNDP and the great Malayalam poet, brings out a direct picture of the Mappila riots in his masterpiece Duravastha.

Variam Kunnath Kunhahammad Haji was the supreme rebel leader who led the Khilafat regime. Khilafat rule was carried out by his governors, soldiers and Shariah courts. The real picture of that caliphate rule can be found in many historical books and memoirs of that time. The Tuvvur massacre is a typical example of the Khilafat court and its brutal punishment.

The massacre took place on September 24 and 25 of 1921 in Thuvur, East Ernad of Malabar, under the leadership of Varian Kunnan and Chembrasseri Thangal. The poor Hindus, those who couldn't flee even after the month-long riot, on charges of aiding the army, were brought out of home, detained and executed by Islamic trials. The law stated that if one confessed, pleaded guilty, converted to Islam and joined the Khilafat army, his life would be freed. They declared that only one religion is enough in the independent kingdom. Or one can live subject to Islamic religious rule and the Death penalty for non-compliance.

The death penalty was imposed on those who refused to convert and stand firm. The Taliban are ashamed to the brutalities committed by these Moplahs like immersing the kafir in boiling water, mutilate their bodies one by one, tie their hands together, hang themselves alive, smash their shoulders, split their bodies in half, split their heads in half with a timber cutting saw. They did not spare the Muslim brothers who sympathized with the Hindus. Varian Kunnan ordered the temple priests to be beheaded by Chembrasseri Tangal himself. The Shariah court sentenced 36 people to death in a well in Tuvvur, Pangode. It had 2 moplahs and 3 pujaris. The rest are ordinary Hindus. Many died half-alive lying in the grave for many days. It is said that the cry was heard for days. There are also testimonies that someone was sparing from the top again with bamboo shoots. The outside world heard these cruelties after many days.

Pandit Rishi Ram Ji for the Arya Samaj, E. Rama Menon BA for the Central Committee, Devdhar for the Service India Society, K. Madhavan Nair and Srinivasa Sastri For the Congress later visited the site and took evidence. Later Variamkunnan's accomplices Chembassery Thangal, Impichi Koya Thangal, Achuthodi Kunjappi and Kozhissery Mammad alias Amakundan Mammad were sentenced to death by the special tribunal under sections 121,110 and 302 of the Indian Penal Code. A Mappila Witness in the case himself describes the mentality of the riot leaders who laughed and rejoiced at the plight of the poor who were murdered and hacked to death.

The lesson we have to understand is that such heinous killings should not be repeated anywhere in the world, not in India. The area, which was left uninhabitable by the local Muslim population, for many decades is being bought by outsiders with the backing of some militant groups. Not only that, the well which is filled with mud, and buildings are being constructed in such a way that even its remnants are unrecognizable. It is a great crime against history. It has the covert and overt support of the administration.

At the same time, with the support of the state government, the district administration has announced plans worth crores of rupees to build monuments and museums in the name of the riot leaders Variyan Kunnan and others, whitewashing into super heroes of the freedom movement, during this Amrita Mahotsav year of independence.

Our forefathers, who were martyred by the Mappila rebels in many wells and ponds, including the Tuvvur well, were heroes who sacrificed their lives to live a religious life of their choice in their own land. Gandhiji demanded that Hindus should develop the strength and courage to die before giving in to forced conversion. Moreover, Gandhiji says that he was proud of the Hindus who thought that it was better to pave the way for the use of Mappilas' ax than to pave the way for forced conversion. (Young India - 1922 Jan 26) Yes, they were the real martyrs of the freedom movement. Their memories and monuments should come up.

One hundred years later, it is the duty of human lovers today to pay tribute to those martyrs. It is an atonement for a mistake made some 100 years ago. We must be prepared to move forward with the realization that we are Bharatiyas beyond caste, religion and language and to warn the divisive forces that are trying to sow the seeds of division among us. This remembrance is also to call out that no more power can destroy or weaken us. History should not distort to soothe somebody or something. The mistake that happened yesterday needs to be corrected. In that belief, we must learn the lessons of the shadow cast over the national freedom struggle - the Mappila riots in Malabar, recognize the ideology sown to cut off the country in the name of religion, and be careful not to allow it to grow any further. We must be able to move forward by respecting the different movements of the freedom struggle and by fostering an unwavering commitment to the motherland, culture and heritage that inspired them all. The Amrita Mahotsava of Independence should be taken as an opportunity to remember the forgotten, despised and courageous patriots and to perpetuate their motivation. Through such projects, let us work together to prepare the new generation to dedicate themselves to the creation of a new India.




Arrested Arshad Haider, Argum Hussain, and Saddam Hussain are from Ranchi, Jharkhand, and police believe that the arrested fake gold racket has its network in other parts of the country.

Guwahati: After drugs, Muslim crooks have a new business in Assam, especially in the north bank of the state. The Sonitpur police are after these vicious criminals, who are now trading in fake gold. Sonitpur police recovered as many as 24 kilograms of fake gold in the last three days and arrested a gang of 8 Muslim criminals from different parts of the district. On Wednesday (September 15), Sonitpur police DSP Sudhanaya Suklabaidya and her team conducted search operations and recovered three fake gold biscuits measuring approximately 3 kgs from the Gudamghat area under Chariduar police station.

Police apprehended five Muslim criminals, namely Sagir Ansari, Md. Saddan Hussain, Arshad Haidar Argum Hussain, Abdul Rahim. Arrested Arshad Haider and Argum Hussain, and Saddam Hussain are from Ranchi, Jharkhand, and police believe that the arrested fake gold racket has its network in other parts of the country. Police also recovered some equipment, tools, and chemicals used to test and mix metal from their possession.

Total 3 Nos of successful recoveries has been made in last 03 days, and a total 24 kgs (approx) of fake gold has been recovered along with apprehension of 8 fake gold racketeers.

On Tuesday also Sonitpur Police led Sub Inspector Bhargab Borbora, I/C Borghat outpost, and the team conducted another successful operation at Napam market in Tezpur town and recovered four fake gold biscuits weighing approximately 1.4 kilograms. The team arrested the fake gold racket criminal Kitab Ali. Further investigation is going on to find out other members of this notorious racket.

On 15th September, a team of Sonitpur police led by DSPSudhanya Suklabadya conducted a very successful operation at Gudamghat Miri Village and recovered fake gold biscuits and articles measuring 19.785 kilograms. During the operation, five numbers of fake gold boats, three numbers of fake gold Jesus idols, fake gold biscuits, and rupees cash. 2,03000, two vehicles, three mobile handsets were recovered.

The team successfully nabbed one of the masterminds of the fake gold racket, Samed Ali. After thorough interrogation, another member of the racket, namely Chobikul Islam, was also apprehended later. This racket operates in the Sonitpur district, which used to cheat innocent public in the name of selling gold articles found in excavation or during construction at very cheap prices. A case vides Chariduar police station case no 166/2021 under section 120B/420/392 has been registered in this regard, and further investigation is on to nab other members of the racket.
KOHIMA: Nagaland has officially become a state without an opposition party from Saturday after a unanimous agreement on the nomenclature of the new all-party alliance. The newly formed no opposition government will be known as the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). Taking to Twitter Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio said, "The nomenclature of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for the Opposition-less Government in Nagaland has been unanimously resolved by the legislators and Party leaders of the @NDPPofficial, @BJP4Nagaland, NPF and Independent MLAs."

The three-party opposition-less government's nomenclature was approved today at an all MLAs meeting in Kohima at State Banquet Hall.

All MLAs and leaders of the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Party Naga Peoples Front (NPF) along with two Independent MLAs were present in the crucial meeting in Kohima

The ruling coalition where BJP is also a partner had inducted prime opposition NPF on August 16 last. It was then called the Nagaland United Government.

In the 60-member Nagaland Legislative Assembly, NPF is the single largest party with 25 members followed by the NDPP with 20 and the BJP with 12 while 2 MLAs are Independents. After the death of an MLA, the assembly has a strength of 59 members at this moment.

NPF leaders so far have not made it clear whether they will participate in the ministry council or not.
The Indian Government banned SFJ in July 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their involvement in promoting secession and violent militancy in Punjab and Sikh Referendum 2020.

Chandigarh: Punjab Police on Friday (September 18) busted a secessionist module of banned 'unlawful association' Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) with the arrest of its three members after recovering lakh of secessionist pamphlets promoting 'Referendum 2020' activities from their possession during a raid conducted in village Rampur in Khanna, said a press release from Punjab Police.

The Indian Government banned SFJ in July 2019 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their involvement in promoting secession and violent militancy in Punjab and Sikh Referendum 2020.

Their activities were aimed at creating a divide between communities and disturbing the peace and communal harmony in Punjab.

The police have arrested Gurwinder Singh of Rampur in Khanna, Jagwinder Singh and Sukhdev Singh, both from Morinda in Ropar.

The police have also booked Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, Harpreet Singh, Bikramjeet Singh and Gursahai Makhu, all based in the USA and Jagjeet Singh Mangat of Khanna.

In the presence of the duty magistrate, a police spokesman said that the police conducted raids in village Rampur in Khanna and recovered over 2.84 lakh pamphlets carrying referendum 2020 activities. The police also recovered one canon printer, a spray pump and spray bottles for writing secessionist graffiti on walls, one laptop, three mobile phones and one Honda City Car from their possession.

During preliminary investigations, it has been found that the accused Gurwinder Singh was radicalized and motivated over a YouTube channel named "US Media International" being operated by JS Dhaliwal, who further introduced him to Gurpatwant Pannu.

The spokesman added that on the instructions of Pannu, Gurwinder installed Khalistani flags on the premises of the Government School in his village Rampur in Khanna.

It has also been revealed that the accused has to date registered around 20-25 persons for voting for promoting Sikh Referendum 2020 besides distributing pamphlets for different groups in the vicinity of Doraha, Ludhiana and providing money on the instance of Pannu, added the Spokesperson.

The police said that accused Gurwinder has also written wall graffiti, promoting Sikh Referendum 2020 activities (in English & Punjabi), under bridges and on signboards at various places in the stretch of Khanna to Singhu Border in Delhi.

On the night of August 15, he painted pro-Sikh Referendum 2020 and anti-Indian slogans at various places.

The Spokesperson said for promoting secessionist activities, the accused had received huge funds from Pannu via human carriers, Hawala and MTSS channels.

The case has been registered under Sections 124A (Sedition), 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 153B (Imputations, prejudicial to national integration) and 120B (Criminal conspiracy) of the IPC and Sections 17, 18, 20, 40 of the UAPA. Further raids are being conducted to arrest the remaining accused.

Courtesy: ANI
New Delhi: Giving a push to the Naga Peace talks and putting it on fast track, new 'informal Interlocutor' A K Mishra will meet two major militant groups umbrella organisation NNPGs and NSCN (IM) at Dimapur on Monday, September 20.

Informed sources said the meetings will be separate and will be held at Chumukedema Police Head Quarter complex.

"Most Naga peace parleys are held there, so there is no chance of change of venue. Ice has been broken and things are moving," a source said.

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi, who took over as new Nagaland Governor on Friday, has said that "....soon we will have a comprehensive and inclusive solution to the Naga political issue ensuring utmost honour and dignity to the Naga people".

The NNPGs - Naga National Political Groups headed by convener N Kitovi Zhimomi is an umbrella organisation of seven groups operating within Nagaland.

The NSCN (IM) first entered into peace parleys in August 1997 during the stint of I K Gujral as the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, all 60 legislators have decided to come together under a new 'opposition-less' government.

According to a senior government functionary at Kohima, the new alliance will be called the 'United Democratic Alliance'.

In a meeting attended by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio (NNDP), Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton (BJP) and NPF leader and former CM T R Zeliang, it has been unanimously resolved" that the new alliance will be called the 'United Democratic Alliance'.

The peace talks between NSCN(IM) and the government were literally stalled for sometime as the militant group had issues with the former Nagaland Governor R N Ravi, who was also peace Interlocutor since 2014.

Ravi has now moved to Tamil Nadu as the new Governor in the southern state.

A K Mishra is a retired intelligence official and has been aware of the developments related to Naga peace talks.

On August 3, 2015, the NSCN (IM) signed a Framework Agreement with Interlocutor Ravi in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The NNPGs also inked a pact 'Preamble Agreement' or 'Agreed Position' on November 17, 2017. There is some latent rivalry between NSCN(IM) and NNPG, the umbrella group of various Naga groups.

The NSCN(IM) led by Thuingaleng Muivah has organisational strength in Naga dominated areas of Manipur.

All these have made the peace process complex though the parleys were at the final stage.

The NSCN (IM) demand of a separate Flag and a Constitution have been rejected by the government.

The NNPG  a conglomeration of seven militant groups  however says they are not insisting on any such demands and want an early solution to the problem and bring an end to violence.




Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Shanti Dhariwal minister said action would be taken against the organisers of the marriage after registering the marriage.

Two days after MP (Lok Sabha) and scion of the Nehru family, Rahul Gandhi, talked about women's empowerment at an event of Mahila Congress in Delhi, the Congress government of Rajasthan passed a bill to register child marriages in the state.

Rajasthan Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior Congress leader Shanti Dhariwal defended the law, saying the action will be taken against the organisers of the marriage after registering the marriage.

But he did not explain why the organiser would register the marriage if he would be punished later.

The new provision has been included in the Compulsory Registration of Marriages amendment bill.

"The bill reflects the double standards of state government. When all the countries are trying to eradicate child marriages, the Rajasthan government is virtually making an effort to promote them. This is just to please the Jati Panches, which are the vote banks for the part," The New Indian Express quoted Dr. Kriti Bharti, the managing director of Saarthi Trust in Jodhpur.

Ignoring the BJP's demand for voting, the bill was passed by the voice vote.
Rehman is being brought to Lucknow, and a Delhi Police Special Cell team has left for Lucknow on Friday to bring him to Delhi on transit remand, the sources said.

New Delhi: The uncle of terrorist Osama, who was among six terrorists arrested earlier this week, has surrendered to police in Prayagraj, according to police sources.

As per Delhi Police sources, Uncle Hemud Rehman surrendered at Kareli Police Station in Prayagraj on Friday (September 17).

According to Delhi Police, Rehman had been assisting the Pakistan-organised terror module in transporting Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and was planning to carry out targeted killings and blasts across the country. On Tuesday, the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested Osama and five other terrorists and busted the network.

Rehman is being brought to Lucknow, and a Delhi Police Special Cell team has left for Lucknow on Friday to bring him to Delhi on transit remand, the sources said.

Meanwhile, all the six terrorists arrested by the Delhi Police on Tuesday have been interrogated. The terror module is being managed by underworld don Dawood Ibrahim's brother Anees Ibrahim.

Two terrorists trained by Pakistan's intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) organised terror module- Osama and Zeeshan- revealed in the interrogation that during their 15 days of training in Pakistan, they were trained to cause bomb blasts using chemicals other than AK47, to make IED and to cause blasts in less time.

They received training to use bombs to cause explosions at railway tracks, bridges and in large gatherings. The training was provided with the aim of setting off bombs during the upcoming festival season in different parts of the country, similar to the 1993 Mumbai bomb explosions.

Videos of Gujarat riots, Muzaffarnagar riots and North-East Delhi riots were also used in training the terrorist duo.

Courtesy: ANI






A priest was found dead on the premises of a temple in Nasirpur village of Haridwar on Friday. Police suspect it to be a case of murder.



As per the Superintendent of Police (Rural) Parmindra Singh Dobhal, the priest was 60 years old and was residing in the temple for the past 1.5 months. "A priest, who was residing in the temple for past 1.5 months, was murdered. We're investigating all the angles and will take action," Dobhal said.



The body of the priest was discovered when some villagers, during their visit to the temple, suspected a foul smell from a room. On checking for the source of the smell, they found the body of the priest.



The body, as per the police, is several days old.



A forensic team was rushed to the scene and the investigation is underway. (ANI)


Family & Childrens Services has received a grant of $3,000 from the Rotary Club of Midland Community Needs Committee to assist them in caring for the people of our community by safely providing mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The gift was used for the purchase of commercial grade outdoor furniture to allow Family & Childrens Services to provide face-to-face mental health counseling services as well as host support groups, meetings, and educational programs in their courtyard to ensure that those who need mental health treatment and support are able to receive it as comfortably as possible despite the challenges faced due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements.
State Rep. Annette Glenn this week attended a Michigan State Police event celebrating the 30-year anniversary of the departments Emergency Management and Homeland Security Training Center Hazardous Materials Training Unit.

At the ceremony, the facilitys hazmat training yard was dedicated to former Midland resident and Dow Chemical engineer Jim Burnside  who is widely recognized as a pioneer in this type of training. Burnside passed away in late May.

Jim Burnside was a trailblazer in the field of hazardous material response training. Our communities are safer and better protected as a result of his work, stated Glenn, R-Midland, after attending the event at the Michigan State Police complex in Dimondale. Its a fitting tribute that his name is officially and formally connected to this facility.

Michigans hazardous materials training center, founded with Burnsides leadership, was the first of its kind in the nation. It fulfills a unique role training first responders in both the public and private sectors.
Midland Public Schools Associate Superintendent Penny Miller-Nelson discussed with the Daily News on Friday the significance of the 2020-21 scores from the M-STEP, which were released by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

M-STEP stands for Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress and is taken every spring by all Michigan students in grades 3-11.

M-STEP assesses the areas of English language arts and mathematics for all nine of those grade levels, while science and social studies are assessed only in grades 5, 8, and 11.

MDE waived the requirement to take the M-STEP in the previous school year, 2019-20, due to all Michigan schools having gone virtual in the spring of 2020 at the onset of the COVID pandemic. So the 2020-21 test scores were highly anticipated, being the first M-STEP scores in two years and the first since the pandemic began.

"The Department of Education told us there are things we should know that are special and unique about this testing data," said Miller-Nelson, who oversees curriculum, instruction and assessment for MPS. "Obviously, there was a decline in scores across the state because of lost learning opportunities. The phrase (that MDE) used was 'unfinished learning.'"

"In spite of the extraordinary efforts of educators, support staff, school leaders, parents, the broader community, and students themselves, the disruption of the pandemic has inevitably resulted in unfinished learning for many of our children," State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice said in an Aug. 31 statement in conjunction with the release of statewide assessment scores. "... In Michigan and across the country, we have our work cut out for us."

In every subject at every grade level that was tested last spring, MPS students scored between 8% and 22% higher than the average of students across the state. For example, MPS fifth-graders scored 14% higher in English language arts, 11% higher in math, 15% higher in science and 15% higher in social studies.

"As is typical in MPS, we are well above the state average for proficiency in each of the four areas for all of those grades," Miller-Nelson said.

She noted that MPS students benefited from having the in-person learning option last school year while many school districts in the state did not.

"We were in school quite a bit last year and lots of school districts remained in remote learning. We had nearly all our students take the spring M-STEP assessment. And thats not true across the state," Miller-Nelson said.

The bottom line is that school districts should keep the effects of the pandemic fully in mind when viewing the M-STEP scores.

"MDE is saying, 'Please, districts, use caution when youre looking at this data and trying to make decisions based on it. It doesn't tell the whole picture,'" Miller-Nelson said.

At the same time, she said that MPS staff members should be credited for rising to the occasion.

"We know our teachers continue to work hard to meet the needs or our students, as do our administrators," she said. "And I think that is part for the reason we continue to be above the state average. And it also speaks to the remote learning we did. While it's certainly not as good as in-person, I feel like when we had those pockets of remote learning, we did a good job."

Now, the district will set about acting on the information revealed in the test scores.

"The purpose of it is to help inform what were doing as a school district. Now, the job is to dig into this enough to understand the experience our students are having, particularly certain groups of students," Miller-Nelson said. "Its nice to be able to say we are scoring well above the state average. But until all our students are successful, were not going to be content. Thats really for me the driver in this: How do we use this data to be better for each student?"

As MDE indicated, standardized test scores never tell the whole story, Miller-Nelson said.

"We know this data is important. It it the measuring stick MDE uses and the public sees," she said. "But student success is much more multi-dimensional than a test score. Student success shows up in a lot of ways. Lots of students serve as volunteers and they are engaged in co-op jobs and apprenticeships. Were developing critical thinkers and open-minded individuals. And those things are harder to measure."
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Yemens Houthi rebels executed on Saturday nine people they said were involved in the killing of a senior rebel official in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition more than three years ago.

The execution took place by firing squad and was held in public, early in the morning in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa. The Iranian-backed Houthis later distributed photos apparently showing the killings. Hundreds of people attended the execution, mostly Houthis and their supporters.

The executions took place despite repeated calls by rights groups and lawyers to stop the killings and retry the suspects. They said the trial, held in a rebel-controlled court where the nine were convicted and sentenced to death, was flawed.

The nine were among more than 60 people the Houthis accused of involvement in the targeted killing of Saleh al-Samad in April 2018. Former President Donald Trump was also accused, according to court documents obtained by The Associated Press. Also accused were top Western, Israeli and Gulf Arab officials.

The Houthis charged the nine with spying for the Saudi-led coalition, which has been waging war against the rebels for years in an effort to bring back Yemen's internationally recognized government to power.

Al-Samad, who held the post of president in the Houthi-backed political body, was killed along with six of his companions in an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in the coastal city of Hodeida.

The nine, including a 17-year-old boy, were arrested months after al-Samads killing. They were forcefully disappeared for months and held in undisclosed places where they suffered inhumane treatment, according to Abdel-Majeed Sabra, a Yemeni lawyer representing one of the people executed.

The executions were also broadcast on big screens in Sanaa's Tahrir Square. The executions and the public display caused outrage across the country, including among the relatives of the nine and also in Sanaa, where people usually refrain from criticizing the rebels for fear of reprisals.

I cant believe what has happened. This is madness and a crime, Abdel-Rahman Noah, a brother of one of the executed, told The Associated Press.

Another relative said she did not expect the Houthis to go through with the executions. We were shocked. ... We thought that they were just threatening," she said tearfully, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the rebels.

The rebels did not respond to requests for comment.

The nine wore sky blue prison garb with their hands bound behind their backs. Masked guards led them to an open area and forced them to lie down on their stomachs. Another officer with a rifle shot them to death in their backs.

One of the executed appeared scared while awaiting his turn to be shot; an armed Houthi was seen holding him tight, perhaps so that he would not fall.

Sabra, the lawyer, said the Houthis later allowed relatives to take the bodies away for burials. Eight were taken to their hometown of Hodeida while the ninth was buried in Sanaa.

Several rights groups, including the U.S.-based American Center for Justice, which follows human rights abuses in Yemen, had called Friday for the U.N. to intervene to stop the executions. The groups said the trial had included flagrant violations of fair trial guarantees and depriving individuals of providing sufficient defenses.

Also on Saturday, at least six people from the same family were killed when a suspected airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition hit their vehicle in an area between the provinces of Shabwa and Bayda, according to government officials and tribal leaders.

There was no immediate comment from the Saudi-led coalition. The officials spoke on conditions of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters and the tribal leaders spoke anonymously, fearing reprisals.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, when the Houthis swept across much of the north and seized Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war the following year on the side of the government.

The stalemated conflict has killed more than 130,000 people and spawned the worlds worst humanitarian crisis.

___

Magdy reported from on board the Geo Barents in the Mediterranean Sea.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Andrew Mullin.

Monday, Sept. 13

8:24 p.m.  Officers made a warrant arrest in the area of North Saginaw Road and Sturgeon Avenue.

7:52 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence regarding an unresponsive male. The male was responsive when Michigan State Police arrived on the scene. The Michigan State Police unit advised that the deputy could disregard.

7:50 p.m.  A 20-year-old registered sex offender has not verified his new residence or his phone number since 2019. Deputies responded to a Porter Township residence where the 20-year-old was staying. Deputies contacted the subject, and a report will be forwarded to the Midland County Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

6:00 p.m.  A 52-year-old Sanford female called because her 49-year-old tenant she evicted was back and removing property. Deputy arrived to find the male moving out of the apartment. The male was advised that he must be out that night, or the landlord will change the locks in the morning. He stated he understood and will be out.

5:41 p.m.  Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation on Edwin Street.

3:38 p.m.  Officers responded to a domestic verbal situation on State Street.

3:35 p.m.  Officers responded to a driver operating under the influence of drugs in the area of Jefferson Avenue and Rodd Street.

3:18 p.m.  Officers responded to a hit-and-run crash and a driver operating under the influence of drugs on Abbott Road.

2:09 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Ashman and West Union streets.

1:50 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash on North Saginaw Road.

1:49 p.m.  A deputy and EMS were dispatched to a Larkin Township residence. A 17-year-old male called 911 after consuming alcohol and then taking too much Tylenol. The male was transported to the ER by EMS for treatment.

8:34 p.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Sturgeon Avenue and West Wackerly Street.

7:53 a.m.  Deputies responded to a Homer Township residence regarding a malicious destruction of property complaint. Deputies contacted the complainant, a 35-year-old Homer Township male, who advised someone threw a rock through the rear window of his pickup truck, causing about $300 in damage. There are no suspects at this time.

7:03 a.m.  Officers responded to a hit-and-run crash in the area of Bay City Road and Waldo Avenue.

Sunday, Sept. 12

10:17 p.m.  A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence to assist a 30-year-old Ingersoll Township male with removing handcuffs that his 4-year-old son locked on his ankles. The deputy unlocked the cuffs using a handcuff key.

9:32 p.m.  Officers responded to an obstruction of justice and a mental petition on McDonald Street.

7:34 p.m.  Deputies were dispatched to a Lincoln Township residence in reference to a 24-year-old female stating a 46-year-old female tenant is using her trash can, and claiming it as her own. Deputies informed both parties that this was a civil matter, and they needed to speak with the civil courts.

5:05 p.m.  A 36-year-old female had a verbal dispute with her 28-year-old ex-boyfriend in Lincoln Township. The dispute was over custody issues and parenting time, and the complainant allowed her ex-boyfriend to have parenting time and the issue was resolved.

10:49 a.m.  Officers responded to a two-vehicle crash in the area of Haley and East Buttles streets.

4:18 a.m.  A deputy conducted a traffic stop in the City of Midland. The deputy spoke with the 31-year-old male driver who was subsequently arrested for carrying a concealed weapon and traffic charges. The male was lodged at the Midland County Jail and a report is being sent to the prosecutors office.

2:26 a.m.  Officers responded to someone driving while intoxicated in the area of Jerome and West Larkin streets.

1:54 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township business regarding a complaint from a passerby of people yelling in the parking lot. The deputy checked the area and everything appeared normal.

12:36 a.m.  Officers responded to someone driving while intoxicated in the area of East U.S. 10 Business and the Waldo Avenue overpass.

12:20 a.m.  A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township roadway for a report of a driver all over the road. The deputy located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. A 54-year-old Jerome Township male was cited for having no insurance and an unregistered vehicle.
Photo: (Photo : Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

A father from Michigan has filed a million-dollar lawsuit against a school district, its librarian, and teacher's assistant for cutting his daughter's hair without consent. The family is claiming assault and battery.

Jimmy Hoffmeyer, who is of mixed race, sued Mount Pleasant Public Schools in a Grand Rapids federal court for violating the constitutional rights of his daughter, Jurnee, 7, who attended Ganiard Elementary. He also claimed "racial discrimination, ethnic intimidation, intentional infliction of emotional distress."

In March, Jurnee's father was shocked to see her come home with her curly hair cut on one side. The child told her dad that a classmate did the cut inside the school bus. The family filed a complaint with the school and went to the salon to restyle Jurnee's hair, but she came home two days later to find that the other side of her hair was unevenly cut again.

Hoffmeyer reminded his daughter, whose mother is white that she shouldn't let a child do her hair. However, Jurnee told them the library teacher did it this time with the help of her assistant to "even out" her hairstyle. In both incidents, the lawsuit highlighted that the people who messed up Jurnee's hair were white.

Read Also: Students Are Stealing School Items for 'Devious Licks' Tiktok Trend, Prompts School Officials to Raise the Alarm

Good Intentions

The Mount Pleasant Public Schools board members said that the teacher who cut the child's hair was reprimanded despite her good intentions. School officials also told the staff involved that they cannot cut students' hair without the parents' expressed permission or the knowledge of the school administrators.

The board said an independent third-party investigation into Ganiard Elementary took place in April, which allegedly didn't find any basis for Hoffmeyer's racial bias claims. The probe included interviews with students, families, and school district personnel and a review of videos and photos shared on social media.

Two workers in school were aware of what happened but didn't file a report with the administrators. The employees involved, on the other hand, have apologized to the family, but Hoffmeyer said that no one from the investigating panel interviewed him or his daughter to conclude that this complaint had no basis.

Amy Bond, the president of the school board, said that they will defend the "baseless allegations" in court and will not allow the lawsuit to distract the school from its mission to educate the children.

Hoffmeyer has enrolled his daughter in another school for the new school year. According to reports, only four percent of the 25,000 residents within the Mount Pleasant school district are Black.

Statement Shows Consent

In April, a statement allegedly from the school district was shared on Twitter indicating that Jurnee consented to both incidents. She asked a classmate to cut her hair on the bus, but Jurnee was "unhappy and dissatisfied" with the outcome because she was not an accomplished stylist. She later also asked the staff at the school library to fix her hair when she visited the site a few days later.

Mt. Pleasant Public Schools acknowledged on Tuesday that one of its employees cut the hair of a mixed-race child and its superintendent says she's apologized to the family for it. #JusticeForJurnee pic.twitter.com/9jBkDgnmmu  Brian Clark (@bdclark23) April 21, 2021

The staff had experience as a cosmetologist and owned professional tools. She has worked more than 20 years in school and has never had any bad record until this incident.

However, Hoffmeyer's lawsuit detailed a different side of the story, saying that the library staff should have declined to even out Jurnee's hair or asked her parents' permission first. The dad said that the school staff's actions were not acceptable despite her intentions and showed a lack of judgment.

Related Article: Massachusetts Farm Apologizes to a Black Family Accused of Stealing Apples
Photo: (Photo : ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Workers in America could soon be entitled to a 12-week paid family leave that will provide parents extra time with their spouses and kids, especially if they need to care for a sick family member.

As Congress has returned to work after the summer holidays, the Democrats have started piecing together the $3.5 trillion policy for American families. Thursday's session at the Ways and Means Committee highlighted paid family leave, a long-overdue benefit as the U.S. is the only developed nation in the world without such a mandate.

President Joe Biden promised during the election campaign that he would deliver this benefit to parents with the government subsidizing at a cap of $4,000 a month. On the other hand, low-income earners may receive continued pay by as much as 80 percent of their wages.

Read Also: Climate Change Worries 6 in 10 Youngsters Who Say Adults Aren't Protecting Them

"This is our historic opportunity to support working families and ensure our economy is stronger, more inclusive, and more resilient for generations to come," Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal said.

What Covers Paid Family Leave?

Details of the policy dubbed the Build Back Better Act is still under draft, but any worker who has been employed, either part-time or full-time, from six months onwards could be entitled to the benefit if passed as a law. The Democrats are hoping that the legislation will be fast-tracked in Congress to be implemented by June 2023.

It should bear noting that 25 percent of private companies in the U.S. offer similar policies while states like California, New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia have their laws providing this benefit. Most of these were implemented because of COVID-19.

The state laws and private company benefits will not be affected by federal law. If anything, more employers in the U.S. could use paid family leave as a tool for hiring and retaining employees.

According to think tank groups, women could benefit more from this policy as they will continue to earn while nursing their children or family members back to health. Research from California also showed that more moms have optioned to remain employed because the benefit existed. This has been good news for businesses that rely on the labor workforce.

Enabling Dependency

Republicans in Congress, however, warned that such a policy could drive increased dependency on government welfare. They frowned on the estimated budget of $3.5 trillion, describing the cost as a "spending orgy."

Some Democrats are also opposed to the legislation. Rep. Stephanie Murphy said that she would not support the proposal unless the final package would be detailed and laid out. Murphy also said that it should include how much money will be spent and how the government will raise this money to sustain the promise.

Sen. Joe Manchin also said that they might need to pause on the deliberations due to the scale of the package. Speaker Nancy Pelosi gave her fellow Democrats until the end of September to pass the legislation.

Related Article: Families to Get Third Child Tax Credit Payment; First Lady Jill Biden Pushes for Extension
Photo: (Photo : Octavio Jones/Getty Images)

The parents of Gabby Petito, who has been missing since late August, wrote a letter to the family of Brian Laundrie, their daughter's boyfriend, asking for information that may help with her disappearance.

Through the family lawyer, Joe and Tara Petito of Long Island asked Christopher and Roberta Laundrie not to hide the location of their daughter because they believe they know where Brian left her behind. Gabby has lived with the Laundrie family in Florida for over a year as she and Brian planned to get married.

After their cross-country trip during the summer, Brian returned home without Gabby and has refused to speak to authorities after Joe and Tara filed a missing person's report. She was actively sharing their adventures on social media from June to July and consistently communicated with her family. By the end of August, however, Gabby suddenly went silent.

Read Also: Father Sues School for Assault and Battery After Teacher Cuts Daughter's Hair Without Consent

An Encounter with the Police

While in Utah, Gabby and Brian had an altercation, but they didn't want to file any charges. The police who encountered the couple, who filmed everything in a video, said that the two got into a physical fight.

One of the officers advised the pair to sleep separately for one night after Gabby cried to the cops and told them she was dealing with a mental health crisis. The cop could only describe the pair as "confused and emotional," but he assessed that the incident did not escalate into domestic assault.

Gabby's family said that the last message they received from her was in late August when she was at Wyoming's Teton Range. However, they don't believe that Gabby sent the message because she wrote that her phone would lose service. Her mother has been in touch with her through different times of the day during the pair's whole trip.

They filed the missing person report when the Petitos still didn't hear from Gabby by September 1. The North Port police in Florida visited the Laundrie family and processed Brian's vehicle. The police allegedly found "some material."

Brian hasn't been cooperating with the investigation and has sought the help of the family lawyer. On September 17, his parents informed the police that Brian hadn't been home for days. The FBI is now on the case and has tagged him as a person of interest, but he has yet to be charged with any crime.

'Come Home Safe'

In a statement to the press, the Laundries said they are also frustrated about what's happening. Cassie Laundrie, the sister of Brian, said in an interview with "Good Morning America" that they want "Gabby to be found safe," adding that they love her in the family.

Joe responded to Cassie's interview by saying that the family's version of love is "to ignore and not care" while the entire country has been looking for his daughter.

The father also said that he initially didn't want to watch his daughter's videos from the Utah cops because it broke his heart. One of Gabby's relatives said that she's a young, happy, and free-spirited woman, but the video showed someone lost and hurt.

Meanwhile, the police are also looking into a case of two women who were shot at a campsite near the places Brian and Gabby visited. A national hotline has been put out for tips on Gabby's whereabouts through 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).

Related Article: Florida Mom Reunites With Abducted Daughter After a 14-Year Search
Margo Moore looks at photos of friends and coworkers lost 20 years ago on 9/11 and the newspaper clippings she collected following the terrorist attacks that took around 3,000 lives, impacted the lives of millions and shocked the world. Moore formerly worked on the 81st floor of tower two of the World Trade Center, when she was employed by Fuji Bank from 1996 to 1997. She lost 53 friends and coworkers that day and, as others, she vows to never forget.
India's Antitrust authority found that Google abused its dominant position of its Android operating system in India, using its "huge financial muscle" to illegally hurt competitors.

The June report by the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) investigations unit added that it found that Google reduced "the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell devices operating on alternative versions of Android."

Senior CCI members will review the report and give Google another chance to defend itself, before issuing a final order, which could include penalties, said another person familiar with the case. Google would be able to appeal any order in India's courts.

Its findings are the latest antitrust setback for Google in India, where it faces several probes in the payments app and smart television markets. The company has been investigated in Europe, the United States and elsewhere. This week, South Korea's antitrust regulator fined Google $176 million for blocking customized versions of Android.

Google submitted at least 24 responses during the probe, defending itself and arguing it was not hurting competition, the report says.

Microsoft, Amazon, Apple as well as smartphone makers Samsung and Xiaomi were among 62 entities that responded to CCI questions during its Google investigation, the report says.

The 750-page report finds the mandatory pre-installation of apps "amounts to imposition of unfair condition on the device manufacturers" in violation of India's competition law, while the company leveraged the position of its Play Store app store to protect its dominance.

Android powers 98% of India's 520 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research. For more, read the full Reuters report.

Apple isn't in any danger with the antitrust officials in India considering that they have under 3.9% market share in smartphones. Apple has yet to make it to the top five smartphone makers list in India as reported on by IDC in August. The IDC chart below verifies this.

(Click on image to Enlarge)
When a company's only press releases relate to patent lawsuits and not about new or updated products, it's a sign that the company's true nature is that of a patent troll. The second sign of a patent troll is when one tab on their website is dedicated to listing their "acquired" patents that they use to sue others with like Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft.

Yesterday, Parus Holdings, Inc., announced that it had filed a second patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas against Apple, Inc. The lawsuit alleges that Apple infringes on Parus' patents for voice-browsing and device control technology. The lawsuit is based on U.S. Patent No. 6,721,705 and U.S. Patent No. 8,185,402.

The '705 patent was acquired from "Webley Systems, Inc." The '402 patent, though listed as a "Parus" patent in 2004, was listed as another "Webley Systems" patent back in 2001. The formal complaint before the court states "Parus is the owner, by assignment" regarding both patents.

The company claims that Apple's use of Siri on all its products infringes the Patents acquired by Parus. The compliant reads: "Each of the Apple Accused Products in conjunction with Siri perform a method for using voice commands to browse Internet web sites as required by claim 2 of the 705 Patent." This is repeated in a similar fashion for patent '402.



Parus is seeking all available remedies, including damages against Apple for all of its infringing sales. The lawsuit asserts that the infringement has been "willful," and requests that Apple be ordered to pay treble damages and Parus' attorneys' fees, and be permanently enjoined from infringing the Parus Patents.

This is the second lawsuit Parus has filed against Apple relating to its use of Parus' voice-user interface technologies for retrieving information.

Earlier this month, Parus secured an important victory against Apple at The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as it rejected in its entirety Apple's attempt to invalidate key Parus patents.

For more details, read the Plaintiff's full complaint filed with the court in the SCRIBD document below, courtesy of Patently Apple.

Parus Holdings v Apple Inc, Patent Infringement by Jack Purcher on Scribd
Security has been beefed up on the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) following an order by the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) for all students to leave the campus immediately after vacation today.

The REGSEC, in a statement issued last Wednesday, said intelligence gathered by the security services indicated that some groups of unruly students were planning some disturbances on the campus on the eve of vacation.



It did not give further details on the intelligence gathered.



Nevertheless, the REGSEC warned that students who failed to leave the campus by midday on Saturday would face the full rigours of the law.



Deployment



A visit by the Daily Graphic to the campus yesterday revealed the deployment of scores of policemen and internal security men at vantage points.



A police water cannon was also stationed close to the universitys Administration Block.



Meanwhile, students were busily going about their studies and other activities.



Some were spotted at the library as they prepared for their final examination papers today.



Unhealthy development



The REGSECs statement, signed by its Chairman, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, who is also the Ashanti Regional Minister, mentioned, among other acts of indiscipline, the existing unhealthy rivalry between the University and the Unity halls of the university.



In that regard, the REGSEC said, it had put measures in place to ensure that peace and sanity were maintained on the campus, and that students must leave for their homes or stay on the campus at their own risk.



It urged students to concentrate on their studies and complete their examinations without any distractions.



Criminality



However, the council warned that any student who flouted the law, with offence bordering on criminality, would have criminal investigations opened against him or her and prosecuted before a court of competent jurisdiction.



Leadership



The University Relations Officer, Dr Noris Bekoe, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, reiterated the fact that the leadership of the KNUST would not sit aloof for students to take the law into their own hands.



He said so far about 80 per cent of the student population had completed their examinations, while the remaining 20 per cent would complete by today.



He, therefore, wondered why students should be seen loitering on the campus after today.



Dr Bekoe urged parents and guardians to advise their children and wards to come home as soon as they finished their examinations today in order for them not to be caught by the law.



He noted that with the exemption of foreign students and students permitted by the management of the university, all students were to leave the KNUST campus latest by midday tomorrow.



Background



The University Hall (Katanga) and the Unity Hall (Conti) are seen as rival halls at the KNUST, and their members, in the past, had engaged in a number of clashes.



The last of such clash happened on July 4, 2021 where scores of students of the university were injured after a misunderstanding allegedly broke out between some members of the two halls.



The incident occurred during the vetting of candidates for the Students Representative Council elections at the Great Hall of the university.









Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Acting District Chief Executive for Sene East, Honourable Abraham Mbanye has cut the sod for the commencement of construction of the town roads in Kajeji of the Bono East Region.



Performing the sod-cutting ceremony on Friday, 17th September 2021, Mr Abraham Mbanye indicated that a total of 3 kilometres of roads within Kajeji will be given a face-lift.



With the mainstay of residents of the town being agriculture, the District Chief Executive was confident that the completion of the road will help facilitate the movement of people, goods and services within the town.



The contract has been awarded to O.B.J engineering company Lmt and is to use four months to complete the work.



The works to be undertaken include the clearing and demolition of existing weak structures, formation, widening of narrow sections, construction of critical culverts, construction of u-drains, construction of trapezoidal drains, sub-base, base, embankment protection, primer and seal.



He reassured all persons whose structures may be affected by the construction will be duly compensated, and urged the Chiefs and people of Kajeji to help ensure that the process is completed on time.



Nana Krunko Sunkwa, the Acting President for Nkomi Traditional Area, who spoke on behalf of the beneficiary communities, expressed happiness for the development.



He said after the first President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah constucted their town roads, successive governments had failed to construct that portion of the road despite the residents pleas.



We are grateful to the government and District Chief Executive for Sene East for their unpresidented developmental projects brought to our district, he said.



Nana Krunko said, when completed, the road would improve upon the lives of residents.



On his part, Sene East Npp constituency Chairman, Mr. Odonyim Kofi Abraham appealed to the residents of his constituency to look at the numerious number of developmental projects Npp government has brought to the district within few years and stop voting for NDC.

Source: Kwabena Manu/Peace fm/Bono East correspondent.









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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Mr Anthony Ohemeng-Boamah, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator for Mauritania, has advocated a revision of Guineas political space to promote tolerance and good governance.



He said: The old guards in Guinea have taken politics very personally, which is boiling into something of an enmity game.



He, therefore, called for a new breed of politicians, probably youthful, well inculcated in their civic duties to ensure that they could not break away from the earth crystallization which was reflected and manifested in the existing political parties.



Mr Ohemeng-Boamah made the recommendation at a virtual conference on Guinea, organized by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)  Ghana dubbed: Guinea in Crisis: The Way Forward.



A section of the Guinean Military on Sunday, September 5, announced that they had seized power and that President Alpha Conde was in detention.



The Military attributed the coup detat to rampant corruption, mismanagement, and poverty in the country.



The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Africa Union (AU), and the United Nations (UN) condemned the military takeover and called for the restoration of constitutional rule.



The country has been suspended by both ECOWAS and AU.



Mr Ohemeng-Boamah, a former UN Resident Coordinator to Guinea, noted that the Guinean Army had an oversight role and extremely powerful, hence the need for Guinea to take a second look at that to avoid a reoccurrence of the coup.



He said the role of women was very pivotal in Guineas political and socio-economic development, adding; They have a lot to gain by the inclusion of women in the political space.



Dr K.O. Amaning, the former UN Resident Coordinator to Guinea, who gave a historical perspective of Guinea from the colonial era to the post-colonial period, said Guinea was part of French West Africa until it achieved independence in 1958.



He said there was a strong ethnic polarisation among the three strong ethnic groups in Guinea, which needed to be handled with care to ensure peaceful coexistence.



Other challenges in Guinea, he mentioned, were poverty and weak state institutions and that the only strong institution in the country was the Army.



He called for capacity building and restructuring to allow dialogue among the various stakeholders in the country.



Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the former Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), expressed regret over the military coup detat.



Mr Daniel K. Osei, the President, CFR-Ghana, who hosted the event, urged all stakeholders to ensure that Guinea emerged from the current crisis stronger.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, Friday inaugurated a 12-member Governing Council for the Ghana Health Service (GHS) with a charge on members to assist the Service deliver on its mandate.



Mr Agyeman-Manu said the members were selected based on their background and qualifications to support the work of the Service and stated the readiness of the Ministry to ensure equitable access to quality health care nationwide.



The Council is chaired by Dr Sefah Sarpong Badiakoh, the Presidents Nominee.



The members are; Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Mr Ben Ampoman Nkansah, from the Health Ministry, and Madam Edna BaffourAwuah, from the Finance Ministry.



Others are Mr Bernard Selasi Dzomeku, Education Ministry, Mr Isaac Nsarko Binney, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, and Mr Franklin Owusu Ansah, Health Workers Union of TUC.



The rest are Mr Issac Kwesi Hammond, Gordon Alexis Obiri Appiah, Mr Harrison Kofi Abityiate, Mr William FrimpongBonsu, and Dr Hagger Hilda Ampadu, all presidential nominees.



Dr Badiakoh said with teamwork, dedication and hard work, the Council would deliver on its mandate.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Mr Antonio Guterres, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, has appointed four new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocates ahead of the start of the 76th UN General Assembly.



A statement issued by the UN, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said this was part of immediate action to protect the most precious global assets and to deliver on common aspirations of humanity.



The four new SDG Advocates include Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, STEM activist Valentina Munoz Rabanal, Microsoft President Brad Smith and K-pop superstars BLACKPINK.



We are at a pivotal moment. The choices we make now could put us on a path towards breakdown and a future of perpetual crisis; or breakthrough to a greener and safer world, the UN Secretary-General said.



The SDG Advocates use their considerable spheres of influence to reach new constituencies to act now and keep the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals for people and for the planet.



The statement said Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, the 2014 Peace Prize winner, would focus on protecting and promoting the rights of children around the world.



Peace, justice and sustainability will only be achieved when every child is free, safe, healthy and educated. Every child matter, Mr Satyarthi said.



It said STEM activist Valentina Munoz Rabanal, at 18 years old, has already helped write the first Artificial Intelligence policy in her home country, Chile.



As the youngest SDG Advocate, I want to be a voice for youth, especially for girls, to improve intergenerational dialogue in decision-making places, and to lay the groundwork to establish digital rights around the world, Madam Rabanal said.



The statement said Mr Brad Smith, as Microsofts President, plays a key role in spearheading the companys work on critical issues involving the intersection of technology and society, including cybersecurity, environmental sustainability, human rights, and philanthropy.



It said in his role as SDG Advocate, Mr Smith would focus on bridging the digital skills gap and highlighting the importance of setting bold goals focused on environmental sustainability.



The scale and size of the challenges the world faces today, like poverty, inequality, and climate change, require all of us to join forces and develop new solutions, many of which can be enabled or accelerated through digital technology, Mr Smith said.



As we aspire to live our mission to create opportunity for everyone, everywhere, we look forward to partnering with governments, industries, and civil society on the UNs 17 SDGs by contributing our creativity, expertise, and know-how to unleash the power of digital technology.



The statement said as the most subscribed pop artist on YouTube with more than 65 million subscribers globally, BLACKPINK had engaged with the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to encourage young people to take climate action to protect the planet.



It said Jisoo Kim (JISOO), Jennie Kim (JENNIE), Roseanne Park (ROSE) and Lalisa Manobal (LISA) would continue to exert their influence to bring positive changes to the world.



We truly believe in the importance of collective action. We will only be able to make a difference when we come together, for the good of everyone. Now is the time to act for a safer tomorrow and a better future, they said.



The statement said Co-chaired by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana and Prime Minister Erna Solberg of Norway, the United Nations Secretary-Generals SDG Advocates are prominent leaders in the world and are working to mobilize action to deliver the SDGs by 2030.

Source: GNA









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The Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh has said the commission will strive to create a safer and more secure environment for journalism practice in the country.

That, he said, was one of the steps it was taking to halt what he described as the impunity against the media.



Speaking at a day's consultative meeting on the coordinated mechanism on the safety of journalists held in Tamale last Wednesday, Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh said the initiative by the NMC would also ensure that people who attacked journalists in the course of discharging their duties, be it the military or the police, private individuals or government activists, were made to face the law to serve as a deterrent to others.



"Anybody who does anything against journalists or deliberately obstructs journalists in the discharge of their responsibilities must be brought before the law and dealt with, accordingly," he said.



That, he said, would halt the impunity against the media.



Meeting, framework



The meeting, which brought together journalists and other media persons working in the Northern and the Upper East regions, was to empower participants to recognise and appreciate their responsibilities and discharge their duties in the manner in which they were trained to do.



Under the coordinated mechanism on safe and responsible journalism, a framework is being developed by the NMC, in collaboration with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Ministry of Information, to prevent violence against journalists, protect those in danger and prosecute the perpetrators of violence against journalists.



Before the meeting in Tamale, similar meetings and discussions had been held in Accra and Kumasi, and same will be extended to the other regions to secure the safety and security of journalists.



Cooperation



Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh called on journalists and other media practitioners to cooperate with the NMC to stamp out the attacks and violence perpetrated against them and get the offenders punished, as prescribed by the laws of the country.



He cited some instances in the past where some journalists who were attacked in their line of work failed to cooperate with their employers and the NMC to deal with such issues to buttress his point.



He urged media practitioners to also work within the confines of the law and according to the ethics of their profession to build and maintain their credibility.





Safe environment



The UNESCO Representative in Ghana, Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, for his part, called on Ghanaian authorities to do more to create a safe environment for journalists and media institutions, as well as artistes, ensure better flow of information without risks to journalists and artistes and stop impunity by strongly sanctioning perpetrators of attacks.



He cited some recent attacks on journalists in the country as a result of their work and the line of duty to buttress his point to create a safe environment for journalists to do their work.



The Executive Secretary of the NMC, Mr George Sarpong, said the move was to create a safe environment for the practice of journalism in order to secure free expression in the country, following some emerging threats within the environment.



Pledge



The acting Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Yakubu Abdul Majeed, and the Northern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), Mr Ibrahim Kesse, pledged their support to ensure the safety of journalists in the region.



Global threat



Each year, Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) publishes the World Press Freedom Index, which ranks 180 countries according to their media independence, transparency, acts of violence against journalists and several other criteria.



According to the latest survey, published in April 2021, journalism was seriously under threat in almost three-quarters of countries.



The report describes the situation in those places as "problematic", "bad", or "very bad".



Only 12 countries have respectable press-freedom environments, the lowest number since 2013 when the current evaluation methodology was adopted.



Between 1992 and 2021, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it had registered more than 1,400 journalists who were either attacked or killed in retaliation for their work.



Situation in Ghana



In the 2020 index, Ghana dropped three places on the World Press Freedom Index, mainly due to threats investigative reporters face in the country.



The ranking saw Ghana place 30th, after coming 27th in 2019.



The RSF observed that investigative reporters in Ghana were often threatened due to their jobs, as police attacks on journalists were not punished.



Investigative reporters are often threatened, even if journalists are rarely arrested. The vast majority of cases of police aggression against journalists go unpunished and yet timid attempts have been made to combat this impunity, it said.



The police are still trying to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the investigative journalist, Ahmed Suale, who was shot dead in 2019.



Suale, who worked with Tiger Eye PI, was shot twice at Madina in Accra in January 2019.



Just this week, journalists covering the trial of the General Overseer of the Glorious Word Power Ministry International, Rev. Isaac Owusu Bempah, at an Accra Circuit Court were harassed and prevented from effectively doing their job by both the police and some followers of Owusu-Bempah.

Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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It was an emotional and solemn scene at the Akyem Oda business centre last Wednesday when the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Seth Kwame Acheampong and his entourage visited the burnt central market.

The team, which included police, military, fire service personnel and officials from the Eastern Regional Directorate of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), was at the disaster scene to sympathise with victims of a fire outbreak at the central market and to inspect the extent of damage to property.





Accompanied by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Oda, Mr Alexander Akwasi Acquah, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Birim Central, Ms Victoria Adu and the Regional NADMO Director, Mr Kwame Kodua, the regional minister defied a downpour to address the disaster victims at the Oda central lorry park.



Before his address, Mr Acheampong had gone round the burnt market and spoken to some of the victims who had assembled their wares at every available space at the Oda business centre including some roads.



Wailing





The disaster victims wailed uncontrollably, telling the regional minister and his entourage that they had lost all their fortune and capital as a result of the disaster.



They said they would find it extremely difficult to pay back their bank loans, as well as cater for themselves and their childrens education.



Responding to their concerns, Mr Acheampong said the government would do everything possible to find them a temporary place to trade until the burnt market was rebuilt.



He said considering the severity of the damage to the structures, they had to be demolished and the entire market rebuilt.





Mr Acheampong noted with concern that the same market was destroyed by fire exactly 18 years ago. He, therefore, urged the traders to take measures to prevent the recurrence of such disasters with the attendant loss of property.



He gave an assurance that the government would reconstruct the market for them after a fact-finding technical team had submitted its report on the cause of the fire disaster.



Mr Acheampong stressed that when the market was rebuilt, traders who originally occupied the structures would be considered first before attending to new ones.



High-powered delegation





The MP, Mr Acquah, also assured the traders that a high powered government delegation would visit the destroyed market before the end of the week to assess the extent of damage and offer the needed assistance to rebuild it.



The MCE, Ms Adu, lamented that many patrons of the market from the Eastern and parts of Central and Ashanti regions would be deprived of their livelihoods as a result of the burnt market.



She stressed that she had appealed to the government and non-governmental organisation to help rehabilitate the burnt market for the patrons to get their daily bread.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Uche Edochie, one of the sons of veteran actor Pete Edochie, has narrated his battle with Covid-19, which he says felt like he was "dying".



Uche said curing Covid-19 costs a fortune in Nigeria and is probably the reason why many die from it.



He explained that the Covid-19 isolation treatment facility he was admitted to charges 350,000 Naira per day and he spent 6 million Naira treating the disease. He added that he knows someone who spent 17 million Naira to treat Covid-19.



He explained that when he initially became sick, he thought it was malaria and so was treating malaria. By the time he realized he wasn't getting better and was diagnosed with Covid-19, 80 per cent of his lungs were damaged.



He explained that he felt like he was dying and waking up over and over again while on hospital admission.



He said he's recovering now but his lungs will take months to heal completely.



He called on the government to invest in more affordable treatment for Covid-19, otherwise more people will die from the disease.











Source: LIB









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, has handed over 18 containers of Rosewood that were impounded this year to the board of trustees of the National Cathedral.

The wood was handed over yesterday in fulfillment of the government's decision to donate all confiscated Rosewood to support the construction of the cathedral.

A ceremony was held at the Achimota Depot of the Forestry Commission in Accra where Mr Jinapor handed the wood over to the President of the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council (GPCC), Rev. Professor Paul Frimpong Manso, and the Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministries, Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee, who are both members of the board of trustees of the cathedral.



Present at the event were the deputy ministers of Finance, Mr John Kumah, and Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Benito Owusu-Bio.



Clamp down on cartel



Speaking at the event, Mr Jinapor stressed that the government would go all out to clamp down on the cartel behind the illegal harvesting, transporting and exporting of the endangered tree species.



"We will go all out and ensure that the cartel and the syndicate behind the harvesting and exportation of Rosewood are actually dealt with so that we can preserve the forest cover of our country," he said.



The minister also reiterated the government's resolve to deal with all illegalities in the exploitation of the country's natural resources.



"When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the management of the natural resources of our country is going to be done in transparency, which accords with the highest standards of integrity, the President means exactly that; and those of us who have been given the privilege to assist him to preserve and manage the natural resources of our country are going to do so with a sense of integrity," he said.





Boost for project



For his part, Rev. Prof. Manso said the donation of the Rosewood was a major boost to the timely completion of the project, which was expected to be dedicated on March 6, 2024.



He assured the minister that the Rosewood would be put to good use.



The General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana, also urged members of the public to consider the national cathedral a national asset and support its construction.

"The cathedral, which is the vision of the President, is not for the President; it is not for the government; it is for Ghanaians, so let us contribute towards making it a reality," he said.



Preserve environment



He said although the board of trustees of the national cathedral project was happy about the fact that impounded Rosewood was being put to good use, the board was also concerned about the disregard for the ban on the trade in the wood.

"We are happy that a burden has been taken away from us, but we are also pleading with Ghanaians to be mindful of the environment. People should not break the law and continue to harvest Rosewood," he said.



The GPCC President further underscored the need for all citizens to be law-abiding and help to preserve the environment for posterity.





National call



While expressing gratitude to Mr Jinapor for the donation of Rosewood to the cathedral project, Mr John Kumah said more needed to be done to make the project successful.





Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Womens Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the United States (U.S.) has criticised former President Mr John Dramani Mahama for his comments that the 2024 elections will be a "do or die" at polling stations.

Such comments, it said, were least expected from the former President and presidential candidate of a recent election that cost seven lives, with several others injured.



It noted that the comment made by the former President could be misunderstood and misinterpreted by stalwarts of political parties, which might lead to a worst situation in the 2024 general election.



Electoral violence



In a press statement signed by the Womens Organiser of the NPP-USA, Mrs Barbara Boafo, the group said election-related violence did not only have negative consequences for women and children but also negatively impacted communities and the country at large.



It, therefore, expressed worry about the comment and described it as unfortunate since violence would not help anyone.



It said although Mr Mahama had explained that the comment was an idiomatic expression, it was not needful.



The statement noted that women and children constituted more than half of Ghanas population and same were the vulnerable and for that matter if anything untoward should happen before, during and after elections, they would be the most affected.



It is against this background that we, the Womens Wing of the NPP in the USA, deem the comment of Mr Mahama as unfortunate and wish to urge him to apologise to Ghanaians, especially women and children, it emphasised.



It added: "Political violence has no place in todays world and in Ghana's politics and the world in general, since it does not only have negative consequences for women and children, but also their families with subsequent effects like psychological health problems".

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Governance lecturer at the Central University, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, has condemned the politics of insults in the country.



Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah fumed at the trend where politicians and the youth insult particulary the President of Ghana and elderly people, and instead of being reprimanded, rather receive praises for their disrespect to the elderly.



He slammed the elderly for failing to discipline those who he termed as having 'diarrhoea mouth'.



"When an NPP person is talking, the person says His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, but addresses Mahama as 'that Mahama'. Come on! If Mahama was your family member or elder brother, wouldn't you like it? How many people can be President in Ghana? Likewise, when somebody is talking, the person says His Excellency John Mahama . . . what is this? Look at our generation, how many people can be President of Ghana?" he questioned.



"When the youth are insulting particularly the opponents, what do you say to them? What future generation are we building?'' he further asked.



He called for decorum saying "let's respect the Presidency".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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UBCOs new bachelor of sustainability degree will equip students to find solutions to issues such as climate change, land and water use, energy transition, and social and economic inequality.
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin speaks to reporters outside the Gatineau Police Station after being processed, in Gatineau, Que., on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. Federal lawyers argue Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin's lawsuit over his removal as head of Canada's vaccine distribution campaign is now moot because the job no longer exists. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Clarification: ConocoPhillips: Willow court decision, FID & core Alaska biz

The statement that follows remains unchanged from the earlier News Bulletin.

"We continue to review U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason's decision to vacate the Bureau of Land Management's approval of the Willow project in order to determine the best course of action for advancing the Willow project. We strongly believe that the BLM and cooperating agencies performed a robust, thorough, and extensive review of the Willow project, but we will again engage with the relevant agencies to address the matters described in the Court's decision.

"On a parallel path we will continue to perform engineering design work in anticipation of a future final investment decision (FID). However, given the recent Court decision, we do not expect to make the FID decision in 2021 and continue to be clear that we won't make the FID until the legal risks are resolved.

"We, and many important stakeholders, remain committed to Willow as the next significant North Slope project. The merits of the project represent a strong example of environmentally responsible development that offers extensive public benefits, including significant employment of Alaskan skilled labor from union and non-union trade associations and financial payments to federal, state, borough, and community governments.

"The Willow decision on August 18 has no direct impact on the remainder of the company's core business in Alaska."

- KAY CASHMAN

See story in Sept. 5 issue of Petroleum News, available Sept. 2 at www.PetroleumNews.com.

For information on PN's news bulletin service, call 907-522-9469.

PO Box 231647, Anchorage AK 99523-1647
AUGUSTA  Veterans from around the Aiken-Augusta area were part of a Friday gathering at Fort Gordon, as the Army installation held its annual ceremony honoring Americans who were taken as prisoners of war or are still missing in action.

This year's gathering was held indoors, in Darling Hall, due to weather concerns. Retired Army colonel Quin Herlik, who spent 30 days as a POW in 1969 in Cambodia and Vietnam, was among the most prominent guests.

Herlik, a native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, flew reconnaissance planes. He was among those helping place a wreath at Fort Gordon's ceremony and later described himself as "one of the very fortunate ones," in terms of having spent a relatively brief time as a POW. He was in the Army for 31 years and moved on to success in real estate.

An Army statement on preparations for the Friday event noted, "POW and MIA Recognition Day honors all the service members in America's wars who were held captive and returned home and those who remain missing. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency provides the fullest possible accounting for America's missing personnel to their families and the nation. The most current information and numbers for America's Mission in Action can be found on DPAA's website."
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Beth Newburn always knew she wanted to give back to Aiken and not just be a receiver of what it had to offer.

That mindset has led Newburn to a lifetime of service in the city she calls home.

"If anyone in Aiken says they're bored, they have a problem," Newburn said. "The town has so much to offer that new (residents) simply need to be proactive and volunteer."

Newburn was born and raised in Aiken. Her father, Edward Tyler, died of a heart attack when she was 6 years old, but she and her mother, Margaret Tyler, continued to live in the city.

After graduating from high school, Newburn attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia. While there, she was involved within campus groups and activities, forecasting what would become her passion in life. She was president of her Chi Omega sorority and the Carolina Religious Council and was also inducted into Alpha Kappa Gamma, the national women's honorary leadership fraternity.

Post-grad, she worked a few different jobs, including secretary to the director of Budget & Finance of the Atomic Energy Commission at the Savannah River Plant and office manager of the Yale Alumni Fund Office at Yale University.

She also spent some time on Capitol Hill, working as an administrative assistant to U.S. Sen. Donald Russell of South Carolina.

Newburn's employment ended, however, when she married Robert "Bob" Newburn in 1966, whom she met while working for the Atomic Energy Commission. The couple first lived in Huntsville, Alabama, where their son, Edward, was born, before moving to Bethesda, Maryland.

"Long winters, extremely cold weather, snow and horrific traffic congestion were simply not (our) idea of living," Newburn said.

Thus, the family moved south when Bob accepted a job in Aiken.

Newburn now has two granddaughters: Ann, a senior at Marist College, and Sydney, a junior at the University of Virginia.

After moving back, Newburn's longtime love of music allowed her to find a niche in which to start volunteering. She helped found the Aiken Community Playhouse and volunteered as one of the pianists.

Newburn credits the Savannah River Plant coming to the area for bringing in loads of new residents who brought "energy to the community."

"There was so much talk when the plant came to town and they referred to the newcomers as those people because they didnt want them to invade the privacy of their town," Newburn said. "I found it to be just the opposite. They brought worlds of talent and new interests."

She was also a founding member of the Aiken Symphony Guild.

More recently, Newburn was named a co-chairman of USC Aiken's All Steinway School Campaign, which was an effort to replace an old Steinway Grand piano on the Etherredge Center stage with a new Steinway 9' D Grand. There would also be smaller Steinway pianos placed in several of the university's classrooms.

Newburn did a lot of fundraising for the project to help it come together in a shorter time frame than anyone expected.

"I went to a lot of people who grew up in this town that loved it and were musicians and that I knew wanted to have their names connected with this and I got (the) money," Newburn said. "They thought it would take 10 years and it took us two because I got all those people."

USC Aiken is the only state university in South Carolina to become an All-Steinway school.

In December 2018, Newburn was named as USC Aiken's inaugural volunteer of the year for her efforts in the campaign.

Outside of music, Newburn has been involved with various other organizations, many of which relate to preservation and history, which she cares deeply about.

In 1994, she became a trustee of the Friends of Hopelands and Rye Patch, serving as the organization's secretary and later its president.

Newburn was active in two major Aiken celebrations: the city's 150th and 175th anniversaries. She served on the Sesquicentennial Board of Directors in 1985 and was co-chairman with Joan Tower for the Aiken Sesquicentennial Gala Ball, which was held under a huge white tent at the Aiken County fairgrounds.

"I don't believe I have ever seen a tent so beautifully decorated (with) so many guests in period ball gowns and men in tuxedos in the middle of a fairground," Newburn said. "Once you entered the tent, you felt as if you were in a magical fairyland!"

Many of the same people who participated in the 150th celebration returned to help ring in the 175th, which Newburn said lasted throughout the year. She served on the Steering Committee and, along with Margaret Marion, co-chaired the 175th anniversary walking tour of historic downtown Aiken, which ended with an evening of celebration at Rose Hill Estate.

Newburn said that around 1,700 people participated in the walking tour.

"Ive lived other places, but I was born (in Aiken) and its just always been a part of my life to give back," Newburn said.

Outside of Aiken, Newburn and her husband have enjoyed traveling over the years and have visited an exhaustive list of countries and territories: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland and Thailand.

Newburn said her love of traveling comes from wanting to have "new experiences."

"It broadens your horizons to visit and see other cultures," she said.

However, she was always ready to "return to (her) beloved Aiken."

I just think theres such a diversity of people and so many activities (no) matter what your interest is," Newburn said, speaking about her love for Aiken. "Theres always a niche, whether that be music, equestrian, the Center for the Arts.

"Anybody who comes to this town and says theyre bored, theyre not looking hard enough," she said.
Youre seeing The Post and Courier's weekly real estate newsletter. Receive all the latest transactions and top development, building, and home and commercial sales news to your inbox each Saturday here.

SC home sales dipped slightly in August but coast still popular

Home sales across South Carolina dipped slightly in August, mainly because of the strong showing a year earlier for the same month.

Residential real estate transactions in the Palmetto State dropped 0.2 percent last month compared to August 2020.

Last month, 9,670 houses changed hands from the mountains to the sea, with 50 percent of all sales occurring in a handful of counties along the coast, according to the South Carolina Realtors Association.

The Charleston and Myrtle Beach regions continued to show slight sales gains in August while Hilton Head Island and Beaufort both registered declines.

For the year, though, every area of the state is well ahead of last year's home sales through August.

During the first eight months, home seekers bought 75,414 houses in South Carolina. That's up 17.3 percent from 2020.

Along with the rush to buy in a high-demand, low-supply market is the ever-increasing purchase price.

In August, the median price of a house in South Carolina shot up to $285,000, about $33,000, or 13.1 percent, more than one year ago.

For the year, the median price climbed to $273,000, up $34,500, or 14.5 percent, from the first eight months of 2020.

Hilton Head continued to the lead the state in August with the most expensive homes and a median price of more than $403,000. Charleston ranked second with a median price of $349,000, and the Rock Hill area, in the Charlotte suburbs, came in third at $345,000.

The median price for homes in Greenville in August was $270,000, in Myrtle Beach it stood at $265,000 and in Columbia the price is $230,000.

Statewide in August, a home stayed on the market 37 days before being sold. That compares with 74 days just a year earlier.

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Residential real estate transactions notched a gain last month when compared to the same month in 2020. Home sales for the year are far ahead of last year for the first eight months -- and so are prices.

By the numbers

5: Number of Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar dessert restaurants either open or on the way, including one coming to Mount Pleasant.

2,200: Square footage of new outdoors clothing shop coming to Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.

30: Number of stores lifestyle brand retailer Palmetto Moon will have after its opens a new shop in Huntsville, Ala., Sept. 18-19.

This week in real estate

+ Taste of Mexico: The Indigo Road Hospitality Group brings a cuisine from south of the border with its new venue Maya on King Street.

+ Changing hands: A 220-unit, relatively new apartment development on Savannah Highway in West Ashley is now under new ownership after selling for nearly $54 million.

+ Infill development: A 16-unit housing project is proposed for an interior block not far off the Crosstown Expressway on the Charleston peninsula.

A warehouse at 518 East Bay St. that once housed furniture for a King Street retailer that's no longer in business is being considered as the site of a new apartment building with five or six floors.

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COLUMBIA  Even as South Carolina has enjoyed a robust period of economic expansion, income growth in Richland County fell behind almost every other county in the state over the past decade, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

The state's second-largest county saw its median household income rise 15 percent, to about $53,000, from 2010 to 2019, according to the latest data available. In that time it took the largest plunge in the ranks, going from the county with the seventh highest income statewide to 16th.

Other large S.C counties saw sharper increases in median household income during the same period: Charleston County, up 54 percent to nearly $71,000; Greenville County, up 41 percent to $64,000; and Horry County, up 32 percent to $53,650.

Only Hampton County, the state's sixth smallest in population, had a smaller rise in income than Richland County over the 10-year period.

The top three employment sectors in Richland County are education, government and military, University of South Carolina economist Joey Von Nessen said.

These are also slower growing sectors overall, Von Nessen said. In contrast, we look at the Upstate, which is very much saturated in advanced manufacturing. Advanced manufacturing is the fastest growing sector in the state with wages that are above the average.

Even neighboring Lexington County, while growing, has not risen as quickly as other areas. The county west of the Congaree River had the second highest median income statewide in 2010 but now it ranks eighth, with a median income of $62,000.

But while wages havent risen as quickly, the Capital City region also saw the lowest drop in employment during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, according to Von Nessen.

There are pluses and minuses to having that stability, Von Nessen said. Richland County is still growing and moving in the right direction. Manufacturing has just done so well in the last decade compared to all other sectors. If the bulk of an areas industry growth is not coming from manufacturing, of course, youre going to be slower.

Richland County's slow wage growth drove the county's economic development office to launch new efforts to build up technology-based industry and entrepreneurship, building off the financial tech sector anchored by a number of large insurance companies in the Columbia region.

This isnt just a good idea; this is essential," Richland County Economic Development Director Jeff Ruble said.

Looking at other counties, Charleston County, with the second largest spike in wages in the state, boasts a broader mix with more professional services, the defense industry, logistics with the port and healthcare, as well as advanced manufacturing there and next door in Berkley County.

Retirement communities in Horry, Beaufort and Georgetown counties, all among the state's 20 fast-growing in household income, are what keep those coastal counties ahead.

Lancaster County, which ranked far and away No. 1 for income growth, is integrated into Charlotte and its financial and professional service industries. With a lower cost of living in South Carolina, towns near the boarder have become bedroom communities to the Queen City.

"Any time you can get spillover from an adjacent region, it's a good thing," Von Nessen said. "But it can be danger if you rely on that exclusively. I don't think that is what's happening in Lancaster County."

VonNessen said the county has lured in industry of its own, with Giti Tire and the Haile gold mine.

We truly need to focus on job creation more than anything else going forward, said Carl Blackstone. president of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, who added that should include jobs across multiple industries.

Employment in Richland grew 11.5 percent over the past decade, according to S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce data. Jobs rose more than 20 percent in Greenville County and nearly 21 percent in Charleston County during the same period.

Government-heavy cities like Columbia suffer a lack of competition between companies that drives up wages, Ruble said. Richland has 25,000 government workers whose salaries often don't rise beyond adjustments for cost of living.

Still, Richland has made some progress in the past year, County Council Chairman Paul Livingston said.

Economic development investments last year more than doubled any year in the county's history, with projects including White Claw-maker Mark Anthony Brewing and expansions at an International Paper and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the state's largest insurer.

And Richland County has celebrate three of its best years of recruiting and expanding industry within the past five years, bringing in manufacturers notably China-headquartered Jushi.

I think were moving in the right direction, Livingston said. Our economic development office is thriving. It's very progressive."
The doors of the Dock Street Theatre have flung cautiously open once more, with Charleston Stage launching its 2021-22 season. It joins the ranks of the reemergent in fine, fiddling fashion with its new production of "Bright Star," the musical that represents a collaboration between Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

Yes, it's that Steve Martin. (And that Edie Brickell, too, for that matter.)

While Martin might be most famous for his comic stylings in film roles, television appearances and vinyl recordings (his 1977 "Let's Get Small" was a personal, coming-of-age revelation), that's just the jumping-off place for this ever-inquisitive artist.

He's also penned erudite plays, among them "Picasso at the Lapin Agile." He's cracked the novel, too, with his work "Shopgirl," then made into a film.

And, if that weren't enough to awaken your deep-seated fears of underachievement, he's a highly regarded banjo player to boot, even touring with bluegrass heavy-hitters like the Steep Canyon Rangers.

Many of these pursuits converge in "Bright Star," while adding more notches to his creative belt, too, by way of conceiving music, book and story. The musical made its well-received Broadway debut in 2016, going on to swoop up five Tony Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, among other creative cap feathers.

Charleston Stage's new production, directed by Julian Wiles, represents its Charleston premiere. With recently announced (and, from my experience, smooth-sailing) COVID-19 protocols in place  which include vaccination proof-checking, masking and contact-free tickets  the show also serves as a stellar example of what can transpire with mindfulness, due diligence and sheer determination to put on a show.

Now about that show. Set mainly in the 1940s in the Blue Ridge Mountains, "Bright Star" shares the time-tested tale of star-crossed lovers whose fate is sealed by meddling families, swapping out the Shakespearean blank verse for Appalachian bluegrass.

It moves its story along in song, rambling and rollicking, reflecting and ruing, with vocal performances propelled by a mesmerizing, excellent live orchestra settled in onstage.

Conducted by Sam Henderson, who is also on the keys, as is his assistant conductor Michael Lopez, musicians include Justin Parrish on banjo and guitar, John Holenko on mandolin and guitar, Thomas Norris on guitar, Jeff Narkiewicz on bass; Michael Haldeman on percussion, Christian Zamora on fiddle and Yun Hao Jiang on cello.

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The musicians ably, amiably string together the tale of Alice Murphy (Katelyn Crall), a literary magazine editor trading in top Southern talents like Carson McCullers and Eudora Welty. But decades prior, in 1923, the plucky young Alice met her match in an older, upwardly mobile Jimmy Jay Dobbs (Cedar Valdez), a man of kind nature and powerful father.

Their story is entwined with a 1940s story, too, involving an aspiring writer, Billy Cane (Roberto Mendez), just home from his WWII service, and his own paramour, Margo Crawford (Molly Burris).

And like a genial bluegrass melody, "Bright Star" sings of troubled pasts and mountain picnics, all with tender, reflective tone that assures you that this will pass on by, like a burbling mountain stream. It lands on the highs and lows of our hardscrabble human experience, a winsome summer butterfly touching upon darkness and light as the band plays on.

Ever in command, Crall employs her strong, steady vocals to offer both narrative ballast and emotional resonance, underscoring the work's sound choice of an accomplished woman at its heart. It's her show, as she tells you from the get-go in "If You Knew My Story."

At the same time, Valdez's pleasing voice is well-suited for Alice's sympathetic, affecting male counterpart, coming together in lovely duets like "I Had a Vision." Mendez and Burris hold their own, wide-eyed appeal as their young counterparts.

As magazine employee Lucy Grant, Julia Kelly-Davis is always good for economic levity, here with a laudable assist from Derek T. Pickens. Colin Waters as Mayor Josiah Dobbs lends fitting menace. A committed, sizable ensemble completes the cast.

It's true, you're going to take to this show more for its picking than its stepping. Dance numbers grapple with the stage's space constraints and can be rendered leaden, reining in a joy ride I'd have gladly jumped on after all these months.

All this takes place on scenic designer Kimberly Powers' smartly conceived, rough-hewn, yet clean set. Asheville, N.C., scenes are noted by a central, tilted retro postcard of the place. A backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains majestically rest in a framed tableau. Suitably vintage-looking desks, books and road signs glide on and off as need be.

All in all, "Bright Star" served as a beguiling, fiddle-rich reentry into live theater, mining burgeoning love and inestimable loss, dreams dashed and some delivered, too. A gentle, Southern-spun lifeline, it's a bright star in and of itself. Such well-wrought tales and tunes, to borrow from the show's own lyrics, may like a bright star shine on and see us through the darkest night.
CONWAY  The State Law Enforcement Division continues to investigate a recent deadly officer-involved shooting, leaving one Horry County family seeking answers and the solicitors office promising transparency.

The man killed, 33-year-old Tristan Vereen from the Longs area, died at Grand Strand Medical Center from injuries he suffered because of a gunshot wound after a police chase, Horry County Deputy Coroner Darris Fowler said.

The incident occurred after a S.C. Highway Patrol trooper attempted to pull Vereen over for an equipment violation in a rural part of Horry County. Vereen's relatives said he was stopped for a cracked windshield, a detail that was not confirmed with authorities.

No one should have to die because of a cracked windshield, Racial Justice Network National President Elder James Johnson said during a news conference with Vereens family on Sept. 16. It is very sad, and I will say this, after watching that video, I believe that he was murdered.

Master Trooper W.B. Benton was patrolling on S.C. 905 near S.C. 22 on Sept. 11 around 3:30 p.m. when he attempted to pull over Vereens vehicle.

Vereen sped away, traveling north on S.C. 905, when the chase ended after he crashed into a utility shed near McNeil Chapel Road, a police report said.

When Benton attempted to place Vereen under arrest after a foot chase, a struggle ensued and the trooper fired his gun, striking Vereen, the report said.

Benton also was injured during the incident and transported to Conway Hospital.

Jimmy Richardson, the 15th Judicial Circuit Solicitor told reporters that he had met with Vereens family and showed them dashcam and other surveillance footage from the incident because the prosecutor didnt want any misinformation going to the public.

Benton was not wearing a body cam during the incident, Richardson said.

The solicitor said he waiting for a final report by SLED, which could take six weeks. SLED investigate most shootings by police in the state.

SLED is working as hard as they can, and collecting evidence as quickly as they can, Richardson said.

Richardson said the officer needed surgery and released some photographs of his injuries, which he said resulted from Vereen taking control of Bentons taser, leaving what he described as bee stings. He also said Vereen allegedly bit Benton.

My job from this point forward is to see whether or not the officer committed a crime and if so, then SLED would have to get warrants, that sort of stuff, Richardson said. Were not there yet, but thats what the process would look like.

Benton was placed on administrative leave following the shooting, which is standard agency protocol following an officer-involved shooting, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The incident in Horry County was the 28th officer-involved shooting in South Carolina in 2021. In 2020, there were 49 officer-involved shootings in South Carolina; two involved the Highway Patrol.
MYRTLE BEACH  Starting next year, Myrtle Beach's retired employees will no longer have city insurance, causing former firefighters to speak out during a Sept. 14 city council meeting.

Prior to the meeting, a dozen residents and former firefighters held a rally outside the Ted C. Collins Law Enforcement Center before heading into the meeting to voice their opinions.

Earlier this year, the city made the decision to cut the insurance policy due to high costs and budget constraints and informed retired employees that they would need to get insurance via the private market. The change affects 101 employees.

Currently, the rate is $1,392.19 a month for retirees under the age of 65. Once individuals turn 65, they are eligible for Medicare, so the main concern falls to former employees under 65. The cost is much lower for current employees at $830.42 a month, which is paid by the city.

The high cost for the retirees under 65 is why the city cut the insurance, Myrtle Beach spokesman Mark Kruea said.

In recent years, premiums for the pre-65 retiree group have risen to the point that larger insurance carriers offer comparable, more affordable insurance coverage than the city can feasibly provide, Kruea said in statement. "We do not believe that the employee and dependent groups should be charged more in premiums to subsidize the pre-65 retiree group.

Last year, 50 city employees were forced into early retirement because of budget constraints, according to WMBF. Wendy Simmons, a former firefighter, said those employees were unaware of the change in health insurance.

We made (the) decision (to retire) without the knowledge that the city would soon be taking us off the insurance and throwing us figuratively to the wolves, Simmons said during the Sept. 14 city council meeting.

While employees across the city are affected by this decision, public safety employees tend to retire earlier because of the jobs physical demands.

Roger Odachowski, president of the Professional Firefighters Association of South Carolina, critiqued the citys retention rate stating if the city spent less funding hiring new people they could have more funding for retirement benefits.

Odachowski, who worked for the city of Anderson, added under Myrtle Beachs new policy he would be forced to sell his home and file for bankruptcy as he is currently undergoing cancer treatment.

(Myrtle Beach) is a wonderful destination  and a place to be  unfortunately not for city workers," Odachowski said. "There are great men and women who work here; retain them, keep your promises."

Mayor Brenda Bethune made it clear the firefighters who spoke out did not represent all the employees.

Thank you for being here today, but you do not represent all 900 city employees, Bethune said after Odachowski finished his comments.

She later continued: We will deal with facts, we will not let our emotions take over our intellect, and all I can assure you of is that we will continue to look into this situation.

Comparatively, the city of Conway still offers insurance to its retired city employees, including public safety employees. Horry County cut its insurance for retired employees in 2011, due to budget cuts, according to the county's website.
Waiting on the sidewalk on Broad Street, Margaret Seidler held a copy of the book that led her to the woman she was about to meet.

After months of emails and long phone calls, theyd decided to convene in front of the bronze historic marker that was placed there early this year.

It explains how many of the buildings on that street had been auction houses used for the domestic slave trade. William Payne, who operated his business at that particular spot, brokered the sale of more than 10,000 enslaved people.

Seidler started working on the marker after uncovering something that had been unknown to her all her life: that her ancestors profited greatly from the domestic slave trade. Payne was Seidlers great-great-great-great-grandfather.

Getting the marker placed was one of her goals, with an aim to put more of Charlestons true history in plain view. But she knew she wanted to use her research for another purpose, too: to find and connect with descendants of people who were enslaved by the Payne family.

Going into it, she knew it wouldnt be easy to find them; most records she had of Paynes sales listed only first names.

And even if she found someone, there was no guarantee they would want to talk to her.

But, she figured, it was worth it to try.

The search

Placing the marker was a puzzle in and of itself. The streets of downtown Charleston have been renumbered several times over the past three centuries. Actually pinpointing where Payne operated his business required detailed research.

The task of finding descendants was proving to be difficult, too.

It was when she started searching for references to Josiah Payne, Williams son who carried on the business, that she found something. A book on slaveholding in South Carolina mentioned a specific sale he made.

That passage cited names, and those names led to a family-owned funeral home in Bennettsville.

Seidler drafted a message and sent it to the email address listed on the funeral homes website, with the subject line: Historical Connections to the Morris Family.

My hope is to reach out to the Morris family and to explore the lineage of Caroline and Rosana Morris, siblings to Joseph Morris all born in Charleston, she began.

Briefly, she laid out how shed found their names and the connection to her family, whom shed learned werent who she thought they were  poor German immigrants from Charlestons East Side  and were actually traders of enslaved people who had profited greatly from the institution of slavery.

Would like to discuss with those who are interested, she wrote.

Then, she waited.

Making connections

When Mia McLeod, who handles communications for her familys funeral home in Bennettsville, received an email from a woman shed never met telling her shed uncovered a link between their families, she didnt really know what to think.

But McLeod dialed the number Seidler left at the bottom of the email, mostly because she knew thats what her late father, who was the family historian, would have wanted.

When Margaret answered the phone, she was elated to hear the call was in response to her email, then surprised to discover she recognized the name of the woman on the other end. McLeod is a state senator who previously served in the S.C. House of Representatives; she recently announced her run for governor.

During that first call, McLeod and Seidler talked for a long time. Seidler shared what she had found and how she found it.

The new information filled out a history that linked McLeods family to Charleston in ways she hadnt known. Up to now, the deepest dive her family had done into their history was what her dad had found. McLeod knew about her great-great-grandfather, Joseph W. Morris.

She knew Joseph was born in Charleston and had started his education there. She knew he went on to attend Howard University, then graduated from law school in Columbia and became president of Allen University in the late 1800s. She knew Joseph had been tapped to serve in the S.C. House of Representatives but had declined the appointment to continue his studies.

Already McLeod had been collecting more and more information about Joseph.

But what Seidler was telling her would change one detail of his story as McLeod had known it: Her family had always thought Joseph was born free.

The truth was more complicated.

The book

Larry Koger was searching for examples to include in his book Black Slaveowners, when he came across the Morris family.

Records show that in 1849, John Morris, a free Black man, bought his two daughters, Rosana and Carolina, for $300 from Josiah Payne. Then, in 1851, he bought his son, Joseph, and his wife, Grace, from William Bee for $500.

After being bought by their father, Joseph and his mother and siblings technically were still enslaved, but they likely blended into the free Black community.

Even though they had the stigma of slavery on them, they werent treated as slaves, said Koger. They were treated as family, just as you or I would treat family.

John Morris stated that his loved ones were free Blacks for the census, Koger wrote in his book, but he still paid the citys slave taxes.

At that time, an enslaved person could only be freed by an act of the Legislature, so it was a virtual impossibility for John to free his family in a legal sense.

If the laws were changed, he would have freed his family, Koger said.

In May, Koger presented research from his book to the S.C. Genealogy Society's Charleston Chapter via Zoom, and McLeod and some of her family members joined the call. Koger also recently gave a talk about his book to the Charleston Tour Association.

Its interesting, if a little weird, he said, to see a kind of resurgence in interest in his book, which he started working on when he was an undergrad.

Koger, who now is retired from a career mainly in law enforcement, continued working on the research as a graduate student at Howard University and published the book in 1985.

Just a few days before Seidler was supposed to meet McLeod, she serendipitously found Kogers book in the gift shop of the Cotton Museum in Bishopville.

She bought it, so McLeod could have her own copy and wrote an inscription inside, "For Mia McLeod, my sister in S.C. history.

Meet at the marker

Late in the afternoon on Sept. 14, McLeod and Seidler stood together silently as McLeod read the marker for the first time.

Its unknown if John Morris had come to that spot to purchase his daughters from Payne, but its possible, Seidler said. Theres no record of where the sale occurred.

They embraced, and Seidler gave McLeod the book, pointing out a note shed written inside.

I got so much more than what I was expecting when I made that phone call, McLeod said.

She knew her roots in South Carolina ran deep, she said, but she couldn't have expected how her understanding of her family history would change after that first phone call.

Its been a gift, McLeod said. I think anytime we learn more about our ancestors, we learn more about ourselves and who we are and why we occupy the spaces we do.

"I can't wait to read this," McLeod said, pointing to the book.

There's still so much more to learn.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A few showers this morning with isolated thunderstorms developing during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 69F. Winds light and variable.
More than 12,000 people are released from state and federal prisons every week in the United States. As few communities have sufficient or effective support systems, 71% of these individuals are rearrested within five years.

Failed reentry into society disproportionately impacts people in poverty and people of color, and it harms more than the individual: Children and families suffer, sometimes for generations, and our communities are less safe and bear tremendous financial burdens.

But real change is possible  and happening now  through successful partnerships between researchers, policymakers and corrections officials. South Carolina emerges as an example of true successful collaboration.

Bryan Stirling took the helm as the director of the S.C. Department of Corrections in 2013 and dramatically expanded access to evidence-based programs and opportunities for those incarcerated, instituting critical supports such as training, reconnecting individuals to their family members and lining up post-release housing. And these strategies have worked; the recidivism rate hit an all-time low of just 22% this year  the lowest in the nation.

In 2019, Stirling doubled down on his commitment to this success by partnering with researchers from the Institute for Justice Research and Development and policy experts from Safe Streets & Second Chances. Together, we are implementing the institute's 5-Key Model in prisons and communities in the greater Greenville-Spartanburg region, helping individuals leaving prison develop well-being in five areas: healthy thinking patterns, meaningful work trajectories, effective coping strategies, positive social engagement and positive interpersonal relationships.

Results show that those who participate in the 5-Key Model are less likely to return to prison than those who just receive whatever reentry services are already available in the community.

This unique researcher-policymaker-practitioner partnership has benefits that extend far beyond the borders of South Carolina. Implementing data-driven programs such as the 5-Key Model among individuals preparing for release sets them up for successful community reentry and provides them with critical support and community resources.

The information gleaned from reentry participants is rapidly translated into durable policy solutions to enact critical reforms to correctional policy and practice. Policy reforms are situated within the local context to maximize impact, and because they were created in collaboration with corrections officials, they can be feasibly implemented in the correctional space.

While South Carolina is on the vanguard of reentry reform, the Institute for Justice Research and Development and Safe Streets & Second Chances also partner with other states to scale up success. Our goal is to use data and research to facilitate constant improvement and create scalable, data-driven reform across the nation.

Theres a lot at stake. Disrupting the endless cycle of incarceration, release and reincarceration is more than simple altruism. Less crime means safer communities. Millions of taxpayer dollars that would otherwise be spent guarding and housing incarcerated individuals can be reinvested in communities. When individuals do well, their families do well; when parents succeed, their children succeed. Together, we can end mass incarceration by tethering reforms to data, ensuring that we address inequity while providing individuals with the tools they need to thrive.

The innovations in South Carolina will help shape best practices for smart, public-safety-focused criminal justice reform across the country. Join us in continuing to learn more, and care more, about the more than 600,000 individuals who leave incarceration and return home to our communities every year.

Doing so will benefit us all.

Carrie Pettus is the founding executive director of the Institute for Justice Research and Development. John Koufos is the executive director of the Taking Action for Good Foundation.
Writings on the Wall

This week I am going to talk about the race for governor, but first I want to mention booster shots. Last Wednesday, I went to the university  Read more
BLUE BELL  A disaster recovery center organized to help Montgomery County residents and business owners who were affected by the remnants of Hurricane Ida opened Friday at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell.

The DRC will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Health Sciences Center  Educational Gymnasium at Montgomery County Community College, located at 340 DeKalb Pike, in Blue Bell.

Parking is free on site and SEPTA bus routes 96 and 94 both service this location. Masks are required for entry into the DRC.

Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will be available to assist homeowners, renters, and business owners in applying for federal aid. In addition, they will be able to answer questions and provide information on the types of federal help available as a result of the Major Disaster Declaration for the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Additional agencies and services will be present once the DRC reaches full operational capability next week.

Montgomery County, as well as Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, and York counties were designated for Individual Assistance under the Major Disaster Declaration. Residents from any of these designated counties can visit the DRC for federal and state services, but certain county government services will be limited to Montgomery County residents and business owners.

Specialists at this temporary disaster recovery center are equipped to help individuals apply with FEMA, upload documents needed in the application process and answer questions about specific cases. In addition, Customer Service Representatives from the Small Business Administration will also be on hand to provide program information, answer any questions and explain how to apply for SBAs low-interest disaster loans for businesses, private non-profits, homeowners and renters.

Before applying for disaster assistance, applicants should take photos to document damaged property, make a list of damaged or lost items, and compile the following information: Social Security number; address of the damaged primary residence; insurance coverage information; current telephone number and mailing address; and bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds.

Residents and business owners with insurance must file a claim with their insurance company prior to applying for federal aid. Then, apply for disaster assistance using one of the below methods:

In-person at the Disaster Recovery Center (DRC)

Online at www.disasterassistance.gov (Spanish: www.disasterassistance.gov/es)

Over the phone at 1-800-621-3362. Multilingual operators are available. Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711 or VRS (Video Relay Service) or require accommodations while visiting the DRC, call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free numbers are open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST. via the FEMA mobile app (also in Spanish), wherever you get your mobile applications.

The registration deadline for federal assistance is November 10, 2021. Visiting the DRC is not required in order to apply.

Impacted Montgomery County residents should visit www.montcopa.org/Ida to access available resources and current recovery information.
On September 1 Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley pronounced the August 29 drone strike in Kabul a righteous strike. The strike allegedly prevented a horrendous ISIS attack. The Biden administration touted the drone strike as proof of our so-called over the horizon capability to deal with national security threats in Afghanistan following our departure in disgrace.

On September 10 the New York Times reported that the evidence suggested no ISIS bomb, as the headline put it. We noted the Times story that day in About that drone strike. It turns out that the strike killed an Afghan friendly and others including seven children.

Yesterday afternoon Centcom Commander Kenneth McKenzie appeared remotely at a Pentagon briefing to confirm the Times reporting in every essential detail. The Defense Department has posted a transcript as well as video of the briefing.

The Pentagon investigation has concluded that the strike was not righteous. We already knew that General Milley is a self-righteous fool. General McKenzie has now proclaimed his responsibility for what is deemed a tragic mistake. What McKenzies acceptance of responsibility means in this case is not clear.

Milley himself issued a written statement. As the Times puts it: On Friday, General Milley suggested that he spoke too soon.

This is the upshot of McKenzies briefing provided by the Times:

Almost everything senior defense officials asserted in the hours, and then days, and then weeks after the Aug. 29 drone strike turned out to be false. The explosives the military claimed were loaded in the trunk of a white Toyota sedan struck by the drones Hellfire missile were probably water bottles, and a secondary explosion in the courtyard in a densely populated Kabul neighborhood where the attack took place was probably a propane or gas tank, officials said. In short, the car posed no threat at all, investigators concluded.

You have to take in McKenzies briefing to have any idea of the concatenation of errors underlying the attack. The intelligence featured a white Toyota Corolla. The white Toyota Corolla was only the first of many mistakes. The Times takes up the innocent human target of the strike and correctly refers to one mistaken judgment after another:

Senior Defense Department leaders conceded that the driver of the car, Zemari Ahmadi, a longtime worker for a U.S. aid group, had nothing to do with the Islamic State, contrary to what military officials had previously asserted. Mr. Ahmadis only connection to the terrorist group appeared to be a fleeting and innocuous interaction with people in what the military believed was an ISIS safe house in Kabul, an initial link that led military analysts to make one mistaken judgment after another while tracking Mr. Ahmadis movements in the sedan for the next eight hours.

In the questions and answers following his prepared statement McKenzie acknowledged that the Pentagon investigation relied in part on the Times story. One can only wonder if the fiasco would ever have come to light or been publicly acknowledged were it not for the Times story.

This was the first question posed to McKenzie following his statement: General, this is a complete and utter failure. Can you explain how this possibly could have happened? McKenzies response sounded an unintentionally satirical note reminiscent of of Dr. Strangelove:

Well Tom, this particular strike was certainly was a terrible mistake and we certainly regret that, and Ive been very clear that we take full responsibility for it. At the same time we were carrying out a number of complex operations designed to defend ourselves. We conducted a strike a couple of days ago at Nangarhar that was very successful. We conducted other operations across the battle stage to defend ourselves during this very difficult 48-hour period when so many imminent threats were manifested. So while I agree with it, this strike certainly did not come up to our standards, and I profoundly regret it. I would not qualify the entire operation in those terms.

Will anyone be held responsible? We are in the process right now of continuing that line of investigation, and I have nothing for you now because that involves personnel issues.

Will reparations be paid to the family? [A]s I said in my statement we are considering ex gratia or reparations for this, and thatd ultimately be a matter for policy, so were in consultation with the office of the Secretary of Defense to determine a way forward there. As you will also understand its very difficult to reach out on the ground in Afghanistan to actually reach people, but we are very interested in doing that and well move on it based on our ability to do that.

In short, like future over the horizon operations to be conducted in Afghanistan, its complicated.

Speaking of which, this wasnt an over the horizon operation: I would reject a parallel between this operation and an over-the-horizon strike against an ISIS-K target, again, because we will have an opportunity to further develop the target and time to look at pattern of life. That time was not available to us because this was imminent threat to our forces.I dont think you should draw any conclusions about our ability to strike in Afghanistan against ISIS-K targets in the future based on this particular strike.

On the other hand, the strike was ordered by the Over the Horizon Commander: [I]n this case, the target engagement authority is held by the Over the Horizon Commander whos forward in the theater. The Over the Horizon Strike Cell Commander, I should say.

McKenzie omitted any itemization of the numerous errors on which the strike was predicated. The news stories on the briefing fail to capture the absurdities. One has to take in the briefing itself. The Pentagon video is not embeddable. The video below begins at about 4:00.
Controversy has swirled around the 2020 election for almost a year now. What really happened? Did the Democrats steal the presidential election? And if so, how?

Mollie Hemingway has been investigating issues surrounding the election since the beginning of 2021. She is one of the best and most fearless analysts and writers now working. (For just one example, see the acceptance speech that she delivered earlier this week upon being awarded the 2021 Bradley Prize.) Mollie has written a book titled Rigged: How the Media, Big Tech, and the Democrats Seized Our Elections, which you can buy from Barnes & Noble at the link. (Mollie is not a fan of Amazon.)

Rigged is scrupulously researched and includes no tinfoil-hat speculation. It promises to be the best book about the 2020 election. Its publication date is October 12, and I recommend it highly.

Happily, Mollie is coming to Minnesota on October 19 to speak at Center of the American Experiments Fall Briefing. If you live within driving distance, it should be a great event. The venue is Sovereign Estate, a winery located on Lake Waconia, southwest of the Twin Cities. I interviewed Mollie last week, and an edited version of that Q and A will appear in the October issue of Thinking Minnesota, one of Americas top conservative publications with a circulation of well over 100,000. If you send your name and mailing address to [email protected], you can subscribe to Thinking Minnesota for free. I recommend it.

If you can make your way to Waconia on the evening of October 19, you can get more information and buy tickets to the Fall Briefing here. This is one of the two fundraisers that American Experiment puts on every year. It would be great to see some Power Line readers at the event. It is likely to sell out, so if you want to attend it would be good to buy your tickets now.
Whitemoney, the fashion-loving ladies man in the ongoing BBNaija Shine Ya Eyes season, is one fashionista to watch.

Since the reality show began eight weeks ago, the 29-year-old businessman has continued to wow viewers with his exceptional outfits.

He made a grand entry into the Big brothers house, donning a well-tailored black pantsuit made from the Ise-Agu fabric. He completed the look with the Ofor which he held firmly.

From his outfits, you can tell his personality and tribe. His style is quite eclectic and fashion-forward.

These days, outfits worn by the show host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Whitemoney have remained a spectacle during the Sunday live eviction show.

Aside from the relationship drama and regular catfights that characterised the 2020 Big Brother Naija Lockdown house, one thing you couldnt take away from the male housemates was their sense of style. The boys made many style statements with their outfits and accessories.

But, this year, Whitemoney is undoubtedly the most fashionable male housemate and we are about to prove just that.

Here are five times Whitemoney made a fashion statement with his outfits:

Whitemoneys Isi-Agu outfit

Whitemoney rocked the Isi-Agu costume on two unique occasions. The first time was during his entry into the big brother and the next time was during a cultural display by housemates.

WhiteMoneys style of the Isi-Agu goes beyond conventional. The Ise- Agu is usually sown as a long-sleeve gown but he chose to transform the signature fabric into a suit.

Tekena Clinton, a big fan of Whitemoney described Whitemoneys style as exquisite and a rich blend of western and African pieces during an interview with PREMIUM TIMES. Clinton said the light-skinned housemates is largely inspired by his Eastern Nigerian roots.

Whitemoneys python skin pantsuit

Now, this outfit was a hit. The choice of a black designers suit in python skin design, a black turtleneck top with silver trimmings and hand chain, could simply be described as Classic.

Whitemoneys Saturday night party (urban wear)

This attire was no doubt a conversation starter. He styled this urban outfit in the most creative way. His accessories also took the outfit from basic to topnotch.

Whitemoneys Senator outfit

Whitemoney clearly loves gold and black outfits and always finds a way to make them classy and classic. We loved this outfit in particular because it was themed yet contemporary.

Whitemoney Sunday eviction outfit (Ankara Suit )

This was the outfit that further established Whitemoney as a fashion icon. It screamed royalty. Think Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in Coming to America.

Whitemoney is one of the housemates tipped to make it to the final and even win the N90 million star prize when the show ends on October 10.
Abiodun Salami is a senior geneticist with DNA Centre for Paternity Test, Allen Avenue in Ikeja, Lagos. For over 10 years, DNA Centre has provided comprehensive DNA testing services in three main areas: paternity and other family relationships, Immigration, and DNA tests during pregnancy  Prenatal DNA test. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Abiodun speaks about paternity fraud and the practice of DNA testing in Nigeria.

Excerpts:

PT: There appears to be renewed interest in DNA testing in Nigeria. Why do you think this is happening?

Salami: Well, there are several reasons. The first reason is immigration purposes because when you are travelling abroad, you will be required to carry out a DNA test on the kids who would be accompanying you, especially if you say you are the parent. The second reason could be child trafficking. At the airport, if you are a woman and you are traveling with a child less than six months, you will be asked to go for a maternity test to confirm if you are the mother of the child.

PT: Oh, there is a maternity test too?

Salami: Yes. We do maternity testing to ascertain the mother of a child. The third reason is a major reason  infidelity in marriage. There are so many issues online, I mean, we have read and seen cases of fathers raising children that dont belong to them. It has always been like that, sincerely, but because of social media, people can now share and we know what is happening. People are getting to know that they can actually do DNA testing to know the father of the child, instead of raising a child for more than five, six years only to discover he is not your own.

PT: What was the patronage like at your facility prior to this renewed awareness?

Salami: Let me give you the statistics. Before now, we do an average of 100 DNA tests in a month, but now we handle as many as 400 cases monthly.

The statistics are mind-blowing. You discover that almost 60 percent of the tests that people come to do are negative. In fact, 6 out of every 10 paternity tests turn out negative. Statistically, in DNA paternity testing, most times, in Nigeria, we see that six out of every 10 children might not be fathered by their biological father.

PT: The statistic is baffling.

Salami: Yes, but it is also a biased statistic. Because for someone to walk in here, he already suspects that there is an issue. There is really a doubt already and most people wont believe that statistics until it happens to them. I always advise men, it is good to trust, but verify. Things are happening. If everyone starts doing DNA tests, the whole country will scatter. There will be no marriages again.

Most female undergraduates now have one man or the other sponsoring their education aside from their father. These are the men that will eventually be the chairmen at their wedding. These are the men they are actually sleeping with. From experience in DNA testings, most firstborns are not fathered by the husbands at home, because these people have a prior relationship before getting married. Most times, they continue with that relationship, they dont leave it after marriage.

PT: How would couples who welcomed their kids via assisted reproduction manage privacy, especially when a DNA test is required of them for immigration purposes?

Salami: We had a case of a family that did IVF and used a surrogate mother. When they wanted to travel out, the embassy sent them here to carry out a paternity and maternity test to discover that they were not the real parents of their babies. We discovered that the fertility clinic they used actually mixed the mans sperm. They had triplets, two children were from the mans sperm cells and one was not from him. The two other children were from the mothers cells and one was not from her. They had to go back to the agency to find out what happened. Probably, there was a mixture of sperm cells or eggs. But normally, even if they used a surrogate mother, the children will take their DNA from the egg or sperm donor, so it doesnt really matter.

PT: This means there shouldnt be any form of secrecy if the parents conceived via IVF, for instance. They need to open up to the geneticist right?

Salami: Yes, they should open up because we will detect. Normally, it should be a perfect match. If you are doing a paternity test for a child and samples taken from both parents, it should have a perfect match. This is because each child will take half of the chromosome from the father and another half from the mother. If there is a mismatch, there is a problem. Now, if we are having a perfect match for the father and an almost imperfect match from the mother, we will ask questions.

Most times, when a woman is the gestational carrier  she owns the egg. But in rare cases when fluid passes through the uterus, I mean the fallopian tube, there is a mixture of blood going from the mother to the baby. And when there is a mixture, some parts of the DNA of the gestational mother will go into the baby, just a few. So when there is a mismatch, we know it was an IVF that occurred.

PT: Cryptic pregnancy appears to be a thing in Nigeria.

Salami: You know cases where couples that have been trying to conceive for years then go where they tell them they can give them baby, they pay, the mother will tell them the sex she wants.

In most cases, they inject a sex hormone into the woman and they tell them not to go for a scan. Eventually, when they give birth and they come for a test, we discover that the husband or wife does not own the child. So, she feels she is actually pregnant because she exhibits all the signs of pregnancy and they will be the ones to tell her she is due. But when she wakes up, shell see a baby the people claiming to cut off the umbilical cord from her, whereas it is another baby they brought from the labour room. So, when we do a maternity test, we discover that the baby is not hers. So, we tell them to go back and tell them the child is not theirs. So, we have seen cases like that. This is what we call cryptic pregnancy.

PT: What is the craziest youve experienced?

Salami: A lot. Let me see. We have had cases where two men fight over a child. They were a childless couple before the wife got pregnant for her childhood boyfriend. She gave birth to twins boys, who incidentally looked a lot like her husband but the man outside was pressuring her to bring the children, saying he was ready to marry her. It became a big issue and when it came to the issue of child custody the court brought them for a test and we discovered that the man at home and her childhood boyfriend were not even the father of the child.

PT: Can a mistake occur during DNA testing?

Salami: It is possible to make human error, especially when there is a mix-up with the sample. That is a human error but it is very rare. But there are also cases where we have Chimeras syndrome, but it is also rare. This is when a womans DNA does not match that of her child. It is very rare, probably one in a million cases.

PT: How much does it cost to undergo a DNA test? Please take us through the process.

Salami: It costs about N60,000 per person, which is about N120, 000 for father and child. We use different samples like the mouth swab, hair, blood, wax, sweat, chewing gum, and toothbrush. But the best is the mouth swab where you just use cotton wool, it is those lose cells from the mouth that we extract the DNA from the nucleus of those cells. Once the DNAs are extracted we then compare the genes. As a human being, I inherit half of the genes from my father and another half from my mother. So, what we do is to compare half of my fathers DNA with half of mine and there must be a complete match. If there is a complete match, then the probability of paternity is about 99.99%. If there is a mismatch in one or two or three places, it will automatically come down to zero. That means we are not related and the results are ready within a week or at least seven working days.

PT: Do you counsel couples before you carry out the DNA test?

Salami: Yes, we do that a lot. Even post-testing, when the result comes, we see some men crying and saying that they have made a mistake by not taking care of a child because he thought he wasnt his. Some men also break down when they discover that he has been raising another mans son.

Its worse when the wife isnt remorseful. We have seen a lot, we counsel. There have been cases when a man will come for a DNA test and the result comes out negative and after lots of talk and counsel, the wife insists that she didnt have any extramarital affair. We then conducted a maternity test and discovered that the woman was also not the mother of that child. We then ruled out infidelity and realised that the baby was switched at the hospital shortly after birth. Most times this occurs when the wrong name tag is put on the childs hands.

PT: How can hospitals avoid this costly mistake?

Salami: Well, training of the nurses. Then the name tag, maybe they will use another technology and not using a biro to label baby. If they can use scan  scan the mothers and babys hands. It is much better than using biro and paper to tag baby A and B and it falls off and they slap it on another baby. That happens a lot.

PT: Do couples walk into your hospital or do you meet them at their preferred location?

Salami: Most times, it is the fathers that come without informing their wives.

PT: Do you encourage this?

Salami: It now depends on their own decision. Let me give you an instance of what happened recently. The man came around recently and according to him, he was ill. So he left his car at the office and a pool car brought him home and he was resting downstairs in his home. Later in the evening, he overheard his wifes phone conversation with her lover. She was breastfeeding their seven-month-old baby and was saying, Kayode, your baby will resemble you, your baby is biting my nipples. Then she said the baby should take the phone and talk to his daddy. Our client didnt say anything to his wife  he was so surprised and then brought the baby for a DNA test. In that case, would you tell the wife? And when the result came, truthfully, he was not the father of the child. These are reasons why men will not want to tell their wives.

PT: Do you also have cases where the women themselves come behind their husbands to do the test?

Salami: Yes, they come. But this time, they come with the fathers sample. Most times, they come with the mans toothbrush to know if the child is their husbands. They dont tell the man  we extract the DNA of the man and compare it with the child and they take the result.

Sometimes, the finding could be that their husband owns the child, and sometimes, it could go the other way.

PT: Im sure during the course of this your job, youve seen many marriages crash?

Salami: I would only assume because once we do the test, we counsel and the decision is theirs, do you understand? But it is always good to know the truth than live in deception, you will agree with me. It is best to allow the children to have a relationship with their real biological parents, because most times, the truth will always come out, one way or the other.

Except its a case of assisted, every other process should be as transparent as possible.

PT: What other tests do you carry out at your centre?

Salami: Well, strictly, we only do DNA testing. But there are different types of DNA testing. We have the paternity test to determine the father of a child. We have a maternity test to determine if the mother of a child. We have avuncular testing to determine paternity when the father is not available for testing. An avuncular test will also determine if a sibling (a full blood brother or sister) of the father in question is related to a child, and thus prove paternity. We can do also an uncle-child or aunt-child test in avuncular testing.

We have DNA profiling whereby the people will do their DNA test and keep it in a file for 15 years so that they dont need to exhume their body when they are deceased because of paternity issues. So once you have the genetic profile of the deceased, we just have to compare it with that of their children.

We do blank parenting testing when the parents are dead. If the late mother for instance was an only child, you can use her parents. We test the samples of the grandparents to see if there is a relationship between the grandparents and the child.

The male lineage or Y-STR paternal lineage test can confirm a father-son relationship by determining if a child is related to an alleged fathers other male relative, for example, his brother, father, or grandfather. We do the male lineage or Y-STR paternal lineage test mostly to resolve kingship tussles.

PT: Is the practice regulated in Nigeria?

Salami: Yes it is, but not many people are not aware of the possibilities in DNA testing. We need to keep sensitising people. Did you know that genetics can help curb corruption and solve high-profile criminal cases?

When it comes to fighting corruption in this country, for example, the government can pass a law mandating that every child born in Nigeria must have their DNA profiles done. If you have the DNA profile of every Nigerian, all these issues of theft and armed robbery will be minimal because they know that their genetic footprints or fingerprints will always give them out. People will no longer rape and go scot-free in this country. What if I told you that some of these crimes are committed by the same criminals who should be in prison. If the government can pass a law, for instance, mandating the creation of a DNA database of all the prisoners in this country, the crime rate will greatly reduce in Nigeria.
Jolted by two consecutive investigative reports by PREMIUM TIMES x-raying procurement irregularities and sophisticated corruption of due process at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the presidency this week summoned the Corporations Group Managing Director (GMD), Mele Kyari, to the Villa.

The GMD was summoned to explain how, under his watch, an intricate web was woven by top officials to dispose 30 million litres of slop oil in a manner that violated the nations public procurement regulations.

In the wake of the inability of Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries to produce Low Pour Fuel Oil (LPFO) as a result of a major rehabilitation exercise slated to last 44 months, slop oil is the only alternative to LPFO, a product of fractional distillation used to power boilers in manufacturing facilities, including cement factories.

Without slop oil as an alternative, most manufacturing facilities in the country would be shut down with the attendant layoff of thousands of workers.

Consequently, available slop oil in Nigeria is viewed as a national strategic stock. It is this stock that cash-hungry NNPC officials contrived and sold off to export companies who will ship them to overseas end users.

NNPCs action outraged local stakeholders who considered the transaction as an affront on President Muhammadu Buharis policy of supporting local manufacturing industries as part of his post COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

On Tuesday, Mele Kyari was at the presidential Villa in response to a summon by the President, those familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES.

In preparation for an inevitably difficult grilling session, the NNPC GMD, our sources said, quickly called a meeting of all his Group Executive Directors (GEDs) to marshal a defence. It was gathered that he went with a written defence.

PREMIUM TIMES had exposed how the NNPC conducted a controversial bid that saw scarce slop oil ending up in the hands of three preferred bidders, all of them in the export category.

Checks by this newspaper had further revealed that the first two bid-winning companies were owned by the same directors.

Just as Mele Kyari was facing uneasiness on his first questioning session, it emerged that the NNPC GED in charge of refineries, Mustapha Yakubu, and the Managing Director of Port Harcourt Refinery, Ahmed Dikko, remained apprehensive over what fate might befall them. Mr Dikko is said to have masterminded the controversial bid.

Some NNPC officials, industry players said, had wanted to dispose the precious slop oil through single-source procurement procedure so they could sell it off to cronies at rock-bottom price.

When they were told single source procurement would not fly in the face of procurement laws, they resorted to a cosmetic competitive bid fraught with irregularities.

The bid outcome became even more embarrassing to industry watchers when none of the preferred companies could pay for the product they won.

When Sign Oil &Gas Ltd could not pay, the allocation went to the second bid winner, Synthesis Integrated Pure Oil whose bid was about N180 million lesser than that of Sign Oil.

Both Synthesis Oil and Sign Oil are owned by the same directors. Again when Synthesis Oil could not pay, the allocation was transferred to the third place winner Korpu Energy Ltd, whose bid was N180 million lesser than that of Synthesis Oil and N360 million lesser than that of the first bid winner, Sign Oil.

The reason for the creation of this convoluted route by NNPC officials is part of the puzzles the presidency is trying to unravel.

It is said that Mustapha Yakubu, the GED in charge of refineries, is having difficulty controlling Mr Dikko, a close ally of the GMD. To what extent Mr Kyari was able to control both Messrs Yakubu and Dikko in the saga is a matter of interest to the Presidency who have ordered the NNPCs GMD to go and return next week with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva.

The NNPC consistently declined multiple requests by this newspaper to comment on this matter.
Election observer group, Yiaga Africa, has asked the National Assembly to adopt the House of Representatives version of the Electoral Amendment bill  which allows for electronic transmission of results in an election.

To this effect, the group also asked the parliament to immediately constitute the conference committee that will deliberate on the provisions of the bill.

Yiaga Africa made the call at a Stakeholders Reflection Roundtable on Electoral Reforms on Friday.

At the event, the group highlighted major provisions of the bill passed by both chambers of the National Assembly in July.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how the lawmakers passed the legislation amid chaos and disagreement in the chamber.

The bill seeks to resolve issues concerning INECs introduction of modern technologies into the electoral process, particularly accreditation of voters, electronic voting, and electronic transmission of results from polling units.

A controversial provision in the bill is Section 52, which deals with electronic transmission of results of elections  a major recommendation from Nigerians including INEC.

In the bill passed by the Senate, the Section was changed from; The Commission may transmit results of elections by electronic means where and when practicable to;

The commission may consider electronic transmission provided the national network coverage is adjudged to be adequate and secure by the Nigerian Communications Commission and approved by the National Assembly.

The House, however, retained the former.

It is one of a few disparities in the versions passed by the Senate and the House.

The lawmakers are expected to set up a joint committee to consider and harmonise the differences.

Yiaga Africa, however, recommended that Section 52 of the House version be adopted by the panel.

In a presentation, the groups Director of Programmes, Cynthia Mbamalu, urged the committee to adopt the Senates version of Clause 43 that recognises voting devices alongside election materials.

The committee at conference should adopt: the Senate version of Clause 49 that recognises other technological devices alongside Smart Card Readers for voter accreditation.

The House version of Clause 52 that gives INEC the power to determining the procedure for voting and transmission of elections results. The Senate proposal is problematic and unconstitutional.

The Senate version of Clauses 63 and 76 which increases the penalty for sanctioning a presiding officer who contravenes the Electoral Act with respect to counting of and accounting for votes, announcement of results.

The Senates spokesperson, Ajibola Basiru, also expressed worry over Section 52 as passed by the Senate.

The lawmaker described the provisions as nebulous, vague, and one that should be deliberated. This is even as he promised thorough scrutiny of the different versions passed by the Senate and House.

Participants who represented agencies and civic groups also admonished the lawmakers to reconsider their positions on certain suggestions made by citizens at the public hearing.

The committee was mandated to make decisions in line with citizens demands in adopting amendments where both chambers adopted different version towards transparent and credible elections.
The police in Lagos has said it prevented a middle-aged man from killing himself in the state on Wednesday.

In a statement released on Saturday by Adekunle Ajisebutu, the police spokesperson, the incident happened on September 15.

The Lagos State Police Command has once again demonstrated its commitment to the protection of lives and property of the citizens as it saved the life of a middle-aged man who attempted to commit suicide in Lagos recently, the police said in the statement.

Mr Ajisebutu said the middle-aged man (names withheld) was seen on the Third Mainland Bridge trying to jump into the lagoon at the UNILAG waterfront.

Mr Ajisebutu added that the anti-crime patrol team of the Bariga Police Division while on a routine patrol of the area rescued the man and took him into protective custody.

The victim is a staff of Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) at Town Planning, Ilupeju, Lagos.

The Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, directed that the mans family be contacted for necessary action. He also appealed to members of the public not to take their own lives no matter the challenges they are currently facing.

ALSO READ: Police arrest suspected armed robber in Ogun

The police earlier rescued a 45-year-old man, who attempted to jump into the third mainland lagoon over a N500,000 debt he owed a microfinance bank.

The father of two told the police that he collected a N390,000 loan from a microfinance bank in March last year, and has exceeded N500,000 with accrued interests and he was unable to pay back.

The debt was, however, cleared by the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Meanwhile, the police has urged citizens to desist from attempting suicide, saying it is an illegal act.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the inclusion of the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Health, Tanko Sununu, to join the recently constituted Health Sector Reform Committee.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this in a statement issued late Friday night.

Mr Buhari recently approved the setting up of the committee, for the development and implementation of a health sector reform programme for Nigeria.

The committee, under the chairmanship of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, has members drawn from private and public sector health care management professionals, development partners, representatives from the National Assembly as well as the Nigeria Governors Forum, among others.

The committee, which is set up for a period of six months, will undertake a review of all healthcare reforms adopted in the past two decades.

The committee will factor the lessons learnt from the review into the development of the new Health Sector Reform Programme.

Other members of the committee are Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta; Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health; Alex Okoh, Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE); Ibrahim Abubakar, Professor in Infectious Disease Epidemiology, University College London and Director of the UCL Institute for Global Health.

Babatunde Irukera, Director General, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Council; Ibrahim Oloriegbe; Adedamola Dada; Sani Aliyu and Mairo Mandara would also serve in the committee.

About Sununu

Mr Sununu is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Healthcare Services.

He had previously served as a past Secretary General of the Nigerian Medical Association and Associate member of the World Medical Association.
An Army major, Stephen Dantong, who was abducted at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, has regained freedom after about three weeks in the custody of bandits.

In a statement by the deputy spokesperson of the Defence Headquarters, Ezindu Idimah, the senior officer was rescued following collaborative efforts by security agents.

Mr Dantong was abducted three weeks ago during an attack at the Academy that left two officers dead.

There were speculations on social media that the senior officer was executed.

An online newspaper, FIJ Nigeria, reported that the kidnappers had requested a ransom of N200 million.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how suspected bandits attacked the academy and perpetrated the act.

According to witnesses, the bandits came in large numbers in the early hours of Tuesday.

Aside from the officers killed and kidnapped, some others sustained gunshot injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the NDA hospital.

The attack on the military facility came amidst heightened insecurity in the North-west with Kaduna State at the epicentre.

Hundreds of students have been kidnapped in various schools across Kaduna State in the past five months as the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai has stood his ground on his no ransom payment policy.

In the statement on Saturday, the Defence headquarters said its men engaged the bandits in superior gunfire before rescuing the officer.

Read the full statement:

PRESS RELEASE

TROOPS RESCUE MAJOR CL DATONG

Following the directive of the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs for 1 Division Nigerian Army in conjunction with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) and all security agencies to conduct decisive operations to rescue Major CL Datong who was abducted at Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Permanent Site on 24 August 2021 and find the perpetrators dead or alive, the Division in conjunction with the Air Task Force, Department of State Services and other security agencies, immediately swung into action by conducting operations in the Afaka general area to find and rescue the officer. The operations were being conducted based on several leads received from various sources regarding the abductors and likely locations the officer was being held.

The operations which have been sustained since the abduction of the officer proved quite successful and led to the destruction of several identified bandits camps in the Afaka- Birnin Gwari general area and neutralization of scores of bandits particularly, in the late hours of today, 17 September, 2021, the troops arrived at a camp suspected to be the location where Maj CL Datong was being held. At the camp, the troops exchanged fire with the bandits for overwhelmed them superior fire. In the process, the gallant troops were able to rescue the abducted officer. However, the officer sustained a minor injury but has been treated in a medical facility and handed over to NDA for further action.

The Division wishes to commend the efforts of the NAF, DSS , Nigerian Police and patriotic Nigerians for their invaluable support which contributed to the success of this operation. Our operations will continue until we capture or neutralize the assailants that killed two (2) officers in the NDA on 24 August 2021.

EZINDU IDIMAH

Colonel

Deputy Director Army Public Relations

1 Division

Nigerian Army
A police report accusing Olanrewaju Suraju, the head of a non-governmental organisation, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), of peddling falsehood against a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, is not fake, an official of the police unit that issued the document has told PREMIUM TIMES.

HEDA had claimed in a statement sent to this newspaper that its findings indicated the report did not emanate from the police.

An immediate reach-out to the IGP Monitoring Unit dismissed the existence of any such report, HEDA Executive Secretary, Suleiman Arigbabu, said in a statement.

But a top official of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Monitoring Unit, the police unit that issued the document, has now confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the document was produced by the leadership of his team based on Mr Adokes request.

I can confirm to you that our unit issued the report to Adoke, the official said. He asked for it and we gave it to him for information and record purposes only.

But when Olanrewaju Suraju called, he asked if we gave any report to The Cable. We said no because we indeed gave no report to The Cable.

We did not tell him that the report we gave Adoke, which found its way to the media, is fake. It is not fake but we do not know how it got to the media. When we issued it, we indicated clearly that it was for information and record purposes only.

The official asked not to be named because he had no permission to discuss ongoing investigations with the media.

Mr Adoke, one of those the EFCC is prosecuting for alleged fraud in connection with the OPL 245 saga, popularly referred to as the Malabu scandal, had petitioned the police accusing some unnamed persons of circulating fabricated evidence against him to unduly incriminating him.

The former attorney-general said an email submitted to a court in Italy was never written by him as claimed just like the tape of a purported interview he granted an Italian journalist. Mr Adoke asked the police to help uncover those who manufactured those pieces of evidence and bring them to book.

In a two-page report earlier reported by PREMIUM TIMES, the police alleged that Mr Suraju circulated false information about Mr Adoke via his organisations social media accounts without verifying its authenticity.

The police also alleged that Mr Surajus organisation was unregistered, a claim this newspaper found to be false after carrying out checks on the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

But HEDA, reacting in a statement, said the circulated report did not emanate from the police.

However, the copy of the report seen by our reporter was signed by the head of the IGP Monitoring Unit, Ibrahim Musa, an assistant commissioner of police.

Although dated September 2, the report carried the date of certification of September 3.

Malabu controversy

The Malabu case, in which the email and audiotape evidence complained about by Mr Adoke had featured, involved the transfer of about $1.1 billion by Shell and ENI through the Nigerian government to accounts controlled by a former Nigerian petroleum minister, Dan Etete.

Investigators and activists suspect Mr Etete bribed some top officials of the Goodluck Jonathan administration after Eni and Shell controversially acquired OPL 245, one of Nigerias richest oil blocks. Mr Etete had awarded the block to his Malabu Oil and Gas Limited while serving as petroleum minister in the late Sani Abacha`s regime.

Being the AGF who advised then Goodluck Jonathan administration on the OPL 245 transactions at the time, Mr Adokes name has repeatedly featured in matters connected to the deal.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had also accused Mr Adoke of accepting N300 million from Abubakar Aliyu, a controversial businessman and one of Mr Etetes cronies.

Mr Adoke had, however, denied any wrongdoing, saying his transaction with Mr Aliyu was a property purchase deal that fell through after he could not raise the monetary balance for the asset.

While Shell and Eni, alongside their managers, were the main defendants in the case in Italy and have been acquitted, Messrs Adoke, Etete, and Aliyu have pending EFCC cases in Nigeria.
A group of about 50 bandits Friday evening raided Tangaza, the headquarters of Gidan Madi Local Government Area of Sokoto, and carted away foodstuff, water, and other commodities.

Multiple sources confirmed to Premium Times that the bandits did not kill or abduct any resident during the raid that lasted about 40 minutes.

A witness, Basharu Altine, said the bandits stormed the town on motorcycles and went straight to the central motor park.

They came around 8:41 this night, Friday, and started shooting as they rode towards the central motor park. Residents were scared after the bandits started ransacking shops looking for foodstuff, he said.

Mr Altine said even people who stayed behind were not shot or taken by the bandits. It was obvious they were looking for food items, he said.

Another resident, Aminu Sodangi, said vigilante members and police officers stationed in the town were mobilised immediately after the bandits left.

I was going home when the shooting started. At first, we thought they were there to kill and kidnap but then it became obvious that they were looking for foodstuff. But vigilante members alongside policemen and soldiers went after they (the bandits) had left, Mr. Sodangi said.

The spokesperson of the police in Sokoto, Sanusi Abubakar, did not respond to calls from our reporter.
A total of 15 projects, spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, are to be financed with more than $4 billion from multilateral institutions, under the 2018-2021 medium term (rolling) external borrowing plan, the presidency says.

President Muhammadu Buhari had requested the Senate to approve sovereign loans of $4.054bn and 710million as well as grant components of $125m for the proposed projects.

According to the letter by the President, the sovereign loans will be sourced from the World Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), China-Exim Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Credit Suisse Group and Standard Chartered/China Export and Credit (SINOSURE).

The Presidents request to the Senate listed 15 proposed pipeline projects, the objectives, the implementation period, benefiting States, as well as the implementing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

A breakdown of the Addendum to the Proposed Pipeline Projects for the 2018-2021 Medium Term (rolling) External Borrowing Plan, shows that the World Bank is expected to finance seven projects including the $125million grant for Better Education Services for All.

The Global Partnership for Education grant is expected to increase equitable access for out-of-school children and improve literacy in focus states.

The grant, which will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), will strengthen accountability for results in basic Education in Katsina, Oyo and Adamawa States.

Other projects to be financed by the World Bank are, the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for Results as well as the Agro-Processing, Productivity, Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project.

The benefiting States for the agro-processing project are, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Cross River, Enugu and Lagos with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as the implementing ministry.

The objective of the project is to enhance agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers and improve value addition along priority value chains in the participating States.

Similarly, the World Bank is also financing the Nigeria Sustainable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project in Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Imo and Plateau States, for the next five years.

The project, when completed, is expected to improve rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene nationwide towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water supply and sanitation by 2030.

Under the external borrowing plan, the World Bank supported projects also include Nigerias COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (COPREP), under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The project, which has an implementation period of 5 years, will respond to threats posed by COVID-19 through the procurement of vaccines.

Furthermore, no fewer than 29 States are listed as beneficiaries of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Arid Zone Landscape project, which is expected to reduce natural resource management conflicts in dry and semi-arid ecosystems in Nigeria.

The benefiting states for the project to be co-financed by World Bank and European Investment Bank (EIB) are: Akwa Ibom, Borno, Oyo, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Edo, Plateau, Abia, Nasarawa, Delta, Niger, Gombe, Imo, Enugu, Kogi, Anambra, Niger, Ebonyi, Cross River, Ondo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe and Kwara.

The World Bank is also funding the Livestock Productivity and Resilience project in no fewer than 19 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The China EXIM Bank is expected to finance the construction of the branch line of Apapa-TinCan Island Port, under the Lagos-Ibadan Railway modernisation project.

The French Development Agency will finance two projects, which include the National Digital Identity Management project and the Kaduna Bus Rapid Transport Project.

The digital identity project will be co- financed with World Bank and EIB.

The Value Chain Development Programme to be financed by IFAD and implemented in Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, Nasarawa, Enugu and Kogi States will empower 100,000 farmers, including over 6,000 and 3,000 processors and traders respectively.

The loan facility to be provided by European ECA/KfW/IPEX/APC will be spent on the construction of the Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) linking Nigeria with Niger Republic from Kano-Katsina-Daura-Jibiya-Maradi with branch to Dutse.

The specific project title, Kano-Maradi SGR with a branch to Dutse, has an implementation period of 30 months and will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Transport.

The Chinese African Development Fund through the Bank of China is expected to provide a loan facility of $325 million for the establishment of three power and renewable energy projects including solar cells production facility Phase 1 & II , electric power transformer production, Plants 1, II, III and high voltage testing laboratory.

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) will implement the project aimed at increasing local capacity and capability in the development of power and renewable energy technologies and infrastructure.

Credit Suisse will finance major industrialisation projects as well as micro, small and medium enterprises schemes to be executed by the Bank of Industry while SINOSURE and Standard Chartered Bank will provide funds for the provision of 17MW Hybrid Solar Power infrastructure for the National Assembly (NASS) complex.

The project, with an implementation period of five years, is expected to address NASS power supply deficit and reduce higher overhead burdensome cost of running and maintaining fossil fuel generators (25MW installed capacity) to power the assembly complex.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

September 18, 2021
I am trying to wrap my head round the next country the U.S. will go to war with. I think Russia or China will be too strong, so I am ruling them out. America may also be unwilling to take on North Korea, which is busy testing its nuclear weapons. The lot I think will be between Venezuela and Iran, though I think the latter is the most likely.

The peace-loving United States (U.S.) President Joe Biden, on Wednesday September 15, announced the birth of a new trilateral military alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom (U.K.), and the U.S. with the acronym, AUKUS. The alliance, he said, is to take on the threats of the 21st Century.

Biden argued that the way to achieve this is for the three countries to maintain and expand their edge in military capabilities and critical technologies, such as cyber, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, and undersea domains.

China, which appears to be the primary target of this nuclear-powered tri-continental alliance, described it as springing from a Cold War mentality.

The new American military initiative is coming seventeen days after the unipolar power withdrew its last soldier from Afghanistan. Doubtlessly, America is still licking its wounds after the twenty-year debacle in Afghanistan, in which it lost 6,296 of its citizens, including 2,450 combat troops, and expended $2.26 trillion. But while searching for countries to dump the Afghanistan refugees it is uprooting from their country in, and while seemingly sober, America has not decided to withdraw from the many conflicts it is directly or indirectly involved in. These include the wars in Syria and Yemen, and the debacles in Iraq and Libya, which it invaded in 2003 and 2011 respectively.

Today, there are countries America is bating to go to war, by imposing punishing sanctions on and blockading them. These include Iran, which America, in 2019 and without providing any proof, accused of bombing oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Another is Venezuela, against which American President Barack Obama issued a presidential order on March 9, 2015, declaring it a threat to its national security and imposing crippling sanctions on. In fact, today, there is a Venezuelan Special Envoy, Alex Saab, who the Americans are trying to extradite from Cape Verde for the alleged crime of undertaking a humanitarian Special Mission of buying food and medicines from Iran. There is also small Cuba, which the U.S. has invaded four times  1906, 1912, 1917 and 1961, and on which it has imposed unilateral and punishing sanctions, including on food, fuel and medicines, for six decades now.

In fact, I am sure the planners in Washington are planning the next major war for the U.S. The American establishment is a warmonger, which rejoices when there is war or the prospect of one. The U.S. defence spending of $714 billion in 2020 is projected to grow to $900 billion in 2030. This and its defence industry, need wars to grow. Internally, there are 393 million guns in private homes. That means 120.5 private guns for every 10 Americans or 46 per cent of the populace owning guns.

The Grenadian invasion appeared so senseless that even Britain, Americas staunchest supporter, condemned it. After the invasion, a furious British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wrote President Ronald Reagan: This action will be seen as an intervention by a Western country in the internal affairs of a small independent nation, however unattractive its regime.

Since independence in 1776, that is in the last 245 years, America has been at war for 227 years, or more than 92 per cent of its independent existence. Since independence, it has invaded at least 70 countries, fifty of them since World War II ended in 1945.

America has a history of invading small, weak countries, such as Panama and Grenada. In fact, the U.S. invasion of Grenada for one of the most ridiculous reasons in the world, was like an elephant deciding not just to fight an ant, but also mobilising eight other creatures to join it in the war.

As at the time of the invasion on October 25, 1983, the American population was 233.8 million and Grenadians were a mere 96,019. The core American military were 1,941,943. That meant that there were 20 American soldiers for every Grenadian!

A radical Grenadian, Maurice Bishop had seized power on March 13, 1979. His New Jewel Movement removed the government of Eric Gairy, an eccentric man who claimed to commune with aliens from outer space. Cuba offered to build tiny Grenada an international airport that would boost its tourist economy. But the U.S. said the airport was a threat to it, claiming it could be used by the Soviet Union to transport weapons to Latin American insurgents.

On October 12, 1983, Bishops Deputy, Bernard Coard, overthrew him. Seven days later, an enraged populace marched on Bishops home, where he was under house arrest and set him free. The charismatic Bishop then led the protesters to seize the army barracks. In the process, he was arrested and summarily executed. Then President Ronald Reagan claimed that Grenada may no longer be safe for about 1,000 American citizens, who were mainly students at the St. Georges Medical School. But rather than evacuate them, he invaded Grenada.

The 6,000 American troops that invaded the tiny country under Operation Urgent Fury were backed by troops from eight other countries, in what America officially described as a non-combatant evacuation operation. Despite having no chance against the mighty American forces and its allies, the Grenadians put up a stiff fight, killing 19 American soldiers, with 116 injured. On the other hand, the Americans killed 45 Grenadian soldiers, injured 358, in addition to killing 24 civilians.

In 1950, America sent troops to fight on the side of the South in the Korean Civil War, which ended three years later with a divided country. Today, seven decades later, about 30,000 American troops remain in that country, costing America over $3 billion annually, with South Korea having to pick $1 billion of the bill.

When the America troops ordered the Cuban workers constructing the airport to surrender, they refused on the grounds that Cubans do not surrender to any power. The American soldiers used maximum force, killing 25 of the workers, injuring 59, and capturing 638.

The Grenadian invasion appeared so senseless that even Britain, Americas staunchest supporter, condemned it. After the invasion, a furious British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wrote President Ronald Reagan: This action will be seen as an intervention by a Western country in the internal affairs of a small independent nation, however unattractive its regime.

Some think the unreasonable invasion of Grenada was Reagans way of venting his anger over the bombing of American and French troops in Beirut, Lebanon, two days earlier. In that attack, 220 U.S. Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers were killed.

In 1950, America sent troops to fight on the side of the South in the Korean Civil War, which ended three years later with a divided country. Today, seven decades later, about 30,000 American troops remain in that country, costing America over $3 billion annually, with South Korea having to pick $1 billion of the bill. There is no indication that America wants to withdraw its troops from South Korea, as it has done in Afghanistan.

I am trying to wrap my head round the next country the U.S. will go to war with. I think Russia or China will be too strong, so I am ruling them out. America may also be unwilling to take on North Korea, which is busy testing its nuclear weapons. The lot I think will be between Venezuela and Iran, though I think the latter is the most likely.
Jaiz Bank Plc, Nigerias premier non-interest bank, was yesterday announced the Most Improved Islamic Bank 2021 in the world by the Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA).

Chairman of GIFA, Professor Humayon Dar, congratulated Jaiz Bank for the award, saying the Bank was the best out of three organisations considered in that category after long deliberations which was based on several factors included in the GIFA Methodology.

The GIFA methodology on which the awards are based, and winners selected, is the most detailed approach to screen only the best of the best in their respective award categories.

Basically, there are three factors considered by GIFA in the selection of a winner. These include Social Responsibility; Shariah Authenticity and Commitment to Islamic Banking and Finance.

According to the Awards Committee, Jaiz Bank was able to meet all the above factors, hence the basis for its selection as the winner.

Managing Director/CE of Jaiz Bank, Hassan Usman, thanked GIFA for once again choosing the Bank as the Most Improved Islamic Bank in the world.

He said: Winning the Most Improved Islamic Bank award for the second time in a row from the Global Islamic Finance Award (GIFA) is a revalidation of our efforts towards continuous process improvement in serving our customers. We truly appreciate the Committee for seeing us worthy of the award.

This re-energizes us to even do more, knowing that the world watches and appreciates our modest contributions to the development of Islamic Finance. As always, we are dedicating this award to our Creator, in whose Grace all things are perfected. We appreciate the contributions of our loyal customers, dedicated staff, committed shareholders and caring regulators.
The deputy governorship candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano in the 2019 elections, Aminu Abdulsalam, says pensioners in the state accusing former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of fraud will go to hell because they are ingrates.

Mr Abdulsalam is the spokesperson for the Kwankwasiyya Movement, a group of loyalists of the former governor in Kano. He said the pensioners were wrong to have reported Mr Kwankwaso to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) because he used the pension funds as mandated by law.

Mr Abdulsalam spoke Thursday night on a programme with Express Radio on the anti-graft agencys invitation of Mr Kwankwaso on allegations that he abused public office, diverted public funds, and unjustly allocated public houses to his cronies. The former governor did not honour the invitation.

Mr Kwankwaso had reviewed the minimum monthly pension to N5,000 and Mr Abdulsalam said any pensioner who does not appreciate that would go to hell.

Kwankwaso has done his best to the pensioners and any pensioner that is not appreciative of what Kwankwaso did will go to hellfire. You can understand them going to hellfire because they are not grateful.

The PDP chieftain also blamed Mr Kwankwasos ordeals on leaders of pensioners in the state who he accused of partisanship.

He said many pensioners did not sign the petition to the EFCC against Mr Kwankwaso.

Premium Times reported how pensioners in 2015 wrote a petition to the EFCC accusing the then outgoing governor of diverting pension funds.

Mr Kwankwaso responded by filing a N10 billion suit against the pensioners, alleging defamation of his character. The suit is still in court, six years after.

Last week, Mr Kwankwaso shunned an invitation by the EFCC. The pensioners sent their petition to the anti-graft agency shortly before Mr Kwankwasos left office in 2015.
The Lagos State Judicial panel of enquiry has suspended its sitting until further notice.

Doris Okuwobi, a retired judge heading the panel, announced this on Saturday.

There are two reports that we are expected to work on, we are not close enough to any of them, we cannot continue with the sitting and end up the assignment without concluding. So we will not be sitting from today, Mrs Okuwobi said of the indefinite adjournment.

But as soon as we find ourselves in a comfortable situation, we will send hearing notices to cases that have been listed.

Please bear with us, we cannot speculate on any further extension. We have to work towards completing the assignment as early as we can.

She added that during the break, the panel will evaluate, collate and make findings regarding the Lekki shooting.

The sudden indefinite adjournment comes nearly a year after the panel initially suspended sitting following the withdrawal of youth representatives from the exercise.

The panel, however, resumed sitting in December 2020 with a mandate to conclude hearings by October 19, 2021.

In his immediate response to the adjournment, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and member of the panel, said their efforts were being frustrated.

There are attempts to frustrate the EndSARS Judicial Panel from reaching meaningful conclusions on investigations into the Lekki Toll Gate incident of 20th October 2020. I will give details subsequently, Mr Adegboruwa said in a short statement to journalists.

Forensic witnesses

Earlier, the lawyers representing Lagos State, Abiodun Owonikoko and Olukayode Enitan, made an application before the panel requesting that they be allowed to bring in two expert witnesses from the UK.

Following their request, the panel took a break to deliberate. When the panel resumed, Mrs Okuwobi denied their application, saying we cannot afford much time.

We cannot accommodate such evidence at the moment.

At this point, it will be impracticable to take the forensic and security expert from the UK, she said.

Thereafter, Mr Enitan said the panel should have adopted the front-loading method when he suggested it at the beginning of the hearing.

At the beginning, I suggested that front-loading should be adopted. My lord, we are back there.

He said if their application isnt considered, it will be like a bird flying with one wing.

We have always been present, at no point were we not here. And never have we requested for an adjournment except for once.

It will be most unfair to not want to hear what we want to say. I would advise that the panel adopt a process that will ensure that all sides are heard.

Also, a lawyer representing the Lekki Concession Company (LCC), Rotimi Seriki, said I believe that in the interest of justice and given that this is a fact-finding exercise, any piece of evidence that will allow this panel in arriving at a decision should not be shut out.

When the panel head asked Mr Enitan if the expert witness could be flown in immediately, he said no.

He explained that they will be required to observe the COVID-19 travel protocol before their appearance.

Adeshina Ogunlana, a lawyer representing some of the #EndSARS protesters, suggested that the panel should take the expert witness by virtual means.

He also advised that the sitting be either extended or an additional weekday be added to the settings of justice.

Background

On October 19, 2020, the Lagos state government set up a nine-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry to investigate cases of brutality and human rights violations perpetrated by operatives of the Nigerian Police Force and the dissolved Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The panel was set up as a response to one of the demands of youth during the #EndSARS protests, which is investigating cases of police brutality and providing restitution to the victims.
The police in Ogun State on Saturday said that they have arrested a 21-year-old armed robbery suspect while carrying out a robbery operation at the Sango-Ota area of the state.

The police spokesman in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Ota, Ogun.

Mr Oyeyemi said the suspect was arrested on September 14 following a distress call received by the police at about 9.45 p.m.

He added that a two-man armed robbery syndicate was attacking one Rasaq Hamed at Ile Pupa Iloye area, in Sango-Ota, to dispossess him of his car.

Upon the information, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Sango-Ota, CSP Godwin Idehai, quickly mobilised his patrol team and moved to the scene.

On getting to the scene, the robbers, who were shooting sporadically, took to their heels, but they were hotly chased and one of them was arrested with the help of members of the community, while the other one escaped, he said.

The PPRO said that items police recovered from the suspects were four live cartridges and one expended cartridge.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Edward Ajogun, had ordered a massive manhunt for the fleeing member of the gang.

He also directed that the suspect arrested should be transferred to State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation. (NAN)
According to Dr. Buthaina Al Ansari, Strategic planning and Human Development Expert and jury member on Stars of Science season 13, these high rates of Arab women in the STEM fields underline their long-standing commitment to the region's development. "Many of us are now encouraged to pursue our scientific aspirations, but our drive to improve the lives of those around us and add to the region's wealth of knowledge have always been present," she said.

Engineer Sylia Khecheni, a Stars of Science alumna, is currently an Applied Research Project Manager at Ibtechar in Qatar after having worked as an R&D manager at Algerie Telecom. Sylia noted that women face multiple obstacles when it comes to finding work in these industries.

Stars of Science, the Qatar Foundation TV initiative is designed to help address this issue. The show has invited Arab innovators like Khecheni from across the region to compete on the show. To date, 320 women have participated in the show's casting across all its 13 seasons, and 29 women have competed as part of the show's Top Eight.

Khecheni participated in Season 10 of the show, with her invention, SkyCloak, the Home Privacy Drone Blocker. This device detects commercial Wi-Fi or radio-controlled drones before jamming remote control signals and blocking any live video transmissions within a specified area. Khecheni won third place and garnered enough support to continue working on SkyCloak after her time on the show.

Along with her team, she carried on with the development of SkyCloak and has successfully reached a third version MVP prototype that has been tested on over 50 different drones manufactured by 18 different vendors.

Khecheni took home the grand prize and special recognition from the jury at the 2020 International Invention Fair of the Middle East, the largest specialized exhibition of inventions in the region hosting more than 60 nationalities and hundreds of inventions.

For more information, please contact:

Salma Sadek Weber Shandwick

[email protected]

+974 3398 8390

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1627711/Stars_of_Science.mp4

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1627682/Stars_of_Science_Season_13.jpg

SOURCE Stars of Science
TORONTO, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Denison Mines Corp. ("Denison" or the "Company") (TSX: DML) (NYSE American: DNN) is pleased to announce that UEX Corporation ("UEX") has repaid the interest-free 90-day term loan provided to UEX by Denison in connection with UEX's purchase of JCU (Canada) Exploration Company, Limited ("JCU") (the "Term Loan", see Denison news release from August 3, 2021). On the transfer of 50% of the shares in JCU from UEX to Denison, completed on August 3, 2021, $20.5 million of the amount drawn under the Term Loan was deemed repaid by UEX. The balance of the Term Loan, of $20.45 million, was repaid in cash by UEX today. View PDF version.

David Cates, President and CEO of Denison, commented, "Denison congratulates UEX on their recent financing and repayment of the Term Loan. We are looking forward to working with UEX on Denison's flagship Wheeler River project and the various other projects that make up JCU's unique and valuable portfolio of strategic Canadian uranium interests."

In connection with the repayment, Denison has agreed to release its security for the Term Loan, including the pledge of all of the shares of JCU owned by UEX.

About Denison

Denison is a uranium exploration and development company with interests focused in the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The Company has an effective 95% interest in its flagship Wheeler River Uranium Project, which is the largest undeveloped uranium project in the infrastructure rich eastern portion of the Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan. Denison's interests in Saskatchewan also include a 22.5% ownership interest in the McClean Lake joint venture ("MLJV"), which includes several uranium deposits and the McClean Lake uranium mill that is contracted to process the ore from the Cigar Lake mine under a toll milling agreement, plus a 25.17% interest in the Midwest Main and Midwest A deposits, and a 66.90% interest in the Tthe Heldeth Tue ("THT," formerly J Zone) and Huskie deposits on the Waterbury Lake property. Each of Midwest Main, Midwest A, THT and Huskie are located within 20 kilometres of the McClean Lake mill.

Through its 50% ownership of JCU, Denison also holds interests in various uranium project joint ventures in Canada, including the Millennium project (JCU 30.099%), the Kiggavik project (JCU 33.8123%) and Christie Lake (JCU 34.4508%).

Denison is also engaged in mine decommissioning and environmental services through its Closed Mines group (formerly Denison Environmental Services), which manages Denison's Elliot Lake reclamation projects and provides post-closure mine care and maintenance services to a variety of industry and government clients.

Follow Denison on Twitter @DenisonMinesCo

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this news release constitutes 'forward-looking information', within the meaning of the applicable United States and Canadian legislation concerning the business, operations and financial performance and condition of Denison. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'expects', 'budget', 'scheduled', 'estimates', 'forecasts', 'intends', 'anticipates', or 'believes', or the negatives and/or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might' or 'will be taken', 'occur', 'be achieved' or 'has the potential to'. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information pertaining to Denison's expectations regarding its joint venture ownership interests and the continuity of its agreements with its partners.

Forward looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Denison to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Denison believes that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable and no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be accurate and results may differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information. For a discussion in respect of risks and other factors that could influence forward-looking events, please refer to the factors discussed in the Annual Information Form dated March 26, 2021 under the heading "Risk Factors". These factors are not, and should not be construed as being exhaustive.

Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Any forward-looking information and the assumptions made with respect thereto speaks only as of the date of this news release. Denison does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information after the date of this news release to conform such information to actual results or to changes in Denison's expectations except as otherwise required by applicable legislation.

SOURCE Denison Mines Corp.

Related Links

http://denisonmines.com/s/Home.asp


JINAN, China, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- This is a news report from China Daily:

The three-day International Conference on Food Loss and Waste concluded in Jinan, Shandong province, on Sept 11.

The event highlighted global efforts in tackling food loss and waste and saw 10 international consensuses reached, according to Sui Pengfei, director general of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Held online and offline, the event was attended by ambassadors to China from 16 countries, agricultural ministers from 24 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil, and representatives from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

"The conference is much more important for us. It brings the world together on one issue. It is not only a conference on food loss and waste - it is a conference to unite the world," said Gafar Karar Ahmed, Sudanese ambassador to China.

Themed "reducing food loss and waste and promoting global food security", the conference provided a platform for countries to discuss global concerns related to food supply.

Matteo Marchisio from the International Fund for Agricultural Development Representative in China noted during an interview that food loss and waste are becoming global problems.

"China is not exempt from this problem, and any success in reducing food loss domestically will have a global impact," he said.

China attaches great importance to international cooperation on reducing food loss and waste, said Tang Renjian, China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at the opening ceremony.

The nation will support the establishment of an international dialogue mechanism for reducing food loss to acquire more experience and exchanges in policies and regulations, Tang added.

The Jinan Initiative of the International Food Loss Conference was released during the conference, calling for countries to set common targets to deal with food loss and waste, and providing reference for countries to carry out specific actions to tackle the issue.

Consensuses were also achieved among countries for minimizing food waste in the process of food production, harvesting, storage, and consumption during the conference, according to Sui.

Jinan is an ideal host location for the conference as it has a leading advantage in agriculture and food production in China, said Luis Schmidt Montes, Chilean ambassador to China.

He noted that Chile is looking to learn from Jinan as the city has been developing towards modernization in agricultural production.

Jinan, capital of Shandong province, is playing an important role in providing a steady supply of high-quality agricultural products in the province and even in the country.

The city currently has 12 State-owned grain reserve depots and has formed a complete industrial chain that spans raw grain to production.

Advanced technologies have been widely used in grain storage in the city such as internal circulation temperature control technology and low-power ventilation technology. The grain loss rate in storage has been kept below 0.2 percent.

Furthermore, with the support of national ecological protection efforts and the strategy for high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin, Jinan now faces new development opportunities.

As an important transportation hub in China, Jinan has more than 300 railways connecting 254 cities in the country and 204 airlines that travel to 114 cities at home and abroad.

Jinan joined China's "1-trillion-yuan club" for the first time in 2020 when its GDP hit 1.01 trillion yuan ($156.7 billion). The revenue of the information technology and high-end equipment industries both exceeded 300 billion yuan.

Jinan also enjoys a favorable international environment. The city is currently home to 81 of the world's top 500 companies and has 79 sister cities and friendly cooperation cities.

The conference will bring new development opportunities for Jinan to promote high-quality agricultural development, build a new highland for opening up to the outside world, and build a strong modern provincial capital in the new era, the organizers said.

SOURCE China Daily
Over 80 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and industrial leading companies that participated in last year's expo will be present at this year's event, a testament to the expo's strong appeal.

Zhou said that the number of small and medium-sized enterprises are coming in groups to participate in this year's event, 30% higher than last year.

Trade agencies, such as those from Japan, Denmark, Poland and New Zealand, have all increased the size of their booths to house more small exhibitors. "The Central and Eastern Europe booth is more than 1,500 square meters and will feature 60 companies," Zhou said.

A total of 13 themed sections will be set up focusing on popular industries such as integrated circuits, public health and epidemic control, biological medicine and smart transportation, in line with the efforts to increase professionalism of the expo.

A section for innovation incubation will be set in the Intelligent Industry and Information Technology, Automobile and Medical Equipment & Healthcare Products exhibition areas, housing more than 100 exhibitors in the fields of artificial intelligence, life sciences and automatic driving.

A series of forums and other activities will be held during the expo to share entrepreneurship experience with startups, helping them gain easier access to the market.

Wang Hongwei, head of the buyers service division of the CIIE Bureau, said the division has held 17 roadshows over the past several months to introduce the expo to a wider range of businesses, and attracted more than 2,600 domestic companies.

Nearly 600 domestic groups of buyers will be attending this year's expo. Through data screening, invitations will be issued to 40,000 targeted buyers to the fourth CIIE.

The CIIE Bureau and Bank of China will hold large matchmaking conferences during the expo from Nov 6 to Nov 8, where one-on-one meetings will be arranged between buyers and exhibitors with services such as interpretation and video links.

In the past three years, the on-site matchmaking conferences have helped more than 3,000 exhibitors and 7,000 buyers reach deals or future cooperation agreements, said Liu Wei, general manager of the inclusive finance department at Bank of China's Shanghai branch.

This year, the exhibition will be held online with an offline experience zone in the North Hall of the venue, where visitors can use virtual reality devices to tour the online exhibition hall, said Cui Ying, director of the division of exhibitors recruitment of the CIIE Bureau.

SOURCE China International Import Expo (CIIE)
CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Parus Holdings, Inc., a pioneer in voice-enabled technologies, announced today that it has filed a second patent infringement lawsuit in the U.S. Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas against Apple, Inc. The lawsuit alleges that Apple infringes on Parus' patents for voice-browsing and device control technology. The lawsuit is based on U.S. Patent No. 6,721,705 and U.S. Patent No. 8,185,402. Parus is seeking all available remedies, including damages against Apple for all of its infringing sales. The lawsuit asserts that the infringement has been "willful," and requests that Apple be ordered to pay treble damages and Parus' attorneys' fees, and be permanently enjoined from infringing the Parus Patents.

This is the second lawsuit Parus has filed against Apple relating to its use of Parus' voice-user interface technologies for retrieving information. The '431 and '084 Patents are asserted in the district court cases against Apple, Google, and Samsung (6-19-cv-00432, 6-19-vc-00433, 6-19-vc-00438) in the Western District of Texas and the case against LG (3-20-cv-05896) in the Northern District of California, all filed in 2019. These district court cases have been stayed pending the results of various IPRs. Parus also has asserted different patents in other district court cases currently pending in the Western District of Texas against Microsoft and Google.

Earlier this month, Parus secured an important victory against Apple at The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as it rejected in its entirety Apple's attempt to invalidate key Parus patents.

"Parus is a pioneer in voice- enabled technology and services as we know it," said Taj Reneau, Chairman and CEO of Parus. "These patents are the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and passion for innovation. It's Parus's preference to license its foundational technology but will vigorously defend its patent portfolio as necessary."

About Parus Holdings, Inc.

Parus Holdings, Inc. is a pioneer of voice-enabled unified communications and voice assistant solutions, including messaging, voice search, collaboration, video and real-time communications for mobile communities and over 50,000 business customers. Our patented solutions, our deep understanding of the needs and challenges of the customers we serve, and our passion for outstanding customer service have kept Parus at the forefront of the voice communications industry for more than twenty years. Parus brands include Webley, WebleyMD, ScreenSight, Parus Interactive and CommuniKate. Parus Holdings, Inc., founded in 1997, is a venture-backed, privately held company headquartered in the Chicago, Illinois.

SOURCE Parus Holdings Inc.

Related Links

parus.ai


SHANGHAI, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shanghai Electric (601727.SS and 02727.HK) announced the Company has been ranked 51st on the 2021 Top 250 International Contractors list published by Engineering News-Record (ENR), a world-renowned publication for engineering and construction news and analysis. With a total of 22 overseas projects, Shanghai Electric saw the biggest jump in rankings among its Chinese peers this year, despite the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global large-scale engineering projects.

Widely considered the industry barometer, the ENR list ranks global construction companies based on revenue generated by their overseas projects. According to the annual list, 2020 marked another difficult year for global infrastructure construction firms, filling the market with uncertainties and short-term risks. ENR reports that the total international contracting revenue for the Top 250 dropped 11.1% to $420.4 billion in 2020, from $473.1 billion in 2019, which is the largest single-year drop recorded in ENR international contracting data going back to 2003. Amid the complex and challenging market climate, Shanghai Electric implemented proactive business strategies at home and abroad, in an effort to protect onsite employees while maintaining a high growth rate of revenue for its major international projects, including Dubai CSP, Pakistan's Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project, Serbia's Pancevo, Vietnam's Forte, Greece's photovoltaics, and Iraq's Huashide maintenance projects.

Looking back in 2020 along which Shanghai Electric rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokesperson of Shanghai Electric, stated that Shanghai Electric has once again shown its resilience in difficult times for the global engineering industry. "In the face of a constantly shifting business environment and uncertain industry outlook over the past year, Shanghai Electric has taken swift actions to minimize construction delay, address onsite worker safety and shortages, and ensure a high turnover of its overseas projects. The recognition from ENR is another testimony to the exceptional efforts we made, as well as our efficient management and the industry-leading product quality as a result of our unwavering pursuit of excellence," he said.

Meanwhile, construction of Shanghai Electric's major overseas projects is underway with all progress on schedule.

The 300MW first stage of the 900MW Phase 5 at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park (MBR Solar Park) completed a 10-day performance test in late July this year and entered commercial operation ahead of schedule in mid-August.

The first aquifer of the open-pit coal mine of Pakistan's Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project has been completed at the end of June.

Thar Block-1 Integrated Coal Mine and Power Project has been completed at the end of June. The 220 kV switch station at the Pancevo gas combined cycle power plant in Serbia completed backfeeding on August 19 . The operating status of all devices involved is stable and showed promising results, which laid groundwork for grid-connected power generation.

In addition, the 300 MW Unit -1 of the Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Station (DCRTPP), Yamuna Nagar of Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) has broken the records by completing a 145-day continuous operation on April 19, 2021, carried out by the Shanghai Electric engineers.

The maintenance mission came amid a challenging time when India was experiencing a new wave of COVID-19. Working under immense pressure and against all odds, HPGCL and Shanghai Electric engineers joined hands to undertake an overhaul for the unit, which allowed the unit to operate without any technical issues over the next five months. In March 2021, the unit recorded a monthly Plant Load Factor (PLF) of 86.32 per cent, which is among the best-performing power plant benchmarks across the country.

Unit 4 of Jindal 4X300MW coal-fired power plant in India also recorded a 711-day failure-free operation in September 2020, smashing the previous record of 684-day operation without breakdowns and set a new standard for the entire country. In January 2021, India's Warora 2X300 MW coal-fired power plant project clinched the "Best Performance Award", which marked the third consecutive year the power plant has received the recognition.

SOURCE Shanghai Electric

Related Links

www.shanghai-electric.com


NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Juan Monteverde, founder and managing partner at Monteverde & Associates PC, a national securities firm rated Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report and headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City, is investigating Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. ("CSOD" or the "Company") (CSOD) relating to its proposed acquisition by Clearlake Capital Group, LP. Under the terms of the agreement, CSOD shareholders will receive $57.50in cash per share they own.

The investigation focuses on whether Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. and its Board of Directors violated securities laws and/or breached their fiduciary duties to the Company by 1) failing to conduct a fair process, and 2) whether the transaction is properly valued.

Click here for more information: http://monteverdelaw.com/case/cornerstone-ondemand-inc. It is free and there is no cost or obligation to you.





About Monteverde & Associates PC

We are a national class action securities litigation law firm that has recovered millions of dollars and is committed to protecting shareholders from corporate wrongdoing. We were listed in the Top 50 in the 2018-2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. Our lawyers have significant experience litigating Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Class Actions. Mr. Monteverde is recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Securities Litigation in 2013, 2017-2019, an award given to less than 2.5% of attorneys in a particular field. He has also been selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2017-2020 Top Rated Lawyer. Our firm's recent successes include changing the law in a significant victory that lowered the standard of liability under Section 14(e) of the Exchange Act in the Ninth Circuit. Thereafter, our firm successfully preserved this victory by obtaining dismissal of a writ of certiorari as improvidently granted at the United States Supreme Court. Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian, 139 S. Ct. 1407 (2019). Also, over the years the firm has recovered or secured over a dozen cash common funds for shareholders in mergers & acquisitions class action cases.

If you owned common stock in the Company and wish to obtain additional information and protect your investments free of charge, please visit our website or contact Juan E. Monteverde, Esq. either via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 971-1341.

Contact:

Juan E. Monteverde, Esq.

MONTEVERDE & ASSOCIATES PC

The Empire State Building

350 Fifth Ave. Suite 4405

New York, NY 10118

United States of America

[email protected]

Tel: (212) 971-1341

Attorney Advertising. (C) 2021 Monteverde & Associates PC. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Monteverde & Associates PC (www.monteverdelaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

SOURCE Monteverde & Associates PC

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YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking TUMO's 10 year anniversary and the inauguration of the new TUMO Gyumri building, the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies today announced a five year, $50 million initiative to make its leading edge educational program available to all teenagers throughout Armenia and Artsakh. With 110 satellite facilities called TUMO Boxes connected to 16 fully equipped TUMO Hubs in regional centers, the program will serve 80 thousand students and reach all young Armenians even in the most remote villages.

A $10 million seed fund donated by the Yemenidjian family will launch and support hubs in Vanadzor, Kapan and Koghb, along with TUMO Boxes that feed into these and three existing hubs. To raise the remaining $40 million, TUMO is kicking off an international fundraising campaign. The Armenian General Benevolent Union and Elie & Elzbieta Akilian have each pledged to match up to $10 million of funds raised in the first 2 years of the campaign. With $10 million in seed funding, a $20 million fundraising goal, and an additional $20 million in matching contributions, the deployment initiative is already underway.

The announcement was made during the anniversary celebration of the official opening of the new TUMO center in Gyumri in the presence of government representatives, partners and friends. TUMO founders Sam and Sylva Simonian joined via live video and gave opening remarks.

"Our vision has always been to empower all young Armenians to achieve their full potential," said Sam Simonian. "And now we are setting out to fulfill that vision throughout Armenia and Artsakh."

Also attending were Armen Yemenidjian, representing the Yemenidjian family, Vasken Yacoubian and Vera Setrakian on behalf of AGBU, Elie Akilian, on behalf of Elie & Elzbieta Akilian, via video feed, and TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian.

"My family is extremely excited and proud to be a part of this vital initiative to arm the next generation of Armenians with the tools necessary to compete in the global technology marketplace, no matter where they live in Armenia," said Armen Yemenidjian. "We hope this initiative encourages our Armenian brothers and sisters in the diaspora to invest in the future leaders of our country and economy."

"AGBU has supported the incredible mission and vision of TUMO since its expansion in Armenia and Artsakh, and this gift will solidify a partnership to benefit Armenian children for generations to come. It is an honor to be able to strengthen the relationship between TUMO, AGBU, and students and their families. I also wanted to thank the other generous donors who will be joining this important campaign," said Dr. Eric Esrailian on behalf of the AGBU Council of Trustees and Central Board of Directors.

Donations in the United States are tax deductible, and can be made in the form of one time or recurring contributions to the general project or earmarked to specific hubs or boxes through https://armenia.tumo.org/.

More information about TUMO can be found in the electronic press kit.

About TUMO

TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is a free-of-charge education platform that puts teenagers in charge of their own learning. The TUMO program is made up of self-learning activities, workshops and project labs that cover a wide range of focus areas at the intersection of technology and design, including computer programming, animation, game development, music, robotics, 3D modeling, writing, filmmaking, graphic design and more. Over 20 thousand students currently attend TUMO centers in Armenia on a regular basis. In recent years, TUMO centers have also opened in Paris, Moscow, Tirana, Berlin and Beirut, with additional centers expected to open in Lyon, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Milan, Tashkent and Seoul. Licensing revenues from international locations contribute to the long term sustainability of TUMO in Armenia and Artsakh.

SOURCE TUMO

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SAN DIEGO, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP announces that purchasers or acquirers of Waterdrop Inc. (NYSE: WDH) American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") pursuant and/or traceable to Waterdrop's May 2021 initial public offering ("IPO") have until November 15, 2021 to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Waterdrop class action lawsuit. Filed by Robbins Geller, the Waterdrop class action lawsuit charges Waterdrop, certain of its top executives and directors, as well as the underwriters of Waterdrop's IPO with violations of the Securities Act of 1933. The Waterdrop class action lawsuit was filed on September 14, 2021 and is pending in the Southern District of New York.

The plaintiff is represented by Robbins Geller, which has extensive experience in prosecuting investor class actions including actions involving financial fraud. You can view a copy of the complaint by clicking here.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff of the Waterdrop class action lawsuit, please provide your information by clicking here. You can also contact attorney Brian Cochran of Robbins Geller by calling 800/449-4900 or via e-mail at [email protected]. Lead plaintiff motions for the Waterdrop class action lawsuit must be filed with the court no later than November 15, 2021.

CASE ALLEGATIONS: The Waterdrop class action lawsuit alleges that the IPO's Registration Statement failed to disclose that Waterdrop was the subject of an intense regulatory investigation and pending crackdown by Chinese authorities because of a variety of market abuses perpetrated by Waterdrop used to artificially inflate Waterdrop's short-term financial results in the lead up to the IPO, including, among other things: (i) operating insurance platforms without proper governmental authorizations; (ii) mispricing risks for consumers; and (iii) illicitly using client information. The Waterdrop class action lawsuit further alleges that, unbeknownst to investors, the reason that Waterdrop had discontinued its mutual aid segment was because it had been ordered to do so by Chinese regulators. Furthermore, Waterdrop had suffered rapidly accelerating operating losses in the first quarter of 2021 which was completed weeks before the IPO.

On June 17, 2021, Waterdrop issued a press release announcing Waterdrop's financial results for the quarter conducted before the IPO. In doing so, Waterdrop reported that its operating costs and expenses had ballooned over 75%, or RMB579.1 million, to RMB1,343.9 million (US$205.1 million). As a result, Waterdrop suffered an operating loss for the quarter of RMB460.6 million (US$70.3 million), compared with operating loss of RMB111.1 million for the same period of 2020  a more than four-fold increase. This rapid increase in operating expenses was due largely to the cessation of Waterdrop's mutual aid business and growing customer acquisition costs.

Then, on August 11, 2021, multiple news sources reported that China's banking and insurance watchdog, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, had issued an order directing insurance companies to cease improper marketing and pricing practices rampant in the industry and enhance their user privacy protections. Failure to comply would reportedly result in the offenders being "severely punished" by Chinese authorities. As Bloomberg reported, "[r]egulators have since moved to shutter some operations including mutual aid healthcare platforms operated by Waterdrop." The article continued: "The latest move will stymie growth in an industry that had been expected to grow to 2.5 trillion yuan ($385 billion) in a decade."

Finally, on September 8, 2021, Waterdrop revealed that its operating losses for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 had continued to accelerate, totaling RMB815.4 million (US$126.3 million), compared with an operating profit of RMB7.2 million for the same period of 2020. This was once again due to a sharp increase in Waterdrop's operating costs and expenses, as Waterdrop's operating costs and expenses during the quarter increased by RMB1,081.1 million, or 160.5% year over year, to RMB1,754.7 million (US$271.8 million) from RMB673.6 million for the same period of 2020.

On September 13, 2021, Waterdrop ADSs dropped to a low of just $3 per ADS  75% below the price at which Waterdrop ADSs were sold to the investing public just four months previously.

THE LEAD PLAINTIFF PROCESS: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 permits any investor who purchased Waterdrop ADSs pursuant and/or traceable to the IPO to seek appointment as lead plaintiff in the Waterdrop class action lawsuit. A lead plaintiff is generally the movant with the greatest financial interest in the relief sought by the putative class who is also typical and adequate of the putative class. A lead plaintiff acts on behalf of all other class members in directing the Waterdrop class action lawsuit. The lead plaintiff can select a law firm of its choice to litigate the Waterdrop class action lawsuit. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery of the Waterdrop class action lawsuit is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

ABOUT ROBBINS GELLER RUDMAN & DOWD LLP: With 200 lawyers in 9 offices nationwide, Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is the largest U.S. law firm representing investors in securities class actions. Robbins Geller attorneys have obtained many of the largest shareholder recoveries in history, including the largest securities class action recovery ever  $7.2 billion  in In re Enron Corp. Sec. Litig. The 2020 ISS Securities Class Action Services Top 50 Report ranked Robbins Geller first for recovering $1.6 billion for investors last year, more than double the amount recovered by any other securities plaintiffs' firm. Please visit http://www.rgrdlaw.com for more information.

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Washington, Sep 18 : Kenneth McKenzie, Commander of US Central Command, admitted on Friday that a US drone strike in late August in Kabul killed as many as 10 civilians, including 7 children.

"Having thoroughly reviewed the findings of the investigation and the supporting analysis by interagency partners, I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that strike," McKenzie told reporters during a Pentagon press briefing.

"We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K, or were a direct threat to US forces," Xinhua news quoted him as saying.

The general admitted the deadly strike was a mistake.

"As the combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome." The US Central Command said on August 29 that it launched a drone strike on a vehicle in Kabul, which it claimed had eliminated an "imminent" threat, posed by ISIS-K, an Afghanistan-based offshoot of the Islamic State, to the Hamid Karzai International Airport, where evacuations of US service members and personnel were underway.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New York, Sep 18 : The world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7-degrees of heating. This is breaking the promise made six years ago to pursue the 1.5-degree Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Saturday.

He said failure to meet this goal will be measured in the massive loss of lives and livelihoods.

The Secretary-General was responding to the UN Climate Change synthesis report of climate action plans as communicated in countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The NDC Synthesis report indicates that while there is a clear trend that greenhouse gas emissions are being reduced over time, nations must urgently redouble their climate efforts if they are to prevent global temperature increases beyond the Paris Agreement's goal of well below 2 degrees Celsius -- ideally 1.5 Celsius -- by the end of the century.

"G20 nations account for 80 per cent of global emissions. Their leadership is needed more than ever. The decisions they take now will determine whether the promise made at Paris is kept or broken," Guterres said.

"Before COP 26 all nations should submit a more ambitious NDC that help to place the world on a 1.5-degree pathway. We also need developed nations to finally deliver on the $100 billion commitment promised over a decade ago in support to developing countries. The Climate Finance report published today by the OECD shows that this goal has not been reached either," he added.

The Synthesis Report released by the UN Climate Change on Friday was requested by Parties to the Paris Agreement to assist them in assessing the progress of climate action ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow in Scotland.

The report includes information from all 191 Parties to the Paris Agreement based on their latest NDCs available in the interim NDC registry as at July 30, including information from 86 updated or new NDCs submitted by 113 Parties.

The new or updated NDCs cover about 59 per cent of Parties to the Paris Agreement and account for about 49 per cent of global GHG emissions.

For the group of 113 Parties with new or updated NDCs, greenhouse gas emissions are projected to decrease by 12 per cent in 2030 compared to 2010. This is an important step towards the reductions identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which estimated that limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5 Celsius requires a reduction of CO2 emissions of 45 per cent in 2030 or a 25 per cent reduction by 2030 to limit warming to 2 Celsius.

Within the group of 113 Parties, 70 countries indicated carbon neutrality goals around the middle of the century. This goal could lead to even greater emissions reductions, of about 26 per cent by 2030 compared to 2010.

"I congratulate all Parties that have submitted updated or new NDCs," said Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change.

"The synthesis shows that countries are making progress towards the Paris Agreement's temperature goals. This means that the in-built mechanism set up by the Paris Agreement to allow for a gradual increase of ambition is working," she added.

A sizeable number of NDCs from developing countries contain conditional commitments to reduce emissions, which can only be implemented with access to enhanced financial resources and other support.

The report suggests that the full implementation of these components could allow for global emissions to peak by 2030. Regarding adaptation actions, which are also covered in many of the available NDCs, support is particularly critical.

"This shows just how central the issue of providing support to developing countries really is. We need to peak emissions as soon as possible before 2030 and support developing countries in building up climate resilience.

"The pledge to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 was key for enhancing climate action by developing countries. That commitment that was made in the UNFCCC process more than 10 years ago has not yet been fulfilled. It's time to deliver -- COP26 is the place to do so. Developing countries need this support in order to act as ambitiously as possible," Espinosa urged.

The report also contains some worrying findings.

The available NDCs of all 191 Parties taken together imply a sizable increase in global GHG emissions in 2030 compared to 2010, of about 16 per cent.

According to the latest IPCC findings, such an increase, unless actions are taken immediately, may lead to a temperature rise of about 2.7 Celsius by the end of the century.

"The 16 per cent increase is a huge cause of concern. It is in sharp contrast with the calls by science for rapid, sustained and large-scale emission reductions to prevent the most severe climate consequences and suffering, especially of the most vulnerable, throughout the world," Espinosa said.

"The report clearly shows that the NDC framework is helping Parties to advance towards fulfilling their commitments under the Paris Agreement," she added.

Espinosa clarified that Parties can submit NDCs or update already submitted NDCs at any time, including in the run-up to COP26.

In this event and in order to ensure that the COP has the latest information before it, the UN Climate Change will issue an update to cover all NDCs submitted on or before October 12. The update is planned to be published on October 25.

Alok Sharma, incoming COP26 President, said: "This report is clear: ambitious climate action can avoid the most devastating effects of climate change, but only if all nations act together. Those nations which have submitted new and ambitious climate plans are already bending the curve of emissions downwards by 2030. But without action from all countries, especially the biggest economies, these efforts risk being in vain."
Bengaluru, Sep 18 : More horrific details have surfaced from the shocking suicide case of four members of a family and the death of a nine-month-old baby in Bengaluru. The police rescued a minor girl who lived with the five dead bodies for five days in the house.

The five bodies were discovered inside the house in the Byadarahalli police station limits on Friday night from where the police rescued the two and half year-old girl, Preksha. She was found in an almost unconscious state.

The girl lived in the house where the dead bodies of her mother Sinchana (34), grandmother Bharathi (51), mother's sister Sindhoorani (31), mother's brother Madhusagar (25) were hanging from the ceiling.

The girl was found in the room where Madhusagar was hanged.

Preksha has been admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

The police said that she would need treatment and counselling.

The Byadrahalli police investigating the case said that the post-mortem of bodies will be conducted on Saturday morning. Though it appears a case of suicide, it has to be confirmed in the post-mortem, they added.

Soumendu Mukharjee, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) said that the reason for the five deaths is yet to be ascertained.

"We have not found a death note from the house. Shankar, the man of the house is in a state of shock. He will be inquired as soon as he is fit," he said.

Meanwhile, Shankar has said that his daughters came home after fighting with their husbands.

Instead of resolving the issue and sending them back to their husbands, his wife Bharathi encouraged them to stay back.

"I worked hard to get my daughters Sinchana and Sindhoorani educated. Son Madhusagar was also an engineering graduate and worked in a private company. Sinchana had come back home after having a fight with her husband over an ear-piercing ceremony of their daughter. There were no issues regarding finances. They have taken the extreme decision on trivial issues," Shankar said.

Police said that neighbours have informed them that, there was a fight between Shankar and his son Madhusgar. After the fight, Shankar had walked out of the house.

After the incident, the family had committed suicide on Sunday itself.

The bodies were found in a decomposed state and forensic experts and police officers have predicted that the deaths have occurred five days ago.

However, this will also be confirmed after the post-mortem.

Bharathi, the elderly lady was found hanging to the ceiling in the hall and Sinchana, Sindhoorani's bodies were found in a room on the first floor along with the nine-month-old baby boy.

Madhusagar was found hanging in his room. All three children had separate rooms in the house.

The incident came to light when Shankar, a journalist, broke open the door with the help of neighbours and police on Friday night.

Shankar had told police that he called his family members for three days which went answered.
United Nations, Sep 18 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has requested for cooperation from the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in support of Afghanistan.

Troubling developments in Afghanistan are causing profound political, economic, security and humanitarian challenges, he said on Friday in a video message during the 21st SCO summit held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

"The UN is committed to deliver for the Afghan people," he said.

"We look forward to working with all of you to support the Afghan people." The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and unpredictable, but it is clear that the Afghan people want extreme poverty to be eradicated, jobs to become available, health and education services to be restored, and their lives and basic rights and freedoms to be protected, according to the UN chief

They want their country free of insecurity and terror, Guterres added.

Across the board, solidarity is needed now more than ever, he said.

"Transnational threats, such as the climate crisis and Covid-19, demand coordinated and creative solutions. The work of regional organisations such as the SCO is critical to addressing the shared challenges and ensuring an equitable recovery.

"I am proud that our collaboration is growing stronger every day. Our partnership is advancing peace, stability and sustainable development in Central Asia, expanding opportunities for women and promoting the role of young people.

"Let us continue to build on those vital efforts," he added.
Washington, Sep 18 : A US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has endorsed a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine six months after full inoculation in people above 65 years and for individuals at high risk for severe disease.

The decision late Friday came after members of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee voted against advising the agency to approve boosters for anyone 16 and older after hours of debate, reports Xinhua news agency.

Members of the committee expressed doubts about the safety of a booster dose in younger adults and teens, and said they wanted to see more data about the safety and long term efficacy of a booster dose.

A decision about boosters from the FDA is expected in the next few days.

Meanwhile, another advisory panel of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is also scheduled to meet next week on how to apply the FDA's eventual decision and can fine-tune the recommendation.

President Joe Biden's administration have recently announced a plan to begin administering booster doses to the general population during the week of September 20, pending sign-offs from the FDA and CDC.

The CDC published data on Friday showing that all three Covid-19 vaccines available in the US -- Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson -- still provide strong protection against hospitalisation.

Moderna's vaccine provided 93 per cent protection against hospitalisation, Pfizer's was 88 per cent and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen vaccine was 71 per cent, said the CDC study.
Tokyo, Sep 18 : Japan is considering administering the third shot of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of this year, the Health Ministry said.

Studies showed that Covid-19 antibodies would decrease six months after taking the second shot of the vaccine and jab efficacy against the Delta variant would become lower over time.

In addition, vaccine makers said that since confirmed infections among fully inoculated people were increasing in Japan and abroad, the booster shot would be necessary, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying on Friday.

Health experts of a Japanese government sub-committee agreed on the necessity of the third shot and approved the Ministry's plan to start inoculating people at least eight months after they received their second dose.

Based on Japan's vaccination progress, people may start receiving the booster shot from November, and the government will discuss the population eligible for the third shot and the order of priority based on data and the progress of other nations.

A sub-committee member said medical workers treating Covid-19 patients need to be allowed to receive their third shot as soon as possible, but another member thought people who have not received two shots should be prioritized.

The Ministry said that in principle, all three doses should be from the same manufacturer.

However, it said that under certain situations, people could take the booster shot produced by a different company, giving the first two shots should be doses of the same supplier, and it would revise rules to enable that.

Japan currently uses vaccines developed by Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc., and AstraZeneca Plc.
Mumbai, Sep 18 : The Maharashtra Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) has detained a terror suspect from Mumbai's Jogeshwari suburb, four days after the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested six extremists from different parts of India.

The latest in the list, identified as Zakir, will be taken to Delhi for further probe into the busted Pakistan-based terror module involving gangster Anees Ibrahim Kaskar, the brother of absconder mafia don Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar, currently holed up in Pakistan.

Of the six terrorists arrested earlier this week in a sensational operation by the Delhi Police, at least two were trained in Pakistan and had allegedly conspired for terror strikes in India.

They were produced before a court in the national capital which on Wednesday remanded them to 14 days' custody of the Special Cell.

The Maharashtra ATS chief Vineet Agrawal had categorically said on Wednesday that there was no recce conducted in Mumbai, nor weapons or explosives found in the state after the busting of the terror module by the Delhi Police.
United Nations, Sep 18 : The Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of a UN investigative team for crimes committed by the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Iraq.

Resolution 2597, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member Council on Friday, will extend the mandate of the UN Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da'esh/Islamic State (UNITAD) for a year, till September 17, 2022, Xinhua news agency.

"Any further extension of UNITAD's mandate will be decided at the request of the Iraqi government or any other government that has requested the team to collect evidence of acts that may amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide, committed by the IS in its territory," says the resolution.

The resolution requests the special adviser, who heads UNITAD, to continue to submit and present reports to the Security Council on the team's activities every 180 days.

UNITAD was authorised by the Council in September 2017 to support Iraq's efforts in holding the IS accountable for the crimes the terrorist group committed in the country.

The team became fully operational in November 2019.
Johannesburg, Sep 18 : Political parties, lawmakers and the electoral body in South Africa have urged citizens to register for the upcoming municipal elections ahead of next the September 20 deadline, with more than 23,151 registration stations set to open over the weekend.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa on September 6 announced that registration for voters will close on September 20, following a registration weekend from Saturday to Sunday, which will offer all eligible South African citizens an opportunity to register or update their registration details at all the voting stations, reports Xinhua news agency.

The municipal elections that are held every five years will elect leadership at metropolitan, district and local levels in over 200 municipalities across the country, who play a crucial role in providing services that directly affect South African citizens on a daily basis.

Fikile Xasa, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs of the Parliament, on Friday called for maximum participation from all citizens in the elections, as local governments are the engine of service delivery in the South African system of state.

Xasa, in a statement released here, urged all eligible South Africans, particularly the youth, to register to vote while adhering to Covid-19 protocols at registration stations.

The call came as the two largest parties in the country were mobilising their supporters to register for the elections.

African National Congress (ANC), which is the ruling party since South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, on Thursday announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa and other officials will encourage communities on the ground to take advantage of the registration weekend and vote for the party.

It also announced that Ramaphosa and other ANC leaders will conduct community engagement after launching the election manifesto on September 27 in Tshwane, the city that contains the administrative capital of Pretoria.

ANC reportedly failed to register all candidates in 93 municipalities, 35 of which were significantly affected, before the original deadline due to technical problems.

The party, however, assured its members and supporters that it will register all candidates by September 21 as the electoral body reopened candidate nominations.

Democratic Alliance (DA), the second largest party, on Friday announced its registration program on the weekend, during which its top leader John Steenhuisen and other party members will also visit communities to mobilise residents.

Among major cities in the country, DA, which is the biggest party in Tshwane and Johannesburg, is seeking for an outright majority in Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay, Steenhuisen told Xinhua.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Building upon the Chief Minister's new development plans for 2021, Chhattisgarh is all set to celebrate the launch of the state governments ambitious 'Ram Van Gaman Path Tourist Circuit project on the auspicious occasion of Navaratri on October 7, 2021.

The state abounds with stories of Ram, Laxman and Sita living in exile in the forests of Chhattisgarh. Stories and songs inspired by Lord Ram have been narrated and sung in communities here and passed on through generations.

In addition, the state is the nanihal (mother's birth home) of Ram. It is the place where Prince Ram became Maryada Purushotam, carefully nurtured by his mother's love.

Chitrakot Falls, Jagdalpur, Photo Credit: Jeet Singh Arya "Lord Ram spent most of his time here during his exile from Ayodhya. To preserve the memories linked to Lord Ram and Mata Kaushalya, the government has envisioned this project where devotees and tourists will be able to feel the essence of divinity with every step they take on Ram Van Path Gaman Tourism Circuit", said Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

The event venue this year is the ancient Kaushalya Mata Mandir, located in Chandkhuri village which is approximately 25 km away from Raipur. The celebrations will be a visual spectacle combining music, dance, a laser show and LED mapping highlighting the story of Lord Ram and his exile in Chhattisgarh. This is intended to become an annual occurrence with fiesta and festivities and is aimed at giving Chhattisgarh its place as an exciting destination for international as well as domestic tourists.

Chitrakot Falls, Jagdalpur, Photo Credits: Native Planet The State Tourism Board is using the auspicious occasion of Navratri to introduce their new tourism circuit that follows the path travelled by Lord Ram in the region of Chhattisgarh during his exile from Ayodhya: The Ram Van Gaman Path. In the first phase of this project, the plan is to develop the nine spots that fall on the forested route that Shri Ram traversed. These sites include Sitamarhi- Harchowka, Ramgarh, Shivrinarayan, Turturiya, Chandkhuri, Rajim, Sihawa, Jagdalpur and Ramaram.

"Our main priority is to develop the identified sites of the Ram Van Gaman Path into prime tourist spots. Keeping in mind the ongoing pandemic, special efforts are being made to motivate tourists towards domestic tourism and the Ram Van Gaman Path will be an immersive experience for tourists", said Yashwant Kumar, Managing Director, Chhattisgarh Tourism Board.

The state aims to develop and beautify the selected sites and create world-class tourism infrastructure to generate high footfalls which will give a boost to state tourism.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Bali, Sep 18 : The Indonesian government will reopen its resort island of Bali for international visitors from October amid a constant decline in the country's number of new Covid-19 cases, a Minister said here In a statement on Friday, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said that the country has just emerged from the peak of the second wave of the pandemic triggered by the Delta variant from July to August and has managed to reduce its positivity rate to less than 5 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Covid-19 Task Force recorded the highest daily increase of cases at 56,757 in July 15, but the day-to-day rise dropped sharply to 3,835 on September 17.

"If the number of cases continues to drop like this, we are confident to reopen Bali," Panjaitan told a virtual press conference.

Indonesia will prioritise foreign tourists from countries with a controlled Covid-19 situation.

Authorities will continue to monitor the progress of the pandemic handling every week to ensure that the conditions remain under control so that Bali is safe to reopen.

Friday's announcement comes after the government on Monday announced its decision to lower the level of the four-tiered restrictions on public activities in Bali due to the Covid-19 decline.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Taliban have effectively banned girls from secondary education in Afghanistan, by ordering high schools to reopen only for boys.

The edict makes Afghanistan the only country on earth to bar half its population from getting a secondary education, the Guardian reported.

Girls were not mentioned in Friday's announcement, which means boys will be back at their desks next week after a one-month hiatus, while their sisters will still be stuck at home, the newspaper said in the report.

The Taliban Education Ministry said secondary school classes for boys in grades seven to 12 would resume on Saturday, the start of the Afghan week.

"All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions," the statement said.

The future of girls and female teachers, stuck at home since the Taliban took control, was not addressed, the Guardian report said.

In a further sign that the recently announced Taliban government is tightening restrictions on women, the former ministry of women's affairs building in Kabul has been handed over to the newly re-established ministry for the prevention of vice and promotion of virtue.

This was the group's feared enforcer in the 1990s, charged with beating women who violated bars on everything from going out in public without a male guardian to an obsessively prescriptive dress code that even forbade high heels, the report said.

The decision on education has worrying echoes of the tactics the Taliban used in the 1990s, when they last ruled Afghanistan, to bar girls from school without issuing a formal prohibition.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Three terrorist organisations are still operating in Afghanistan against Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday, after the Taliban had assured the Afghan soil would not be used against any state, Geo TV reported.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rehman in Dushanbe on Friday, Khan said he will try to convince the Afghan Taliban as there were concerns about the situation in Panjshir.

He added that Pakistan and Tajikistan wanted the issue in the valley to be resolved through talks.

On the other hand, President Rehman said that he will use his influence in bringing the Tajik leadership of Afghanistan to the negotiating table to resolve their differences peacefully.

Stressing the need for an inclusive government in Afghanistan, Khan warned that instability in the war-torn country could affect all the neighbouring countries, Geo TV reported.

In an interview to Russia Today (RT) television, the Prime Minister said that inclusive government is the only way to peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan was going through a crucial period, the prime minister said, adding that either it would move towards stability after wars for four decades or it would go in a wrong direction and resultantly chaos and huge humanitarian and refugee crises would affect all the neighbours of the country, the report added.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed nine teams in the two flood-hit districts of East and West Midnapore in West Bengal A senior NDRF official told IANS that the deployed teams in both the districts have been geared up with all necessary equipment like Gemini boats and essential accessories for rescue operation.

He also said that 10 teams are currently on standby at various locations in the state, including Hooghly, New Jalpaiguri, North and South 24 Parganas, Kolkata and Siligudi.

Around three lakh people in East and West Midnapore have become homeless as vast areas of the two districts were flooded following heavy rains.

The Sabang area in West Midnapore was the worst hit and it has been witnessing the flood havoc following breaches in embankments of the Keleghai and Kapaleshwari Rivers at six places since Wednesday night, a source in the West Bengal administration said.

As the two districts received over 400 mm of rainfall in the past two days, it has led to at least five rivers crossing the danger level and breaching many embankments.

Midnapore and Hooghly faced devastating floods last month too.

The West Bengal government has been demanding Central assistance for the Ghatal master plan.

On August 31, a state government team met Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Sekhawat and NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar to seek funds for implementing at least four projects.

The Ghatal sub-division is one of the flood-prone areas of West Bengal and very vulnerable to flood hazards.

The critical drainage pattern of the Silabati River and monsoonal climatic fluctuations are the main reasons for floods in the Ghatal block, which cause huge damages every year.
Panaji, Sep 18 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that birthdays will come and go, but I will never forget my 71st birthday because of the nearly 2.5 crore vaccine jabs which the country administered, marking a new feat against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Speaking during a virtual interaction with health workers, ruling politicians, administrative officials and a cross section of people from Goa, Modi also said that by clocking the record vaccinations in a single day, India has shown the world the depths of its ability, adding that Indians should boast about the achievement with pride.

"But due to all your efforts, yesterday was a special day for me. Birthdays will come and go, but I will never forget yesterday. I cannot thank you all enough," Modi said.

"Many birthdays have come and gone. But I have kept away from these things (birthday celebrations). But in all my years, yesterday was a very emotional day for me," the Prime Minister added.

Breaking down Friday's nationwide statistics, Modi said that 15 lakh vaccines were administered every hour, 26,000 every minute and 425 doses given every second at the more than 1 lakh inoculation centres across the country.

"Because of your efforts, yesterday, India in one day, vaccinated 2.5 crore people, creating a record. Bigger and developed countries in the world have not been able to achieve this fear.

"I noticed yesterday as to how the country was watching the Cowin dashboard in anticipation," Modi said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Copenhagen, Sep 18 : Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld has stepped down oafter a motion of disapproval against her for the chaotic handling of evacuations from Afghanistan.

Bijleveld's resignation on Friday comes a day after Foreign Affairs Minister Sigrid Kaag stepped down over the issue, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I wanted to continue with the task that I face, the evacuation of the men and women on the front line, and the interpreters, who are still in Afghanistan," Bijleveld said.

"However, as my job became the subject of a discussion I could not do it in a good way anymore." Bijleveld had said on Thursday, before a debate in Parliament, that she would stay on anyway.

However, when the motions of disapproval received a majority vote, and Kaag resigned, tensions arose within her Christian Democrats Party.

The motions of disapproval followed a heated debate in Parliament about the chaotic evacuation of the Netherlands embassy staff from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.

Kaag and Bijleveld were held responsible for not picking up signals from Parliament, and from embassy staff in Afghanistan, that an emergency situation was about to arise.

The resignations come in the middle of difficult talks over the formation of a new Dutch government.

General elections were held in the country in March this year, but an agreement on a coalition government has still not been reached.
Tel Aviv, Sep 18 : Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett marked the first anniversary of the Abraham AccordS, hailing the US-brokered deals as "a new chapter in the history of peace in the Middle East".

The Prime Minister said that the brokered deals, through which Israel normalised its ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020, were "unprecedented", according to a statement issued by his office.

Bennett, who succeeded Benjamin Netanyahu in June, noted the new government under his leadership "will continue to implement the agreements while striving for a stable, secure and prosperous Middle East", reports Xinhua news agency "Israel welcomes the signing of the strategic agreements," he said, adding that the ties with the country's new allies "are already bearing many fruits".

Since the deals were signed in 2020, Israel and the three countries have opened embassies, launched direct flights, and boosted economic ties.
Jaipur, Sep 18 : The harsh, shrill, loud and alarming sounds of ambulance horns which echoed on the streets during the second wave of the COVID pandemic in India could soon be a thing of the past. Now those shrill horns are planned to be replaced with the sounds of flute, harmonium, tabla and conch shell.

Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari gave this information while inspecting the Delhi-Mumbai Greenfield Expressway being built at a cost of Rs 90,000 crore. He said that work on the new horn pattern has already started.

Remembering the lines once quoted by US President John F Kennedy that "American roads are not good because America is rich, but America is rich because American roads are good," Gadkari announced that the country shall see a major transformation in the transport sector which will script a success story in states like Rajasthan, MP, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway will be axis controlled and neither humans nor animals will be allowed to walk on it. Hence, the vehicles can be driven at a speed of around 140km/hour, he said adding that "We are thinking of allowing a speed of 100 km per hour on this road. We are discussing the scope of changing traffic rules in this regard," he added.

The Delhi-Mumbai expressway will script a successful development story in the tribal belts of Rajasthan, MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra by developing the socio-economically and educationally backward districts.

Around 4 crore trees will be planted on the sides of the expressway to check pollution, he said.

Gadkari called on the Rajasthan CM and ministers to make industrial clusters, logistic park, smart cities etc on both sides of the expressway to ensure local youths get employment.

He said that local produce will also get a boost as we are planning to showcase handloom, handicraft, local fruits and vegetables on either side of the road.

"The part of the expressway originating from Ranthambore and Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve will be made like an elevated corridor, so that animals living in the sanctuary do not face any kind of problem," he added.

Talking about changes in the toll policy on National Highways and Expressways, he said that in the next two years, the system of payment of toll through GPS will be started. A software will be prepared and connected to satellite and GPS which will allow the customer to pay the toll for the number of kilometers he has travelled.

Speaking on accidents, he said that at present five lakh road accidents take place in the country. In these, one and a half lakh people succumb. We are trying to bring a situation by 2030 when there are zero accidents being reported on the highways.

The Delhi-Katra Expressway will be launched in two years. This will reduce the distance from Delhi to Katra from 727 kms to 572 kms and we can reach Katra from Delhi in six hours, he added.

The Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, being built under the Bharat Mala project, will be 1350 km long and is targeted to be completed by January 2023.

After thoroughly inspecting the highway, I am confident that the road will become an icon of #NewIndia and will open endless opportunities for millions of people. #PragatiKaHighway, Gadkari tweeted after his survey.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : A man who was accused of concealing an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at his poultry farm in Prayagraj, meant to carry out terror attacks in the country, on Saturday claimed innocence in a Facebook video.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) had busted a major terror module and arrested six terror suspects. In this crackdown, the police had recovered IEDs from the poultry farm of the man identified as Shahrukh.

In a self-recorded video, Shahrukh claimed innocence and said he was offered a job by arrested terror suspect Zeeshan and in lieu of the offer he was asked to keep certain articles at the poultry farm.

"I didn't know what was hidden inside the bag. Zeeshan had asked me not to touch them. I had no idea that there were explosives," he said.

Explaining why he was on the run for the past 2-3 days, Shahrukh said he panicked after he came to know that police and ATS had raided his poultry farm.

"Today I am going to surrender before the Prayagraj Police as I have not done anything wrong," he said.

Notably, Humaid-ur-Rahman, uncle of ISI-trained terrorist Osama who was arrested on September 14 has also surrendered before the Uttar Pradesh police in Prayagraj.

According to the officials, Rehman surrendered at the Kareli Police station on Friday.
Chandigarh, Sep 18 : Ahead of the crucial Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is reaching the Governor's house where he may submit his resignation.

"He is meeting the Governor at 4.30 pm," the Chief Minister's Media Advisor Raveen Thukral informed in a tweet.

The Chief Minister is expected to address the media outside the Governor's house.

Earlier in the day, the party's high command is said to have conveyed to the Chief Minister to resign to enable the election of a new incumbent.

However, the Chief Minister 'threatened' to quit the party for being humiliated.

"Amarinder Singh spoke to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the morning and told her that he is being humiliated and he will resign from the party," a close confidant of the Chief Minister told IANS.

According to some senior party leaders, the high command has categorically asked Amarinder Singh to step down.

The minute-by-minute changing political development began close to midnight on Friday when Congress' Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted about the decision to hold an urgent CLP meeting on Saturday.

About 10 minutes later, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Sidhu directed all the MLAs to be present at the CLP meeting.

The announcement by Rawat is being seen as an indication from the high command to appoint a new incumbent under whose helm the party will go to the Assembly polls, slated in March 2022.

Responding to the political developments, former state Congress President Sunil Jakhar tweeted: "Kudos to Sh Rahul Gandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this Punjabi version of Gordian knot.

"Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled Congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis." The decision to call the CLP comes in the wake of the fresh letter signed by a majority of legislators, who expressed their dissatisfaction with Amarinder Singh and demanded his removal from the Chief Minister's post.

Meanwhile, AICC deputed party general secretary Ajay Maken and Harish Chowdhry reached Chandigarh as central observers for the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting slated later on Saturday. Harish Rawat is also reaching here.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 : A murder convict Jaffar Hussain, imprisoned in the high profile Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail at Poojapura in the heart of the capital city, who escaped on Tuesday morning, on Saturday surrendered before a court here.

He said he escaped from jail to see his wife and son, who live in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu. On Saturday he presented himself before a local court here and after due procedure, he was taken back to the jail.

He arrived at the court with his wife and son.

This happened when the Kerala police had launched a manhunt to nab Hussain, a resident of Tuticorin who has been jailed for a murder that took place here in 2005.

He was convicted in 2017 and since then he has been in jail here.

What's more serious is that on account of the Covid pandemic, while many inmates have been given parole, even with a lower number of inmates and a good number of jail staff, Hussain managed to break out of prison.
Bengaluru, Sep 18 : Chief Justice of India Justice N.V. Ramana called for Indianisation of legal system in the country on Saturday in a function held in Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru organised by the Karnataka State Bar Council to pay tributes to Late Justice Mohana M. Shantanagaudar.

"Very often our justice delivery poses multiple barriers for the common people. The working and the style of courts do not sit well with the complexities of India. Our system, practices, rules being colonial in origin may not be best suited to the needs of the Indian population," he opined.

"The need of the hour is the Indianisation of our legal system. When I say Indianisation, I mean the need to adapt to the practical realities of our society and localise our justice delivery systems. For example, parties from a rural place fighting a family dispute are usually made to feel out of place in the court," he observed.

They do not understand the arguments or pleadings which are mostly in English, a language alien to them. These days judgments have become lengthy, which further complicates the position of litigants, he elaborated.

For the parties to understand the implications of a judgment, they are forced to spend more money, he underlined.

"Courts need to be litigant centric, as they are the ultimate beneficiaries. The simplification of justice delivery should be our pressing concern. It is crucial to make justice delivery more transparent, accessible and effective," he noted.

Procedural barriers often undermine access to justice. The common man should not be apprehensive about approaching the courts and authorities. While approaching the Court, he should not feel scared of the Judges and Courts. He should be able to speak the truth, he said.

It is the duty of the lawyers and the judges to create an environment that is comforting for the litigants and other stakeholders. We must not forget that the focal point of any justice delivery system is "the litigant is the justice seeker", he explained.

In this light, usage of alternate dispute mechanisms such as mediation and conciliation would go a long way in reducing the friction between parties and would save resources. This also reduces the pendency and requirement for having lengthy arguments with lengthy judgments. As Justice Warren Burger, the former Chief Justice of the United States stated, I quote- "The notion that ordinary people want black-robed judges, well-dressed lawyers in fine courtrooms as settings to resolve their disputes is incorrect. People with problems, like people with pains, want relief and they want it as quickly and inexpensively as possible," he noted.

Talking about Justice Shantanagudar he mentioned that, "It is with a deep sense of sorrow that I have come here to pay tribute to Hon'ble Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar, my Brother Judge who passed away on 24th April 2021." "In losing him, the country has lost a common man's judge. I have personally lost a most cherished friend and a valuable colleague. His contribution to the jurisprudence of the nation, from the time of his elevation to the High Court and particularly during his time in the Supreme Court, is indisputable. His judgments provide a deep insight into his years of experience, his depth of knowledge and his unending wisdom," he remarked.
Mumbai, Sep 18 : Actor Anupam Kher has been invited by The Hindu University of America to be conferred the prestigious Honorary Doctorate in Hindu Studies at a simple Hindu Vedic ceremony in Manhattan, New York on Saturday.

"It is an honour to be the first recipient of the Honorary Doctorate award from the Hindu University of America. I believe, through Hinduism, we can learn and understand the importance of harmony and acceptance. I wish to promote the same message of peace even further with the Doctorate," said Anupam Kher in a statement.

Speaking about Kher, Ved Nanda, Chair, Board of Trustees, said, "The Hindu University of America is privileged to confer its inaugural Honorary Doctoral degree on Padma Bhushan Sri Anupam Kher." The Hindu University of America is a non-profit public charitable educational institution recognised as an online university with the mission to provide education in knowledge systems based on Hindu thought, involving critical inquiry, ethics, and self-reflection.

"Anupam Kher Ji, we indeed are honoured that you have graciously consented to accept the historic award of the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Hindu Studies from HUA. You are a constant source of inspiration to us all, and we express our deep appreciation for your monumental contributions," expressed Nanda.

In a similar vein, Dr Jashvant Patel, Chair Finance Committee, said, "Shri Anupam Ji, The Hindu University is proud and privileged to honour you with the Doctorate degree in Hindu Studies. In your life's journey, you have demonstrated and harmonized the wisdom, courage, and commitment in your growth with complete spiritual devotion. You would be a Sage-like role model of inspiration for our students, faculties, and trustees alike to learn and impart Vedic knowledge from the University. The Trustees of HUA are looking forward to having a closer association with you and your work on Hindu Sanskriti." Apart from headlining more than 500 films globally and 100 plays, Kher is also the recipient of the IIFA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Indian Cinema, was nominated for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), and achieved a record-breaking streak of winning eight consecutive Filmfare Awards. Kher has also been honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 2014 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his outstanding work in cinema.

His latest book as an author 'Your Best Day Is Today' is his third bestselling book in a row.

The veteran actor was last seen as a narrator in the TV documentary 'Bhuj: The Day India Shook'.

Kher will next be seen in his 519th film 'Shiv Shastri Balboa' opposite Neena Gupta.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
New Delhi, Sep 18 : In reference to the Delhi Government's meeting with over 50 major construction agencies operating in the national capital in order to tackle the problem of dust pollution, State Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that none of the companies raised any objection to the 14-point guidelines during the meeting.

"None of the companies' representatives have expressed any kind of objection with the guidelines," he told IANS after the meeting he chaired at Delhi Secretariat on Friday.

"We are focusing on 10 Focus Points to efficiently execute our plans. One of the most important points among these is the problem of dust pollution and it was observed that many private agencies involved in construction contribute to the dust pollution problem," he had said during the meeting.

Representatives of companies like L&T, GMR Group, Raheja Developers, Delhi Metro Pvt Ltd, NBCC among others participated in this meet.

Answering a question raised by IANS whether the Delhi Government is planning to subsidise or financially assist these companies, a senior official who attended the meeting said, "This conclusion can only be reached after companies have discussed these 14-point guidelines amongst themselves." All private agencies have been asked to hold a review meeting at their construction sites to see which guidelines are being followed and which are not and comply accordingly.

The 14-point guidelines include setting up of dust/wind-breaking walls of appropriate height around the periphery of the construction site, installation of anti-smog gun(s) for over 20,000 square metres built-up area, anti-dust masks along with arrangements for medical help, investigation, and treatment for every construction worker working on the site.

Strict action will be taken against private agencies found not following the norms as per the Winter Action Plan -- due to be finalised by September 30 by the Delhi government to curb the rising problem of pollution in the city.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Mumbai, Sep 18 : In a major revelation, the Income Tax Department on Saturday accused Bollywood actor Sonu Sood of financial irregularities worth over Rs 250 crore by way of unutilised charitable funds, bogus contracts and circular transactions with one of his partner companies, and diverting funds to evade taxes, officials said.

The disclosures came after IT sleuths' swoop for two days on some 28 premises in Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur, Kanpur and Gurugram in one of the biggest such investigative actions on any actor or entities linked with him. The operations continue.

In a rare official statement, the Income Tax Department, without naming him, has said that Sood evaded tax worth Rs 20 crore so far, besides listing other alleged wrongdoings emerging in its continuing probe.

An NGO, 'SOOD Charity Foundation', launched by the actor in July 2020 collected donations of Rs 18.94 crore till date of which it spent only Rs 1.90 crore towards various relief measures (for migrants), and the rest lies in the bank accounts.

The SOOD Charity Foundation also raised another Rs 2.10 crore from abroad through a crowd-funding platform, violating provisions of the FCRA, said the tax department.

Raids on a Lucknow-based infrastructure company with which Sood had entered into a tie-up for a realty project brought out more financial improprieties.

Detailing them, the IT Department said the group was involved in generating fake bills of subcontracts to siphon off funds worth around Rs 65 crore.

The group has also indulged in dubious circular transactions worth Rs 175 crore with a realty company based out of Jaipur.

The IT Department said it has seized Rs 1.80 crore cash besides sealing 11 bank lockers, with further raids and investigation in progress.

Revealing Sood's alleged modus operandi, the IT Department said that he routed his 'black money' income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many fake entities.

The probe found at least 20 such entries and the providers have admitted to the 'bogus accommodation entries', issuing cheques in lieu of cash, and instances where professional receipts were camouflaged as loans in account books to evade taxes.

These bogus unsecured loans, in turn, were ploughed back for making investments and acquiring properties, said the tax department.

The official revelations signal a huge setback for Sood, who scaled pinnacles of popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic by organising free flights, trains and luxury buses to enable migrants stranded in Maharashtra and other parts of India reach their homes.

For his charities, the ruling Shiv Sena had uncharitably had labelled him as 'Mahatma Sonu Sood' who was actually helping the opposition BJP to discredit the Maha Vikas Aghadi government's good work during the pandemic in Maharashtra.

The actor essayed the role of an antagonist in the global blockbuster "Kung Fu Yoga" (2017), China's second-highest box-office grosser till date, starring superstar Jackie Chan, Disha Patani and Amyra Dastur.

Hobnobbing with top celebs like Union or state ministers, Governors and Chief Ministers, Sood was the star and co-host of a major international three-part tele-series 'BharatKeMahaveer', arising out of a partnership of United Nations in India, NITI Aayog and the Dischovery Channel group.

Incidentally, Sood's 'Pravasirojgar' initiative entered into a joint venture with an Indian company backed by a Singapore-backed group with an initial investment of Rs 250 crore, to provide employment opportunities to Indian youth.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Ladakh, Sep 18 : The beautiful landscapes of Ladakh are going to witness the first edition of 'The Himalayan Film Festival 2021' (THFF) from September 24 to September 28 as part of the celebrations of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' for commemorating 75 years of India's Independence.

While 'Shershaah' directed by Vishnuvardhan shall be the opening film, Ladakhi film 'Shepherdess of the Glaciers' directed by Christiane Mordelet and Stenzin Dorjai will be the closing film. 'Shershaah' will be screened in the auditorium at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra and in Picturetime's inflatable theatre. It is being hosted by the Union Territory of Ladakh.

On Ladakh now experiencing the joys of watching films on the big screen and sharing his thoughts on the upcoming film festival in Ladakh, Sushil Chaudhary, Founder and CEO, Picturetime asserts: "The theatre we installed last month at the height of 11,562 ft where we screened 'Bellbottom', witnessed a mind boggling response and now we are elated to collaborate with the Administration of UT Ladakh and participate in 'The Himalayan Film Festival', the highest altitude film festival in the world." Popular films from the Himalayan states viz Assam, Sikkim, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh besides Indian panorama selected films will be showcased during the festival.

The festival is being organised in collaboration with the Directorate of Film Festivals under the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and will be held at the Sindhu Sanskriti Kendra at Leh. The administration of Ladakh has also collaborated with Picturetime (An inflatable cinema theatre company) to also screen films in one of the Picturetime theatres. There will also be a competition section for short films and documentaries to recognize talented film-makers in the Himalayan region of India.

The Himalayan Film Festival shall play host to enriching and interactive conversation sessions by film director, producer, editor, screenwriter, lyricist, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Anupama Chopra and actress Kirti Kulhari. While National Award-winning Indian film producer, writer, director and editor who works predominantly in Hindi and Tamil cinema, Priya Krishnaswamy will conduct a session on editing, Nila Madhab Panda, Indian film producer and director will conduct a Masterclass on direction.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Chandigarh, Sep 18 : Just minutes ahead of the crucial Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh reached the Governor's house and submitted his and his council of ministers resignation to him.

"CM @capt_amarinder has met Punjab Governor and submitted his and his council of ministers' resignation," the Chief Minister Media Advisor Raveen Thukral informed in a tweet.

Earlier in the day, the party's high command is said to have conveyed to the Chief Minister to resign to enable the election of a new incumbent.

However, the Chief Minister 'threatened' to quit the party for being humiliated.

"Amarinder Singh spoke to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the morning and told her he is being humiliated and he will resign from the party," a close confidant of the Chief Minister, told IANS.

According to some senior party leaders, the high command has categorically asked Amarinder Singh to step down.

The minute-by-minute changing political development began at about 11.42 p.m. on Friday when Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted about the decision to hold an urgent CLP meeting on Saturday.

Almost 10 minutes later state party chief Navjot Sidhu directed all the MLAs to be present at the CLP meeting.

The announcement by Rawat is being seen as an indication from the high command to appoint the new incumbent under whose helm the party will go to the Assembly polls, slated in March 2022.

Responding to the political developments, former state President Sunil Jakhar tweeted: "Kudos to Sh Rahul Gandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this Punjabi version of Gordian knot." "Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled Congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis." The decision to call the CLP comes in the wake of the fresh letter signed by a majority of legislators who expressed dissatisfaction with Amarinder Singh and demanding his removal from the Chief Minister's post.

Meanwhile, AICC's deputed party general secretary Ajay Maken and Harish Chowdhry reached Chandigarh as central observers for the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meeting slated in the evening. State party in charge Harish Rawat is also reaching here.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
San Francisco, Sep 18 : Google TV, the smart TV platform from the search engine giant, could soon get support for free TV channels.

According to a report from Protocol, Google is in talks with free and ad-supported streaming television providers about the possibility of adding those channels to its smart TV platform. It will have a similar feel to the traditional TV with commercial breaks.

It is being speculated that the free streaming channels could get launched on Google TV in the coming weeks or months, but the company may wait to announce the initiative with its Smart TV partners sometime early next year, reports Gizmo China.

As for the usage, the users will likely be getting a dedicated live TV menu to browse through the channels.

On smart TVs, the streaming channels are expected to be presented alongside over-the-air programming that can be accessed with an antenna.

Google first forayed into the free TV streaming category when it unveiled the Android TV platform in 2014.

Google TV is based on the Android operating system and is powering devices like Chromecast as Smart TVs.
Dubai, Sep 18 : Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the two most successful Indian Premier League franchises (in terms of titles won), will clash in the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021's second leg here on Sunday.

While CSK are second on the points table with five wins from seven matches - 10 points - MI are fourth with four wins -- eight points -- from seven games.

MI have often started slowly, but they have ramped up their performance towards the end of the tournament.

In the ongoing season, they seemed to have got into dominating phase in the sixth and seventh matches but then Covid-19 brought the tournament to a halt.

It will be interesting to see how they start afresh.

MI's two key Indian players -- Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah -- have just returned from the Test series against England and how quickly they acclimatise to conditions is going to have a bearing on the performance of their team.

For CSK, Shardul Thakur will turn up with renewed confidence having churned out a match-winning performance in the fourth Test that India won at The Oval.

CSK could have the edge as they will be rested and better prepared.

Opening batsman Faf du Plessis will again be vital at the top along with Ruturaj Gaikwad. The South African batsman is the third highest run-getter in the league with 320 runs from seven matches at an average of 64.

In the duel in the first leg, Mumbai Indians came out winners by four wickets. Although CSK scored 218/4 in 20 overs in Delhi with half-centuries from Moeen Ali, du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu, MI rode unbeaten 87 off 34 balls to win on the last ball of the match.

Knowing the power-hitting strength and batting depth of the two teams, a high-scoring match could be likely.

The match and the remaining matches will also be a chance for Rohit to strengthen his credentials as a capable captain.

A lot of focus will be on him as he will be against a team led by arguably India's best short-format skipper, MS Dhoni.

Latest updates on IPL 2021

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Bengaluru, Sep 18 : Criminal Investigation Department (CID) sleuths from Karnataka have arrested a three-member gang who blackmailed and extorted money from people posing as young women on social media. The accused persons after trapping people made their nude videos and extorted money, CID sources said on Saturday.

The arrested persons were identified as Mujahid, Iqbal and Asif from Haryana. They got in touch with the victims on social media posing as women. They would post attractive pictures of young women to lure and trap people. The investigations have revealed that the gang was also providing SIM cards to gangs across India for committing cyber frauds.

Once they started a conversation with the victims, they would indulge in sex chats. The accused persuaded the victims to remove their clothes before the camera and made their nude videos.

Once the nude video was made, they would approach the victim and demand money. They threatened that the nude video would go viral if the money was not given.

However, their free run ended when one of the victims lodged a complaint against them in the Cyber Crime police station.

The special team nabbed the accused persons in Haryana. The CID sleuths managed to arrest the accused in spite of stiff resistance from the local villagers.

The accused Mujahid would procure SIM cards directly from distributors by providing false documents. He also got demo SIMs and OTP to operate mobiles used for crimes. The investigations have revealed that the accused had procured as many as 5,000 SIM cards and activated them.

The CID sleuths said that the information provided by the accused was shared with the Cybercrime wing of the Union Home Secretariat and it was found that the accused had 3,951 such cases.

Another accused Asif aided Mujahid in his activities while Iqbal ran a computer printing and Xerox shop. He prepared fake Aadhar cards and false documents. Further investigations are on.
Srinagar, Sep 18 : The Indian Air Force (IAF) will conduct an air show over the Dal Lake in Srinagar on September 26 as part of the ongoing 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', marking the 75th year of India's Independence.

Defence ministry spokesman Colonel Enron Musavi said the air show would be part of the ongoing celebrations commemorating 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

"Air Force Station, Srinagar, will conduct an air show at Dal Lake in Srinagar on September 26. The event being organised in collaboration with the J&K government will be flagged off by Manoj Sinha, the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre," Musavi said.

The display will include flypast by various aircraft of the IAF. The spectators would also get to witness para-motor flying and IAF's sky diving team Akash Ganga in action.

"The display team will be performing in the Valley after a gap of 14 years. The Symphony orchestra of the IAF will perform at the event, which would also consist of a photo exhibition depicting the history of IAF," Musavi said.
Mumbai, Sep 18 : Actress Tamannaah Bhatia's recent Telugu release 'Maestro' is drawing appreciation from the audience.

Talking about picking the right projects, she says like every artiste, she too likes challenges.

"As an actor, you are always hungry for challenging roles which allow you to expand your range," says the actress, who plays a negative character in the Telugu remake of Bollywood flick 'Andhadhun'.

'Maestro' also stars Nithiin and Nabha Natesh in lead roles.

Talking about her role, which was played by Tabu in the Hindi version, the actress says: "With 'Maestro', I had a lot to play with while performing on the set. Because a genre like thriller needs a balance between what you know and what you want your audience to know. Also, a character as twisted as Simran gives you enough fodder to work with. I am ecstatic to know that the audience is loving my interpretation of the character." Tamannaah will next be seen in the Telugu films 'F3' and 'Gurthunda Seethakalam'.
Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 18 : Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday informed that 19,325 people turned Covid positive after 1,21,070 samples were sent for testing in the past 24 hours, while the test positivity rate was 15.96 per cent.

Compared to the previous days, the Saturday's figures showed a decline, even though Kerala continues to have the maximum daily cases in the country.

Vijayan said 27,266 people turned negative and the total active cases stands at 1,80,842 of which 13.2 per cent of the patients are in various hospitals.

There were 143 Covid deaths taking the total death tally in the state to 23,439.

As on date 88.94 per cent of the state population above aged 45 have been given one dose, of which 36.67 per cent have received both the doses.
San Francisco, Sep 18 : Smartphone brand OnePlus has started rolling out version 11.2.9.9 for the OnePlus 9 and the OnePlus 9 Pro that brings with a new camera mode, called XPan.

The XPan mode is a reference to the Hasselblad XPan, a rebranded version of the dual-format Fuji TX-1 camera launched in the late 90s, reports GSMArena.

Apart from shooting on 35mm film, this camera could also shoot in a wider 65mm format for panoramas in a 65:24 (or 2.7:1) aspect ratio.

The XPan mode on the OnePlus 9 series aims to emulate this. Users can launch this mode from the mode selection screen. This brings up a new UI with the 65:25 aspect ratio viewfinder and limited controls, the report said.

Users can switch between two colour modes, a slightly tweaked natural colour preset and default black and white mode based on the Ilford Delta 400 film.

Users can also switch their focal length from 45mm to a wider 30mm, which switches to the ultra-wide lens. Lastly, they can also control exposure, the report said.

When users capture a shot, the screen briefly turns negative as the final image slowly forms and is saved. This is supposed to "reproduce the ritual sense of film developing".

The 65:25 aspect ratio on these phones cannot be recreated natively, and the images are cropped from their native 4:3 sensor.
Kolkata, Sep 18 : Though the Trinamool Congress has overwhelmingly accepted Babul Supriyo in the party, the BJP on Saturday accused their two-time MP from Asansol of betraying not only the party, but also the people of his constituency.

The Congress and the CPM, however, termed it as 'politics of opportunists'.

In a surprising turn of events, former Union minister Supriyo, who had to resign from the Union ministry on July 7, joined the Trinamool Congress on Saturday, receiving the Trinamool flag from the party's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee at the latter's office in South Kolkata.

Though the Trinamool hailed the entry of Supriyo into the party, the BJP MP met with severe criticism from his former camp.

"Babul Supriyo left the party after he was left without a portfolio and this proves that he was in the party only for gains. Now he is with the Trinamool Congress because, perhaps, they have promised something big. He is an opportunist. He has not only betrayed the party, but also the people of his constituency. One thing I can say is that the BJP will again get an MP from Asansol," BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

Countering Bhattacharya, Trinamool MP and veteran leader Sougata Roy told the media, "After the Assembly elections, four BJP MLAs and one MP have joined the Trinamool Congress and more are likely to follow. There are many big names in the BJP who are waiting. This is the beginning of the end of BJP. No right-thinking people can stay there." Senior BJP leader and the party's national secretary Rahul Sinha said, "This is a temporary shock and the BJP will surely get over it.

"This cannot be politics. To lure people with money and power or threaten people with police and agencies and bring them into the party fold cannot be healthy politics. The BJP is an organisation-based party that runs on certain ethics and principals. So we are not bothered about it." "What the BJP did before the elections was ethical politics? They were taking our people and now when the process has reversed, they have suddenly become concerned about ethics and principals. They are getting the same return and they will see it again," Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

CPM leader Sujan Chakrborty said, "The person who was all praise for Narendra Modi and had accused Mamata Banerjee has suddenly changed colour. Mamata Banerjee has suddenly become an extraordinary leader. Is this politics? This is business. Trinamool Congress has offered him a better bet, so he is with them. If tomorrow any other party offers him something better, it will take two minutes for him to leave Trinamool." "This is not politics. This is like going to a shop and asking for offers. The shop that gives the best offer, I buy from there. There is neither any ethics nor there is any principle and I find no difference between Trinamool Congress and BJP," state Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.
Chennai, Sep 18 : Some computers of the Tamil Nadu government's Public Department suffered ransomware attack and officials are trying to secure back the access with experts, said a senior government official.

Confirming the attack, Information Technology Secretary Neeraj Mittal told IANS: "It is true. Some computers suffered the ransomware attack. We are trying to get back the access." Mittal said the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In and other agencies have been involved to get back the access and the police have also been informed.

The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) is also involved in securing the systems.

Queried about the amount of ransom demanded for giving the access key, Mittal said there will always be a demand for any ransomware attack.

"It is immaterial for us as we are trying to get back the access to the systems. The attack came during the weekend. On Monday we will focus on getting back the systems," Mittal said.

He declined to comment on the reported ransom demand of $1,950 as cryptocurrency.

Experts are trying to access the encrypted documents through other means.

It is said some of the computers in the section of the Public Department were having outdated operating systems which lack software and security updates.

It is reported that no sensitive documents have been affected.
Bhubaneswar, Sep 18 : Odisha Police has arrested two ex-employees of a mobile company for fraudulently swapping mobile SIMs without the knowledge of the genuine customers, a police official said on Saturday.

In a very unique type of fraud, the two accused have digitally transferred SIMs without the knowledge of the customers to prospective buyers through the internet using various online sites. The accused are identified as Keshab Chandra Dhir and Sanjat Kumar Panda, both from Bhubaneswar, the official said.

"A private telecom company had filed a complaint before Infocity PS alleging that 35 vanity mobile numbers or unique numbers (having multiple 1,5,9, etc), which are being sold at a premium rate, have been deactivated," said deputy commissioner of police (DCP), Bhubaneswar, Umashankar Dash.

During investigation, it was found that the two persons even after leaving the jobs, kept the Local Area Payment Unit (LAPU) numbers, which are used to recharge, activate SIM, digital SIM swap etc. And, digitally swap different vanity SIM by uploading fake documents, Dash said.

They activated the vanity mobile numbers in other SIM cards and sold it out to various persons outside the State, he further said.

He said these SIMs can be used for multiple purposes like stealing personal data of the original customer, using these SIMs to do bank fraud etc.

"We will bring the concerned officials of the telecom company, who have activated the SIM card with fake documents and the persons, who bought the SIMs," the DCP added.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : With an eye on next year's crucial assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Sunday gave tips to the Dalit leaders who had gathered in Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on how to win votes.

Referring to various schemes run by the Modi government -- Jan Dhan Yojna, Antyodaya, toilets, housing, education, Ujjwala, Ayushman Bharat, campaign to connect villages with electricity, Pradhan Mantri Krishi Samman Yojana, Mudra loan etc -- Nadda claimed that for the first time in the country the government is following the right path shown by Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Nadda said that the work that the Modi government has done for the Dalit members of the society in the last 7 years, the previous governments could not do even in 70 years.

In view of the number of Dalit voters in Uttar Pradesh, while virtually launching the two-day meeting of the BJP Scheduled Caste Front's national executive convened in Prime Minister Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, the BJP President claimed that the Modi government has taken the steps in the interest of Dalits which no previous government had ever taken. He asked the workers to take the facts along with the data directly to the Dalit voters.

Accusing the opposition parties of using Dalits only as a vote bank, Nadda said that the Congress has always insulted Babasaheb and the BJP has only respect for him.

After OBC voters, the number of Dalit voters is very high in Uttar Pradesh. Out of 403 seats in the UP Legislative Assembly, 84 seats are reserved for the SC category. The population of Dalit voters in the state is about 21 per cent and out of this, more than half are Jatavs -- about 54 per cent. In 42 districts of the state, the population of Dalit voters is more than 21 per cent. The history of the last three assembly elections shows that the political party which got more seats out of the reserved seats, was because of the Dalit votes.

The BJP wants to win the hearts of the Dalits of the state once again by holding a meeting of the National Executive of the SC Morcha in Varanasi. In the two-day meeting, the BJP will plan a strategy on how the Dalits of Uttar Pradesh should be told about the work of the government and how they have benefited from the various schemes. Dalits will be informed about not only the schemes of the government but it will also expose other opposition parties including the BSP and the SP over their hollow promises. In the meeting, Dalit workers will be given the responsibility to go to the Dalit voters and tell them that their honour and interest is safe with the BJP.
Kohima, Sep 18 : In a significant political development, all the ruling and opposition parties in Nagaland, consequent upon their earlier agreement, on Saturday decided to form an all-party government named as United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said.

After the meeting of the leaders of the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party, opposition party Naga People's Front (NPF) and two Independent MLAs, the Chief Minister announced the formation of the UDA government.

He tweeted: "The nomenclature of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for the opposition-less government in Nagaland has been unanimously resolved by the legislators and party leaders of the NDPP, BJP, NPF and Independent MLAs." A statement signed by the leaders of all the parties said that the meeting of the legislators and party leaders of the NDPP, BJP, NPF and Independent MLAs was held at the state banquet hall in Kohima where it was unanimously resolved to adopt the nomenclature of UDA for the opposition less government in Nagaland.

The meeting unanimously resolved to reiterate the joint resolution between the three parties signed on August 11 and 13 to resolve the Naga political issue involving various outfits, including the NSCN (IM), the statement said.

Besides Rio, other leaders who signed the joint press declaration included Deputy Chief Minister and BJP's legislature party leader Y. Patton, NPF legislature party leader and outgoing opposition leader T.R. Zeliang, NDPP President Chingwang Konyak, NPF Secretary General Achumbemo Kikon, state BJP President Temjen Imna Along and Independent MLA Tongpang Ozukum.

When approached by the media, the Chief Minister did not specify the NPF MLAs to be accommodated in the new cabinet headed by him.

The 60-member Assembly has an effective strength of 59 after the death of an MLA.

The NPF is the single largest party with 25 seats, followed by the NDPP with 20 and the BJP with 12, while two are Independent MLAs.

The BJP was the ally of the NPF in Nagaland and neighbouring Manipur before choosing the NDPP as its partner before the 2018 Nagaland Assembly polls.

The ruling and opposition parties have been making hectic efforts for the past several months to form an all-party government in the northeastern state with an aim to take forward the Naga political issue between the Centre and Naga outfits and various other groups.

"We have come together under a common platform to resolve the long-awaited Naga political issue. We wish the Naga issue is settled before Christmas," Zeliang told the media.

The central leaders of the BJP, including party President J.P. Nadda, had recently in principle supported the move for an all-party government in Nagaland.

The latest political development comes after almost all the parties in the northeastern state came together following the formation of the Core Committee on Naga Political Issue (CCoNPI) led by Rio (convener) on June 16.

Nagaland Congress leaders said that the decision of the opposition NPF to join the Chief Minister Rio-led government "on the pretext of Naga political issue to converge into an opposition-less government" is an insult to the people of the state, as they fought the 2018 Assembly polls against the BJP.

The Congress in a statement also alleged that the main purpose for the political matrimony between the NPF and the ruling parties is to "raid the state exchequer and enjoy the perks of office while delaying the implementation of a Naga political solution".

The Central government has been separately holding peace talks with the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and eight other outfits, which came together a few years ago under the banner of 'Naga National Political Groups' (NNPGs).

The NSCN-IM and other outfits entered into a ceasefire agreement with the government of India in 1997 and in the subsequent years and held a political dialogue since then.

The NSCN-IM, the dominant Naga group since August 1997, has held around 80 rounds of negotiations with the Centre.
Mumbai, Sep 18 : The upcoming episodes of 'Dance + Season 6 will see the presence of noted choreographer Prabhu Deva as the special guest.

The show is judged by well-known choreographer Remo D'Souza, who is also the Super Judge, while choreographer Shakti Mohan, dancer Salman Yusuff Khan and choreographer Punit J Pathak are the captains of their respective teams.

This season also witnessed some of the most inspiring stories of dancers. For instance, contestant Mohammed Hussain from Salman's team performs an incredible dance act on ice that moves the captains, including Remo and special guest Prabhu Deva. On being praised for his impressive dance skills, Hussain shares his empowering journey to dance and the obstacles he overcame.

Emphasising how he wants to build a good life for his sister and not let her succumb to the pressures and struggles of life the way he did, he goes on to express his unconditional love for his adopted sister who was not accepted by her biological family and society.

Inspired by Hussain and his mother's deeds, Shakti Mohan announces that she will contribute to his sister's finances. The captain says: "Just like you, I want her to study, grow independent and build a name for herself; there should not be any interruptions in her education. And for that, I want to sponsor your sister's education. She should be capable enough to do well in life by herself and one day make you proud." Captain Salman Y Khan praises the contestant's mother by saying: "There is heaven beneath a mother's feet, and if a mother is like yours, we need not wait for death; heaven is right here. It is because of people like you that the world is still revolving or else it would have been destroyed long back." Remo too gets emotional and says: "I salute your mother. If every brother becomes a 'plus' for his sister, the sister's luck will turn around." The show has made a comeback after two years. Remo had a tough time selecting the top 12 contestants of the show, and selected a top 15, instead of the usual 12. This week, Monday to Wednesday, viewers will witness the grand premiere of the top 15 contestants.

'Dance+ Season 6' is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : With the administration of more than 2.5 crore vaccine doses on Friday, India's Covid vaccination coverage on Saturday surpassed the landmark figure of 80 crores. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on social media, "India has administered 80 crore COVID-19 vaccines doses".

The Health Minister, using the hashtag "WorldsLargestVaccinationDrive on social media, said, "Standing tall against COVID-19. India administers 80 crore vaccine doses. Congratulations to the nation on this momentous feat." In an other tweet he said that India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark. He continued saying that the country took 24 days to reach 40 crore from 30 crore doses and then 20 more days to cross the 50-crore vaccination.

It took 19 more days to go past the 60-crore mark and took only 13 days to reach 70 crore from 60 crore and only 11 days to reach 80 crore from 70 crores, he said on Social media.

India on Friday set a new world record of administering highest number of vaccines against Covid-19 in one day. India achieved the milestones of administering over 2.50 crs vaccines under the Vaccine Seva campaign to mark the 71th birthday of PM Modi.

As per the data, India's total number of vaccination on Friday climbed to 2,50,10,390 by midnight, making a world record in a day.

The minister Mandaviya is a on a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir in connection with Centre's outreach programme where he visited GMC Baramulla, J&K, and inaugurated a 50-bed portable health care unit to enhance medical facilities in remote areas.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Kolkata, Sep 18 : The induction of Babul Supriyo into the Trinamool Congress has quelled a lot of speculation in political circles of the state. The party with its ambitious plan to have its footprint at the national level wants to utilise Supriyo effectively and so the former BJP MP is likely to get a ticket to the Rajya Sabah in place of Arpita Ghosh.

That relations between Babul Supriyo and the BJP had turned sour became very clear when the former union minister wanted to quit active politics but the resignation of Arpita Ghosh from the Rajya Sabha with still more than five years to go was not clear. Sources in the party indicated that Ghosh had to make the sacrifice only to make way for the former BJP union minister.

The Trinamool Congress that is planning to increase its activities in the national capital believes that the presence of Supriyo who has been minister for seven years will help them to boost their presence in Delhi. Moreover, his experience in the BJP will help them to understand the strategy of the saffron brigade better. The party also wants to use Supriyo in their expansion plan in the North East, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha.

Though Supriyo said that he had been in touch with the Trinamool Congress high command for the last four days but sources in the party said that the talks with Supriyo were going on for the last two months indicating that they started after Supriyo was removed from the ministry.

BJP leader Anupam Hazra hinted at the Trinamool Congress' plans.

"'Tar mane 'jhal-muri' rapha agei hoye gechilo, just opekha kora hochchilo Rajya Sabha te kivabe pathano jai!!! Tai hoito bechari Arpita devike eto torighori kore Rajya Sabha chere theatre e mon dite bola ('Jhal-Muri' negotiation was already been made. Just waiting for him to be sent to the Rajya Sabha!!! That's why perhaps poor Arpita Devi was asked to leave the Rajya Sabha in such a hurry and was asked to focus on theatre)," Hazra tweeted.

Though the party leadership is tight lipped about their future plans, Supriyo has already hinted that there is something big that is coming up within three to four days. Speaking to the media Supriyo said, "Believe me or not this was an opportunity that suddenly came to me. Four days before I spoke to Derek regarding the admission of my daughter and then the conversation started. I had discussions with Didi (Mamata Banerjee) and Abhishek Banerjee and they offered me something (I won't reveal the details now) that was enough to satisfy my demand to work for the people of Bengal. It was difficult to say no to it".

"I have always wanted to work for the people and the Trinamool Congress has given me the opportunity to work for the development of Bengal. The party has given me the opportunity to work for the people. What more can I expect?" Supriyo said adding that he would be meeting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

When asked whether he was going to the Rajya Sabha in place of Arpita Ghosh, Supriyo said, "I cannot say anything now. The party will make the announcements. I can only say that Trinamool Congress has opened up a huge opportunity for me".
Gandhinagar, Sep 18 : Former Gujarat Chief Minister and presently the Governor of Uttar Pradesh Anandiben Patel is on a visit to her home State Gujarat on Saturday. Patel believed to be the mentor of the newly appointed Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel is expected to be in the state for two days.

Patel arrived at the Ahmedabad airport on Saturday afternoon and was immediately rushed to Gandhinagar. According to sources, Patel was at the Gandhinagar Bungalow allotted to her by the then Gujarat government, when she had resigned in August 2016.

"The blessings of former Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel are with me all the time," Bhupendra Patel had said immediately after his name was declared last Saturday at the state BJP headquarters Kamalam.

Saturday was also the day when most of the newly appointed ministers of the Gujarat government cabinet took charge of their offices in the 'Swarnim Sankul' complexes- I & II, in Sachivalaya campus in Gandhinagar. According to Hindu religion it is believed that this was the last auspicious working day, as the inauspicious fortnight of 'Shraadh' sets in from Monday.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : The Centre on Saturday allowed domestic airlines to deploy up to 85 per cent of their pre-Covid flight capacity.

Accordingly, the capacity is being raised from 72.5 per cent, which was set on August 12, 2021.

Domestic airlines were allowed to operate at over 80 per cent of per-Covid capacity in December, 2020. It was later reduced due to the second Covid wave.

Last month, the Centre had allowed domestic airlines to deploy up to 72.5 per cent of their flight capacity, up from 65 per cent.

The Civil Aviation Ministry had hiked the capacity to 65 per cent in July from 50 per cent.

"After review of the current status of scheduled domestic operations vis-a-vis passenger demand for air travel in terms of the purpose specified in the initial order is further modified," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in the order issued on Saturday.
Hyderabad, Sep 18 : Rejecting allegations of Telangana Congress chief Revanth Reddy linking him to the drugs racket, State Minister K.T. Rama Rao on Saturday said he was ready to give samples for drug tests and asked whether Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too would give samples for the same.

Rama Rao took strong exception to Revanth Reddy's allegation. "How am I connected to this (drugs case). I will give blood, hair, and even liver samples. Will Rahul Gandhi too give his samples?," he asked the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president.

In an informal chat with reporters, KTR reacted strongly to Revanth Reddy's allegation that he has become a brand ambassador for drugs in the state.

He warned that the government will not hesitate to book cases against those making baseless allegations. Referring to the case booked against central minister Narayan Rane for slap remark against Maharashtra chief minister, KTR said Telangana government will also start booking those making baseless allegations and using objectionable words against the chief minister. He said if needed such leaders will be booked for sedition.

"We have history of all the leaders. How a person who used to work as a painter acquired four houses in Jubliee Hills," KTR asked apparently referring to Revanth Reddy.

The minister said leaders of Congress party themselves have claimed that Revanth Reddy bought the post of TPCC president for Rs 50 crore. "Will a person who purchased PCC chief's post will not sell MLA tickets tomorrow?" he asked.

The TRS leader also reacted to allegations made by union home minister Amit Shah during a public meeting at Nirmal on Friday. "No one is afraid of MIM. It's BJP which is scared," he said while reacting to Shah's remark that TRS government is afraid of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM).

On BJP leader's demand to celebrate September 17 as 'Telangana Liberation Day', the minister said TRS would not support any attempts to target one particular community. He pointed out that TRS as a political party celebrated September 17 as Merger Day.

"For us June 2 is Liberation Day because it was on this that Telangana came into being as a state after a long struggle," he said.

KTR wanted to know what BJP MPs from Telangana have done for the state. He remarked that 'Dilli parties are doing silly politics'.

He said people know why new parties have come up in the state. He wondered why YSR Telangana Party leader Y.S. Sharmila and BSP leader Praveeen Kumar were not speaking about Congress and BJP.
Patna, Sep 18 : A priest from Bihar's Supaul district was arrested for his alleged involvement in religious conversions on Saturday.

The alleged priest Ravi Gupta is a native of Belhi village under Rajeshwari police station in Supaul district. He had recently converted to Christianity. He was nabbed by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

The VHP members alleged that Ravi Gupta was involved in the conversion of 30 families from Hinduism to Christianity in his native village. He was nabbed in adjoining Kanjara village while he was allegedly influencing people for conversion.

The VHP members handed over Ravi Gupta to the police.

"We have received information about religious conversions in Kanjara village, accordingly, a team reached there and brought the alleged person to the police station. Further investigation is underway," said Ramashankar Kumar, SHO of Rajeshwari police station.

In a statement to the police, Ravi Gupta said: "I was having serious health issues when I was a Hindu. Then, I accepted Christianity and worshipped Jesus Christ, I recovered from serious illness." A week ago, three cases of alleged religious conversion surfaced before the police in Supaul and Madhepura district. A person named Shyam Sundar Mandal from Madhepura district was arrested on similar charges.

Besides, there was a case of a woman being allegedly held captive for two months and being forced to eat beef in Bhipura village in Supaul district. The fourth incident took place in Pipra Khurd village in Saraigarh block when 20 to 25 families were reportedly lured by unidentified persons to convert to Christianity.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Exit of Captain Amarinder Singh as Punjab Chief Minister has evoked sharp reaction from across the political spectrum. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has termed it "fratricide" Taking to Twitter, Abdullah said, "Ordinarily I wouldn't give a toss about the fratricide in the Congress party - their party, their business. However what the Congress does has a direct fallout for every political party outside the NDA orbit because almost 200 Lok Sabha seats see a direct BJP - Cong fight." Singh on Saturday resigned from his post as the Chief Minister of Punjab after months of political tussle, saying he stepped down as he felt 'humiliated'.

At the same time, he said that the "future politics option is always there and I will use that option".

Amarinder Singh also termed Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh as a 'disaster' who would not be acceptable to him as his successor.

"I have submitted my resignation. The future politics option is always there and I will use that option when the time comes. At the moment, I am still in the Congress," Amarinder Singh, 80, who has been active in politics for the past 52 years, told the media after resigning from the top post.

Making it clear that he would explore and exercise his future options when the time comes, Amarinder Singh said he would decide his future course of action in consultation with his supporters, who have stood by him for over five decades.
Hubballi, Sep 18 : Lingayat seer Dingaleshwara Swamiji on Saturday said that if Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has the guts let him remove a religious centre built illegally in his Shiggaon assembly constituency.

Commenting on the demolition of a temple in Mysuru district violating Supreme Court orders, Dingaleshwara Swamiji said, "The Chief Minister has saved a religious centre belonging to a religion other than Hindu in his Shiggaov constituency. If he is really concerned about the Supreme Court orders, let him take action here. The religious centre is located near Bankapura on Puna-Bengaluru highway," he stated.

Work on the double-lane road has been stopped as there is a religious centre. The officers have been instructed not to touch that centre. "You have different rules for Hindu temples, Veerashaiva Mutts. If you are concerned about removing religious places, you should be taking action here," he told Bommai.

"Bommai has given a green signal for vacating temples all across the state, but, what is happening in your own constituency. We have all seen a non-Hindu religious centre right in the middle of the road. How many temples you have got demolished, how many other religious centres you have protected? What is the logic, philosophy behind it?" Dingaleshwara Swamiji questioned.

The temple demolition issue in the state is turning into a flashpoint between pro-Hindu outfits and the ruling BJP government. Bommai has stayed the demolition drive until further orders.

Meanwhile, the High Court of Karnataka has taken suo moto notice of the developments in connection with the demolition drive of religious places and registered a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). The divisional bench headed by acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma has posted the matter for October 4 as the Karnataka government has sought time to place its arguments.

Bommai has stated that the government has issued notices to the Mysuru District Commissioner and Tehsildar for demolishing a temple without taking the locals into confidence. "We are very serious about this issue. We will find a solution sooner to protect our temples and identity," he said.

The Hindu Jagaran Vedike has warned that if action is not taken against the officers responsible for the temple demolition in Mysuru, they would take out a protest march to the residence of Bommai. The ruling BJP is in consultation with the BJP high command over the issue and contemplating filing an affidavit on the Supreme Court order to remove religious centres that have come up on public properties.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Delhi Police on Saturday said they have busted a gang of auto-lifters and arrested six people in this connection.

The police had constituted a team of 10 cops to curb and detect the street crime and incidents of robbery, snatching, and theft in the area of the outer north district.

The team, after minutely studying the pattern, timings, and modus operandi of all the instances, was able to identify a gang operating in this area.

Acting on the basis of specific information, the movement of accused persons, who were active criminals, was revealed in the Shahbad Dairy area.

Subsequently, the police laid a trap and conducted a raid wherein initially three accused persons identified as -- Sooraj, Ranjeet, and Sagar -- were arrested. During the investigation, names of other auto-lifters were also revealed. Hence, three more accused -- Arjun, Monu, and Ankit -- all residents of Aman Vihar Delhi - were also apprehended.

On further interrogation, it was revealed that accused Sooraj with his co-associates Ranjeet and Sagar used to steal and rob two-wheelers and sell them in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

The police said they have recovered six stolen motorcycles, one scooty, a bunch of keys, and two live cartridges, adding the probe is still on.
Hyderabad, Sep 18 : Telangana Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on Saturday called for improved healthcare infrastructure in primary health centres to offer timely and better treatment to the snakebite victims.

She said that timely treatment and the availability of anti-venom injections, and trained medical staff at the primary health centres will help save the lives of the snakebite victims.

The governor was addressing the National Snakebite Awareness Summit, organised in a virtual mode by the Integrated Health and Wellbeing Council, New Delhi.

Tamilisai, who is a physician, expressed concern that the country was registering an alarming number of deaths due to the snakebite.

"Most of the deaths are preventable with greater awareness and improved and accessible healthcare," she added.

She suggested the establishment of dialysis centre attached to the primary health centres to offer the immediate treatment to those with the renal failure due to the snakebite.

Tamilisai Soundararajan called for the region-specific treatment protocols to treat the snakebite victims and to administer the anti-venom injections, when required.

The governor appreciated the efforts of the Integrated Health and Wellbeing Council (IHWC) for its efforts in creating awareness on snakebite prevention and treatment.

IHWC chief executive officer Kamal Narayan, Bharat Serums & Vaccines Limited chief operating officer Vishwanath Swarup, and others were present.
Hyderabad, Sep 18 : Kerala-based textiles major Kitex Group will invest Rs 2,400 crore in Telangana to set up two integrated fibre to apparel manufacturing clusters.

The group, which had announced Rs 1,000 crore investment in July, has expanded its investment plans.

As per the MoU signed with the government of Telangana on Saturday, Kitex will set up integrated fibre to apparel manufacturing clusters at the Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Warangal and at Sitarampur in Rangareddy district.

The investment will provide direct employment to 22,000 people and indirect employment to 18,000 people.

The MoU was signed by Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary (Industries), government of Telangana, and Kitex Group Chairman and Managing Director Sabu M Jacob in the presence of Industry Minister K.T. Rama Rao, Panchayat Raj Minister E. Dayakar Rao and Education Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy.

Kitex manufactures products for 0-24-month-old babies.

Speaking on the occasion, Jacob said that he expects that three million pieces will be shipped from Telangana to the US market.

"When we decided to quit Kerala and withdrew our investment of Rs 3,500 crore, I got invitations from all the states in India and other countries too," he said.

Jacob also said that he is in Telangana because of K.T. Rama Rao, who was the first person to call him and personally invite him.

KTR, as the minister is popularly known, narrated how he reached out to Jacob after Kitex pulled out of Kerala, and arranged a special flight for Jacob to visit Hyderabad and Warangal.

The minister said Jacob told him that he would kickstart the unit in Warangal in November 2022. He also assured all support to the company in setting up both the plants.

The minister thanked Jacob for announcing 150,000 PPE kits worth Rs 6 crore for Telangana under corporate social responsibility.
Hyderabad, Sep 18 : The stage is set for Ganesh immersion procession in Hyderabad on Sunday amid tight security arrangements and Covid-19 safety guidelines.

About 27,000 policemen will be deployed under the limits of Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Rachakonda police commissionerates as nearly 40,000 idols will be immersed in Hussain Sagar and more than 50 other lakes and ponds in and around the city.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said tight security arrangements were in place for the immersion procession, which will start from Balapur and pass through various parts of the city to reach Hussain Sagar in the heart of the city.

As the procession passes through communally sensitive old city, police will keep a tight vigil along the procession route to prevent any untoward incident. Top police officials will monitor the procession from command and control centre through CCTV cameras.

The mammoth procession brings the entire city to a halt. Police have imposed traffic restrictions from 6 a.m. on Sunday till 6 a.m. on Monday. Liquor shops and bars will remain closed in the limits of all three police commissionerates.

Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has arranged 330 cranes of various capacities at 33 lakes and 25 special ponds created for the purpose.

A total of 40 cranes have been deployed for immersion at Hussain Sagar lake in the heart of the city.

The decks for immersion in Hussain Sagar lake were cleared after the Supreme Court allowed the immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris for this year.

Earlier, Telangana High Court had refused to allow immersion of idols of Plaster of Paris and had rejected the plea of GHMC for modifying its orders, saying it can't allow pollution of the lake.

Following the Telangana High Court rejecting its review petition, the GHMC had moved the Supreme Court, which gave the exemption for this year.

More than 8,000 workers, constituting 162 Ganesh Action Teams, would be posted on three shifts to ensure smooth completion of immersion.

In order to remove the heavy load of waste after immersion, GHMC will press into service 20 excavators, 21 earth-movers, 39 mini tippers and 44 vehicles with 10 tonnes of capacity.

Ganesh festivities could not be held last year due to Covid-19 pandemic. Like in the past, thousands of idols have been installed this year.

However, authorities have appealed to devotees to take all precautions in view of Covid. Police said not more than 10 people should accompany a big idol on a truck.

Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board set up special camps at 101 locations, including procession routes, to provide 30 lakh packets of water to devotees.

The Roads & Buildings department has set up barricades, watch towers and view cutters, while the Fire department would provide 38 fire-tending vehicles to face emergency situations.

Authorities have also deployed boats with 30 expert swimmers at Hussain Sagar for help in case of any drowning incident.

The South Central Railway (SCR) will run eight MMTS special trains to various destinations in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunder on the intervening night of September 19-20 (between 22:00 hrs and 04:00 hrs).

The special trains will be operated between Secunderabad-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Lingampalli, Lingampalli-Hyderabad, Hyderabad -Secunderabad Hyderabad-Lingampalli, Lingampalli-Falaknuma and Falaknuma-Secunderabad who would be travelling for witnessing the immersion of Ganesh idols on the final day of the festivities.

Hyderabad Metro Rail has also decided to extend its services on Sunday. Instead of running the last services at 10.15 p.m. on that day, it extended the time till 1 a.m. The trains will reach terminating stations by about 2 a.m.

Hyderabad Metro appealed to passengers to strictly follow the Covid-19 Safety guidelines including social distancing, wearing of face masks, regular hand sanitization, and thermal screening.
New Delhi, Sep 18 : Bomb blasts in in Afghanistans ISIS-K heartland has killed two and injured up to 20 more in the first deadly attack since the US troops withdrew last month, Daily Mail reported.

Three explosions rocked the eastern provincial capital Jalalabad on Saturday in attacks targeting Taliban vehicles.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban, the report said.

Islamic State offshoot ISIS-K claimed last months' bomb attack on Kabul airport that killed more than 170 persons, including 13 US Marines.

Three injured in the blast were civilians and 16 were Taliban fighters, some of whom are in a critical condition.

Also on Saturday, a sticky bomb exploded in Kabul, wounding two. The target of the bomb was not immediately clear.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS insurgents would further stretch their resources, the report said.
Edinburgh, Sep 18 : The three-match T20I series between Scotland and Zimbabwe hangs in the balance after the visitors levelled the field with a win in the second T20I, effectively taking the series to a decider.

Zimbabwe's bowling had a resounding impact on which way the result swung in the second T20I. Richard Ngarava with a spell of 4-1-13-2 was awarded the Player of the Match. Ngarava bowled the penultimate over and conceded just 4 runs that included a dropped chance giving Wellington Masakadza a cushion of 13 runs in the final over.

Scotland were put under pressure with early collapse but showed signs of a fightback. Richie Berrington and Matthew Cross led the rebuilding but couldn't do enough to help the hosts cross the finish line.

Scotland requires a stable start at the top in the Powerplay to improve their chances of winning the series.

Zimbabwe, opting to bat, lost early wickets in straightforward dismissals. Craig Ervine (30) and Sean Williams joined forces to steady the ship with a 71-run stand. Williams went about his business astutely and registered his sixth T20I half-century. His unbeaten 60 off 52 balls, supported by Ryan Burl's 13* took the visitors to a modest total of 136/5.

In their chase, Scotland were off to a similar start with the loss of four wickets for 16 runs in 4.1 overs. They found stability in Berrington and Cross's 75-run partnership, with both scoring 42 runs each.

However, the match went till the final over with Scotland needing 13 runs. Zimbabwe's Wellington Masakadza bowled a thrilling final over. The hosts lost the plot with four wickets in four balls - two run-outs and two caught. Scotland were wrapped for 126, losing the match by 10 runs.

But on Sunday, when the two teams meet for the decider, Scotland will be hoping to bat better and make things more difficult for Zimbabwe. Winning the series will give them a good momentum for tougher things ahead.
Dhaka, Sep 18 : The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has arrested Rezwan Rafiquee, a leader of the militant outfit Hefazat-e-Islam, for his alleged role in the widespread violence that was witnessed in Dhaka during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh in March this year.

Rafiquee was arrested from Dhaka's Mugda area on Friday night, the police said.

Rafiquee has been shown arrested in the case filed with the Paltan police station in connection with the March 26 violence in Dhaka, centering around Narendra Modi's visit, said A.K.M. Hafiz Akhter, Additional Commissioner of the Detective Branch.

Akhter said that Rezwan sent out provocative posts on Facebook and other social media platforms supporting top milirant leaders.

Iftekhairul Islam, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DMP's media and public relations department, confirmed the matter with IANS on Saturday.
Kuala Lumpur, Sep 19 : Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has voiced his concerns that the newly-established security partnership among Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) would raise tensions and spark a regional arms race.

In a phone call with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison, Ismail Sabri warned that the partnership, which would arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, would provoke other powers to also act aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Malaysian Prime Minister's office.

"As a country in ASEAN, Malaysia holds the principle of maintaining ASEAN as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality," he said, urging all parties to avoid any provocation as well as arms competition in the region, and emphasised the importance of respecting and maintaining the status quo.

The US and the UK have recently said that they will share highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia, a key part of the three countries' newly-established security partnership AUKUS.
The Dan Cava Toyota World dealership in Fairmont, West Virginia, is offering a Military Rebate Program for U.S. military personnel and household members of eligible U.S. military personnel (including Gold Star families), U.S. military retirees (within one year of retirement), and U.S. military veterans (within one year of discharge). The offer includes a $500 rebate toward finance or lease contracts on new Toyota vehicles.

To qualify for this offer, the customer must meet certain conditions. At the time of purchase the customer must be in a current active duty status in the U.S. military or a U.S. military inactive reserve that is part of the individual Ready Reserve, Selected Reserve, and Inactive National Guard; or a retiree of the U.S. military, or a military veteran within one year of their discharge date; or a household member of an eligible U.S. military personnel, including Gold Star family members. The customer must provide verifiable proof of military status or active service; receive a salary sufficient to cover ordinary living expenses and pay for their new vehicle, and receive credit approval from and execute a finance or lease contract through a participating Toyota dealer and Toyota Financial Services. Please note that not all applicants will qualify for a $500 rebate.

ToyotaCare will cover normal factory scheduled maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever occurs first. 24-hour Roadside assistance is also included for two years and unlimited miles. Roadside assistance does not include parts and fluids, except emergency fuel delivery. The new vehicle purchased should not be a part of a rental or commercial fleet or a livery/taxi vehicle.

Interested customers can visit the Dan Cava Toyota World dealership website http://www.cavatoyota.com to get more information about the Military Rebate Program. The customers can contact the sales team at the dealership by calling (304) 366-2720. The customers can also visit the dealership during working hours at 2510 White Hall Blvd, Fairmont, West Virginia, 26554
Dura-Pack, the industry-leading manufacturer of cannabis packaging bags and automation equipment today announced that it will exhibit at the MjBizCon 2021 held October 20  22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV.

As the cannabis legalization boom continues to explode across the United States and Canada, Dura-Pack continues to lead the cannabis packaging industry in manufacturing packaging automation equipment and child-resistant cannabis bags and pouches.

Dura-Pack will be showcasing their line of cannabis packaging and automation equipment and machinery along with Dura-DefenseTM, a new premium line of child-resistant cannabis bags and pouches that feature the industrys strongest odor barriers, child-resistant zipper closures and are available in multiple sizes and colors. Dura-Defense child-resistant cannabis pouches are extremely durable, puncture/tear resistant and provide the maximum protection against outside elements such as humidity, moisture, sunlight, and heat - ensuring cannabis products are free from contaminants while maximizing freshness.

MJBizCon is the ideal venue for us to showcase our cannabis packaging equipment and Dura-Defense, our child-resistant cannabis pouches, said Phillip Harrison, Cannabis Packaging Engineer at Dura-Pack. Exhibiting at MJBizCon not only allows us to connect with potential clients, but it also allows us to meet and forge strategic partnerships and relationships with other key players in the cannabis space. Dura-Pack is uniquely positioned within the industry, as we are the only organization that manufactures both cannabis packaging equipment and child-resistant cannabis pouches, in the United States.

EVENT DETAILS

What: MJBizCon 2021

When: October 20  22, 2021

Where: Las Vegas Convention Center, NV Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Rd, Las Vegas, NV.

ABOUT DURA-PACK

Founded in 1971 as Metro Scale Company, Dura-Pack is a third-generation family company specializing in packaging equipment and flexible packaging solutions. Housed in a 35,000 sq. ft. facility in Taylor, Michigan, Dura-Pack is a fully integrated company with in-house engineering, fabrication, electrical design, graphic design, and software development. Going beyond a simple tag line, Driven by Cost, Defined by Quality reflects our commitment to valuing our customers investment without sacrificing quality. Rather than compromising service and outsourcing to lower costs, we marry elegant solutions with optimized in-house manufacturing processes. For more information, please visit http://www.dura-pack.com.

ABOUT MJBIZCON

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, MJBizCon is the award-winning show central to the cannabis and hemp industries business year. Tens of thousands of business leaders, major private investors, wholesale cultivators and other professionals attend. More than 1,000 exhibitors will fill our massive Expo hall. MJBizCon is produced by MJBizDaily, the industrys most trusted business news publication since 2011.
ONE STOP PLATFORM REVOLUTIONIZES FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY

-UNUM Health is bringing their innovative software to the U.S. market

Unum Health Inc., a software company based in New Brunswick, Canada is seeking to raise funds through NetCapital by October 11, 2021 in order to modify their home-care platform to serve the U.S. market. In the Canadian market since 2019, Unums software digitizes and streamlines home care services by allowing caregivers and agencies to have a hand held, easy to use tool for checking off and recording daily activity from their phone or tablet. The goal is to raise $107,000.

(https://netcapital.com/companies/unum-health)

With a growing home care agency and drowning in paper, constantly fixing schedules, and not knowing enough information about the home care visits for our customers.I knew there had to be a better way to operate for myself, my team and the patients and families we care for, said Lisa Williams, founder and CEO of Unum Health Inc..

Home care is a global problem. In less than five to ten years there will be more people demanding home support services and less people available to perform these duties.that with challenges in a paper-based environment have been arduous at best in todays environment. Yet theres no data or tracing in home care. Weve created the solution, she said.

Unum Healths software provides home care owners, caregivers, and the people they care for an all-encompassing solutionall at their fingertips. It consists of an agency and employee interface. It supports the agency with tasks like onboarding new clients, scheduling daily visits, and billing and invoicing. For caregivers, it allows them to see who they are caring foreven before the visit starts, and the clients complete profile of information-something that is lacking in a paper-based system.

Unum Healths goal is to modify its technology to be compatible with the U.S. market. Specifically to suit their billing and invoicing needs. With aging demographics the need for streamlined frontline care is growing, In the United States, approximately 39.8 million caregivers provide care to adults (aged 18+) with a disability or illness or 16.6% of Americans, said Ms. Williams.

Unum Health Inc.- is a start-up software company offering technology solutions specific to the Home Support industry. Ms. Williams has worked in the home support environment for over a decade and is the recipient of the prestigious Canadian Entrepreneur of the Year Award as well as the Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In operation since 2017, UNUM Health has its head office located in Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. (unumhealth.com)
Mestaz Law, using custom technology, "the Chron," to win big dollar cases, today announced the official launch of its firm, located at 5090 N. 40th Street, #200 in Phoenix. Mestaz Law focuses on contract disputes, business divorce, and must-win bet-the-company cases where only victory will ensure a company's survival.

Litigators use witnesses, documents, and their own words, to tell a story to strangers so that they ultimately rule in a client's favor. Documents dominate commercial litigation. Using the Chron, Mestaz Law front-loads the case by mastering the documents as quickly as possible so that any piece of evidence can be visually displayed at a moment's notice. Ironically, that trial readiness is powerful leverage that often avoids trial through favorable settlements.

The Chron, based on custom programming, acts as the control center for state-of-the-art trial presentation software. It contains every single document in the case. Within seconds, any piece of evidence can be found and visually displayed for the judge, jury or witness, whether email, pdf, Word, video, or other document. The result is a clear, well-paced, and compelling story that people remember.

"Although litigation can take many months, even years, trial is lightning fast and you need to be prepared for it. And the best way to avoid a trial is to reach a good settlement, which occurs only by showing the other side that you will probably win at trial," said Daniel Mestaz, principal. "Always having all of the evidence at your fingertips is an enormous advantage. Lawyers constantly fumble around for the right document. But I can put the right evidence on the screen in seconds. Being smooth and organized, not just in trial, but at every step of the litigation process, maximizes the client outcome.

Mestaz is an AV-rated trial lawyer with over twenty years of experience in commercial litigation, including cases involving breach of contract, business divorce, business torts, trade secrets, and non-compete/non-solicitation covenants. He has tried dozens of cases to courts and juries. Daniel went from a top-six law school to nine years at blue-chip law firms in Los Angeles. As a BigLaw partner, he represented Fortune 100 corporations in massive cases with hundreds of thousands, sometimes millions, of documents.

"In our visual culture dominated by smartphones and short attention spans, using pictures to tell a well-paced story is critical to victory," adds Mestaz. "Judges also appreciate that approach because it is efficient with the court's time."

For more information and media coverage, please visit http://www.mestazlaw.com.
AAI President, Kofi Appenteng. All of these stories illustrate the theme for this year's Gala: 'Interdependence' said AAI President, Kofi Appenteng.

The Africa-America Institute (AAI) will once again celebrate the many successes of Africa and the worldwide African diaspora during its 37th Annual Awards Gala, taking place virtually on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

Since 1984, the AAI Annual Awards Gala has been the most anticipated African-centered event in New York City. As always, the Awards Gala will showcase AAIs focus on improving education in and about Africa.

In the spirit of interdependence, were excited to recognize:

2021 AAI HONOREES

The People of the Republic of Malawi

Accepted by His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of the Republic of Malawi

National Achievement Award

Ablade Glover, Artist, Educator and AAI Alumnus

Lifetime Achievement Award

Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), to be accepted by Dr. John N. Nkengasong, MSc, PhD, Director of the Africa CDC

2021 Special Award  Global Health Solutions Champion

World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, to be accepted by Dr. Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa

Global Health Equity Award

"Please tune in to hear the inspirational story of the People of the Republic of Malawi's contribution to the democratic project; the improvements in public health made by the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa during the pandemic; how the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention enriched then successfully changed the conversation about pandemic response; and how our alumni have made lasting contributions that continue to inspire us all. All of these stories illustrate the theme for this year's Gala: 'Interdependence'," said AAI President, Kofi Appenteng.

"In my first year as Chair of the Board of Trustees, I want to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the passing of one of our co-founders, Henrietta Van Noy, an outstanding university administrator whose contributions were essential to our founding. I also want to thank Steve Pfeiffer, who served on our board for 20 years and whose leadership as Chair for the last five years has set a standard I will strive to emulate," said Christal Jackson, AAI Board Chair.

This year AAI will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the African Scholarship Program of American Universities. (ASPAU) was a cooperative effort between AAI, American universities, USAID, and African governments to provide U.S. undergraduate training for 1,600 scholars from 32 African countries.

Graduates of AAIs ASPAU Program include leaders and influencers in the non-profit, corporate and governmental sectors, including those we will celebrate: Nik Amarteifio, AAI Trustee and leading Ghanaian entrepreneur; Tralance Addy, the first executive director of the Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (SEED) and founder of Yaro Capital; Adaeze Otue Ezekoye, community leader, teacher, human services executive and the namesake of the Lewis-Ezekoye Distinguished Lecture in Africana Studies at Barnard College; and Augustine O. Esogbue, the worlds first Black Ph.D. in the field of industrial engineering, the first Black tenured professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the first African to have served on the board of NASA.

For more Information and to Register for AAIs 37th Annual Awards Gala please visit http://www.aaionline.org/gala

ABOUT AAI

The Africa-America Institute (AAI) is a nearly 70-year-old institution with the mission of promoting enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training and dialogue. Among our principal co-founders were Horace Mann Bond and William Leo Hansberry, two pioneering African-American scholar activists whose work straddles the divide between African and African diaspora studies. AAI continues to embrace the philosophy of education for liberation that Bond and Hansberry espoused  a philosophy that affirms the humanity and cultivates the intellectual aspirations and excellence of all people.

AAIs dual program focus has always been on improving education in and about Africa. Since its founding in 1953, over 23,000 Africans have received scholarships and fellowships from AAI. These Africans are now an esteemed network of alumni, many of whom are leaders and influencers across public, private, and governmental sectors in Africa and globally. Included in this network are current Heads of State, H.E. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia; H.E. Alassane Ouattara, President of the Republic of Cote dIvoire; H.E. Mohamed Bazoum, President of the Republic of Niger; and H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa. Many of AAIs alumni have left an indelible imprint, including the late 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Wangari Mathaai, and the late Barack Obama, Sr.

For more information about AAIs 37th Annual Virtual Awards Gala, visit aaionline.org/gala

#AAIGala2021 #AAIVirtualGala #AAIAfrica

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Thirty years after narrowly missing out on a publishing contract, Khan Wong is publishing the project of his dreams. His science fictionfantasy debut, The Circus Infinite (Angry Robot, Mar. 2022), a space opera inspired by his time as part of a California circus act, tells the story of a found family of superpowered interspecies queer circus performers fighting the nefarious crime boss who controls their lives. Wong talked with PW about the importance of found families, queer characters who arent defined by their queerness, and speculative fiction that isnt centered on war.

You missed out on a publishing opportunity in the 90s. How did that experience inspire The Circus Infinite?

Shortly after, I got sucked into Burning Man culture, a kind underground circus scene in the Bay Area, which was really thriving in the late 90s and the early aughts. I did that for a while, performed and toured. Thats what inspired me to write a circus book when I picked up writing again in 2017. I was like, I want to write a queer story and I want to write a circus story and I want to write a space operawhich one do I do? Then it occurred to me: what if they were all the same book?

Why this book and why now?

I wanted to write space opera thats not about war. I wrote this book last year. Because of everything that was going on, I decided to lean into escapism. I wanted to write something escapist and fluffy, but the book turned out not to be as fluffy as I set it out to be.

How do you see depictions of queerness and queer experience changing in science fiction, fantasy, and horror?

I feel like theres more openness to characters from these backgrounds and on this subject matter in general. Im writing the kinds of stories I want to see, where the marginalization is not the focus of the story. Its the character who just happens to be queer or happens to be whatever. Just like cishet white folks have been forever. If the story is not about identity, the characters must be cishet white. If the characters are not cishet white, the story must be about that identity. I want to push against that.

Found family is integral to The Circus Infinite. What motivated you to focus on this theme?

Found family is one of my favorite tropes. Circusesand any kind of performance troupewhen they really gel, there is a feeling of family that comes about. I didnt have a horrible family background, but Im not super-close to my blood relatives. The people I consider my family in this world are not blood relations, for the most part, so I wanted to write something reflected that element of my lived experience.

Back to Main Feature
In the first book in Cadwell Turnbulls Convergence Saga, No Gods, No Monsters (Blackstone, out now), werewolves, shapeshifters, and ghosts walk among humans and fight among themselves in the shadows. The novel, which PW called a powerhouse contemporary fantasy in its starred review, opens when a woman named Laina learns that her troubled brother, Lincoln, has been shot by the Boston police. A too-common act of police brutality, she thinksuntil she receives a video, sender unknown, showing Lincoln changing into a werewolf at the moment of his death. Turnbull talked with PW about building a reality that reflects our own, and how that requires imagining, as a character in the book puts it, a world beneath this one.

No Gods, No Monsters opens with a police shooting of an unarmed man. How did the issue of police violence inform your writing?

We all know how this country is with police violence. When I saw these events on TV or watched videos online, Id get into really deep discussions about themand it was frustrating how limited the conversations became, so quickly. That frustration really informed the book. Lincolns shooting is the tip of an iceberg. These events have deep roots. We need to look at the context and history behind them.

One of your characters, Ridley, is an asexual trans man, which is an identity we dont see much in speculative fiction. How did he develop?

I knew that I wanted diverse points of view in the story, not just people within my own context. I talked to a lot of people about their experiences, and Ridley grew out of those conversations into someone who was crystal-clear for me. I wasnt going to treat this part of his identity as the big deal about him, so I tried to give him a lot of things for the reader to latch onto: his interest in wood carving, his activism, his hopes and fears. I discovered more about him as I wrote the story, and I hope I did him justice.

How did the book evolve as you were working on it?

I outlined the story before I started working on the book because I was worried about being able to pull it offI wanted an anchor and a starting point. I discovered who a lot of these characters were as I was working on them. I didnt always know how they were related to each other, and when they finally got on-screen, Id be surprised by their interactions. It was a real joy to see.

Your book suggests that monsters, literal and metaphorical, have always been with us. What do you hope to achieve with that idea?

One of the things I wanted to do with this book was capture the feeling I get when I look at the world. There is so much thats outside of my control and understanding. I try to maintain an open mind, and dont assume I understand something because I can name it. The history of institutional racism, aspects of capitalismthese are all behemoths. I was trying to capture the feeling of looking at the world and seeing things I dont understand.

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DEAL OF THE WEEK

Jeffers Re-ups at Harper In a high-six-figure, deal, Honoree Fanonne Jeffers sold an essay collection and a short story collection to Erin Wicks at Harper. Jeffers, whose August debut novel, The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois (also published by Harper), is a bestseller and recent Oprah Book Club pick, was represented in the agreement by Sarah Burnes at the Gernert Company. Harper said the essay collection, Misbehaving at the Crossroads, examines the intersection of feminism and Blackness in America since 1619 and is infused with history, criticism, and stories from the authors own life. The story collection, A Simple, Promised Land, is about the daily lives and dramas of a collection of characters from the fictional town of Chicasetta, Ga., which is also the setting of Love Songs. The essay collection will publish first and is set for winter 2024.

SMP Nabs Kapelke-Dales Prodigy

For six figures, Sarah Cantin at St. Martins Press bought world rights to The Prodigy by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. The publisher said the book, which centers on a pianist prodigy returning home in the wake of her mothers sudden death, was pitched as My Dark Vanessa meets The Queens Gambit. The heroine discovers that a mysterious acquaintance has inherited [her] family estate... forcing her to confront her past, and the dark secret of her adolescent relationship with an older man. Kapelke-Dale was represented by Sarah Phair at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. The Prodigy is set for December 2022.

Scotch Hits Rewind for Berkley

At auction, Kerry Donovan at Berkley won North American rights to Allison Winn Scotchs The Rewind in a two-book deal. The romantic comedy was acquired from Elisabeth Weed at the Book Group. Berkley said The Rewind, set for November 2022, follows two college exes who wake up in bed together on their old campus on the eve of the millennium and have no memory of the night before. The pair must then put aside old grievances to figure out what happened, what didnt happen, and to ask themselves the most troubling question of all: What if they both got it wrong the first time around?

Burrs Debut Goes to Morrow

Australian author Shelley Burr sold U.S. rights to her debut crime novel, Wake, in a two-book, six-figure deal with William Morrow. Rachel Kahan at Morrow preempted the book from Sarah Brooks at Hachette Australia. Morrow said Wake, set for summer 2022, centers on a cold case involving a nine-year-old girl who disappeared from her rural Australian town, and a PI with darker motivations who investigates nearly 20 years later. The second book under contract is inspired by an infamous series of killings in Australia during the 1990s known as the Snowtown murders.

Oatess Flaw Picked Up by Random House

For Random House, Andrea Walker preempted North American rights to a debut work of psychological suspense by Nathan Oates. The publisher compared A Flaw in the Design to the works of Patricia Highsmith and Leila Slimanis The Perfect Nanny; it follows a professor living in a small Vermont town who takes in his charming and wildly dangerous nephew after the boys parents die in a mysterious car accident. Anna Stein at ICM Partners represented Oates, whose story collection The Empty House won the 2012 Spokane Prize.

Loftus Dogs It to Forge

Jamie Loftus sold world rights to a currently untitled book to Ali Fisher at Forge, which described it as a complete taxonomy of the hot dog. Loftus writes for the Cartoon Networks Adult Swim and created several podcasts, including My Year in Mensa and Aack Cast. She was represented by Meredith Miller at United Talent Agency. The book, Forge added, is an amateur-to-expert journey through the history, influence, and cultural impact of a great American culinary icon. Its set for release in April 2023.
Worlds Above

Sally Rooneys Beautiful World, Where Are You, the #1 book in the country, is a cool, captivating story about a successful Irish writer, her friend, and their lovers, our starred review said. As always, Rooney challenges and inspires. It follows the 2020 Hulu adaptation of her second novel, Normal People, and appears to be reaping the benefits of the shows popularity.

In Clubland

September book club picks include three titles new to this weeks lists, all of which received starred PW reviews.

B&N Book Club

Matrix by Lauren Groff

PW said: A boldly original narrative based on the life and legend of 12th-century poet Marie de France.

#6 Hardcover Fiction

Read with Jenna

Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang

PW said: Civil rights lawyer Wang recounts her years growing up as an undocumented immigrant.... Consider this remarkable memoir a new classic.

#9 Hardcover Nonfiction

Reeses Book Club

L.A. Weather by Maria Amparo Escandon

PW said: A rollicking and hilarious family drama.... This is by far one of the most endearing L.A. novels in recent memory.

#19 Hardcover Fiction

Heir Apparent

YA author Jennifer Lynn Barnes had already written 20 books when she scored a breakout hit with the twisty 2020 mystery The Inheritance Games, which has sold 88K copies in hardcover. A year later, the trade paperback edition is #10 on our childrens fiction list, and the sequel, The Hawthorne Legacy, is the #7 book in the country, with a debut week nearly eight times as strong as the series openers.

NEW & NOTABLE

THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT

David M. Rubenstein

#2 Hardcover Nonfiction,

#10 overall

Rubenstein follows The American Story with another stimulating collection of interviews with prominent historians and public figures, our review said, Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor and scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. among them. This is a rewarding survey of what makes America tick.

COUNTDOWN BIN LADEN

Chris Wallace

#4 Hardcover Nonfiction

This narrative by Fox News Sunday host Wallace, writing with Associated Press reporter Mitch Weiss, offers an engrossing if familiar account of the killing of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011, according to our review. Though they break little new ground, the review continues, this is a cinematic overview of one of the CIAs most heralded missions.
Though Knopf is renowned for publishing literary fiction, it has a long tradition of publishing commercial fiction and crime novels, including by such authors as Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice, to great success. Knopf believes it has another bestseller in journalist Clemence Michallons The Quiet Tenant, a debut novel about a serial killer that it recently acquired.

Knopf publisher Reagan Arthur noted that she and her predecessor, the late Sonny Mehta, bonded years ago over our shared love of commercial fiction and great crime fiction, and that crime and genre fiction were an important part of her list when she was at Little, Brown. I very much want to continue doing this at Knopf, she said.

Knopf bought North American rights to The Quiet Tenant in June in what Michallons agent, Stephen Barbara of Inkwell Management, described as a lively best bid auction. Knopf senior editor Tim OConnell called it a good deal for all parties. The deal was quickly followed by Little Brown UKs acquisition of British and Commonwealth rights in a six-figure preempt by publisher Clare Smith. Since then, rights have been sold in more than 25 other territories, with negotiations ongoing in several more.

Barbara, who has known Michallon for two years but has been her agent only since April, described The Quiet Tenant as a compelling read. He noted that Inkwell decided to sell foreign rights immediately after selling North American rights, rather than waiting for Frankfurt, because we felt that it was the right time; the enthusiasm was there.

The overwhelming response by foreign publishers, Arthur maintained, demonstrates that The Quiet Tenant is more universal than a straight crime story, and that its not just an American story. She added, What makes this book so special is that its less about the horror, and more about the people. With the best of the crime writers, its not relentless: there are moments of light. Reality makes it more alive on the page and less horrific, but no less dramatic.

So how did a New Yorkbased, French-born journalist working for U.K. newspaper the Independent get interested in writing a novel about a serial killer? I have a strong interest in serial killers who are also family men, Michallon said. The Quiet Tenant is about Aidan, a charming widower who leads a secret life murdering women. The narration alternates between Rachel, whom Aidan has held prisoner for five years; Emily, with whom he enters into a romantic relationship; and other women and girls in his lifeincluding his young daughter.

Michallon recalled that her interest in serial killers began when she was a teenager and read the French edition of The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule, about Ted Bundys killing sprees. She said she was intrigued by the idea that somebody who had a life, friends, relationships, had this completely separate life. I was interested also in what it was like for those left behind, who knew that person. I wanted to write about a man like this, but he doesnt get to speak. Only the women around him get to speak.

Michallon maintained that there is no gratuitous violence in The Quiet Tenant. A lot of things are hinted at, but were not loitering in the gore, she explained. Its also a book about mental violence; to me the psychological violence is the more interesting aspect.

OConnell said Michallon set herself up with a very difficult thing to pull off: a serial killer, to the world the sweetest man ever, but to his captive, hes a brute. And then you put them in a house with his daughter. Thats a tightrope.

OConnell compared The Quiet Tenant to Emma Donoghues Room, noting that both novels have that voice that wraps itself around you and youre just in with it. But he also likens The Quiet Tenant to Gone Girl in terms of the power dynamics between the characters and how they shift, and to Girl on a Train, with its use of memory and the pacing. Michallon, he said, has taken elements of these truly iconic works and kind of blended them together in this rather seamless way.

Working with Michallon has been a lot of fun, OConnell said, but the waiting is the hardest part: The Quiet Tenant is not due out until early 2023.
Death, conflict, and community have always been central themes in literature, but historically literature has tended to center the experiences of white, heterosexual, cisgender men. That has begun to change, and nowhere is the shift more evident than in speculative fiction. Several forthcoming titles focus on queer and female characters, exploring timeless themes and complicating stereotypes about marginalized identities.

For Isaac Fellman, author of Dead Collections (Penguin, Feb. 2022), in which a sapphic television writers widow falls for a trans vampire archivist, subverting stereotypes means allowing queer characters, including trans characters, to be authentically complex. Suddenly, things have opened up for these unapologetically trans books about messy experiences, he says.

These books put the creativity and tenacity of queer characters in the spotlight.

Queer characters have long been dogged by the prospect of misery and death, so much so that the trope has a name: bury your gays. A companion to this is women in refrigerators, a trope in which female characters are made to suffer or, more popularly, die, mainly to facilitate the development of male characters.

Speculative novels are increasingly challenging this trope. No longer are queer or female characters merely allowed to live to the end of a book. Theyre permitted to thrive and grow beyond expectation. And in doing so theyre allowed to be imperfect.

According to Victoria Savanh, an associate editor at Penguin who acquired Dead Collections, marginalized people want to break free of the obligation to be perfect in order to gain acceptance. For queer people, people of color, and women, I really love messy characters, she says. They should just be allowed to be messy and still human.

For some authors, death becomes not a silencing mechanism but a way for queer characters to transform or find happiness, even peace. Death is a companion, a rite of passagenot the end of the story.

One example is TJ Klunes Under the Whispering Door (Tor, Sept.), which PW called charming fantasy in its review. The novel centers on a recently dead bisexual man, Wallace, who develops a romance with Hugo, the Black gay ferryman meant to guide him to the other side. A chaotic series of events leaves Wallace with only seven days to live the life hes always dreamed of before it slips away. For him, death is only the beginning.

In The Bone Orchard (Tor, Mar. 2022), a fantasy debut by Sara A. Mueller, Charm, the concubine of a dying emperor and the last surviving necromantic witch of a conquered people, uses her power to raise a selection of Bone Ghostsdoppelgangers whom she creates from pieces of her bones and who take on her form. These Bone Ghosts are put to work at Charms brothel, serving men who want Charm but cant have her, and they carry fragments of Charms traumatic memoriespieces of her history, Mueller explainsthat she cant carry by herself.

Mueller says, A lot of The Bone Orchard is about having supernatural means to take your trauma in smaller doses, to keep getting up. Even the dead parts of Charm dont rest.

Living by itself can be a form of resistance when one is a person of marginalized gender or sexuality. In several forthcoming books, authors show queer characters finding resolve and hope in the face of bodily and existential threats.

Nnedi Okorafors Noor (DAW, Nov.), which PW called a probing, brilliant near-future odyssey in its starred review, tells the story of a Nigerian woman named Anwuli Okwudili (AO, for short) who survives congenital health conditions and a severe car accident thanks to increasingly extensive futuristic body augmentations. AO embraces her augmentations but, as is often the case for physically disabled women, women of color, and queer individuals, her relationship to her gender and humanity are challenged. The intersection of AOs identities compounds the discrimination she faces.

The protagonist of Ally Wilkess debut, All the White Spaces (Atria/Bestler, Mar. 2022), Jonathan, a white 17-year-old trans man, is a stowaway on a ship bound for the Antarctic in the wake of the WWI that falls prey to a mysterious supernatural force. Wilkes notes how well-known authors of polar expedition literature, such as Ernest Shackleton or Robert Falcon Scott, opined that such treacherous explorations inevitably revealed the true nature of the explorers.

Down south, Wilkes says, referring to the Antarctic, you see who you really are. Anything you use to conceal your identity or conceal your true qualities comes off.

Jonathans expedition, carried out in close quarters with an all-male crew (from whom he keeps his gender identity a secret), allows him to uncover who he is as a person, irrespective of gender: to claim his identity and seek a meaningful life despite obstacles. This is about the core of who he is, Wilkes says.

Two trans women face a different existential threat in Gretchen Felker-Martins Manhunt (Tor Nightfire, Feb. 2022). The novel follows Beth and Fran five years after a virus has infected anyone with a certain level of testosterone in their bodies, rendering them rabidly violent. They spend their days exploring a post-apocalyptic New England hunting feral men, harvesting their estrogen-rich tissues, and trading it for survival.

In Manhunt, Felker-Martin aimed to foreground marginalized persons that are typically neglected in conventional dystopian novels. I wanted to make something that was totally and unapologetically about the world that I live in, she says. Thats a world with poor people and disabled people and queer people and fat people. Those are the things that matter to me.

The Bone Orchard author Mueller says that, for fictional characters and real people whove endured trauma and survived, hope is important. Its the last thing out of the box, but its important. Without seeing the person who got up, itd be easy for people to forget its the one of the choices.

Hope, too, can be an act of resistance.

Much of the marginalized queer experience is defined by community, the place where one can be happy, accepted, and even loved. That theme, too, informs speculative novels that focus on queer characters.

Khan Wongs debut, the space opera The Circus Infinite (Angry Robot, Mar. 2022), for example, centers on a circus troupe made up of interspecies queer performers who act as a found family (see Balancing Acts,).

More terrestrially, the protagonists of Fellmans Dead Collections, Sol and Elsie, share a tumultuous past as members of the online fandom community, a common refuge for queer and questioning individuals.

Fellman doesnt shy away from the negative aspects of this community. Sol is one of those trans people whose early relationship to fandom had everything to do with dysphoria, being really self-loathing, and trying to use writing fanfic to think about being a man, he saysbut in a miserable way because he thought it wasnt possible.

Indeed, the theme that most emerges from this coming crop of queer and gender-focused speculative titles is a growing emphasis on authenticity: the good, the bad, the messy. Superficial representation for its own sake no longer suffices: readers and editors want true-to-life depictions of marginalized characters and groups, warts and all.

Idris Grey is a Black queer writer, book reviewer, and sensitivity reader in Texas.

Back to Main Feature
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Want to save big on your air conditioning bills? Wait a few years to coat your home with the worlds whitest paint, which may dramatically reduce or even eliminate the need for air conditioning.

The paint, developed at Purdue University, has earned a Guinness World RecordsTM title. The record appears in the 2022 edition of Guinness World Records, available for purchase starting Thursday (Sept. 16).

Breaking a record for the whitest paint wasnt a goal for the researchers  curbing global warming was.

When we started this project about seven years ago, we had saving energy and fighting climate change in mind, said Xiulin Ruan, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue, in a podcast episode of This Is Purdue.

Ruan invented the paint with his graduate students. The idea was to create paint that would reflect sunlight away from a building. Making this paint really reflective, however, also made it really white. The formulation that Ruans lab created reflects 98.1% of solar radiation at the same time as emitting infrared heat. Because the paint absorbs less heat from the sun than it emits, a surface coated with this paint is cooled below the surrounding temperature without consuming power.

Typical commercial white paint gets warmer rather than cooler. Paints on the market that are designed to reject heat reflect only 80%-90% of sunlight and cant make surfaces cooler than their surroundings.

Using this new paint formulation to cover a roof area of about 1,000 square feet could result in a cooling power of 10 kilowatts, Purdue researchers showed in a published paper. Thats more powerful than the air conditioners used by most houses, Ruan said.

This white paint is the result of research building on attempts going back to the 1970s to develop radiative cooling paint as a feasible alternative to traditional air conditioners. Ruans lab had considered over 100 different materials, narrowed them down to 10 and tested about 50 different formulations for each material.

Two features make this paint ultra-white: a very high concentration of a chemical compound called barium sulfate  also used in photo paper and cosmetics  and different particle sizes of barium sulfate in the paint. What wavelength of sunlight each particle scatters depends on its size, so a wider range of particle sizes allows the paint to scatter more of the light spectrum from the sun.

There is a little bit of room to make the paint whiter, but not much without compromising the paint.

The researchers have partnered with a company to scale up the paint and put it on the market. Patent applications for this paint formulation have been filed through the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. For further discussion on this intellectual property, contact Will Buchanan at wdbuchanan@prf.org and reference track code PRF 2018-RUAN-68168. Information for this and other Purdue technologies can be found online.

This research was supported by the Cooling Technologies Research Center at Purdue University and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (Grant No.427 FA9550-17-1-0368). The research was performed at Purdues FLEX Lab and Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and the Birck Nanotechnology Center of Purdues Discovery Park.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.

Writer, media contact: Kayla Wiles, 765-494-2432, wiles5@purdue.edu

Source: Xiulin Ruan, ruan@purdue.edu
Remember when the Biden administration said the surge of illegal crossers at the U.S.-Mexico border, which gathered steam in February, March, April, and May, would abate when hot weather arrived? "We've dealt with this before," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on March 26. "It is often seasonal."
The first inalienable right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence is the right to life. Yet America, which enshrines that right in our founding document, does a worse job of protecting unborn life than most other countries. The Supreme Court now has a chance to begin ending this injustice and ensuring that America lives up to its promise.

Were both shocked at how far the U.S. falls short in protecting life. Weve spent the better part of our careers striving to change that. One of us (Ambassador Haley) has also seen how life is devalued across the rest of the world. With so much war, poverty, and hardship around the globe, its urgent that America set the standard for upholding this fundamental right.

But new research shows nearly every European country is outdoing us when it comes to protecting unborn children and their moms. Americans might be surprised to learn that the extreme, no-limits abortion laws of the United States are virtually unknown in Europe. Here, abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy, including when an unborn baby has a heartbeat, can feel pain, and even when he or she can survive outside the womb. By contrast, the Charlotte Lozier Institute found that 47 out of 50 European countries limit elective abortion to 15 weeks or earlier.

Theres a reason Europe has such common-sense abortion policies.

While some Washington politicians struggle with answering the basic question, Is a 15-week-old-unborn baby a human being? science has steadily revealed the humanity of children in the womb. By six weeks, they have a heartbeat and a developing brain and spinal cord. By 10 weeks they have arms, legs, fingers and toes, and they can kick and jump. By 15 weeks, they have fully formed noses, lips, eyelids and eyebrows  and by that point, if not earlier, they can feel pain. So can mothers: Abortions are more dangerous for women with every week of a pregnancy.

European abortion laws align with these deeply human realities much better than Americas. In France, abortion is limited at 12 weeks. The same goes for Switzerland and all of Scandinavia, where abortion is limited to well before the third trimester of pregnancy. Austria and Italy have limits at approximately three months, while Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, and Spain have 14-week limits. Not a single European country allows abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy. Besides the U.S., only seven countries (including China and North Korea) allow such a barbaric policy. Thats not company we want to be in.

The United States needs to catch up. And thats where the Supreme Court comes in.

As soon as October, the justices will hear a challenge to a Mississippi law that limits abortions after 15 weeks. This law is soundly within the global mainstream, yet to date, the Supreme Court has blocked states from following the science and protecting unborn children and mothers. The Mississippi case is the best chance in nearly three decades to right that wrong and protect the right to life.

Americans overwhelmingly agree that laws like Mississippis should be allowed to stand. About two-thirds of people say abortion should be limited after the first trimester in a recent poll, while 80% said the same about the second trimester. We dont have to wonder where this consensus comes from. The advance of technology has illuminated the beauty of unborn life more than ever. Ultrasound imaging makes it easy for parents to see their child before he or she is born. Thanks to medical breakthroughs, premature babies can now survive as much as six weeks earlier than in the 1970s. Doctors are even able to treat the tiniest patients right in the womb.

These incredible developments help explain why Mississippi passed its law, and why so many other states are following suit. Across the country, lawmakers have introduced hundreds of pro-life bills, with about 90 new laws protecting unborn children and their mothers enacted this year alone. This progress is incredible, and it reflects the American peoples common sense on life.

Yet lasting progress is being blocked by the Supreme Court. By overturning its previous rulings and allowing Mississippis law to stand, the justices will unshackle states to advance pro-life laws and protections for the unborn and their mothers, reflecting the deepest values of their people and the highest ideals of our country.

America should be leading the world in defending the unborn  the most precious and vulnerable among us. Its wrong that our country is behind so many others. The time has come to make it right, and uphold the right to life at Americas heart.
Succession star Kieran Culkin and his wife, Jazz Charton, have welcomed their second child.

ADVERTISEMENT

"One month with our perfect little man 8.17.21 #gettheepidural," Charton wrote in an Instagram post Friday.

The message accompanied a photo of her sitting on a park bench, laughing as she holds her infant son in her arms.

Culkin, 38, and Charton, 34, were married in 2013. Their first child, daughter Kinsey, turned 2 this week.

Culkin announced in May that his wife was pregnant with their second baby.

The actor's 41-year-old brother, Home Alone icon Macaulay Culkin , and his 33-year-old girlfriend, actress Brenda Song , welcomed their first child, a boy named Dakota, in April.
Athens, GA (30605)

Today

Showers this morning, becoming a steady rain during the afternoon hours. Thunder possible. High 77F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, overcast overnight with occasional rain. Low 67F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
STAMFORD  Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said the state would appeal a bankruptcy judges approval of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharmas settlement plan, reiterating his objection to sweeping legal protections that the proposal grants to the Sackler family members who own the company.

The states filing of a notice of appeal in federal bankruptcy court was expected as Tong has repeatedly said in the past two weeks that Connecticut would not accept Judge Robert Drains Sept. 1 confirmation of Stamford-based Purdues plan, which would settle several thousand lawsuits alleging the firm fueled the opioid crisis with deceptive OxyContin marketing and ultimately dissolve the company.

The Sacklers are not bankrupt. We cannot allow our bankruptcy laws to be abused and misused as a loophole for the rich and powerful to avoid justice and accountability, Tong said in a statement Friday. This decision was an unprecedented and unacceptable overreach by the bankruptcy court.

Connecticuts filing Friday indicated that it wanted the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel to hear its appeal. The BAP comprises a group of judges of U. S. bankruptcy courts who are appointed to hear appeals from certain bankruptcy cases under the supervision of the U.S. courts of appeals.

While we understand the objectors views are deeply held, 95 percent of Purdues creditors, including 43 states and territories, continue to believe the plan is the best option for people and communities suffering from the opioid crisis, the most fair and expeditious way to resolve the Purdue litigation, and the only way to deliver billions of dollars in value to fund programs specifically for abatement of the crisis, Purdue said in a statement. The bankruptcy courts ruling confirms this belief, and appeals will only further hurt the states, victims and creditors by delaying and eroding their recoveries.

Through a spokesman, the family of late Purdue co-founder Mortimer Sackler declined to comment on the notice of appeal. A message left for the family of late Purdue co-founder Raymond Sackler was not immediately returned.

The two families previously issued statements supporting Drains ruling.

Tongs opposition to the settlement plan focuses largely on a stipulation for the Sacklers who own the company to be released from the pending lawsuits, as well as potential opioid-related claims. The plan also provides releases for many other parties, including Sackler family members not directly involved in the company.

The Sacklers did not personally file for bankruptcy.

Those liability shields are a condition of the Sacklers agreement to contribute $4.325 billion in cash to the settlement, which Purdue values at a total of more than $10 billion.

Tongs announcement said that by the time they are finished paying this settlement (over a nine-year period), the Sacklers will be wealthier than they were when they started.

The Sacklers family net worth was estimated last year by Forbes to be nearly $11 billion.

While Tong and a number of his counterparts have condemned the releases, their scope would not be unlimited. They would not prohibit potential criminal prosecution. Last November, Purdue as a company pleaded guilty to three criminal charges of conspiring to defraud the government and violate anti-kickback law. No individuals, however, were charged in connection with that plea.

Concurrent with Purdues settlement last year with the Department of Justice, the Sacklers involved in Purdue agreed to a separate $225 million settlement with DOJ to resolve allegations of marketing and financial misconduct. They did not admit any wrongdoing as part of that agreement.

With an appeal, Connecticut would continue the legal battle it has waged against Purdue since it filed in December 2018 a lawsuit against the company and a number of individual defendants, including eight of the Sacklers. The complaint was consolidated with the other pending complaints when Purdue filed for bankruptcy in September 2019 and halted through subsequent court orders.

In addition to Connecticut, several other parties have also filed notices of appeal including the U.S. Trustee, which has represented the Department of Justice in the bankruptcy proceedings; Maryland; Washington state; and the District of Columbia.

The objections note that the Sackler family made at least $11 billion in profits from producing and deceptively marketing OxyContin, a major driver in the rise of the opioid crisis, Tongs announcement said.

Representatives of the Sacklers have denied Tongs accusations.

Dissatisfaction with the outcome of Purdues bankruptcy has also sparked efforts to reform bankruptcy law. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., is advancing legislation in Congress that seeks to prohibit the types of legal protections that the settlement plan provides to the Sacklers whom he said earlier this month had embarked on a shameful quest to avoid responsibility for their deliberate, reckless disregard of human life.

In July, Tong testified in support of bankruptcy reform, before a House Judiciary subcommittee.

Meanwhile, the state and the rest of the country are still grappling with an unrelenting opioid epidemic. It resulted in nearly 500,000 people dying from overdoses involving prescription or illicit opioids between 1999 and 2019. Last year in Connecticut, 1,273 people died from opioid-related overdoses, up 13 percent from 2019.

Connecticut has filed notice that we will appeal and will continue to fight on behalf of the victims and families of the opioid epidemic until we see justice, Tong said.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
MIDDLETOWN  The girlfriend of a city man charged in a May homicide said she received a disrespectful phone call in the moments leading up to the fatal confrontation, according to a newly unsealed arrest warrant in the case.

Matthew O'Banner, 20, is facing charges of murder and first-degree assault in the May 16 shooting that killed 25-year-old Tylon Hardy and injured a 17-year-old, police said.

After the shooting, O'Banner originally agreed to turn himself in to Middletown police, but then vanished for two months before being apprehended in New Jersey, court documents show.

Michelle Sanders, O'Banners 54-year-old mother, and his girlfriend, Alexandra Vazquez, 21, have also been charged with interfering with the police investigation. Sanders is also charged with second-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with evidence and drug possession, records show.

According to OBanners arrest warrant, which was unsealed this week, his girlfriend was on the phone with another woman the day of the shooting when a man interjected, making disrespectful and threatening comments.

(The man) was so disrespectful toward Vazquez that she began crying, the warrant said. OBanner was intermittently present during the telephone call, and was able to hear portions of what was being said to her by (him).

The warrant said Vazquez told police the man warned, they were all pulling up and dont even trip, Im coming. The warrant said Vazquez told investigators she was afraid because she knew of (his) violent reputation.

Police said they obtained security video footage from inside OBanners home that revealed Vazquez and Sanders feared the confrontation would turn violent, according to the warrant. The warrant stated the video showed the women begging OBanner not to engage with the man.

Shortly thereafter, Vazquez said she heard a commotion outside of her residence, and saw that (the man) had arrived with Hardy, the warrant stated.

Vazquez said she went outside and saw the woman she had been on the phone with as well as the man who made the comments along with other people she did not recognize, the warrant stated.

Video from a neighbors security camera showed Vazquez arguing with the man, who said he wanted to fight OBanner, the warrant stated.

After a loud argument, Vazquez said another car pulled up and the man who got out was attacked by the original group, which was confirmed by video footage, the warrant stated.

As people, including Hardy, began to circle around the physical altercation, the video showed OBanner exiting the front door of a Stirling Court home with a gun in his hand, the warrant stated.

The video showed Vazquez running toward OBanner, yelling for him to put it away, the warrant stated.

While the previously mentioned parties were fighting, a shooter began opening fire, the warrant said, adding Vazquez could not provide descriptions about the shooter, the persons location or clothing.

The video showed Hardy dropping to the ground after the shooter fired four shots in the direction of the crowd, the warrant stated. The warrant stated OBanner jumped off the porch and began chasing the fleeing men  firing another two shots.

Another three fainter gunshot sounds were heard, of unknown origin, as they were not captured by video, the warrant stated.

As police arrived, officers found Hardy unresponsive and bleeding from his mouth and ears, the warrant stated. He died a short time later.

Police were also notified of a second gunshot victim arriving at Middlesex Hospital, the warrant stated. The teen was then flown to Hartford Hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound to the right side of his back and two in his right forearm, the warrant stated.

OBanner, who is being held on $1 million bond, is expected to return Oct. 5 to state Superior Court in Middletown.

joshua.labella@hearstmediact.com
Authors are driven to write their stories for many reasons: For Nancy Hungerford, a former Colebrook resident, her work is a final tribute to her late husband Robert Bob T. Hungerford, a World War II Navy pilot.

Well Done: A WWII Memoir, From Childhood Dreams to Naval Aviator, was published in August by Xlibris.

Time in Connecticut

Before their time in Connecticut, the Hungerfords lived in New York City and Long Island.

Bob was an art director for J. Walter Thompson, and we had our own agency, Hungerford & Associates, Hungerford said.

We had a lot of interesting experiences, and then we started a monthly lifestyle newspaper, North Fork Country, and ran that for about six years. It was pretty amazing, she said. Id get a bright idea, and wed just do it. The newspaper had nothing political, no (hard) news, just people, arts, area history.

In the 1990s, they decided to move to Connecticut, and enjoyed eight years in Colebrook, on the Riverton end of town. It was absolutely lovely, Hungerford said. During their time there, the couple joined the Nutmeg Writers Group at the local library, she said.

We really enjoyed that group, she said. It was run by Claire Vreeland, and it was a way to get critique on whatever you were working on, and get good feedback and have good discussions with other writers.

The Riverton Fair was a favorite event for the Hungerfords, and Nancy recalled winning a watermelon seed-spitting contest there. That was just a perfect little country fair, she said. And Riverton was so beautiful. We loved it there.

The book begins

But Bob Hungerford developed progressive dementia, which prompted the couple to move back to Long Island where they could be closer to a hospital for emergencies and nursing services, Nancy Hungerford said. Greenport Hospital was close by, and we knew people there, she said. So we tucked our tails and went back.

Bob Hungerford was not diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, but his type of dementia was just as difficult, she said. Hungerford said she treated every day like a regular day with routines, discussions on the news of the day and other activities they could do together.

The book became one of those activities.

For the next nine years, Hungerford worked on Well Done with her husband, developing a story out of his journals and conversations with him. Bob died on July 4, 2020. He was 98.

Bob was really good  he did very well for a long time, Hungerford said. I talked to him about writing a book, and he started telling me things about his time in the Navy. Id talk to him while I was writing.

He had these journals, and he kept saying Theres a story here mainly because the story he tells in the journals is very typical, about a young man without a direction, just floundering around. He had a dream as a young kid of flying, and at the time the World War I pilots were like heroes. He wanted to be an ace pilot.

Hellcat pilot

When Pearl Harbor happened, it was an epiphany for him, a total turning point, she said. He became totally focused on becoming a pilot, and at the time they were screaming for pilots and escalated the training, so he enrolled in the flight program in June 1941, got his Navy wings and flew the Hellcat, which was designed to combat the Japanese planes.

Hungerford was a member of the Fighting Squadron 13 division, with pilots that were specially trained to fly the Hellcat, she said.

The government started a program offering college student pilot training in preparation  because the government knew we were going to war. Bob was selected when he was a sophomore at Wayne University, Hungerford said.

The young pilot also served on the aircraft carrier the USS Franklin, which was destroyed in March 1945 by kamikaze pilots. He was on the carrier when the kamikaze pilots first hit it, she said. It was attacked again and destroyed in 1945, but Bob was already back in the States. A lot of people were killed.

The book details many of these types of stories, told by Bob Hungerford himself and blended with the daily journal entries. Hungerford said one of his biggest flying missions was on July 4 in the Pacific, and was very dangerous she said. It was poetic that he died that weekend.

When some of Bob Hungerfords war buddies found out Nancy Hungerford was writing a book about the war, they started sending her their own journals and logs from their own time in the Navy. So I was going through all of them, and eventually I put together a story. It was Bobs, but his friends added a lot of detail, she said.

Fact checking was a big challenge, she said. I spent a ton of time looking everything up, and I put a disclaimer on the book, saying if Id made a mistake, let me know.

It took about nine years to do the book, but I wasnt doing it all the time, she said. I had tons of notes, and some chapters were written, but I wasnt finished yet. When he passed, I compared the book to The Last Leaf by O. Henry, because for three years, every time hed start to go downhill, Id say, Youre not leaving, Bob, because the book isnt finished.

Sometimes it was very close, and Id say it again, Youre not leaving. My hope was to finish the book before he passed, and after he passed, I became intent on finishing it; and I got it done within three or four months, she said.

Back in Long Island

Nancy Hungerford remains on Long Island. She and Bob were divorced from their first marriages when they met, and each brought two children into their own marriage in 1982. I had one child and Bob had three, she said. We had a busy household.

In August, Hungerford held a service for her husband in New Fairfield. Among the guests were two young Navy soldiers, who came in full dress whites and formally folded the flag, presented it, and played taps. They absolutely surprised me, and did this full-on ceremony, she said. My son played the Navy hymn on the violin ... It was just so touching.

She misses her husband every day. Oh, something terrible, she said. We worked together, and we started things together.

And she has mixed feelings about completing Well Done.

As a writer, Ive ghost written books and I wrote for the newspaper, so there was a real sense of accomplishment, she said. In the end, the book was a solo effort, and Im proud to have accomplished it.

But more than that, I feel happy that his children and the people who knew him can have (his story). You can bring flowers and stuff to a funeral, but this is his legacy. A book is forever. Its a salute to him.

Well Done: A WWII Memoir, From Childhood Dreams to Naval Aviator is available from Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
DOVER, Del. (AP)  A woman who said her father, a former pastor of a Delaware church, sexually abused her as a child and trafficked her to other men, was awarded $1.5 million by a federal jury on Friday.

Alicia Cohen, 41, said in her civil lawsuit that Ronald Cohen began sexually abusing her when she was three years old at the family home in Newark, then started selling her to other men for sex about two years later, when they were living in Oklahoma.

She also said her father filmed and sold videos of her being raped and used his religious facade and ministries, including the nondenominational Miracle Tabernacle, as a cover for child sexual abuse and child sex trafficking.

Ronald Cohen, who has also used the names Rafi and Raphael, has denied the claims as false, frivolous, and defamatory.

Ron was shocked at the verdict, defense attorney Dan Boyce said Friday. Boyce said Cohen has asked him to file a motion for judgment in his favor, despite the jury verdict, or a motion for a new trial.

He also said Cohen, who now lives in North Carolina, is in his 70s and depends on Social Security, and that he is judgment proof based on his finances.

Alicia Cohens attorney, Dan Stephenson, said the case was not about money, but about holding Ronald Cohen accountable.

The central issue in the case was whether the defendant raped his daughter repeatedly for years as a child. The jury clearly said yes and awarded both compensatory and punitive damages, Stephenson said in an email.

According to the lawsuit, Alicia Cohen repressed the memories of her abuse for years.

Due to the actions of defendant, plaintiff has suffered extreme mental, physical, psychological, and emotional trauma, the lawsuit states. She has spent an enormous amount of time and money seeing doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, and other therapists.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been victims of sexual abuse, unless they go public, as Alicia Cohen did.

The seven-member jury found Ronald Cohen liable, by a preponderance of the evidence, for various offenses under Delaware law, including incest, sexual extortion and continuous sexual abuse of a child. They also found him liable under Delaware law for assault or battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.

But the jury ruled in Ronald Cohens favor regarding allegations of human trafficking under federal law and the state laws of Delaware, New Jersey and Florida. They also ruled in his favor regarding various other alleged offenses under federal, Florida and New Jersey law.

There was no direct or circumstantial evidence that supported her allegations, Boyce said, adding that the plaintiffs case relied on experts who hypothesized that she had certain characteristics of having been sexually abused.

Boyce also said the judge refused to allow an expert defense witness to offer an opinion that Alicia Cohens memories from 30 years ago were false.

Stephenson, the attorney for Alicia Cohen, rejected the notion that it was a he said-she said case.

We brought a mountain of evidence including objective, medical, and admitted facts, he said. We had treaters, treater records, and expert witnesses supporting what Alicia said.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Nevada death row inmate convicted in the 1980 robbery-killing of a man for $2 is no longer eligible for capitol punishment and must be resentenced, the Nevada Supreme Court has ruled.

The Nevada justices ruled Thursday that a New York court's recent erasure of Samuel Howard's lone conviction for a violent crime took the death penalty off the table for his Nevada murder conviction, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  A 22-year-old former nursing student pleaded guilty to the murder of one person and the attempted murders of 53 others in connection with a 2019 deadly shooting at a Southern California synagogue on the last day of Passover, effectively ending the possibility of facing the death penalty.

John T. Earnest entered a similar guilty plea on July 20 on state charges in San Diego Superior Court and agreed then to serve the rest of his life in state prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 30.

In the federal case, sentencing has been set for Dec. 28. Defense attorneys and prosecutors are also recommending a term of life in prison, plus 30 years, according to the plea.

Federal prosecutors had said previously that they would not seek the death penalty, and Fridays plea agreement finalized that decision. In July, the Justice Department halted all federal executions after an unprecedented run of capital punishment in the Trump administration, though the order didnt prohibit prosecutors from seeking the death penalty. Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has said he has reservations about the death penalty, issued the moratorium as officials conduct a review of the governments policies and execution protocols.

Earnest opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle during the last day of Passover services in April 2019 at Chabad of Poway, northeast of San Diego. The attack killed 60-year-old Lori Gilbert-Kaye and wounded three others, including an 8-year-old girl and the rabbi, who lost a finger.

After Earnest emptied his initial magazine, several congregants rushed at him. Earnest fled in his car and, shortly after, called 911 and confessed that he had just shot up a synagogue. Earnest was apprehended by local law enforcement who found the rifle and additional ammunition in his car.

In his plea Friday he admitted that he set also had fire to an Escondido mosque on March 24 with seven people sleeping inside, though no one was hurt.

He said he carried out the attacks because he wanted to kill Muslims and Jews.

A federal grand jury in May 2019 indicted Earnest on 113 charges, to which he pleaded guilty on Friday.

This nation stands with Lori Gilbert Kayes family and the survivors of these unspeakable acts of terror, Acting U.S. Attorney Randy S. Grossman said in a statement. We emphatically reject the defendants hate, racism and prejudice, and we hope the conclusion of this case brings some measure of comfort to all those affected by his heinous crimes.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  Tom Cruise got a sneak preview of what its like to circle Earth in a SpaceX capsule.

Representatives for SpaceXs first privately chartered flight revealed Friday that the actor took part in a call with the four space tourists orbiting more than 360 miles up. Thursdays conversation, like the entire three-day flight, was private and so no details were released.

Maverick, you can be our wingman anytime, came the announcement from the flight's Twitter feed. Cruise starred as Navy pilot Pete Maverick Mitchell in the 1986 film Top Gun. A sequel comes out next year.

Last year, NASA confirmed it was in talks with Cruise about visiting the International Space Station for filming. SpaceX would provide the lift, as it does for NASA astronauts, and like it did Wednesday night for the billionaire up there now with his two contest winners and a hospital worker.

Their flight is due to end Saturday night with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

The four showed off their capsule in a live broadcast Friday. They're flying exceedingly high in the automated capsule, even by NASA standards.

SpaceX got them into a 363-mile (585-kilometer) orbit following Wednesday nights launch from NASAs Kennedy Space Center. Thats 100 miles (160 kilometers) higher than the International Space Station. Its so high that theyre completing 15 orbits of Earth daily, compared with 16 for station astronauts.

Until this all-amateur crew, relatively few NASA astronauts had soared that high. The most recent were the shuttle astronauts who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope over multiple flights in the 1990s and 2000s.

To enhance the views, SpaceX outfitted the Dragon capsule with a custom, bubble-shaped dome. Photos of them looking out this large window were posted online, otherwise little else had been publicly released of their first day in space.

Besides talking space with Cruise, the four capsule passengers chatted Thursday with young cancer patients. Hayley Arceneaux, a childhood cancer survivor, led the conversation from orbit with patients from the hospital that saved her life almost 20 years ago: St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. A 6-year-old-boy wanted to know if there are cows on the moon  like in the nursery rhyme.

I hope there will be one day. Right now, no, there arent, replied another passenger, Sian Proctor. Were going to go back to the moon soon and were going to investigate all kinds of things about it.

The video linkup was not broadcast live, but shared by St. Jude on Friday. Seeing the Earth from so high is so beautiful," Arceneaux told them.

Now a physician assistant at St. Jude, Arceneaux is the youngest American in space at age 29.

Pennsylvania entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, 38, purchased the entire flight for an undisclosed amount. Hes seeking to raise $200 million for St. Jude through the flight hes named Inspiration4, half of that coming from his own pocket.

The two other Dragon riders won their seats through a pair of contests sponsored by Isaacman: Chris Sembroski, 42, a data engineer, and Proctor, 51, a community college educator.

During the broadcast Friday afternoon, Sembroski played a ukulele that will be auctioned off for St. Jude. You can turn your volume down if you wish, but I'll give it a shot, he said.

Proctor, who is an artist, showed off a drawing in her sketchbook of a Dragon capsule being carried by a mythological dragon away from Earth.

All four share SpaceX founder Elon Musks quest to open space to everyone.

Missions like Inspiration4 help advance spaceflight to enable ultimately anyone to go to orbit & beyond, Musk tweeted Thursday after chatting with his orbiting pioneers.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
File photo

WINDHAM  A Chaplin man was killed in a crash on Route 66 in Windham Thursday afternoon, according to police.

In a summary of the incident, Trooper Anthony Ruggerio said troopers with Troop K responded to Route 66 near its intersection with Scott Road around 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
TORRINGTON  A new gym is about to open on Migeon Avenue, using a business model aimed at empowering personal trainers and their clients.

Beyond Ordinary Fitness Center, opening Oct. 4, is owned by Harrison Gobillot, a personal trainer who specializes in nutrition and bodybuilding, and his partner Brett Wesner.

Gobillot wanted to create a place where people in the fitness business could work with their customers in a shared space with professional equipment, without having to work for the gym itself.

I worked at a local gym in Torrington for two years, and it was a good experience, but we need smaller businesses that promote people in the community, he said. If a trainers working at a gym, and the customers getting charged $100 an hour for a trainer, that trainers only making $20. There are also contracts the customers have to sign, with cancellation fees. That means the trainer doesnt make a lot of money, and theyre doing the work.

The model is simple: A trainer brings their client to the gym for a workout. The trainer pays Gobillot a fee for a seat at the gym, and can use all the equipment  treadmills, weights, stair-climbing machines and other types of exercise equipment at any time or day. Customers pay a monthly fee to the trainer, which is shared with Beyond Ordinary. The whole idea of a membership contract doesnt exist, making the relationship between the trainer and the gym much easier, Gobillot said.

Some of the trainers can bring in 100 clients, he said. Its pretty much limitless for them. They can set their own goals and make their own success, and Ill help them, using this model. Its about being self-sufficient, and getting paid what you deserve.

I am also trying to empower and support the young people of this community, he said. Im 28 and Ive got this plan, and its going to help a lot of people. You look at people my age, and theyre working a job they might not be crazy about, and at night theyre home or hanging out at the bars. For me, doing that didnt give me a future. ... I was stuck. I needed to do something to change my future.

He left the local club, as well as a job with Community Systems as a social worker, and launched Beyond Ordinary, renting the massive warehouse building on Migeon Avenue and starting an aggressive social media campaign to draw other trainers interest. He and his fiancee, Lauryn  the couple is expecting a daughter in January  set about finding equipment for the new gym.

We drove up and down the East Coast with a U-Haul, and we got everything we needed, Gobillot said.

The warehouse was vacant for several years, and Gobillot and a small team tore out the floors, replacing the aging carpet and tile with new surfaces, and painting the 100-foot-high walls in gray, bright yellow and black. In a corner weightlifting area, a huge poster of Arnold Schwarzenegger hangs between two American flags. On the opposite wall, flags from all branches of the military are on display. Veterans, teachers, students and enlisted military get a 10 percent discount for using the gym.

Gobillot will have a BYOBB (bring your own blender bottle) bar, selling blended energy drinks, and a supply of healthy frozen meals and snacks. Hes also launching a line of supplements. He wants the lounge area, set up with televisions and chairs, to be a place for both trainers and customers to relax after a workout. Children are welcome to spend time in the lounge while a parent works out.

If people cant afford day care or a babysitter, kids are welcome here, he said. I encourage all my customers and parents to bring their kids. Itll be a great experience for them.

Gobillots family name is Cordani; his grandfather was the Torrington tax collector years ago. He attended Torrington Christian Academy and a few years of college, then returned to Connecticut. College wasnt for me, he said. But at my age, Ive never failed at what Ive set out to do. .... I refuse to fail. It was also important to me to be able to make my own money off my own talents. I knew I could make that happen.

Strength training has always been part of Gobillots life, and the advances in technique and equipment has made it explode, he said.

Theres so much more available now, so many more ways to do things, he said. Fitness has become a cultural thing, and interest in weightlifting is at an all-time high. Its everywhere.

When people come here, they enjoy it, Gobillot said. The musics playing, people are working out. ... Its a good feeling when you walk in the door.

To reach Beyond Ordinary Fitness Center, call 860-618-3088 or email beyondordinaryfitness@aol.com. Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Find them on Facebook and Instagram.
Pennsylvania's largest teachers union Wednesday urged K-12 schools to require masks in school buildings, a measure that state officials are encouraging but not mandating.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association cited the threat of the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus, which is spiking infections and hospitalizations across the state and nationally, including among children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends masks in schools for students, staff and teachers.

"Masking up is essential to keeping in-person learning going all year," said Rich Askey, PSEA president.

"We are at a crossroads, and what our schools decide now will set the stage for what this school year looks like. If we're going to be able to keep our schools open for in-person instruction all year, we need to make the right decisions now," he said.

Masking has become a highly contentious and politicized issue, with heated discussions taking place at the local level as school boards decide what their policy will be as schools reopen for the fall. Some Pennsylvania districts said they will require masks, while others have decided to make them optional.

Joseph Roy, superintendent of Bethlehem Area School District, announced Wednesday that masks will be required in school buildings, citing the exponential spread of the virus in surrounding Northampton County since early July.

Roy said the district's health experts have determined that the ongoing surge means "there's no more latitude" on mandated, universal masking. The measure will be in place at least through the end of September.

"I'm not happy that that's where we are, but I have to do my duty to protect our kids and our staff and our community and it's clearly the right thing to do," he said.

The state Health Department is urging school districts to follow federal guidance and require masks for all students, teachers and staff, regardless of vaccination status, but Alison Beam, the acting health secretary, said this week that a statewide mandate is not under discussion.

Statewide, confirmed infections have nearly doubled over the past two weeks to an average of 2,000 per day. Hospitalizations are up sharply and deaths have started to rise again, too.
In a significant development in the Pakistan terror plot, another suspect has been nabbed from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj district. Arrested terror accused Osama's uncle - Humaid ur Rehman- surrendered at the Kareli Police station in Prayagraj on Friday. The accused is said to have helped both Osama and other terror suspect Zeeshan to train in Pakistan. He is also allegedly responsible for recruiting youths for the multi-state operation.

A lookout notice had been previously issued for Humaid ur Rehman by the UP Police. The accused is now being taken to Delhi by the special team. He will be produced before the Patiala House court later in the day, and the police is expected to seek his 14-day custody. Earlier, terror suspect Zakir was arrested from Mumbai's Jogeshwari area for his alleged involvement in the case.

Six terrorists, one from Delhi, one from Maharashtra and four from Uttar Pradesh, were arrested by the police forces on September 14 in connection with the Pakistan-Dawood terror plot. As per sources, blasts had been planned in three cities, with the whole operation being coordinated by Dawood Ibrahim's brother  Anees Ibrahim. Out of the 6 terrorists, 2 had been trained in Pakistan and were working under the instructions of the ISI to operate the terror plot. All arrested terrorists have been sent to Delhi Police Special Cell's custody for 14 days by a Delhi court on Wednesday.

Pakistan Terror Plot

According to the Delhi Police Special Cell, the motive of the terrorists was to conduct serial blasts and targeted killings in Delhi, UP, Maharashtra, and other states in India. Delhi Police Special CP Neeraj Thakur has revealed there were two components of the operation  one was the safe delivery of IEDs to the terrorists hiding in India, and the second was planting the explosives in major cities during the ongoing festive season. The arrested persons were tasked separately to execute different aspects of the terror plan. The terror operation was closely coordinated from the other side of the border. Delhi Police has revealed that underworld operative Sameer, a close associate of Anees Ibrahim, was tasked by Pak-based underworld operatives to ensure the smooth delivery of IEDs, sophisticated weapons, and grenades to different entities across India.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has inked an agreement to purchase worn-out Mirage fighter planes from the French Air Force, which would provide benefit in the maintenance of Indias fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft. As per ANI, this is the second such deal that the Indian Air Force has entered for the purchase of approved airframes, allowing one of the most powerful aviation squadrons to remain in action for longer.

News agency ANI cited a source from the government that stated, "A squadron of the French Mirage jets had been phased out some time ago. On August 31, a contract was signed for acquiring these phased-out planes to improve the spares and airframe capability to help improve the serviceability of the around 50 Mirage-2000s in the Indian fleet."

The source further informed that the aircraft would be delivered to the Indian Air Force in containers. India had already established an agreement earlier with French businesses for the delivery of obsolete Mirages, which arrived in Gwalior last year and helped improve operational capability considerably.

Despite being old, Mirage is powerful

The French Air Force is replacing its ageing Mirage fighter aircraft force with modern Rafale combat fighters. India procured these fighter aircraft from France during the 1980s. These fighter planes have proven to be one of the most powerful squadrons of aircraft. The aircraft was involved in the Balakot airstrikes in Pakistan when it demolished a terrorist base. The aircraft had precisely shot their Spice-2000 bombs at targets deep into Pakistani territory.

Similarly, the IAF is planning to buy more planes as a part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat project. Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria informed that the Indian Air Force plans to acquire 350 aircraft over the next twenty years. He went on to say that the decision was made to guarantee that India became self-sufficient in the defence industry.

IAF to get emergency landing strips for fighter planes

Meanwhile, five landing runways in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh have been planned, providing a substantial boost to the Indian Air Force. The IAF's fighter and other planes would use the emergency landing strips. Two landing strips would be built in Kashmir, two in Jammu, and one in Ladakh.

The announcement comes during the existing circumstances along the Line of Control and Line of Actual Control. Furthermore, the first landing strip is anticipated to be built near Srinagar, focused on the Line of Control with Pakistan. This is happening at a time when the Indian Air Force is beefing up its capabilities.

(Image: ANI)
In a major boost to the Indian Army, the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) Regimental Centre on Saturday, September 18, held the passing out parade where 460 youths from the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir participated as to join the Indian Army. The attestation parade depicts the graduation of a recruit into a young soldier.

The brave soldiers will take oath in all religions displaying the true Indian vision of 'Unity in Diversity'. All the religious leaders were present at the event.

JAK LI is the oldest and most decorated infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment that emerged during the first Indo-Pak War when Pakistan invaded Kashmir, has received one Paramveer Chakra and three Ashok Chakra. It also received three battle honours in 1971  Laleali, Picquet 707, and Shingo River Valley.

J&K Light Infantry recruitment

In July, JAK LI had announced its recruitment batch of 614 graduating young soldiers from Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking on the recruitment, Lt General DP Pandey, General Officer Commanding of the Chinar Corps of the Indian Army, congratulated the youth and appreciated their contribution towards motivating other youngsters of Jammu and Kashmir to join the security forces.

The reviewing officers felicitated the young soldiers and the Sher-e-Kashmir Sword of Honour was awarded to Recruit Sahil Kumar. The title of Overall Best Recruit was given to Triveni Singh Medal and recruit Irshad Ahmad Dar received the Chewang Rinchen Medal for Best in Firing.

J&K Army Commander on youth protection

Later on August 31, Kashmir valley's top army commander visited members of around 80 families whose children joined various terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir and urged them to bring them back. General-Officer-Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps Lt Gen D P Pandey told the families, "I request you to pull out your children from the swamp called terrorism. I leave it up to you how you pull them out but please do it".

While Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told the parents, "Police and security forces have been providing opportunities (to local terrorists) to surrender during live encounters since last year. Families are requested to convince their children (newly recruited terrorists) to come back".
As India witnesses, a rise in terror activities, Jammu and Kashmir Additional Director (ADG) Mukesh Singh has confirmed to Republic TV on Saturday, September 18, that the police is in touch with the Delhi police special cell in relation to the multi-state anti-terror operation that is underway. He further highlighted the evolution of weapons and techniques used for terror attacks.

Clarifying on terror activities observed in the country from the past months, Mukesh Singh stated, "The activities of the terrorists were always there in some form or the other in the Jammu provision. Earlier it was infiltration through tunnels and movements towards Kashmir valley then came to the phenomena of drones and weapons being dropped by drones".

J&K terror encounters

The ADG said, "Subsequently, there was one attempt last year of infiltration in which the terrorist was neutralized in Balakot. So these activities were on yet it is the fact that in the past 2-3 months we have seen some increase in activities but the good thing is that our intelligence network is strong and we can intercept or neutralize the groups which are coming".

He further informed, "In the past 2-3 months there have been three encounters at the line of control where the army neutralized 6 terrorists. Besides that one or two groups that managed to come in, were neutralized in Thanamandi and Ghambir Muglan. One operation is still underway in these areas".

Mukesh Singh appreciated the cooperation of the Jammu and Kashmir people in terms of information flow from areas where terrorists are often found moving around.

Pakistan terror plot

In a recent development to the Pakistan-Dawood terror plot, one more terror suspect has been arrested by the Delhi Police. A joint team of the Anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and the Crime Branch has detained Zakir from Mumbai's Jogeshwari. According to sources, Zakir was aiding the arrested terrorist Jaan Mohammed Shaikh who was earlier arrested with other terrorists.

Sources informed that Zakir used to instruct Jaan Mohammed Shaikh to take delivery of weapons and explosives. Jaan Mohammed Shaikh was travelling from Mumbai to Delhi and was tasked with procuring explosives from Uttar Pradesh. The investigation so far has revealed that the terrorists had planned to strike during the festive season.

(Image credit: TWITTER/ANI/REPRESENTATIVEIMAGE)
In a big development, one more terror suspect has been detained in connection with the Pakistan-Dawood terror plot that was busted on September 14 by the Delhi Police. A joint team of the Anti-terrorism squad (ATS) and the Crime Branch has detained Zakir from Mumbai's Jogeshwari. According to sources, Zakir was aiding the arrested terrorist Jaan Mohammed Shaikh who was earlier arrested with other terrorists.

Sources informed that Zakir used to instruct Jaan Mohammed Shaikh to take delivery of weapons and explosives. Jaan Mohammed Shaikh was travelling from Mumbai to Delhi and was tasked with procuring explosives from Uttar Pradesh. The investigation so far has revealed that the terrorists had planned to strike during the festive season.

Mumbai Police Crime Branch detains travel agent

Earlier on Wednesday, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch detained a travel agent who booked a train ticket for the arrested terrorist Jaan Mohammed Shaikh. According to sources, the travel agent named Ajgar had booked a train ticket for Jaan Mohammed Shaikh who travelled from Mumbai Central to Delhi on September 13. In addition, sources further revealed that Ajgar and Jaan Mohammed Shaikh are residents of Dharavi in Mumbai. The ticket was booked by Ajgar based on the instructions of Shaikh and both accused know each other.

Terror suspect surrenders in Prayagraj

In another news, a terror suspect linked to the Pakistan terror plot has surrendered. According to sources, Humaid Ur Rehman who is the uncle of arrested terrorist Osama surrendered at the Kareli Police station in Prayagraj. Rehman is said to have helped both Osama and other terror suspect Zeeshan to train in Pakistan. He is also allegedly responsible for recruiting youths for the multi-state operation. The police had issued a lookout notice for Rehman. Currently, Rehman is being brought to Delhi where he will be produced before the Patiala House Court. The police are expected to seek his 14-day custody.

Major Pakistan-Dawood terror plot busted

In a massive operation, the Delhi Police's Special Cell on Tuesday busted a Pakistan-organised terror module with the arrest of six men, including two Pak-ISI trained terrorists, officials said. The terrorists were allegedly planning several blasts across the country, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, during the upcoming festivals of Ganesh Chaturthi, Navratri and Ramleela, they said. Police said that Pakistan-based Anees Ibrahim, who is the brother of Dawood Ibrahim, was connected with the underworld operatives to execute the terror plan. Interrogation has revealed that the Pakistan terror module was being operated through two components via underworld and the Pak-ISI trained terror module, they said.

The accused, identified as Jaan Mohammad Sheikh (47) alias 'Sameer', Osama (22), Moolchand (47), Zeeshan Qamar (28), Mohd Abu Bakar (23) and Mohd Amir Javed (31), were arrested, following raids in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh, police said. Among the arrested, Osama and Qamar are Pakistan-trained terror operatives working under the instructions of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). They were tasked to conduct the reconnaissance of different suitable locations in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for placing IEDs, police said.
The Congress on Saturday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress of undermining the leadership of the grand old party and said its attack on Rahul Gandhi was "unwarranted and in poor taste".

The remarks of the Congress came after the TMC''s Bengali mouthpiece ''Jago Bangla'' ran a cover story, attacking Gandhi by saying he has failed to take on the BJP and the Chief Minister of West Bengal. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that he has seen reports citing an article in the official publication of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

"The same is not in good taste as Rahul Gandhi  a former Congress president -- is fighting a bigger battle to save democracy," Surjewala said.

"Let me say that Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party are fighting a bigger battle of saving democracy, protecting the Constitution and our national ethos that are under attack from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP-RSS," Surjewala said.

"We also find the attack on Rahul Gandhi is unwarranted and in poor taste," he said.

Jago Bangla had run the cover story with the headline: ''Rahul Gandhi failed, Mamata is the alternate face. Surjewala said that Congress respects all political parties and their contribution to the united fight against the BJP.

"Everyone must understand that Opposition unity cannot be built by undermining the leadership of other parties, including the Congress Party. In fact, all like-minded parties, including Mamta Banerjee ji, have repeatedly vowed to fight together. Hopefully, those writing such articles will take note of Mamata ji''s and Opposition parties'' stance," he said.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha and the party's West Bengal chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said the views expressed by TMC''s mouthpiece will weaken the unity and convergence among opposition parties. The article comes at a time when opposition parties are trying to come together and present a united face in fighting and defeating the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The article in the TMC publication stated that the country is seeking an alternative face.

"I have known Rahul Gandhi for a long time, but I must say he has failed to emerge as an alternative face to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But Mamata Banerjee has been successful in emerging as an alternative face to Modi," the story quoted the TMC''s Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay as said.

Congress leaders have said that this will adversely affect the bonhomie between the Congress and the TMC, and does not bode well for opposition unity. Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Friday said the party neither intends to disrespect the Congress nor wants to talk about an alternative to the BJP government at the Centre without Congress in the discussion.

"Bandopadhyay has not talked about any alternative force without the Congress. He just said in his experiences, people are not accepting Rahul Gandhi as an alternative face to Narendra Modi. He (Gandhi) is not ready yet," Ghosh said.

The Congress leader could not prove it (defeating the BJP) in the last two Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019, the state TMC spokesperson said.

"But after the 2021 assembly poll victory, Mamata Banerjee has been successful in emerging as an alternative (face to Modi), he said.

Veteran Congress leader and MP Pradip Bhattacharya said it is for the opposition allies to unanimously decide who will be their common leader.

Banerjee, who has emerged as the doughtiest opposition face after her resounding victory in the West Bengal assembly polls, has been trying to bring together opposition parties to form an alternative force against the BJP government ahead of the next Lok Sabha polls.
Shortly after Captain Amarinder Singh tendered his resignation as Punjab Chief Minister after loyally serving the Congress party for almost half a century, he spoke to Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, revealing his viewpoint and the reasoning behind such a sudden and unforeseen resignation. This resignation of Captain Amarinder Singh comes as an aftermath of months of infighting with fellow Congress leaders, most notably Navjot Singh Sidhu. After tendering his resignation, Amarinder Singh stated that it was best that Congress gives the Chief Minister's post to someone they trust. In the interview with Arnab Goswami, Captain Amarinder left little unsaid -from Sidhu's 'incompetence' to the Congress 'humiliating' him, to his declaration to contest the Punjab elections - Captain Amarinder Singh has left nobody in any doubt that he remains a pivotal player in the state's politics.

Captain Amarinder Singh didn't expect resignation; due to close-knit with Gandhis'

During the interview, Amarinder Singh said, "I felt humiliated and there is a limit to humiliation and I can't work in this state of humiliation."Amarinder Singh added that he held a conversation with Sonia Gandhi where she said she was sorry for how the events turned out. When asked about the Congress president's role, Singh said, "But I didn't think of it (he'd be ousted), perhaps it's my fault, perhaps it's my association with Mrs Gandhi and the children. Rajiv Ji was one year younger than me in school, we'd known each other since 1954. Naturally, his kids are like my kids, and I never thought I'd be treated this way."

Amarinder Singh went on to add 'I've resigned many times, I'm quite used to resignations. Do you remember my resignation on Bluestar? These things don't bother me, but what bothers me is I've been misread. I've done my best for my party and my state, and Punjabis will recognise what I've done for the state... So naturally, you think you've not been trusted.'

Capt. Singh slams Navjot Singh Sidhu's pro-Pakistan support

Captain Amarinder Singh while speaking to Republic Media Network, said that he was against Navjot Singh Sidhu's closeness with Pakistan and termed him to be an incapable person. "I had condemned Sidhu when he went to Pakistan and met Imran Khan and Bajwa," he said. He assumed Navjot Singh Sidhu to be incompetent for Punjab politics and stated that if the Congress selected him for the Chief Ministership, Capt. Singh will not be in favour of the decision

Punjab guv. accepts Amarinder Singh's resignation

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit has accepted the resignation of Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday. The statement from the Raj Bhavan read: "The Chief Minister of Punjab Capt. Amarinder Singh tendered his resignation and that of his Council of Ministers. The Punjab Governor Shri Banwarilal Purohit accepted his resignation and that of his council of Ministers. The Governor asked him and his Council of Ministers to continue in office, for the transaction of routine business, till alternative arrangements are made."

Image Credits - Republic World
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keeping a close eye on the developments in Punjab following Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh's resignation on Saturday, 18 September 2021. With assembly elections just months away, the equations in Punjab have changed and the BJP is likely to 'wait and watch' rather than make any hasty move.

The top leadership in the party is keeping an eye on the situation in the state, which is slated to go to the polls early next year. There was some anticipation in Congress circles about the Chief Minister's resignation due to the unrelenting factionalism.

The BJP is keen on maintaining political stability in the crucial border state to ensure that radical elements do not gain ground. As infighting continues in Congress, BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh accused the party of causing political instability in the state.

"The situation today in Punjab is because of Congress. Today there is more instability. They have forgotten that it is a border state and Pakistan is sending arms and ammunition and drugs. It is fortunate that we have the Modi government at the Centre and NIA is deflating their plans," he said.

The BJP has termed Captain's resignation as a "panic reaction" of the Congress high command to salvage the situation ahead of assembly polls, which indicated that the state's ruling party is a 'divided house'. In a statement released on Saturday, Chugh said that the Congress would be decimated in the upcoming assembly elections and no fire-fighting can help it.

The saffron party has expressed confidence that the people of Punjab, having lost trust in the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) as well, will bring the BJP to power next year, as it alone can give 'a stable and progressive government' to the state.

Who will be the next Punjab CM?

Meanwhile, Congress is looking for an interim Chief Minister to govern Punjab ahead of elections. According to sources, former PPCC President Sunil Jakhar is one of the front runners for occupying the CM post while others like Congress MP Ambika Soni and MLA Vijay Inder Singla are also in the race. Irrespective of the CM face, the assembly elections will be fought by the Congress leadership and not the interim CM.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday, tendered his resignation along with that of his Council of Ministers, to the state Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Party leaders involved with state affairs told PTI that Amarinder Singh has not shown any indications of joining BJP.

(With inputs from agency)
During Captain Amarinder Singh's exclusive interview with the Editor-in-chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami upon resigning as Punjab's Chief Minister, he extended his regrets that his 'contribution to the state was not recognised'. Further, he mentioned that he 'felt humiliated' and recognised his failure to anticipate the cold shoulder, given his 'association with Sonia Gandhi & children'.

Captain Amarinder Singh said, "I feel sad that my contribution to the state was not recognised. It is humiliating" Captain Amarinder Singh told Arnab Goswami.

"No idea why Congress humiliated me. "I felt humiliated. Didn't think of it, but that is perhaps because of my association with Sonia Gandhi & children. I thought this wouldn't happen."

Captain Amarinder Singh confides Congress 'humiliated' him

During his conversation with Arnab Goswami, the former Punjab CM ended the prolonged speculation over the much-talked-about Congress Legislature Punjab (CLP) meet which was conducted in his absence. Pursuant to not being invited to the CLP conclave, he said, "I was not informed of the CLP meeting even though I am the leader."

Further, he said, "I then telephoned Congress president and said that I will resign by the end of the day."

Upon being asked about his resignation from the CM post, he affirmed that a duty-filled tenure in Punjab was 'misread'.

He said, "I am used to resignations. I am used to it. These things don't bother me. What bothers me is that I have been misread. I have done the best for the state."

Pointing out that Navjot Singh Sidhu received support from Pakistan as he even attended PM Imran Khan's swearing-in ceremony despite his disapproval, Captain Amarinder Singh vouched that he would 'not support Sidhu' because of his 'incompetence'. He said, "I will not support Sidhu. I removed that person from my Cabinet. Why will I back the incompetent man?"

Punjab CM resigns after 'humiliation' by Congress

Reports suggest that the ex-CM had dialled Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Veteran Kamal Nath said he was 'a true Congressman at heart' and would do nothing to hurt the party's chances in the Punjab Assembly Elections 2022. Captain Amarinder Singh had reportedly told Gandhi that he would no longer be able to take 'humiliation' despite accepting the political changes happening on her word.

Punjab Congress Row

In August, Captain Amarinder Singh relented to rebel MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu's demands after the Congress High Command appointed Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, replacing Sunil Jakhar. In a bid to balance the power equation between the CM and Sidhu, Congress appointed four working presidents to the state unit, which riled up the CM. After overlooking Singh's protests, Gandhi appointed Sidhu as the Punjab Congress President on July 18.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is mulling to provide a 'stay visa' to Afghan nationals who have taken shelter in India due worsening situation in the war-ravaged country since the Taliban's stunning takeover. It will allow them to stay in the country for a longer period of time. It should be mentioned here that Afghan nationals were initially awarded a six-month visa when they were evacuated to India under the new e-Emergency X-Miscellaneous visa. Before the emergency visa was issued on August 17, all Afghan nationals, who travelled to India amid political unrest in their country, were given a one-month visa, according to a senior MHA official. All Afghan nationals' visas will be converted to a stay visa with a one-year validity period that can be extended, he added as reported by ANI.

"Members of minority communities in Pakistan/Bangladesh/Afghanistan, such as Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, are eligible for Long Term Visa (LTV), while others can apply for a stay visa," the official explained. He went on to say that under the LTV, one must stay in the country for seven years to be able to apply for nationality and that under the 'stay visa,' one must stay for 12 years and finish the last year without leaving the country to be eligible for permanent citizenship. "They do not need to submit an application to the Foreigners Regional Registration Officer for the 'stay visa.' Several Afghan citizens have inquired about extending their visas, as their one-month validity is due to expire. We would like to reassure them that they need not to worry as they will be offered a one-year extension, added the official as reported by ANI.

India vows to stand by Afghanistan amid turmoil in the country

It is worth mentioning here that in a UN conference on Monday, September 12, India acknowledged itself as an "immediate neighbour" and committed to stand by the war-torn country. India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the participants at the meeting convened to discuss the Afghanistan problem that the country is going through difficult times amid a sea of change in political, economic, social, and security situations, and as a result, it needs continuous humanitarian assistance. Afghanistan has been experiencing a severe humanitarian catastrophe since the fall of Kabul on August 15. The United States' withdrawal on August 31 and the establishment of the Taliban regime in the war-torn country have exacerbated the plight of Afghans, particularly women.

(With agency inputs)

Image: PTI/AP/Representative
Hinting at yet another turmoil in Punjab, Congress in-charge Harish Rawat said that a state Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet will be held on Saturday. Rawat said that the meeting was called on the request by a 'large number of MLAs' and will be held at Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee office. The party meeting will be attended by observers Ajay Maken, Harish Chaudhary, and Harish Rawat. Congress has been in turmoil over a power tussle between CM Capt Amarinder Singh and state party chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.

Punjab Congress legislative meet called

Harish Rawat, in charge of Punjab Congress, says a meeting of state Congress Legislative Party (CLP) will be convened at Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee office today evening as requested by a "large number of MLAs"



(File photo) pic.twitter.com/DWSLGypmH6  ANI (@ANI) September 17, 2021

Sidhu & CM lock horns on farmer protests

On Monday, Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh urged the protesting farmers to leave his state, and instead move towards Delhi to build a pressure on the Centre. Addressing a public gathering in the Hoshiarpur city of Punjab, Amarinder Singh claimed that the farmers were protesting at 113 sites in the state, despite his govt always supporting them. He added that had the government not supported them, they would never have been able to reach the Delhi borders.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu urged the CM to fulfil the demands raised by the farmers and cancel FIRs against the protestors. "The government could set up a mechanism to consider each case on compassionate grounds and cancel all unfair cases," wrote Sidhu in a letter to the CM. Moreover, Sidhu was reportedly denied an audience with the party's high command after saying that he won't 'spare them' if they don't allow him to take decisions. Sidhu's advisors also recently made several pro-Pakistan statements and criticised the CM.

Recently, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh relented to rebel MLA Najot Singh Sidhu's demands after the Congress High Command appointed Sidhu as the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee replacing Sunil Jakhar. In a bid to balance the power equation between the CM and Sidhu, Congress appointed four Working presidents to the state unit - Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sukhwinder Singh Danny, Pawan Goel, and Kuljit Singh Nagra. Sidhu later, once again riled up the CM, demanding him to fulfill the 18 points promised by the Congress ahead of polls in February 2022. Moreover, his supporters demanded the Punjab CM's ouster, which has been quashed by the High Command. Amarinder Singh has been declared as the party's CM face for the 2022 state polls.
Hours after stepping down as Punjab CM, Amarinder Singh in an interview with Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Saturday affirmed that Navjot Singh Sindhu wants the Chief Ministership, and to realize the same, the incumbent PPCC president is receiving help from Pakistan. To prove his point, the outgoing CM cited instances when Sidhu went to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Imran Khan, and also when he hugged General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Chief of the Pakistan Army.

"I have been saying this right from the first day that he is receiving help from Pakistan. Firstly, he is Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's friend, and he also went to attend his swearing-in ceremony. I, as the Chief Minister, told him not to go, but he still went," Amarinder Singh said. The outgoing CM further added, "He was then found hugging General Bajwa, the Chief of the Pakistan army."

Having listed the events, Amarinder Singh accused Navjot Singh Sidhu of not caring about the soldiers dying at the border and added that all the PPCC President cared about was his contacts with Pakistan. "How elaborate is his contact with Pakistan is something I don't know, that's for the Central agencies to find out," the outgoing CM said.

What led to Amarinder Singh's resignation?

Speaking to Arnab Goswami, Amarinder Singh affirmed that he had many grievances with the party, but the last nail in the coffin was not being invited to Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet held on Saturday. Outlining that he was the leader of the CLP and that hence he should ideally be the one calling the meeting, Amarinder Singh said that he was informed about it by one of his friends.

Informing that he called Congress President Sonia Gandhi immediately thereafter, Amarinder Singh said "I told her about what all was happening in that state, and said that I can't carry on like this. I cannot be questioned be every time- twice you called the MLAs to Delhi and now you are conducting a CLP here, this means no confidence in your Chief Minister". Citing Sonia Gandhi's reply to this, he added, "All she said was I am sorry Amarinder."

After months of fighting, and reconciling with his fellow Congres leaders, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday, tendered his resignation along with that of his Council of Ministers, to the state Governor Banwarilal Purohit. Amarinder Singh was accompanied to the Raj Bhawan by his wife Preneet Kaur, and Raveen Thukral, his advisor. His son Raninder Singh was also present, along with MPs Gurjeet Singh Aujla and Ravneet Singh Bittu, AG Atul Nanda, and Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar.
Pralhad Joshi, the Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister, took a swipe at the opposition Congress in Uttarakhand on Friday. He said the party was having trouble recruiting candidates for the assembly elections early next year. Joshi, the BJP's election in-charge in Uttarakhand, claimed the Congress is a relic of the past, with its MLAs defecting to the BJP.

Joshi was in town for the BJP's core committee meeting, where he discussed the party's strategy for the upcoming assembly elections. "Congress leadership, whether at the national level or here, they have understood that Congress is a party of past tense. It is a party of the past. They are using binoculars to find candidates," Joshi told media persons.

Pralhad Joshi criticises Congress while on trip to look over Uttarakhand polls plan

Joshi also congratulated Congress leader Harish Rawat on his remarks that the party's election campaign in the state would be driven by 'Jai Shri Ganesh'. He also expressed gratitude to the Nainital High Court for resuming the Char Dham Yatra. On September 18, the Char Dham Yatra will commence.

"I want to congratulate Rawatji (Harish Rawat) and Congress party that at least non-serious part-time politician Rahul Gandhi has decided to chant Jai Shri Ganesh," Joshi said.

Joshi slams AAP

The Nainital High Court removed the prohibition on Char Dham Yatra on September 16, allowing only completely COVID-19-vaccinated people with a COVID-19 negative report to participate in the annual pilgrimage. The court also ordered that worshippers follow COVID-19 protocols and that the number of visitors is limited. Joshi also made a statement criticizing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He stated that they demanded confirmation of the Pakistan airstrike. He added that the AAP is now attempting to collect votes using the name of a retired Army general.

Joshi's trip to Dehradun to assess BJP Uttarakhand polls plan

Joshi landed in Dehradun on Thursday to assess the BJP's preparations for the upcoming state assembly elections. He is making his first trip to Uttarakhand after being named the state's poll in-charge earlier this month. He was met at the Jolly Grant Airport by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, state BJP president Madan Kaushik, and former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, accompanied by co-in charge Locket Chatterjee and BJP national spokesperson R P Singh.

The statue of Bhimrao Ambedkar, a crucial architect of India's Constitution, was first garlanded by Joshi, Chatterjee, and Singh near the Clock Tower in the city's core. They then decorated the statue of Deendayal Upadhyay, a co-founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh. They also laid floral tributes to those who died during the Uttarakhand statehood movement at the Shaheed Smarak.

"People's struggle and sacrifices led to the creation of Uttarakhand. The BJP will honour the martyrdom of the martyrs and fulfil the aspirations that guided the statehood movement," Joshi said. "So much is yet to be done for the development of Uttarakhand and the BJP government is making serious efforts in that direction," he said.

With inputs from ANI and PTI.

(IMAGE: PTI)
Casper Ruuds Davis Cup debut as a Top 10 player resulted in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Khumoyun Sultanov on Friday, helping Norway take a 2-0 lead over visiting Uzbekistan in the World Group I playoffs.

The 22-year-old Ruud  whose father, Christian, played for Norways Davis Cup team with current captain Anders Haseth  became the countrys first player in the ATP Top 10 when he rose one spot from 11th on Monday. After Ruuds win began the best-of-five-match series on an indoor hard court in Oslo, Viktor Durasovic beat Denis Istomin 6-4, 6-4 for the hosts.

Norway is in the World Group playoffs for the first time since 1995.

In other results Friday, South Korea took a 2-0 lead against New Zealand at Newport, Rhode Island, Chile and host Slovakia were tied 1-1, Finland led visiting India 2-0, and Peru was hosting Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are a total of 12 World Group I matchups in this playoff round, two of which were contested in March, with Japan beating Pakistan 4-0 and Ukraine defeating Israel 3-2. Of the others, five begin Saturday: Bolivia vs. Belgium in Paraguay, Belarus at Argentina, Brazil at Lebanon, Netherlands at Uruguay, Portugal at Romania.

As part of the move from an 18-team Davis Cup Finals to a 16-team event next year, only the top eight highest-ranked winning countries from this round will participate in the 2022 qualification matches. The other four will play World Group I elimination matches in November, with the two winners then advancing to 2022 qualifiers.

The 12 losing countries in this round will go back into the World Group I playoffs for 2022 in hopes of getting into the qualifying system for the following year.

There are also World Group II matchups this weekend, giving countries a chance to advance to the World Group I playoffs next year.

That includes South Africa against Venezuela, a matchup being played at Forest Hills Stadium in New York, the former site of the U.S. Open Grand Slam tournament, which is hosting Davis Cup competition for the first time since 1959.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
NASA on Friday released a rare 3D or anaglyph picture of the geologic feature of the Martian surface which the Mars Perseverance rover team calls Faillefeu. The image was captured by NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 13th flight at Mars on September 4, 2021. National Aeronautics and Space Administration created anaglyph imagery, best viewed with red-blue glasses, by combining two images taken 16 feet (5 meters) apart by Ingenuitys colour camera. At the time the two images were taken, Ingenuity was at an altitude of 26 feet (8 meters), NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory informed in a release on Friday.

NASAs Inguinity Mars helicopters rotorcraft captured the nuances of rocky outcrop during aerial reconnaissance, which is apparently a 3D view of a rock-covered mound. About 33 feet (10 meters) wide, this mound is visible just north of the center of the image, with some large rocks casting shadows on the surface of Mars. The top of the image depicts a portion of Artuby, a ridgeline more than half a mile (900 meters) wide. And the bottom, running vertically up into the middle, portrays some of the many sand ripples that populate the South Seitah region on Mars.

The plan for this reconnaissance mission into the South Seitah region of Mars Jezero Crater was to capture images of this geologic target  nicknamed Faillefeu (after a medieval abbey in the French Alps) by the agencys Perseverance rover team  and to obtain the coloured pictures from a lower altitude than ever before: 26 feet (8 meters), explains NASA, elaborating Inguinitys perspective of the iconic 3D image.

[This 3D view of a rock mound called Faillefeu was created from data collected by NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 13th flight at Mars.Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech]

[Credit: NASA]

Raised Ridges clue to Mars' 'past habitability'

The 3D image, viewed with red-blue glasses, shows Mars low-lying wrinkles, or "Raised Ridges," on the crater's surface. This is the region that holds new clues about Mars' watery past, according to NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The image offers science advantages over ground-level images, Kevin Hand, a scientist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and co-lead of the Perseverance rovers first science campaign said.

[This image of an area the Mars Perseverance rover team calls Faillefeu was captured by NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 13th flight at Mars. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech]

Ingenuity is allowing the Perseverance science team to be in two places at once, according to Hands statement to NASA JPL. Right now, we are at the Crater Floor Fractured Rough, where the rover is preparing for the missions first sample acquisition on Mars, he adds. The 3D image features three of the key distinct surface fractures that converge at a central point, much like fractures in desert environments on Earth that may be a clue to past liquid water activity and thus past habitability.
More than a week after seizing power in Guinea, the military junta has said that the ousted President Alpha Conde would not be allowed to seek exile in another country. "Conde is and will remain in Guinea," the junta said on Friday. "We will not yield to any pressure." Notably, many countries and organisations including Western Africas bloc ECOWAS have banned Guinea in the aftermath of the coup d'etat.

On Friday, the military leader Col. Mamady Dombouya held discussions with ECOWAS leaders, fuelling rumours of a possible negotiation for Condes release. But the military junta, which had been in power since September 5, debunked them stating that Conde will continue to be in detention. It is imperative to note that ECOWAS has not only imposed travel restrictions on Guinea's military leaders and their relatives but also froze the countrys financial assets.

On September 5, an unverified video surfaced online which showed nine unnamed soldiers surrounding the countrys President Alpha Conde hours after heavy gunfire was 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. Since then, several countries along with the United Nations and ECOWAS has demanded the immediate release of Conde.

Junta begins talks

Earlier this week, military leaders in Guinea commenced a week-long consultation with political, religious and business leaders that they say will lead to the formation of a transitional government. According to Al Jazeera, the dialogue is expected to lay out the framework of a promised government of unity that would lead the west African country back to constitutional order. Additionally, it is also expected to set a timeline and the leader for the transitional administration. The ongoing discussions would not be limited to political groups but would extend to the regional government, religious groups, diplomatic missions, civil society groups and business organisations. It is worth mentioning that the soldiers have announced a new moniker for them- The National Committee of Gathering and Development.

Image: AP

(With inputs from AP)
Guinea's ruling junta vowed Friday it would not let deposed President Alpha Conde seek exile, saying the military leaders behind this month's coup would not cave to mounting pressure from regional mediators a day after targeted sanctions were imposed on them.

The statement came just hours after regional mediators from the West African regional bloc known as ECOWAS met with junta leader Col. Mamady Doumbouya in Guinea's capital.

"We will not yield to any pressure," the junta statement said following the conclusion of the talks, adding that leaders would hold a news conference Saturday.

The military rulers dismissed rumors that West African neighbors were negotiating a way for Conde to leave Guinea, saying "Conde is and will remain in Guinea."

On Friday the chairman of ECOWAS, Ghana's president Nana Akufo-Addo and the President of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, met with the head of the Junta in Conakry, where they also visited Conde.

"We had a very frank, fraternal discussion with Col. Doumbouya and his associates. I think that ECOWAS and Guinea are going to do well together," Akufo-Addo said after the meeting.

"We met with President Alpha Conde and had discussions with him, and that also went well" he added.

Ouattara said that Conde "is doing well."

ECOWAS and other members of the international community have called for Conde's immediate release ever since he was detained in the September.5 coup that overthrew him after more than a decade in power.

By Thursday, the bloc pressed ahead with targeted sanctions after the junta failed to meet the demand.

The regional bloc put travel bans into effect for the leaders of the September 5 coup and their families, and also froze their financial assets.

In the streets, a group of people gathering under the "Collective of young people for an inclusive transition" demonstrated their support for the junta and protested the sanctions.

"(Before) imposing the Guinean people those sanctions, ECOWAS should wait for the conclusion of the national consultation that is taking place" said Moussa Conde, a member of the group.

This week the Junta organized several meetings with political parties, religious leaders, international representatives, businessmen, etc. to decide the next steps that will be taken by the new authorities.

IMAGE: AP

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A former Liberian military commander who supervised the slaughter of hundreds of unarmed civilians at a church during that country's civil war in 1990 is liable under U.S. law for participating in extrajudicial killings and torture, a federal judge in Philadelphia has ruled.

The decision was issued Wednesday against Moses W. Thomas and in favor of four anonymous plaintiffs who lived through the military assault on people seeking safety at a Red Cross shelter on the grounds of St. Peters Lutheran Church.

They recounted hiding under dead bodies to survive, smearing blood on themselves to fake death and hiding in the pulpit, clinging to a Bible.

After the war, Thomas emigrated to the United States, worked at a restaurant and lived in Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb. He went back to Liberia two years ago. His lawyer said Friday he now lives in the capital of Monrovia.

He oversaw the events and only declared an end to the shooting when he understood the occupants of the church to have been all killed, wrote U.S. District Judge Petrese Tucker. She said the plaintiffs lost close relatives and suffered serious, prolonged physical and mental harms as a result of the massacre.

She also said Thomas' actions as an Armed Forces of Liberia colonel in July 1990 make him liable for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The lawsuit said Thomas was in command as soldiers fired into the packed church from the front door and through windows, targeting those trying to escape.

Thomas was later promoted to head the countrys defense intelligence service and emigrated to the United States in 2000.

Thomas' lawyer, Nixon Teah Kannah, said they accept the decision but we don't agree with it.

I'm disappointed with the results, Kannah said. I'm going to reach out to him to see how he wants to handle it, if he wants to appeal or let it be.

Nushin Sarkarati, a lawyer for the four plaintiffs, called it the first time a court has held a member of the Liberian military responsible for wartime atrocities.

Theres going to be a damages hearing, which will be important to identify the harm of the victims and the egregiousness of the abuse, she said. But whether or not our clients will be able to recover, I cant anticipate right now.

Judge Tucker said that in Liberia, Thomas has leveraged his contacts in the country's security forces" to harass people suspected of being associated with the U.S. federal lawsuit against him. The four plaintiffs all live in Liberia.

Damages in the case will be determined later by a different federal judge.

Thomas had unsuccessfully argued too much time had elapsed to file the lawsuit under the 1992 federal Torture Victim Prevention Act and claimed he had never been to the church. Kannah said Friday that Thomas maintains he is innocent of the allegations.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The humanitarian situation in Tigray is deteriorating, and violence in the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions is wreaking devastation. The Head of UN OCHA for Ethiopia, Marcy Vigoda, met with the President of the Afar Regional State, Sheikh Mohammed Dersa, on Friday to discuss the situation. The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated on Twitter that the discussion's findings will be successful and will help them coordinate additional responses to those affected by the violence.

Head of @OCHA_Ethiopia @MarcyVigoda had a fruitful discussion with the President of #Afar Regional State in a moment when #humanitarian needs are rising. The outcomes of this discussion will help us coordinate more response to the people affected by the ongoing conflict. pic.twitter.com/lD8hm86Tru  UN OCHA Ethiopia (@OCHA_Ethiopia) September 17, 2021

UN OCHA also stated in a Tweet, "We will continue to help and protect Ethiopians, regardless of who they are or where they come from! For this, unfettered access is key so that humanitarian partners can reach those in need, anywhere, anytime."

The number of humanitarian workers slain in Tigray has risen to 23

According to the UN OCHA's report which was released on 16th September, the number of humanitarian workers slain in Tigray has risen from 12 to 23 since the conflict began, with allegations of the killing of an additional 11 relief workers from the Relief Society of Tigray (REST, a Tigray-based NGO) lately emerging. Despite the fact that these reports were just released, the deaths occurred in June and January. Acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Ethiopia, Grant Leaity, issued a statement on September 2 condemning the killings, assaults, attacks, abductions, and threats against relief workers.

The UN Human Rights Office and the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission completed the fieldwork phase of their joint investigation into alleged violations of human rights, humanitarian, and refugee legislation committed by all parties to the conflict in Tigray on September 10th. The team performed studies in Mekelle, Wukro, Samre, Alamata, Bora, Maichew, Dansha, Maikadra, Humera, Gondar, Bahir Dar, and Addis Ababa between May 16 and August 20. It interviewed almost 200 people in Tigray, including victims and witnesses, regional and national authorities, civil society organisations, religious institutions, medical and legal authorities, and humanitarian agencies.

140,000 people had been relocated to the Afar region

By the end of August, more than 140,000 people had been relocated to the Afar region, according to regional authorities. Over 233,000 people have been displaced in Dessie and Kombolcha in South Wello Zone. Due to the war, more than 1.7 million people in both regions are said to be food insecure.

Image: Twitter/@OCHA_Ethiopia
In its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Australia will demand China end its campaign of economic trade coercion and open ministerial trade talks. According to the Australian Financial Review, Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan said that all CPTPP members would have to be confident that China could meet the pact's high standards and its WTO commitments. He added that this meant that Beijings bans and restrictions on $20 billion worth of Australian exports would be seen as a breach of that agreement.

Tehan said, As we have conveyed to China, these are important matters which require ministerial engagement.

China applies to join CPTPP

It is worth noting that CPTPP is a free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam. The pact was signed by the aforementioned 11 countries in March 2018 in Santiago, Chile. Beijing, on the other hand, has been showing interest in joining the CPTPP. Several times the top leaders of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had even indicated to join the bloc.

Earlier, Goa Feng, spokesperson of Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), said, "Beijing had been actively conducting a study on matters related to joining the CPTPP and it's ready to strengthen technical exchanges with CPTPP members on relevant problems".

On Thursday, the Chinese Commerce Ministery also announced that it has applied to join the 11-nation Asia-Pacific free trade group. According to AP, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao submitted an application to New Zealand's trade minister as a representative of the CPTPP. If China joins, that will quadruple the total population within the group to some 2 billion people. It has promised that it will increase imports of goods. However, it also faces complaints that it fails to carry out promises made when it joined the WTO in 2001.

(With inputs from ANI)

Image: ANI
The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a free trade agreement between 11 Pacific rim nations - Australia, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Peru and Canada. It came into effect on December 30 2018 with an aim to give the member states better access to each others markets and also to eliminate import tariffs by as much as 95 per cent. While Japan is the largest economy in the group, countries like China and Britain have increasingly shown interest in joining the club.

In addendum to import benefits, the pact also obliges member states to cooperate on regulations, such as food standards. However, it is imperative to note that, unlike the European Union, CPTPP is not a single market and therefore, members are not required to have identical market standards and regulations. Additionally, all the members are also allowed to ink trade pacts with other countries, like the recent AUKUS deal that involved Canberra inking a deal with the US.

China, UK apply for accession

On September 16, the worlds second-largest economy, China, formally applied for the groups membership. According to ANI, Chinas Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao filed a written application for his countrys accession to the bloc. Later, Japan, which is in the chair this year, said that it was vetting Beijing's application but stopped short of providing a timeline for a future course of action. "Japan believes that it's necessary to determine whether China, which submitted a request to join the TPP-11, is ready to meet its extremely high standards," Japanese Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters on Friday.

Earlier in February, the UK had expressed its desire to join CPTPP, highlighting its post-Brexit tilt. Later in June, the bloc announced that it would soon begin talks with Downing Street for the same.

"One year after our departure for the EU we are forging new partnerships that will bring enormous economic benefits for the people of Britain, UK Prime Minister Johnson had told reporters in the aftermath. "Applying to be the first new country to join the CPTPP demonstrates our ambition to do business on the best terms with our friends and partners all over the world and be an enthusiastic champion of global free trade, he had added.

Image: AP

(With inputs from AP)
European Parliament and its various committees were asked to use prudence in their words and acts on Taiwan-related problems by a Chinese spokesperson, repeating that there is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is a part of it, according to the reports of Xinhua.

According to Zui Fenglian, a Chinese spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office for State Council, China firmly opposes content that contradicts the one-China principle, international consensus, and the European side's solemn commitment on the Taiwan question made when establishing diplomatic relations with China. She made a statement in response to a recent report from the European Parliament that includes information about Taiwan.

EU promised to strengthen economic & business connections with Taiwan

According to Taiwan News, the European Commission's recently issued report on its Indo-Pacific strategy recognised Taiwan as an important partner for establishing semiconductor supply chains and having a data-protection discussion. The EU has promised to strengthen economic and business connections with the country, despite the fact that they have yet to sign Bilateral Investment Agreements (BIAs) or have formal diplomatic relations.

The study, titled 'The EU strategy for Indo-Pacific Cooperation,' also warns of China's military buildup, demonstrations of force, and rising tensions in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and Taiwan Strait. Despite the fact that the two sides have been ruled separately for more than seven decades, Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy with almost 24 million inhabitants located off the southern coast of mainland China.

Taiwan is considered vulnerable to a Chinese attack or invasion. Unification is the top priority for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has not ruled out forcefully annexing Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan's democratically elected government to be separatists, but Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen has stated that Taiwan is already a sovereign country and that no declaration of independence is necessary.

Taiwan will never accept China's rule: Taiwanese President

Taiwan's administration, led by President Tsai Ing-wen, has been categorical that it will never accept Chinese rule and will not bend in the face of Chinese threats. In the midst of the current situation, the Taiwanese President has been regularly boosting the morale of the military forces and assessing the country's readiness for any future unanticipated scenarios.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)
China on Saturday slammed the United States as the destroyer of peace after Washingtons guided-missile destroyer USS Barry sailed through the Taiwan Strait. According to PLA-sponsored China Military Online report, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command deployed troops to track and monitor the US warship in the whole course, commands spokesperson Army Senior Colonel Shi Yi revealed.

In a written statement released on September 18 and quoted by the media outlet, Shi termed US drills as frequent provocations and added that it demonstrates the fact that the US is a destroyer of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and a security risk creator across the Taiwan Strait.

Shi also stressed that troops of the PLA Eastern Theater Command maintain a state of high monitoring at all times in a bid to safeguard its national sovereignty and security. Taiwan is claimed by China as its own territory even as the self-ruled democratic island draws US backing.

PLA conducted joint patrol and drills

People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command on Saturday said that it has dispatched naval and air forces to conduct joint patrols and other combat exercises in waters as well as in the airspace southwest of Taiwan, after the US warship passed through the Taiwan strait on September 17. The official website of the US 7th fleet released a statement that US warship, the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Barry sailed through the Taiwan Strait.

The official press release said, The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) conducted a routine Taiwan Strait transit Sept. 17 (local time Taiwan) through international waters in accordance with international law. The ships transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.

Meanwhile, Chinas ambassador to ASEAN Deng Xi also said that Beijing tracked and monitored USS Barrys movements. He called out the US on its frequent troublemaking. Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Saturday that the transit of US warship through Taiwan Strait is about sending a provocative message and encouraging the island secessionism. Song, however, noted that the US military is not ready for a war with PLA.

Chinas PLA tracked & monitored the movements of the USS Barry destroyer as it navigated thru the #TaiwanStraits ystd. Frequent trouble-making of the #US shows it is destabilizer of peace & stability & producer of security risks across Taiwan Straits! pic.twitter.com/5TIPu7CaEt  Ambassador Deng Xijun (@China2ASEAN) September 18, 2021

IMAGE: AP


France on Friday lambasted the UK, US and Australia for striking a new Indo-Pacific security alliance accusing the ally nations of a "stab in the back as it immediately recalled its ambassadors to the US and Australia. A day earlier, Washington, Canberra and London announced the "AUKUS" partnership with Australia scrapping the $40 billion French-designed submarine deal with Paris for purchase of advanced US nuclear-powered submarines, causing a diplomatic row between the three nations.

Condemning the ally nations of an unacceptable behaviour France President Emmanuel Macron said on September 17, that he made an exceptional decision of recalling the French ambassadors, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced in a statement. Macron stressed the gravity of the announcements on September 15 by Australia and the United States behind his abrupt decision as the trilateral backlash intensified.

"At the request of the President of the Republic, I decided to immediately recall to Paris our two ambassadors in the United States and in Australia for consultations," said Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in an official statement issued on Sept. 17.

Pact 'unilateral, brutal, unpredictable'

Frances unilateral move was to lodge a strong protest against the three nations for ending the multi-billion purchase of French conventional submarines in favour of the US subs. Blasting the anglophone countries for "a stab in the back," the French Foreign Minister called the deal unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision is very similar to what Mr Trump used to do. In his remark on France Info radio on Thursday morning, LeDrian said that France was angry at the recent AUKUS pact, adding that this is just not done between allies.

Furthermore, he informed that Paris had struck the deal with Australia approximately two years ago and back then neither the US nor the UK was in any way involved in the tender process. "We had established a relationship of trust with Australia and this trust has been betrayed," Le Drian said. "This is not the end of the story.

US President Joe Biden had said during a joint press conference that the three leaders "all recognise the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term. We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve," he went on to add.

"This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on September 15 by Australia and the United States," Le Drian continued in his statement.

He derided Australia, the US and the UK for unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners, the consequences of which affect the very conception that we have of our alliances, our partnerships and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.

The security pact "AUKUS" was announced on Wednesday by the three countries to counter Beijing's belligerence, expansionists agendas and regional influence. The defence cooperation between the three countries has infuriated Paris. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden said in a joint statement earlier that their partnership is "guided by our enduring ideals and shared commitment to the international rules-based order.

France's Foreign Ministry said in a joint statement with the defence ministry that Australia's decision "is contrary to the letter and spirit of the cooperation that prevailed between France and Australia, based on a relationship of political trust as well as on the development of a very high-level defence industrial and technological base in Australia. It added, "American choice to exclude a European ally and partner from a structuring partnership with Australia, at a time when we are facing unprecedented challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, whether in terms of our values or in terms of respect for multilateralism based on the rule of law, shows a lack of coherence that France can only note with regret."
French President Emmanuel Macron on September 16, Thursday, said that France will be especially careful about the Talibans relationships with terrorist organisations. This is for our safety, Macron said while speaking at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The French President also noted the situation in Afghanistan and said that France and Germany would make efforts to support neighbouring countries that host Afghans.

"Ensuring that people under threat in Afghanistan leave the country and that humanitarian aid is delivered to Afghanistan were also on the meeting's agenda," Macron informed.

Separately, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the issue in the war-torn country is about the people who are under threat and the need to evacuate refugees. Macron and Merkel discussed how to extract remaining European citizens and Afghans under threat. They also underlined that they will work on how to support neighbouring nations hosting Afghan refugees.

We will of course also have to consider what the end of the NATO deployment in Afghanistan means for us and our future missions in connection with the fight against terrorism, and what lessons we draw from its unsuccessful end, if you look at the aims we had imagined, Merkel said.

Aftermath of Taliban takeover

Meanwhile, it has been over a month since the Taliban stormed into Kabul and took over the Afghan government. Following the Taliban's takeover on August 15, a terrorist attack at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport on August 26 led to the death of several people. This includes the death of at least 169 Afghans, 11 US Marines, a US Navy sailor, and a US Army soldier. The USA retaliated to the attack by launching airstrikes on terrorists belonging to ISIS-K.

The situation in Afghanistan has been dominating the international agenda, with the international community trying to find ways to ensure stability and security in the war-ravaged nation. Though the Taliban promised to form an "inclusive" government to run Afghanistan, it announced a 33-member caretaker Cabinet which neither has women nor mainstream politicians from previous regimes. Countries including France, Japan, the USA and Canada have expressed that they were not planning to recognise the government formed by the Taliban.

(With inputs from ANI)
Germany's Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer aims to offer a plan for establishing EU rapid reaction forces by the end of October. "This does not mean we should cut ties with the Americans. There may be times when we have other interests, including those of NATO members. We should be able to act ourselves in this situation," she told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, as reported by ANI. The minister also went on to say that recent events in Afghanistan prompted her to consider resigning, but that she chose against it and will continue to fight to prevent similar circumstances in the future. In the midst of the Afghanistan crisis, Germany has granted access to roughly 2,000 Afghan human rights advocates, artists, scientists, and journalists who are facing Taliban retaliation.

It should be mentioned here that on August 27, Germany suspended all evacuation flights from Afghanistan. However, it has made direct contact with German nationals who have been left behind in the war-torn country in order to facilitate an "orderly exit." While Germany has refused to recognise the Taliban's newly constituted interim government, Chancellor Angela Merkel recently stated that the country must cooperate with the rebels in order to assist with the evacuation of Afghans who worked for them. She also said that it was also in the country's best interests to support international relief organisations working to improve Afghanistan's humanitarian situation, reported ANI.

Merkel discusses international crises, European issues with French President

On Thursday, September 16, Merkel met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to discuss international crises and European issues. Both leaders are said to have discussed a wide range of issues, including diplomatic and humanitarian crises in Afghanistan, the war against Islamic extremists in Africa's Sahel region, and European Union concerns, according to a report by PTI. Both the leaders also vowed to extract remaining European citizens and Afghans who are in danger in the war-ravaged country, as well as to help neighbouring countries that are hosting Afghan refugees. Macron also batted for more European "autonomy" in the face of global crises, mentioning the fight against terrorism in Libya and the Sahel region of Africa as examples. The meeting between both the leader takes place before Germany's parliamentary elections, which is scheduled to take place on September 26. Merkel has announced that she would not seek re-election to a fifth term.

(With agency inputs)

Image: AP
German politicians have criticised the gender-neutral language in higher education institutes. While speaking with Augsburger Allgemeine, the minister-president of Bavaria and the leader of the Christian Social Union in the state (CSU), Markus Soder on September 17 claimed that the practice of using neutral language indicates a battle against the use of masculine and female nouns. He also said that he had ordered to review of guidelines he claimed to be indoctrination.

According to him, language cannot be prescribed. Instead, he offered that students who do not follow what he described as the neutral language rules should not be subjected to punishment. Soder said, Bavaria is a free state, not an indoctrination state. Anyone may use language however they want but everyone should make sure to show sensitivity and respect in their language.

The minister-president of Bavaria claimed that people should not use the terms parent one and parent two. He told the newspaper, You should be able to go on saying' mother and father. You don't have to say parent one and parent two. I don't want to be addressed by my children as parent.

As per the Sputnik report, a member of the Bundesrat and Bavarian for Science and Art, Bernd Sibler also weighed in on the decision of using gender neutral language. He said that the universities guidelines might have recommendations that he does not wish to pursue further. But, Sibler said that he supports Soders disagreements with the rules and urged the Bavarian universities to reconsider the measure.

German universities ruled out new rules last month

Just last month, at least nine german universities including Konstanz and Stuttgart released common guidelines advising the staff and the students to avoid using masculine or feminine nouns. Like all other languages across the globe, German also has for both genders but in recent years, several left-wing institutions and public bodies have started to adopt the hybrid terms to be more gender-neutral.

For instance, as per The Times, voters in the German language can be referred to as either Wahler (male voters) or Wahlerinnen (female voters). But the new hybrid term has been coined to address voters in general called Wahlende (voting persons). This policy shift in the language has been criticised by the conservative groups and the German Language Society has also issued a call call to resistance against the ridiculous language structures' and 'gender nonsense.

IMAGE: Unsplash/Representative
On Friday, September 17, leaders from nine Mediterranean European Union member states (EUMED 9) met in the Greek capital Athens, to discuss how to collaborate more closely to address common concerns. The heads of state and government of Greece, Itlay, Spain Cyprus, France, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, and Slovenia batted for peace, security and stability in the Mediterranean and increased cross border cooperation in order to find solutions for issues such as migration, extremism, Afghanistan crisis, and COVID-19 pandemic. Apart from these, they also discussed the challenges like green recovery, economic recovery, and climate change, reported Xinhua news agency. The leaders noted that it is more important than ever to enhance European foundations amid a wide range of challenges, including the environment & climate, health, economy and security. According to the co-signed declaration of the 8th EUMED 9 summit, leaders also discussed the need to address the EU's structural deficiencies, boost the European dimension of defence, and build up their own collective resilience, reported Xinhua news agency.

While the climatic crisis was a significant topic on the summit's agenda, the leaders also co-signed an Athens declaration on climate change and the environment in the Mediterranean, calling for "urgent and bold global action" to ensure societies' safety, prosperity, and sustainability. "The Mediterranean of culture, wide horizons, and prosperity demand us to safeguard peace and security around it, as well as the ecosystem's balance in its waters," stated Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during joint press statements following the conclusion of the proceedings. The EU should send a message that it can handle challenges with European solutions, stressed French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

EUMED 9 leaders discussed extensively on climate change

During the presser, Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela underlined that cooperation is essential for finding mutually beneficial solutions to common difficulties. Meanwhile, citing the region's recent destructive heatwaves, wildfires, and floods, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi stated that the transformation is massive, and there is no time for complacency, reported Xinhua news agency. It must be mentioned here that Greece, the summit's host country, was hit by terrible fires just a month ago, when the island of Evia, as well as many other sites on the mainland and in the Peloponnese, caught fire, fueled by a continuing drought and scorching heat.

Image: Twitter / @Vlada Republike Slovenije
In a stabbing incident in Almelo, The Netherlands, on Friday morning, two people were killed and another was injured. One suspect was detained, according to officials. Police shot the suspect while attempting to apprehend him at the scene. According to local media, a man was seen shooting a crossbow from a balcony, and a body was found inside the home.

Officers claimed that the incident was under control on Twitter, but it was then upgraded to a GRIP 3 emergency response. M.th. Steynstraat, a side street of Schoolstraat, was the scene of the event. Multiple gunfires were heard by bystanders, according to Duch Daily newspaper Tubantia. At least six ambulances and six police vehicles were dispatched to the area. A tactical police team was also seen.

Overijssel police confirmed the stabbing incident at around 10:00 am

Overijssel police confirmed that they were on M.th. Steynstraat in connection with a stabbing incident at around 10:00 am, and that they fired bullets. According to the police, the scenario was escalated to a GRIP 1 after 15 minutes. The police tweeted, "There is a so-called Grip1 situation. This allows the emergency services to work together optimally. The arrest team has now arrested one person and the situation is under control." The scenario was quickly escalated to GRIP 3 at 10:45 am.

Er is sprake van een zogenoemde Grip1-situatie. Zo kunnen de hulpdiensten optimaal samenwerken. Inmiddels heeft het arrestatieteam een persoon aangehouden en is de situatie onder controle. Verdere informatie volgt indien beschikbaar. Een politiewoordvoerder is onderweg. ^SV https://t.co/om0SiZDC45  Politie Overijssel (@POL_Overijssel) September 17, 2021

However, the situation had greatly cooled down by 12:45 pm. Nevertheless, the case is still being investigated. According to NCTV (the government's counter-terrorism and security bureau), a GRIP 3 situation indicates that there is a threat to the well-being of a population, often within a single municipality.

The protocol calls for the local mayor to engage with the municipal team to plan an administrative response and effectively address the aftermath of the event once an incident commander takes over the scene and another incident leader provides support from a remote location. The event is also reported to the Minister of the Interior and the Provincial Commissioner.

What is GRIP?

GRIP stands for Gecoordineerde Regionale Incidentbestrijdings Procedure, which means Coordinated Regional Incident Response Procedure in English. There are six severity categories, with the fifth being a multi-regional crisis and the sixth being a national disaster.

Image: AP/ Pixabay
Hundreds of protesters in the North Macedonian city of Tetovo on Friday called for the resignation of officials in the wake of last week's fire that destroyed a COVID-19 field hospital, killed 14 people and injured a dozen more.

The protest was organized by victims' families, with demonstrators demanding that authorities disclose the findings of an investigation into the blaze. Chanting justice, justice, the protesters stopped briefly in front of the local government building, throwing eggs and demanding the resignation of Tetovos mayor, Teuta Arifi.

Scuffles between police and protesters broke out in front of the headquarters of the ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration, a junior partner in the leftist governing coalition. Tetovo police spokesman Marijan Josifoski said four police officers were slightly injured, and at least two protesters were arrested.

Nine days after the hospital fire, no information has been released from an investigation into its causes. The blaze is believed to have been accidental, but it was unclear how it started. Witnesses and officials have said an explosion preceded the fire.

The flames spread rapidly through the temporary facility, which had been built amid a surge in coronavirus cases, destroying it within minutes. Twelve patients and two visiting relatives died in the blaze, and another 12 people were injured.

Health Minister Venko Filipce offered his resignation two days after the fire, as did his deputy minister and two senior hospital administrators. But Prime Minister Zoran Zaev said he would make a final decision on the submitted resignations based exclusively on facts from the investigation.

North Macedonia accepted an offer from other NATO allies to send fire experts while a team from Germanys Federal Criminal Police Office was participating in the investigation.

Medical staff and witnesses have also been questioned, and prosecutors ordered the confiscation of all documentation on the construction of the facility to check for potential omissions.

Nineteen field hospitals, funded by a World Bank loan, were set up across North Macedonia over the past year to tackle surging coronavirus hospitalizations and a shortage of hospital beds. Health authorities say all 19 were constructed according to the specifications and standards laid out by the World Bank as a condition for the loan.

IMAGE: AP

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STORY: Croatia Virus Protest - Protest against Croatia virus rules in Zagreb

LENGTH: 02:31

FIRST RUN: 1745

RESTRICTIONS:

TYPE: Croatian/English/Natsound

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

STORY NUMBER: 4344641

DATELINE: 18 September 2021 - Zagreb

SHOTLIST:

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Zagreb - 18 September 2021

1. Crowd of protesters, some with Croatian flags and banners, gathered in main square

2. Protester in the crowd with banner reading (Croatian): ''We are wide awake"

3. Various of protesters talking, carrying banners and flags

4. Woman with scarf, group of protesters clapping

5. Protester holding up banner reading (Croatian): ''Alone, we cannot do anything, together we can do whatever we want."

6. Speaker on stage addressing crowd

7. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Leposlava Biskupic, Croatian protester:

''We disagree with all the (anti-pandemic) measures they introduced and are still introducing and which are directed against humans, all humans - from the oldest to the youngest, including vaccination, protective face masks, PCR tests, disinfectants. None of this is suitable for humans, they work against people, it is a form of murder."

8. Protesters, some with banners, listening to speeches

9. Protesters gathered around bus decorated with Croatian flags and words (Croatian) 'Freedom Festival'

10. Close of protester's face

11. Reverse shot of protesters clapping

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Sandra (no surname given), Croatian protester:

''I am here today because I am fighting for my freedom, not only for myself but for the future of our children."

13. Crowd listening to speeches

14. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Vilim Karlovic, Croatian protester:

''I am here today to support the Freedom Festival, to open peoples' eyes and help them realise we are under a dictatorship, that we are the victims of an aggression and occupation and that our enemies are using murderous vaccines which are toxic and are killing our people."

15. Protester in holding banner reading (Croatian): ''Enough lies and censorship, we want a debate!"

16. Various of protesters

STORYLINE:

Up to three thousand people gathered in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Saturday to protest against the country's coronavirus restrictions, claiming they endanger human rights and freedoms.

Speakers who addressed the gathering, dubbed 'Freedom Festival', included outspoken anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists who called upon people to rise against the authorities.

''We are under a dictatorship," said one of the protesters, said Vilim Karlovic. "Our enemies are using murderous vaccines which are toxic and are killing our people."

Another protester, hospitality worker Leposlava Biskupic, said she was against all anti-virus measures. "It is a form of murder," she asserted.

Croatia's coronavirus death toll is just under 8,500.

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A Smart Voting application devised by jailed Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been removed from Apple and Google stores as Russians begin voting for legislative elections on Friday. The polls would see more than 146 million people polling to elect members of the State Duma- or the lower house of the parliament. Fourteen parties, including United Russia, the Communist Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, amongst others, have registered as candidates; however, experts have predicted the victory of Putins led United Russia party.

Late on Thursday, Russian communication regulator Roskomnadzor threatened big fines on any company that systematically violates its demands. The federal agency also said that refusal to remove the Smart Voting App would be deemed as illegal interference in the elections and prompt criminal prosecution against the company. According to BBC, not only was the aforementioned application banned but Google Docs was also put down in some regions. Notably, Moscow has termed the app as "out of Russian law."

Putin calls for 'authoritative' parliament

President Vladimir Putin has said that the country needs a strong authoritative parliament so that new state Duma members act in the interest of the people. "We need a strong and authoritative parliament so that lawmakers of the newly elected Duma act in the interests of Russia and our people and work for the people. So that they can be relied upon as patriots of Russia who are ready to resolutely and consistently ensure national interests in all spheres," Putin said in his address to the Russians shortly before the elections, published on the Kremlin website.

This comes as Moscow summoned the US Ambassador John Sullivan to the foreign office to discuss Americas alleged meddling in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The election interference, of which not many specific details were disclosed, were allegedly conducted by US tech giants. US envoy Sullivan arrived at the Moscow foreign affairs buildings and left 20 minutes after the talks. The latter did not answer reporters about what the dialogue entailed. In a press release issued on Friday, Russias Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov met with the US Ambassador to Russia, George Sullivan, about interference in the internal affairs of Moscow.

Image: AP
Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez joined other leaders of Europe's Mediterranean countries pledging to expand cooperation against climate change and irregular migration at a summit in Athens on Friday.

Attending alongside Sanchez were French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and leaders and senior representatives from Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Slovenia, Croatia and Portugal.

Sanchez called for the European countries to continue funding development programs in countries where migrants both transit and originate from, to prevent not only arrivals to Europe but departures from Africa and the Middle East.

"We have always defended focusing on the exterior dimension of migration, because we need to reinforce policies with the countries of origin," Sanchez said suggesting that migration could be prevented by enabling the countries that people are migrating from to improve.

Sanchez also addressed rising gas and electric prices in his home country and other member states, calling it a European problem that needs a European solution.

He suggested that the issues of energy prices was a problem across Europe and "we must look for solutions on a European level. Because it is on a European level that we will best show our weight in international relations," Sanchez said.

Governments in Europe are scrambling to find ways to limit costs to consumers who are already dealing with the economic fallout of the pandemic as scant natural gas reserves present even more price spikes and possible shortages if it's a cold winter.

The leaders gathered at the talks pledged late Friday to expand cooperation in the fight against climate change and to back common security and defence initiatives in the European Union.

The meetings in Athens were held in the aftermath of massive summer wildfires that ravaged parts of southern Europe, and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on September 18 at a joint press conference with his Tajikistan counterpart Emomali Rahmon that a new chapter is emerging in the relations between both nations. Raisi, who visited the Tajik capital Dushanbe, described the cooperation agreements signed during the trip as proof of their will to broaden the bilateral ties. As per the official website of Iran government, Raisi said, What is more important than the written agreements is the two countries' will and decision to develop relations in various fields.

Raisi also said, A new chapter in the relations between the two countries is taking place and I hope this visit will be a turning point in Tehran-Dushanbe relations and cooperation."

Further, Raisi also referred to the history of Iran-Tajik relations following the victory of the Islamic Revolution but emphasised the need for a plan to use all the capabilities of the countries to elevate the ties. He said, The trade and economic capacity that exists today between Iran and Tajikistan is not acceptable and this capacity must be developed to reach the acceptable level.

The two countries also have good grounds for cooperation in the field of cultural and arts, he added.

Tajik and Irans views on Afghanistan are close: Raisi

Notably, Iranian President Raisi said that Tehran and Dushanbe share similar views regarding the situation unfolding in Afghanistan. He said, Both countries believe that the interference of outsiders in Afghanistan has caused a lot of problems for the country and that the outsiders must be driven out. He also stressed that outsiders could not create or provide security for Afghanistan and said, The issue of Afghanistan must be resolved by the people of this country and with the cooperation of neighbouring countries and countries in the region that feel responsible towards Afghanistan, and our cooperation with Tajikistan and Afghanistan's neighbours can pave the way for Afghans to determine their own destiny.

Iranian presidents official website quoted Raisi as saying, "We believe that the problem of Afghanistan should be solved by the Afghans themselves. A dialogue between Afghans should be formed, of course, by facilitating and preparing the space for the Afghans to make their own decisions.

IMAGE: AP


Irans former foreign minister Javad Zarif on September 17 took a subtle dig at the United States over Washington providing new nuclear submarines to Canberra under AUKUS. From angering France and the EU to now drawing criticism from Iran, the announcement of a new defence alliance by the US, UK and Australia has triggered a worldwide reaction. Zarif noted that while the US has cited the dangers of nuclear proliferation allegedly posed by Irans nuclear program, it will now give similar technology to Australia despite being weapons-grade uranium.

After the US, UK and Australia announced the defence alliance called AUKUS on September 15, Zarif took to Twitter on Friday to post his criticism. He not only called the situation an irony of historical proportions but also added, the world is watching. AUKUS includes a pledge for the US to supply Australia with its first nuclear-powered submarines. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has also said that the US-provided submarines would be in the water by 2030. However, it still remains unclear which submarine class Canberra would receive.

An irony of historical proportions:



US, UK, Australia & Franceall self-proclaimed champions of non-proliferationare racing to enable HEU proliferation.



The anger and rift today is over competition for a submarine deal with SERIOUS PROLIFERATION THREAT.



The world is watching.  Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 17, 2021

Notably, since Australia has no nuclear technology, it will have to be supplied with the technology and the associated know-how by the US and the UK stated Sputnik in its report. Further, Washington and London both use nuclear-powered submarines fueled by weapons-grade highly enriched uranium with 93.5 per cent purity. A transfer of this scale is also the first of its kind. While France is helping Brazil in building a nuclear-powered submarine called Alvero Alberto, Brasilia already has nuclear power technology.

US dismisses Frances anger over AUKUS

After Frances Foreign Minister termed the announcement of the US, UK and Australias defence alliance a stab in the back, the White House on September 16 hit back by saying that Washington was engaged in advance with Paris. On Wednesday, the United States, UK and Australia announced a landmark defence and security partnership called AUKUS intended to protect and defend their shared interests in the Indo-Pacific.

However, this move angered France and the EU as they were excluded from the pact. French foreign minister expressing total incomprehension. Even the European Union (EU) foreign policy chief complained that Brussels was not consulted beforehand. Notably, as per The Associated Press, France will lose nearly $100 billion deal to build diesel submarines for Australia under the terms of AUKUS which would also witness Washington and London help Canberra construct nuclear-powered ones. Now, France has recalled envoys to the US, Australia.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)
Several dozens of Palestinian protesters were left wounded on September 17 following clashes with Israeli soldiers while demonstrating against the Israeli settlement in the West Bank, reported news agency Xinhua, citing accounts by medics and eyewitnesses. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that at least 217 protesters were injured in the conflict, including 35 who were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets. 182 of them suffered from suffocation by inhaling tear gas.

As per the report, eyewitnesses also said that clashes broke out on Friday (local time) afternoon between the demonstrators and the Israeli security forces in the villages of Beita and Beit Dajan, close to the northern West Bank city of Nablus. These clashes in Beita have been ongoing for almost four months as protests are organised against establishing a settlement outpost on lands owned by the village residents.

The protesters have waved Palestinian flags, chanted slogans against Israel and even thrown stones at the security forces who fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly condemned the situation in what was called brutal Israeli army repression of the peaceful protests to reject the West Bank settlement by Isreal. Palestinian Foreign Ministry also said that the Israeli practices against the Palestinian protesters violate international law and even condemned the international community for encouraging Israel to carry on with its practices.

Medics said protesters injured in al-Mughayyir

Additionally, the medics have reportedly said that dozens of Palestinian protesters were wounded in clashes with Israeli soldiers in a village east of Ramallah, al-Mughayyir. The head of the village, Marzouq Abu N'iem said that the protesters were injured in protest against Israels settlement expansion and that the Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and percussion bombs at a peaceful demonstration that dismissed the closure of the entrance to the village by sands. Reportedly, Palestinian security sources said that similar protests took place near the cities of Qalqilya and Hebron in the West Bank, leaving several injured.

Meanwhile, Egypt has been trying to broker a long-term ceasefire deal between both sides and even appealed to the Islamic militant group, Hamas, to move towards peace. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennet met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for talks on the Israel-Palestine conflict as well as the bilateral ties in the first official trip by an Israeli leader to Egypt in 10 years. In the discussions, as per the Al Jazeera report, el-Sisi cited the efforts taken by Egypt to maintain peace in the occupied Palestinian territories.

IMAGE: AP


Municipal Elections in Palestinian controlled areas of the Gaza Strip and West Bank will be held in December, Central Elections Commission - Palestine said. While the West Bank held a municipal vote four years ago, Gaza hasnt witnessed the elections ever since Hamas took control of it in 2007. On Friday, the commission announced that the vote is scheduled for December 11 (Phase 1) but only if Hamas allows it to take place, as reported by Jerusalem Post.

In June, the Palestinian National Authority (PA) dissolved all the 388 municipal and village councils after their term expired. Since then, the beleaguered areas are being governed by transitional caretaker committees under the supervision of the Ministry of Local Government. Notably, the December vote would cover 387 localities, and the rest 90 localities will be covered under Phase 2 at a later date, as per Times of Israel. Additionally, the refugee camps would also not be affected by the elections as they are administered by the United Nations (UN).

Politics in Palestine

The state of Palestine is sharply divided between Abbass Fatah party which controls authority in the occupied West Bank and the Hamas group which yields power in the Gaza Strip. Observers have stated that it is the disagreement and rivalry between both factions that have primarily stalled elections. However, Israel and its allies advancing towards the interior of the Gaza strip, both sides, in September 2020 came to an agreement and decided to hold an election in 2021.

Pertaining to the same, the Hamas group upheld the Presidential decision and called for free and fair elections" in the region. In recent months, we have worked to overcome obstacles in order to reach this day, it stated in a statement. It added that it looked to free elections in which voters can express themselves without pressure and without restrictions, in all fairness and transparency.

War with Israel

Following the six-day war in 1967, Israelis occupied the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Golan Heights and much of the Sinai Peninsula. Subsequently, the Jews commenced the construction of settlements. However, Palestinians objected to it and since then both the communities have been trading barbs over the occupied land. During his tenure, US President Donald Trump promised the then Israeli PM and his close ally Benjamin Netanyahu to continue building in settlements across the West Bank, so long as the construction did not expand beyond communities existing footprints.

Image: AP
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, whose diplomacy played a significant role since the dramatic took over of the Taliban on Afghanistan, is scheduled to visit India. The top diplomat will arrive in New Delhi on Saturday evening for a 3-day visit. According to the reports, this would be his first visit to New Delhi after the Afghanistan crisis and would probably be focused on providing humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. As per his schedule, the top Saudi diplomat would meet his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar on September 19 at Hyderabad House in Delhi. Subsequently, Al Saud would chair a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 20.

In August, Jaishankar also held bilateral talks with Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir. It is worth mentioning that the Saudi Foreign minister would also discuss the role of Qatar, Pakistan and Turkey in diplomatically engaging with the Islamic Emirates. Notably, the trio has been involved with the Taliban regime to declare the extremist group as the "legitimised ruler" of the war-torn country. Though Qatar has involved its aeroplanes in evacuating the desperate Afghans from the war-ravaged country, leading a massive applaud from international communities, experts believe that their involvement would not help the country in the long run. Earlier this month, Islamabad also sent a commercial flight to Afghanistan to rescue people. On the other hand, Qatar took over the control of technical operations in Kabul.

Earlier this week, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani arrived in Kabul also landed at Kabul airport to meet with leaders of the Taliban. Experts also believe the other stakeholders are restraining themselves from recognising the new Taliban regime in Afghanistan; on the other hand, Pakistan is in a hurry to recognise somehow and boost the caretaker "Islamic Emirate". Hence, international strategists believe that the visit of Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud would pave the path of fruitful discussion over the unfolding conditions in Afghanistan.

Taliban dramatic takeover

Meanwhile, a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, on August 15, leaving the people in tatters. On August 26, five days before the United States pulled out its soldiers from Afghanistan, two suicide bombers killed over 200 Afghans and other nationals who flocked the Kabul airport to flee the war-torn country. In the deadly attack, 13 US military personnel were also killed. Since then, several international organisations have been working tirelessly to help the Afghans reeling under the Taliban regime.

With inputs from ANI

Image: Twitter/@FaisalbinFarhan/@DrSJaishankar
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan paid a very heavy price for standing with the US in its occupation of Afghanistan. He also expressed his disappointment at seeing American senators blame Islamabad for the country's humiliating retreat. Khan underlined his displeasure with American officials who blamed Islamabad for the US failure in Afghanistan in an interview with Russia's RT.

He said, "As a Pakistani, I felt deeply hurt by some of the remarks made by those senators. To blame Pakistan for this debacle in Afghanistan is the most painful thing for us to listen to."

Pakistan's support to America was and still a poor decision: Imran Khan

Despite the fact that promising Pakistani support for the Afghan invasion helped secure American military assistance, Khan believes it was still a poor decision. It infuriated the Mujahideen, who had been formed with Pakistani intelligence's help only two decades before as part of the US anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan PM further said, "We have trained them to fight against foreign occupation. It was a holy war, a jihad." He continued by saying, "A fight against the Americans was terrorism. So they turned against us. They called us collaborators." Secretary of State Antony J Blinken faced a torrent of questions from US legislators earlier this week concerning the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan last month, as well as efforts to rescue individuals and deal with a future Taliban government.

More serious measures against Islamabad for its subversive role in Afghanistan was requested by lawmakers from all parties.

In their opening statements, the committee's top two members, New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez and Idaho Republican James Risch, both called the withdrawal a shame and demanded punishment against Pakistan for 'double-dealing in Afghanistan.'

What did Senators say?

Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said that they need to comprehend Pakistan's double-dealing and giving a safe haven for the Taliban. Senator James Risch, a Republican, expressed alarm over the Biden administration's rush to normalise relations with the Taliban government, saying that it should not happen without lengthy congressional consultations. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida spoke at the session, addressing Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Biden administration botched exit from Afghanistan is evidence that the wrong people are making military and diplomacy decisions in the government.

(Inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP)
In another example of Pakistan's failing law and order situation, Karachi Police arrested a guy on September 18 in the steel town of Karachi for reportedly raping an 8-year-old girl.

The victim's parents reported their child missing to a police station in Somar Goth on September 17. The child was abducted while playing on the top of the house, reported ANI quoting local media.

"When we went to check on her after a few hours, she wasn't there," the parents informed the cops. Following the complaint, Karachi Police conducted a search operation and apprehended five people for questioning.

Meanwhile, according to the investigating officer, Kamran, one of the five detained guys, confessed to abducting the young girl from the roof of a house and rapping her.

Plight of Pakistani women

The incident occurred after recent reports suggest that the plight of Pakistani women is worsening by the day. According to reports, roughly 6,754 women were abducted in the Punjab province of the country in the first half of 2021. There were 1,890 women raped, 3,721 tortured, and 752 children raped, out of this total.

During the first half of 2021, the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) produced an inquiry report on incidences of violence against women and children in Punjab and Islamabad. Nearly 34 official rape instances were reported in Islamabad, while 27 incidents were published in the media. According to local media, there were 3,721 official occurrences of violence documented in Punjab, but only 938 cases were reported in the media.

Pakistan among fourth-worst countries for women

On August 14, a shocking video from Pakistan surfaced online in which more than 400 guys can be seen grabbing, mauling, and ripping the clothes off a woman known for her TikTok videos.

The exponential growth in gender-based violence has changed society into a hell for women, who are now regarded as an inferior group. Despite an improvement in women's perceptions of community safety, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security research puts Pakistan fourth among the worst countries for women to live in.

At least 11 rape crimes are recorded on a regular basis in Pakistan, according to official statistics collected from law enforcement agencies and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. Furthermore, data from the previous six years reveals an alarming number of 22,000 incidents reported to Pakistani police. The conviction rate is a pitiful 0.3% of the total.

(With Inputs from ANI)

(Image: Representative Image)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on September 18 that he has begun talks with the Taliban in order to build an inclusive administration in Afghanistan.

Pak PM wrote on Twitter, "After mtgs in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbours & especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks."

Pakistan PM initiates dialogue with Taliban

He added, "After 40 years of conflict, this inclusivity will ensure peace & a stable Afghanistan, which is in the interest not only of Afghanistan but the region as well."

After mtgs in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbours & especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks.  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 18, 2021

During his two-day visit to Tajikistan, where he arrived to attend the 20th Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Heads of State (SCO-CHS) in Dushanbe, the prime minister met with the leaders of regional countries. On the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting, he met Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi, and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Imran Khan on Taliban administration

Meanwhile, breaking his silence on the Afghanistan crisis, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, on September 18, said that instead of attempting to "manage the country from the outside," there is a need to "incentivise" the Taliban's new leadership in order to end the continuing crisis.

Imran Khan stated that Afghanistan is at a historic crossroads and that the country could see peace after four decades if the Taliban worked towards an inclusive government, but he also stated that this would only happen spontaneously, and not if other countries attempted to pressurise the terrorist regime. In the absence of this, Imran Khan asserted that terrorism was unavoidable. "But if it goes wrong, which is what we are really worried about, it could lead to chaos, biggest humanitarian crisis, a huge refugee problem, unstable Afghanistan, and the possibility of terrorism from Afghanistan's soil," he added.

When questioned about concerns that the Taliban will not defend human rights, particularly those of women and children, Pakistan's Prime Minister said it is a "mistake" to believe that someone from outside would grant Afghan women their rights, basically asking for the status quo to be maintained. He noted, "Afghan women are strong. Give them time, they will get their rights," he said. "You cannot impose women's rights from abroad."

Image: AP
At least three people have died and 20 have been injured in a sequence of three blasts in the capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, which targeted Taliban trucks. Initially, no claims were made for the responsibility of the attack in Jalalabad on Saturday but an increasingly deadly Islamic State group affiliate is based in eastern Afghanistan, and it is a rival of the country's new Taliban leadership.

It was unclear whether Taliban officials were among those killed or injured. In another attack, a sticky bomb exploded in the country's capital Kabul on Saturday, injuring two people, according to police sources. The Kabul bomb's intended target was not immediately known.

Blasts are the consequence of infighting among Taliban factions

Two convoys of cars transporting Taliban fighters were targeted by the explosions. The convoys were travelling from Nangarhar province capital, Jalalabad, to Kabul. The Zadran tribe, whose core is the Haqqani network led by Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, dominates the road from the eastern cities to the national capital. According to observers in Kabul, the blasts are the consequence of infighting among Taliban factions.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon revealed on Friday that a Taliban suicide bomber was the target of a drone strike on August 29, but that numerous civilians were killed in the process. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement that they now knew that Ahmadi had no ties to ISIS-Khorasan.

Jalalabad, Afghanistan's fifth-largest city, is around 80 miles from Kabul. The blast occurs at a time when Afghanistan is at the centre of global attention following the Taliban's sudden takeover of the country on August 15. Since then, other attacks have occurred in the country.

Osama bin Laden had a substantial presence in Nangarhar

Nangarhar is one of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, located in the country's east, bordering the provinces of Logar, Kabul, Laghman, and Kunar, as well as an international border with Pakistan. It is divided into 22 districts and has a population of around 1.7 million, making it the country's third most populated province. Jalalabad is the provincial capital of Nangarhar. During the late 1990s, Osama bin Laden had a substantial presence in Nangarhar.

(Inputs from AP News)

Image: AP
A gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean in Mexico this weekend is the latest sign of that country flexing its diplomatic muscle as it looks to assert itself as the new mediator between the region and the United States.

Whether or not Saturdays meeting in Mexico City of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, culminates in a rumored mass exodus from the Organization American States, Mexico has signaled that it wants a leadership role in Latin America after years of focusing almost exclusively on its bilateral relationship with the U.S.

It was precisely the closeness of that relationship that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador cited in July in proposing Mexico help the region open a dialogue with the U.S. government to reorient a relationship based on a two century-old model he said has no future.

Turning their backs on the United States was also not an option, Lopez Obrador said. It is time to express and explore another option: that of a dialogue with U.S. leaders and to convince and persuade them that a new relationship among the countries of America is possible.

The president said Mexicos proposal was for something closer to the model of the European Union. In that spirit, you mustnt rule out the substitution of the (Organization of American States) with a truly autonomous body, a lackey to no one, he said.

Enter the CELAC.

Mexico was the organizations president last year and its membership voted that Mexico continue in that role this year.

CELAC has only existed for 10 years and is more left leaning, having remained on good terms with countries including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was one of its biggest proponents. But for long stretches, it did not even meet.

Unlike the OAS, the United States and Canada are not members, nor is Brazil, which withdrew in January 2020.

Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has been outspoken on the inequality and disparities in access to COVID-19 vaccines and CELAC became a vehicle for Mexicos efforts on that subject.

Mexico pursued a multi-pronged strategy of direct purchases and participation in the multilateral efforts to obtain vaccine. But at the same time, Ebrard worked through CELAC to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine in the region  Argentina and Mexico  and distribute it here.

Late last month, Ebrard addressed the ruling Morena partys senate delegation. As Lopez Obrador had a month earlier, he spoke of the importance of Mexicos relationship with the United States and how well things were going currently. Then he turned to the OAS.

The OAS became out-of-date because the world changed, Ebrard said. The OAS cannot continue being an instrument of intervention.

Goodbye OAS, in its interventionist, interfering and hegemonic sense, Ebrard said to applause. There should be another organization that we build politically in agreement with the United States for the 21st century and not the 19th century or the 20th century.

Hence the speculation that Mexico could lead other countries in leaving the OAS.

Along with its vaccine efforts in the region, Mexico has recently hosted a new round of dialogue between the Venezuelan government and that countrys opposition in Mexico City. Lopez Obradors administration had resisted pressure to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Lopez Obrador has asked the Biden administration to support the expansion of two of his signature social programs to Central Americas Northern Triangle to address the root causes of migration. Mexico's president has been cooperative with the both the Trump and Biden administrations on immigration, deploying Mexican security forces to try to contain migrants in southern Mexico and allowing the U.S. to return non-Mexican asylum seekers to await their cases in Mexico.

On Thursday, Lopez Obrador hosted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and railed against the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba. Mexico recently sent ships with food, medicine and fuel to the island.

Ana Vanessa Cardenas Zanatta, a political science professor at Monterrey Technological and Anahuac universities in Mexico City, said on one hand, Mexicos move to take a greater role in Latin America is positive.

For the first time this government is assuming a position in terms of foreign policy and Latin American leadership that had been demanded of Mexico many times and it had not responded to, Cardenas said.

But leaving the OAS would be a great risk, noting the organization has the membership and financial support of major economies like the U.S., Canada and Brazil, and still struggles financially. She said it is hard to imagine the CELAC being much more than a rhetorical and symbolic tool in the near future.

Withdrawal from the OAS could be especially costly in terms of human rights, she said. The OAS is the foundation of the hemispheres human rights and regional justice system.

The debate was aired during an OAS meeting Friday.

Colombia Foreign Affairs minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said talk of replacing the OAS was worrisome.

Of course the answer must be no, she said. The OAS and CELAC can be complementary.

When you try to erase with a stroke of the pen the fundamental principles and objectives of the OAS and eventually move them to other settings were falling into an abyss, but above all its a huge mistake, she said. To think that our hemisphere is going to be better with its back to the United States and Canada is a great naivete, it is a great mistake.

During the meeting, Mexico's representative, Luz Elena Banos, criticized the OAS for its policy of interference, arguing the organization had deepened the political conflict between countries.

She said Mexico did not believe in using the defense of democracy as a cover for meddling in countries' internal affairs.

Rafael Elias Rojas, a professor of History at Mexico College and an expert in Latin American diplomacy, said Mexico is trying to lead.

I dont think it is improvised, theyve been working for awhile, Rojas said. But he expressed doubts due to how polarized the region is. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall there has never been a moment so low for Latin Americanism.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
South Korean pop sensation BTS will attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York City next week as a "special presidential envoy for future generations and culture" with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. BTS members will represent global youth at the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals meeting, which will take place from September 19 to 23.

BTS member Kim Nam-joon told the Korea Herald that it's an honour for them to be able to carry the title of special presidential envoy for future generations and culture. He further said that as special envoys, they will try their best. On Tuesday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed his gratitude to the band's members for not just being entertainers, but also for making a difference in society.

BTS is preparing to be the voice of youth at the United Nations General Assembly

President Moon stated that BTS is continuously disseminating messages of support and consolation to youngsters around the world who are suffering from this coronavirus through music is not something anybody can do. The members of BTS are preparing to be the voice of youth at the United Nations General Assembly. They've gone to social media with hashtags like #YouthToday and #YourStories, encouraging young people all across the world to contribute their stories, which they can subsequently deliver at the UN General Assembly.

  ,    UN   #YouthToday   #YourStories  ! 



Help us take each and every one of your stories to the U.N. by telling us #YourStories about #YouthToday !  pic.twitter.com/NZmuamfXgR  BTS_official (@bts_bighit) September 14, 2021

According to Global Citizen, Cheongwadae the president's executive office said that because BTS has delivered messages of comfort and hope to the entire world, their attendance at the UN General Assembly this time is expected to serve as a meaningful opportunity to expand communication with future generations around the world and draw their sympathy on major international issues.

BTS has come up in meetings of President Moon with other world leaders

President Moon has expressed his gratitude for BTS' good influence and impact, especially their efforts in their song "Permission to Dance" to highlight impairments and advocate accessibility through the use of sign language, according to Global Citizen. Kim Jung-Sook, the first lady, also commented about their worldwide presence and natural diplomacy, remarking on how previous generations in Korea learned English through pop music, and now the rest of the world is learning Korean in order to comprehend BTS songs. Moon said the band has even come up in meetings he's had with other world leaders as an iconic symbol of Korean culture.

Image: AP
Following a notice from the police authorities to take down their posts, a prominent pro-democracy group from Hong Kong deleted its publications from the internet, reported Kyodo News on Saturday. According to the media reports, this came after the Chinese authorities sent multiple notices to the pro-democracy group to take down their social media content in order to comply with law and order.

Further, the reports claimed that the association has deleted content such as the pictures of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. Also, the group reportedly deleted its social media accounts from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube after the authorities forced them to delete a number of posts, reported news agency based in Minato, Tokyo.

It is worth mentioning that this development is the latest example of China's crackdown on pro-democratic entities in Hong Kong. Earlier on September 15, at least nine activists and ex-lawmakers were handed jail sentences of up to 10 months. According to China, they were involved in the last years banned Tiananmen Square candlelight vigil, which is considered as the latest blow in an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the city.

Last year, police banned the annual vigil for the first time in three decades, citing public health risks due to the coronavirus pandemic. Critics believe the ban is a part of the crackdown on opposition in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory following months of anti-government protests in 2019.

Democracy in Hong Kong under threat after China imposed draconian National Security Laws in 2020

Apart from sentencing nine lawmakers and activists, four other members of the pro-democracy group were also arrested by the police. They were also charged with the same clause - "refusing to comply with a police demand to hand in certain information about the group."

As China has strengthened control over Hong Kong through varieties of laws including the draconian National Security Law, the people of the semi-autonomous city are facing increasing policing and crackdown. Notably, most of Hong Kong's opposition lawmakers are either in jail or have fled since the national security law crackdown began.

(With inputs from ANI, AP)

(Image: AP)
The iconic Haiku Stairs in Hawaii, locally known as the 'Stairway to Heaven,' might be demolished shortly under a proposal authorised by Honolulu's mayor this week, putting an end to a decades-long battle over the landmark in Oahu. The journey through the staircase along the Koolau Mountains' crest in Hawaii, climbs almost 2,800 feet. The 3,922-step walk is famous among visitors and trek enthusiasts, regardless of the fact that it has been formally restricted to the people since 1987.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi of Honolulu claimed it was "improper" to have a famous tourist attraction so close to private property. As per the Huffpost website, previously this week, Blangiardi said in a statement that the administration had been listening to the several convincing reasons and respect all the input and feedback obtained from all over the Haiku Stairs issue. He further stated that the importance of the staircase to a specific community is very well understood but concerns like trespassing, personal injury, introduction to non-native species, and general public safety must be addressed.

Hawaii's 'Stairway To Heaven' is a 'possible risk'

News agency AP reported that last Monday, the Honolulu City Council unanimously passed a measure calling for the removal of the staircases, citing them as a possible risk. Nearly, ninety-three persons were seen attempting to enter the staircase during a 10-day timeframe in March.

The mayor said that he concurred with the city council of Honolulu on the staircase removal and has planned to proceed with the costly demolition procedure. The project has already received a $1 million budget from local authorities. According to the Honolulu Civil Beat website, the city spent roughly $1 million in tax funding to renovate the staircase and hundreds of thousands of US dollars for the security expenses. The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation is currently in charge of the staircase.

The announcement has disappointed and saddened many supporters of the stairwell's preservation. Vernon Ansdell, president of the advocate group Friends of Haiku Stairs' informed Civil Beat that he will continue to resist the proposals to demolish the stairwell.

As per Civil Beat, the steps were constructed by the US Navy during World War II to allow admission to a military radio station, and later, they became popular with visitors during the 1970s period. Trekkers were given permission to witness the greatest Hawaiian view by the Coast Guard at the time, which was in charge of the path. The Coast Guard blocked the staircase in 1987 after receiving reports of destruction and trash, but even the prospect of a $1,000 fine didn't discourage determined hikers to ascend the 'Stairway to Heaven.'

(Image: @Touristlink/Instagram)
Lebanons enduring economic crisis risks reversing decades of gains in peoples wellbeing, WHO Chief said on Friday adding that international aid was urgently required to tackle the dire situation. Speaking during his visit to the middle eastern country, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the crisis in Lebanons health sector and said that there was a shortage of basic and essential medicines. Although WHO has been providing succour for the last 15 years, the top official called for an immediate international support.

Its not just COVID, almost all services are being affected, he said. We visited two hospitals today they told us that you know, they had, patients, cancer patients or other patients, but a shortage of medicines and those who cannot afford not having access to, they cant have medicine, so meaning other services are being disrupted, and this is life, life, life and death,the health chief added.

Lebanon, at present, is battling multiple crises - a constant war with Israel, new coronavirus variants, political instability, and debt crisis -- all while trying to revive itself from the horrendous explosion that jolted Beirut in August last year. The current economic crisis in the country has thrown more people into poverty as tens of thousands have lost their jobs since anti-government protests first erupted in late 2019. As per the World Bank, the countrys economy contracted 19 per cent in 2020 and is expected to shrink again this year.

On Friday, Ghebreyesus asserted that fuel shortages have jeopardised the health sector and left hospitals functioning at 50 per cent capacity. Notably, on the same day, the Lebanese administration hiked fuel prices by almost 38 per cent to tackle gasoline shortages. Meanwhile, the WHO chief substantiated his point as he visited the Central Drug Warehouse that was destroyed in last years port explosion.

Half of the population in #Lebanon currently lives in poverty, with limited access to health care. The health gains accumulated over the past three decades are in jeopardy. Had a very good meeting with representatives of international community in  to discuss the way forward. pic.twitter.com/zIIFhAFh1g  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) September 17, 2021

USD$4 million Aid

Earlier this month, Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs of UN Martin Griffiths announced an allocation of USD$4 million from the Central Emergency Response Plan (CERP) to aid the countrys exacerbating fuel crisis and support the continuity of essential services. Lebanon faces profound uncertainty. The humanitarian community, though, is resolved to assist all vulnerable populations, whether Lebanese, refugees or migrants, he said.

Image: AP






Two reports, citing satellite images, unveiled that North Korea is expanding a nuclear plant used to enrich uranium. The images indicate that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is easing self-imposed restrictions on his nuclear activities which were set after talks with the United States in 2018 and 2019.

As per reports released on the Arms Control Wonk and 38 North websites on Thursday, the size of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility has been increased and apparatus, as well as equipment that monitors its interior temperature, has been uninstalled.

Kim Jong Un had taken self-imposed measures aimed at making improvements in political relationships with former US President Donald Trump. The measures were taken after Kim met Trump in June 2018 and February 2019. The limitations were taken to tone down production at the highly observed Yongbyon site. Following Trump's rejection of Kim's offer to destroy Yongbyon, the North Korean leader restarted operations in the complex.

Jeffrey Lewis of the Arms Control Wonk website claimed the alterations in the plant suggest that North Korea intends to increase the output of its nuclear weapons by up to 25%. These modifications came into being following an announcement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stating that North Korea has begun plutonium manufacturing at its Yongbyon uranium enrichment complex for the very first time in three years.

The Yongbyon nuclear complex, previously North Korea's primary supplier of missile material, is an outmoded facility about 100 kilometres that are 60 miles, north of Pyongyang that has functioned as the centrepiece of the country's nuclear ambitions.

North Korea in violation of UN resolutions: US

On September 15, the US criticised North Korea's ballistic missile launches off its east coast and even urged Pyongyang to engage in constructive discussions with Washington. According to Xinhua, on Wednesday, US State Department spokesman Ned Price told media that the US "condemns" North Korea's ballistic missile launch. He also stated that Pyongyang's activities are in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and present a danger to the country's neighbours as well as other members of the global community.

Meanwhile, Price stated that the US is committed to taking part in a diplomatic approach to Pyongyang aimed at nuclear disarmament of the Korean peninsula. He maintained that Washington has given extremely clear messages to North Korea and has expressed its desire to engage in discussions. Price also underlined the US's unbreakable support to its regional allies.

(Image: AP)
In a standard measure to outdo the vaccine hesitancy associated with the jabs, such as Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford manufactures-AstraZeneca (AZ) that have been linked with "very rare" instances of side-effects, Health Canada on Friday renamed the vials with complicated new monikers. According to the local Canadian news outlets, the vaccines in Ottawa will not be labelled as their brand names, but the new names agreed with the manufacturing pharmaceutical companies. The new monikers received full approval from Health Canada under an interim order that expired on September 18.

Pfizer in Canada will now be called Comirnaty, pronounced as koh-MIHR-nuh-tee, which Pfizer-BioNTech says is a combination of the terms COVID-19, mRNA, community, and immunity. Meanwhile, the Moderna vaccine will now be dubbed as SpikeVax in Canada, and the AstraZeneca vaccine (AZ) will be named Vaxzevria. Stephane Bancel, Modernas CEO, said in a press release on September 17 that it was the first time that its vaccine would be called SpikeVax anywhere in the world.

The formulation for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine is the same formulation as COMIRNATY and they are considered interchangeable by Health Canada to provide the COVID-19 vaccination series. Given the current ongoing pandemic, a gradual transition to new labeling with the COMIRNATY brand name will occur at a later date, Pfizer said in a press release.

(1/4) Health Canada has authorized brand name changes for the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.  Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) September 16, 2021

(2/4) The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will now be named Comirnaty, the Moderna vaccine will be named SpikeVax, and the AstraZeneca vaccine will be named Vaxzevria.  Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) September 16, 2021

(3/4) These are only name changes. There are no changes to the vaccines themselves.  Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) September 16, 2021

(4/4) All COVID-19 vaccines authorized in Canada are proven safe, effective and of high quality. https://t.co/dgad3MCfbv #CovidVaccine  Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) September 16, 2021

India's Covishield shot name to remain unchanged

The renaming comes as Canada-approved Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for the population aged 12 and older. AstraZeneca COVID-19 (AZD1222) vaccine will also be renamed but Indias version of the shot Covishield created by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and manufactured by Punes Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd will remain unchanged, Canadian Press reported. These are only name changes. There are no changes to the vaccines themselves, Health Canada said in a tweet.

Although health experts and critics argued that the new names might cause unnecessary confusion. Ottawas Infectious disease specialist Dr Isaac Bogoch wrote on Twitter that he doesnt care what the vaccines are called but will continue going with Pfizer, Moderna & AZ, adding that these rebranded names were difficult to pronounce. United States FDA and EU both approved the new names earlier this summer, and the rebranded names have already been in use for promotional purposes in the EU.

"Based on the longer-term follow-up data that we submitted, today's decision by Health Canada affirms the efficacy and safety profile of our vaccine at a time when it is urgently needed, Fabien Paquette, vaccines lead at Pfizer Canada, said in a press release. Meanwhile, Pfizer stated, Although the vaccine's brand name will be COMIRNATY following this approval, Canada will continue to receive vials of the vaccine labeled as Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine."

Chief public health officer Dr Theresa Tam, at a press briefing, asked the Canadians to embrace the vaccines saying that unless the Canadians quickly reduced overall transmission rates through accelerated vaccination where the virus is surging, continued expansion of the epidemic could lead to higher case counts than we have experienced thus far. Furthermore, she stressed that there were approximately 7 million Canadians not fully vaccinated yet spreading the highly contagious and more severe Delta variant.

Image: AP
The handful of demonstrators gathering each evening in Khabarovsk are a shadow of the masses who took part in an unusually sustained wave of protests last year in the Russian Far Eastern city, but they are a chronic reminder of the political tensions that persist.

The demonstrators have been demanding the release of the region's popular former governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested last year on charges of being involved in killings. Now, his Kremlin-appointed replacement, Mikhail Degtyaryov, is on the ballot for governor in the three days of regional voting that concludes Sunday.

The regional election is taking place at the same time that Russians are voting for members of the State Duma, the national parliament. Local activists say the numbers of protesters has dwindled in the months leading to the vote because of sustained pressure from authorities interested in ensuring Degtyaryov's election.

"We constantly live in fear because any day we can be arrested," said Denish Pedish, a 47-year-old education worker who says he now comes to protests with a packed bag of essentials in case he is detained. "It's difficult. But people have hope and faith and are actively fighting the lawlessness of the authorities and the lawlessness of the elections, which are a laughingstock for the world to see," Pedish said.

Degtyaryov, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, is widely believed to be backed by the Kremlin with both advice and money. Many locals resent the Kremlin's decision to appoint him the region's interim governor after the arrest of Furgal. "This dimwit (interim governor Mikhail Degtyaryov) was sent to us by Putin," said Tatiana Lukyanova, who protests regularly in the city square and says she's been fined by police three times.

"Putin thinks he should be respected, but because of Degtyaryov Putin has lost his authority in Khabarovsk Krai," she added.

The weeks of protests that arose after Sergei Furgal's arrest in July 2020 appeared to catch authorities by surprise. Unlike in Moscow, where police usually move quickly to disperse unsanctioned rallies, authorities didn't interfere with the unauthorized demonstrations in Khabarovsk, apparently expecting them to fizzle out.

A Liberal Democratic Party member, Furgal won the 2018 regional gubernatorial election even though he had refrained from campaigning and publicly supported his Kremlin-backed rival. His victory was a humiliating setback for United Russia, which also lost its control over the regional legislature.

While in office, Furgal earned a reputation as a "people's governor," cutting his own salary, ordering the sale of an expensive yacht bought by the previous administration, and offering new benefits to residents. His arrest, which was shown on Russian TV stations, came after the Investigative Committee, the nation's top criminal investigation agency, said he was accused of involvement in the murders of several businessmen in the region and nearby territories in 2004 and 2005. During interrogation in Moscow, Furgal denied the charges, according to the Tass news agency.

Apart from Degtyarov, three other people are on the ballot for governor, but supporters of Furgal and others in the city of about 600,000 complain they are insignificant candidates who were allowed to run to give the appearance of a democratic and competitive race. Notably, United Russia, the country's dominant political party and loyal backer of President Vladimir Putin  is not fielding a candidate for governor in Khabarovsk. Nor is Russia's second-largest party, the Communists.

Separately, Furgal's son Anton says he was kept off the ballot for the national parliament. "There is an opinion that if my last name had been Ivanov, for example, I would likely be allowed to run," he said. The race for governor is being closely watched to gauge how much anger remains in the region, located seven time zones or 6,100 kilometers (3,800 miles) east of Moscow.

"The region really worries the Kremlin because they don't want a repeat of those incidents (last years' protests) of course. Khabarovsk is now under close supervision," said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank.

The man who wanted to run on the Communist ticket was kept off the ballot because he was unable to get enough signatures from municipal officials. That aspiring candidate, Pyotr Perevezentsev, told The Associated Press that municipal officials in some districts had been told by their superiors whose nominating petitions to sign, while local authorities had gone to great lengths to discourage voters from being excited about other parties.

"They (the authorities) are doing everything to convince people that their vote doesn't count for anything, that all parties are the same, and that nothing will change whether or not you go vote."

Meanwhile, he points to last years' mass protests as an example of rising social discontent that threatens to re-erupt at any moment. "Our society is sick, the authorities are at the brink and the pressure of social discontent is very high," he said. "The events in Khabarovsk showed last year that people are ready to take to the streets and defend their right to choose and to defend their rights," he added.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
A confrontation erupted outside the Cuban embassy in Mexico City on Friday as Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel was arriving to meet embassy staff.

The confrontation was between supporters of the Cuban government and a small group of Cuban exiles who oppose the president.

As his motorcade entered the embassy compound, demonstrators shouted slogans against him.

Later, as the presidential motorcade was preparing to leave, Diaz-Canel got out of the car and walked up to his supporters to greet them.

Diaz-Canel is on his second day of a three-day visit to Mexico that will end after attending a summit of Latin American and Caribbean leaders.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states have resolved to reinforce the Russia-led blocs southern border with Afghanistan which would even hold military drills in a month. Following a summit in Tajikistans capital, Dushanbe, the leaders of the Russian-led CSTO announced the plan to enhance the security cooperation in the region including deployment of troops in Tajik-Afghan border. Tajikistans President Emomali Rahmon, whose country presently holds the CSTOs rotating presidency, announced the move.

As per Russian news agency TASS, Rahmon said after the meeting that The participants in the session agreed to fortify the CSTOs southern borders and continue to plan and implement a package of measures aimed at bringing down the level of and neutralizing potential threats in the organizations space.

CSTOs members include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Belarus and Tajikistan. All leaders along with CSTOs secretary-general Stanislav Zas and Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the meeting in Dushanbe. Putin joined through video conference due to being in contact with COVID-19-positive people. The Eurasian alliance of former Soviet states, according to an official release, discussed the potential security implications for the bloc after the Taliban re-conquered Afghanistan. They also exchanged views on the possibility of getting an influx of Afghan refugees and the underlying humanitarian crisis.

Stanislav Zas said in a statement, The organization has worked out practical collective measures to ensure Tajikistan's security in the event of a worsening of the border situation."

"For the same purpose, a series of large-scale trainings of the CSTO Collective Forces will be held near the Tajik-Afghan border in a month: "Search-2021", "Echelon-2021", "Interaction-2021" and "Cobalt-2021", all of them will be held according to a single plan.

CSTO to accelerate Tajiks Special Interstate Policy

Zas also informed that CSTO member leaders also reached an agreement to accelerate the adoption of Tajikistan's Special Interstate Policy on Strengthening the Tajik-Afghan Border, proposed within the CSTO. The Republic of Tajikistan, as you know, has the longest border with Afghanistan - 1,344 km, which in many parts runs in inaccessible mountainous terrain.

Notably, as per Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's press office statement on September 16, the CSTO members are hesitant in hosting Afghan refugees and foreign military outposts on their land. ANI reported quoting Sputnik that the press office statement said, The CSTO's common position on the unacceptable deployment of Afghan refugees and foreign military sites on our countries' territory was endorsed by the head of state. Personnel from the UN field missions in Afghanistan were temporarily stationed in Almaty due to humanitarian concerns and the significance of giving international help to the Afghan people."

IMAGE: AP


Taiwan has requested a trade discussion with the European Union (EU) on Friday, highlighting the EU's desire to strengthen its economic ties with the Indo-Pacific country.

News agency ANI reported, quoting Taiwan News, that Taiwan called for pre-negotiation work to start on a possible Bilateral Investment Agreement (BIA) after the EU announced the previous day it wanted to bolster its trade relationship and step-up strategic engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.

This arises just after European Commission had approved the EU Cooperation Strategy for the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan is considered to be an essential partner in the European Commission's recently issued report on its Indo-Pacific strategy. This is due to the establishment of semiconductor supply chain operations and having a conversation on data protection. The EU has further promised to strengthen commercial and investment links with the nation, despite the fact that the two countries have yet to sign BIAs or establish a formal diplomatic relationship.

European Commission warns about Chinese threats

The report by the European Commission titled, The EU strategy for Indo-Pacific Cooperation, states a warning about the military buildup of China. It also depicts the displaying of force and even the rising tensions in South China and East China Seas, as well as in the Taiwan Channel. EU has further expressed this as having a direct impact on European security and economics.

While on the other hand, previously, at the beginning of this month, China showed resistance to the "EU-Taiwan Political Relations and Cooperation" report which urged for better relations between the two, claiming that it violated the country's "One-China policy." The Taiwan Waterway is a 180-km-long strait that separates Taiwan from mainland Asia. Although the strait is on international seas, China claims Taiwan as its own territory.

Preparations for BIA should begin immediately: Taiwan Foreign ministry

Likewise, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has stated that preparations for a potential BIA should begin immediately. Taiwan has been on the list of prospective signatories to a BIA since 2015, and the European Parliament eventually gave its approval in July.

According to Taiwan News, a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states, As a like-minded partner of the EU with core values such as democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law, Taiwan will continue to bolster cooperation in the supply chain reorganization for semiconductors. It even reads that Taiwan will also focus on strengthening other related strategic sectors for the economy, as well as digital economy, renewable technology, and post-epidemic economic recovery.

(With inputs from ANI, Image: AP)
Typhoon Chanthu made landfall in Japan on Saturday, injuring at least five people and cancelling 49 flights. According to Japan's public broadcaster NHK, flights were cancelled in Japan's southwestern regions on the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu. People were injured as a result of the typhoon in Nagasaki, Fukuoka, and Saga prefectures.

Chanthu is now travelling eastward over the central Pacific coast of Japan. The typhoon's wind gusts reached speeds of up to 30 mps (67 miles/hour).

Typhoon Chanthu hits Taiwan

Last week, Typhoon Chanthu swamped Taiwan as its core passed over the island's east coast, but no injuries were recorded. As the storm approached, airline flights and train operations were cancelled. According to the Central News Agency, about 2,000 people were evacuated from flood-prone areas in the east coast county of Hualien.

According to the Central Weather Bureau, Chanthu's centre was off Taiwan's northeast coast at midmorning Sunday, with winds of 162 kph (101 mph) and gusts up to 198 kph (124 mph). The Weather Bureau said that up to 13 cm (5 inches) of rain fell in certain regions on Sunday. It was predicted to rain up to 20 cm (8 inches).

Heavy rains lash Shanghai

As a typhoon remained offshore, transportation ties in China's commercial capital of Shanghai were mostly restored on Tuesday. Typhoon Chanthu caused strong winds and heavy rain on the country's major city and the surrounding region, but not to the extent that it would have if it had made landfall.

The storm has weakened and was lingering around 225 kilometres (140 miles) east of Shanghai on Tuesday, with maximum sustained winds of 126 kph hour (78 mph), according to the China Meteorological Association. On Thursday, it was expected to begin heading northeast towards South Korea and Japan.

Earlier, Typhoon In-fa had made landfall south of Shanghai in late July, disrupting flight schedules and forcing the evacuation of over 330,000 people of the city's southernmost district, Fengxian. Torrential rains and flooding killed at least 292 people in Zhengzhou, a major city in the central province of Henan, in July, including several who were trapped in the city's subway tunnels.

(Image: AP/Unsplash)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on September 17 asked for cooperation from the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in support of Afghanistan. According to ANI, the UN Chief conveyed the message to SCO Summit, which was held in Tajikistan. While addressing the event, Guterres said that troubling developments in the war-torn nation are causing profound political, economic, security and humanitarian challenges.

Guterres said, The United Nations is committed to deliver for the Afghan people. We look forward to working with all of you to support the Afghan people.

The UN chief added, The situation in Afghanistan is rapidly evolving and unpredictable. But it is clear that the Afghan people want extreme poverty to be eradicated, jobs to become available, health and education services to be restored, and their lives and basic rights and freedoms to be protected.

Afghanistan situation pretty desperate

This comes after several UN agencies raised concerns about the humanitarian situation in the war-ravaged nation. They have been making calls for necessary aid to Afghanistan. Earlier, UN High Commission for Refugees Filippo Grandi even described the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan as pretty desperate and stressed that food, medicines, shelter and other necessities are needed urgently.

The situation in Afghanistan has been dominating the international headlines, with the international community trying to find ways to ensure stability and security in the war-ravaged nation. Previously, Guterres had also called on the international community to urgently offer a lifeline to millions of vulnerable Afghans who face perhaps their most perilous hour.

He said that Afghan people were at the risk of the worst crisis in the world even before the uncertainty caused by the Taliban takeover last month. He said that Afghans need a lifeline and further highlighted concerns over humanitarian access.

(With inputs from ANI)
A US Coast Guard air patrol transferred Haitian 41 migrants from Little Inagua, the largest inhabited island in the Caribbean, handing them to Bahamian authorities earlier this month.

The MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew found the migrants on September 10, while patroling the remote area, 107 km (105 miles) North from Haiti.

US authorities stated there were no reports of injuries. The aircrew transported the migrants to Inagua International Airport where they will be processed by Bahamian authorities.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, according to Washington's peace envoy, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic U.S. troop pullout from the country.

The development came amid rising concerns over the future of Afghanistan under the Taliban. The country's new Islamic rulers on Friday ordered that boys but not girls from grades six to 12, and male teachers but no women teachers return to school and resume classes, starting Saturday.

The statement, posted on the Facebook page of the now Taliban-run education ministry, underscored fears that the Taliban might again impose restrictions on girls and women. Since taking power, the Taliban had allowed girls in grades one to six to resume classes. When they ruled Afghanistan previously in the late 1990s, the Taliban banned girls and women from attending school and work.

U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted he was grateful that more Americans were able to leave on a Qatar Airways flight. There was no immediate information how many Americans were on the flight.

An Afghan official said more than 150 passengers were on the flight, though it was not immediately clear how many were Americans. In the past one week, more than 300 foreign nationals as well as U.S. green card holders and Afghans with special visas have left Afghanistan. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

He said more flights were expected on Saturday, including another Qatar Airways flight. Its unclear how many American nationals are still in Afghanistan, but Khalilzad tweeted we remain committed to get them out if they want to come home.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter confirmed that the plane departed Kabul on Friday and told reporters that officials were still trying to determine how many Americans, green card holders or holders of special immigrant visas for Afghans were on the flight heading to Doha, the Qatari capital.

Qatar Airways' first flight out of Kabul with the cooperation of the Taliban was on Sept. 9, the first such large-scale departure since the U.S. forces withdrew on Aug. 30. There have been several chartered flights since, including by Pakistan International Airlines, to airlift foreigners and Afghans desperate to leave and fearing the Taliban, and a few commercial flights out of Kabul International Airport.

Porter said that in all, between the charter flights and overland crossings, a total of 36 U.S. citizens" have left Afghanistan since the U.S. troop pullout.

The Taliban order for the boys and male teachers to return to junior high and high schools went against earlier promises by Afghanistan's new rulers to guarantee girls equal access to education and harkened back to their past harsh rule. Since taking over, the Taliban have only allowed women back to work in the health sector and as teachers in grades one through five.

At a news conference last week, the Taliban minister for higher education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, had said classes would be gender segregated but that girls would have the same access to education as boys.

Earlier this month, the Taliban declared their interim, all-male government  devoid of any women or members of the country's minorities. The 33-member Cabinet is stacked with veterans of the Taliban's hard-line rule from the 1990s and the 20-year battle against the U.S.-led coalition.

This is unlikely to win the Taliban the international support they desperately need to avoid an economic meltdown.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Over 40 Uyghurs, Tibetans, Mongolians, Hong Kong, and Chinese dissident activists marched through central Tokyo on Saturday, backed by a few Japanese activists to protest against the Bejing Olympics. They carried banners calling for a boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and asked the international community to take notice of China's human rights violations in ethnic minority areas.

They said that the rest of the world needed to wake up to China's violations of basic human rights and stop rewarding it despite its actions. When comparing the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics to the recent peaceful and positive summer Olympics in Tokyo, some activists argue that the world is being unfair to countries that uphold the values of transparency, democracy, human rights, and openness by treating Japan and China on an equal footing.

7% of the Muslim population in Xinjiang have been detained

They asked all states to band together to exert pressure on China by boycotting the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Uyghurs have long faced cultural, religious and economic discrimination. According to US officials and UN experts, up to one million people, or roughly 7% of the Muslim population in Xinjiang, have been detained in an expanding network of political re-education camps.

Human rights groups have already requested some of the world's largest broadcasters, including NBC, to cancel plans to cover the Winter Olympics in Beijing next year, which is set to begin on February 4, 2022. The proposal was made in an open letter signed by human rights organisations representing Chinese minorities such as Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kong residents, and others.

China's foreign ministry has reportedly denied the genocide against the Uyghurs, calling the allegations "the lie of the century." It has also criticized the politicisation of sports and declared that any boycott of the Olympics is doomed to fail.

Xinjiang conflict

Throughout the twentieth century, China attempted to solidify control over the region, which led to the Xinjiang dispute. From the 1950s to the 1970s, China curtailed the Uyghurs' religious and cultural liberties, while supporting the huge migration of Han Chinese into what was known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. According to China's 2020 census, Han Chinese account for 42% of the population of Xinjiang, while Uyghurs account for roughly 45%.

(Inputs from ANI/ AP News)

Image: ANI
Yemen's Houthi militia executed nine persons in a public place on September 18, accusing them of spying for Saudi Arabia. The nine victims were transported in an armoured van to Sanaa's al-Sabeen Square and placed in a line in the centre of the square. They were then killed by a Houthi security unit. The killing was seen by hundreds of Houthi sympathisers in the morning.

A spokesman of the Houthi security court read a sentence convicting the nine of espionage in the assassination of top Houthi commander Saleh al-Sammad in April 2018.

Al-Sammad, the president of the Houthi-controlled government that governs most of northern Yemen, was killed in April 2018 in the port city of Hodeidah on Yemen's west coast by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition airstrike. The court also condemned the death of 7 other defendants, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and former US President Donald Trump, who were convicted in absentia.

Al-Sammad was the coalition's highest-ranking official killed in the years-long conflict, which pits the Houthis against forces that are loyal to the internationally recognised government located in Aden, the country's southern port city. The Houthis, who promised to avenge his death, had fired ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia on a daily basis. They had also increased cross-border strikes by using drone missiles this year in August.

Yemen's government is supported by a Saudi-led coalition that has gained western backing. The Houthis and their primarily Gulf Arab allies accuse Saudi Arabia and its Gulf Arab allies of acting as stooges for arch-rival Iran.

The crisis began in 2014 when the Houthis took over Sanaa, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year. Since then, thousands have died and millions have been driven to the verge of hunger in the world's biggest humanitarian disaster, according to the United Nations.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

Image: AP
In a major respite for the battered travellers, the UK has scrapped its Red-Amber-Green list in favour of a simpler Red list of high-risk countries. As a part of an overhaul of rules from October 4, British authorities have ended their controversial traffic light system, which implied discreet testing and quarantine rules for different countries. In addition, mandatory COVID tests for passengers returning from safe countries have also been nixed.

"From later in October, (fully vaccinated travelers) will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow," he added, referring to the test required two days after arriving in England.

The new regulations will help in striking the right balance to manage the public health risk as No.1 priority," British transport minister Grant Shapps said. Notably, the coronavirus caseload of the country rose by 206,332 in the last seven days, according to the latest tally by the British government. Additionally, 995 people lost their lives last week.

8 countries out of Red List

Shapps also said that eight countries- Turkey, Bangladesh, Egypt, the Maldives, Oman, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Kenya- would be removed from the Red List. At present, a total of 61 countries are on the Red list, including popular tourist destinations - Turkey and Seychelles. Elaborating on the update, Shapps reckoned that the revised measured aimed at reducing costs and are possible due to the higher levels of vaccination in the country.

Well also be introducing a new simplified system for international travel from Mon 4 Oct , replacing the current approach with a single red list  and simplified measures for the rest of the world - striking the right balance to manage the public health risk as No.1 priority.  Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 17, 2021

TRAVEL UPDATE: were making testing easier for travel  From Mon 4 Oct, if youre fully vax you wont need a pre-departure test before arrival into England from a non-red country and from later in Oct, will be able to replace the day 2 PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow.  Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) September 17, 2021

Earlier, the British government had announced that Indian travellers would no longer be subjected to mandatory ten days of hotel quarantine. UKs Department of Transport in a statement said that the new rule came into effect starting 4 am local time on Sunday, that is August 8. Due to the huge expenses and hassle involved, there was a growing demand for easing the travel norms between the two countries. As per the new rule, all passengers from India would have to quarantine themselves at their homes or at a place theyve registered with the authorities. The total duration of isolation has also been reduced from 14 days to 10. All the travellers would be required to take a COVID-19 test on or before day two and on or after day eight.

Image: AP
In a promising development, a third chartered flight with an undisclosed number of Afghan evacuees flew out of Kabuls Hamid Karzai International Airport and landed in Qatar on Friday, US special envoy Zalmai Khalilzad confirmed in a tweet. It would be the third international passenger flight allowed to take off from the Afghan soil after the Taliban take over and conclusion to the chaotic military airlifts last month. The first commercial plane flew out with an estimated 100 foreign nationals, including Canadian, Ukrainian, German, British, and Americans as Qatar worked on the ground with the hardline Islamists Taliban to ensure safe passage of the overseas nationals willing to leave the country.

It is being reported that as many as 170 civilians may have boarded the flight and a Qatari convoy ensured that the evacuees were escorted safely out into the airport despite the Talibans stringent watch. Hailing the evacuation effort, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad tweeted that he was grateful that more Americans were able to leave today on a Qatar Airways flight. As President Biden said, there is no deadline for Americans remaining in Afghanistan. We remain committed to getting them out if they want to come home, he said.

1/2 Grateful that more Americans were able to leave today on a Qatar Airways flight. We welcome this development.  U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) September 17, 2021

2/2 As President Biden said, there is no deadline for Americans remaining in Afghanistan. We remain committed to get them out if they want to come home.  U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad (@US4AfghanPeace) September 17, 2021

'We will do whatever it takes,' said US Sec of State

Qatar's deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had earlier thanked the Taliban for their "cooperation" in allowing them to resume the evacuation flights in an official statement. He had said that it was a signal that the Talibans statements can be "demonstrated into action. The evacuees will all be reportedly housed in a compound in Doha, Qatar, then later will be transported to the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had earlier in a statement to the press said that the flights from Kabul will be allowed to depart. He said the US will do "whatever it takes" to get all Americans out of Afghanistan even after the evacuations will conclude on Aug. 31 deadline. The "president, secretary of defense have been clear that we will do whatever it takes to get Americans home and out of harm's way," he said on the Face the Nation show in televised remarks.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Elizabeth Truss, the UK's newly-appointed Foreign Secretary on September 17 and discussed many pertinent subjects, including Afghanistan, China, and Iran. This information was provided by State Department spokesman Ned Price. Blinken congratulated Truss on his appointment and emphasised the importance of the bilateral partnership between the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to Ned Price, the two leaders also discussed foreign policy issues concerning Afghanistan, the People's Republic of China, Iran, and multilateral climate cooperation. The conversation comes as US President Joe Biden and the leaders of two other countries unveiled the newly created Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) Defense Partnership Agreement, which focuses on the Indo-Pacific, on Wednesday.

Experts believe there is a method to offset China's escalating military assertiveness in the region without directly confronting it. The Indo-Pacific region, which includes the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, is viewed primarily as a portion of the western and central Pacific Ocean. China's territorial claims in the South China Sea have also been contested, as have its aspirations to expand into the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, Pentagon apologises for Kabul drone strike, calls it Tragic

On a recent development, the Pentagon confessed that it made a grave mistake in a drone operation in Afghanistan last month that killed a large number of civilians. Pentagon said that a review revealed that only civilians, not Islamic State terrorists, were killed in the attack. According to the article, US Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie stated at a Pentagon press conference that the bombing was a mistake. For several days now, Pentagon officials had been defending the strike on August 28. Despite the fact that ten civilians, including seven children, were killed in this strike, it was claimed that it was carried out correctly.

Blinkens stand on Pakistan

Earlier on September 13, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had said that the US will examine its relationship with Pakistan in the coming weeks to determine what role it should play in the future of Afghanistan. Blinken told the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee that Pakistan has a "multiplicity of interests, some of which conflict with ours," in the first public hearing on Afghanistan since the collapse of the US-backed Afghan government last month.

(With inputs from ANI)

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On Friday, United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel rejected the widespread administration of the COVID-19 booster shots. It gave approval to Pfizer for inoculating only those over the age of 65, who were co-morbid and most vulnerable to Coronavirus. FDA endorsed the emergency approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine booster shot at least six months after the second dose among those who were categorically at a high risk of exposure to novel coronavirus and risked severe ailment from the disease due to age factor, several reports on Friday confirmed.

The vote was held by a panel for approval that saw an 18-0 majority, and another poll will now be conducted before the FDA gives its final decision. A separate vote for booster shot licensure for individuals aged 16 and older received 2-16, failing to gain majority consent for a go-ahead. The panel included members of the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, (VRBPAC), as well as officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Israel's Health Ministry, vaccine experts, and Pfizer representatives, according to the US broadcasters.

WATCH LIVE: The VRBPAC meeting is underway. Todays topic is the Pfizer-BioNTech supplemental Biologics License Application for COMIRNATY for administration of a third dose, or booster dose, of the COVID-19 vaccine, in those 16 years and older. https://t.co/4l074Nm7Ic  U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) September 17, 2021

Decision subject to CDC review

FDA cited a lack of safety data on administering the booster doses for everyone, particularly the younger population. But the second approval for the older population is still subject to review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC had earlier propagated the booster dosages for high-risk groups and older people, nursing home residents, and front-line health care workers, denying that there was a need for everyone to take it. US top infectious diseases expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr Anthony Fauci meanwhile supported the third dose in televised remarks, saying that it "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.

A joint statement from HHS Public Health and medical experts from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had earlier last month had stated that the available data makes it very clear that protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection begins to decrease over time following the initial doses of vaccination, and in association with the dominance of the Delta variant. Therefore, the committee recommended a booster shot to maximize vaccine-induced protection. It said, that many health care providers, nursing home residents, and other seniors at long-term care facilities, will likely be eligible for a booster. We also anticipate booster shots will likely be needed for people who received the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine, the committee said.

(Image: AP)
As the combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and its tragic outcome, were the words for US Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie on Friday as the United States Armed Forces Central Command [USCENTCOM] admitted that the Kabul drone strike that killed one 10-member Ahmadi family was done in error. US Central Command had obliterated a white Toyota Corolla sedan with a hellfire missile from a reaper drone in Kabul during closing days of evacuations, stating that the vehicle contained ISIS planner and a facilitator and explosives intended to bomb the American troops at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

Speaking at a presser on September 17, the head of US Central Command Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie concurred that the military, in fact, was very wrong as he admitted that the drone strike, in actual, had killed 10 civilians, including seven children, of whom there was 2 girl child each 2 years old.

I offer my profound condolences to the family and friends of those who are killed. This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport, but it was a mistake, Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, told a Pentagon news conference. The strike was a tragic mistake, he went on to reiterate, apologizing for the gory error and adding that the Pentagon was considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims.

'I profoundly regret it,' says USCENTCOM head Gen. McKenzie

Gen. McKenzie outlined that the car was tracked for about eight hours, and the military had an earnest belief  based on a standard of reasonable certainty  that it posed an imminent threat as there was intelligence that it would be carrying explosives in its trunk.

In their initial response after the strike, the Pentagon officials had claimed that the strike was conducted accurately despite that the on-ground investigation revealed civilian casualties. American broadcasters later reported that the alleged ISIS planner was in fact a driver, who was a longtime employee at a California-based humanitarian organization and not a threat associated with ISIS-K. US militarys Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley had previously called the drone strike righteous.

Gen. McKenzie said Friday that he is "fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome. Asked by a reporter during the press conference as to how the "complete and utter failure" may have occurred on behalf of the military, Gen. McKenzie said, "While I agree that this strike certainly did not come up to our standards and I profoundly regret it, I would not qualify the entire operation in those terms. US Central Command had asserted earlier that there was a "significant secondary explosions threat from the struck vehicle and there was evidence that it carried a "substantial amount of explosive material.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offers 'condolences' to bombed victims

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offers his deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed, including late Mr. Ahmadi, and to the staff of Nutrition and Education International, Mr. Ahmadis employer. Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of US Central Command acknowledged, that aid worker Zemari Ahmadi who worked for 14 years as a technical engineer in Afghanistan for Pasadena, and 10 members of a family were tragically killed on Aug. 29 during the chaotic Biden administration evacuations.

We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or a direct threat to US forces, he stressed. US Defense Department said in a statement that a decision was yet to be made on financial compensation, Kirby told the presser that he was unaware if anyone should be punished for the serious mistake. Gen. McKenzie also agreed that the secondary explosion was caused by a propane tank and not ISIS-K bombs.
A judge ruled Friday that prosecutors can't argue that an Illinois man who shot three people during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin is affiliated with the Proud Boys or that he beat up a woman months before the shootings, bolstering his position as he prepares for a politically charged trial.

Kyle Rittenhouse is set to stand trial beginning Nov. 1 on multiple counts, including homicide. He argues he opened fire in self-defense after each of the three men attacked him. Prosecutors signaled that they plan to show video from an FBI surveillance plane that proves Rittenhouse chased at least one of the men down.

Rittenhouse was 17 years old when he traveled from his home to Kenosha on Aug. 25, 2020, in response to a call on social media to protect businesses there. The city was in the throes of several nights of chaotic demonstrations after a white police officer shot a Black man named Jacob Blake during a domestic dispute. Blake was left paralyzed from the waist down.

Rittenhouse shot Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber and Gaige Grosskreutz that night with an assault-style rifle, killing Rosenbaum and Huber and wounding Grosskreutz. Conservatives across the country have rallied around Rittenhouse, raising $2 million to cover his bail. Black Lives Matter supporters have painted him as a trigger-happy racist.

Assistant District Attorney Thomas Binger tried to convince Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder during a motion hearing Friday morning that he should be allowed to argue at trial that Rittenhouse subscribes to the Proud Boys' white supremacist philosophies and violent tactics, pointing out that Rittenhouse was seen at a bar with members of the white nationalist group's Wisconsin chapter in January and traveled to Miami days later that to meet the group's national president.

Binger also asked the judge to allow evidence that Rittenhouse attacked a woman in June 2020 as she was fighting his sister and a video shot 15 days before the shootings in which he says he would like to shoot some men as they were leaving a CVS store.

Binger said Rittenhouse's affiliation with the Proud Boys, the fight and the video show that Rittenhouse's propensity toward violence and acting as "essentially a teen-age vigilante" and a "chaos tourist."

Rittenhouse attorney Cory Chirafisi countered that none of the events are relevant to the shootings.

The June fight happened months before the protest and has no bearing on whether he acted in self-defense that night, he said. Nothing shows he was connected to the Proud Boys on the night of the protest and or that the shootings were racially motivated, Chirafisi said, pointing out Rittenhouse and all of the men he shot were white. And nothing suggests that he even knew the men he ran into at the Racine bar were Proud Boys, he said.

Schroeder agreed that the June fight has no bearing on the shootings. As for the Proud Boys, nothing suggests he was affiliated with the group on the night of the shootings, the judge said.

IMAGE: AP

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The Smithsonian Institution announced on Friday that nine large cats at the National Zoo in Washington have been tested positive with the COVID disease. Among the nine wild cats, there are six lions and three tigers which are being treated after contracting the infection. Six African lions, one Sumatran tiger, and two Amur tigers, there was evidence of decreased appetites, coughing, sneezing, and drowsiness. The institution, which manages the zoo informed that the official outcome was expected in the following days to verify the presumptive positive coronavirus test findings.

As per NBCN news, the Washington zoo stated on its website that to combat the pain and reduced appetite, all the suffering lions and tigers are now being medicated with anti-inflammatories and anti-nausea medicine. The zoo further added that the big cats were prescribed antibiotics for suspected secondary bacterial pneumonia.

Statement from Washington zoo officials

According to zoo authorities, these big cats will not pose any serious risk to the tourists as there will be a considerable distance between the animals and tourists. The big cats will stay in the indoor-outdoor enclosures of the zoo under observation. The authorities further informed that there were no additional animals in the zoo exhibiting coronavirus symptoms, but a researched experimental veterinarian coronavirus vaccine will be given to animals at risk of infection.

Officials at the zoo claimed they don't understand how the animals contaminated the disease and that staff members of the zoo wear masks when they're near the creatures. As per New York Post, the zoo stated that it had launched an inquiry into all personnel who had contact with the ill lions and tigers but were unable to find anything.

Vaccinations of animals in Zoo

The United States Department of Agriculture has given the green light to Zoetis' coronavirus vaccination for vulnerable zoo animals. the Smithsonian further reports that the first shot of vaccines will be given to specific animals at the Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia when they become accessible in the following months. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that another Zoo in the US has started giving vaccines against COVID to the animals. The Philadelphia Zoo began immunising its creatures, starting with Charlie, a female ring-tailed lemur. Even the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is prepared to vaccine some of its animals.

Thousands of minks were exterminated in Denmark in the year 2020 due to the COVID outbreaks among animals confined in tight quarters on industrial farms. Since the emergence of the pandemic, scientists have discovered that pets may contract coronavirus from people, and cats seemed to be more vulnerable than dogs. As many are held captive in uncontrolled zoos and private houses, lions and tigers were flagged out from being in danger of the COVID illness.

(Image: Pixabay)
Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, is criticizing an an upcoming Washington protest that aims to rewrite history about the violent January assault on the U.S. Capitol.

A Republican, Kinzinger, says it has become a "fetish" among those protesting on Saturday to call for what he considers the "overthrowing of the government."

"There has been this new, I call it fetish, lately, of overthrowing the government and people playing dress up as militia, maybe because they've never served in their life and they're bored. But that's got to be pushed back against. That is really dangerous long term for this country," Kinzinger said in an interview with the AP ahead of the planned rally.

He also criticized Republicans who continue to deny or downplay the insurrection and the false claims that have surfaced since then.

Kinzinger, who has served in Iraq and is part of the Air National Guard, says that the denials by Republicans of the assault that happened on the US Capitol takes a mental toll on law enforcement and military who vowed to protect the U.S. Capitol.

"That's taken a real emotional toll on them because the party that they thought was there to support them, has basically pretended like their, their wounds aren't real," he said.

Kinzinger, who has faced pressure from his own party for criticizing former President Donald Trump, says the former president bares responsibility for "what's led to this moment" by falsely claiming "the election was stolen."

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Supporters of a plan to open supervised injection sites to try to reduce overdose deaths urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to review a court decision that bans the practice.

The test case centers on a nonprofit group's Safehouse project in Philadelphia, but officials in other states are watching closely as they debate similar programs. Nationally, more than 93,000 people died last year from drug overdoses, a sharp spike from just a year earlier.

A divided U.S. appeals court had rejected the Safehouse plan in January, although Philadelphia's Democratic mayor and top prosecutor endorse it. The city itself lost 1,200 people to overdoses last year.

The nonprofit groups plan to open a site was thwarted when former U.S. Attorney William McSwain, a President Donald Trump appointee now running for Pennsylvania governor, argued that it violated a 1980s-era drug law aimed at crackhouses. The district judge rejected McSwains argument, but the appeals court agreed with him in a 2-1 decision that nonetheless called the goal of harm reduction admirable.

Safehouse last month asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review that decision.

The amicus brief filed Friday, signed by dozens of current and former prosecutors and law enforcement officials across the country, said Congress never intended the crackhouse statute to encompass harm reduction efforts offered by medical personnel. Supporters in Rhode Island, where state law now allows it, and in California, New Mexico and several other states, hope to open pilot sites themselves.

People are in a bit of a waiting and watching game, to see whether the (Biden) Administration is going to criminalize it, said Miriam Krinsky, executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, the organization that coordinated the brief. The waiting game has cost lives.

The Justice Department has so far stayed neutral in the case, waiving its right to weigh in. McSwain's successor, Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams, likewise declined to comment Friday.

Under the Safehouse plan, people could bring drugs to the clinic-like setting, use them in a partitioned bay and get medical help if they overdose. They would also have access to counseling, treatment and other health services.

Its motives are admirable. But Congress has made it a crime to open a property to others to use drugs, U.S. Circuit Judge Stephanos Bibas wrote for the U.S. Circuit panel, overturning a district judge who found the plan legal given its goal of reducing drug use  not promoting it  through counseling and other services.

___

Follow Maryclaire Dale on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Maryclairedale .

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A day after the United States and Australia announced to form a new working group called AUUKUS, both the countries again came on the same platform to address the Afghanistan issue. On September 17, Friday, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with Australian Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Kathryn Campbell in Washington DC and reiterated their support for an international rules-based order and emphasized the significance of holding the Taliban responsible to their promise of establishing an inclusive society.

"Deputy Secretary Sherman and DFAT Secretary Campbell reiterated their support for the international rules-based order and emphasized the importance of holding the Taliban accountable to their commitment to build an inclusive society, allow humanitarian access, and permit the orderly and safe departure of Afghans and other nationals," the US State Department said in a statement.

Both the leaders also discussed economic recovery, resilience in the Indo-Pacific region and pandemic preparedness. The meeting was also focused on Australia's resistance to China's economic coercion. It is worth mentioning Canberra and Washington DC, on several occasions, warned the Communist government to implement relevant domestic legislation, including the Maritime Traffic Safety Law, in a manner consistent with UNCLOS in the South China Sea. The same concern was reiterated by both the leaders when they met in the US Capital on Friday.

UN Security Council also appeal Taliban to form an inclusive Afghan government

Earlier on Friday, the UN Security Council also suggested that the Taliban established an inclusive government with equal and meaningful participation of women. It has also approved a resolution for the same on Friday. According to the resolution, the agency would closely monitor the activities of the Taliban for the next six months.

Notably, the terrorist outfit has promised an inclusive government and a more moderate form of Islamic rule compared to their previous rule. However, irrespective of their claim, many Afghans, especially women, are deeply sceptical, and fear a rollback of rights gained over the last two decades.

It is worth noting that a series of incidents unfolded after the Taliban captured the national capital, Kabul, on August 15, leaving the people in tatters. Subsequently, on the following day, Afghanistans embattled president left the country, leaving his people to face the atrocities committed by the Taliban on their own.

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: AP/ANI)


US Ambassador to the the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield says her country continues to cooperate closely with France in the Indo-Pacific region and will continue to do so in the Security Council as well.

Speaking to reporters in New York, Thomas-Greenfield said, "we will continue to work with our French colleagues on areas of cooperation and address any tension in our relationship. But we don't see those tensions changing the nature of our friendship."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Friday evening that France is immediately recalling its ambassadors to the U.S. and Australia in a backlash over a submarine deal.

Le Drian said in a statement that the decision, on request from President Emmanuel Macron, is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made by Australia and the United States.

Macron has not commented on the issue since President Joe Bidens announcement of a strategic Indo-Pacific alliance with Australia and Britain, leading France to lose a nearly $100 billion deal to build diesel-electric submarines.

Thomas-Greenfield underscored that next week's General Assembly "must be a moment to strengthen alliances and partnerships; to come together where we have a common interest in solving big challenges."

She also said President Biden signed an executive order on Friday to increase pressure on parties to the conflict in Ethiopia.

She lamented that the parties to the conflict have for so long ignored international calls, including by the Security Council, for a negotiated ceasefire and initiate an inclusive political dialogue to resolve Ethiopia's crises.

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World Banks top officials placed its staffers under pressure to alter data to inflate the rankings for China and Saudi Arabia in 2018 and 2020 editions of the report, concluded an independent investigation. The law firm commissioned by the World Bank to conduct the probe, WilmerHale found that then-CEO Kristalina Georgieva pressured the Doing Business team in 2017 to change the report's methodology" or "make specific changes" in data points to boost China's ranking in the 2018 edition, reported CNN on September 17.

Reportedly, WilmerHale was commissioned by the World Bank to conduct the probe. According to the 16-page investigation, Chinese government officials repeatedly raised concerns to Georgieva and then-World Bank president, Jim Yong Kim, regarding Chinas ranking. The probe also concluded that Georgieva was even involved in the middle of negotiations over a capital increase campaign in which China "was expected to play a key role. WilmerHale stated that Georgieva was directly involved in pushing Chinas ranking.

According to CNN, during a meeting, World Banks then-CEO had "chastised the Bank's then-Country Director for mismanaging the Bank's relationship with China and failing to appreciate the importance of the Doing Business report to the country. Following the allegations of a discrepancy, World Bank on Thursday had decided to halt the publication of its Doing Business report which assesses regulatory environments of different countries along with the ease of business startups, infrastructure and other business climate measures.

"After reviewing all the information available to date on Doing Business, including the findings of past reviews, audits, and the report the Bank released today (Thursday) on behalf of the Board of Executive Directors, World Bank Group management has taken the decision to discontinue the Doing Business report," World Bank said in a statement posted on the website.

What is Doing Business report? Whys World Bank under fire?

The Doing Business report is important to several companies and investors across the globe which is used to help them decide where to invest money or manufacturing plans or sell products. In a bid to boost their rankings in the report, countries have often pursued substantive policy changes. For instance, introduce laws that would make it easier for businesses to pay taxes, receive loans or enforce the contracts.

However, World Bank, as per The Associated Press, has been long accused of using a sloppy method to publish the report and also succumbing to political pressure in producing the rankings. Now, WilmerHale has concluded that fudging of data took place to make China look better under Georgievas pressure. Then-CEO of World Bank, Georgieva is now the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Doing Business report was introduced in 2002 with its annual rankings highlighting which nations have adopted the policies that favour businesses. The report also outlines which countries have improved, and how much they have regressed. The bank is known to collect information from tens and thousands of accountants, lawyers and other professionals in 190 nations. Just last year, New Zealand ranked Number 1 and Somalia was the last, 190.

IMAGE: AP

(With ANI/AP inputs)


'Its the militarys ongoing impunity that allows these types of atrocities to continue,' one rights group says.

The body of a Myin-thar villager killed by Myanmar junta military forces is carried away, Sept. 10, 2021.

Myanmar military forces killed at least 24 civilians in attacks this month on three villages in the countrys central Magway region, murdering eight after taking them alive as prisoners, sources in the region said, with rights groups calling the killings war crimes.

Those killed in the assaults Sept. 9 and 10 on Myin-thar, Mway Le, and Yay Shin villages in Gangaw township included elderly men in their 70s and high school students under the age of 18, family members and resistance fighters told RFA.

Gyo Byu, a member of the local Peoples Defense Force unit set up to fight government troops in the wake of the Feb. 1 military coup that overthrew the elected government, said the elderly men who were killed were found tied to chairs and shot in the head, while the young men were shot dead after being captured.

Gyo Byu had helped to bury the bodies after they were found, he said.

One resident of Myin-thar, where 19 were killed on Sept. 9 alone, said that her 15-year-old brother and other high school students were among those killed in the massacre.

My brother was not even 16 yet. He had just finished the 8th grade, the woman said, adding that some of the other young boys who were killed had recently graduated from 10th grade, some passing their classes with honors.

The kids had formed a local security force because we had heard the soldiers set fire to houses when they leave a village.

It was raining hard when the armed clash took place, and their Tumee hunting rifles didnt fire, and thats why our young heroes had to give up their lives, she said, referring to the antique rifles now used by villagers desperate to defend themselves against government forces.

We cant even flee our homes in peace, since we cant go back to recover their bodies. When the mothers return, they wont be able to find their sons, she said.

Ten of those killed in Myin-thar on Sept. 9 were found lying in a group in a nearby field, one villager said, speaking to RFA like other villagers on condition of anonymity for security reasons.

At least 11 houses were set on fire that day, and 19 people were killed, a few of them during the initial shelling in the attack, the source said. Ten bodies were later found in a group in the sesame fields. The rest died near their homes.

Witnesses said that two or three of these died right away, and that when the rest turned back to get them they were arrested by the soldiers, and it seems they were then shot at close range. It was very gruesome, he said.

Three more people from Myin-thar and Mway Le village were killed that day, and on Sept. 10 two residents of Yay Shin village were also killed, making a total of 24 civilians killed during the two days of attacks.

Sources have told RFA that Myanmar troops have repeatedly raided villages in the Magway region since the beginning of September, destroying homes and arresting and killing villagers. Young people are often accused of being dissidents or Peoples Defense Force members, and are sometimes tortured and killed under questioning.

Elderly villagers are also not spared, residents say.

Calls seeking comment from Myanmar military spokesman Zaw Min Tun received no replies this week.

The bodies of Myin-thar villagers killed by Myanmar junta military forces are shown on Sept. 10, 2021. Photo: Citizen Journalist

'Unacceptable anywhere'

The killings of civilians reported in Magway should be considered war crimes, said Aung Myo Min, Minister for Human Rights in the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) set up in opposition to rule by the military.

Any crime against civilians is a crime under the law and a violation of human rights, Aung Myo Min said. These people were not killed while fighting or running. They were tortured and killed, and some were shot in the head.

Another victim was found killed after his genitals were mutilated, he said.

These were not casualties of war but intentional atrocitieswhich are unacceptable anywhere, and for anyone.

Kyee Myint, a veteran Myanmar lawyer, said that the killing of civilians and captives taken in battle by Myanmar forces in Magway and other parts of the country should be reported to the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Prisoners of war should not be killed, he said.

These incidents are happening now because opposition groups are only speaking big words and are unable to provide any assistancematerial or financialor to protect the young people who are taking up arms on their behalf, he said.

Myanmars Peoples Defense Forces do not constitute formed armies, said Brad Adams, Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch. So we do not see these [killings] as war crimes. Instead, we see them as human rights abuses.

Some people seem to think that a war crime is worse than an extrajudicial killing. Its not any worse, its just a term that people recognize, he said.

War crimes take place in situations of armed conflict, though, said Matthew Smith of the rights group Fortify Rights.

[These] allegations of torture or murder are consistent with what weve documented in the military crackdown since Feb. 1, and theyre also consistent with the militarys longstanding behavior in the areas of armed conflict for many, many years.

Its the militarys ongoing impunity that allows these types of atrocities to continue, he said.

In the seven months since the Feb. 1 coup, security forces have killed 1,108 civilians and arrested at least 6,591, according to the Bangkok-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)many during crackdowns on anti-junta protests.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Kyaw Min Htun. Written in English by Richard Finney.
The once exemplary Vietnam has been brought to its knees by a fourth wave of the coronavirus.

Vietnam's President (at the time Prime Minister) Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Cuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel shake hands at the Government Office in Hanoi, Vietnam, November 9, 2018.

Vietnams President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, whose country is in the throes of its worst coronavirus outbreak, will travel to Cuba this weekend to enlist the Caribbean fellow communist countrys help in fighting against the pandemic, Hanois Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Phucs three-day visit comes at the invitation of Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who agreed during a phone discussion in August that Cuba would donate 10 million doses of its homegrown COVID-19 vaccine, Abdala, before the end of the year. Phuc will also attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Cuba, which has said Abdala was 92.28% effective against SARS-CoV-2 during clinical trials in June, also will send a team to Vietnam to transfer its vaccine production technology.

The meeting follows a trip by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue to Europe to seek vaccine assistance earlier this month, part of a campaign to step up vaccinations rates in Vietnam. Hanoi has so far fully inoculated only five percent of its 98 million people.

Vietnam had been among the most effective countries in tackling COVID-19, reporting no deaths among its 95 million people through late July 2020a record that was attributed to effective contact tracing, strict quarantines, and early testing.

After successfully weathering three separate waves of the virus with confirmed cases numbering in the low thousands, a fourth wave arrived in April 2021. As of Friday, the country has reported 663,232 cases of the deadly virus and 16,637 deaths.

During the fourth wave, the country locked down its largest cities and forbade residents from leaving their houses except to procure food, a move that has led to widespread unemployment and loss of income.

But even as the harsh measures dragged on, reported cases continued to climb.

Looking beyond COVAX

Most of the vaccines administered in Vietnam so far come from the World Health Organizations COVAX program. Now Hanoi is looking to procure more from other countries.

Cuba has fully vaccinated 38.5 percent of its population using doses from Chinas SinoPharm as well as its own vaccines, for which it is seeking WHO approval.

Vietnam is also racing to roll out its own homegrown vaccines, with four under development, two of which are undergoing clinical trials.

Vietnams National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee on Thursday launched a fundraising website which called on the Vietnamese diaspora to contribute to the countrys fight against the pandemic.

The Committees President Do Van Chien said the government had limited resources, so is calling on society to join hands in combating the epidemic, particularly ensuring the wellbeing of the poor, the disadvantaged, the unfortunate and unemployed by making contributions to the national vaccine fund.

This will help bring the country back to normalcy, he said.

Running out of money

Also at the event, Pham Quang Hieu, the vice minister of foreign affairs and chairman of the Vietnam State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs, handed over a donation of one billion dong (U.S. $44,100) collected from people of Vietnamese descent living in Britain, Japan, Ukraine, and the U.S.

According to Vietnams state media, the overseas Vietnamese community has contributed over 60 billion dong ($2.65 million).

The fundraising efforts came as Vietnamese Finance Minister Ho Duc Phoc told the National Assembly that Vietnams budget was so tight that it almost has no money left.

The widespread lockdowns and social distancing measures decreased the governments tax revenue in half, as the most restricted areas were the highly populated industrial hubs, the minister said.

The revelation comes ahead of discussions over an assistance package for businesses, possibly hinting that the package will be smaller than what business owners are expecting.

The minister also said that the most urgent thing to do now was to find a way to open for business as soon as possible.

Vietnam has shifted from eliminating COVID-19 completely, which authorities dubbed the Zero F0 strategy, to accepting that the virus would be among the population and trying to live in a way to protect public health, state media reported.

Many people in Vietnam have lost their jobs and income due to the measures, and staying locked down indefinitely is unsustainable, state media reported Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam as saying at a meeting between the governments Special COVID-19 Taskforce and the leaders of the countrys largest city, Ho Chi Minh City.

He recommended that Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong province and other pandemic hotspot areas discontinue the Zero F0 strategy and prepare to live with the ongoing pandemic.

In the capital Hanoi, Nguyen Khac Dinh, head of the National Assembly Standing Committees Working Group on Implementing Resolutions related to COVID-19 Prevention and Control, told state media that his outfit had begun discussing a plan on living safely with the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of Friday, Vietnam has reported 663,232 cases of the deadly virus and 16,637 deaths.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service, Nawar Nemeh and Eugene Whong. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
The Kazakh police detained at least six activists during a September 18 opposition protest in Almaty. Supporters of the officially unregistered Democratic Party chanted: "Nazarbaev, go away!" Former authoritarian President Nursultan Nazarbaev has formally stepped down but preserves influence over Kazakhstan's politics. Dozens of protesters demanded the release of political prisoners, condemned the government's plan to use a Russian company to digitalize some state systems, and expressed solidarity with China's oppressed Muslim minorities.
Even though the Russian authorities no longer allow the public to see the live video feeds from polling stations as the country votes, many videos from polling stations across the country have emerged that seem to show flagrant ballot-box stuffing.

A really shocking number of such videos appeared on the first day of voting in the September 17-19 parliamentary and local elections, U.S.-based political analyst Andras Toth-Czifra wrote on Twitter. Allegations made by those who posted the videos could not be independently verified.

Here is a partial rundown of the footage:

A video from Bryansk Oblast polling station 475 seemed to show a person whose head was covered with a jacket placing at least a dozen ballots into a ballot box. The person who posted the video to Twitter identified the perpetrator as a member of the polling station commission.

According to Mediazona, Communist Party observers at the polling station estimated that a total of 300 extra ballots were added to the total there.

Also in the Bryansk region, at polling station 131, the Communist Party posted a video appearing to show an election official putting a number of ballots into a ballot box.

An election monitor in St. Petersburg posted a video of a young man at polling station 1615 attempting to place eight ballots in a ballot box. After observers caught him red-handed, he was escorted away by a police officer.

On September 18, the same election monitor was met by several "provocateurs" outside polling station 1641. She said they began fighting among themselves, and police quickly detained both them and her.

Dozhd TV posted a video from St. Petersburg polling station 2189 in which police can be seen stopping a woman with a large number of ballot papers in her bag. The Dozhd correspondent reported earlier that he had seen the woman on the street talking to the head of the polling station and had seen them get into a car together.

A video from St. Petersburg polling station 1809 seemed to show a man placing a large number of ballots into a ballot box in full view of polling station workers. Their only reaction was to direct the man to the exit after he finished.

The account of jailed Yabloko party candidate Andrei Pivovarov posted a video from polling station 3667 in the Moscow Oblast town of Balashikha showing an election worker giving a large number of ballot papers to a young man before he entered the voting booth.

In another video, the same poll worker can be seen giving multiple ballot papers to a woman while another young man emerges from behind the curtain and feeds about seven ballots into the ballot box.

Pivovarov's account posted two more videos from the same polling station, all of them seeming to show people placing multiple ballot papers in the ballot boxes.

Mikhail Lobanov -- a candidate from Moscow for the State Duma, Russias lower parliament house -- posted a photograph of a full ballot box from Moscow polling station 3487, saying that he had observed ballot box stuffing and had summoned the police.

The next day he posted a video from a session of the regional election commission at which his complaint had been rejected. He promised to appeal the ruling.

A video apparently from polling station 1660 in the Bashkortostan region appeared to show two young women feeding dozens of ballots into ballot boxes one after another.

A video from polling station 550 in Saratov Oblast also seemed to show two women feeding dozens of ballots into two ballot boxes. The Communist Party in that region called the incident "another criminal act."

And a video from polling station 98 in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian city of Sevastopol also showed a group of people -- apparently polling station officials -- feeding large numbers of ballots into two ballot boxes while a woman sitting a meter away from them watches.

The elections come at a time when the ruling United Russia party, one of President Vladimir Putins main levers of power, is polling at historically low popularity and amid a massive state crackdown on opposition candidates, independent civic organizations, and independent media.

Analysts say the Kremlins main goal is for United Russia to maintain its constitutional two-thirds majority in the 450-seat Duma.

RFE/RL's Russian Service contributed to this report
Actress Shilpa Shetty and husband Raj Kundra

Mumbai: Shilpa Shetty Kundra today on her Instagram shared a picture of a book quoted by Carl Bard, amid the controversy of her husband and businessman Raj Kundra in the case of the porn racket.

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The quote shared by her stated that "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." The chapter she shared, is titled 'New endings' . The paragraph read, "We can spend a lot of time analyzing the bad decisions we've made, the mistakes we've made, the friends we've hurt. If only we'd been smarter, more patient, or just nicer. We can't change the past, no matter how much we analyze it."



It continued, "But we can move forward in new ways, making better decisions, avoiding the old mistakes, and being nicer to those around us. We have countless opportunities to reinvent or reorient ourselves. I don't have to be defined by things I've done in the past. I can make the future what I want it to be." Shilpa didn't caption it but dropped a red heart sticker with the post on her Instagram story.

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Even the page concluded stating that, "I don't have to be defined by things I've done in the past. I can make the future what I want it to be."







This post comes after her visit to Vaishno Devi temple as the Mumbai Police crime branch filed an additional charge sheet against Raj Kundra in the pornography case. Police arrested Raj on July 19, along with 11 other people, on charges related to the alleged creation of pornographic films.

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Shilpa in her statement to the Mumbai Police was quoted that, "Raj Kundra started Viaan Industries Limited in 2015 and I was one of the directors till 2020 when I resigned due to personal reasons. I am not aware of the Hotshots or Bollyfame apps. I was too busy with my own work and hence, not aware about what Raj Kundra was up to."


CONGRESS SHOULD ABSTAIN SCHOOL SYLLABUS FOR NARROW POLITICAL GAIN - KULTAR SINGH SANDHWAN

Chandigarh: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab has alleged that like the BJP-RSS, the ruling Congress has turned to petty actions to mislead the new generation by abstaining from the history for political gain. In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Saturday, AAP MLA and Kisan Wing state president Kultar Singh Sandhwan strongly objected towards the Punjab Education Departments question number 38 of Assessment Examination (Supplementary Exam) for the subject of Class XII History, has demanded an apology from Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla with action against the paper setting panel.



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AAP MLA and Kisan Wing state president Kultar Singh Sandhwan





Sandhwan said the intervention of the ruling Congress has now reached the school syllabus after police stations and courts, which is even more dangerous. He said, a question in the recent Class XII assessment examination, Whose ancestors were blessed by seventh Guru Har Rai? The names of three Punjab Congress leaders Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Rana Gurjeet Singh, and Capt Amarinder Singh were written in the given option, which was a very bad prank.

Captain Amarinder Singh Resigned

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Addressing the Capt Amarinder Singh, Kultar Singh Sandhwan said, Please do not learn from the Modi-Amit Shah duo such communal and inferior maneuver that hurts the faith of millions of people. Misconceptions may be engraved on students' faces like blank paper. The tampering with history should be clear and your narrow political thinking should be buried.



Taking a dig, the AAP leader said that if such questions are necessary, then these questions must also be asked in the school syllabus and questionnaires -

Whose ancestor issued the coin in the name of Mughal raider Ahmed Shah Abdali?

The Sikh army led by Jathedar Baba Hanuman Singh Sohana (Mohali) was attacked by the king of which state?

Which state formed a coalition of states against the Sikhs to help the British?

Shaheed Seva Singh Thikriwala, founder of Praja Mandal Campaign was martyred by the king of which state by putting him behind bars?

Which of these Pepsu states was considered to be the biggest backbone of the British?

Which Congresswoman Chief Minister was charged with corruption?

Which Congress minister of Punjab who was involved in the liquor mafia had to resign due to his involvement in the sand mafia?

Which Chief Minister took a false oath of Sri Gutka Sahib?
AICC called for the Legislative Party meeting on 18th September.

Chandigarh: All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and in-charge of Punjab affairs, Harish Rawat, announced on Friday night about the meeting to be held on 18th September, Saturday.

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" The AICC has received a representation from a large number of MLAs from the Congress party, requesting to immediately convene a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party of Punjab. Accordingly, a meeting of the CLP has been convened at 5:00 PM on 18th September at Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee office," he tweeted.





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He even tweeted that, "Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee office. AICC directs the PPCC to Facilitate this meeting. All congress MLAs of Punjab are requested to kindly attend this meeting."



Harish Rawat in his tweets also mentioned Rahul Gandhi, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, and Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu.





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All about this meeting, Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also tweeted about the meeting, " As per the AICC directive, Congress Legislative Party meeting has been convened at @INCPunjab PPCC Office, Chandigarh on 18 September 2021 (Saturday) 5 PM."







Last month the party legislators questioned CM Amarinder Singh's faith to fulfill the needs of the people. This rift was going on since then, that's the reason why AICC called for the Legislative Party meeting on 18th September.
PUBLIC CHARGING STATIONS FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES IN PUNJAB

Chandigarh: To ensure the installation of Public Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles across Punjab, the Chief Executive Officer, PEDA Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa signed an MoU with Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL)  a Joint Venture of PSUs under Ministry of Power, Government of India, last evening at PEDA Office, Chandigarh.

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Chief Executive Officer, PEDA Navjot Pal Singh Randhawa





The MoU has been signed keeping in mind the need for e-mobility in the state. With this collaboration, CESL is planning to expand its EV transition portfolio and provided accessible and affordable charging infrastructure in the State. This partnership will also establish a roadmap for the installation of public charging stations at various locations, promoting the adoption of e-vehicles including electric 2/3/4 wheelers in the Punjab region.



M.P. Singh, Director, PEDA



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?Divulging the details, the CEO, PEDA informed that this MoU will steer the state towards a new e-mobility journey. Punjab has been slowly adapting to the new dynamics and we are quite optimistic about this collaboration with CESL. We believe that this will help us in attaining the larger agenda of electric vehicle transition, further reducing the carbon footprints. M.P. Singh, Director, PEDA further informed that the charging units, with its compatibility with a wide range of electric vehicles, will greatly spur e-mobility adoption in the State of Punjab. It will go a long way in making EV charging hassle-free and convenient for the consumers, thereby making e-mobility adoption an attractive proposition across regions in the State.







?On the occasion, Cluster Head (North), CESL Rajneesh Rana, explained that this will act as a bridge to develop a strong e-charging infrastructure for widespread acceptance of electric vehicles in Punjab. It is crucial to building an accessible and robust network of EV charging infrastructure for making the transition to e-mobility. This will not only bring us a step closer to the net-zero mission but will also help in innovating the transportation sector of the country. With PEDAs support, I am confident that we will be able to encourage the development of an EV ecosystem in Punjab, he added.

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Australia has been thrust into the limelight after signing a trilateral defence partnership with the US and the UK that is set to provide its navy with nuclear-propelled submarines.

But the intention behind Aukus goes far beyond those submarines and Australia. The new pact is an essential building block in Washingtons attempts to prevent China from gaining military primacy in the region, according to military officials and analysts.

There is a real effort to enhance allies capabilities and exploit as much as possible new relationships to increase the reach for the US, said Alexander Neill, an expert on Asian security affairs who runs a strategic consultancy in Singapore. It means integrating your friends and allies into your battlespace and posing a deterrence to the likes of China through force multiplication. Thats what Aukus is.

Chinas growing arsenal of missiles aimed at US bases in Japan, Guam and its warships, Beijings budding electronic warfare and space force and its growing submarine fleet have undermined the American militarys ability to operate freely in Asian waters and airspace.



For more than a decade, US policymakers and military officials have been discussing how to counter the erosion of its power as the Peoples Liberation Army has expanded capabilities. Some initial steps included changes to the Marine Corps operations, the creation or expansion of air strips on Pacific islands, such as Midway, and the rotation of Marines and Air Force assets through northern Australia.

But Aukus could take these efforts much further. I think it does fill gaps in the USs military power in the region: we are now engaging in very serious alliance strengthening with Australia, and that comes in the context of the US investing a lot more in the Quad, said David Santoro, president of the Pacific Forum, a Hawaii-based think-tank, referring to a partnership between the US, Australia, India and Japan that the Biden administration has enlisted to help counter Beijing.

Two Asian military officials said they expected a Quad summit next week would strengthen the US commitment to deeper defence co-operation. We are moving towards a situation where different partners take charge of patrolling different sectors of the sea, and that will optimise the use of the limited assets we have, one said.

Washington and Canberra said on Thursday they would expand the rotational deployment of US military aircraft in Australia and extend this co-operation to servicing American naval vessels in the country. The governments also said they would conduct more integrated exercises and operate jointly with other allies and partners in the region.

The US maintains its submarine fleet for the region in Guam. Chinese vessels are making forays ever closer to the Western Pacific island  Naomi Johnson/AP

The Biden administration launched a force posture review in February to determine what changes are needed to the US militarys presence, resources and strategies around the globe. Experts believe the initiatives agreed under Aukus may be the first results of that process.

This may be the start of the rollout of the implications of that review. I suspect that is likely to be the context, said Euan Graham, a senior fellow for Asia-Pacific security at the Institute for International Strategic Studies, a think-tank in Singapore.

At the heart of the USs new strategy is an approach called Integrated Deterrence, whereby it ties its forces and those of allies and partners closer together and relies more heavily on them. This allows for operations closer to Chinese territory but in some cases also shields US assets from attack.



Australia is not just a political ally, it is in a convenient location, outside the envelope of all but Chinas longest-range missiles, Graham said.

The US could potentially base strike assets there and do what it did in the early 1940s, he added, in a reference to the US and Australia fighting Japan together during the second world war. Technology changes a lot, but geography doesnt change.

The US Air Forces rotational deployments in Australia include bombers capable of carrying anti-ship missiles, which can put Chinese Navy ships across the region at risk. Analysts believe that the US Navy will also request access to the HMAS Stirling base in Perth for its nuclear-propelled submarines. Cocos Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, is suitable for monitoring approaches from the west into the disputed South China Sea.

Equally important in the growing competition between the US and China is support from allies in the Pacific. Defence experts see Aukus as part of a broader US push into Oceania, where Australia has long been the dominant power. This comes as Chinese naval and maritime research vessels are making forays ever closer to Guam, where the US keeps its submarine fleet for the region.

The tighter integration of US and allied forces through Aukus is set to vastly complicate strategic calculations for Beijing.

Think of the dilemma that China faces if Australian military communications and surveillance satellites are sharing information with the US and the UK in a conflict, and China has to decide whether to hit them, said Drew Thompson, a visiting fellow at the National University of Singapore and a former Pentagon official.



Thompson equates such a situation to the dilemma China would face in a war over Taiwan: to hit Kadena, the US air base in Japan, to block fighters from coming to Taiwans defence but risk Tokyo entering the conflict.

Aukus is part of a tremendous resiliency initiative that brings all sorts of escalation dilemmas for China, he said.


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Inundated with hundreds of requests from his constituents to get family and friends out of Afghanistan, Rep. Ro Khanna held a meeting with Bay Area Afghans to further gauge the plight of their families still stuck in the country and in need of possible evacuation.

About eight Afghan Americans gathered at the Warm Springs Community Park in Fremont to meet with Khanna, D-Fremont, imploring him to help their families back in Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the world, amid the confusion involved with evacuating the country.

My mother is in Brussels, brother is still in Kabul, sister is in Wisconsin at a Red Cross army camp, said Farzana, who declined to give her last name because she is fearful of violence directed toward her family in Afghanistan. She said shes been worried sick about their state and wants them all in the Bay Area with her. Her mother has an approved visa to enter the U.S.

The day of the Taliban takeover was the day of her interview, but when her mother arrived at the airport they sent her to Belgium at a Red Cross army base camp, she said. Her husband, Ahmad, who also declined to give his last name, was a translator for the U.S. Special Forces from 2001 to 2009. They moved here from Afghanistan with three children in 2011.

In recent weeks, members of Congress have been flooded with requests from Afghans, Afghan Americans and Americans, urging them to help with evacuation efforts after the Talibans return to power mid-August following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Long lines circled both Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, and Khannas offices days following the countrys seizure, with desperate families seeking help to rescue their loved ones.

As of Aug. 31, 123,000 people, including 6,000 Americans, have been evacuated, according to the latest figures available from the State Department. Khannas office is handling nine cases covering 13 U.S. citizens and five green-card holders, and is expecting more, he said. His office was instrumental in getting 6 U.S. citizens, 10 people on green cards, and 14 people on Afghan special immigrant visas, out of the country safely and back to the United States.

Khanna told The Chronicle prior to the event that the purpose of the meeting was to understand how many American citizens and green-card holders were still in Afghanistan, and want to get out. But the conversation went beyond immediate family members with people seeking assistance for relatives and neighbors, and concerns coming up about Afghan allies who worked for the American government.

Weve received hundreds of requests at our office and we will give (Bay Area Afghans) an update on what were hearing, Khanna said before the meeting. Well get perspective that is closer to the ground, because (constituents) often are in communication with people in Afghanistan.

His office has been working with the State Department and local nonprofits, such as the Afghan Coalition in Fremont, to help with evacuation efforts.

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.

Khannas district, which includes parts of the East Bay, is home to Little Kabul and a large contingent of Afghan Americans who contribute to the regions diversity through economic, cultural and social means. The larger Bay Area is home to an estimated 60,000 Afghan Americans, making it the most populous region in the country for the community.

We need more charter flights, we need more cooperation with Tajikistan and Pakistan. The Afghan community is an asset, I welcome them here in the Bay Area. I will continue to be a voice for the Afghan American community, Khanna said.

I do have some fear because of the dangerous rhetoric from some members of Congress in other jurisdictions. We are a nation of immigrants and we have a moral responsibility to the people of Afghanistan.

Shwanika Narayan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: shwanika.narayan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @shwanika Instagram: @shwanika
Three weeks into the school year, the San Lorenzo superintendent stood in a classroom, masked students behind him, and took a selfie.

The photo was unremarkable  desks, students, pencils. But the caption reflected the dire situation that many Bay Area school districts find themselves in: There are not enough teachers to staff classrooms and a host of other employees have to fill in.

The teacher and substitute/guest teacher shortage is a real issue, Daryl Camp wrote about his East Bay district. In San Lorenzo USD, directors, principals, assistant superintendents and the superintendent are in classrooms trying to support school sites. Teachers are subbing during their prep time way too much.

Camp wasnt just visiting the classroom; he was filling in as a teacher.

I volunteer to cover classrooms because were short all over the place, he said this week, adding it doesnt help to know the problem is widespread. Its sort of like saying, Everybody has been hit in the face.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

In classrooms across the Bay Area, substitutes, temporary teachers and in some cases top administrators have had to cover classrooms until a substitute or permanent and fully credentialed educator is hired to take the job.

In some cases, that lasted a few days. In other cases, weeks into the school year, district officials are still looking.

In recent days, San Lorenzo still had more than 20 teacher vacancies out of about 500 positions.

While teacher vacancies at the start of school arent uncommon  with last-minute resignations or a handful of hard-to-fill positions requiring a new hire  this year is worse.

The pandemic has exacerbated an existing teacher shortage, with more people leaving the profession than in years past, and not enough newcomers to take their place. Thats especially true in special education, bilingual education and math. In addition, districts have piles of state and federal cash to spend on pandemic recovery, which includes adding support staff and teachers to address student needs.

There arent nearly enough substitutes to cover vacancies or fill in for absences, which have increased as teachers  like other staff and students  stay home at the onset of any possible COVID-19 symptoms or because of required quarantine.

In Hayward, for example, the district had 53 teacher full- and part-time job openings last week out of about 1,100 total. At the same time, often half of the 80 to 100 requests for substitutes cannot be filled on any given day.

As is the case in most other districts, administrators or other qualified staff often step in to cover the classrooms.

This is a problem that has been building for years, said Troy Flint, speaking for the California School Boards Association. Theres no question that the pandemic and our response to the pandemic in terms of trying to provide expanded learning and learning recovery opportunity, which are personnel intensive, have made a difficult hiring situation even more complicated.

Such shortages often hit some schools harder than others, with those in low-income urban communities and rural areas unable to lure candidates as easily as suburban and wealthy schools. That often leaves schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods with a disproportionate number of vacancies and frustrated staff.

In San Francisco, hiring is a big priority, with district officials doubling down on filling positions, said Jennifer Douglass, executive director of human resources for the San Francisco Unified School District. Staff members have recruited substitutes to enroll in teacher training programs to become permanent so they can take a classroom as an intern, and have called candidates to woo them and expedited the hiring process, she said.

In San Francisco, the district typically hires 500 to 600 teachers per year, with 99% filled by the first day of classes. This year, three weeks into the school year, there were still 45 positions unfilled, or nearly 10% of a years average total new hires.

Well fill positions and then new positions might open up, Douglass said.

On Back-to-School Night at A.P. Giannini Middle School in San Francisco, the principal explained what eighth-grade math would be like for students in one class, where the teacher started the year but has been absent since the first week or so, said parent Patrick Wolff.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

While its not officially announced, the teacher is apparently retiring, he said. A substitute, who has taught social studies in the past, has taken over the class.

My daughter said the nice thing about math class right now is she gets to do her homework from her other classes during math, he said. Its really unclear how much math instruction shes gotten this year.

Wolff, who co-founded the political action committee Campaign for Better San Francisco Public Schools to reform school board elections, acknowledged that the district is not alone in facing a shortage of teachers.

But he wonders how long it will take to get a math teacher in his daughters math class.

Of course, its very frustrating, he said.

Many openings are for special education teachers. With administrators and other staff covering classrooms, it means they are no longer doing their real job, which includes conducting the meetings with teachers and parents to create an individualized education plan for each student who needs special services, said Alida Fisher, a district parent and special education advocate.

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.

Even when those meetings are held, there isnt always the staffing to provide the services needed, given shortages of teachers, substitutes and teacher aides as well, she said. Because of the pandemic, those students need more mental health services to deal with the anxiety and fear after so long at home.

Its been brutal, Fisher said. Our teachers are amazing. Theyre miracle workers. I just wish we had more.

California was already bracing for a growing teacher shortage. During the recession of 2007-09, districts were forced to lay off staff, including teachers. Based on labor agreements, those with the least seniority, and often the youngest teachers, were given the pink slips. That left an older workforce, with about 40% of educators 50 years or older, the California State Teachers Retirement System reported this year.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

Then the pandemic hit, and state schools saw a record number of teachers retiring in the second half of 2020, with an expected 16,000 retirements for 2020-21.

A survey found that 62% of those teachers decided to retire earlier than they had planned to, citing the challenges of teaching during the pandemic, working remotely and possible exposure to the coronavirus as reasons for doing so.

The educator shortage, like the bus driver and other worker shortages around the country, should be characterized as a shortage in pay and working conditions, said Nathalie Hrizi, vice president of substitutes for the United Educators of San Francisco. The crisis has been building for decades with no substantial changes made to prevent it and is now even more exacerbated by COVID.

State officials have stepped in to help fast-track new teachers into the profession, suspending testing requirements and easing transfers from other states, while also lifting restrictions on bringing back new retirees.

Still, some district officials say its a brutal competition to attract candidates and some are offering signing bonuses to lure teachers.

The San Joaquin County community of Manteca got the jump on other districts, creating a hiring strategy in fall 2020 for this school year. They brought in 56 long-term substitutes last year to work at assigned school sites, at the ready to cover for vacancies or absences.

The district also hired teachers in the spring despite a lack of job openings at the time, knowing there would be teachers leaving during the summer. Still, it started the school year with seven vacancies and a deficit of 10 to 20 substitutes on any given day.

District officials say they are doing everything they can think of to fill vacancies.

Hayward Unified is definitely feeling the impact of more teachers leaving the profession than in previous years and from a lower number of teachers and substitutes receiving their credentials, said Kimberleigh Watts, assistant superintendent of human resources. The pandemic exacerbated an already growing teacher shortage issue, and the district is doing everything within its means to recruit educators and place qualified teachers in every classroom.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
A new law aimed at easing Californias housing crisis probably wont do much to alleviate the shortage in San Francisco, according to a new analysis. But it could spur home building in less-dense Bay Area counties, including Napa, Sonoma and Marin.

The law, called SB9, will allow property owners to split single-family lots and convert homes into duplexes, permitting up to three additional units of housing on lots that previously just had one.

SB9  plus two associated bills, SB8 and SB10  will not end single-family zoning in California, though. While SB9 will allow a lot of single-family homes to be converted, it actually doesnt apply to millions of homes  including residences in rural areas, high fire-risk zones and historical districts and on lots smaller than 2,400 square feet.

Before SB9 passed, the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley published a report looking at how many new homes it could help California produce. The centers staff first analyzed how many of Californias 7.5 million single-family homes would be eligible for lot-splitting. They then looked at how many of those lots would actually make sense to split, financially speaking. The goal was to get an idea of how many new homes might actually get built thanks to SB9, not just how many were technically made legal by the new bill.

The Terner Center found that SB9 will make 700,000 new units market-feasible  a decent number of new homes, but not enough to address a shortage of nearly 2 million units statewide. If all 700,000 units were built, that would increase the number of housing units in the state by 5%.

The report also broke down the number of possible new housing units by county. The Chronicle looked at how those numbers stacked up to each countys current housing supply and population to see which counties stand to gain the most housing.

We found that SB9 would have an uneven effect across the Bay Area. In counties like Napa, Sonoma and Marin, which tend to have more suburban neighborhoods and homes with larger lot sizes, the bill could add up to 36 new homes per 1,000 residents.

However, the bill will have less of an effect in counties with denser neighborhoods, like San Francisco and Alameda. In San Francisco, the center estimated that SB9 could only increase housing supply by 8,500 units, a 2% increase on the number of current units. Thats largely because the citys neighborhoods consist of small homes on small lots, David Garcia, policy director at the Terner Center, told The Chronicle

Parcel size is actually a significant indicator of whether or not any new development would be feasible under SB9, Garcia said. In older neighborhoods like what you see in San Francisco, the parcels are going to be relatively small.

Garcia said that its likely the bills impact on Californias housing shortage will be modest, especially at first. For one, its unlikely most of the 700,000 feasible units will get built right away, or ever, he said.

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Its really incumbent upon the homeowner to do this, he said. He added that its likely new units will be concentrated in wealthier neighborhoods, because landowners there can afford to subdivide their homes and housing costs are high enough that it makes financial sense to do so.

Additionally, cities can impose their own requirements on top of SB9, like height restrictions on new construction or charging impact fees, he said.

But SB9 isnt meant to radically increase California housing stock overnight, Garcia said. Rather, its meant to set the table for modest increases in neighborhood density over a period of time.

Susie Neilson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: susie.neilson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @susieneilson
California hit the lowest coronavirus case rate in the nation Friday  thanks not only to high vaccination and masking, but also to a state culture that generally embraces public health precautions, experts said.

Despite the highly contagious delta variant, which accounts for essentially all COVID cases in California, coronavirus infections are plummeting in the state, with a 32% drop in average weekly cases as of Thursday compared to a month earlier  25 per 100,000 people, down from 33 per 100,000.

In much of the country outside the Northeast, case rates are at least double, or even five times higher, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

Californias ability to reduce the spread of the virus lies partly in vaccinations. Among residents 18 and older, 69% are fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times vaccination tracker.

Thats good, but nowhere near good enough, said Stephen Shortell, dean emeritus at UC Berkeleys School of Public Health, who said it may take a 90% vaccination rate to achieve herd immunity because of the delta variant.

California is the 19th state by vaccination percentage.

We are not the most vaccinated state, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, chair of UCSFs Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. But we are also a state that has not completely abandoned the other mitigation methods.

California requires mask wearing at schools, on public transportation, and in hospitals, nursing homes and prisons. Masks in other indoor settings are recommended.

The Bay Area has been far more aggressive than the state. In eight of the nine counties, masks are required in nearly all indoor public settings  restaurants and bars being the main exceptions, though San Francisco, Berkeley and Contra Costa County require people to be vaccinated to enter those venues. Case rates in the region have plunged faster in recent weeks than those statewide.

Experts say many residents go beyond the rules.

I think in California, there is a social norm around masking, said Arnab Mukherjea, chair of Cal State East Bays public health department. If you go outside, 75% of people are wearing masks.

The state had the lowest COVID rates in the country on Friday, with 114 weekly cases for every 100,000 residents, according to the CDCs tracker map.

Wyoming has one of the highest state rates, with a weekly figure of 659 cases per 100,000 residents. Only half of its residents 18 and older are fully vaccinated  trailing every state except West Virginia. Wyomings governor lifted the states mask mandate in March.

In a way, the idea of American independent thinking is working against us in the pandemic, said Dr. Robert Siegel, an immunology expert at in Stanford University, who is teaching a course called the Vaccine Revolution this semester.

Connecticut and Vermont have the highest vaccination rates in the nation, with 79% of adults having gotten their shots in each state.

Not coincidentally, Connecticuts seven-day case rate was nearly as low as Californias on Friday, and Vermonts was only slightly higher than Connecticuts.

Dr. Tim Lahey, infectious disease expert at the University of Vermont Medical Center, credited not just his states high vaccination rate, but its science-based leadership for its comparatively low weekly COVID rate of 151 cases per 100,000 residents.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Lahey also referred to his states ethos of neighborliness as critical to its success.

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If the small inconvenience of wearing a mask could protect my neighbor, I wear one with a smile, he said. Similarly, if the science, my own self-interest and the protection of my neighbors all are promoted by getting a vaccine, Im happy to join my neighbors in line.

California has not quite cultivated a Vermont-like reputation for neighborliness. But a similar approach has evolved over decades that set the stage for Californias pandemic-era health actions, experts said.

In 1995, after California became the first state to ban smoking in workplaces  influencing about half the states, including Vermont and Connecticut  we made it socially acceptable to broadly adopt public health practices, said Mukherjea of Cal State East Bay.

But the states commitment to public health alliances among key groups goes back to the 1980s, said Dr. John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley.

Early on, those most at risk for getting sick and dying from AIDS clashed with public health officials. But we really ironed it out, Swartzberg said. We realized we were all on the same team, and we did a spectacular job.

Up and down the state, he said, we made a cultural shift that positioned us really well for tackling the pandemic in ways that other states didnt have in place.

Swartzberg hastened to say that public health systems in many other states also work well with their communities.

Even so, he added, I do think that, even if we are not unique, then at least culturally we were prepared for these times.

Nanette Asimov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov
San Francisco police are investigating the death of a man who was apparently shot while riding a motorcycle Friday night near Alamo Square Park.

Officers responded to the incident at 10:22 p.m. and found the victim with life-threatening injuries caused by a gunshot, SFPD Officer Robert Rueca said in an email.

The victim was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he died.

Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the district where the incident occurred, said in a tweet Saturday afternoon that the shooting occurred near the intersection of Grove and Webster streets, about two blocks east of the park where tourists flock to see the Painted Ladies homes.

The victim had been reportedly on a motorcycle or dirt bike at the time he was shot, Preston said.

Police had not made any arrests in the case by late Saturday afternoon, and it was unclear whether the attack involved more than one suspect. Rueca said anyone with information about the shooting should contact San Francisco police at 415-575-4444.

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We will provide further updates on the case as we learn more, Preston said. Our hearts go out to the victim, the victims family and friends, and the entire community.

Ricardo Cano is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ricardo.cano@sfchronicle.com
An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday rejected booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for the general population  but went on to recommend third doses for people 65 and older. Booster shots were already being offered for some groups.

Heres where things now stand with booster shots in the U.S.:

Who can get a booster right now?

As of right now, if you are moderately or severely immunocompromised and you got one of the two mRNA COVID-19 vaccine shots  Pfizer or Moderna  you can get your booster shot anytime, as long as its at least 28 days after your initial two doses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whos in line to get the booster shots next, and when?

If you got Pfizer and you are over 65, at high risk of severe disease or at high risk of exposure due to your work  like health care workers  you could be eligible soon.

On Friday, the scientific advisory board to the FDA recommended authorizing a COVID-19 Pfizer booster shot to people 65 and up, as well as those who are at high risk of severe disease due to medical conditions, or at high risk of exposure on the job.

The FDAs official decision will come next week. After that, a separate CDC panel  scheduled to meet Wednesday  will issue guidance on how boosters should be delivered.

This recommendation falls short of the Biden administrations plan to make boosters available to everyone who received a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine starting Sept. 20. The panel voted against approving a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine for all people 16 and up. Pfizer was the only vaccine under consideration, as it is the only vaccine that has gotten full FDA approval.

I got Moderna. Can I get a booster?

If youre immunocompromised, yes. But for everyone else, the CDC and FDA still do not recommend a booster shot. On Friday, the FDA panel discussed only Pfizer booster shots, saying there is not enough data yet to consider them for recipients of Moderna, the other mRNA vaccine available in the U.S.

I got Johnson & Johnson. Can I get a booster?

The CDC, state and local health departments still dont recommend booster shots for people who got the J&J vaccine. But on Tuesday, Johnson & Johnson released results from a clinical trial showing that a second shot of its vaccine can be 94% effective at preventing mild to severe COVID-19, up from 74% with just one dose. The company has submitted its findings to the FDA.

In San Francisco, people who received J&J can get a supplemental shot of an mRNA vaccine if they want it, even though it is still not required or recommended.

There is no clear evidence for who would benefit, or how much someone would benefit, from a supplemental mRNA vaccine after receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the San Francisco health department said.

People who get a supplemental shot need to attest that their medical provider recommended that they do so, according to the health department.

When will boosters become available to everyone whos eligible for the first two doses?

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Fridays vote indicated that even for the Pfizer vaccine, the only one with full FDA approval so far, recommending a booster to everyone eligible may still be a few months down the line. The board will likely will consider boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines later this year.

Several top scientists and advisers to the FDA want to wait until more data is available about booster doses before recommending them, emphasizing that the two-dose series is still proving effective in preventing severe disease. They also questioned how much benefit a third dose would offer to most people in preventing severe disease or mild illness, and whether boosting all Pfizer recipients would have much impact on slowing down coronavirus transmission in the United States.

Can I mix and match vaccine types?

For immunocompromised people, who are already approved for a third dose, the CDC recommends that you get the same brand of vaccine as your first two doses, as thats whats been studied so far. But the agency also said that you can get the other mRNA shot if your first brand isnt available to you.

I wouldnt go out and do it proactively, said UCSF infectious disease expert Peter Chin-Hong of mixing and matching  but if you have to make the switch, it should be fine.

What are the side effects if I do get a booster shot?

Information on how the boosters affect people is still limited, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says reactions to the third dose so far have been similar to that of the original two-dose series. Other experts say that anecdotal reports of people experiencing milder side effects than the second dose make sense, given how the vaccines work.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
ATHENS, Ga. (AP)  A second mistrial has been ordered for a Georgia man charged with raping and sodomizing a woman in her apartment in April 2018.

Alex Michael Mosby, 30, of Athens, was on trial in Clarke County Superior Court when the jury deadlocked Thursday at six for acquittal and six to convict. Judge Lawton Stephens ordered the mistrial after the jury was unable to agree on a verdict, The Athens Banner-Herald reported.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A gathering of leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean this weekend in Mexico is the latest sign of that country flexing its diplomatic muscle as it looks to assert itself as the new mediator between the region and the United States.

Whether or not Saturdays meeting in Mexico City of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, culminates in a rumored mass exodus from the Organization of American States, Mexico has signaled that it wants a leadership role in Latin America after years of focusing almost exclusively on its bilateral relationship with the U.S.

It was precisely the closeness of that relationship that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador cited in July in proposing Mexico help the region open a dialogue with the U.S. government to reorient a relationship based on a 2-century-old model he said has no future.

Turning their backs on the United States was also not an option, Lopez Obrador said. It is time to express and explore another option: that of a dialogue with U.S. leaders and to convince and persuade them that a new relationship among the countries of America is possible.

The president said Mexicos proposal was for something closer to the model of the European Union. In that spirit, you mustnt rule out the substitution of the (Organization of American States) with a truly autonomous body, a lackey to no one, he said.

Enter the CELAC.

Mexico was the organizations president last year and its membership voted that Mexico continue in that role this year.

CELAC has only existed for 10 years and is more left-leaning, having remained on good terms with countries including Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. Late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was one of its biggest proponents. But for long stretches, it did not even meet.

Unlike the OAS, the United States and Canada are not members, nor is Brazil, which withdrew in January 2020.

Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has been outspoken on the inequality and disparities in access to COVID-19 vaccines and CELAC became a vehicle for Mexicos efforts on that subject.

Mexico pursued a multipronged strategy of direct purchases and participation in the multilateral efforts to obtain vaccine. But at the same time, Ebrard worked through CELAC to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine in the region  Argentina and Mexico  and distribute it here.

Late last month, Ebrard turned to the OAS. The organization, he said, became out-of-date because the world changed, he said.

Goodbye OAS, in its interventionist, interfering and hegemonic sense, Ebrard said to applause.

Hence the speculation that Mexico could lead other countries in leaving the OAS.

Along with its vaccine efforts in the region, Mexico has hosted a new round of dialogue between the Venezuelan government and that countrys opposition in Mexico City. Lopez Obradors administration had resisted pressure to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was one of the unexpected leaders who arrived late Friday in Mexico City for the meeting. This is his first trip outside Venezuela since the U.S. government indicted him on drug trafficking and terrorism charges in March 2020, and offered a reward of up to $15 million for him.

Mexico's president has cooperated with both the Trump and Biden administrations on immigration, deploying Mexican security forces to try to contain migrants in southern Mexico and allowing the U.S. to return non-Mexican asylum seekers to await their cases in Mexico. Lopez Obrador has asked the Biden administration to support the expansion of two of his signature social programs to Central Americas Northern Triangle to address the root causes of migration.

On Thursday, Lopez Obrador hosted Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and railed against the U.S. economic blockade of Cuba. Mexico recently sent ships with food, medicine and fuel to the island.

Ana Vanessa Cardenas Zanatta, a political science professor at Monterrey Technological and Anahuac universities in Mexico City, said on one hand, Mexicos move to take a greater role in Latin America is positive.

For the first time this government is assuming a position in terms of foreign policy and Latin American leadership that had been demanded of Mexico many times and it had not responded to, Cardenas said.

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But leaving the OAS would be a great risk, noting the organization has the membership and financial support of major economies like the U.S., Canada and Brazil, and still struggles financially. She said it is hard to imagine the CELAC being much more than a rhetorical and symbolic tool in the near future.

The debate was aired during an OAS meeting Friday.

Colombia Foreign Affairs minister Marta Lucia Ramirez said talk of replacing the OAS was worrisome.

Of course the answer must be no, she said. The OAS and CELAC can be complementary.

During the meeting, Mexico's representative, Luz Elena Banos, criticized the OAS for its policy of interference, arguing the organization had deepened the political conflict between countries.

Rafael Elias Rojas, a professor of History at Mexico College and an expert in Latin American diplomacy, said Mexico is trying to lead.

I dont think it is improvised, theyve been working for awhile, Rojas said. But he expressed doubts due to how polarized the region is. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall there has never been a moment so low for Latin Americanism.

___

AP writers Claudia Torrens in New York and Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance.

Durst, 78, was not in court for the verdict from the jury that deliberated about seven hours over three days. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus.

Durst, who faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman. She was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000 as she was prepared to tell police how she helped cover up his wifes killing.

Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Dursts longtime confidante who told friends she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didnt think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Bermans killing with Kathie Dursts suspected death and the 2001 killing of a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

Now Playing: A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago. Durst, 78, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman. (Sept. 17) Video: Associated Press

Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and hes been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes. We just feel really gratified that hes been held accountable, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.

Lewin met with jurors after the verdict and said they thought prosecutors had proven Durst had killed his wife and had murdered both Berman and his Texas neighbor in an effort to escape justice.

He said jurors did not find Durst credible as a witness.

Hes a narcissistic psychopath. He killed his wife and then he had to keep killing to cover it up, Lewin said.

Lewin said he hoped Durst understands what its like to be held accountable  even if it took 40 years. Considering what hes done, he got a lot more of a life than he was entitled to," the prosecutor said.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession.

Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: There it is. Youre caught.

Dursts decision to testify in his own defense  hoping for a repeat of his acquittal in the Texas killing  backfired as he was forced to admit lying under oath, made damning admissions and had his credibility destroyed when questioned by the prosecutor.

Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Friday they believed there was substantial reasonable doubt and were disappointed in the verdict. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

The conviction marks a victory for authorities who have sought to put Durst behind bars for murder in three states. Durst was never charged in the disappearance of his wife, who has never been found, and he was acquitted of murder in Galveston, Texas, where he admitted dismembering the victims body and tossing it out to sea.

The story of Durst, the estranged scion of a New York real estate developer, has been fodder for New York tabloids since his wife vanished. He provided plot twists so numerous that Hollywood couldnt resist making a feature film about his life that eventually led to the documentary and discovery of new evidence in Bermans slaying.

Durst ran from the law multiple times, disguised as a mute woman in Texas and staying under an alias at a New Orleans hotel with a shoulders-to-head latex mask for a presumed getaway. He jumped bail in Texas and was arrested after shoplifting a chicken sandwich in Pennsylvania, despite having $37,000 in cash  along with two handguns  in his rental car.

He later quipped that he was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

Durst escaped close scrutiny from investigators when his wife disappeared. But his troubles resurfaced in late 2000 when New York authorities reopened the case.

His lawyer told him to be prepared to be charged in the case, and he fled a life of luxury to Galveston, Texas, where he rented a cheap apartment as Dorothy Ciner, a woman he pretended couldnt speak. He eventually dropped the disguise after mishaps that included walking into a mens restroom and igniting his wig at a bar while lighting a cigarette.

Just before Christmas, he testified that he traveled to LA to visit Berman for a staycation with plans to see some of the tourist sites.

Durst, who had long denied ever being in LA at the time of Bermans death, testified at trial that he found her dead on a bedroom floor when he arrived.

Berman, a writer who had been friends with Durst since they were students at the University of California, Los Angeles, had serious financial problems at the time. Durst had given her $50,000, and prosecutors suggested she was trying to leverage more money from him by telling him she was going to speak with the cops.

Nine months after her death, Durst killed his Galveston neighbor Morris Black, in what he said was either an accident or self-defense. Durst said he found Black, who he had become friends with, in his apartment holding Dursts .22-caliber pistol.

Durst was acquitted after testifying the 71-year-old was killed in a struggle for the gun. Durst then chopped up Blacks body and tossed it out to sea. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

After the trial and the ghastly evidence of the dismemberment, Durst found he was a pariah, he said. Despite an estimated $100 million fortune, he was turned away by multiple condominium associations and said the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wouldnt take his money unless he donated anonymously.

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Durst thought a 2010 feature film based on his life, All Good Things, starring Ryan Gosling as him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, had been largely accurate and painted a sympathetic portrait, despite implicating him in three killings. He only objected that he was depicted killing his dog  something he would never do.

He reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to sit for lengthy interviews for a documentary. He encouraged his friends to do the same and gave the filmmakers access to boxes of his records.

He came to deeply regret his decision after The Jinx aired on HBO in 2015, calling it a very, very, very big mistake.

The documentary filmmakers discovered a crucial piece of evidence that connected him to an anonymous note sent to police directing them to Bermans lifeless body.

Durst, who was so confident he couldnt be connected to the note, told filmmakers only the killer could have written the note.

Filmmakers confronted him with a letter he sent Berman a year earlier. The handwriting was identical and Beverly Hills was misspelled as Beverley on both. He couldnt tell the two apart.

The gotcha moment provided the climax of the movie as Durst stepped off camera and muttered to himself on a live microphone in the bathroom: Killed them all, of course.

During 14 days of testimony that was so punishing Judge Mark Windham called it devastating, Durst denied killing his wife and Berman, though he said he would lie if he did.

He tried to explain away the note and what prosecutors said was a confession during an unguarded moment.

For the first time, Durst admitted on the witness stand that he sent the note and had been in Los Angeles at the time of Bermans death.

Durst said he sent the note because he wanted Berman to be found but didnt want anyone to know he had been there because it would look suspicious.

He acknowledged that even he had difficulty imagining he could have written the note without killing Berman.

Its very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman, Durst testified.

A prosecutor said it was one of the truest things Durst said amid a ton of lies.
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP)  A former high-ranking election official violated federal law in 2016 when he granted requests by Kansas, Georgia and Alabama to modify the national voter registration form to require documentary proof of citizenship in those states, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon threw out the contested decisions made by Brian Newby, then-executive director of the Election Assistance Commission, an independent federal agency, after finding on Thursday that Newby failed to determine whether the proposed requirements were necessary to register to vote.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP)  The first ballots in this year's contest for governor must start to go out to voters by Saturday.

The return of the ballots will kick off voting in the Nov. 2 race between Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and Republican former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli.

Murphy is aiming to become the first Democratic incumbent to win reelection in 44 years. Ciattarelli faces an uphill climb in Democrat-leaning New Jersey, where polls show Murphy ahead. The governor also has a fundraising advantage.

The race has Murphy's record front and center, including his stewardship of the state during the COVID-19 outbreak. The state has had mixed outcomes during the pandemic. It was an early hotspot and until recently had the highest rate of deaths from the disease before Mississippi supplanted it. The state, though, has among the highest rates of vaccinations and while cases and hospitalizations spiked this summer, New Jersey hasn't seen levels like in the South and West.

Murphy also has accomplished many of the pledges he made while campaigning in 2017: legalizing recreational marijuana, instituting some free community college and pre-K, hiking the minimum wage to $15 an hour over time and fully funding the state's pension. He also increased school aid and fulfilled a campaign promise to raise taxes on incomes over $1 million.

His campaign points to polling showing the programs as popular.

Ciattarelli is betting that high-taxed residents are willing to abandon the governor for him. He's put making the state, which has among the highest property taxes in the nation, more affordable at the center of his pitch to voters. He says he wants to rewrite the state's school funding formula to lower property taxes, which finance education, but he has not said exactly how.

Known as a moderate in the Legislature who says he supports Roe v. Wade and a women's right to an abortion, Ciattarelli has tacked toward the right, at least rhetorically. Once a skeptic about Donald Trump, he now says the former president's policies worked. It's a balancing act given the strong support Trump has in the GOP base, though tough in a state that rejected the former president in two elections.

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And unlike Murphy, who is concentrating on national issues with the aim of energizing the Democratic base, Ciattarelli has focused on state issues, hoping to lure independents and persuadable Democrats.

Any registered voter can choose to vote by mail in New Jersey, and ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 2 to be counted.

Any voter who requested to vote by mail for all elections will continue to get mail ballots until they opt out. Under a 2018 law, voters who got a mail ballot for the 2016 presidential election were also slated to get mail-in ballots unless they opted out.

In addition to mail-in voting, New Jersey will have early in-person voting for the first time this year. It runs Oct. 23 through Halloween.
ORANGE, Calif. (AP)  A woman died after she drove her car through a wall on the fourth story of a Southern California parking structure and it fell to the ground, authorities said Friday.

The Orange County Register reports the car landed on the ground upside down and bystanders flipped it over.
One can understand how parents can be distraught and frustrated over the closing of schools as a result of COVID-19. Students have lost valuable learning and social time that they will never be able to recover. It is equally true that some school districts have done a poor job of finding ways to get children back in the classroom. There is no better example of this than in San Francisco, where it seemed the school boards highest priority was a political statement.

You can even make the argument that, since the under-18 demographic was less susceptible to the virus, you could have safely returned students to classrooms with relatively minimal risk. Unfortunately, when outraged parents make that argument, they are conveniently ignoring the other part of the equation: the teachers and administrators that would have shared those classrooms and hallways.

It may be true that there were teachers unions that were stubborn about agreeing to classroom standards that would reopen schools. Nonetheless, teachers are already overworked and underpaid. I dont believe they should been expected to willingly risk their lives just by reporting for work.

Joel Wiener, San Carlos

Simple recall solution

Regarding Rules: California Democrats look to overhaul system after victory (Front Page, Sept. 16): There is a simple, eloquent and cost-effective solution to the wasteful recall debacle we just faced: In a successful gubernatorial recall election, the duly-elected lieutenant governor is automatically elevated to serve as governor.

Under the California Constitution, the lieutenant governor already becomes governor in all other cases of a vacancy (death, disability, impeachment, temporary absence from state, etc.). A very minor amendment to the Constitutions recall provision could apply the same standard to gubernatorial recall elections. The benefits of this simple amendment are numerous. First, it avoids a prolonged, contentious battle over how to amend the recall petition process, a feature of progressive reform dating back more than 100 years.

Second, it ensures that a state official elected by majority vote during a normal election is elevated to the office, not some unvetted celebrity who slips in through the back door by a slim plurality (unlike the shared presidential ticket in the federal system, the California governor and lieutenant governor are separately elected and thus separately vetted by voters). Finally, where the governor and lieutenant governor are from the same party, it discourages expensive off-election-year recall attempts by the opposition party.

Deborah Sivas, Palo Alto

Switch to beans

Regarding Animal intelligence (Letters, Sept. 10): I heartily agree with the letter writer who stated that all animals are sentient beings who deserve not to be used for food. Our industrial food system treats sensitive animals as simple commodities and essentially tortures them throughout their lives.

The original point of the article on horsemeat was to compare it favorably to beef in terms of health, affordability and the environment. In that regard, I would say that the case for horsemeat is extremely weak. Although horsemeat might be marginally better than beef, there is another alternative that beats both of them hands-down: good old-fashioned beans! An excellent source of protein, beans use only a small fraction of the land, water and climate emissions of any animal product without all of the saturated fat and toxins and are extremely cheap, to boot. There is a reason why beans, from refried beans to dal, are the staples of so many traditional cuisines. Anyone truly concerned about health or the environment should stop arguing about types of meat and dump the animal products entirely!
San Franciscos Japantown is a visitor attraction centered on the Japanese Center, ramen shops, Ruth Asawas sculptures, bookshop Kinokuniya and the many Japanese-import stores. But it wasnt always so. The neighborhood we see now is the product of a complicated history of racism, segregation and displacement. As a consequence, it has long been a home to marginalized San Franciscans struggling for recognition, community and a safe place to call their own.

As the debate over the proposed conversion of the neighborhoods Buchanan Hotel into permanent supportive housing for unhoused San Franciscans grows heated  with accusations of uncaring NIMBYism directed at the Japanese American community  it is essential to look back at the neighborhoods history to understand the stakes of the debate for community members.

To tell the story of Japantown is to tell a tale of almost constant crisis.

Japantown was born from the crisis left by the great earthquake and fire of 1906. As one of the few districts to survive the devastation, the Western Addition suddenly found its once quiet, middle-class quarters crammed with most of the citys displaced residents. Japanese Americans were among those who sought refuge there. As the years passed, white San Franciscans moved out of the neighborhood or rebuilt homes elsewhere. But Japanese migrants and their children were hemmed in by virulent racist violence, racially restrictive housing covenants, and, as The Chronicle reported, zoning laws specifically written to keep the Japanese population where it is.

Like all Asian migrants at the time (and only Asian migrants) Japanese were prohibited from naturalization by the Supreme Court decision Ozawa vs. United States (1922). Without citizenship, they lacked a political voice to protect their interests. This was the origins of, as it was called at the time, Nihonjinmachi (Japanese People Town), Japanesetown, or Japtown, the latter by this very newspaper.

Prior to World War II, despite their struggles with racism, Japanese Americans created a rich community in Japantown. The neighborhood held hundreds of Japanese-owned businesses and ethnic organizations, including Yabuno Brothers Grocery, Benkyodo confectionary, the Japanese YWCA, employment companies and the Fuji Hotel for migrant laborers passing through town. Unlike in Chinatown, these institutions primarily served the local ethnic community with little interest in tourists.

World War II, however, upended this stasis in Japantown. The immediate aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor left everyone in a daze in Jap Town, according to an observing sociologist, as white gawkers flocked to the neighborhood and FBI agents rounded up hundreds of suspect Japanese men  none of whom were ever convicted of espionage or sabotage.

By May 20, 1942, all Japanese Americans except those too ill to safely move were expelled from the city. Japantowns former inhabitants were held first at the Tanforan racetrack assembly center in San Bruno, in quickly constructed barracks or hastily vacated horse stalls, often with flies or manure whitewashed to the walls. By October of that year, most were moved behind barbed wire and armed guards at the Topaz incarceration camp in the Utah desert.

Japantowns fragile community persisted through this trauma and loss. Federal policy kept neighbors together in these camps to preserve desirable institutions, an astonishingly ironic ambition.

During and after the war, some residents resettled in other parts of the country, but many survivors eventually returned to Japantown. They returned to find a neighborhood fundamentally changed from the dismal stretch of yesterday known as Japtown, as legendary columnist Herb Caen described it in 1942. The vacancies left by Japanese Americans had filled quickly, especially by segregated Black defense workers seeking well-paid jobs and respite from Jim Crow in the Bay Areas defense industry.

The Japanese area became San Franciscos Harlem in a matter of months, in poet and former San Franciscan Maya Angelous words.

Japanese Americans returning from incarceration thus joined a thriving Black community. And it stayed that way for years. In 1950, Japanese Americans made up less than 16% of Japantowns population (although this was about two-thirds of all Japanese San Franciscans) and African Americans 34%.

The Black Emmanuel Church of God in Christ was on the same block as the Japanese Presbyterian Church. The famed jazz club Jimbos Bop City and the legendary Black promoter Charles Sullivans music shop were steps from the Nippon Pool Room and Five Star Fountain. Old institutions also regrew in this new environment: language schools, social clubs, Azumaya Tofu, Suzuki Apartments, Gosha-do Bookstore and more.

The multiracial residents (including Chinese American, Filipino and Jewish residents) gave the neighborhood a vibrant life. But wartime conditions and postwar segregation had taken their toll on the development environment. Japantowns population had increased 15% during the war, with segregation exacerbating a citywide housing shortage. White absentee landlords had subdivided already tight quarters to accommodate wartime arrivals, and the demand offered little incentive for maintenance. Further, while the 1948 Supreme Court case Shelly vs. Kraemer struck down racially restrictive housing covenants, long-held traditions of discrimination proved far more enduring. Racist violence against people of color integrating white neighborhoods discouraged out-migration through the 1950s. Philanthropist Tomoye Takahashi recalled a shot fired into her house after her family bought in the then lily-white Richmond District in 1955.

Already hemmed in by state-sanctioned racism and white supremacist violence, Japantowns third crisis arrived when city officials announced they would clean up the slum conditions of the Western Addition, whose area included most of the commercial and residential heart of Japantown. Residents were more aware than most of their neighborhoods dilapidated condition, but their long history with discrimination convinced many that the proposed redevelopment might eventually clear out all minority groups, as Progressive News and Press editor Michi Onuma predicted in 1948. Having experienced the 1942 evacuation, another Japantown newspaper, the Pacific Citizen, editorialized, residents now feel that the redevelopment plan may in actuality be a final evacuation.

That skepticism was well founded.

Despite both vigorous challenges to the redevelopment program by the community and determined efforts at preservation, 27 blocks including Japantowns and formerly housing over 6,000 people were largely demolished by the late 1950s. A second redevelopment program destroyed much of another 62 blocks with 13,000 residents over the following decades.

Even as the Japanese American population grew to almost 12,000 in San Francisco, renewal decimated their numbers in Japantown to less than 2,000 by 1970. Businesses were forced to leave or fold: Post Pool Hall, Takahashi Trading Co., Nakagawa Apartments, Kiks Smoke Shop, N.B. Department Store, Evergreen Fountain, Hori Employment Agency, Yamato Auto Repair and so many others. Hotels like the Aki and Fuji  that housed aging Japanese bachelors, worn down by a lifetime of poorly paid migrant labor and whose final work years had been swallowed by incarceration  were shuttered, leaving many of their residents to join the ranks of the unhoused.

The struggle for affordable housing is nothing new to poor San Franciscans, in Japantown or elsewhere.

Redevelopment filtered out these vulnerable people and businesses, leaving only a highly select community by the 1970s. The crown jewel of the districts first redevelopment program was the Japanese Center, a complex for Japanese goods and services conceived around connections with the booming Japanese economy. Japanese American businesses that could adapt to the Centers focus on tourism survived. Their owners joined with other property-owners, professionals and community investors to create Nihonmachi, a hard-won commercial and residential renewal project just north of the Japanese Center, which housed stable businesses, professional practices and market-rate housing.

But this success came at the expense of low-income residents and many non-touristic small proprietorships.

Japantowns transformation from ethnic community to tourist economy did not occur without struggle, among participants themselves as well as their critics. For low-income residents, vulnerable shop owners and the Japanese American activists who organized with them in the late 1960s and 1970s, this transformation carried a dreadful foreboding: a community dependent on the performance of a particularly palatable version of Japanese culture - one that could accommodate little heterogeneity and would be forever dependent on visitors dollars and expectations.

This vexing compromise, negotiated in a constricted set of options, has maintained San Franciscos Japantown as one of only three remaining Japantowns in the United States  out of what had been dozens. Its inherent vulnerability remains all-too apparent to those who know its history.

The current debate over housing revives troubling questions of how a community economy can survive, or who can live in Japantown. History does not point us in any particular direction, but community members hesitations arising from this complicated history must not be dismissed. And neither must the needs of todays unhoused San Franciscans, whose own lineage of marginalization likely has roots in the neighborhood.

Meredith Oda is the author of The Gateway to the Pacific: Japanese Americans and the Remaking of San Francisco.
In theory, my background as a particle physics researcher  who studied at one of the most prestigious universities in the world before moving to the Bay Area to work at a leading National Laboratory for the Department of Energy  fits the profile of what the United States wants in an immigrant. Im a member of a leading-edge, international particle physics experiment with a budget of several billion dollars, funded by American taxpayers.

There are thousands of researchers from other countries living and working in the United States who, just like me, match what the U.S. under the Trump and Biden administrations says it wants to attract: highly educated, highly skilled workers whose presence can help America retain its competitive edge in strategic areas like nuclear power, information technology, energy and communications.

In practice, however, the immigration system in this country seems to go out of its way to make us feel like were not wanted here.

In his theory of cosmology, Stephen Hawking suggested that some physical information falling into a black hole could be destroyed forever. Based on my experince, this seems to be what happens with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services procedures: Once your request is submitted, it is impossible to track its status or obtain an expected waiting time.

The system of American diplomatic and consular posts overseas is not anymore welcoming, as weve seen recently in Afghanistan, where there were delays in issuing visas to evacuate Afghans who worked for the U.S.

That situation is, of course, extraordinary. But the issues we watched play out in the news are widespread, and a symptom of a dysfunctional system.

Even during routine circumstances, the only way to contact a consular official is by sending an email to a generic address, of course without the guarantee of a reply.

Green card application processing times for people with advanced degree or exceptional ability, whose presence here is clearly in the national interest (and often national security interest) of the U.S., varies from about a year to more than two years.

Needless to say, few people can afford to wait that long before starting an appointment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has understandably made things worse, but it still does not explain some nonsensical policies. Visa holders traveling from the European Union are still barred from entering the United States, even if coming from countries with fewer COVID-19 cases and higher vaccination rates. Particularly difficult is the situation for researchers starting an appointment: Several embassies are only accepting emergency requests or have wait times longer than one year. Visas that do not fall in the list of categories deemed of national interest are not being issued.

The procedure to obtain an exception varies from embassy to embassy, and even if you satisfy the requirements, as a researcher like myself coming to the U.S. would, there is no guarantee it will arrive in time to resume or start your appointment.

After having to go back to Italy for family reasons a month ago, I had to request this exception at the local consulate. I was lucky enough to obtain it two days before my scheduled return to the U.S., but my wife is still waiting for it. To make things worse, applying for the exception is not allowed before departing the United States, so there is no guarantee, once you leave the country, that you will be able to come back.

I understand that the United States is the most popular destination for immigrants, and short-staffed immigration offices are doing the best they can under difficult and highly politicized circumstanses. However, I always thought there was an implicit pact between immigrants like me and the United States.

When we apply for the opportunity to come here, immigrants must follow a maze of procedures, respect tight timelines and painstakingly assemble the required documents. Mishaps and misunderstandings are not allowed and can result in months of delay .

In exchange for following these strict rules, we are treated efficiently, fairly and with dignity.

To me, it seems like the United States is not keeping its end of the bargain.

I realize scientists belong to a privileged category in the grand scheme of global migration. We can always move to another country where we feel welcome and are encouraged to conduct our research. My eventual departure would probably barely be noticed by policy makers.

But it does hurt the country.

Making the United States a less attractive place for researchers causes immeasurable scientific losses. It is in the interest of this country to stop treating us as a nuisance.

Stefano Roberto Soleti is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
SACRAMENTO  Two of Gov. Gavin Newsoms children are infected with the coronavirus, the governors office announced late Friday, but Newsom and the rest of his family are not.

In a short statement, spokesperson Erin Mellon said Newsoms children tested positive on Thursday, and the governor, his wife and their two other children have all since tested negative.

The family is following all COVID protocols, Mellon said. The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic.

All four of Newsoms children are under the age of 12, meaning they are not yet eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

A representative for the governors office said they would not name the infected children to protect their privacy and declined to specify how the children were exposed to the virus, but said it was not at school or another public event.

Newsom, who was vaccinated on camera in April, does not need to quarantine under state rules. The California Department of Public Health recommends that vaccinated people who are exposed to COVID-19 get tested within 3-5 days and wear a mask in public indoor settings for two weeks.

Newsom and his family quarantined for two weeks in November after three of his children were exposed to a California Highway Patrol officer who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The governor began a 10-day quarantine again the following month after coming into contact with a staffer who had COVID-19. He did not test positive after those exposures.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Several public health experts criticized Mayor London Breed on Friday over images of her singing and dancing maskless in a live music venue this week  a violation of San Franciscos indoor mask mandate.

The images, captured by The Chronicle and others at the Black Cat jazz and supper club in the Tenderloin on Wednesday, showed Breed singing and dancing without a mask while standing at her table. She and others were maskless even when they werent eating or drinking, which is not allowed under San Franciscos health orders.

Though cases are falling and vaccination rates increasing in San Francisco, one public health expert called Breeds behavior a lapse in judgment that could hurt her credibility as she steers the city through the latest phase of the coronavirus pandemic.

The images spread nationally Friday, with critics seeing an example of hypocrisy by a politician who has favored strong COVID-19 restrictions.

For others, though, the episode pointed to the reality of the citys current indoor mask law for bars, clubs and restaurants: Its hard to enforce and easy to ignore, especially as the worst of the summer surge seems to have passed.

Elected officials have a greater responsibility to model the behavior thats necessary to control the pandemic, said John Swartzberg, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley. Any time the elected officials behave like this, it undermines public confidence in them and that translates to people saying, Well, if the mayor can do this, I can.

Now Playing: Raphael Saadiq and D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone! surprise fans at the Black Cat in San Francisco on Sept. 15, 2021. San Francisco Mayor London Breed was in attendance. Video: Mariecar Mendoza / The Chronicle

Jeff Cretan, a spokesperson for the mayor, said Breed understands that following public health orders can be difficult, but asks people to do their best.

Cretan said the mayor was at a table with drinks and food, and was therefore following the guidance. But photos and video show her without a mask while standing, singing and dancing at the table, and while posing for pictures with others.

Breed told NBC Bay Area on Friday that her drink was sitting at the table. I got up and started dancing, because I was feeling the spirit. And I wasnt thinking about a mask. I was thinking about having a good time, and in the process, I was following the health orders.

According to the regional mandate announced in August, everyone must wear a mask inside businesses unless they are actively eating or drinking. In addition, patrons must show proof of full vaccination before entering bars, clubs, restaurants and gyms under city law.

Masks may be removed, city rules state, while actively eating or drinking at events other than indoor dining, such as live performances and movies.

A number of bar and club owners contacted by The Chronicle dismissed video and photos of Breed and other patrons partying without masks as inconsequential, as people around the city similarly shed their masks for extended periods when theyre eating and drinking.

Some owners said the majority of their patrons follow the rules, and others said its common for people to keep their masks off even when theyre not eating or drinking.

Supervisor Matt Haney, who was photographed maskless at a separate event last week inside the Black Cat, said the citys indoor mask mandate can be farcical.

Haney said he was wearing a mask whenever he walked around the club to get a drink or use the restroom. But he said the rules tend to be open to interpretation.

What is happening in indoor venues where everyone is vaccinated right now is a lot of lack of clarity around what people are supposed to do and when, he said. If your meal is in front of you and youve got a glass of water in front of you, are you expected to take your mask on and off with every bite? Thats not realistic and clear enough.

At the club Wednesday, Breed told a Chronicle reporter that she tests for the coronavirus often and said, At the end of the day, everyone who comes in here has to show proof of vaccination. That gives me a lot of reassurance.

Ive been very careful, not just because I want to set an example, but because I dont want to get COVID. I also want to make sure that Im not someone transmitting COVID to other people, Breed said. This entire pandemic has been focused on keeping people safe.

A Chronicle reporter who spoke to Breed at the Black Cat wore a mask at times in the club but, like Breed, was not wearing a mask during the interview.

We have reminded our journalists today that they must follow the mask policies of each jurisdiction in which they are working, said Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, The Chronicles editor in chief. In our work, we hold others to account for their behavior and we have a responsibility to follow the same rules.

Most patrons at the Black Cat, which serves food and drinks during its live performances, did not wear masks much of the time Wednesday. The health order urges people to be seated at a table or positioned at a stationary counter while eating or drinking, as Breed appeared to be most of the time.

Even though San Francisco is currently seeing lower case counts than earlier this summer, Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease specialist at UCSF, said the city, like the country, is still in a precarious position, and that elected officials should be diligent about following the rules.

Hong said the science is clear: Being indoors without a mask, especially while singing, is one of the riskier things people can do, even if fully vaccinated.

We havent come down the mountain yet, he said. Even with vaccination checking, bringing together lots of noses and mouths from different households can be a risky enterprise.

He said he doesnt expect the images of Breed to change the way many people act in San Francisco, where residents generally follow the rules. But he is worried about giving people who are already weary of the rules an excuse to shed their masks.

Breed and her health department have adopted some of the strictest health orders of any U.S. big city throughout the pandemic. Experts credit the citys declining case rates with its mask and vaccination mandates  one of the few cities in the country to have both  and its high rate of vaccination.

As Breed continues to lead the city through the pandemic, she is also trying to jump-start San Franciscos economic recovery. The nightlife industry has been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and the mayor has often urged residents to dine out and shop locally.

Cretan, Breeds spokesperson, said the indoor mask mandate was a temporary measure to address the delta surge. He said its ultimately up to the Department of Public Health to rescind the order.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health said, Our intent is to encourage people to do their best understanding that every circumstance is unique.

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.

We will make adjustments as needed based on science and data, and maintain a regional approach on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, when possible, the department said in a statement.

Black Cat owner Fritz Quattlebaum said in a statement that the club takes Covid, and city and state Covid mandates and guidance, very seriously.

He said on Wednesday evening patrons were seated throughout the music performance, eating and drinking during the evening. But when the two lead singers of the legendary Tony! Toni! Tone! unexpectedly mounted the stage and performed, the crowd spontaneously erupted for a short burst of ... excitement during the brief performance.

The mayor has been praised for her leadership during the pandemic, as San Francisco has consistently had one of the lowest case and deaths rates of any major city in the country.

But this isnt the first time Breed has been called out over COVID-19 restrictions. The mayor was criticized earlier in the pandemic for dining at the French Laundry in Yountville with a party of eight when the states rules strongly discouraged social gatherings and capped them at three households.

She didnt technically violate the state rules, but the dinner was at odds with San Franciscos stricter directive at the time. Breeds dinner came just a night after Gov. Gavin Newsoms own French Laundry dinner, which fueled the recall election that failed this week.

Arnab Mukherjea, an associate professor of public health at Cal State East Bay, said that Breed set a bad example.

He said that if the mayor of San Francisco, which is arguably doing the best of the nine counties in the Bay Area, thinks its OK to do this because she has determined that she feels safe, then it provides encouragement for other people to make decisions based on the same criteria.

From what I can see on that video, it would seem to me that that would be a very unsafe gathering in terms of potential for transmission, he said.

George Rutherford, an infectious disease expert with UCSF, saw the situation differently. He said Breeds behavior was similar to that of indoor diners who legitimately take their masks off as they eat and drink.

As long as all patrons are vaccinated, he said its relatively safe.

Vaccination is 99.9% protection. Thats what really matters, he said.

Ben Bleiman, founder of the San Francisco Bar Alliance, which represents nearly 500 bars and clubs around the city, called the images of Breed a nothingburger.

He said the point of the indoor mask mandate is to reduce risk, not fully eliminate it, and that it was unrealistic to expect people to follow the rules 100% of the time.

Theres the letter of the law, and then theres the spirit of the law, Bleiman said. Following it exactly to a T may not be practical for most and its very hard to enforce.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Aidin Vaziri contributed to this report.

Trisha Thadani and Elena Kadvany are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com, elena.kadvany@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani, @ekadvany
On March 4, 1887, a new name appeared atop the masthead of the San Francisco Daily Examiner: W.R. Hearst, proprietor.

Few people noticed. With a circulation of 15,000, the Examiner was the weakest of the citys three main newspapers, trailing both The San Francisco Chronicle (circulation 37,500) and the San Francisco Call, which claimed to have twice the circulation of The Chronicle. The only Democratic paper in the city, the Examiner had been losing money for years. In 1880, a rough-edged, semi-literate mining magnate named George Hearst bought it to support his bid for the U.S. Senate. Hearst was elected senator in 1887, but the Examiner remained on life support. Now preoccupied with politics, George Hearst decided to give his son and only child, William Randolph Hearst, a shot at publishing the moribund daily.

The choice seemed dubious at best. At age 24, Will Hearst had given no indication that he was anything other than the spoiled son of rich, indulgent parents. His life had been characterized mainly by juvenile pranks, a complete lack of interest in studying, a disdain for propriety in his romantic life, and a profligate use of his fathers wealth. The year before, he had been expelled from Harvard.

But this unimpressive youth turned out to be a born newspaperman.

Hearst had paid little attention to his classes at Harvard, but there was one subject he did study intensely: The newspaper industry. The paper that he paid most attention to was Joseph Pulitzers New York World.

Pulitzer had revolutionized the newspaper business, and become very rich, by tapping into what ordinary New Yorkers, including its vast numbers of working-class immigrants, wanted to read. The Worlds formula  state-of-the-art presses, high-paid editors and reporters, and punchy and sensational stories, with a heavy emphasis on crime, exposes, stunts by star reporters such as Nelly Bly, sports, and comics  proved wildly successful.

Hearst believed the same formula, abetted by George Hearsts vast fortune, would work in San Francisco.

One year from the day I take hold of the thing our circulation will have increased ten thousand, he wrote to his father. We must be alarmingly enterprising, and we must be startlingly original.

Displaying energy and initiative that few would have expected from him, young Hearst moved decisively to put the Examiner on the citys map. His first move was to get the exclusive San Francisco rights to publish cabled articles from the respected New York Herald. The Journalist, the leading trade journal, wrote that this masterstroke of enterprise  falls like a bombshell on the other morning papers. The cables augmented the Examiners national and international coverage so greatly that it instantly expanded from six to 10 pages. The Call was unable to afford to follow suit, but The Chronicle did. A ferocious newspaper war was on.

As editor and publisher, Hearst threw himself into that fight with a vengeance. He upgraded the Examiners old presses, cleaned up its layout, and expanded its reach, delivering papers to Sacramento and San Jose.

Trivia Time The previous question: From 1910 to 1940, how many people entered or departed the country through the immigration station at Angel Island? Answer: About 500,000. This week's question: Who said, "I can handle a hundred thousand men in battle ... but am afraid to manage a lot in the swamp that is San Francisco"? See More Collapse

He also began paying top dollar to writers. Hearst went to call on Ambrose Bitter Bierce, notorious for his vicious wit, to offer him a position. Bierce recalled that he had no idea who the diffident young man was who had appeared unannounced at his door, and simply said, Well? I am from the San Francisco Examiner, he explained in a voice like the fragrance of violets made audible, and backed away a little.

O, I said, you come from Mr. Hearst.

Then that unearthly child lifted its blue eyes and cooed; I am Mr. Hearst.

More from the Archive The Vault Home of the San Francisco Chronicle's archive and more than 150 years of journalism covering the Bay Area and beyond.

Following Pulitzers example, Hearst also went all in on stunt journalism. An Examiner reporter hurled himself from a ferry into the bay to expose the unpreparedness of the crew. Another got drunk and was checked into the House of Inebriates for two weeks, writing a story revealing that the sobering-up facility was misused as a private jail.

The master of this sensational genre was a young reporter named Winifred Black, who, under the pseudonym Annie Laurie, wrote a series of celebrated exposes, including one in which she went undercover to reveal her shoddy treatment by the citys emergency hospital services.

Known as a sob sister for her ability to make her readers weep, Black remembered the Examiner newsroom as a place full of geniuses.  Nowhere was there ever a more brilliant and more outrageous, incredible, ridiculous, glorious set of typical newspaper people than there was in that shabby old newspaper office.

Hearsts remaking of the Examiner cost his father a fortune, but the investment paid off. By 1890, the Examiners circulation had tripled and it claimed to be profitable.

But Hearst, ever restless, had become bored with San Francisco. He had his eyes on the publishing worlds big prize: New York.

In 1895, Hearst purchased a feeble newspaper called the New York Morning Journal. Everyone expected the young upstart from the West to fail. Instead, he created the most powerful media empire in U.S. history  which includes The Chronicle  one that started with a failing newspaper in San Francisco.

Gary Kamiya is a featured source in Citizen Hearst, a new four-hour PBS documentary about William Randolph Hearst that airs Sept. 27 and 28.
How addicted are you to your cell phone? How much time do you spend in front of a screen? Would you let your children do the same? Steve Jobs thought it was not a good idea, so he did not let his children use iPads and iPhones, generally technology.

In 2010, a New York Times reporter had a conversation that revealed a lot about the life of the founder of Apple. Nick Bilton commented, Your kids must love the iPad, right? After the launch of the device. Jobs replied, They haven't used it. We limit the amount of technology our children use at home. "

Any special reason? According to Walter Isaacson, the author of the Steve Jobs biography, the family focused more on history or reading, as well as activities that had to do with technology. Walter interacted with the Jobs and explained:

Every night Steve insisted on dining at the big kitchen table, talking about books, history and a variety of other things. Nobody ever took out an iPad or a computer. The kids didn't seem addicted to the devices. "

Image: Depositphotos

It's not the only one

A large number of CEOs and prominent figures of Silicon Valley companies significantly reduce the time their children spend in contact with technology.

For example, Bill Gates did not give his children cell phones until they were 14 years old. In addition, its use was prohibited during lunch, dinner and before sleeping.

The recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics is to limit technology according to the age of the children, since there is a great fear that the use of the devices will become compulsive and uncontrolled.

According to the authors of the book 'Screen Schooled' , and several former employees of technology companies, when it is used compulsively, it ends creativity and limits social relationships.

What do they know that we don't?

They are not few, indeed many people who have or had to do with technological development restrict it at home. A former Google executive, Tristan Harris , even warned of the "tricks" that websites like Facebook or YouTube use to hold our attention without us noticing.

In 2020, the Netflix documentary 'The Social Media Dilemma' was released. This caused a great furor by revealing to the voice of former employees of the industry, how social networks work and make us "addicted".

There is a phrase that stands out in the film: "There are two industries that call their customers users: illegal drugs and software ." It seems Steve Jobs saw this coming.

The film describes the addiction and negative impacts of social networks in our daily life, which is closely linked to the devices with which we interact. In addition, thanks to the testimonials he explains how they literally play with our emotions and behaviors.

What are the risks?

Various studies indicate that addiction to screens leads to problems with concentration, vision, sleep, low tolerance for frustration and, in some cases, low self-esteem.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
WASHINGTON (AP)  Former officials of the World Bank are under pressure after an investigation found that they pressured staff members of the bank to alter data on global business conditions in order to favor China and some other governments.

The World Bank said it would discontinue its Doing Business" report in the wake of the investigation, which was conducted by the law firm WilmerHale after internal questions involving data irregularities in the 2018 and 2020 editions of the report and possible ethical matters involving bank staff.

WilmerHale's report concluded that Kristalina Georgieva, then the chief executive of the World Bank, and the office of Jim Yong Kim, then the bank's president, pressured staff members to change data on China to support Beijing's ranking in the Doing Business report. These rankings are important to China and other developing nations because they can affect their ability to attract investment from overseas.

In a statement, Georgieva, who now leads the International Monetary Fund, disputed the report's conclusion that she was involved in pressuring World Bank staff members to appease China.

I disagree fundamentally with the findings and interpretations of the Investigation of Data Irregularities as it relates to my role in the World Banks Doing Business report of 2018, her statement said.

The World Bank, based in Washington, is among the worlds largest sources of development funding. Doing Business, which evaluates a country's tax burdens, bureaucratic obstacles, regulatory system and other business conditions, is used by some governments to try to attract investment. The report ranks countries on such factors as how straightforward or burdensome it is to register a business, legally enforce a contract, resolve a bankruptcy, obtain an electrical connection or acquire construction permits.

Timothy Ash, a strategist at the fixed income manager BlueBay Asset Management, said he cannot overestimate" the importance of the Doing Business report for banks and businesses trying to assess risk in a particular country.

Any quantitative model of country risk has built this in to ratings," Ash said. Money and investments are allocated on the back of this series.

He added that if an analyst at a bank or rating agency had done what is alleged, "I wager they would be fired and would be subject to regulatory investigation.

China has tried over the past two decades to increase its influence over international institutions, including the IMF and the World Health Organization, and their policies.

The changes made to the 2018 Doing Business" report followed lobbying by Beijing for a better ranking and came ahead of a campaign by the World Bank to raise capital in which Beijing was expected to play a key role, the report said. China is the banks third-largest shareholder after the United States and Japan.

Changes made by analysts who prepared the 2018 report raised Chinas ranking by seven places to No. 78, according to the report. Other changes affected rankings of Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

According to WilmerHale's investigative report, a World Bank senior director acknowledged that the Doing Business leadership made changes to push the data in a certain direction to accommodate geopolitical considerations." It said Georgieva thanked the senior director for doing his bit for multilateralism."

The senior director interpreted that to mean not angering China during the capital increase negotiations, the report said.

The World Bank researchers knew that the changes were inappropriate, but they expressed a fear of retaliation by Georgievas aide, Simeon Djankov, according to the report.

The Chinese foreign ministry expressed hope the World Bank would conduct a comprehensive investigation to better maintain the professionalism and credibility of Doing Business.

The Chinese government attaches great importance to optimizing the business environment, said a ministry spokesperson, Zhao Lijian.

___

World Bank investigation: thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/84a922cc9273b7b120d49ad3b9e9d3f9-0090012021/original/DB-Investigation-Findings-and-Report-to-the-Board-of-Executive-Directors-September-15-2021.pdf
LONDON (AP)  When Prince Philip died nearly six months ago at 99, the tributes poured in from far and wide, praising him for his supportive role at the side of Queen Elizabeth II over her near 70-year reign.

Now, it has emerged that Philip had another crucial role within the royal family. He was the family's barbecue king  perhaps testament to his Greek heritage.

He adored barbecuing and he turned that into an interesting art form, his oldest son Prince Charles said in a BBC tribute program that will be broadcast on Wednesday. "And if I ever tried to do it he ... I could never get the fire to light or something ghastly, so (hed say): Go away!

In excerpts of 'Prince Philip: The Royal Family Remembers' released late Saturday, members of the royal family spoke admiringly of the late Duke of Edinburgh's barbecuing skills and his love of cookery shows, with the Hairy Bikers Si King and Dave Myers among his favourites.

Every barbecue that Ive ever been on, the Duke of Edinburgh has been there cooking," said Prince William, Philip's oldest grandson. Hes definitely a dab hand at the barbecue ... I can safely say theres never been a case of food poisoning in the family thats attributed to the Duke of Edinburgh.

More than a dozen royals including all four of the queen and Philips children  Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward  and their adult grandchildren, including Charles' two sons, William and Prince Harry, took part in the one-hour program. The program, which was filmed before and after Philip's death on April 9, was originally conceived to mark his 100th birthday in June,

The 95-year-old queen was not interviewed but granted special access to her private film collection. Nor were the spouses of Philip's grandchildren, including Harry's wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry, who stepped down from royal duties last year and moved to California, spoke for the first time about how the Duke of Edinburgh gave him the space to talk about serving in Afghanistan. Harry says his grandfather would never probe but listen about his two tour of duties to Helmand province during the war in Afghanistan.

Going off to Afghanistan, he was very matter of fact and just said, Make sure you come back alive," Harry said. Then when I came back, there wasnt a deep level of discussion, more a case of, Well, you made it. How was it? Thats how he was.'

He was very much a listener, he sort of set the scene for you to be able to share as much as you wanted to share, but he would never probe," he added.

Harry first served in Afghanistan as a forward air controller, during 2007-08, coordinating air strikes on Taliban positions before his presence was revealed by foreign media and he was flown home. He returned in 2012, this time as an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner.

Charles also spoke about Philip's dedication to the military.

He took very seriously the fact that he was involved in the three armed forces. And obviously the Navy was his main service, but he took an inordinate interest in everything to do with the other two," Charles said.

He read up an awful lot and thought about it and so he certainly put a lot of the generals and others through their paces, if you know what I mean. Hed always thought of a better way of doing it, he added.

___

Follow all AP stories on Prince Philip at https://apnews.com/hub/PrincePhilip
Traveling is transporting, both literally and figuratively. So why not really embrace the metaphor and spend your vacation in a shipping container hotel?

These quirky lodgings offer a unique getaway experience (think of the Instagrams) and can also be less expensive options than big-name hotels. Over the past few years, as the tiny living movement has gained momentum, these nontraditional hotels have popped up across the globe.

Today, visitors can hunker down in a Georgian (the country) ski lodge or even book a container cabin in the Catskills. Texas has also recently welcomed a few shipping container stays, offering a memorable vacation closer to home.

Flophouze became Texas' first-ever shipping container hotel when it opened in Round Top in 2018. From the outside, the lodgings are unmistakably shipping containers, mainly because they still have their original branding. Inside, however, is like a tiny house fever dream: Shiplap! Thrift store vibes! Hip amenities!

The hotel's vintage vibe is on brand with its hometown, which hosts the massive, can't-miss Round Top Antiques Fair twice a year. And though each space is designed for all-inclusive privacy, the property also offers communal spots, such as fire pits. Into a bigger space? Flophouze also has the Beachouze and the Farmhouze, which sleep eight and 10, respectively.

1132 W. FM 1291, Round Top, Texas, 979-353-2627

Shipping containers, but make it fashion. This darling escape, located four miles outside of Fredericksburg, offers eight perfectly appointed shipping containers accented with limestone, hardwood, and modern fixtures.

The spot is a literal dream come true for owners JD and Mary Susan Gilmer. Though Mary Susan grew up in Austin, she says that as a child spending time in the Hill Country, she always dreamed of having a place there one day, when she was old.

The result is a little less cargo ship and a little more Hill Country chic. Containers have a distinct theme, ranging from the midcentury modern Groovy to the Western-inspired Lone Star, and each with a deeply personal connection to the couple. (Shangri-la, for example, honors JD's mom, who loved traveling to Asia.) Each room is outfitted with a front porch, a kitchenette, a book nook/extra bed, and a firepit available to guests. Publish

186 Grasshopper Lane, Fredericksburg, Texas

Truly escape from it all at this rural Marble Falls retreat. Known as the Blue Beetle, this Airbnb offers a tiny home with big views. Enjoy coffee on the second-story deck or fire up the grill for tacos and margaritas.

The property itself is home to other tiny homes, giving visitors the chance to get a glimpse into what it would be like to actually live within a smaller footprint, something owner Aaron says it part of this Airbnb's attraction. A firepit and creekside access or among the amenities, though the listing notes that guests have their own private areas away from the residents.

Address available upon booking, Marble Falls, Texas.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP)  Lawrence police have arrested one suspect in the shooting death of a 21-year-old Wichita man near the University of Kansas campus and are looking for a second suspect.

Police spokesman Patrick Compton said in an email that 18-year-old Javier Isidro Romero was arrested on Friday night in connection with the Sept. 8 shooting death of Christian Talib Willis.
Rich Pedroncelli/AP

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP)  Two of Gov. Gavin Newsom's children have tested positive for the coronavirus and his family is following all COVID protocols," his office announced Friday.

The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic," said a statement from Erin Mellon, spokesperson in the governors office.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  Africatowns resurrection into a potential world-class tourism destination is well-known by now as planning forges ahead for walking and water tours, a museum and welcome center, and a development corporation aimed at bringing businesses to the community founded by slaves more than 161 years ago.

But bumps are expected along the way. The latest is unfolding with the second round of delays for the Africatown Heritage House, which is not scheduled to open until sometime during the first quarter of 2022.

The house is set to be transformed into the first museum in the Africatown community since the slave ship Clotilda was discovered in May 2019. The vessel is recognized as the last known ship to bring slaves to the United States.

Were frustrated, said Mobile County Commissioner Merceria Ludgood. Every delay pushes it further and further (behind).

The reason for the delay is because of the slowdown in global shipping, which pushed back the arrival of the pre-fabricated house to November. It was previously expected to arrive this month.

Earlier this year, the 5,000-square-foot structure was expected to arrive in July or August. But that timeline was pushed back in June after the contractor was delayed in getting a land disturbance permit to begin the work.

Said Ludgood, We went the manufactured (home) route because we were trying to do it quickly. But we really would have the same thing if we (constructed the building).

COMPANY IS COMING

More work is required once the house arrives and is installed adjacent to the Robert Hope Community Center. A roof has to be added, and on-site landscaping needs to take place. Museum displays will also take 10-12 weeks to install inside the building.

Most of what can be done in advance is completed: the exhibits are designed, the text is written, and the audio-visual components are in development, said Meg Fowler, director of the History Museum of Mobile which is in charge of assembling the displays.

She added, Actually, constructing the exhibition, however, will require us to build out false walls and other exhibit components in the gallery space and that is work which cannot begin until space is complete.

Other tourism attractions are on hold until the Heritage House is completed. Chief among them are water tours and the showing of a 24-minute film on Africatown that was created by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

We feel like the tourism story needs to be in sync with the asset development over there, said David Clark, president & CEO with Visit Mobile. We feel like the perfect time for turning the story into an experience is when the Heritage House opens. When the Heritage House opens, we will have a really cool thing to showcase the Clotilda, Africatown story.

Clark noted that its taken over 160 years to get to the point of telling the Clotildas story through permanent displays and through storytelling during land and water tours.

He added, With (the Heritage Houses opening) being pushed back a little bit due to a lack of the supply chain, I feel like its still right around the corner. Were super excited.

Darron Patterson, president of the Clotilda Descendants Association, is also unconcerned over the delay. He said that construction project managers are dealing with uncertainties and are having to adjust their own timelines.

It honestly gives us more time, said Patterson.

He said the extra time frame gives public officials more time to assist in sprucing up everything within the mostly Black and poor neighborhood ahead of the arrival of international tourists.

We have company coming and we need to do more over there than putting up a building and saying, Come on, said Patterson. He said that he would like to see traffic slowed along Africatown Boulevard, and that dilapidated housing needs to be demolished.

We need to start thinking about what is happening, Patterson said. Company is coming. We need to be able to be sure that we are able to accept company.

STORY LIVES ON

The Descendants Association is also working with a playwright on a production about the Clotilda story, though no timetable has been hashed out on the completion of a production.

The Mobile County Commission, on Monday, gave the association $28,000 for the development of intellectual property related to the Africatown story.

Part of his contract is directing and doing the casting calls and hell do the rehearsals and the presentation, said Ludgood. All of this is really for the playwrights expenses.

Patterson said the organization has partnered with a nationally acclaimed playwright to craft a production that he believes will be the beginning of introducing professional Black theater to Mobile. He said the goal is to make the story of the Clotilda a Broadway production, similar to the success of Hamilton.

We are trying to move into a realm that we feel will be beautiful for Mobile and we appreciate the county commission in having the faith in us to give us the money to go forward with some things, Patterson said.

He said the money will help the association keep and maintain the Clotilda story.

There are all kinds of charlatans out there who are even trying right now to take advantage of what is happening with the Clotilda (discovery), said Patterson. There are people who are coming to Africatown and seeing if there is property available to get. They have no interest in Africatown. This is something we are trying to beat back every day.

He added, This is not about the money. Its about making sure the legacy of the 110 people on that ship showing the resiliency they did, that we are bound and determined to make sure that wont die. The survival of Africatown is important. The rebirth of that community is important. Everyone has an agenda, and ours is to make sure our story lives on.
BEIJING (AP)  An Air France-KLM flight returned to Beijing shortly after takeoff on Saturday after smoke filled the cabin, the airline said.

The Boeing 777 connecting Beijing Airport with Paris-Charles de Gaulle suffered a technical failure linked to overpressure in one of the air conditioning pipes, which spread residue and dust in the cabin, the airline said in a statement.
BILOXI, Miss. (AP)  An early Saturday shooting at a Mississippi casino has left one person dead and another in custody, Biloxi Police said.

It happened around 12:30 a.m. inside the Golden Nugget Casino. Police said they received a number of 911 calls about a man shooting inside the casino.

Officers arrested Jereme Lamond Jones, 30, of Mobile, Alabama, on a charge of first-degree murder after he allegedly shot a man multiple times on the gaming floor, police said. No other injuries were reported.

The victim, a 41-year-old man from Gulfport, Mississippi, was pronounced dead at the scene just before 1 a.m. His name has not been released yet.

Investigators said the victim and Jones argued outside the casino and then ran into the building. The victim was shot at close range, police said. It's unclear if the men knew each other.

Biloxi police and officers from surrounding jurisdictions responded and arrested Jones near the Biloxi Bay Bridge, armed with a pistol, police said.

Jones is being held at the Harrison County Jail. Bond was set at $1 million. It was unknown if he's represented by an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Biloxi Police Department. Tips can also be submitted via email to ciu@biloxi.ms.us or to Mississippi Crime Stoppers.
PARIS (AP)  France's foreign minister on Saturday denounced what he called the duplicity, disdain and lies surrounding the sudden rupture of France's lucrative contract to make submarines for Australia in favor of a U.S. deal and declared that a crisis is at hand among the Western allies.

A day after France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian pummeled what he suggested was a backroom deal that betrayed France.

The recalling of its ambassadors signifies the force of the crisis today between the French government and Washington and Canberra, he said in an interview on France 2 television. He said it was the first time ever that France, the United States' oldest ally, has recalled its ambassador to the U.S.

The announcement by President Joe Biden of the deal, alongside the leaders of Australia and Britain, for at least eight nuclear-powered submarines has set France in a fury. The French had signed a contract in 2016 for a dozen conventional diesel-electric submarines and the work to make them was already underway. The deal with French majority state-owned Naval Group was worth at least $66 billion.

Diplomatic niceties have gone out the window as French authorities seek to make their anger known.

Le Drian denied reports that there had been advance consultations with France ahead of the announcement, saying this isn't true.

Allies don't treat each other with such brutality, such unpredictability, a major partner like France ... So there really is a crisis, Le Drian said.

There are reasons for us to question the strength of our alliance, Le Drian said.

Earlier, France's ambassador to Australia also strayed from diplomatic language when describing what has been widely billed in France as the contract of the century.

This has been a huge mistake, a very, very bad handling of the partnership, French ambassador Jean-Pierre Thebault said before flying home to France.

The arms agreement between France and Australia, signed in 2016, was supposed to be based on trust, mutual understanding and sincerity, a fuming Thebault said. I would like to be able to run into a time machine and be in a situation where we dont end up in such an incredible, clumsy, inadequate, un-Australian situation.

He said he found out about the canceled contract in the Australian press.

Le Drian said in a written statement Friday that the French decision to recall its ambassadors  at the request of President Emmanuel Macron  is justified by the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made by Australia and the United States.

What French officials have called a complex, multi-layered contract was about more than submarines. It was the underpinning for France's vision of the critical Indo-Pacific region, where France has a presence and China is looking to bolster its influence.

The Naval Group said in a statement that consequences of the contract cancelation would be analyzed with Australia in the coming days. It noted that teams in France and Australia have been at work on the project for the past five years.

Australian employees working with Naval Group and their families have set up home in the Normandy port of Cherbourg. A union official, David Robin, told BFMTV that employees were informed there may be an option to keep them on.

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Paynes office earlier had issued a statement responding to the diplomats recall and noting Canberras regret over its allys withdrawal of its representative.

Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests, the statement said. It added that Australia values its relationship with France and looked forward to future engagements together.

Payne and Defense Minister Peter Dutton are currently in the United States for annual talks with their U.S. counterparts and their first with Bidens administration.

After the U.S. deal was made public this week, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he told Macron in June that there were very real issues about whether a conventional submarine capability would address Australias strategic security needs in the Indo-Pacific.

Morrison has not specifically referred to Chinas massive military buildup, which has gained pace in recent years.

Morrison was in Paris on his way home from a Group of Seven nations summit in Britain where he had talks with soon-to-be-alliance partners Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Thebault said he had also been at the meeting with Macron and Morrison.

Morrison mentioned there were changes in the regional situation, but gave no indication that Australia was considering changing to nuclear propulsion, Thebault said.

Everything was supposed to be done in full transparency between the two partners, he added.

Senior Australian opposition lawmaker Mark Dreyfus called on the Australian government to fix its relationship with France.

The impact on our relationship with France is a concern, particularly as a country with important interests in our region, Dreyfus said. The French were blindsided by this decision and Mr. Morrison should have done much more to protect the relationship."
STEVENS PASS, Wash. (AP)  The body of a woman found in an isolated area off Stevens Pass has been identified, and her death ruled a homicide.

The King County Medical Examiners Office said the womans death was caused by homicidal violence, the Chelan County Sheriffs Office said in a news release.
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP)  Paint-A-Thon participants are hoping the goodwill it brings to the Burlington community each year will spread much like the virus that resulted in the cancellation of last years event.

Each year, hundreds of Burlington and West Burlington residents work with their neighbors, co-workers and friends to paint houses for those most in need in the Burlington community.

Its like a good virus, said Mark Rosenburg, team leader for Bethany Lutheran Church, who was painting a house on Elm Court. It goes to the community and spreads.

The Burlington Hawk Eye reports the Burlington/West Burlington Paint-A-Thon is hosted each year by Two Rivers Bank and Trust in collaboration with Diamond Vogel Paint and Community Action of Southeast Iowa. One of the programs goals is to beautify the homes of those who cannot afford a fresh coat of paint. This years event marks the 28th annual Paint-A-Thon. Last years was canceled because of COVID-19.

Rosenberg himself has participated in Paint-A-Thon for at least 20 years, but said he was not an original participant. When Paint-A-Thon first started in Burlington, an organizer reached out to all the churches in Burlington asking for help. Since then, it has become an annual tradition for many churches.

Rosenberg said Bethany Lutheran has adopted the motto Gods work, our hands as a symbol of what they want to do in the community. Throughout the years, members have participated in a number of activities aimed at helping members of the community, but this year the church has thrown their all into working on their Paint-A-Thon home.

Bethany Lutheran was working on a house on the 1600-block of Elm Court. They were also working with Tineco and Industrial Motors.

Bill Schwerin, who lives at the Elm Court home, did not seek out inclusion in this years Paint-A-Thon. He gets meals five times a week delivered to his home, and one of the people who delivers meals to him said they thought that he should apply.

I said, Yeah, go ahead and put my name in. A couple of weeks later, I found out that I had been selected, Schwerin said.

As part of its annual process, individuals can apply to have their home painted or can be nominated by someone else. Community Action goes through a selection process in which they seek out the neediest homeowners to receive assistance.

It isnt just the siding of the house that the group was working to paint. They also sandblasted and repainted metal railings and were working toward painting Schwerins deck. The detached garage of the home also was painted.

We have seen people so gratified after they get their house done, Rosenberg said. Its a moving experience.

The team already had been working on the house for three days as of Thursday but still had several hours worth of work left to be completed.

Prior to the Paint-A-Thon, almost all of the homes on that block of Elm Court were white. Schwerin asked for his home to be painted Stone Grey, which will make it stand out from other homes on the block.
HOUSTON (AP)  A year after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the country's top abortion-rights activists warned that the Supreme Courts recent inaction on Texas extremely restrictive new abortion law could signal the end of judicial checks and balances on the issue.

For a lot of people, theyve always assumed that, even if they lived in a state that passed restrictions on reproductive care, that there was always a judicial system that would be there to protect them and declare these laws unconstitutional, Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood, told The Associated Press in an interview this week.

That isnt happening any more.

To coincide with Saturday's anniversary of the death of Ginsburg, whom she called a trailblazer and advocate for women everywhere, Richards released an open letter warning that Texas' Republican leaders "have outlined a roadmap for other Republican governors to follow suit, with the acquiescence of the Supreme Court.

The right to a safe and legal abortion that had been protected under our constitution and by our judicial system for nearly 50 years is in jeopardy, and we must fight to fully regain it," wrote Richards, who stepped down from the helm of Planned Parenthood in 2018 and currently co-chairs American Bridge 21st Century, which supports liberal causes and conducts opposition research on Republicans

Texas' new law, which is the nation's most restrictive, prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect cardiac activity, which is usually around the sixth week of pregnancy and before some women know theyre pregnant. Courts have blocked other states from imposing similar restrictions, but Texas law differs significantly because it leaves enforcement to private citizens through lawsuits instead of prosecutors through criminal charges.

The measure took effect this month after the U.S. Supreme Court declined an emergency appeal from abortion providers asking that it be stayed. Opponents of the law have called it the nations biggest curb to abortion rights since the court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which established a nationwide right to abortion at any point before a fetus can survive outside the womb, which is roughly around the 24th week.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has defended the measure  which has no exceptions for rape or incest  saying it does not force victims to give birth and vowing that the state will work tirelessly to make sure that we eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas by aggressively going out and arresting them and prosecuting them.

Abortion providers have said they will comply, but some of Texas roughly two dozen abortion clinics have temporarily stopped offering abortion services altogether. Clinics in nearby states say they are struggling to meet surging demand, and care for their own residents is being delayed to accommodate women making long trips from Texas.

The Justice Department is suing Texas, saying in a federal suit that the law was enacted in open defiance of the Constitution and violates the Supremacy Clause, which says federal law supersedes state law. A federal judge next month is set to consider the case, which argues that the measure unlawfully infringes on the constitutional rights of women.

According to a poll earlier this year by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, a solid majority of Americans believe most abortions should be legal in the first three months of a womans pregnancy, but most say the procedure should usually be illegal in the second and third trimesters.

The poll came just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving a currently blocked Mississippi law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, two weeks into the second trimester. Similar measures in states across the country are on hold pending the outcome of that case.

Richards said she is concerned that, without a shift in direction, Roe v. Wade could be headed for extinction in more places. But she pointed to the 2022 midterm elections as what she sees as a way for voters to change that.

We are in a post-Roe world now," Richards said. "Here in the state of Texas, Roe is no longer in effect ... and all it takes is a Republican governor and a Republican Legislature. Your state could be exactly the same.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP
MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (AP)  Domino's Pizza plans to make a lot of dough in Indiana.

Joined by Gov. Eric Holcomb, the pizza chain broke ground Friday at a dough production and warehouse facility in Merrillville in the AmeriPlex business park.

When people think of Indiana manufacturing, they think of steel, RVs and limestone. Today, we add Dominos pizza dough to our recipe, because we both know how to deliver, Holcomb said.

The facility, which is expected to be finished by the end of 2022, will supply pizza ingredients to Dominos shops in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Domino's will get tax incentives.

Im absolutely thrilled to put one of the centers right here in Merrillville. The partnerships we have here have made is as easy and could be, Domino's chief executive Richard Allison said.
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Protesters angry at the Tunisian presidents seizure of broad powers faced off with his supporters Saturday in competing demonstrations in the North African nation's capital of Tunis.

It was the first time that President Kais Saieds critics demonstrated against his actions since he suspended parliament, fired the prime minister and assumed full executive powers on July 25. Saied said the measures were necessary to save the country amid tensions over Tunisias economic and virus crisis, and would only last a month. But he then extended them until further notice.
ATLANTA (AP)  Emory University has received a $5 million grant to establish a new center at the law school focused on advancing civil rights and social justice.

The money is coming from a charitable foundation funded by Southern Company Gas, the university said Thursday.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  The first family of Afghanistan refugees has arrived in Kansas City as resettlement agencies in the area prepare for hundreds more.

Mayor Quinton Lucas tweeted that he was proud" of the city for welcoming all people" in announcing the family's arrival this week. He said they represented the first of 550 Afghan refugees who will arrive in Kansas City.
Late last month, Hawaii Gov. David Ige made a plea to tourists: Put travel plans on hold until at least the end of October. The highly contagious delta variant had increased the state's hospitalizations, straining the hospital system.

"Our hospitals are reaching capacity, and our ICUs are filling up," he said Aug. 23. "Now is not a good time to travel to Hawaii."

Ige's message didn't stop tourism altogether - just before Labor Day, travel to Maui exceeded pre-pandemic levels - but it did seem to slow visitors.

Mufi Hannemann, president and chief operating officer of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association, told local media that since the governor's request to halt nonessential travel, "the industry has seen cancellations increase and occupancy cut nearly in half in some instances." Tourism officials reported more than 50,000 room cancellations in Maui County.

But how do locals in tourism - both big and small - who depend on travelers feel about the slowdown? Tourism officials have stood by the governor, but others feel that if you are going to visit, there are safe ways to do it.

"We are strongly advising visitors that now is not the right time to travel," John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, said in a news release on the same day as Ige's message.

Hawaii tourism surged when the islands reopened to visitors in October 2020, and they have been plagued by bad tourist behavior, from blocking roads for photo ops to being caught with fake vaccination cards.

Andrew Fowers, co-founder of the Hawaii audio tour company Shaka Guide, agrees with tourism officials that travelers "absolutely should postpone their trips," he said in an email. "As a Hawaii resident myself, I'm concerned about the rise in case numbers and the strain on our healthcare system."

If a traveler wants to keep the Hawaii plans, Fowers encourages that person to be vaccinated and tested ahead of the trip. Additionally, he advises travelers to be responsible during their trip and to do their research about local coronavirus protocols ahead of time.

And those protocols are changing.

Local governments and businesses are going beyond the state's Safe Travels program, which requires visitors to either be vaccinated or test negative ahead of their trip.

For example, this month, the islands of Maui and Oahu started requiring patrons of various indoor establishments - such as restaurants, libraries bars and gyms - to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test to enter. A number of hotels across Hawaii are moving to require proof of vaccination to enter their properties. Hawaiian Airlines released an in-flight video encouraging visitors "to explore with care, offering your kokua (help) to preserve our natural resources, cultures and communities."

Maile Anderson, a jewelry maker who lives in Maui, also implores visitors in Hawaii to be respectful. After seeing her town without tourists during the early pandemic lockdown, the return of travelers has been jarring.

"I live in Paia, and pretty much around lunchtime every single restaurant has a line out the door - and my town isn't the main tourist town," Anderson said. "There are no hotels, it's a 30-minute drive from the two main tourist areas, and I've noticed that my little town has been crazy with traffic."

Anderson says the impact of tourism's return to Hawaii goes beyond long lines and traffic. Tension between locals and visitors grew with the rise of tourists' bad behavior.

"I think maybe they had just been cooped up and hadn't been able to travel for so long ... they weren't really respecting the island or the rules or the locals," she said. "It's been really sad and frustrating for a lot of people."

Still, Anderson recognizes the importance of tourism for Hawaii's economy, and she welcomes tourists if they feel safe visiting.

Her one request is for visitors to "respect the locals, respect the rules of the road," she said. "The people of Hawaii are so nice and so welcoming, but if you're not friendly to them, then of course we're not going to want them to come."

Garrett Marrero, the founder of Hawaii's largest craft brewery, Maui Brewing Company, has seen poorly behaved tourists during the pandemic, "but I would also argue that I've seen many visitors come with the best of intentions and leave saying that they'll never come back to Hawaii because they didn't feel welcome," he said.

Marrero said he feels that the local "don't come here" rhetoric is putting visitors on the defensive, creating a negative feedback loop.

"I would say you get what you give, and if you want aloha, you've got to give aloha," he said. "So I don't believe fully that tourists are the sole causation of this strife."

Bob Jones, a journalist in Hawaii who reports on local issues via his blog, said he believes the issue goes deeper than tourist behavior or coronavirus risks. Angst over overtourism had been festering before the pandemic, and the confluence of the coronavirus and tourists created a flash point.

"Because of [the pandemic], we really saw the difference if we didn't have so many people," Jones said. "People could actually just go and walk up Diamond Head without being in a crowd of 150 people trying to get to the top at the same time."

Once the coronavirus situation has been resolved, Jones expects the issue to get worse. International visitors will add to the overtourism problem if the state doesn't come up with a solution to address local concerns.

For those grappling with whether to visit Hawaii at this time, Marrero's take is that he "would leave it to the individual to make that decision," he said. "If Hawaii was your home community and you were seeing a surge, would it be the right thing to do to come to that community? How would you feel?"

He added: "If you do choose to come, you need to be responsible for the safety of yourself and others," Marrero said. "That is mask-wearing and complying with the rules."
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Nursing homes in Missouri with the vast majority of staff vaccinated tend to have strikingly lower rates of COVID-19 cases among residents, according to federal records, a trend that may offer broader lessons about the virus and how it can be slowed.

Many nursing homes in the state had six, seven or even eight in 10 employees vaccinated, but still recorded relatively high virus caseloads among residents this year. But all the homes with 90% or more of their staff vaccinated saw caseloads  and deaths  dip to near zero, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Back in November and December, when you had a person turn positive, you knew you were going to find other people in the home that were positive. Because there was no protection at all, pre-vaccine, said Dr. Charles Crecelius, medical director for two area nursing homes and an elder care specialist for BJC Medical Group. Now  I cant say its not happening. But the average outbreak, theres a couple people, and you get it clamped down.

Weve showed, in nursing homes: Vaccines work, Crecelius continued. They really dramatically lower the case rate and the death rate.

Nursing homes are at a crossroads. In the coming weeks, the federal government will release a rule requiring all employees to get vaccinated at facilities certified to receive Medicare and Medicaid dollars, but nursing home leaders worry some staff will quit when faced with such a mandate. At the same time, the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly throughout the U.S., and  while case rates are well below the devastating levels of last year  nursing homes are still reporting some outbreaks.

Missouri nursing homes with very high staff vaccination rates have generally had low case rates over the course of 2021, according to a Post-Dispatch analysis of U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services COVID-19 infection, death and vaccination data.

Local researchers analyzed the data and found similar patterns. Looking at records from more than 500 Missouri nursing homes between May 24 and Aug. 29, as the percent of vaccinated staff increased, the risk of COVID-19 infections among residents significantly decreased, wrote researchers, including senior author and St. Louis University professor Enbal Shacham, in a paper submitted for publication this week.

The data didnt always provide a clear trend, suggesting other factors played a role. For instance, some nursing homes with very low vaccination rates also reported very low resident case rates. And Shachams study found that nursing homes with more residents had higher odds of infections, and also that increasing case rates in the surrounding county boosted the odds of infection among the nursing homes residents.

But the U.S., too, indicated that staff vaccination played a large role in resident infection rates: In a press release earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, known as CMS, said U.S. nursing homes with 75% or lower staff vaccination rates have higher rates of preventable COVID-19 infections.

Chipping away

Vaccinations began for Missouri nursing home residents and staff on Dec. 28. By that point, nursing homes statewide had reported nearly 19,000 COVID-19 cases, and almost 3,000 deaths, according to federal data, or about 44% of the states total reported virus deaths.

Through the rest of winter, and into spring, weekly case and death counts in Missouri nursing homes declined.

Momentum has been building toward vaccine mandates for nursing home workers, with a sweeping federal requirement expected in coming weeks. More than 84% of nursing home residents are now immunized in Missouri.

But seniors still represent 15% of the states cases and 81% of the deaths. And despite months of effort, only about half of the states nursing home employees have been vaccinated, making Missouri the third-worst in the nation, trailed only by Florida and Louisiana.

Maries Manor, a 98-bed nursing home about 25 miles northwest of Rolla, has a 100% vaccination rate among residents. Most were immunized during the facilitys first COVID-19 vaccine clinic, Administrator Josh Cross said recently. But getting employees vaccinated has been more difficult.

Cross said that over the past eight months, he has been constantly trying to educate, alleviate fears, and provide incentives. At one point he offered unvaccinated employees $25 to get a first dose. Cross talked to employees again and again, before each monthly vaccine clinic.

Slowly but surely, it worked, Cross said. I chipped away at so many people who were not going to get it.

As of Aug. 22, the facility had 82% of staff fully vaccinated, and Cross said 91% had a first dose.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Maries Manor has reported 18 COVID-19 cases among its residents, and three deaths, according to CMS data. All of the cases and deaths were reported before Jan. 24.

Cross said hed prefer that all visitors be vaccinated, too, but we know in rural Missouri thats very, very unlikely. In Maries County, 35% of the population has received a first dose of vaccine, and 32% has been fully vaccinated, according to state data.

Vaccine mandatesOn Aug. 18, President Joe Biden announced the nursing home staff vaccine mandate. On Aug. 26, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced vaccine requirements for workers in high-risk settings, including nursing homes and schools.

And on Sept. 9, Biden announced that the requirement would be expanded to hospitals, home health agencies, dialysis clinics and other federally funded health care settings.

Some area nursing homes are already mandating vaccines for staff. BJC HealthCares Memorial Care Center, in St. Clair County, requires employees to get vaccinated as part of the BJC health systems requirement. St. Lukes Surrey Place also requires the vaccines for its employees, as part of St. Luke Hospitals employee mandate. Bethesda Health Group, a St. Louis County-based chain with 14 communities, announced on Aug. 23 that all of its employees, volunteers and vendors needed to get vaccinated by Nov. 1.

But Nikki Strong, executive director of the Missouri Health Care Association, a trade group for long-term care facilities, said at a hearing at the Missouri Capitol on Tuesday that she believes the vaccine mandate will exacerbate existing staffing shortages in nursing homes.

We dont believe that a straightforward mandate is the appropriate way to achieve full vaccination in our facilities, Strong said.

Strong said 83 of 275 Missouri nursing homes in a recent survey said theyd expect to lose 25% to 49% of their staff if there was a mandate, and 91 said theyd expect to lose 50% or more.

The staffing crisis is not getting better. We dont have the resources to pay and compete with the fast food restaurants, the convenience stores, the Walmarts, whomever, Strong said.

Strong said she is not expecting the federal rule to be finalized until mid-to-late October, so the details of the mandate are still unknown. It is unclear how it will be enforced, and whether there will be an option for employees to get tested regularly if they do not want to get vaccinated.

Rep. Peter Merideth, D-St. Louis, said during the hearing that he believed a vaccine mandate may be one factor in the staffing shortages, but the larger focus should be on improving wages for nursing home workers, and raising reimbursement rates.

Yeah, were adding another requirement on them, Merideth said. That might be the straw that broke the camels back, but the tough job theyve had for the last two years for the little pay, undoubtedly is a bigger factor in the staffing crisis, is it not?

Vaccine misinformation

Lavetta Richardson, a certified medical technician who has worked for 13 years at Mary, Queen and Mother Center in Shrewsbury, said she supports a mandate because without one, people will not get vaccinated.

Richardson caught COVID-19 in the summer of 2020, and was sick for about six weeks with body aches, headaches and loss of appetite. Her husband also caught the virus and was hospitalized.

It was just miserable, Richardson said.

She got her first shot in January, and now she talks to her co-workers about the vaccines as a union-appointed safety steward for the nursing home. She said she recently gathered with her co-workers and told them about her experience with COVID-19.

A lot of people, they get the misinformation, and they carry it with them, Richardson said. Its hard to change their minds.

Nursing home administrators and physicians told the Post-Dispatch that vaccine incentives have helped some, but the real progress increasing staff vaccination rates has been made through one-on-one conversations about employees concerns.

Elsberry Missouri Health Care Center in Lincoln County has a 100% vaccination rate among residents and 93% among staff, and has reported just one case  a false positive, staff said. Administrator Linda Haake said many things helped keep case rates down. The facility paid employees when they were staying home awaiting a test result. It encouraged outdoor visitation. And only vaccinated visitors were allowed to visit residents in their rooms.

But she also worked hard to get staff vaccinated: She said she would pull employees aside who werent getting vaccinated or were on the fence, ask them about their questions and concerns, and try to find experts who could answer them. The facility also offered $100 gift cards.

Dr. David Carr, a geriatrician and professor of medicine and neurology at Washington University, said the efficacy of the vaccine is clear.

I dont doubt, if it hadnt been for the vaccination, that we would have had a tremendous number of outbreaks that just wouldve kept going on, said Carr, who is also the medical director of Parc Provence, a dementia care facility in Creve Coeur.

Carr believes nursing homes have survived the worst of COVID-19. They now benefit from having at least a portion of their employees vaccinated, and most of their residents. But he does worry that, with other mutations of the virus, there will be more waves of cases.

Hopefully nothing like we had before, he said. But I think were going to continue to be at risk here, over the winter and spring.
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP)  The property and structure at 417 Jonathan St. in Hagerstown has a long history.

The trees used in its construction were cut down in the winter of 1739-40 and 1740-41 near Hagerstown, and were used for another building before being recycled in the 1830s to build the structure.

At one point, the plot was owned by Hagerstown founder Jonathan Hager and was passed from his son to a daughter before going into continuous African American ownership by the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Fast-forward to the fall of 2018, when a Hagerstown Police Department patrolman crashed his cruiser into the 600-square-foot home.

The crash displaced longtime owner and occupant Richard Davis, but also set off a series of events leading to a crowd that included numerous state and local dignitaries forming in front of the property Tuesday.

They were there to celebrate the cabins restoration and renovation, and the future of Hagerstowns historically African American Jonathan Street community.

Saving this one cabin wont begin to address every challenge confronting this neighborhood, or right every wrong, or tell every overlooked story, said Nicholas Redding, president and CEO of Preservation Maryland, which bought the structure and land from Davis in 2019.

Redding called the work done at 417 Jonathan St. 21st century historic preservation at its best, saying the project saved a significant piece of underrepresented history through an investment in the community for current and future residents.

The building was not frozen in time, but instead a living, breathing home with a purpose which will hopefully stand for another 282 years, he said.

This project is important because its an opportunity to use a historic place to improve a community, Redding said. Were not just turning this into a museum or capturing it in amber.

He said he hoped the project would be a catalyst for future work in the community.

Redding also spoke about the many partnerships that led to Tuesdays ribbon cutting for the newly restored cabin, which Preservation Maryland has plans to sell for use as a residence for an individual or a small family, possibly by the end of the year.

Following the crash, the structure was condemned and Allegany Wrecking & Salvage company was contracted to tear the building down.

Then-owner Joel and son Josh Merrbaugh began the demolition but stopped after noticing the logs underneath the outer structure were particularly old and assembled in a V-cut construction.

The Merrbaughs contacted the people handling the owners affairs, at first offering to purchase the building.

In June, Joel Merrbaugh received certificates of recognition from both the Washington County Board of Commissioners and the Washington County Historical Advisory Committee for his decision to pause the demolition, which led to the structures preservation.

The cabin was eventually purchased by Preservation Maryland, which has been working with Western Maryland Community Development Corp., or WMCDC, to preserve the Jonathan Street communitys history and work on economic development for the neighborhood.

The Maryland Department of Transportation and State Highway Administration, Habitat for Humanity Washington County and numerous others have also contributed to work on the cabin, which includes an archaeological excavation led by Julie Schablitsky, chief archaeologist with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration.

WMCDC Co-Chairman/CEO Reggie Turner, who initially contacted Preservation Maryland about the cabin, said he was excited for the community and about the statewide and national exposure the story has gotten from outlets such as the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post and Smithsonian Magazine.

Turner said it was amazing to see how the community came together to save the cabin  which was initially identified as historical to city and county governments in a 2002 report  from the Merrbaughs recognizing the aged timbers comprising the structure to Preservation Maryland taking his call, to the State Highway Administration doing archeological studies, and everyone in between.

Its a testament to the resilience of this community. Its a testament to its people, and Im excited for this vision,  Turner said.

He also noted how the project was able to move forward during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tereance Moore, WMCDC co-chairman/CEO, said while getting the cabin project done was somewhat of a relief, it was also the start of being accountable for something more.

This is our resume item, Moore said. This is the item to show were all about action. A lot of people want change and a lot of people tried to do things, and this really shows that we have the acumen to maneuver and the relationships to make things happen in the community.

Moore said the project also brings trust to the involved partners from not only the Jonathan Street community, but also the city, county and beyond, along with opportunities to help the community as a whole by focusing on things like educating children on the areas history, bring in more small businesses and getting more residents to be homeowners as opposed to renters.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Anthony Andler of Heimies Haberdashery wants it to be more than just a store. To him, it could become a cultural touchstone shaped by romanticism from the early 1900s, a scene from the St. Paul his great-grandfather lived in.

The high-end mens clothing store, which has been in downtown St. Paul since 2007, is a one-stop shop, selling apparel like jackets, suits, pants, sweaters and fedoras; providing services in-store like shoe shining, steam presses; and offering its very own barbershop.

Six-year customer Paul Dotson, who shops at the store for suits and casual clothes, said its the place to go for special service. His son-in-law recently got a suit fitted and altered in 48 hours, with what Dotson called some of the most fantastic materials.

The haberdasherys decor and design nod to the culture and art of the early 1900s that Andler so greatly seeks to bring back, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported.

I surround myself with the era. When things were made by hand, a wooden cabinet was made a certain way, it has personality and grace, and it has a story to tell; it has history. It has energy, he said.

Andlers film and theater background has made him value character building and stage design in his store.

I think that this business is just an extension of my performance. Its a stage set, he said. Its a reflection of my inner truth.

In 2019, Andler expanded the store  in the historic Hamm Building on St. Peter Street  to 10,000 square feet, adding space for a barista, coffees, a shotgun library and a grooms lounge. Shortly after, he added a smoking patio, where customers can smoke cigars.

Its part of being human, drinking a nice cappuccino and a little dessert, hanging out with your friends and laughing and then taking in environments. Environments are so important to our storytelling, he said.

Dotson loves going to the haberdashery to have a relaxed conversation in a nice setting, he said.

Back when we were all working from our offices, and I was in downtown St. Paul, I would routinely go there at least once a week, just to have a coffee or a soda pop and just shoot the breeze with him, Dotson said. I know its corny, but its a nice place.

Thats not where it stops for Andler. He wants the haberdashery to inspire creativity among other playwrights and authors, so hes hoping to start hosting filmmakers nights or readings. He also plans to host themed shows on Friday and Saturday nights to draw crowds to St. Pauls downtown.

I want the store to be more than just about clothing. I want to round out the edges and make a real commitment to the community, Andler said. I always wanted it to be more than just a clothing store.

Growing up as the great-grandchild of Russian-Jewish tailors and clothing retailers, who immigrated to the United States in 1917, Andler learned to appreciate the struggles of immigrants. In 1921, his great-grandfather, Heimie Andler, opened a tailor shop in St. Pauls Lowertown district, which moved to Robert Street in 1947.

That immigration story is important to Andler because it reflects a time when Russian-Jews had to become good at what the communities they entered needed, viewing their skill sets as a currency, he said.

Jewish people came to America, and they were told: Heres a couple things you can do. You can either be a tailor or a rag picker; heres whats acceptable, he said. They learned that clothing was currency. That was their currency. They sold clothes to make money, and they became some of the best merchants and some of the best retailers.

Andler, who took an apprenticeship under his grandfather, always imagined what it could be like if he took the business one step further, he said.

This is a reflection of what I thought it could be or should be. Growing up, pressing clothes, watching my grandpa, listening, being around the business, I always imagined that there would be more, he said. I just added the more.

Today, Andler still has some of his grandfathers customers come in, many of whom still exist in an older culture, where visiting your tailor becomes an experience.

That approach is something Andler wants to keep alive. Hes started making movie shorts, where he parodies older movies as an homage to that era.

We play it out in our heads all the time, and we see it in movies all the time. Thats why making these movie shorts is so important. Because it is social culture, its allowing people to see more than just the clothes. Its part of the landscape, he said.

Andler is currently writing a script inspired by people he meets every day at the store but set in the 1940s. He plans to do casting calls in the haberdashery and then shoot the film later.

The characters are nice, well-rounded and interesting characters because thats what people are when they come in here, he said.

His creativity has taken to social media, too, after he noticed supply issues during the pandemic. To combat the loss in sales, Andler found a new way to bring customers into the store.

He started a YouTube series called The Haberdashers Couch, a variety show showcasing local businesses, musicians, playwrights, comedians, actors and songwriters. The show is a salute to the vaudeville-style stage and has brought new customers into the store, Andler said.

The haberdasherys social media presence with movie shorts and other content is a valuable extra area of connection for customer Dotson.

I love those, Dotson said. I know those people, and so watching them recreate these videos is engaging as a customer/friend. And part of it is especially when he had the radio station going, an effort to reach out to the community and do something thats not just hurrying customers in and hurrying customers out.

This month Andler is releasing a weekly miniseries on Instagram and YouTube.

He used to hold cabaret nights, where people would come to see a show and spend the night in the city. As a merchant, this was something he greatly enjoyed.

It had a vibration of the city. It had a synergy, it was plugged in, and people would come here for a show, come to the haberdashery for a show and then theyd go to Kincaids and have dinner, he said.

Andlers creativity extends to the clothes he designs. Hes interested in exploring gender-neutral clothes, recognizing the significant role that gender conditioning plays in the clothes one wears.

As a kid, he would buy certain womens clothes, but dressing people in less gender-specific clothing wasnt as accepted 20 years ago, he said.

I love both masculine and the feminine. And sometimes I like merging those two things, and I like playing around with that, Andler said.

What matters to him is dressing the inside, as he hopes to change lives through clothing.

As long as were dressing the inside, the outside is going to look beautiful, he said. Changing lives through the expression of clothing is pretty cool because its so important to who we are every day. I dont just want to pull my pants on; I want to pull them on with the purpose.
GOSHEN, Ind. (AP)  Health officials are frustrated after a northern Indiana county council rejected a $3 million federal grant following vocal opposition from residents tying it to a litany of COVID-19 complaints.

The Elkhart County health department had sought the grant to hire staff members to provide education on chronic diseases to Black, Hispanic and Amish residents over a three-year period. The county councils 6-0 vote on Sept. 11 against accepting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grant, however, had some health leaders saying the council was swayed by what they view as false information and conspiracy theories.

Dr. Dan Nafziger, Goshen Healths chief medical officer, said the county doesnt have enough healthcare workers to meet the community needs.

It is incredibly disappointing to see this effort prevented because people distrust the federal government or connect what they dont like about the pandemic with this grant, Nafzinger said. On a daily basis we have patients filling beds in our hospitals because they didnt understand how to keep themselves healthy.

County Health Officer Dr. Bethany Wait said the department sought the grant after a community needs assessment showed that chronic disease and mental health were concerns in the three target communities. Wait said the department wanted to find health workers who live in those communities and can provide outreach.

More than 20 people spoke against the grant program during the council meeting, with some expressed distrust of the government and health experts and raising fears that the money would lead to forced vaccination.

I have to believe this grant has a lot to do with COVID, said Alison Gingerich of Goshen. We are tired of being educated on COVID. We have had two years of education on COVID. Two years of contract tracing with COVID. Any more education stands for threat, coercion, bullying and virtue signaling.

Elkhart County, which is just east of South Bend, saw severe COVID-19 outbreaks earlier in the year and was under a county health department-issued mask mandate for months until county commissioners refused in May to extend it under a new Republican-backed state law that required elected officials to approve such requirements.

County Council member Adam Bujalski said he objected to a grant requirement that the local health department assist the federal government in quarantining and COVID isolation.

That one sentence is my no, Bujalski said. I refuse to say that whatever the federal government tells me I have to do I have to do. I will never say that.

Former Goshen Mayor Allan Kauffman, whos now on the city school board, said he didnt understand why the council was swayed by the grant opponents.

Never have I seen something like this before, ever. And I never thought I ever would. Its craziness, Kauffman said. What news do these people read, for Gods sakes? ... They want to believe these conspiracy theories.
BLUFFTON, Ind. (AP)  A northern Indiana physician has been sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty in a drunken driving crash that killed an infant and severely injured the boy's father.

Russel Jerome Legreid II of Roanoke was sentenced Wednesday by a Wells County judge to a six-year term, three years of which he will serve in a state prison, followed by three years of probation. His drivers license will also be suspended for two years.
JACKSON, Mich. (AP)  After hearing from critics, including the homeless, officials in a southern Michigan city have rejected an ordinance that would have cracked down on panhandling.

The ordinance would have stopped people in Jackson from asking for money by speech or sign near banks, building entrances, outdoor dining or on public transportation. A violation would have carried a $100 fine.
DETROIT (AP)  Jonathan Tukel, who was a federal prosecutor before becoming a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals, has died at age 60.

It's the second death of an appeals court judge in recent weeks. Karen Fort Hood died on Aug. 15.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP)  The lawyer for two women who challenged New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's order requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for certain workers is appealing a judge's denial of their request for an injunction blocking the mandate.

Attorney A. Blair Dunn filed a notice of appeal with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, a day after U.S. District Judge Martha Vazquez upheld Lujan Grisham's authority to impose a vaccine mandate in a public health order to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
A Kansas nurse who texted a co-worker a picture of a dementia patient slumped over in a wheelchair and then suggested she was responsible and deserved thanks has pleaded guilty to intentionally administering the wrong medication.

The Kansas City Star reports that 37-year-old Jennifer Lynn Reavis, of Atchison, is free on bond as she awaits sentencing on charges of endangerment, unlawful administration of a controlled substance and battery. She pleaded guilty to the charges Friday in Leavenworth County District Court.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants to leave questions of human rights and democracy to the United Nations, as part of his continuing criticisms of the Organization of American States.

Lopez Obrador spoke Saturday at the meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, which includes almost all countries in the region except Brazil. Unlike the OAS, the U.S. and Canada don't belong to CELAC.

The summit took up questions plaguing the region, like mass migration and the coronavirus pandemic. But some leaders angered by the OAS' criticism of leftist regimes in the region have hoped CELAC could replace it.

Lopez Obrador has suggested the OAS is interventionist and a tool of the United States. But he did not formally propose leaving the organization. Rather, he opposed any kind of sanctions and said questions of human rights and democracy should only be considered if a country accused of violations requests that.

Controversies over democracy and human rights should be worked out in truly neutral forums created by the countries of the Americas, and the last word should be left to the specialized agencies of United Nations, Lopez Obrador said.

The President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle, defended the OAS.

You can disagree with how it is managed, but you cannot discount the organization," said Lacalle, who also openly and by name criticized Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua for anti-democratic practices.

El Salvadoran Vice President Felix Ulloa criticized what he called partisan behavior in the OAS, but noted we are not expecting nor do we think that a substitute will emerge from this.

Panama's Foreign Relations Minister, Erika Mouynes, called attention to the region's problem of migration. Mouynes said that while only about 800 migrants were entering Panama a few months ago  mainly from Colombia  now about 20,000 are arriving every month. Panama is struggling to feed and care for the influx.

This phenomenon can only be handled in a regional manner, Mouynes said.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was one of the unexpected leaders who arrived late Friday in Mexico City for the meeting. This is his first trip outside Venezuela since the U.S. government indicted him on drug trafficking and terrorism charges in March 2020, and offered a reward of up to $15 million for him.

Maduro challenged Uruguay's Lacalle to a debate on democracy.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel railed against the criticism of his country's crackdown on protests in July. He called the demonstrations an opportunistic campaign of slander, financed by U.S. federal funds and which still threatens the stability, integrity and sovereignty of my country.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who U.S. prosecutors have signaled as having funded his political ascent with bribes from drug traffickers, spoke in a lengthy defense of his record. He has not been formally charged, and accused the DEA of having employed drug traffickers who testified about his alleged drug ties.

""There has been a tsunami, and avalanche of false testimonies," Hernandez said.

He has denied any wrongdoing. His brother, former federal lawmaker Juan Antonio Tony Hernandez, was sentenced in New York in March to life in prison.

Newly inaugurated Peruvian President Pedro Castillo gave a fairly moderate address in his first summit appearance since taking office, focusing on Perus status as one of the countries with the worlds highest COVID-19 death tolls, which Castillo put at more than 200,000.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a taped message to the meeting that China will continue to provide assistance to Latin American and Caribbean countries to the best of its ability, to help them defeat the virus at an early date." Chinese coronavirus vaccines have been used by some countries in the region.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP)  A legislative commission is looking at ways to reorganize Rhode Island's lead agency for reviewing offshore wind projects and other coastal development proposals.

House Rep. Deborah Ruggiero, a Jamestown Democrat, will lead the 15-member House commission to study the Coastal Resources Management Council, the General Assembly said Friday.
VIDALIA, La. (AP)  Utility customers of a central Louisiana town soon will be getting a check in the mail, thanks to a $2.5 million royalty refund approved this week by the mayor and council.

We approved the refund on Tuesday and were going to sit down and finalize the percentages, said Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft. Right now, it looks like we will be refunding between 45% and 48% of their utility costs for the last year.

The Natchez Democrat reported the council approved Craft's recommendation to refund the town's $2.5 million royalty revenues from the Sidney A. Murray Jr. Hydroelectric Station, also known as Louisiana Hydroelectric, in the form of rebates for utility customers.

The royalties are generated by the sale of electricity from the plant between July 1, 2020 and July 30, 2021. The town has received annual royalties on utility sales since the plant went online in 1990. The town has always had the option to refund up to 50% of the utility customers' bills if the funds are available, although refunds have been inconsistent over the years.

The plant sells 94% of the power it generates to Entergy of Louisiana and 6% to the Town of Vidalia, which resells the power to Louisiana Energy Power Authority and buys back only what is needed to provide service to local utility customers, both residential and commercial customers who are not exempted by other incentive plans.

Since 2016, Craft said the council will have refunded a total of $5 million to Vidalia residents, thanks to this years royalties. A specific rebate amount expected from this year's royalties was not provided.

We dont credit back their utility bills  we send them one check, which makes for a nice Christmas present, Craft said.

Craft added that providing royalty refunds is important to him and the council members.

Im excited for our people and happy for them, he said. This is one of the things I promised people we would do, and were doing it.

Vidalia is located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, across from Natchez, Mississippi.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP)  Before women pick out their wedding dresses, they first pick out their prom dresses.

While prom season is an exciting time for many young ladies, Starkville resident Amy Weaver Ragon knows that the financial stress of purchasing a dress can be challenging for some. In order to ensure all prom-age girls will have something to wear, Ragon created the nonprofit, The Straightened Crown Foundation, to give them their fairytale moment.

Nobody needs the strain of wondering if they will be able to go to prom, Ragon said. We just want something magical to happen for them.

By the time Ragons daughter, Kaitlyn, graduated high school, she had acquired nearly a dozen gowns from formal events, such as pageants, homecoming and prom, throughout her time in school. Ragon wanted to find a way to donate these dresses to someone else who could benefit from them, but she did not know where to go or who to contact.

After looking around at different ministries in the area, she decided to create The Straightened Crown, not only for young girls to have prom dresses but as somewhere where others can donate their formal wear for a greater cause.

We had about 10 gowns that we just did not know what to do with, Ragon said.  Well, we kept saying, I wish there was some organization that we could just donate them to, and we decided we could be that organization.

Ragon and her daughter began The Straightened Crown in March and said they have been blown away by donations.

Ragon has received more than 160 dresses and said she hopes to receive more before prom season in the spring.

As soon as we started it and got the word out, tons of people have donated gowns, Ragon said.

Because The Straightened Crown only began this year, Ragon and her team have not experienced what a prom season is like for their organization, but she said she is thrilled just knowing girls will get to go to prom and cant wait to see the excitement on their faces when picking out dresses.

This is really our first rodeo, Ragon said. We dont have any idea on how its going to go, but were really hopeful for prom season.

Aside from being the chairwoman of The Straightened Crown, Ragon acts as its tailor as well. Being a third-generation seamstress, Ragon said she plans to undertake all alterations anyone may need.

Ragon said she will always find time to dedicate to The Straightened Crown. Working full time at Mississippi State University and owning her own cake and cookie business, Ragon is busy but still finds time to commit to her cause.

She said she hopes to create other initiatives in the future as a way to utilize the dresses she receives. Several recovery homes have already reached out to her about having a potential fashion show to celebrate women graduating their programs.

They want to have a night where we pamper the ladies and have a fashion show, Ragon said. We would just let the ladies borrow dresses for the night, let them wear them and just celebrate this time in their lives and make them feel special.

Aside from providing gowns, Ragon said she wanted to find a greater purpose within her organization. When girls come for dress fittings, she said she hopes she can minister to them and teach about Gods love for all. While she wants to ensure young women have this milestone moment in their lives, being able to witness to others is her mission not just within this organization, but in life.

We just want each girl to know theyre special, to know they are loved by God, Ragon said. They are very meaningful in this world It just makes the connection more meaningful than just helping someone find a dress.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Missouri man who p osted on Snapchat and Facebook that he was inside the U.S. Capitol during the deadly riot has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor.

Twenty-nine-year-old Nicholas Reimler, of Valley Park in St. Louis County, admitted Friday to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. As part of the plea agreement, two other misdemeanor charges were dropped.
LYNCH, Neb. (AP)  A Boyd County village is launching a plan to eliminate its status as a food desert after its only grocery store closed in March 2020.

Valley Foods Cooperative, a grocery store capitalization fund headed by Paul Fisher, is actively selling shares and accepting donations in hopes of bringing a grocery store back to Lynch later this year.

Fisher, the president of the cooperative, teamed with Martha Nelson, David Barnes and others from the Lynch area in the grocery store reopening effort.

The Norfolk Daily News reports that since January, the group has been coordinating with Charlotte Narjes, rural prosperity Nebraska Extension educator. Narjes, who helps promote businesses in rural Nebraska, has helped with organizing the cooperatives fundraising and store promotion.

According to Barnes, the cooperatives secretary, a membership drive was started to sell shares in the cooperative on June 10. The group also asked for support at an alumni banquet on June 19. Those interested in helping with a reopening were encouraged to either purchase stock in the store or donate to the cooperative.

Its been a continuing effort to raise funds and raise memberships. If you get a membership, youre a stockholder, Barnes said. If the store does well, there could be dividends. The store has to be financially viable before (dividends) would happen, but the possibility does exist.

Barnes said the cooperative conducted a community survey in January, and 75% of respondents wrote that a grocery store is important in Lynch. Furthermore, 70% of the respondents said they would spend at least half their grocery dollars at the Lynch store.

Theres a large elderly population in Lynch, Fisher said, which he believes is a drive in the demand to reopen the store.

Having a grocery store is important to people here. You can see it in the numbers, he said.

Initially, Fisher said, the cooperative wanted to sell a bare minimum of $75,000 worth of shares before they would move forward with renovations or hiring workers. Ideally, he said, the cooperative wants to raise $100,000 so that the roof of the building can be coated and insulated.

Thats something we would really like to get done, he said.

As of Sept. 1, 114 people had either bought shares or donated to the cooperative, totaling $84,000.

Most of the financial support has been local, Barnes said, but donations also have been received from cabin sites along the Missouri River north of Lynch.

Theyve helped put us over the top in reaching the minimum capitalization requirement, he said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a community can consider itself a food desert if 33% of the population lives more than 10 miles from the nearest large grocery store.

The closest grocery store to Lynch is in Spencer, about 13 miles away.

The renovation of the former Lynch Hometown Market started earlier this summer. The overhaul includes replacing coolers, installing new flooring and a new ceiling and painting the inside and outside of the building.

Once the renovation is complete, a search for employees will convene. Fisher said its expected that a manager and two employees would be hired to run the store. The hope is for Valley Foods Cooperative to be open by November, Fisher said.

The cooperative is still hoping to sell stock and continues to accept donations. More support is needed, Fisher said, to help the business chances at success.

A village comprising about 250 people, Fisher said, Lynch is a community that goes all in on the projects it cares about and the businesses it encompasses.

Lynch has a community-run theater and reopened its swimming pool last year after it was damaged by March 2019 flooding, Fisher said. The village also has a hospital and bowling alley.

Theres enough support to give it a go. Its good to see so many people on board with bringing a grocery store back, he said. Its been a long 18 months for some people.
North Dakota regulators say the state has officially lost its status as the nations second-biggest oil producer to New Mexico.

North Dakota produced just over 1 million barrels of oil per day in July, the most recent month for which data is available from the state Oil and Gas Division. The July production marks a 56,000-barrel-per-day or 5% drop from June, the Bismarck Tribune reported.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  The effects of the drought and heat on trees wont be fully known until next spring, tree experts in Oregon say.

Oregon State University professor and forest health specialist Dave Shaw told The Oregonian/OregonLive that theres typically delayed mortality associated with drought. But rain is predicted this weekend.

It will definitely be a good thing for the forests, Shaw said. But we wont really know how the trees did this year until next spring, as we often see delayed mortality associated with drought.

All of Oregon is experiencing drought ranging from severe to exceptional, the worst category. Leaves on some trees are turning brown instead of the traditional fall colors before falling to the ground.

Extreme conditions like these are often from a combination of unusual random, short-term and natural weather patterns heightened by long-term, human-caused climate change. Scientists have long warned that the weather will get wilder as the world warms.

Climate change has made the West much warmer and drier in the past 30 years. Special calculations are needed to determine how much global warming is to blame, if at all, for a single extreme weather event.

Certified arborist Andrew Craig of Springwater Arboriculture in Milwaukie said that when trees lose too many leaves, they cant get enough energy from sunlight needed to grow and fight off disease.

The trees start to decline because they are running on reserves, he said.

He said that big leaf maples in some places are dying, and Hemlocks are struggling with bug infestations and lack of water.

The Western red cedar is going to disappear in the valley within the next 20 years except for in very protected pockets, he said. The drought is killing them.

He said it's not just drought from this year, but the cumulative effects of recent years.

The last five years has been so profound that trees cant adapt fast enough, he said.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  The remains of a U.S. Army soldier killed during the Korean War have been identified as an Oklahoma native, according to the U.S. Army.

The remains are those of Sgt. Billy Rodgers of Panama, Oklahoma, who was 19 when he disappeared on Dec. 2., 1950.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota authorities are searching for two inmates who drove away from a community service project in Sioux Falls.

Thomas Wilson, 32, and Peyton Laird, 22, were assigned to a community service project when they stole a car and drove away Friday morning, according to state Department of Corrections officials.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Just one month ago, President Joe Biden and his health advisers announced big plans to soon deliver a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine to all Americans. But after campaigning for the White House on a pledge to follow the science, Biden found himself uncharacteristically ahead of it with that lofty pronouncement.

Some of the nation's top medical advisers on Friday delivered a stinging rebuke of the idea, in essence telling the White House: not so fast.

A key government advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected Biden's plan to give COVID-19 booster shots across the board and instead recommended the extra vaccine dose only for those who are age 65 or older or who run a high risk of severe disease.

Bidens Aug. 18 announcement that the federal government was preparing to shore up nearly all Americans protection had been made with great fanfare. It was meant to calm the nerves of millions of Americans fearful of a new, more transmissible strain of the coronavirus.

The plan is for every adult to get a booster shot eight months after you got your second shot, Biden said, noting that his administration would be ready to begin the program on Sept. 20.

Biden added the qualification that third doses would require the signoff of health officials at the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but his public message glossed over the nuance.

Just remember, he said, as a simple rule: Eight months after your second shot, get a booster shot.

Bidens plan drew immediate outrage from global health groups that encouraged the United States and other well-off nations to refrain from administering boosters until poorer countries could provide first doses to their most vulnerable citizens.

Viewed from a global perspective, this is a squandering of a scarce global resource, as a consequence of which people will die, said Dr. Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. I feel completely comfortable saying this, he added, acknowledging that domestic political considerations weigh differently on presidents.

The Biden plan was criticized, too, by medical professionals, who cited a lack of safety data on extra doses and raised doubts about the value of mass boosters, rather than ones targeted to specific groups.

It created enormous pressure on the agency to go along with what the White House wanted, said Lurie, who characterized the FDA panels decision as a rebuke of Bidens efforts to circumvent standard procedures. Thats what were trying to get beyond after the Trump era.

Following them has served FDA very well when theyve done that, he added. He contrasted the expeditious authorization of the vaccines to the agency's brief flirtation with unproven COVID-19 treatments such as the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine during the Trump administration. When theyve strayed from it, theyve got in trouble.

The nonbinding recommendation from the outside experts who advise the FDA is not the last word. The FDA will consider the groups advice and make its own decision, probably within days. The CDC is set to weigh in next week.

One of the FDAs advisers, Dr. Paul Offit of Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, told reporters after the meeting that while the Biden administration had planned for boosters for the general population, thats not this. This is, Were going to test the water one foot at a time.''

The committee parked all of that stuff and did their job, said Norman Baylor, former director of the FDAs office of vaccine review. Ill be very frank here: I think this meeting was rushed. I would say it should have happened later, so that the FDA had more data to make the decision.

White House allies defended the administrations aggressive preparation for the boosters, which has included regular messaging from doctors about their necessity and bolstering the federal stockpile of doses.

They argue that the American people elect a president, not a scientist, to act in their best interests. They reason that the alternative  holding off on preparing for boosters until federal health officials give the green light  could have cost lives.

The U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, told reporters before the panels vote that the administration was aiming to be transparent with the public about the promise of boosters providing enduring protection and was not trying to pressure regulators to act. He said the administration also wanted to be prepared in the event the boosters were approved.

We have always said that this initial plan would be contingent on the FDA and the CDCs independent evaluation, Murthy said. We will follow that evaluation and their recommendations, we will make sure our final plan reflects it.

What we were doing in August and we continue to do there is really prioritizing transparency and preparation, he added.

Administration officials noted that the experts' recommendation Friday probably would result in boosters for people most likely to get them anyway had the entire population been give the go-ahead. Seniors were in the first group of Americans to be eligible for vaccination after their authorization last December, followed by those with preexisting conditions that put them at higher risk for serious disease. Those populations account for tens of millions of Americans, officials said.

After Friday's voting, the White House tried to put the advisory panel's action in a positive light.

Today was an important step forward in providing better protection to Americans from COVID-19, said White House spokesman Kevin Munoz. We stand ready to provide booster shots to eligible Americans once the process concludes at the end of next week.

Dr. Leana Wen, a former Baltimore health commissioner who comments regularly on the pandemic, said the decision about boosters "is not just one of science. Its one of values.

Because when were considering issues like should additional doses go to Americans or people around the world, that is not the right decision for a scientific regulatory committee, she said. That is up to the president of the United States.

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Perrone and Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The U.N. Security Council held emergency consultations Friday on Somalias worsening political crisis, which could threaten long-delayed national elections and further destabilize the east Africa region

Britains U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward, who called for the closed briefing by U.N. special envoy James Swan, expressed serious concern about the rising tensions between the prime minister and the president.

The meeting followedPresident Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed's statement Thursday saying he suspended Prime Minister Mohammed Hussein Robles power to hire and fire officials, the latest action in their increasingly divisive relationship.

Woodward said the increasing tensions have implications for the electoral process and could lead to a constitutional crisis on top of the countrys other challenges from Al-Shabab extremists to famine, locusts and hunger.

Three decades of chaos, from warlords to al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab and the emergence of an Islamic State-linked group, have ripped apart the country that only in the past few years has begun to find its footing.

Woodward said the Security Council should keep up pressure to put the electoral process back on track and to see the prime minister and the president resolve their differences quickly ... to ensure the security, peace and stability Somalia needs.

Council members were considering a draft press statement, obtained by The Associated Press, that would express deep concern about the ongoing disagreement within the Somali government and the negative impact on the electoral timetable and process.

It would urge all parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and prioritize the holding of elections in accordance with a May 27 agreement stipulating that indirect elections be held this year.

The draft statement would also urge the federal government and regional states to ensure that any political differences do not divert from united action against al-Shabab.

Britains Woodward said it was clear from Swans briefing that shuttle diplomacy is taking place to try to resolve the differences between the president and prime minister.

But the fact is, and we also made this clear, that this is a very dangerous distraction from the primary task of going ahead with the elections, she said. The risks for the Somali people, the risks for giving Al-Shabab more room are very high indeed. So, we want to move out of this situation as soon as possible and resolve it.

Pressure has grown on president Mohamed since scheduled elections on Feb. 8 failed to take place because of the lack of agreement on how the vote should be carried out.

Talks between the federal government and regional leaders that began in March broke down in early April. At the presidents request, the lower house of parliament then adopted a special law that extended the terms of current office holders for two years and abandoned the Sept. 17, 2020, agreement on indirect elections, reverting instead to a one-person, one-vote model.

Those decisions sparked widespread opposition, leading to the mobilization of militias, exposing divisions within Somali security forces, and resulting in violent clashes on April 25.

Afer the clashes, president Mohamed on May 1 asked the lower house of parliament to reverse its actions that included extending his mandate for two years.

He asked lawmakers to back the agreement the federal government reached with regional states last Sept. 17 on a way forward for the vote, and he asked prime minister Roble to lead the election preparations and the related security measures. This led to the May 27 agreement on holding indirect elections this year.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Friday that as Somalis mark the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 17 agreement, the U.N. and its international partners are increasingly alarmed that the escalating dispute between the president and prime minister will undermine Somalias stability and derail the electoral process.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  A Louisiana-based research organization and a professor at the University of Southern Mississippi are joining forces in a research project aimed at restoring and protecting the Chandeleur Islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico.

In a news release announcing the effort, USM notes that the islands provide habitat for gulf fish and wildlife, and provide storm protection for coastal Louisiana.

Led by Dr. Kelly Darnell, an assistant research professor at USM, the project is one of 20 awarded a combined $2.3 million to find ways of best managing natural resources in the Gulf, including marine, mammals, shorebirds, barrier islands, seagrass and fisheries. The projects are funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RESTORE Science Program. The Water Institute of the Gulf, based in Baton Rouge, will be among those working with Darnell. Others include the University of Florida, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Gulf of Mexico Alliance

Darnell's project, which relates to seagrass ecosystems along the Chandeleur Islands, was given $127,065.

Each project is slated to begin this month.

Were committed to developing a plan that provides practical and useable data that can be easily incorporated into restoration and management decisions for the unique and productive Chandeleur Islands, Darnell said in the USM release.

These seagrass beds are very dynamic and have greatly reduced with major storms, such as Katrina in 2005. This project will help understand how decisions made in planning the Chandeleur Islands restoration may influence the area of seagrass potentially growing in future decades, said Tim Carruthers, director of Coastal Ecology at The Water Institute of the Gulf in Baton Rouge.

The project will provide useable data for restoration and long-term management of the islands.

The Chandeleur Islands are a highly dynamic system, and the long-term health of the seagrass meadows and other habitats is tied to them being resilient to storms and sea level rise even as the islands themselves evolve on a daily and weekly basis, said Soupy Dalyander, senior research scientist at The Water Institute.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  Federal prosecutors say a West Virginia woman has pleaded guilty to a child sex trafficking conspiracy in which she was charged with providing a 17-year-old relative to a former police chief for sex in exchange for money.

In a news release, Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa Johnston says 28-year-old Kristen Naylor-Legg pleaded guilty Wednesday and faces up to life in prison. She will also be required to register as a sex offender. Naylor-Legg is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 9.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP)  A surge of moisture from the Pacific moving into western Washington is bringing rain and wind to the region, causing power outages and airport delays.

The National Weather Service in Seattle said Friday that 1 to 2 inches of rain was possible for most lowland locations through Sunday with higher amounts along the coast and in the mountains.
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (AP)  An 84-year-old woman riding a bicycle was struck and killed Saturday in Boone County, police said.

The crash occurred around 8:30 a.m., north of Zionsville. Sheriff's deputies spoke to the 33-year-old driver of the Honda CRV.

We dont have any information that leads us to believe anything other than an accident, Maj. Brian Stevenson of the sheriff's office told the Indianapolis Star.

The bicyclist was identified as Linda McCaw of Zionsville.

With the type of bicycle she was on and the clothing that she was wearing, we have no other reason to believe other than exercise, Stevenson said of McCaw's morning ride.

County Road 200 South doesn't have a bike lane, but it's known as an area that bike riders will use, Stevenson said.
Oakland's police chief has added more police officers to work this weekend to focus on violent crime in the Bay Area's third largest city, following a violent crime spree in recent days that culminated with six homicides in only the last five days.

Oakland is experiencing a dramatic increase in homicides, and its police department is recognizing that it has been nearly a decade since the city contended with such a violent crime spike.

To date, Oakland has recorded 96 homicides for 2021.

Chief LeRonne Armstrong has reassigned six officers to work in the homicide section.

The police department will also have an increased presence of officers working in illegal sideshow enforcement.

A year-long multi-jurisdictional investigation involving a criminal team of robbers targeting victims of Asian descent has culminated with the arrest of three suspects, a San Jose police spokesperson announced Friday afternoon.

The San Jose Police Department's robbery unit, with the assistance of the department's covert response unit and detectives from the Hayward Police Department, concluded the investigation by initiating the arrests and eventual apprehension of the suspects, who worked in concert to commit dozens of robberies throughout the Bay Area, many in San Jose. Asian females were frequently targeted, and many of them were injured in the robberies. Hate crime enhancements have been added to these incidents by the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Arrested are Anthony Michael Robinson, 24, of Stockton; Derje Damond Blanks, 23, of San Jose; and Cameron Alonzo Moody, 27, of East Palo Alto.

Robinson and Blanks were located and arrested in San Jose on Sept. 8. During apprehension efforts, Robinson fled in a vehicle, ran a red light and collided with another vehicle -- which injured a 2-year-old girl and her father. Robinson and Blanks were booked in Santa Clara County Jail for over 70 counts of felony robbery.

On Thursday, Moody was located and arrested in Union City by members of the covert response unit. Two loaded firearms were recovered. One of them was a ghost gun. Moody was booked into Santa Clara County Jail for a multitude of felony robbery charges.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Det. Estantino of the San Jose Police Department's robbery unit at (408) 277-4166, or Det. Niedenthal of the Hayward Police Department at (510) 293-7167.

Officials with the National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Watch for most of the Bay Area ahead of dry and windy weather forecasted in the next few days.

Gusty offshore winds and dry conditions are forecasted starting on Sunday night through Tuesday morning, disproportionately affecting the interior North and East Bay hills and mountains above 1000 feet, weather service officials said.

Although a breezy onshore flow and a chance of rain could descend upon the Bay Area this weekend, a rapid shift to the drier weather on Sunday night is anticipated.

The dry weather combined with gusty offshore winds, along with near record dry fuels in the interior part of the state, will increase the risk for fire weather.

Depending on how much rain the Bay Area receives this weekend, fire officials said the Fire Weather Watch could be upgraded to a Red Flag Warning.

Fremont will celebrate the official grand opening Saturday morning of the city's newest community park in decades.

City officials and community leaders will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate Fremont's 62nd community park, Lila Bringhurst Community Park.

The public is invited to attend the grand opening celebration event at 10 a.m. Saturday at the park, located at 45051 Wisdom Way. There will be games for kids and a food truck. The event will also be streamed online on Facebook Live for those unable to attend.

The park officially opened to the public Aug. 18. The two-acre park, built by Lennar, Inc., is located on a four-acre site in Fremont's Innovation District and is adjacent to Lila Bringhurst Elementary School and serves as a joint-use park with the Fremont Unified School District.

The park will serve as a playground for elementary school students beginning 30 minutes before school and ending 30 minutes after school instruction. Outside of those times, the public will have use of the park.

Although the adjacent elementary school will open in the fall of 2022, it is currently being used to house classes for students from Hopkins Junior High School, which is currently under renovation.

The park is named for Lila Bringhurst, a longtime Fremont resident and community leader who championed the preservation of Fremont's local history and heritage. Bringhurst served on the city's Recreation Commission from 2014 until her death in May 2016.

For more information about the park and grand opening, please visit www.Fremont.gov/LilaBringhurstPark.

The USS Hornet Museum is honoring Hispanic Heritage Month as it creates a special exhibit honoring Hispanic Americans who have served in the U.S. Navy.

The exhibit will be installed Sept. 24 and will be available to view Sept. 24 through Sept. 27. The exhibit will utilize information provided by the Navy History and Heritage Command.

National Hispanic Heritage Month began Sept. 15 and runs through Oct. 15 in the U.S. and recognizes the contributions and influence of Latino and Hispanic Americans to the history, culture and achievements of the United States.

The USS Hornet Museum is located at 707 West Hornet Ave., Alameda.

This exhibit is at no additional charge of the regular daily admission to visit the museum.

The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday for the San Francisco Bay Area calls for a mild day with temperatures ranging from the 60s along the coast to the 70s around the Bay and to the 80s inland. Overnight lows will be in the 50s.

Copyright  2021 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2021 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
For those of us who spend time outside, the sight of stagnant, murky, greenish water instantly raises concern.

We recognize that its potentially harmful algae, so we steer clear, keep our pets away and we definitely dont swim in it or drink it. At this point, there have been no confirmed reports of humans dying from toxic algae.

But last month, after a California hiking family mysteriously died on a trail near Yosemite National Park, officials pointed to toxic algae as a prime suspect.

But could this bacteria really be to blame for the deaths of two healthy adults, a baby and a dog? And what else do we need to know about harmful bacteria and algae in the water, particularly at a time when climate change is making the problem worse?

Read our story about them here.

More:

3,100 acres of open space in the East Bay to be preserved as state park. The land is named after the historic 19th-century Tesla coal mine in the area. Read more.

Two California RV parks fined $750,000 for allegedly making public beaches seem off-limits. The parks will also be required to remove any signage that could confuse the public into thinking the beaches are private. Read more.

California's largest trees threatened by fire in Sequoia National Park. Firefighters wrapped the base of the world's largest tree in a fire-resistant blanket. Read more.

This hike in Redwood National and State Parks offers a rare and eye-popping California experience. You may have seen some version of it before, particularly if youve spent a lot of time in redwood forests or maybe in Japan, where theres even a special word to describe it: komorebi. Read more.

Last week's top story:

What California hikers whove gone missing have in common. Search-and-rescue operations often involved people who had lots of experience. Read more.

California Parklands is curated by California Parks editor Ashley Harrell. Contact Harrell at Ashley.Harrell@sfgate.com.
Hawaii sounded the alarm bells last month around a surging pandemic, and Gov. David Ige urged tourists to stay away through the end of October.

Its not a good time to travel to the islands, Ige said at an Aug. 23 press conference, adding that a lockdown could be on the table if the number of COVID cases continued to rise.

We know the visitors that choose to come to the islands will not have the typical kind of holiday they expect to get when they visit Hawaii.

While Ige told people to stay home, the state didnt take the extreme step of banning travel., and resorts, beaches and destinations all remain open.

Last week, medical ethicist Barbara Koenig explained the ethics of traveling to Hawaii right now.

But for those still determined to make the trip, here are all the requirements to follow.

More:

Honolulu approves removal of the 'Stairway to Heaven.' Climbing the Haiku Stairs is one of Hawaii's most popular hikes, but its also illegal. Read more.

Hawaii health care workers decry lack of COVID mandates. Some believe a more robust screening process for travelers could also help slow the spread of COVID-19. Read more.

On Hawaii is curated by deputy managing editor and Hawaii editor Fiona Lee. You can contact her at Fiona.Lee@sfgate.com.
Because travel isnt always carefree, I spent the past two weeks going down the rabbit hole of Airbnb's handling of the "extenuating circumstances" around the Caldor Fire in Tahoe. The result is this deep dive into the tech giant's shady policies during natural disasters, what they mean for both tourist town residents and visitors. As climate change continues to cause more frequent and extreme weather events and wildfires, how travel companies respond to these crises will matter more and more in the coming years.

Is Airbnb profiting from Californias climate-driven disasters?

You know whats a worthwhile distraction from the horrors of the world? Tacos. Add in an easy podcast-listening road trip and you have a classic meal worth the trip. SFGATE food editor Dianne de Guzman takes us along for the ride as she investigates whether it can possibly be true that some of Californias best tacos are in a suburban strip mall in Roseville.

Northern California's best tacos aren't in the Bay Area

Sometimes we all need an easy escape a bit closer to home. For Nico Madrigal-Yankowski, that escape came in the form of a new-to-him trail smack in the center of one of Californias great metropoles.

In the heart of San Francisco, there is a place so serene you cant hear the honking of car horns or the ringing of cellphones or the chatter of daily life, he writes. In place of skyscrapers, towering eucalyptus trees are blanketed by a dense fog.

This hidden hike in the middle of the city is San Francisco's saving grace

During a recent trip to Boston to deliver her daughter to college, news editor Amy Graff began reflecting on how leaving your home can lead you to see it with fresh eyes  and not always for the better. Her essay is a moving meditation on what it means to love a place that is no longer a fantasy.

I love San Francisco. But visiting other cities makes me envious.

One of the great joys of the American West is a train ride along the coast or through the mountains of the regions dramatic landscape. Out of a reluctance to fly, travel writer and photographer Ariana Bindman decided to take the long ride from Oakland to Portland, Oregon, by train  and it didnt go entirely as hoped.

How a fear of flying led to an 18-hour Amtrak ride from the Bay Area to Portland

As youve likely heard, travel to Hawaii is complicated right now. Between the ever-changing rules around COVID-19, the erratic prices of hotels and rental cars and concerns over overtourism, it can be a confusing time to consider a trip to the archipelago. SFGATE has put together a guide to answer all your questions.

What to know about traveling to Hawaii right now

Travelskills is curated by travel editor Freda Moon. You can contact her at Freda.Moon@sfgate.com.
Berkeleys popular Boichik Bagels, which was named one of the best bagels in California by the New York Times, is expanding.

The whole thing is just wild, it really is, but we just keep going, Emily Winston, owner of Boichik Bagels, told SFGATE.

Winston shared the news Friday with an Instagram post that included a sneak peak of the new facility in Berkeleys Gilman District. The plant will become a wholesale site to produce more bagels, which is great news for locals that live far from Berkeley.

Winston said that the goal is to produce high-quality bagels for Bay Area restaurants and cafes, local businesses, and for catering. Itll also allow Winston to expand her frozen bagel operation, which are currently sold at Berkeley Bowl, to other grocery stores that might want to add Boichik Bagels to its roster.

Winston said that nationwide shipping, though not a priority, might also happen in the future. Previously, nationwide shipping had been available, but when the New York Times published its controversial take on California bagels earlier this year, Winston says Boichik Bagels was inundated with shipping requests. Her small-scale operation at 3170 College Ave., couldnt handle the orders, so she cancelled national shipping shortly after.

Madeline Wells / SFGate

We had over 100 mail orders come in when that New York Times piece came out, Winston said. Were not set up for mail order at all, but we could bring that back. The demand is there, people want good bagels.

Boichik Bagels opened in the fall of 2019 and quickly gained overnight popularity as customers regularly waited the long lines. Expanding Boichik Bagels had been on Winstons mind for awhile and she dreamed of creating a quality tasting bagel at mass production. By January, Winston decided to move forth with the idea and when the time came to look for a location, she decided on the Gilman District.

The cool thing about the neighborhood is that its mixed-use, Winston said. Well have a retail in the front, and well also have a patio.

Winston added that the plant will allow the team to bring back the bakery portion of her business now that they have the bandwidth to accommodate it. For now, the plant is still in its preliminary steps and theres no official opening date.

I hope we dont get stopped with delays and I hope to get this going as soon, she said.
Housing affordability is one of the top federal election concerns. However, there is no clear solution to fix the current complex housing crisis in Canada.

The Liberal party is hoping to build on their National Housing Strategy by incentivizing developers to construct rental properties. The Conservatives are also advocating for increasing the housing supply, yet the image accompanying their housing proposals is of a suburban neighbourhood full of single-family dwellings. This is currently the most unaffordable form of housing.

The NDP has the most ambitious plan, promising to build 250,000 affordable rental units in the next five years. The parties all suggest solving the housing affordability crisis by increasing supply, especially rental and regulating foreign investment, but most importantly they focus on making it easier for people to buy a home.

Jennifer Chutter discusses why these plans and strategies appeal to Canadian voters but are still problematic.
Page Content

After the announcement of President Biden's COVID-19 action plan, employers across the country, including in California, started to consider how to implement vaccination and testing requirements, even ahead of clear guidance from the federal government.

California already has its own COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) which were amended in June by Department of Industrial Relations Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). However, currently, the California ETS does not mandate vaccination and the Cal/OSHA Standards Board has indicated it does not plan to amend the ETS further until at least December.

California's administrative agencies have issued some guidance regarding the handling of both testing and vaccination in the workplace.

Earlier in 2021, California's Labor Commissioner issued an FAQ regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccination, which covers concerns related to regulations enforced by the California Labor Commissioner.

Similarly, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing also updated its guidance regarding COVID-19, to include information pertaining to vaccination and related issues in March 2021.

As guidance about the federal requirements become clearer, employers should also review California-specific requirements related to vaccination and testing to ensure compliance with state and local requirements.

Laura A. Pierson-Scheinberg is an attorney with Jackson Lewis in San Francisco. Kymiya St. Pierre is an attorney with Jackson Lewis in Orange County, Calif.  2021 Jackson Lewis. All rights reserved. Reposted with permission.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement of the 217 injured protesters, 35 were shot by rubber-coated metal bullets and 182 subjected to suffocation after inhaling tear gas, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ramallah, Sep 18 (IANS) At least 217 Palestinian protesters were injured during clashes with Israeli soldiers in a protest against Jewish settlement in the West Bank, authorities said on Saturday.

Witnesses said that fierce clashes broke out on Friday afternoon between dozens of protesters and Israeli soldiers in villages of Beita and Beit Dajan near northern West Bank city of Nablus.

Clashes in Beita have been going on for almost four months in protest against establishing a settlement outpost on lands owned by the village's residents, with the protesters waving Palestinian flags, chanting slogans against Israel, and throwing stones at the soldiers who fired rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to disperse them, they said.

Meanwhile, medics said that dozens of Palestinian protesters were injured by Israeli soldiers during clashes in al-Mughayyir, a village east of Ramallah, in protest against Israel's settlement expansion, according to Marzouq Abu N'iem, head of the village.

The village head told reporters that the Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and percussion bombs at a peaceful demonstration that rejected the closure of the entrance to the village by sands.

Similar protests and clashes broke out near cities of Qalqilya and Hebron in the West Bank, according to Palestinian security sources, adding several Palestinians were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas.

In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned what it termed as the brutal Israeli army repression of peaceful protests and demonstrations to reject Jewish settlement in the West Bank.

"The Israeli army practices against the Palestinian protesters violate international law," the statement said, adding "the silence of the international community encourages Israel to carry on with these practices."

There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli side.

--IANS

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Bijleveld's resignation on Friday comes a day after Foreign Affairs Minister Sigrid Kaag stepped down over the issue, reports Xinhua news agency.

Copenhagen, Sep 18 (IANS) Dutch Defence Minister Ank Bijleveld has stepped down oafter a motion of disapproval against her for the chaotic handling of evacuations from Afghanistan.

"I wanted to continue with the task that I face, the evacuation of the men and women on the front line, and the interpreters, who are still in Afghanistan," Bijleveld said.

"However, as my job became the subject of a discussion I could not do it in a good way anymore."

Bijleveld had said on Thursday, before a debate in Parliament, that she would stay on anyway.

However, when the motions of disapproval received a majority vote, and Kaag resigned, tensions arose within her Christian Democrats Party.

The motions of disapproval followed a heated debate in Parliament about the chaotic evacuation of the Netherlands embassy staff from Afghanistan after the Taliban seized power.

Kaag and Bijleveld were held responsible for not picking up signals from Parliament, and from embassy staff in Afghanistan, that an emergency situation was about to arise.

The resignations come in the middle of difficult talks over the formation of a new Dutch government.

General elections were held in the country in March this year, but an agreement on a coalition government has still not been reached.

--IANS

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Kuala Lumpur, Sep 19 (IANS) Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has voiced his concerns that the newly-established security partnership among Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) would raise tensions and spark a regional arms race.

In a phone call with his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison, Ismail Sabri warned that the partnership, which would arm Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, would provoke other powers to also act aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the Malaysian Prime Minister's office.
The decision was taken in light of the recent Covid-19 vaccination figures published by the Sciensano public health institute, which showed that 71.94 per cent of the population, or over 8.2 million people, have already been fully inoculated against the virus.

Brussels, Sep 18 (IANS) Belgium's Consultation Committee made up of the federal government and the governments of the federated entities have decided to relax the mandate to wear facemasks, including dining venues and shops, from October 1.

However, wearing a mask remains compulsory in healthcare centres, airports and in major events attended by more than 500 people, reports Xinhua news agency.

The vaccination figures vary from one region to another.

In regions where the rate is low (below 50 per cent), such as in the capital Brussels, the authorities may choose to delay the implementation of certain relaxation measures, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said.

"We're approaching the autumn season. More than ever, it is important to ensure adequate ventilation and also vaccination," he said.

To date, Belgium has recorded 1,217,473 Covid-19 cases and 25,494 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to the Sciensano institute.

--IANS

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While the organisation till now comprised eight member states, including India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan, four countries - Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia - played the role of an observer state. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka are the six dialogue partners.

The change in Iran's membership status from observer to main had for long been work in progress, much before Iranian President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi landed in the Tajik capital for the 21st edition of the SCO meeting.

Fast-changing dynamics, along with the current situation in Central Asia following Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan, fast-tracked Tehran's entry in the cockpit where New Delhi, Moscow and Beijing are already working together to fly through the storm.

SCO Summit Dushanbe

As Raisi said in speech on Friday, through its "vast potential" in terms of geopolitics, population, energy, transportation, human resources, and most importantly spirituality, culture and civilisation, Iran can play a significant part in improving the strategic role of the SCO.

Economic multilateralism and infrastructural links

Iran says that key projects in the field of infrastructural links, like the One Belt-One Road Initiative, the Eurasian Economic Union and the North-South Corridor, can play a big role in strengthening the common interests of developing countries and strengthening peace in the region.

"These projects are not competitors, but complement each other," said Raisi emphasising that Iran could be the connecting link between South and North Eurasia through the North-South Corridor, connecting Central Asia and Russia to India.

The north-south corridor, according to him, can strengthen the convergence infrastructure in the form of the 'Great Eurasia'. Iran is on the route of One Belt-One Road Initiative corridors, the China-Central Asia-West Asia Corridor, and could connect East and West Eurasia.

Raisi also said that Iran's large port of Chabahar has the capacity to become an exchange centre for several member and neighbouring countries (most of them landlocked) in a special way, which, with the efforts of members, can be a symbol of cooperation of all members of the Shanghai Organisation.

Common security

Iran, with a history of more than 40 years of relentless confrontation and fight against terrorism and extremism, has also extended its hand of cooperation to all SCO members for the realisation of peace in the region. Raisi said that the strategic partnership between Iran and Russia in Syria is a valuable experience and a successful model for future cooperation with other regional and supra-regional partners. This fight against terrorism, he said, should be done without foreign intervention. "The Islamic Republic of Iran believes in common security and does not consider security to be segregated," said the Iranian President.

Cultural connect

Iran believes that most of the world's cultural and spiritual treasury is located in Asia. "Asia is the cradle of human civilisation and its beating heart has been in China, India, Tajikistan and Iran," Raisi said on Friday. Insisting that the 'crisis of spirituality' is the foundation of all crisis in the world, Iran said that it can play an important role in the development of cultural regionalism. Stressing that the greatest Abrahamic religions have arisen in Asia, Iran told the SCO member states that the Asian culture and civilisation have always been associated with harmony, patience, politeness, mutual respect and benevolence.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--IANS

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It is for this reason that Pakistani leaders are nudging the international community to project the idea that Afghanistan is not Pakistan's responsibility, but of the international community.

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) Pakistan has been reeling under international pressure on their handling of the Afghan situation and it is conscious of the fact that its role in Afghanistan will increasingly come under scrutiny in the coming days.

At the same time, Pakistan has been propagating the theory that in case international support and assistance does not come through, the fall out of any negative developments in Afghanistan could impact the region and the world. The latter is being conveyed in a subtle manner so as not to be seen as part of aggressive posturing by Pakistan.

The fact, however, remains that Pakistan has a far deeper hand in Afghanistan than being portrayed, and it cannot cease from playing this role at this stage. The Pakistani deep state remains well-engrained in the Afghan system at different levels.

Meanwhile, in Kabul, the formation of the interim government has left no room for praising the Taliban or their Pakistani advisors, as the cabinet overwhelmingly comprises hardliners. Domination by the Haqqani group has certainly placed the international community in a state of alarm.

The Taliban has thus squandered away an opportunity for improving its image and has sent out mixed signals about its intentions in terms of government formation and execution of tasks. They have also failed to deliver on women's rights and an inclusive government -- the two core issues on which the international community has been more concerned.

Moreover, the fissures in the Taliban structure and conflict of interest among the senior leaders have also sent out a strong negative message. Reports about differences appearing in the ranks of the Taliban with speculation doing the rounds about Mullah Baradar being injured and even killed, has led to increasing doubts about the credibility of the present government.

If at the very onset, the government has been marred with differences, the scope and possibility of delivery is bound to be limited. If inherent differences do persist, this would only further aggravate as the government starts functioning and critical decisions are taken on a range of issues.

One cannot ignore the fact that given the aggressive character and nature of the leaders and their battle-hardy background, the possibility of their differences precipitating to a level where clashes leading to casualties among them cannot be ruled out.

In such a situation, it would be difficult to sustain the government and the disenchanted factions could come to the fore challenging those in power. The situation could spill into a civil war in the long run. Such a scenario is based on the premise that Pakistan indeed does not have a complete hold on the various political factions and ethnic entities and is seen as favouring certain preferred sections.

Pakistan would thus have to play a cautious role not to be dragged into any internecine conflict in the long run or being blamed for siding with one faction against the other. However, Pakistan seems to be far from adhering to a safe course on this front.

Afghanistan also has a very intricate mesh of various radical entities which have bred in Afghan territory over the years. Whether it is the TTP, ETIM or ISIS-K, these entities would all have to be engaged and brought into the civilized fold over a period of time, though this would remain a difficult and challenging task for the government.

Pakistan's role in this sphere would be critical though the chances of success appear grim at this stage. The years of cross dynamics between these groups that Pakistan has encouraged and played on, will make it difficult for Pakistan to seek a safe compromise with them. If differences continue at the leadership level within the Taliban and the leaders of the disaffected ethnic groups are sidelined, it would only tend to further vitiate the atmosphere.

Most significantly, in the ensuing developments and prevailing uncertainties, the Chinese and the Russians would be wary of supporting the Taliban government whole-heartedly. After the initial euphoria, the Chinese have realised the inherent dangers of getting seeped into the complex political and security maze that prevails in Afghanistan.

There is realisation in the Chinese establishment that under no circumstances can China alone cater to the aid and assistance that Afghanistan has been receiving from the international community over the years. With around 80 per cent of Afghanistan's economy being run through external support, China would not be able to substitute this package.

Moreover, the predictions are that given the prevailing situation, Afghanistan is bound to see a deep downslide in the socio-economic sphere in the coming days, and it would indeed be challenging for China to alone bail the nation out of the crisis.

Any substantial involvement by China in Afghanistan could also divert Chinese attention from the larger Chinese external ventures, including the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Covid crisis has taught a lesson to the global community that nations have to remain prepared for any eventuality in the form of natural calamities which could draw in significant national resources.

Afghanistan has been known to be a deep well with capacity to absorb endless amount of aid and assistance with no viable outcome. Afghanistan has received around USD 35 billion of aid from the international community between 2002 and 2009, which makes it an average of $5 billion each year.

This is other than the direct aid in the form of support for the Afghan defence forces and handouts of equipment and supplies which are not accounted for. A struggling Afghanistan which is yet to build its own defence forces and security establishment, will require significant amounts for nation building over and above the regular aid. China would have to consider these aspects carefully as dependency on its fair weather friend on this aspect is futile.

The security factor is another aspect that China would have to consider, as the security situation is bound to remain volatile for some time to come. China would be concerned of this aspect, especially going by the US experience.

Besides suffering several casualties, the US military action has also led to generating hatred towards the US across certain cross sections of the Afghan society, especially with collateral damages caused in various operations.

Most significantly, the US has now left Afghanistan without bringing about any perceptible change in the political and security spheres there. Removing the Taliban from power and eventually handing them the reigns of the government after 20 years at the cost of huge expenses and loss of lives, is a learning lesson for all nations keen to engage Afghanistan.

The Russians too had to walk out after a bitter ten year experience dealing with Afghanistan, and would know best why getting involved in Afghanistan as a sole player could be damaging at this stage. At the same time, Russia is concerned about its own security and that of the Central Asian region which it considers as its last frontier of defence against any outflow of radical ideology or narrative from Afghanistan.

Russia has been a victim of radical Islam when it had to deal with the Chechen crisis and has been concerned about the 30 million Muslims in Russia, especially during the hey days of the ISIS. Russia realizes that any involvement in Afghanistan has to be well calibrated and as part of a larger platform rather than going in alone. Iran on the other hand has been keenly observing the developments and would remain focused on the interest and welfare of the Hazaras. Their insistence on an inclusive government is an expression of their unhappiness over the present government formation.

The situation thus remains extremely complex in Afghanistan. Significantly, role of Pakistan's deep state remains a concern for the international community. Inspite of Pakistan trying to play down its role in Afghanistan, the extent of its involvement in Afghanistan in terms of micro managing activities would make it difficult for Pakistan to shun blame for any mishap in Afghanistan in future.

In its desperation to seek strategic depth, Pakistan has bitten more than it can chew without considering the long term implications. Incase the security situation deteriorates further due to political differences and related factors, Pakistan would inevitably get involved in sorting out the mess, thereby further blemishing the credibility of the Afghan government.

Much though Pakistanis have been on a euphoric high after the Taliban takeover, the toxic fallout of any deteriorating politico-security situation would hit Pakistan the most. It would thus be in Pakistan's interest to tread cautiously in Afghanistan and preferably ensure being part of a larger group of nations in the process, instead of making Afghanistan its own fiefdom.

--IANS

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He said this after inaugurating a pioneering digital hub by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM).

Kochi, Sep 18 (IANS) Kerala is working towards a four-fold increase in the number of startups by aiming to take their total to 15,000 in the next five years, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, here on Saturday.

The state-of-the-art digital hub set up by KSUM is billed as South Asia's largest product development centre as it is in over 2 lakh square feet of built-up space.

It houses a design incubator, healthcare incubator, Center of Excellence (CoE) for Mouser Electronics, co-working spaces, design studios, investors hive and an innovation centre.

"To realise the plan of 15,000 startups, the government will set up technology labs and incubators that will play a critical role for nascent firms to transform the state into a knowledge society," said Vijayan.

"We are particular that shortage of funds should not stand in the way of conversion of a brilliant innovative idea into marketing reality," added Vijayan.

KSUM provides interest-free loans to startups.

Venture funding with a corpus of Rs 750 crore will be made available. Besides venture capital worth Rs 250 crore is anticipated from financial institutions such as Kerala Bank, KSIDC, KFC and KSFE.

Minister for Industries P. Rajeev said the government was determined to go ahead with its plans to encourage the state's young entrepreneurs.

"We are giving focus to the semiconductor sector and are in talks with companies in Belgium," said Rajeev.

KSUM, is the state's 2006-founded nodal agency for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities.

--IANS

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Earlier this year, researchers at the Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky had witnessed a cyberespionage campaign targeting Microsoft Windows PCs at government and telecom entities in China and Pakistan. They began in June 2020 and continued through till April 2021. What piqued the researchers' interest was the hacking software used by the digital spies, whom Kaspersky had dubbed as 'Bitter APT', a pseudonym for an unspecified government agency. Aspects of the code looked like some of the Moscow antivirus providers had previously seen and attributed to a company it gave the cryptonym 'Moses', the report said.

New Delhi, Sep 18 (IANS) A US companys tech was abused by the Indian government amid warnings that Americans are contributing to a spyware industry already under fire for being out of control, Forbes reported.

Sometimes, American companies aren't the victims, but the ones fuelling costly digital espionage. Moses' real identity, Forbes has learnt, is a company based in Austin, Texas, called Exodus Intelligence, according to two sources with knowledge of the Kaspersky research. And Bitter APT, the Moses customer, is India, added one source.

Little known outside the cybersecurity and intelligence worlds, over the last ten years, Exodus has made a name for itself with a Time magazine cover story.

Exodus, when asked by Five Eyes countries (an alliance of intelligence-sharing countries that includes the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) or their allies, will provide both information on a zero-day vulnerability and the software required to exploit it.

But its main product is akin to a Facebook news feed of software vulnerabilities, sans exploits, for up to $250,000 a year. It's marketed primarily as a tool for defenders, but customers can do what they want with the information on those Exodus zero days, ones that typically cover the most popular operating systems, from Windows to Google's Android and Apple's iOS.

That feed is what India bought and likely weaponised, said Exodus CEO and co-founder Logan Brown. He told Forbes that after an investigation, he believes that India handpicked one of the Windows vulnerabilities from the feed-allowing deep access to Microsoft's operating system, and Indian government personnel or a contractor adapted it for malicious means.

India was subsequently cut off from buying new zero-day research from his company in April, said Brown, and it has worked with Microsoft to patch the vulnerabilities. The Indian use of his company's research was beyond the pale, though Exodus doesn't limit what customers do with its findings, Brown said, adding, "You can use it offensively if you want, but not if you're going to be shotgun blasting Pakistan and China. I don't want any part of that, (The Indian embassy in London hadn't responded to requests for comment)," Forbes reported.

The company also looked at a second vulnerability Kaspersky had attributed to Moses, another flaw that allowed a hacker to get higher privileges on a Windows computer. It was not linked to any particular espionage campaign, but Brown confirmed that it was one of his company's, adding that it would "make sense" that India or one of its contractors had weaponised that vulnerability too, the report said.

Brown is also exploring whether its code has been leaked or abused by others. Beyond the two zero days already abused, according to Kaspersky, "at least six vulnerabilities" made by Moses have made it out "into the wild" in the last two years.

Also according to Kaspersky, another hacking crew known as DarkHotel - believed by some cybersecurity researchers to be sponsored by South Korea - has used Moses' zero days.

South Korea is not a customer of Exodus. "We are pretty sure India leaked some of our research. We cut them off and haven't heard anything since then, so the assumption is that we were correct," Brown said.

Knowing that its zero days can be used offensively, Brown's company could have chosen not to sell to India, a country that's been accused of abuse of spyware in recent revelations about global use of tools made by Israel's $1 billion-valued NSO Group, the report said.

--IANS

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Whats the oldest thing in your wardrobe? A beautiful Indian scarf given to me by a friend in the early 80s.

Each week, we quiz a prominent person about their style and the inspiration behind it. Ahead, Georgie Gordon chats to television presenter Deborah Hutton.

Whos your favourite fashion icon?

Im not drawn to women for what they wear; more attractive qualities to me are confidence, maturity and self-worth, women who are comfortable in their own skin. Carla Zampatti, for example, always held herself beautifully.

Whats your favourite fashion era?

The 80s. I loved it. You couldnt have big enough hair, or shoulder pads, or wear enough gold  it was hysterical. I had it all, I thought it was so cool, then the 90s came along and it looked so daggy. But some of it is returning: the pleated pant, the oversized jacket 

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What would you wear 

 on a first date? Id be me: jeans, tee, tailored jacket, a low heel. Putting a little heel on is dressy for me these days!

 on a plane? I dont get dressed up to travel like I used to, I just want comfort  floppy pants, T-shirt, long cardigan, sneakers. In the bag Ive got everything: pyjamas, earplugs, eye mask, extra clothes and always a big cashmere scarf to snuggle up in.

 on the red carpet? Black. Ive got a couple of go-to Carla Zampattis.

Whos your favourite designer?

I love what Zimmermann does  its beautiful, sophisticated and relaxed.
I heard recently of a young clergy colleague who upon learning that an elderly ladys husband had died some months before coming to his church said to her: Im sorry to hear that he passed.

She looked astounded and said, No, you dont understand. Hes dead!

The euphemism is a generational thing to a large degree, sprinkled with a tendency to want to appear up with the jargon.

We humans have always tried to be gentle with each other and ourselves when it comes to speaking about death and dying. Down through the ages indirect language has helped us to both avoid and cope with reality. Ones closeness to a deceased person or their loved ones tempers our language somewhat but I confess to being exasperated by the use of passed to describe a persons death. Passed what? Out? A kidney stone perhaps? Their VCE? And where did he/she pass? In the street? On foot? In which direction? If euphemise we must, let it have some semblance of meaning.

Granted, its a fine line we walk when talking about death and tactlessness shouldnt be encouraged. There is a time for beating around the bush and a time when directness helps. Humour occasionally releases the steam valve in times of sadness, but passed is neither funny nor pastorally supportive.
Victorias business lobby groups say they are bitterly disappointed at the prospect of several more weeks of shuttered outlets and billions of dollars more trade lost under the state governments road map for re-opening that was announced earlier.

Shop workers are bracing for a surge in customer aggression, according to the retail lobby, if they have to exclude unvaccinated customers and the Australian Retailers Association wants certainty on what expectations will be placed on businesses.

A pedestrian walking past the Young & Jackson pub in Melbourne. Credit:Jason South

The $12 billion events industry says it has been completely overlooked in the road map and the pubs lobby, the Australian Hotels Association, says it was gutted by today's announcement.

The association said the restrictions on patron numbers and the continued ban on indoor service left Victorian publicans behind their NSW counterparts who can open - outdoors and in - when 70 per cent of that states adults are double-dosed.

The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the road map failed to deliver the certainty that the sector had been clamouring for with the chambers chief executive Paul Guerra describing the plan as a road map full of roadblocks.

Every Victorian deserves to understand why the settings in NSW that enables them to open up at 70 per cent double vaxxed and give them a path forward is so fundamentally different to what Victorians got delivered today, Mr Guerra said.

We've done lockdowns for too long. We need a path out of this and today's announcement did not give us the clarity, did not give us the certainty, did not give us the hope that we needed to get out of this current situation.

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The hotel associations Victorian president David Canny said the majority of Victorian pubs were willing to have their staff enforce vaccine mandates.

Pubs and hotels wanted to trial the 'Pub Pass' vaccination system even before the state hits 70 per cent double-dose, Mr Canny said.

The government wants a vaccination model. If people can get to a pub once theyre jabbed, it will help the government achieve their goals.

Australian Retailers Association chief executive Paul Zahra welcomed the road map but said the likely full re-opening of retail, slated for early November, would mean another $6 billion in lost sales and that some shops would not survive.

Mr Zahra also called for greater clarity and support for retail businesses and their staff who are likely to have to enforce state government bans on unvaccinated customers.

Front-line retail staff have unfortunately been the victims of increased customer aggression as a result of the QR code and mask mandates, and while these instances are in the minority, asking for a customers vaccination history will certainly elevate this concern, Mr Zahra said.

Its important that retailers have the backing of law enforcement agencies so they can manage the safe reopening of their businesses.
Now, as the world emerges from the panic  the pandemic is far from over  we are close to fetishing a new fear.

This is how the response to the coronavirus pandemic played out. Faced with an unfamiliar virus that might, rumours suggested, have originated as a bioweapon, we panicked. As images of death arrived from Italy and residents of Wuhan were boarded into their houses, governments threw everything at suppressing a poorly understood threat. They underestimated and in many cases ignored the consequences of the actions they were taking to protect citizens from the virus.

If the pandemic has taught us one thing, it would be that people are really good at panic. Get enough of us worried about the same thing, we lose our peripheral vision. And we are conformists. As fear spreads, we charge mindlessly in a single direction, trampling considerations, like spooked cattle.

Professor of Youth Mental Health and former Australian of the Year Patrick McGorry has coined the phrase shadow pandemic to describe the plague of mental ill health which accompanied lockdowns in Australia. In November last year, McGorry published an article in the Medical Journal of Australia warning that the initial mental health impact has been severe, and worse may be coming. Modelling and earlier recessions show that it is the economic consequences, especially financial stress, unemployment, and educational failure, that fuel mental ill health and suicide risk, he wrote, This impact is anything but short-lived, and will produce a long, deep second wave of mental ill health and suicide.

McGorry was not the only one to warn that Wuhan-style suppression was a cure as devastating as the disease. At the beginning of April last year an economist friend of mine contacted me in distress: she had quantified the potential harms of lockdown but the outfit she worked for was not prepared to publish her paper. We collaborated on a piece which combined her modelling and my concerns about the potential harms to children separated from their peers and forced into the often toxic world of online communication. Lockdowns will kill people too, the editor called it.

Economists Paul Fritjers and Gigi Foster also vociferously challenged the cyclopian policy lens at the time; Foster in particular has copped a lot of abuse from the economics profession and others as a result of her stance. McGorry challenged the policy direction in vain. Is a life lost to suicide worth less than a life lost to COVID-19? he asked at the time, If you look at the behaviour of government, you would have to say yes.

While these experts failed to prevent or soften lockdown policy, governments did acknowledge that there would be mental health consequences. At the end of March, the Australian federal government announced $74 million in funding for mental health support during the pandemic, together with a national online campaign #InThisTogether.
The Sun-Herald observed at least two arrests near Sydney Park of people who were out for a run; in one case a woman was too far from home and in another case a man was not carrying a mask. Assistant Commissioner Peter Thurtell, Operation Commander, said at a press conference there had been no real protest activity in metropolitan Sydney and only small protests in regional NSW. Todays operation has been very successful, Assistant Commissioner Thurtell said. Police patrolling Sydneys Hyde Park on Saturday. Credit:Rhett Wyman Our aim was to prevent the protest activity going ahead and to enforce the public health order and if you have a look at todays results, I think youll find that our actions have been very professional and well received by the public.

Assistant Commissioner Thurtell said in some cases police would allege the individuals were on their way to protest activity, while in other cases the arrests were for other breaches of the law. Several people were arrested in Sydney trains for carrying knives. Meanwhile, there were dramatic scenes in Melbourne, with protesters breaking through police lines, at least one police officer being trampled, police using capsicum spray to drive the demonstrators back, and more than 235 arrests. The COVID outbreak in Victoria continued to grow with 535 new cases on Saturday. NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McAnulty said of the six people who died with COVID-19, there were four women and two men from western and south-western Sydney, with one person in their 40s, one in their 60s, two in their 70s, and two in their 80s. Federal government data showed the number of fully vaccinated adults in NSW has reached 51.91 per cent, while 81.86 per cent had received at least one jab.

This is fantastic news, thank you so much for coming forward to get vaccinated and helping us to get out of this pandemic, Dr McAnulty said. Dramatic scenes in Melbourne where protesters clashed with police. Credit:Chris Hopkins The effective reproduction (R) rate in NSW and Victoria has continued to fall in both states as the vaccination rates have soared. The R rate, which was calculated based on rolling three-day average for case numbers and a four-day interval for virus incubation, refers to the number of other people that an infected person will go on to infect. On Saturday, the NSW R rate stood at 1.0, having been below 1 for most of the week, which means case numbers are stabilising or falling. In Victoria, the R rate was 1.2, significantly lower than the 1.7 this time a week ago but still growing. Loading

As The Herald and The Age reported on Friday, the Doherty Institute has completed an analysis for national cabinet on whether its assumptions about easing restrictions at the thresholds of 70 and 80 per cent of Australians aged 16 and older being vaccinated will hold true if it is from a starting point of high vaccinations. It found its modelling would remain robust if cases were in the tens or hundreds but restrictions would need to remain in place for longer if the number of national cases were in the thousands. Brief spells of rain dampened the mood at some of Sydneys picnics. Credit:Steven Siewert The Doherty Institute confirmed on Saturday the modelling was based on national case numbers and national vaccination rates, but said the next phase of the modelling would drill down to what it means for different states and jurisdictions. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian declined to comment on whether the vaccine supply or the updated Doherty Institute modelling would delay NSWs planned partial reopening once the state reaches 70 per cent vaccination.
Every Sunday morning before I go to church (at present to preach to a camera in an empty building) I have a ritual of reading the newspaper over breakfast to see if there is anything of note. Imagine my surprise last Sunday when I opened it to see my name printed with the implication that I was encouraging civil disobedience against COVID-19 compliance.

In the hours that followed I received unsolicited messages from people I have never met telling me that I should be jailed for my anti-vaxxer stance. I did have a wry chuckle at the irony that all of this was happening while I was still feeling unwell from my second vaccine jab on the Friday just gone! Not to mention that our church has gone above and beyond the government requirements throughout the whole pandemic, and that during that week alone I had had more than one conversation encouraging people to listen to the medical advice about vaccinations and not get caught up in conspiracy theories.

To refuse people entry is not a natural step for a church. Credit:Ben Rushton

What was my sin? I was invited to appear on a podcast for Christian ministers to consider a Christian response to the (at that stage) theoretical possibility of vaccine passports being introduced for church attendance. We were concerned about this idea because it seemed to go against the essence of what we want church to be  welcoming to all. But in that discussion we counselled patience and I talked about the need to wait for what the government proposed before getting up in arms about the idea.

I suggested the right way to approach this was to quietly and respectfully talk to the government through appropriate means. I talked about the need to find the correct scientific data as to whether there was medical support for the use of vaccine passports. I was specifically asked if I was advocating civil disobedience, to which I laughed and clearly said that I was not.
Another Nyiyaparli elder, David Stock, admitted to not knowing what was going on at the meeting. I feel like they made me sign, they kept calling me uncle. Ive done a silly thing, he told journalists. Federal Court Justice Michael Barker, right, shakes hands with David Stock after the Nyiyaparli won a native title claim over about 40,000 square kilometres of the Pilbara in 2018. Credit:Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation When asked for comment on this account of events, Fortescues current chief executive, Elizabeth Gaines, who joined FMG in 2013, said: Through our seven Land Access Agreements and many dozens of heritage agreements, we have developed extremely strong working relationships with native title groups, including the Nyiyaparli people, providing significant benefits to Aboriginal communities including vocational training, contracting and business development opportunities, together with the identification and protection of important Aboriginal cultural heritage. Cleary says the Nyiyaparli episode was an early demonstration of the tactics that would mark FMGs next bid for agreements for lucrative prospects on Yindjibarndi land and involve an 18-year saga that pitted the company against a thirtysomething traditional owner named Michael Woodley. Divide and rule

It is 2003 and the Yindjibarndi have received disappointing, though useful, preliminary findings for a Native Title claim they submitted in 1994 in partnership with their neighbours, the Ngarluma. The Western Australian government of the day oppose an aspect of the findings that recognise the Yindjibarndis enduring connection to their Country. When final determinations are made in 2005, the Yindjibarndi will hear their native title rights have been extinguished over four-fifths of the area in their claim, a consequence of pastoral leases issued by the state over the previous 150 years or so. In the same year, the Yindjibarndi make a second, individual claim over land just beyond the first determination area. This claim is considered to be much stronger as it covers areas of unallocated crown land. It is an area Rio Tinto has explored for iron ore previously but passed over. By this stage, FMG has entered the frame. Yindjibarndi country in Western Australia. Credit:Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation The companys anticipation of the awakening iron ore markets in Asia, particularly China, in the early to mid-2000s is well documented and often celebrated. FMG enterprise caught the big iron ore miners, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, on the back foot in supplying the demands of the hot new market. By late 2005, the price per tonne of iron ore had climbed from around $US30 a tonne to around $US60 and the upstart company was flying.

However, obtaining a licence for exploring and mining these tenements involved conducting heritage surveys and making Indigenous land use agreements with the prescribed body corporates of the native title rights holders. In the case of FMGs tenements on Yindjibarndi Country  some of its most lucrative in terms of projected iron ore  this involved negotiating with the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC). Enter Woodley, a lore man who had left school in grade six, later worked for Rio Tinto, and had become YACs chief executive. The machinations of the mining company to obtain the necessary land use agreements to proceed with its Solomon Hub are as hard-edged as you would expect from any company eyeballing an asset worth around $US5 billion in revenue per year. Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Michael Woodley. Credit:Justin McManus An early working relationship between YAC and FMG is abandoned when the mining company bulldozes a sacred freshwater spring after assuring traditional owners the site would be protected. When YAC demands a stronger heritage agreement, FMG begins to manoeuvre through provisions of the Native Title Act that effectively enable the company to gain access to land despite the objections of traditional owners. The shortcomings of the act are exposed early in the account and reiterated throughout. Tensions rise again when YAC asserts a human rights-based approach to a new negotiation protocol it proposes to FMG in 2007. FMG then finances the establishment of a competing traditional owner corporation to the YAC, which in some instances had the effect of effectively pitting family members against one another. FMG subsequently backs the second Yindjibarndi traditional owner group  the Wirlu-murra Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (WMYAC)  to replace YAC as the organisation responsible for settling land use agreements with the company.

Working through the WMYAC, FMG orchestrates a seriously compromised members vote to replace the YAC executive, handing out $400 shopping vouchers and sitting fees. Of course, none of this chicanery and the non-disclosure clauses that surround it would shock anyone who has, over the past year, followed the hearings of the parliamentary inquiry into the destruction of Juukan Gorge. That committee heard numerous submissions of a similar nature, including one in October last year from the Wintawari Guruma Aboriginal Corporation that alleged FMG was withholding $1.9 million in royalty payments to the Eastern Guruma people until the traditional owners agreed to the companys request for nine mining leases. Clearys book also identifies conflicts of interest across the resource sector and the bureaucracy of the Native Title Act. In one particularly egregious case, Cleary reveals a close relationship between the National Native Title Tribunal and an FMG-funded heritage consultant working contractually within the WMYAC. Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation director Stanley Warrie celebrates in 2017 after the Federal Court upheld the corporations title claim surrounding the $280 billion Solomon Hub mine owned by FMG. Credit:ABC News Cleary attributes the Yindjibarndis eventual victory over FMG to their deep and ongoing connection to Country: That really came to the fore in the compelling evidence that Woodley and numerous other witnesses gave to the Federal Court for the native title case. This proved decisive in the initial determination of exclusive possession and when FMG appealed to the full Federal Court and the High Court.

The key was really the strength of the people, Michael Woodley told this masthead. The majority believed that mining companies and particular individuals who speak of equality and rights in the same breath also speak of how those equalities and rights for Indigenous people should be distributed. That didnt sit well with us at all, and I think that was the reason why people stayed strong and stayed focused in our voice for Yindjibarndi Country. Cleary says more people need to realise the extent of what is going on in the Pilbara and how it is being perpetuated by an unsuspecting public. Paul Clearys book Title Fight. Credit: Its not good enough that the first peoples of Australia are having to go through all these legal processes to assert their rights, to get a fair deal. And that so many people in Australia now are benefiting from all this wealth being dug up out of the ground. I mean, look at Fortescue Metals, its got a 12 per cent dividend yield, he says. Everyone with a super fund is getting all these benefits flowing to them from companies like Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals, BHP, but what are the Aboriginal people getting out of this in the Pilbara? Next to nothing.
In the quadrangle of the primary school in Villers-Bretonneux, northern France, soars a famous sign, painted green and gold.

Do not forget Australia, it says, reminding visitors that here exists one of Australias most enduring and solemn international friendships.

The sign recalls the 1200 Australian soldiers who lost their lives on the night of April 24, 1918, while recapturing the village from the forces of Germany and in so doing, turning the tide of World War I. It also honours the schoolchildren of Victoria who later donated their pennies to rebuild the village school.

The sign in the primary school quadrangle is a reminder of ties forged between the two countries more than a century ago. Credit:Tony Wright

There are reminders all over northern France of Australian blood in French soil from both World War I and World War II. On a hill above Villers-Bretonneux is the Australian National Memorial, its walls listing 11,000 names of Australian WWI soldiers still missing, each with no known grave.
We talked through what I love about being in politics, what I missed in the Senate, how Fowler would work, how we would move [from the northern beaches to Sydneys west], Keneally says. The realisation that night was the Senate is important but I felt separated from the very people I was trying to represent  I missed it. Every job I have had before I went into politics was motivated by a belief in social justice and the importance of community. I worked as a teacher in a disadvantaged community, I worked for the St Vincent de Paul Society in youth services and to me politics is an extension of community work. When Im in my old seat [Heffron, in the NSW lower house] I can drive down a street and see and remember the roundabout that we fixed or the bus stop  those things matter and you dont get to do that as often in the Senate. So when NSW Labor general secretary Bob Nanva tapped Keneally to run in mid-June, she was ready to roll. Its a neat, aw-shucks story and, yes, its true. But it isnt the whole story.

Keneally isnt moving to the lower house just to fix roundabouts. Shes also moving because shes a political brawler who loves a fight  think Labors equivalent to Coalition hard man Peter Dutton  and is better suited to the cut-and-thrust coliseum politics of the lower house than the genteel lawn bowls club of the Senate. Her approach to politics, in some respects, is similar to former prime minister Tony Abbott  both excel at assert-as-fact political attacks that put the other side on the back foot. Its a bomb-throwing approach that few others in Labor are willing to engage in, and it cuts through in a way that type-A politicians dont. Keneally is an undoubted talent but her installation ahead of Tu Le  a daughter of refugees who works at the Migrant Employment Legal Service and is the incumbents preferred candidate  has sparked debate about representation, diversity and what the modern Labor Party stands for. Paul Keating has backed Kristina Keneally to run in the seat of Fowler. Credit:Peter Braig It has also exposed divisions between climate spokesman Chris Bowen and industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke on the NSW Right. Bowen has more support among the factions 17 federal MPs but Burke is closer to Albanese, who is from the Left faction.

If Albanese, went under the proverbial bus or if he loses the next election, both men would weigh a run at the top job. Some even suggest that Keneallys switch gives the Right an answer to those on the Left who want a woman in the top job and champion Tanya Plibersek as the partys next leader. Bowen, shadow cabinet minister Ed Husic, Nanva and then, decisively, former prime minister Paul Keating intervened on Keneallys behalf over the past ten days. Keating is a big fan of Keneallys and for several months has privately told Labor people what he now says publicly. The former premier has huge executive talent, is in the top handful of people in the party and has what a lot of people in the Labor Party do not have, and that is a permanent sense of indignation about those less well-off. The fight for the seat may be settled, then, but anger within the Right faction is bubbling away. Some within the parliamentary wing are annoyed with Albanese, who they argue did not publicly defend Keneallys move vocally or quickly enough, nor rein in backbench MPs such as Peter Khalil and Anne Aly who criticised Keneallys elevation ahead of Le.

Loading While Khalil and Alys criticism matters  Labor does need to better reflect within its parliamentary ranks the diverse ethnic and religious communities in modern Australia that vote for it  the ALP is ahead of both the Coalition and the Greens on this front. There is also a view that Burke, in particular, sold Albanese a pup: that the Left faction opposition leader could impose his will on the Right faction and the SDA and have Keneally elevated to the first spot on the Senate ticket, despite the SDAs preference for ONeill (a little known backbencher) to remain in place. The politically pragmatic NSW Right has played a key role in installing and supporting just about every leader going back to at least the days of Gough Whitlam. It is now a shadow of its former self. Its power has ebbed since the days when Mark Arbib and Karl Bitar ran the show and played an instrumental role in Julia Gillard replacing Kevin Rudd in 2010.
The directive for the ambassadors to return to France for consultations is understood to be the first in a rolling series of protests from Paris, which is furious at Australia for abandoning the contract to buy 12 French conventionally powered submarines, which had been in place since 2016. Australia now plans to buy at least eight nuclear-powered submarines that will use technology from the US and Britain under a historic defence pact known as AUKUS. Frances ambassador to Australia Jean-Pierre Thebault is on his way back to Paris. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The federal government noted French disappointment with the decision but in a short statement did not apologise for Australias actions. We note with regret Frances decision to recall its ambassador to Australia for consultations following the decision on the Attack-class [submarine] project, a spokeswoman for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said.

Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests. US State Department spokesman Ned Price said the Biden administration understood Frances concerns about the cancellation of the deal. We have alienated the single biggest proponents of a greater EU role in Asia and I dont think we understood the second-order consequences of that. Herve Lemahieu, Lowy Institute foreign policy expert France is a vital partner and our oldest ally, and we place the highest value on our relationship. We hope to continue our discussion on this issue at the senior level in coming days. Australia and France had been in discussions about boosting their military ties since President Macron sent a letter to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison several months ago outlining a proposal which could have allowed French soldiers greater access to Australian military bases.

Asked whether France would now suspend talks to increase military co-operation with the country, Mr Thebault said there is no specific announcement on that but noted the discussions started at a time when everything was being plotted. He also said France had transferred its top secret technologies to Australia on its submarine capability  secrets, that if they were transferred to our enemies, would weaken our national defence ... It was not a question of money, trust was the core. Mr Thebault said he had not talked with his government about Australias trade negotiations with the EU, saying its a completely different thing but he was being called back to Paris to consider what is the extent of the situation. Shortly before France announced the recall, Australias Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne told an audience at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC, that she absolutely understood the disappointment of the French. My task is to work as hard as I can  to make sure that they do understand the value we place on the role that they play and do understand the value we place on the bilateral relationship and the work we want to continue to do together.

Mr Thebault said Frances deal with Australia would have entrenched a local capability to build regionally superior submarines, while the new pact with the US and Britain was a project about a project. He confirmed that Defence Minister Peter Dutton only contacted his French counterpart about the decision after it was reported by media outlets on Wednesday night, adding there were no warnings whatsoever during the 18 months that the plan was being hatched between Australia, the US and Britain. Adding insult to the process ... we have very reliable reports from the independent press, which I thank, about the fact that all this was in the making for 18 months. Which means we have been blindsided intentionally for 18 months ... The crime was prepared for 18 months, he said. The decision to dump the French submarines will take years to repair and will leave a lasting legacy of mistrust in Paris, according to Lowy Institute foreign policy expert Herve Lemahieu. Mr Lemahieu said the French government knew the submarine contract was in trouble but that Australia had vastly underestimated the French reaction to the decision to dump the conventional submarines and, moreover, the double whammy of the announcement of AUKUS at the same time.

The French say theyve been excluded from the table. Theyve positioned themselves as an Indo-Pacific player, theyve modelled themselves on Australias stance and thought of themselves as at the table in Indo-Pacific deliberations, he said. Loading We have alienated the single biggest proponents of a greater EU role in Asia and I dont think we understood the second-order consequences of that. John Blaxland, a professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at the ANU, said that despite French fury at the Australian decision to tear up the submarine contract with Naval Group, eventually theyll have to suck it up as their position in the Indo-Pacific requires Australia. However, the Australian government needs to lead the effort to mend fences, he said, and should consider leasing French nuclear submarines for a period of time while the new AUKUS vessels were being designed and built.
Parliament is full of people who think it their destiny to be prime minister. Christian Porter, a product of the cliquey Perth elite, is a classic example.

His paternal grandfather was a minister in Queenslands corrupt Bjelke-Petersen government. His father  Charles Chilla Porter  won the high jump silver medal at the Melbourne 56 Olympics, and became a powerbroker in the WA Liberal Party. Sadly, Chilla died last year just as his son became engulfed in the scandal of an historic rape allegation that he strongly denies.

Part of Christian Porters legal fees for his defamation action were paid by a blind trust. Credit:Dionne Gain

Christian Porters early career as a prosecutor marked him as a charming, effective and ambitious lawyer set to be a bigger fish in a larger pond. He became state attorney-general by his late 30s and switched to federal politics five years later.

The world was at his feet, but he has become a political liability, a glittering star who failed to fulfil their potential. How did this happen?
Education Minister James Merlino has been pushing for some students to return to school at the start of term 4 under the road map for the easing of restrictions to be announced on Sunday.

However, Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton advised he preferred to do so once the state approached the 80 per cent double dose vaccination target in November, rather than the ministers proposed dates from October 4.

Deputy Premier and Education Minister James Merlino. Credit:Getty

The details of the road map were still being thrashed out between Professor Sutton and cabinet on Saturday evening. It will outline Victorias path out of lockdowns in line with the nationally agreed targets of 70 and 80 per cent double dose vaccination coverage. The former is expected in mid to late October and the latter in November.

Several other ministers within Premier Daniel Andrews senior cabinet of eight are keen to see a swift return to the classroom, according to two sources not authorised to speak publicly, starting with year 12s on October 4  the first day of term 4  and prep to year 2 students on October 6.
China has applied to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact once pushed by the US as a way to isolate Beijing and solidify American dominance in the region.

The country submitted a formal application letter to join the deal, known officially as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to a statement released late Thursday in Beijing.

The announcement was made shortly after Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian lashed Australia and the United States for forming the AUKUS alliance with Britain and committing to developing Canberras nuclear submarine fleet.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said last year he wanted to join the trade partnership. Credit:Xinhua

The treaty was originally envisioned by the US as an economic bloc to counterbalance Chinas growing power, with then-President Barack Obama saying in 2016 that the US, not China, should write the regional rules of trade. His successor Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2017, with Japan leading the revised and renamed pact to a successful conclusion the following year.
Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob fears the new three-way defence alliance between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom will trigger a nuclear arms race in the contested Indo-Pacific.

On Saturday, Malaysia joined Indonesia in raising alarm bells about the military build-up in the region and the impact that the AUKUS pact, which includes Australia acquiring nuclear-propelled submarines, could have on regional stability.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob spoke to Scott Morrison on the phone on Friday. Credit:Bloomberg

Ismail spoke to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday before on Saturday expressing concern over the establishment of AUKUS to counter a rising China, saying it would be a catalyst for a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific region.

At the same time, it will provoke other powers to act more aggressively in the region, especially in the South China Sea, his statement said. As a country within ASEAN, Malaysia holds the principle of maintaining ASEAN as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality.
London: The photographs of Bournemouth beach on Englands south coast sparked alarm, rage and condemnation. Half-a-million Brits, locked up for months, swamped the county of Dorset on June 25 last year making the most of their hot summer after the first wave of the pandemic.

The local council declared a major incident and police were called in to deal with reports of drug-taking.

Right-wing commentator Piers Morgan, who has campaigned for Britain to adopt the toughest possible restrictions, said it was proof the British people couldnt be trusted to use their common sense.

Cowds on Bournemouth beach in June 2020 became a national scandal. Credit:Getty Images

Then-Health Secretary Matt Hancock threatened that the government could use its powers to close down beaches.
Los Angeles: A California jury on Friday found multimillionaire real estate heir Robert Durst guilty of murdering his best friend Susan Berman in 2000, the first homicide conviction for a man suspected of killing three people in three states over the past 39 years.

Durst, 78, faces up to life in prison. Superior Court Judge Mark Windham, who oversaw the trial, will set a date for sentencing.

Millionaire real estate heir Robert Durst during a 2016 court appearance. Credit:AP

The jury of nine women and three men had deliberated for seven-and-a-half hours over three days.

Los Angeles County prosecutors called Durst a narcissistic psychopath who killed Berman in an attempt to cover up the disappearance of his wife, Kathleen McCormack Durst, in New York in 1982.
The US plans to speed up its efforts to expel Haitian migrants on flights to their Caribbean homeland, officials said on Saturday as agents poured into a Texas border city where thousands of Haitians have gathered after suddenly crossing into the US from Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it moved about 2000 of the migrants who had gathered under and near a bridge in the border city of Del Rio to other locations on Friday for processing and possible removal from the United States. It also said it would have 400 agents and officers in the area by Monday morning and was prepared to send more if necessary.

National Guardsmen stands watch over a fence near the International bridge where thousands of Haitian migrants have created a makeshift camp. Credit:

The announcement marks a swift response to the sudden arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a city of about 35,000 people thats roughly 233 kilometres west of San Antonio and sits on a relatively remote stretch of border that lacks capacity to hold and process such large numbers of people.

A US official told The Associated Press on Friday that operational capacity and Haitis willingness to accept flights will determine how many there will be. The official said progress was being made on negotiations with Haitian authorities.
This story was originally published on CO by U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was written by Jackie Chiquoine.

Throughout the pandemic, consumers werent just drinking and socializing differently, but purchasing wine and spirits in new ways as well.

Pre-COVID, online sales generated a single-digit percentage of the average alcohol retailers sales, estimates Mike Provance, CEO of data-driven alcohol marketing network 3x3.

Then alcohol purchases online surged during lockdown and have remained elevated from pre-pandemic levels: The U.S. is now forecast to outpace China as the worlds largest market for online alcohol sales after years of lagging behind, according to IWSR.

As more business shifts online, a new crop of third-party platforms, including 3x3, Wine Enthusiast and alcohol e-commerce platform CityHive, are helping small and midsized wine and alcohol retailers differentiate by creating synergies between the online purchasing experience and traditional in-store marketplaces.

These startups are powered largely by the collection and analysis of consumer behavior data, which has the effect of democratizing market entry, enabling even mom-and-pop retailers to thrive in a digital landscape.

Their emergence underscores a changed landscape.

Established alcohol retailers have found themselves competing against more players, and in more channels, than they did in the past. In recent months, for example, Uber acquired alcohol delivery service Drizly in a $1.1 billion deal; app-based wine marketplace Vivino closed a $155 million round of Series D funding; and 7-Eleven partnered with app Minibar for deliveries of beer and wine from hundreds of its convenience store locations.

Driven by data: Helping mom-and-pop retailers to thrive in a digital landscape

Now third-party platforms are helping alcohol merchants navigate this new playing field with e-commerce and digital advertising solutions driven by customer data.

The most important thing for retail businesses is owning the customer, Roi Kliper, co-founder and CEO of CityHive, told CO. His business gives physical wine and spirits merchants digital tools to help maximize omnichannel sales, including inventory management assistance, e-commerce storefronts and apps, loyalty and rewards programs, and, perhaps most importantly, access to historical customer data. The customer database, he says, is what helps alcohol merchants future-proof their business.

Wine Enthusiast, which began as a family-owned catalog of wine accoutrements in 1979, has shifted into a multi-channel media company. Its content-meets-commerce model now includes webinars and shoppable content.

The business intelligence on consumption trends provided by its community of wine lovers not only informs a comprehensive wine-buying guide, but is particularly valuable to alcohol merchants at a time when marketers face increasing digital privacy regulations, said Jacqueline Strum, president of Wine Enthusiasts media division.

We have first-party data, which for the media side of the business is huge, because there's so many sites where they're just using retargeting and cookies and tagging your IP, she told CO.

Related: How the Pandemic Helped Brands Like Moet Hennessy Uncork New Revenue Streams

Encouraging wine and spirits discovery in an online marketplace

A key focus in wine and alcohols move to e-commerce is facilitating discovery in a digital landscape, sources said.

People [have gotten] used to technology intermediating the purchase process, says 3x3s Provance. But it also had the effect of removing discovery from it. The result, he adds, is that many consumers tend to gravitate towards the brands they already recognize.

We began thinking our business model was purely a data play, Provance said. But as we built our network, we started to realize what brands and retailers wanted wasn't data analytics alone, they wanted us to do something with that to help them drive awareness in the market and drive shopper traffic to the stores. Now, 3x3 uses that data to refine consumer profiles and develop sophisticated targeting for new product marketing.

For alcohol merchants, the marketing calculus has changed, as shopping for wine is akin to shopping for household goods on a retailer like Amazon, said Wine Enthusiasts Strum: Many consumers start with a simple Google search and read reviews before ultimately making a purchase.

Wine Enthusiast, for its part, uses its blend of content and commerce to act as both a trusted source for customer recommendations, as well as a valuable partner to its advertising affiliates.

Media companies, including ours, are really starting to do some of that research for consumers, she said. With e-commerce moving so far into the future, now [advertising clients] come to us for top of the funnel and bottom of the funnel marketing.

Related: Investments in E-Commerce Yield Big Gains for Small Businesses Amid Pandemic

Normalizing wine and spirits e-commerce

The pandemic has nudged long-term changes to consumer culture at large. And the growth of alcohol sales online reflects this shifting consumer behavior around e-commerce, online discovery and home delivery.

The shift has ushered the wine and spirits category into a new era of expectations around product assortment and accessibility. However, at the end of the day, the big changes that are occurring in this industry aren't about alcohol, Provance said. Theyre about how people interact."

CO aims to bring you inspiration from leading respected experts. However, before making any business decision, you should consult a professional who can advise you based on your individual situation.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
For the last decade, crypto businesses have operated largely outside of the reach of global regulators. Entrepreneurs have created vast fortunes offering financial products that are not constrained by financial regulations. All of that is about to change.



This week the SEC announced plans to sue the USAs largest crypto exchange Coinbase relating to an offering that gives investors interest. The SEC says Coinbase is not regulated to offer such a product as they consider it to be a security.

This signals a turning point in the world of Crypto. No longer is crypto-currency lending a fringe asset class operating in the wild wild west of the internet; the time has come for the sheriff to lay down the law. This move by the SEC should be seen a significant warning sign that they intend on going head to head with crypto-related businesses.

In the coming year, its likely that the financial regulators around the world will turn their sights to Crypto businesses and require them to comply with specialized regulations that are still being drafted as well as traditional securities laws. The only exception will be to those companies that are already regulated to sell securities or are regulated banks and will have the benefit of continuation of trade and will likely have a poll position for any changes in the requirements.

Related: Fidelity Makes Case for Bitcoin ETF With SEC

Most of the major companies in crypto have been regulated as money service businesses, but if crypto and crypto lending is being classified as a security then they have to sell their products very differently and change the way they deal with their customers. On top of that new regulations are being drafted for any financial institution offering crypto services that are only being offered to those that are registered securities businesses already.



It's an ironic situation where the businesses that have disrupted financial markets are now being disrupted by the regulators in those markets.

Crypto businesses that do not have regulatory approval to offer securities, will be forced to form an orderly lineup which could take each of them a year or more to get approval. When it comes to the SEC and other regulators, you simply cant rush them or bully them. The process could set back the plans and ambitions of some of the bigger businesses by years and give way to smaller businesses that are ready to offer crypto investing and lending products sold as securities to overtake those constrained by red tape.

PayPal has announced its intentions to move into the cryptocurrency space with an offering that will launch later this year. It is no longer the disruptive startup it once way but its advantage today is a long history of dealing with regulators and that could give it an edge.

Related: Crypto Execs Should Cooperate With Regulators, Says SALT Panel

To my knowledge, theres only one company in the world that has regulatory approval as both a virtual asset service provider and is a registered securities business and who has been operating in compliance with securities laws for over a decade. A relatively small investment platform called Bnk to the Future which has only 150,000 registered investors (mostly higher net worth investors) is the only crypto-focused company that has been offering crypto buying, lending, and crypto equity investing services sold in compliance with both securities laws and new virtual asset service provider registrations.

Bnk To The Future was the original platform that helped raise money for giants like Kraken, Coinbase, BitFinex, BitStamp, Circle, and Blockchain.com. Despite being a relatively small business, It's now in a unique position because of its consistant ability to stay on the right side of regulation.

In the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, Eric Moussambani Malonga, a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea who had never even seen an Olympic-sized pool, won his heat after all other swimmers were disqualified due to false starts. His victory is a reminder that the rule makers can sometimes disqualify strong players on a technicality and make room for unlikely winners.

Coinbase and other large crypto-lending companies like BlockFi and Celsius have a strong position now but the future of the Crypto business will likely have more to do with regulatory approval than white papers, branding, and well-designed smartphone apps.



The disruptors are facing serious disruption as the whole industry finds itself on the radar of global regulators who have been given the go-ahead to start cleaning things up.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said he knows of fewer than 10 employees who have resigned over the company's vaccine mandate.

Kirby told CNN on Thursday that about 90% of United's US employees had shown the airline proof of their vaccination. He thought the majority of the remaining workers had been vaccinated but hadn't uploaded evidence yet, he said.

In August, United Airlines became the first US carrier to mandate vaccines for all US-based employees. Staff must be fully vaccinated no later than September 27  a date five weeks after the Food and Drug Administration fully approved Pfizer-BioNTech's coronavirus vaccine.

Related: United Airlines Customers Experience Outages

Speaking about how many employees had quit over the mandate, he said: "In a large company, it's a handful."

"The ones I'm aware of are in the single digit number of people," Kirby said. "We're going to have more by the time it finishes, but it's going to be a very low number of people."

Insider asked United to confirm exactly how many employees resigned over the vaccine mandate, but did not immediately receive a response.

Other airlines, including Alaska and Horizon, are only requiring the vaccine for new hires, while encouraging existing staff to get a shot by offering perks, such as bonuses.

Delta announced in August that it's requiring all employees to either get the COVID-19 vaccine or pay $200 extra a month for health insurance.

United's mandate preceded President Joe Biden's vaccine rules, announced September 9, requiring businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate vaccines or weekly testing. The administration has not said when this rule will take effect.

Copyright 2021 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
Gary Coronado / TNS

Robert Durst was found guilty Friday of killing his longtime friend who prosecutors said was about to come forward with information on his wifes disappearance.

A Los Angeles jury found Durst, 78, guilty of first-degree murder in the 2000 slaying of Susan Berman.
STAMFORD  More than 70 percent of full-time municipal employees are documented as vaccinated by Stamfords human resources department. And those that arent must provide a negative COVID-19 test result to human resources each week.

But among a sampling of the citys affiliated entities, the picture is less clear cut.

Many organizations that receive money from the city of Stamford, often referred to as its outside agencies, boast high levels of vaccine uptake among their employees, but divergent strategies for encouraging employees to seek immunological protection against COVID-19, according to a survey conducted by The Stamford Advocate.

Across residents of all ages, 76.6 percent of city residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the state last updated on Sept. 15. That data also shows that 68.3 percent of Stamfordites 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

Of the eight organizations who responded to The Advocate, five had either instituted a vaccine mandate for employees or had a fully vaccinated staff. Another three rely on employees submitting negative COVID-19 tests every week.

Some of the smaller organizations said instituting a formal mandate for employees rapidly became unnecessary since staff moved independently to get the vaccine.

The Stamford Senior Center, for example, has four full-time employees and 10 instructors for its classes; all are fully immunized against COVID, according to Executive Director Christina Crain. Soundwaters, the maritime education nonprofit focused on the Long Island Sound, found itself in a similar situation. All 12 of its full-time employees are fully vaccinated, and a mandate has not been part of the conversation, said Vice President of Development Bob Mazzone.

A 100 (percent) vaccinated workforce makes it easy for now, Mazzone said in an email.

Among larger organizations  those with more than 20 employees  vaccination rates are more varied, though they remained high. The five biggest non-governmental agencies in Stamford that divulged their vaccination protocols all reported vaccination rates for staff between 80 and 99 percent.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

Pacific House

Of homeless shelter Pacific Houses 47 employees  37 full-time and 10 part-time  85 percent have gotten the vaccine, according to Executive Director Rafael Pagan. The shelter is not requiring vaccination among its employees, though Pagan said Pacific House encourages getting the shot.

For unvaccinated employees, the shelter implemented a mandatory testing requirement, along with some additional safety protocols.

Everyone has to wear masks at the work place, (and) continue to have their temperatures taken at some of our facilities, Pagan said. Those who are not vaccinated that are working directly with clients need to wear face shields as well.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

The Ferguson Library

With 100 full- and part-time employees, the Ferguson Library employs the most people out of all the organizations that responded to The Advocate. Library President Alice Knapp said the library is in the process of instituting a vaccine mandate, which will go into effect on Oct. 8. By then, all staff and volunteers must show proof of vaccination.

The library will provide staff with exceptions for medical or religious reasons, but staff seeking an accommodation must submit a negative COVID test every week to continue working.

About 80 percent of library staff is vaccinated, according to Knapp.

Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media

Boys and Girls Club of Stamford

Just over 88 percent of staff members at Stamfords Boys and Girls Club location  housed at the Yerwood Center  have gotten their COVID-19 vaccines so far, Director Rowena Track said. Seven employees are being tested every week, something the center requires of its staff now, while 54 are vaccinated.

Employees are not required to get the vaccine as a condition of employment, but being able to work every week is contingent upon an employee submitting a negative test.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

Stamford Senior Center

All four employees and 10 class instructors at the Stamford Senior Center are fully vaccinated, as its Board of Directors implemented a vaccine mandate in June, Crain said.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

Downtown Special Services District

The 19 employees at the Downtown Special Services District, including all its environmental maintenance workers and the Downtown Ambassadors, are all fully immunized against COVID-19, according to DSSD President David Kooris.

But the mandate extends beyond just staff members with the organization. For this seasons twin concert series, Wednesday Nite Live and Alive@Five, the DSSD mandated vaccines for all volunteers, temporary staff, and security contractors to be vaccinated to work at the concerts.

The DSSD announced in late August that all attendees must proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours to enter Mill River Park for the annual shows.

If were going to be asking that of our guests, we have to at least make sure that our team hits the same bar, Kooris said. Because employees were already fully vaccinated, the DSSD never had to implement its own vaccination mandate for permanent staff, he added.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

The Palace Theatre

Roughly 30 full- and part-time employees work for the Palace Theatre on a regular basis, and 99 percent of workers are fully vaccinated, said Palace CEO Michael Moran.

The few that arent vaccinated need to provide a negative PCR test within 72 hours or a rapid test within 6 hours of coming to work, Moran said. And, all tests must be administered by a health care provider.

Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media

Soundwaters

Like the Downtown Special Services District, nonprofit group Soundwaters never had to implement a vaccine mandate.

With 12 full-time employees  all of which are vaccinated  there was never a need to implement a immunization requirement for staff, Mazzone said.

Matthew Brown / Hearst Connecticut Media

Domus Kids

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Domus recently decided to implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for all full-time and regular part-time staff, Domus Kids Director Michael Duggan said in an email.

Domus has 64 employees, and 90 percent of staff members are vaccinated so far, according to information Duggan provided. Despite the mandate, the organization has not opted to institute a mandatory testing policy among its staff. Instead, the nonprofit has its sights set meeting a lofty goal for an organization of its size.

Our goal is to have 100% of our staff fully vaccinated by October 15, Duggan said, And we appear to be on track to hit that goal.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  Once a week, in an unremarkable brick building in East Nashville, a few dozen samples of the coronavirus undergo a journey that is nothing short of extraordinary.

Lab workers use magnetic beads to strip the microscopic virus of its genetic code, duplicate it millions of times, and then feed a plethora of DNA into a machine that reads it rung-by-rung. Each time the machine recognizes a bit of genetic code, it records a tiny flash of color-coded fluorescent light, amounting to gigabytes of data on an incomprehensible number of flashes that is sent for analysis by a supercomputer in Florida.

When the results come back, the secrets of the genetic code have been laid bare. Each sample of coronavirus can now be identified by a truer name: alpha or gamma or delta or mu.

This is whole genome sequencing, one of the newest tools in the Tennessee governments effort to understand the spread of coronavirus variants and the pandemic overall. Until recently, this kind of detailed COVID-19 testing was largely limited to Tennessee labs run by universities and a few private companies, but the state lab added the capability to sequence the virus on a small scale in July after months of planning, officials said.

Currently, the state lab can sequence only about 75 to 90 COVID-19 samples a week, although it has plans to add equipment that will boost this capacity into the hundreds, deputy lab director Kara Levinson said.

By doing more sequencing, were better able to look at those variants emerging in almost real time, Levinson said. So, its certainly key to being able to kind of predict where this virus might be heading.

GENOME SEQUENCING CAN SEE WHAT STANDARD COVID-19 TESTS CANNOT

Genome sequencing, a process that uses powerful computers to map the entire genetic code of any living thing, years ago evolved from science fiction to science fact. Scientists have used the process to identify genes that increase the likelihood of terrible diseases and, through emerging research into the controversial CRISPR technology, make impacting edits to the very building blocks of life.

But the same sequencing technology also serves a more immediate purpose in the battle against the coronavirus. While a standard diagnostic test can detect the mere presence of COVID-19, only genome sequencing can identify and distinguish between variant strains.

Sequencing also potentially can detect the early signs of a new, dangerous variant  much like a ship spotting an iceberg just as it crests the horizon.

This has likely never been more necessary than now. As of Tuesday, Tennessee was reporting more COVID-19 infections per capita than any other state, both in the past week and across the full length of the pandemic, according to virus data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

State virus data showed Tennessee is recording an average of 7,400 new infections per day. Only a few days ago, this average was as high as 9,450 infections per day  rivaling the worst days of the winter surge.

Each of those new infections is an opportunity for the virus to mutate. Most of those mutations are insignificant, but sometimes the changes benefit the virus, leading to a worrisome virus variant. So far, no mutation been more impacting than the creation of the delta variant, a more contagious strain that swept the state and the nation.

But future variants could be worse. Another variant potentially could make the virus deadlier or more resistant to vaccination.

A MUTANT NEEDLE IN A GENETIC HAYSTACK

Sequencing starts with the same respiratory samples collected daily at test sites across the state. While most of these samples are used purely to detect whether coronavirus is present, a small portion of some samples is reserved for sequencing at the state lab.

These samples are plucked from particular populations where officials worry mutations are most likely to occur: new clusters, breakthrough infections, pregnant people and infections that are serious enough to cause hospitalization and death.

Once at the lab, the viruss RNA is extracted and converted to DNA, then amplified millions of times through a cycle of heating and cooling. Making more of the DNA is essential to detecting mutations because, as Levinson explained, if you are looking for a needle in a haystack, it helps to make multiple copies of the needle.

The DNA then flows through a sequencing machine in the state lab for the next two days. The data from the sequencer is sent to the University of Florida so a supercomputer  the HiPerGator AI  can lend a fraction of its immense processing power to reconsolidate millions of matches back into results for the original samples.

The vast majority of samples match dominant versions of the virus, like the common alpha variant or the surging delta variant.

But you can also look at the areas where it doesnt match up, Levinson said. And thats what helps you kind of track the emergence of new mutations and  eventually  new variants.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A grand jury has indicted two central California police officers on felony assault charges in the alleged beating of a Black teenager so severe that he was left with massive bruising on his face, the San Joaquin County district attorney announced Friday.

Tori Verber Salazar said former Stockton Police Department officers Michael Stiles and Omar Villapudua were each indicted on felony counts of assault by a public officer and assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury. The men were fired in March after a police investigation found both had used excessive force on Devin Carter, 17 at the time, outside the departments training and policy.

This grand jury indictment reminds us all that when police use unlawful force, they undermine community trust, she said in a statement. "As the daughter of a police officer, I know how important that responsibility is to restore community trust, safety, and honor to the profession.

The charges come amid growing outrage in the U.S. over the use of excessive police force, especially against African Americans. In April, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in the 2020 death of George Floyd, a Black man, and sentenced to 22 1/2 years.

The Stockton Police Officers Association defended the officers, saying in a statement that their actions were justified because Carter actively resisted arrest" and presented an imminent threat of death or seriously bodily injury.

The indictments remain under seal with the defendants scheduled to appear in court Nov. 5, according to a press release by the district attorney's office. Salazar said Friday that two of the four officers involved were indicted.

Carter was driving to his father's house when he was stopped by Stockton police the night of Dec. 30. Police say he was speeding in excess of 100 mph (160 kph) and led them on a three-minute chase before he was forced to stop.

Photos released by Carters attorney, civil rights lawyer John Burris of Oakland, show the teen with deep purple bruising around his eyes and what appears to be a shoe or boot print on the left side of his face.

Body cam footage shows officers pulling Carter from the car. They can be heard yelling expletives at the teen and telling him to stop resisting. Carter is heard screaming in pain and fear, and telling officers that hes not resisting.

Burris said officers punched, kneed and kicked Carter in the face, neck, and back as he lay in a fetal position. The department advises officers to avoid striking an arrestee around the head and neck area when possible.

All the time hes crying. Its pretty awful what they did to him, and it was an old-fashioned beat-up that cops did, said Burris, who won a $3.8 million judgment against the Los Angeles police department after officers there beat motorist Rodney King in 1991.

Were delighted that prosecution is occurring, and we hope it sends a clear message to others in this department that there are consequences, he said.

The SPOA said Carter caused a crash between a police vehicle and another car, and when officers tried to detain him he resisted and repeatedly tried to reach into his waistband.

In order to stop the fight and prevent death or serious bodily injury to Mr. Carter of the officers, officers were required to use bodily force to overcome Mr. Carter's resistance and effect his arrest, the police union said.

Carter was speeding in part because he didnt want to pull over in the dark, Burris said. The teen was terrified that he could die, like Floyd, Burris said. The teen was taken to a hospital for evaluation before being booked into juvenile hall for evading and resisting arrest.

No mother should see or hear her son beaten by the police and helplessly crying from the pain," the teen's mother, Jessica Carter, said.
NEW YORK  It was an unusual forearm tattoo that police said led them to Luis Reyes, a 35-year-old man accused of stealing packages from a Manhattan buildings mailroom in 2019.

But the truth was more complicated: Reyes had first been identified by the New York City Police Departments powerful facial recognition software as it analyzed surveillance video of the crime.

His guilty plea earlier this year was not solely the result of keen-eyed detectives practicing old school police work. Instead, it was part of the sprawling legacy of one of the citys darkest days.

Since the fall of the World Trade Center, the security apparatus borne from the Sept. 11 attack on the city has fundamentally changed the way the countrys largest police department operates, altering its approach to finding and foiling terror threats, but also to cracking minor cases like Reyes.

New Yorkers simply going about their daily lives routinely encounter post-9/11 digital surveillance tools like facial recognition software, license plate readers or mobile X-ray vans that can see through car doors. Surveillance drones hover above mass demonstrations and protesters say they have been questioned by anti-terrorism officers after marches. The departments Intelligence Division, redesigned in 2002 to confront al-Qaida operatives, now uses anti-terror tactics to fight gang violence and street crime.

Policing technology has always advanced along with the world at large. And police have long used surveillance cameras to find suspects caught on video, publicizing images of people and asking the public for help identifying them. But both supporters and critics of the shift say it is almost impossible to overstate how profoundly the attacks changed American policing  perhaps most acutely in New York, which lost 23 of its own officers that day, and hundreds more from 9/11-related illnesses in the years since.

The Police Department has poured resources into expanding its surveillance capabilities. The departments budget for intelligence and counterterrorism has more than quadrupled, spending more than $3 billion since 2006, and more through funding streams that are difficult to quantify, including federal grants and the secretive Police Foundation, a nonprofit that funnels money and equipment to the department from benefactors and donors.

Current and former police officials say the tools have been effective in thwarting dozens of would-be attacks. And the department has an obligation, they say, to repurpose its counterterrorism tools for everyday crime fighting.

Its what everybody would want us to be doing, said John Miller, deputy commissioner for the Police Departments Intelligence and Counterterrorism bureaus, instead of just saying, Well, these were just for counterterrorism. So if its not a bombing were not going to use them. Im sorry you got mugged.

But others say the prevalence of the departments technological arsenal subjects ordinary New Yorkers to nearly constant surveillance  a burden that falls more heavily on people of color. According to one estimate from a recent analysis by Amnesty International that was shared with The New York Times, a person attending a protest between Washington Square Park and Sixth Avenue  a common route through the park and into the city for protests after the death of George Floyd last summer  would be captured on the police departments array of Argus video cameras for about 80% of their march.

Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and the heavy favorite to become the citys next mayor, said he intends to audit and reevaluate how counterterrorism and surveillance resources are deployed and used in the city.

Im a believer in using technology to keep us safe, said Adams, a former New York City police captain. I dont believe in using technology to dismantle our rights that exist in our country.

Weve created a monster

Derrick Ingram remembers the laser  that red dot, hovering in his bedroom, trained there by an armed police officer posted across the courtyard from his apartment last summer.

It was one of the most intense experiences, he said.

The police had identified Ingram using facial recognition tools they applied to his Instagram profile, intercepted his phone calls and used drones to peer inside his apartment. Dozens of officers descended. The response seemed suited to a terror threat, Ingram said.

But Ingram, an organizer and activist, was not a terror suspect. Officers were seeking him in connection with his participation in a protest, where they said he spoke through a bullhorn near the ear of a patrolwoman, causing her temporary hearing loss. He would later be charged with assault of a police officer  a case that was subsequently dropped.

The intensity of the police operation was shocking, Ingram said.

It kind of felt stupid. I felt like it was a waste of taxpayer money and funds, Ingram said. Weve created a monster thats kind of always existed within America, but weve given that monster  because of 9/11, because of other terrorist attacks and things that have happened  unquestionable, unchecked power.

Safeguards meant to limit the polices ability to monitor political activity were suspended. Thousands of additional cameras and license plate readers were installed around Manhattan, part of the lower and midtown Manhattan security initiatives.

Only recently  because of a law passed by the City Council last summer, to police officials dismay  did the breadth of the Police Departments surveillance dragnet begin to become clear. The law, known as the POST Act, requires the department to provide a public accounting of its post-9/11 technological arsenal.

Police officials have proved reluctant to fully comply with the transparency requirements, and have historically kept such expenditures secret even from the citys own comptroller. But according to figures maintained by the citys Independent Budget Office, the Police Departments spending on intelligence and counterterrorism nearly quadrupled between 2006 and 2021, up to $349 million from $83 million in 2006, the earliest year for which the office keeps data.

For a department that was running entire precinct houses on single computers at the time of the attacks, the expansion has been stunning, said Raymond W. Kelly, whose second stint as New York City Police Department commissioner began just months after the attacks. Kelly led a frantic, rapid effort to bring the department up to speed.

We brought in thousands of computers and lots of other technology to try to get the department into the 21st century, Kelly said.

He challenged the notion that the surveillance apparatus in New York troubled many residents. Most Americans are used to having their pictures taken even while shopping in a department store, he said.

Your picture was probably taken 30 times while you were in that store, Kelly said. I dont think the average person has the concern about privacy that many of these activist groups have.

In documents released earlier this year, police acknowledged their use of a vast network of license plate readers, thousands of surveillance cameras, mobile X-ray vans and digital tools that are used to scrub social media profiles and retain deleted information. Much of the resulting data can be collected and stored without a warrant.

The tactics have become ubiquitous in criminal cases, including investigations of low-level crime. Asked to identify recent cases in which police used such surveillance measures, public defenders from across the city said it was difficult to think of one that had not.

My office defends tens of thousands of cases each year, and I would be shocked if we have a single case of any level of severity that did not include some form of surveillance technology, said Elizabeth Vasquez, director of the science and surveillance project at Brooklyn Defender Services.

Most often used, lawyers say, is the Police Departments Domain Awareness System, which fuses data from several different surveillance tools  license plate readers, closed-circuit television streams, images that can be analyzed with facial recognition software, or phone call histories  and associates the data with a person or address.

The department has acknowledged that the platform was not developed as a crime-fighting tool, but rather, has been repurposed into one: Originally designed as a counterterrorism platform, DAS is now a program that aggregates a substantial quantity of the information NYPD personnel use to make strategic and tactical decisions, read a draft policy paper posted on the departments website.

The police say safeguards exist around the information that the department collects  warrants, for example, are sometimes required to query stored data, and facial recognition software cannot be the sole reason for an arrest. But civil liberties advocates say the kaleidoscopic data network collected by the police has effectively turned the city into a surveillance state, even for law-abiding New Yorkers.

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said her organization was already concerned with creeping police surveillance in the 1990s. Not long before the attacks, the group had mapped out every camera they could find in the city. In hindsight, she said, the exercise would prove naive.

We made a map, and we had dots  we had pins at that time  where there were cameras. And when we did that, there were a couple of thousand, Lieberman said. We repeated the survey at some point after 9/11, and there were too many cameras to count.

The remaking of the intelligence division

In the months and years after Sept. 11, the Police Department under Kelly set about building a system that would protect the city from another attack.

The department established a counterterrorism bureau and remade its intelligence division, including the Demographics Unit  a secretive police unit that kept tabs on Muslim New Yorkers, even without evidence of a crime.

The theory was, in the course of regular policing, police officers around the country would run across little bits of information that, when added to other kinds of information, would potentially reveal terrorist plots in the making, said Faiza Patel, director for the Brennan Centers Liberty and National Security Program, which researches the intersection of civil liberties and surveillance. In order to do that, they really lowered the threshold for information collection.

The department still defends its practices, but later settled a lawsuit alleging it had illegally spied on Muslim New Yorkers, and officials say it no longer employs the kinds of demographic surveillance it used following the Sept. 11 attacks. Today, many of the divisions resources have returned to tracking gang conflicts and gun crime (it also maintains a division to track extremist groups).

Still, the scars from the surveillance of Muslim New Yorkers remain, and the policing methods behind it  data collection and intelligence-gathering  have stuck.

Ingram, the activist who was arrested after a Black Lives Matter protest against racism in policing, was one of several people involved in last summers demonstrations who said they were eventually interviewed by city and federal counterterrorism officers.

When the definition of terrorism becomes anyone you dont agree with, thats utterly terrifying, said Hannah Shaw, who was arrested during a protest last summer and turned over to federal anti-terrorism agents for questioning.

Police departments were already beginning to develop surveillance technology before the Sept. 11 attacks, said Fritz Umbach, a history professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Theres certainly more police presence, Umbach said. That is an ongoing trend that predates 9/11. It continues for reasons that have nothing to do with terrorism.

What has changed, he said, is the tools that police have at their disposal.

Government funding developed these tools for war and then they get repurposed for policing, he said. And thats a real issue.

For those in law enforcement who lived through the pressure of a post-9/11 world in New York, the nexus between counterterror work and policing street crime seemed a natural progression.

Its hard to explain sometimes how difficult the work was early on, with all the threats that we were facing, and the expectation that we were going to stop every single thing, said Carlos Fernandez, a former FBI agent in charge of counterterrorism in New York City who worked closely with the Police Department after Sept. 11. That was a very challenging environment to work in.

The tools developed in the aftermath of the attacks proved to be useful in fighting street crime too, Fernandez said.

I think to a large degree its been very beneficial, Fernandez said. But without the proper checks and balances, anything thats good can also be used for bad reasons.
JESSUP  Beeping forklifts and the whir of machinery echoed through seemingly endless rows of towering orange-and-gray shelves at Amazons newly opened AVP9 fulfillment center on Thursday.

At just over 1 million square feet, the sprawling, 24/7 facility in the Valley View Business Park will employ up to 500 full- and part-time workers  650 during peak months  shipping around 3,500 orders a day, company officials said. The fulfillment center launched about two weeks ago as part of a phased opening process, said site lead Katherine Olson. They shipped their first order Sept. 5  a bed frame, she said.

The Jessup location is an XL facility, which spokesman Steve Kelly explained means each piece of merchandise is at least 50 pounds. The facility can fit 200,000 pieces of inventory. Top items include mattresses, bed frames, generators and grills, Olson said.

Following a green-outlined path on the fulfillment centers polished concrete floor and weaving through aisles of towering, floor-to-ceiling 75-foot-tall racks, Olson gave a tour of the facility, often stopping along the way to check in with employees.

The fulfillment center currently employs 150 people with about 40% of its racking in place, Olson said. They anticipate the center will be fully operational Oct. 22 with all employees hired by the beginning of November, she said. Throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, Amazon employs more than 3,000 full- and part-time workers, Kelly said. In addition to Jessup, Amazon has locations in Covington Twp., Pittston Twp. and Hazle Twp.

New employees will start at between $16 and $18.90 per hour, plus a comprehensive benefits package, Olson and Kelly said. The open positions are made up of entry-level associates, Olson said.

Over the past 9 years, Olson, of Tobyhanna, worked her way up to site lead, which is the highest internal position at a fulfillment center, she said. She started at Amazons Gouldsboro location at 21 years old when she was between school and part-time jobs.

Instead of pursuing education, which is what I was going to school for, I actually just started my career with Amazon, she said.

Olson attributed the career growth to supportive leadership and really just owning and driving your own development as well really helps you take that next step in your career.

Both Olson and Kelly noted Amazons $1 billion-plus investment to provide additional education for its workers.

On Sept. 9, Amazon announced it would invest $1.2 billion by 2025 through its Career Choice program. Starting in January, employees across the country will be eligible for Amazon to fund their full college tuitions, high school diplomas, GEDs and English as a Second Language proficiency certifications, according to the announcement. The firm is also adding three education programs involving data center maintenance and technology, IT and user experience research and design.

According to the announcement, it extends to workers who have been with the company for 90 days.

Amazon wants to train you and give you the skills needed for the job you want, not the job you have  whether thats at Amazon or somewhere else, Kelly said.

Providing that education and tuition is huge, said Teri Ooms, executive director of the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development.

That will help even those lower-level individuals who may not advance further in the company get other skills for other jobs, she said.

With a rapidly expanding warehousing and logistics industry in Northeast Pennsylvania, Ooms emphasized the need to attract labor instead of just companies.

Were suddenly competing with every other community, region, state in the country because were all experiencing the same thing, she said.

Among the ways of attracting labor, Ooms floated a collaboration with the regions higher education institutions to develop a very clear message promoting both job opportunities and the regions quality of life, which could bring back alumni and keep students in the area.

Youre taking a whole package, she said. Its not just a job.

To apply for a position at the Jessup fulfillment center, visit amazon.jobs.
The Federal Election Commission recently rejected a claim by the Republican National Committee and ruled that Twitter didnt violate campaign finance laws when it prevented users from sharing New York Post articles on the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop in 2020. The New York Times falsely claimed it was unsubstantiated.

Liberal outlets often try to ignore conservative journalism, refusing to recognize facts and substance that they fear are damaging to Democrats. The closer the election gets, the more hypersensitive their censoring instincts become. They repeated Democrat claims of Russian misinformation and moved on.

This never happens to Bob Woodward, the legend of The Washington Post. He is, to liberals, the gold standard of information. He never commits misinformation. Nothing ever needs to be substantiated. No source ever needs to be identified. No reconstructed conversation is ever doubted. The Bible is treated less reverently than Woodwards latest gospel.

The alleged scripture this time around is that Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was so frightened by what former President Donald Trump might do in late 2020 and January 2021 that he had conversations with a general in China, advising him that if there was going to be some crazy nuclear attack from Trump, he would give the communists a heads-up.

Conservatives were immediately up in arms at the treasonous sound of this. But the first question should be: Can Woodward be trusted? Why does no one attempt to substantiate this before reporting it willy-nilly? Obviously, reporters attempted to follow up after this tidal wave hit the beach. But thats not the way Biden stories were treated. To report on Bidens lobbying exploits (not to mention the sex-and-drugs exploits) was perceived as some kind of repellent Trump-enabling act.

There are many reasons why Woodwards first draft of history should be questioned, starting with his incredibly opaque style of reporting, with some 200 interviewees behind a wall of anonymity.

Sometimes, Woodwards hot scoops crumble under scrutiny. In Woodwards 1987 book Veil, he claimed that former CIA Director Bill Casey gave him a deathbed confession that he had known about the diversion of Iran arms sale money to the Nicaraguan anti-communist resistance. But Caseys daughter, Bernadette Casey Smith, said Woodward never got the deathbed confession. Woodward quoted William Donnelly, CIA head of administration, in his defense: Woodward probably found a way to sneak in. Probably?

This wasnt the only questionable hospital story in Veil. Woodward also claimed that former President Ronald Reagans recovery from his 1981 attempted assassination was poor. Reagan could concentrate for only a few minutes at a time and was able to remain attentive only an hour or so a day. Reagans physician, Dr. Daniel Ruge, told the Associated Press that Reagans recovery was superb. I never saw anything like that ... its certainly news to me, and I was there all the time.

The liberal media cant seem to recognize that Woodwards books have a strong bias depending on who is in power. Republicans are punished while Democrats get a softer touch. Woodward knows who buys his books, and they are not Republicans.

Almost any TV interview with Woodward displays his partisan tilt. In 1999, Woodward asserted on Hardball (when it aired on CNBC) that Hillary (Clinton) went through her own Stations of the Cross in the Whitewater investigation, pre-Monica.

So Clinton suffered like Jesus being crucified. Thats the liberal journalist attempting to use Catholic metaphors and failing badly. The gospel of Woodward finds gods in the strangest places  gods who flagrantly lied their way through scandals while journalists kissed their cheeks like they were holy.
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The U.S. Army recently received 115 production prototypes of computerized rifle scopes for their novel NGSW (Next Generation Squad Weapon). This is a 6.8mm infantry assault rifle/squad machine-gun. Currently these are two different weapons; the M4/16 assault rifle and the M249 light (squad) machine-gun. Both use the same 5.56mm ammo but the M249 is a different, heavier design introduced in 1984, two decades after the M16.

Advances in rifle and ammunition design since the 1980s led the army to design the NGSW, which not only combines the capabilities of the M4 and M249 but also takes advantage of three other new technologies; computerized rifle scopes, a more effective 6.8mm rifle round and lightweight ammunition. The 6.8mm round addresses troop complaints about the 5,56 round long-range accuracy and low penetrating power compared to the older 7.62mm round still used by snipers and in medium machine-guns. Penetrating power was mostly about urban combat where troops often had to fire at enemy troops in the next room. The 7.62mm could accurately shoot though most walls while the 5.56mm rounds was not as reliable at that. Troops did not want to go back to the heavier 7.62mm round for assault rifles and the 6.8mm round was developed because it provided better penetration as well as less recoil than the 5.56mm round.

No breakthrough new weapon is complete without including a computer. In the last few years computerized rifle scopes that could be used on any rifle to give troops or snipers a first round kill became available from an Israeli firm. The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) has already adopted the SMASH 2000 scope. Finally, there was the lightweight ammo. This was always a possibility for the NGSW but until recently the viable candidates were of a different size than conventional ammo and required the NGSW to use unique ammo during the long transition period as the NGSW gradually replaced the M4s and M249s. The army didnt have the budget for that. Then, in 2020 an American firm (True Velocity) introduced a lightweight composite (plastic) case for existing ammo. It is already on sale for civilians and the army is waiting for the 6.8mm version. This caliber is also popular with civilian hunters and sport shooters because of its improved accuracy and lower recoil. Hunters were also the first to adopt the early computerized rifle scopes. Big game is usually shot at long range and if your first round does not take it down, the animal disappears, eliminating possibility of a second shot. In combat there is a similar situation and over the last two decades all American infantry have been trained to use accurate single shots rather than a burst of automatic fire. If your troops can master the shooting skills needed to use single shots, you have a major combat advantage. The composite 6.8mm round weighs 30 percent less than standard (brass case) rounds and the weight savings in important for combat troops. The composite case 6.8mm round weighs as much as brass case 5.56mm round.

The army already has an American supplier (L3Harris) for a cheaper and less capable computerized rifle scope. The device is undergoing testing on the 115 NHSW production prototypes. Unless the L3 scope fails the troop tests, it will be adopted as the AN/PVS-24LR used on about a quarter of the infantry NGSW weapons initially. There is already a civilian version of the AN/PVS-24LR available, for about $10,000 each. The military buys in bulk and eliminates the additional costs of supporting a commercial product. The AN/PVS-24LR will cost a lot less than the civilian model but it is unclear how much less.

There are three candidates for the NGWS itself and one will be selected by the end of 2021 and production models of the new NGWS will be issued to troops in late 2022. The lightweight composite ammo can be introduced whenever the army is satisfied with it.

Meanwhile U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) was apparently satisfied with the 98 Israeli SMASH 2000 computerized scopes they purchased for field testing on their M4 rifles in 2020. SOCOM released videos of troops using the SMASH scope in Syria against moving aerial targets (a small box suspended beneath a moving quadcopter). As advertised, the latest version of the Smash 2000 made this possible and Israeli troops have been using it against Hamas quadcopters and helium balloons carrying incendiary devices across the Gaza border into Israel.

SOCOM needed a solution to the increasing ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) use of quadcopters in Syria and Iraq. SOCOM has become increasingly desperate to find an effective and reliable way to take down these small UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles). Israel had a solution, which they originally developed for taking down kites and balloons used by Hamas in Gaza to send incendiary devices and small explosives across the border into southern Israel. Sharpshooters and snipers had proven somewhat useful but not very efficient. Few expert shooters could reliably bring down these small targets.

By early 2019 Israel found that a locally made computerized scope, SMASH 2000, could do the job once its software had been modified to handle kites, balloons and, it turned out, quadcopters. Initially SMASH 2000 could only guarantee a quadcopter hit if the small UAV was within 150 meters but that range has since been extended.

The IDF adopted the SMASH 2000 computerized sniper scope in 2018 and renamed it Dagger. When asked, the firm that developed SMASH quickly modified the Dagger software to go after moving fire kites and fire balloons used from Gaza. It worked and troops with the new software could use Dagger to take down a kite or balloon several hundred meters distant with one shot. When bought in large quantities, SMASH 2000 gear for each rifle costs under $10,000 and the price is falling as more are purchased. Israel issues Dagger gear to sharpshooters (troops recognized as more accurate shooters) and snipers (those sharpshooters trained to operate independently and covertly). American and Israeli military leaders began considering adopting Dagger in a more affordable manner, especially if the price came down more. The U.S. considered incorporating SHASH 2000 tech in the NGSW assault rifle to turn all troops into sharpshooters. The U.S. army settled on a more affordable scope that improved accuracy but required experienced shooters to get first shot kills. The army and marines already seek to train most of their combat troops to this standard.

Currently, SMASH 2000 is cost-effective if only one or two men in a Special Forces team (of twelve) have one. For SOCOM snipers, hitting the target with the first shot is even more important. SMASH 2000 enables troops to do that with more certainty and less stress for the shooter.

For Israel SMASH 2000/Dagger solved an immediate problem. Since early 2018 thousands of kites and helium balloons have been launched towards Israel. Each one is equipped with a lightweight incendiary device that goes off (most of the time) when it lands on the Israeli side of the border. The kites and balloons are more of a nuisance than a threat but have started over a thousand fires. Most of these are small brush fires that do not spread, but several have destroyed crops or trees and required firefighters to put out. Eventually, some of the floaters carried small explosives. Israel has used airstrikes to destroy over a thousand of these kites and balloons on the ground at launching, storage or manufacturing sites, as well as several hundred in the air using UAVs operated by civilians who had developed similar skills for UAV battles. Israel has also adapted some radars and other sensors to detect these slow, low altitude objects and that made the special Dagger scope even more effective against the fire kite/balloon attack efforts. Because of all these countermeasures, the use of kites and balloons has declined but not disappeared.

The SMASH scope also convinced the IDF that this device could turn just about any soldier into a sharpshooter or sniper. First offered the SMASH scope in 2017, the IDF tried it out with infantry and special operations troops, and by the end of the year approved it for use. Based on that success, in early 2018 SMASH was offered to foreign militaries (and police organizations). By early 2019, the SMASH scope demonstrated its flexibility by how quickly its software could be modified to handle wind-blown targets like fire kites and balloons as well as quadcopters.

There were several major innovations in SMASH 2000 compared to the earlier computerized scopes pioneered by American firm TrackingPoint. SMASH could be mounted and used on any weapon with a Picatinny rail. This allows the scope software to work with the trigger of each different weapon. The scope puts a visual block around potential targets the user is aiming at. When the user has the intended target in the block, a button is pushed and that target is locked and a precise firing angle calculated, and shot automatically fired unless the user intervenes. Other computerized scopes use the same basic concept but more recent models do it more reliably and cheaper.

The most convincing test of the SMASH scope was to have new recruits use it while receiving their first rifle training. Some 70 percent of these novice shooters made accurate shots the first time they fired the SMASH equipped rifle. A few dozen shots later and they were performing like expert snipers. In the hands of snipers and experienced troops, SMASH enabled difficult (moving or obscured by smoke) targets to be hit with the first shot. The IDF was sufficiently impressed to order 2,000 SMASH systems, mainly for use by snipers.

TrackingPoint pioneered this tech and in 2013 introduced its first computerized shooting system, the XS1. These initially cost $27,000 but the price has since come down to less than half that as the firm introduced more models and sales increased. These scopes were still expensive because they are sensor-equipped and computerized to the extent that initial tests showed that over 70 percent of first-time users could hit a target over 900 meters distant with the first shot. For a professional sniper first shot success averages about 25 percent and 70 percent on the second shot. The army tested the XS1 and found it worked but did not try to adopt the system for a lot of military sniper rifles, even though it would be a major improvement for snipers. The major obstacle was the wear and tear of battlefield use and the fact that most snipers were satisfied with their existing scopes. Snipers are trained to take good care of their rifles, scopes and the growing number of electronic gadgets they now use, but the XS1 was a major leap in terms of electronics, sensors and especially required maintenance. It was recognized that the XS1 technology was the future and just as the many new (since the 1990s) sniping accessories have become rugged and reliable enough to be standard items, so will the XS1 approach or something similar to it like SMASH. Meanwhile, the TrackingPoint tech was adopted for a small number of sniper rifles that could make good use of it as is.

In 2016 TrackingPoint introduced another version of its computerized scopes; NightDragon. This version allows for using an IR (infrared) spotlight with a range of nearly 200 meters and a scope with a sensor that makes the IR light visible to the shooter. Normally IR is not visible to human (or animal) eyes. The computerized scope tracks the target in the crosshairs and fires when the computer determines that a hit will be achieved. Targets can be moving as fast as 24 kilometers an hour. Costing $13,000 each, this is one of the few TrackingPoint scopes available for the civilian market. Most of their computerized aiming systems are only for military or police organizations. The manufacturer sells TrackingPoint equipped rifles mainly to police organizations or a few wealthy hunters who dont like to miss. TrackingPoint now provides a growing list of computerized scopes for ranges of 350-1,300 meters. Prices range from $10,000 to $17,000.

SMASH costs much less than the cheapest TrackingPoint system and can be used on most rifles and pistols. SMASH is more rugged and was quickly adapted to shoot down small UAVs, be used at night, make videos and have 4x magnification. That version was modified to take down fire kites and balloons. There are other firms developing computer-controlled scopes and as time goes by these scopes will have more features, become cheaper and more reliable.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AZINCOURT ENERGY CORP. (Azincourt or the Company) (TSX.V: AAZ, OTCQB: AZURF, FSE: A0U2), is pleased to announce that its common shares have commenced trading on the OTCQB marketplace under the symbol AZURF. The Companys common shares will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol AAZ.

The Company expects that the listing on the OTCQB will provide greater visibility and convenience of trading for US investors, resulting in enhanced liquidity and greater reach.

Trading on the OTCQB gives us the ability to access a larger audience which is an important factor in the Companys development, said Alex Klenman, President and CEO. The US market is obviously extremely significant, and the listing upgrade gives millions of US investors easier access to buy and trade our shares. As the uranium space picks up greater visibility and interest, our ability to introduce the Company to more people during this time of heightened investor awareness is a critical part of our growth strategy, continued Mr. Klenman.

The OTCQB Venture Market is for early stage and developing U.S. and international companies. Companies are current in their reporting and undergo an annual verification and management certification process. Investors can find Real-Time quotes and market information for the company on www.otcmarkets.com.

In addition to the TSX Venture and OTCQB listings, the Company continues to trade on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol A0U2.

About Azincourt Energy Corp.

Azincourt Energy is a Canadian-based resource company specializing in the strategic acquisition, exploration, and development of alternative energy/fuel projects, including uranium, lithium, and other critical clean energy elements. The Company is currently active at its joint venture East Preston uranium project in the Athabasca Basin, Saskatchewan, Canada, and the Escalera Group uranium-lithium project located on the Picotani Plateau in southeastern Peru.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF AZINCOURT ENERGY CORP.

Alex KlenmanAlex Klenman, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release includes forward-looking statements, including forecasts, estimates, expectations and objectives for future operations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Azincourt. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information represents managements best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual future results may vary materially.

For further information please contact:

Alex Klenman, President & CEOTel: 604-638-8063info@azincourtenergy.com

Azincourt Energy Corp.1430  800 West Pender StreetVancouver, BC V6C 2V6www.azincourtenergy.com

Source: Azincourt Energy Corp.
Darica Shunte Lashae Slaughter (U.S. Navy)

The U.S. Navy on Friday released the names of two Naval Air Station Sigonella sailors killed last weekend in a single-vehicle crash.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Racquel Amanda Johnson and Seaman Darica Shunte Lashae Slaughter died Sept. 12 in Sicily, according to a NAS Sigonella statement. The ages of the women and details about the crash were not released.

Italian news media reported that the crash happened at 5:40 a.m. when the car in which the women were traveling crashed into a concrete support pole at a rail crossing on the outskirts of Catania.

The location is near the portion of NAS Sigonella that houses military personnel, according to italynews24.com.

It did not appear there were any other passengers, and it wasnt clear who was driving.

Racquel Amanda Johnson (U.S. Navy)

Johnson, of New York, enlisted in 2014 and was promoted to petty officer 3rd class as an aviation boatswain's mate in July 2020, the Navys statement said. She served aboard the aircraft carriers USS Harry S. Truman and USS Gerald R. Ford before reporting to NAS Sigonella in February.

She received multiple awards during her service, including a Meritorious Unit Commendation and Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, according to the statement.

Slaughter, of Ohio, enlisted in February and became a yeoman. She completed her training in Illinois and Mississippi before reporting to NAS Sigonella in June, the statement said.

Alison Bath
Lt. j.g. Chunchun Waskin and Seaman Samuel Figueroa Lopez scan the ocean's surface as the USS Barry passes through the Taiwan Strait, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. (U.S. Navy)

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan  Another U.S. guided-missile destroyer has steamed through the Taiwan Strait, marking the Navys ninth journey through the politically sensitive waterway this year.

The Yokosuka-based USS Barry made the trip on Friday, the Navy announced in a news release that day.

The ships transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific, a 7th Fleet spokesman, Lt. Nicholas Lingo, said in the release. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd and the Coast Guard cutter Munro made the last trip through the strait on Aug. 28.

The Navy routinely steams through the approximately 110-mile waterway that separates China and Taiwan. The Chinese government routinely condemns the operations as provocative. Beijing considers Taiwan, a functioning democracy, a breakaway province that must be reunited with the mainland, possibly by force.

China had maintained for years that unification with Taiwan would be peaceful and mutual, but the turnabout in Hong Kong has led many international observers to ponder whether Beijing is preparing for forcible reunification.

The Barry's passage comes a little over a week after another Yokosuka-based destroyer, the USS Benfold, steamed through the South China Sea during a freedom-of-navigation operation on Sept. 8. The Benfold sailed within 12 nautical miles of Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, a disputed chain thats claimed either partially or wholly by several countries.

China has built up Mischief Reef and constructed underground storage, radar and communications arrays and other improvements, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative. The U.S. does not recognize any territorial claim to the reef.

The head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. John Aquilino, said during a press conference last month that the U.S. is ready for any contingency that may occur, including armed conflict, when it comes to the Indo-Pacific region and Taiwan.

We are here to continue to operate to ensure peace and prosperity through the region, and we have to be in a position to ensure that status quo remains as it applies to Taiwan, he said.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in the Arabian Sea, Sept. 14, 2021. (Eric Stanton/U.S. Navy)

The USS Ronald Reagan is back with the 7th Fleet after spending nearly three months in the Arabian Sea supporting the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The aircraft carrier, homeported at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan, arrived in the Middle East with its strike group on June 25. Its movement out of 5th Fleet and into the Indian Ocean  first reported by USNI News on Thursday citing an anonymous Navy official  was confirmed Saturday by Task Force 70 spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Joe Keiley.

The strike group, which includes the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey and the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh, had been supporting naval operations and providing airpower to protect U.S. and coalition forces as they conducted drawdown operations from Afghanistan, Keiley told Stars and Stripes in an email.

Upon its arrival in the Middle East, the Ronald Reagan teamed up with and eventually relieved the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had ordered to remain in the region after the Afghanistan drawdown started on May 1.

Among other missions, the Ronald Reagans F/A-18 Super Hornets flew missions over Kabul to maintain enhanced security, according to Army Maj. Gen. William Taylor, Joint Staff deputy director for regional operations.

The carrier also trained alongside the HMS Queen Elizabeth in mid-July as the Royal Navy carrier made its way toward the Indo-Pacific region.

As the Ronald Reagan left 5th Fleet, the Essex Amphibious Ready Group entered the Persian Gulf, the Navy announced on Sept. 13. Led by the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, the group includes the amphibious transport dock USS Portland, dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
In this March 2, 2021, file photo, Hollie Maloney, a pharmacy technician, loads a syringe with Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at the Portland Expo in Portland, Maine. (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

WASHINGTON  Federal employees can be fired for refusing to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, but as their disciplinary cases wind through the system, they will report to work alongside vaccinated colleagues, according to Biden administration guidance issued this week.

The new guidance to implement a vaccine mandate for the government, which President Joe Biden announced last week, represents a reversal of the strategy the White House coronavirus task force pushed in August for those employees without shots who refused under an earlier plan to get regular testing for covid-19.

Then, agencies were told they could place employees on administrative leave, a paid suspension used widely for short-term absences but also when a manager proposes removing an employee.

They seem like they decided to go with a harder approach, said Jeff Friday, general counsel for the National Federation of Federal Employees, which has about 100,000 members at the Defense Department, U.S. Forest Service and other agencies.

Youre still going to have to work until youre let go, Friday said. Paid leave is certainly a disincentive to getting vaccinated.

The rules on how to enforce the mandate were among several new details of what will be a complex, potentially messy process that will likely stretch deep into winter if not longer, given the governments sprawling size and presence in every state. The details will leave multiple groups of people following different rules in the same workplace.

In most agencies, for example, civil servants work side-by-side with employees who work for federal contractors. But under the policy announced by the president last week, contractors who are not vaccinated must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test taken within three days before entering a federal facility - or enroll in a regular testing program.

Contractors, federal workers and visitors who show they are vaccinated are required to wear masks indoors in federal buildings located in areas of high or substantial viral transmission, but not in areas where transmission is lower.

Visitors must attest to their status before entering a federal building  although not if they are coming to receive benefits. Unvaccinated visitors or those who decline to provide their status also must provide proof of a negative test taken three days or sooner before coming into the building.

Most of the 2.1 million federal employees must receive their last dose of their vaccine no later than Nov. 8 to meet a Nov. 22 deadline to be fully vaccinated. The timing between the first and second shots will depend on which vaccine they take.

Teleworking employees must get shots, too, and proof of vaccination can be transmitted electronically, according to the new rules. Those who are not fully vaccinated or decline to tell their bosses their status must wear masks in the office, physically distance from colleagues and comply with restrictions for work travel.

New hires who are scheduled to start work after Nov. 22 must be fully vaccinated, except in limited circumstances where the government must make a reasonable accommodation to exempt them, the guidance says. Exceptions can be made for urgent, mission-critical hires, but those employees must be vaccinated within 60 days.

The task force said it is preparing additional guidance on how agencies should consider requests for religious and medical exemptions to the vaccine, a provision of the mandate that has stirred concern the offices will establish wildly varying standards.

To many set to be involved in the process, enforcement of the mandate remains the most worrisome provision.

Union officials and attorneys who represent federal employees say they are concerned that managers could move to dismiss workers with exemplary records if they dont want a vaccine. They also said firing large swaths of employees would be unrealistic in parts of the country with low overall vaccination rates.

Are some agencies just going to look the other way? asked Debra DAgostino, a founding partner of the Federal Practice Group in Washington. In some places they would be losing a huge chunk of the workforce if they moved to fire people. It cant be that black and white.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough acknowledged the possibility this week as he contemplated the repercussions for some 45,000 employees of the Veterans Health Administration  the agencys largest department  who, operating under the separate mandate announced this summer, have not completed paperwork attesting that they have gotten shots or that they intend to.

McDonough said his staff is working with union officials and reaching out to these employees with a public awareness campaign. The employees have until Oct. 8 to either get fully vaccinated or request a medical or religious accommodation.

Those who fail to comply will be subject to the progressive discipline process, he said. But he added that the last thing we want to do is have to fire trained personnel.

Union officials said they do not believe any discipline for the broader workforce would begin before the November deadline.

An agency should first use a carrot approach, explaining the benefits of the vaccine and ways to get a shot, the guidance says. If someone still refuses to comply, managers should follow the disciplinary process laid out in their collective bargaining agreements with employees. These often start with warnings, a letter of reprimand or suspensions before dismissal.

Under federal personnel law, an agency generally must first propose a disciplinary action, which must take effect after at least 30 days, during which the employee has the opportunity to respond. The agency must consider the response before taking a final action.

There is no deadline for the agency to make a final decision after receiving that response and in many cases the process takes much longer than 30 days.

Guidance for the first coronavirus plan, issued in late July, explicitly called for administrative leave - paid by the government  for some who declined to be tested. Administrative leave has been part of the disciplinary process for federal employees, but it has been abused by managers who used it to sideline troublesome workers while misconduct or poor performance reports were adjudicated, and managers were often slow to move the disciplinary process forward.

The Trump administration sought to speed up the dismissal process as part of a controversial series of executive orders that tried to weaken the unions that represent more than half the federal workforce. But Biden reversed the policies within days of taking office.

The new guidance anticipates that before moving to fire an employee, an agency generally would use progressive discipline, said Michael Kator, of Kator, Parks, Weiser & Harris, a District of Columbia law firm specializing in federal employment law.

For example, an agency could say If you dont do this, were going to suspend you. After suspension, if you havent gotten vaccinated, youre going to be disciplined again,  he said in a phone interview. It can go through multiple iterations until they finally get to the point where they say OK, we get it, you dont want to comply, youre fired. 

He said one possible basis for firing would be a charge of insubordination. They will get a directive from their agency head or their supervisor to do this and if they dont do it, just like any other direction from the supervisor, if its lawful theyre pretty much obligated to comply, he said.
Owen L. Conner, curator for the National Museum of the Marine Corps, unwraps pieces of a wooden cross bearing the name of Sgt. Bernard A. Marble, 28, of Massachusetts, one of more than 1,000 Marines who died in the 1943 battle for Tarawa. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

QUANTICO, Va.  Curator Owen L. Conner carefully unties the ribbon around the weathered slats and removes the storage paper. Sand from the island where the Marines fought still clings to some of the wood. One by one, he assembles the three crosses once used to mark graves.

As he does, the faded names appear in black over peeling white paint: Robert W. Hillard; Clarence S. Hodgson; Bernard A. Marble. Fragments of other names can be seen on other pieces, and "Nov . . .1943."

The crosses come from lost cemeteries on the World War II battlefield of Tarawa, an atoll in the Pacific where more than 1,000 Marines were killed fighting the Japanese, and where hundreds may still lie buried in unmarked graves.

Last month, the National Museum of the Marine Corps officially acquired the crosses, along with other grave artifacts, from History Flight Inc., the Fredericksburg, Va., nonprofit archaeological firm that has been excavating on Tarawa for more than a decade.

The Tarawa crosses are rare and are believed to be the only such artifacts in a museum collection.

The relics from a bygone war come as the Marines mourn the 11 members killed in the most recent conflict, alongside one soldier and one sailor, in the Aug. 26 suicide bombing attack at the Kabul airport.

Among the items from Tarawa: A projectile removed from the lower back of a skeleton; a pristine glass ampule of iodine; a tiny glass bottle containing unidentified pills; a container of surgical thread; a deteriorated poncho of the kind bodies were buried in; and Japanese and American helmets and canteens.

A Marine's canteen that still had water in it more than 75 years after it was used on Tarawa in 1943 is one of the artifacts recently given to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) A helmet used during the battle for Tarawa in 1943 is paired with an unused version at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

The crosses had been wrapped up like a bundle of old fence parts and stored in a repository on the atoll when they were spotted three years ago by History Flight's chief operating officer, Justin D. LeHew.

One day last week, Conner, the museum's curator of uniforms and heraldry, unboxed the crosses and other artifacts in the museum's support center in the old brig on the Marine base here.

He said he hoped some of them might soon be displayed at the museum.

The crosses all told tragic stories.

The United States assaulted the Japanese-held atoll - mainly its tiny island of Betio - over four days in late November 1943. The attack was part of the plan, after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, to seize enemy bastions across the Pacific Ocean.

But Betio, code named "Helen," was heavily fortified, and defended by about 4,500 men. A Japanese admiral reportedly bragged that a million Americans couldn't take it in 100 years. The Marines had about 18,000 men.

The battle was fierce, and often fought at close quarters.

Color film footage shot by a Marine cameraman captured the grim nature of the combat and its aftermath. In one clip, the bodies of Marines are seen strewn across the beach and floating in the water.

The handling of the dead was haphazard.

Part of a wooden cross bearing the name and service number of Marine Clarence Hodgson, recently donated to the National Musem of the Marine Corps. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

"Corpses were everywhere," Pfc. Joe Jordan recalled, according to historian Derrick Wright. "We worked to identify the folks from our unit and placed them in the trench covered by their ponchos . . . Then bulldozers pushed sand in on top of the bodies."

Graves were scattered across the island, some apparently denoted with markers, some not, according to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA).

Military construction projects later moved many grave markers without moving remains, a DPAA historian has written.

In addition, other markers appear to have been placed where there were no bodies. And some markers were erected to commemorate Marines who died of wounds and were buried at sea.

In 1946, graves registration experts exhumed remains from 43 cemeteries and burial plots across the island and combined them into one.

In late 1946 and early 1947, the combined remains were disinterred again, and the markers apparently discarded.

The human remains, at this point mainly skeletal, were taken to Hawaii for possible identification, and in 1949, those unidentified were reburied in a national cemetery in Honolulu.

In the overall process, though, half the Marine dead may have been left behind on Betio, according the DPAA.

Last week, the crosses of Hillard, Hodgson, and Marble looked like pieces of driftwood as Conner, the curator, put them together on a display table.

He matched up the name, rank and serial numbers written on the broken sections as if working on a puzzle.

As he worked, he said he often wonders about the men: Who was Robert Hillard? "Where'd he come from? . . . What did he look like?"

"The really tragic thing with these men [is] so much of their stories have been lost," he said. "Because they didn't have . . . their own young families and their parents were the only people that they had, and they're gone."

"You just sort of have these dead ends on their lives," he said. "When I see those crosses I think how sad their ending is."

A photograph of Marine Pfc. Robert W. Hillard, 19, of Arkansas, is seen on a computer screen at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Hillard, a native of West Tulsa, was one of 11 children and stepchildren in a blended farming family in Big Fork, Ark., according to census records.

He was 17, technically a minor, when he enlisted in 1941. He needed his mother's consent to sign up.

He was 19 when he was shot in the head and killed on Nov. 20, 1943, according to government records gathered by private researcher Geoffrey Roecker.

Hillard was one of 61 Marines from his 165-man company killed in the battle, Roecker said in an email. They were shot down as they tried to land on an especially deadly section of beach called "the pocket."

His family was not notified of his death until Jan. 1, 1944. And his body was not recovered.

But after the war, his mother, Susie Ratliff, said the Marines sent her a package of his belongings - a cigarette case, a pocket watch and wallet, and mistakenly informed her that he was buried in "grave 9, row 1, plot 10" of a Marine cemetery on Betio.

In 1947, the Corps reversed itself, apologizing and telling her that it had not found her son's body under his grave marker - the same one, perhaps, that Conner had on his display table.

"It must be assumed that . . . the cross was erected in his honored memory rather than . . . as a marker identifying the location of his grave," the Marine Corps commandant wrote her.

She was livid.

"Why have I been deceived?" she wrote a local congressman. "Why didn't they tell me the cold hard facts in the beginning so I could accustom myself to them all at the same time? . . . [It's] more than I can sanely take."

Clarence Stanley Hodgson, of Eddyville, Iowa, had just turned 18 when he enlisted in the Marines in 1940. He was known as Stanley, and was the son of a farmer. He was 21 when he was shot in both legs on Nov. 21, 1943.

A photograph of Marine Clarence Hodgson of Iowa is viewed on a computer monitor at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

He was evacuated to the USS Sheridan, a troop ship, where doctors amputated part of his right leg. He was given whole blood, blood plasma and a solution of saline dextrose.

But he "failed to respond to treatment," the government records state. He died at 9 p.m. the next day and was quickly buried at sea.

He got a memorial cross on Betio despite the absence of his body.

Sgt. Bernard A. Marble was 28 when he was killed Nov. 21. His battalion had suffered heavy casualties as it came ashore the day before on Red Beach 3.

A native of Somerset, Mass., where he lived a block from the Taunton River, he had enlisted on Sept. 19, 1941, according to the records.

His body was recovered and buried in a large grave on Betio. It was later exhumed and reburied in the combined grave. It was identified. Its location was recorded, and a grave cross was created.

It's not clear what happened after that, but when his remains were exhumed again and moved to Hawaii, they were classified as unknown. At that point they consisted mainly of a skull, arms, chest and pelvis, according to government files.

Laboratory examination of his dental records and physical characteristics, though, enabled experts to identify the body as Marble's.

He was returned to Somerset and on May 12, 1949, five years after his death, he was buried in a cemetery around the corner from his home. The funeral flag was presented to his mother, C.

The crosses and artifacts were unearthed during History Flight's work with the DPAA on Tarawa over the past few years, said LeHew. The chief aim of the project was to locate lost gravesites and to repatriate and identify remains of Marines buried on Betio.

About 140 sets of remains have been recovered and identified. As many as 400 may still be there, according to the DPAA.

Over the years, a large cache of artifacts - American and Japanese - had also been unearthed, LeHew said: things like rusted rifles, helmets and burial markers.

"It was all pretty much relic status," he said. "But for the trained eye . . . it was the entire battle history of the U.S. Marine Corps of that time period."

During his visits to the site, which is 2,400 miles southwest of Hawaii, he said noticed that some pieces were starting to deteriorate.

"I knew I had to do something to preserve this," he said. He inventoried everything not needed by the DPAA experts, and set aside the most historic and intact Tarawa artifacts.

He brought them back to the U.S. and offered them to the museum.

The museum accepted them all.
(WikiMedia Commons)

NAIROBI, Kenya  The disappearance of a young intelligence officer in Somalia has led to a rapidly escalating power struggle between the president and prime minister that has torn apart the government and potentially gives new openings to al-Qaida-linked militants.

Details of what happened to Ikran Tahlil Farah, a 25-year-old cybersecurity analyst, are still murky. But her abduction led President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Thursday to suspend the powers of the prime minister, who has accused him of obstructing justice in Tahlil's case.

The political showdown risks turning into a security crisis, experts say, and has blown up any pretense that Somalia's federal government is functioning. That could strengthen the hand of al-Shabab - which Somalia's government has been fighting for years, aided by billions in security support from the United States.

"Anytime you have this level of political infighting, it benefits al-Shabab in so many ways," said Omar Mahmood, senior analyst for Somalia at the International Crisis Group. "This narrative paints into everything they say about the federal government. That it is ineffective, weak, divisive and provides nothing to the public. And it is hard to argue against that."

Implications of the back-and-forth between the president, known by his nickname Farmaajo, and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble rippled on Friday across international borders. The president's office accused neighboring Djibouti of illegally detaining Fahad Yasin, former head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency, as he tried to board a flight to Mogadishu. Roble had suspended Yasin - who is known as the president's right-hand man - earlier this month in connection with Talil's disappearance.

Djibouti's foreign minister rejected the claim from Somalia's government, saying it was meant to "create confusion and drag Djibouti into Somalia internal challenges and crisis."

The events were just one example of increasing tensions that could risk further delaying an already slow-moving election process, Mahmood said. The elections involve committees of sub clan elders convened around the country to elect members of parliament, which then elects the president. Only 37 of the 330 open seats, including the presidency, have been filled, he said. The president is currently serving more than seven months past his term.

"It's time to start talking about more punitive measures from the international community, to keep everyone in line before the election," Mahmood said.

Among officials in Washington, there has been increased concern about the situation in Somalia since February, when gunfire broke out on the streets of the capital, Mogadishu, after the president did not hold scheduled elections. That raised questions about the depth of Somalia's political instability - and about if U.S. strategy needs to shift.

But there have been few changes to U.S. policy since the Trump administration ordered the removal of 700 U.S. soldiers from the country, with the United States continuing to support military operations in the region against al-Shabab.

Al-Shabab controls the majority of Somalia's interior and has about 10,000 active fighters in the country, experts believe, with a much larger network of supporters. An attack it launched in Kenya last year killed one U.S. service member and two American private contractors, according to a U.S. military statement. But the biggest risk al-Shabab poses, experts say, is for residents within Somalia and for its neighbors in the region, where attacks are regular.

President Joe Biden's top intelligence official said Monday that the greatest terrorism threat to the U.S. does not come from Afghanistan but from countries including Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Iraq.

Members of the U.N. Security Council released a statement Saturday expressing "deep concern about the ongoing disagreement within the Somali Government and the negative impact on the electoral timetable and process."

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he is closely monitoring current political divisions within Somalia and "deeply concerned about the trajectory of the country."

"With the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Somalia and an emboldened al-Qaida network from the continued debacle in Afghanistan, al Shabaab is surely taking notes," McCaul said in a statement. "They remain a dangerous and capable threat to U.S. interests and the homeland. Unfortunately, years of support to the Somali armed forces and billions of dollars of assistance has barely moved the needle toward lasting stability in the country."

Facing intense pressure from the West after the violence in February, including threats of sanctions from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Somalia's president - once a Department of Transportation administrator in Buffalo - backed down and agreed to hold elections. Roble was tapped to lead the process in May.

It was not too long after - on June 26 - that the analyst Talil was abducted, said her mother Qali Mohamud Guhad in an interview. The last time she spoke with her daughter was via a WhatsApp call that night, Mohamud said. Talil told her that she was going to see the security chief Yasin, who she said had been calling her all day.

The intelligence agency announced in early September an investigation found that al-Shabab had killed Talil. But the terrorist group quickly denied it, saying it takes responsibility for attacks on intelligence officers and did not kill her.

Mohamud said she is still holding out hope that her daughter is alive, held somewhere in captivity. She said she does not know why Talil was abducted, but noted that her daughter had information about soldiers from Somalia who were rumored to have been sent by the government to fight in Ethiopia, which has been one of the many political weak spots for Somalia's president.

Mohamud personally met this month with Roble, who she said assured her that he would take the steps necessary to achieve justice.

Roble's decision to suspend Yasin - over the objections of the president - reportedly led last week to a brief military standoff, after each selected a different person to lead the intelligence agency. Roble's spokesman, Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, said in an interview Saturday that he views the president's suspension of his powers as unconstitutional and that the prime minister is committed to seeing the elections through.

"The more [the president] stays and keeps doing these illegal and unconstitutional behaviors, the closer we get to a civil war," said Ismail Osman, a former NISA deputy chief, who is based in Washington.

Matt Bryden, director of Sahan Research, a Somalia-focused think tank, said that al-Shabab's strength is always in inverse proportion to the weakness of its adversaries.

"It fills a vacuum," he said. "And this is a protracted vacuum."

- - -

Faruk reported from Mogadishu.
Migrants cross back and forth between the United States and Mexico at the Rio Grande in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico. (Sergio Flores for The Washington Post)

The Biden administration is preparing to send planeloads of migrants back to Haiti starting as soon as Sunday in a deportation blitz aimed at discouraging more border-crossers from streaming into a crude South Texas camp where nearly 14,000 have already arrived, according to five U.S. officials with knowledge of the plans.

Homeland Security officials are planning as many as eight flights per day to Haiti, three officials said, while cautioning that plans remained in flux. The administration was preparing to announce the flights Saturday, said two of the officials, who were not authorized to discuss the plan.

Haitian authorities have agreed to accept at least three flights per day, but Biden officials want to maximize deportations to break the momentum of the massive influx into the Del Rio, Texas, camp, one official said.

Another U.S. official involved in the planning insisted that the flights were not a targeted measure aimed at Haitians, but the application of U.S. immigration laws allowing the government to swiftly return border-crossers who arrive illegally.

"This isn't about any one country or country of origin," the official said. "This is about enforcing border restrictions on those who continue to enter the country illegally and put their lives and the lives of the federal workforce at risk."

The Biden administration continues to use a pandemic enforcement measure known as Title 42 to rapidly "expel" border crossers to Mexico or their home countries. Officials said some of the flights to Haiti would probably be expulsion flights relying on the public health authority of the Title 42 provision.

A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Biden administration from using Title 42 to expel migrant families but stayed the order for 14 days. The Biden administration appealed the ruling Friday.

The administration's preparations to ramp up deportation flights to Haiti was first reported Friday by the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press.

By announcing its intent to deport the Haitians before launching the flights, Biden officials also appeared to be hoping some in the camp would abandon their attempt to enter the United States and return to Mexico. Migrants arriving to the camp have been given numbered tickets by the Border Patrol as they await a turn to be formally taken into U.S. custody, the first step in starting the process of requesting U.S. asylum or some other form of protection from deportation.

Some Haitians seeking to avoid deportation could abandon the Del Rio camp and attempt to remain in the United States illegally, or return to Mexico, two U.S. officials acknowledged.

Many of the migrants crowded under the highway bridge are part of a larger wave of Haitian migrants that arrived in Brazil, Chile and other South American nations following their country's devastating earthquake in 2010.

Immigrant advocates have been calling on Biden to suspend all deportation flights to Haiti following the assassination of the country's president in July and a 7.2 quake last month that killed at least 2,000. The Biden administration has extended a form of provisional residency known as temporary protected status to eligible Haitians who arrived in the United States before May, and it had curbed deportation flights at the behest of immigrant advocacy organizations.

The new deportation flight plan is likely to outrage those groups, but it points to the Biden administration's hardening view of immigration enforcement after months of surging migration levels.

Last month, U.S. authorities took more than 208,000 into custody along the southern border, the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures show, as illegal crossings reach their highest levels in more than two decades.
People watch a TV at the Seoul, South Korea, Railway Station on Sept. 15, 2021, showing a file image of a North Korean missile launch. (Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images/TNS)

SINGAPORE (Tribune News Service)  Three years ago this week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in drew wide applause from thousands of North Koreans in Pyongyang when he declared a new era of peace.

He and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed on concrete measures to completely eliminate the fear of war and the risk of armed conflicts on the Korean Peninsula, Moon told the crowd at the time.

Days before the anniversary of that momentous speech, the two Koreas find themselves far from that promise. Rival ballistic missiles tests this week by both nations signaled an escalating arms race rather than the careful drawdown the leaders once pledged. The dual launches raised fresh regional security fears at a time of increasing tensions between the U.S. and China, and served as a stark reminder of Washingtons failure to stem North Koreas nuclear ambitions.

North Korea announced it had test-fired cruise missiles over the weekend that traveled farther than any it had previously demonstrated, with the potential capacity to carry a nuclear warhead and evade detection. On Wednesday, it fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea to its east.

Hours later, South Korea announced it had successfully tested its first submarine-launched ballistic missile, showing off a technology held by only half a dozen other countries and considered an important second strike capability in the event of a nuclear attack.

On Thursday morning, North Korean state media boasted that its ballistic missiles had been launched from a train, another novel addition to the isolated nations growing arsenal. The railway mobile missiles system throws another wrench in the U.S. and South Koreas efforts to monitor and detect the nations missiles.

The escalations are fomenting tensions not seen since 2017, when Kim and President Donald Trump exchanged increasingly fiery rhetoric and North Korea tested nuclear weapons as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. Analysts say the ratcheting up of military might between the Koreas raises the possibility of misunderstandings that could spiral to dangerous consequences  and further dampen the possibility of a diplomatic resolution to disarm North Koreas nuclear arsenal.

Were in a very critical moment where things could escalate quickly, which I dont think either side intended to do, said Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Stimson Center, who directs the centers 38 North Program focusing on North Korea analysis.

South Koreas resorting to bolstering its own defense capabilities  and North Korea continuing to showcase new and more powerful weapons  is not surprising given the stalled relations between the Koreas since talks between North Korea and the U.S. broke down in 2019, Town said.

Given everything that South Korea did over the past three years, no progress has been made, she said. How long are you going to stand by in the hopes things get better while North Korea is moving forward with their advanced capabilities?

North Korea has largely turned a cold shoulder to Moons entreaties since the failed summit between Kim and Trump in Vietnam. Pyongyang last year made a show of blowing up a liaison office built by the South just north of the border between the Koreas. It maintained one of the strictest border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, rejecting outside offers of help.

Underlying South Koreas anxiety is a growing fear that the U.S., which maintains 28,500 troops in the country, is less committed to defending its ally. North Korea has nuclear weapons, but the South does not  it relies on the U.S. under its nuclear umbrella guarantee that the U.S. will come to its aid.

Throughout his term, Trump had repeatedly accused longtime allies South Korea and Japan of freeloading, even suggesting in an interview as a candidate the countries should arm themselves with nuclear weapons rather than rely on the U.S.

The fact that he put a price tag on the alliance, that raised a lot of concerns for South Koreans, said James Kim, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a Seoul think tank. If, for whatever reason, the political conditions in the U.S. change, they may again have to question the U.S. commitment to South Korea. Because of that concern, people need some kind of insurance.

Kim found in a 2020 poll that 69.3% of South Koreans supported the country developing its own nuclear weapons, and that just 27.7% believed the country was capable of defending itself against North Korea on its own. The South Korean news media this week heralded the success of the Souths homegrown missile technology, calling it a game changer, while expressing alarm at North Koreas new weaponry and the prospect it could undermine diplomacy.

South Koreas increased defense spending in recent years is likely aimed at assuaging that fear ahead of next years presidential elections.

The Biden administration, for its part, condemned the Norths missile launches but said it remained ready to hold talks with North Korea. The heightened tensions follow an International Atomic Energy Agency report last month that found North Korea has resumed operations at a key reactor in Yongbyon, forcing Biden to confront what has proved to be one of the most intractable foreign policy challenges for his predecessors.

We are committed to the principle that dialogue will allow us to pursue our ultimate objective, and thats quite simply the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

The arms race between the Koreas comes amid mounting worries elsewhere in the region. The U.S. on Wednesday announced it would equip Australia with nuclear submarine technology as part of its efforts to check Chinas expanding navy and growing influence in the South China Sea.

Kim of the Asan Institute said South Korea was looking beyond the peninsula in bulking up its defense. The public displays such as this weeks underwater missile launch are far more about the message they send than their potential deployment, he said.

Some of these announcements are to show the potential adversaries what youre capable of, but you would rather not use those capabilities, he said. The ones you dont show are the more important ones.

___

2021 Los Angeles Times.

Visit at latimes.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An earlier agreement with France called for Australia to purchase 12 French diesel-powered submarines. (Naval Group/Facebook)

PARIS  France recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia for consultations Friday, underscoring simmering French anger over a secretly negotiated submarine technology deal between the United States, Australia and Britain.

In a statement, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the move came "at the request of President Macron" and reflects "the exceptional seriousness." Le Drian had earlier compared the U.S. decision to something "Mr. Trump would do."

The Biden administration's move to share sensitive nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia, which was first announced Wednesday, effectively canceled an earlier agreement between Australia and France. Under that previous deal, Australia would have purchased 12 French diesel-powered submarines.

The French diplomatic response has been unusual in its public bluntness. In an interview, France's ambassador to Australia accused his host country of having engaged in "lies and treason" for 18 months. A Friday night gala that was supposed to commemorate France's naval assistance to American forces during the Revolutionary War was abruptly canceled.

Q: Why are the French so angry?

A: There are a number of reasons. For one, the deal was of virtually unrivaled economic significance to France's defense sector, said Pierre Morcos, a French visiting fellow at the Washington D.C.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The deal was crucial for "a whole network of small and medium enterprises" in France that were supposed to benefit from it, he said. The economic significance of the Australia deal has been compared to a landmark 2015 agreement between India and French company Dassault Aviation to supply 36 Rafale fighter jets.

Second, France stands to lose strategically as a result of Australia bowing out of its previous commitment. When the deal was struck, the French government celebrated a "strategic partnership . . . for the next 50 years."

"This overall framework is now jeopardized," Morcos said.

French officials also believed that their deal with Australia was an example of U.S.-French cooperation, because the Australian branch of Lockheed Martin, an American company, was expected to be involved in the project.

A third key reason for the French anger is the way the deal between Australia, Britain and the United States was announced. A French official said Thursday that Paris learned of the decision only through media reports - even though it had been negotiated among the three participants for months.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that France was "aware in advance" of the new agreement, although Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that awareness came only in the past day or two.

"There would have been many, many different ways to soften the blow," said Nicholas Dungan, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council, adding that "the U.S. handled it very awkwardly."

The fact that the Biden administration did not apparently anticipate the furious French reaction means that "we are heading toward difficult times between Paris, Canberra and Washington," Morcos said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that he had warned Macron of problems with the French contract during a visit to Paris in June. But a French diplomatic official on Friday countered that in their meetings the Australians only asked whether the French submarines were still adequate for the changing threat environment. The official said the Australians did not suggest they were planning to move to a different submarine technology as a result of those discussions, or that they were in talks over a deal with Britain and the United States.

In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, the recalled French ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, said "such a decision announced without any prior consultation - not just a phone call, but real consultation due to the scope of the consequences - marks a real breach of trust."

Q: Will it have long-term implications?

A: France's unusually blunt reaction to the deal suggests that it could have longer-term implications for President Joe Biden's pledge to reset transatlantic relations after four tumultuous years under President Donald Trump.

Within the European Union, the fallout could play into the hands of those calling for the bloc to boost its defense capabilities and to be less reliant on the United States. Such demands had already gained momentum over the past weeks amid the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

French President Emmanuel Macron attends a briefing in Paris on May 30, 2018. (Christophe Morin/Bloomberg)

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen endorsed calls for a 5,000-person rapid-deployment force and announced two new measures: a forthcoming declaration from the E.U. and NATO, and a summit focused on European defense with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been one of the most persistent proponents of "strategic autonomy" for the bloc.

Macron has so far not commented on the submarine deal in public, but his government has made clear that it considers the crisis to be relevant for the broader European Union and is in talks with other European nations.

It is still unclear how strongly other E.U. nations are willing to back France and whether there is now more momentum for structural changes than in the past. In her speech earlier this week, von der Leyen made a pointed critique of "the lack of political will" that had stalled previous joint defense initiatives. Even though those remarks were unrelated to the U.S.-Australia announcement, they suggest that the path toward more European strategic autonomy is likely to be long.

Q: What are France's ambitions in the Pacific?

A: France may not be commonly seen as a key actor in the Pacific and Indian oceans, but the country has significant interests there and sees itself as the advance team of Europe in the region.

Around 2 million French citizens live across a number of French island territories or departments, which include New Caledonia and Reunion. More than 7,000 French soldiers are stationed in the region.

As a result, France sees itself as "not only a European nation" but also one that is deeply anchored in the Indo-Pacific region, Morcos said.

Its security interests largely align with the United States' and Australia's wariness of an emboldened China, but France also sees itself as a potential stabilizing power. Its strategy has heavily relied on partnerships with countries such as Australia, Singapore and Japan.

The U.S.-Australia deal "will jeopardize or limit the French strategy in the region," Morcos said.

- - -

The Washington Post's Reis Thebault, Karen DeYoung, Michael E. Miller and Lily Kuo contributed to this report.
The burqa and niqab are not traditional dress, according to a Sept. 14, 2021, Twitter post by user Natasha Fatah. (Twitter)

(Tribune News Service)  Horrified by the Talibans strict dress codes for female students, an Afghanistan historian rallied women to share photos of themselves wearing traditional Afghan dresses.

Its a step the women are taking to preserve their Afghan culture and identity.

Bahar Jalali, a former history professor at the American University in Afghanistan, started the #DoNotTouchMyClothes hashtag Saturday in response to seeing images of pro-Taliban protestors wearing black burqas.

I was deeply concerned because I dont want the world to think that this is the true face of Afghanistan, Jalali told USA TODAY in an interview. I said look I have to do something.

After Jalali posted a photo of herself wearing a green traditional Afghan dress on Twitter, women all over the world started sharing photos of themselves wearing traditional and colorful Afghan clothing with the hashtags #DoNotTouchMyClothes and #AfghanistanCulture.

Dr. Fatima Kakkar, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Sainte-Justine University Health Center in Montreal, Canada, tweeted in support of the campaign.

Proudly wearing in our traditional, colourful, vibrant Afghan clothes, Kakkar tweeted with a photo of women dressed in Afghan attire.

Twitter user Sophia Moruwat posted a photo of herself in traditional Afghan clothing writing, This is how Afghan women dress.

Jalali is a historian of 1960s Afghanistan and a womens rights advocate. She started Afghanistans first gender studies program at the American University in Afghanistan.

A form of cultural resistance

She didnt know her tweet would go viral but she says shes pleased that it did.

I think a lot of other Afghan women like myself they sense the urgency, she said. These pics are so much more than about fashion or a fashion statement, although it is that too. Its really a form of cultural resistance and all these other Afghan women out there know whats at stake.

Afghanistans acting minister of higher education, Abdul Baqi Haqqani, said Sunday women will be allowed to study in the universities but only in gender-segregated classes. The women will also have to adhere to Islamic dress code.

The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan last month as U.S. troops withdrew from the nation after 20 years of war. The extremist group claimed it was more tolerant and accepting of womens rights. However, it ordered Afghan women to wear clothing that covers the entire body and most of the face.

Jalali said the Talibans clothing restrictions are utterly foreign to Afghan women. She also questioned if the women at the pro-Taliban demonstration were Afghans because she said they were wearing long-sleeve gloves she had never seen in Afghanistan.

In pre-war Afghanistan, women had choices in what they wore. My mother got married in a miniskirt in 1969, said Jalali. At that time, you could wear a miniskirt. You could wear traditional Afghan clothes. You could wear a scarf. People had the freedom to express themselves through clothing and thats gone.

Afghan women said the Taliban have beaten girls for wearing revealing sandals since returning to power. In one province women said they werent allowed to go places, such as the market, without a male escort.

Taliban special forces brought an abrupt end to a peaceful equal rights protest by Afghan women earlier this month when they fired gunshots into the air and tear-gassed the protestors.

The #DoNotTouchMyClothes and #AfghanCulture hashtags show that Afghans dont need outsiders to emancipate them, Jalali said.

I think that one thing that my campaign can do is to show people in the West that Afghan women are just like other women, said Jalali. They have agency. Theyre very self-aware. Theyre not oppressed. Theyre willing to take risks.

We should not be seen as victims. We should be seen as fighters.

___

(c)2021 USA Today

Visit USA Today at www.usatoday.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
An Afghan man walks past the former Women's Affairs Ministry building in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers set up a ministry for the "propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice" in the building that once housed the Women's Affairs Ministry, escorting out World Bank staffers Saturday as part of the forced move. (Bernat Armangue/AP)

KABUL, Afghanistan  Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers set up a ministry for the "propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice" in the building that once housed the Women's Affairs Ministry, escorting out World Bank staffers on Saturday as part of the forced move.

It was the latest troubling sign that the Taliban are restricting women's rights as they settle into government, just a month since they overran the capital of Kabul. During their previous rule of Afghanistan in the 1990s, the Taliban had denied girls and women the right to education and barred them from public life.

Separately, three explosions targeted Taliban vehicles in the eastern provincial capital of Jalalabad on Saturday, killing three people and wounding 20, witnesses said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State group's militants, headquartered in the area, are enemies of the Taliban.

The Taliban are facing major economic and security problems as they attempt to govern, and a growing challenge by IS militants would further stretch their resources.

In Kabul, a new sign was up outside the women's affairs ministry, announcing it was now the "Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice."

Staff of the World Bank's $100 million Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program, which was run out of the Women's Affairs Ministry, were escorted off the grounds, said program member Sharif Akhtar, who was among those being removed.

Mabouba Suraj, who heads the Afghan Women's Network, said she was astounded by the flurry of orders released by the Taliban-run government restricting women and girls.

On Friday, the Taliban-run education ministry asked boys from grades six to 12 back to school, starting on Saturday, along with their male teachers. There was no mention of girls in those grades returning to school. Previously, the Taliban's minister of higher education minister, had said girls would be given equal access to education, albeit in gender-segregated settings.

"It is becoming really, really troublesome. ... Is this the stage where the girls are going to be forgotten?" Suraj said. "I know they don't believe in giving explanations, but explanations are very important."

Suraj speculated that the contradictory statements perhaps reflect divisions within the Taliban as they seek to consolidate their power, with the more pragmatic within the movement losing out to hard-liners among them, at least for now.

Statements from the Taliban leadership often reflect a willingness to engage with the world, talk of open public spaces for women and girls and protecting Afghanistan's minorities. But orders to its rank and file on the ground are contradictory. Instead of what was promised, restrictions, particularly on women, have been implemented.

Suraj, an Afghan American who returned to Afghanistan in 2003 to promote women's rights and education, said many of her fellow activists have left the country.

She said she stayed in an effort to engage with the Taliban and find a middle ground, but until now has not been able to get the hard-line Islamic group's leadership to meet with activists who have remained in the country, to talk with women about the way forward.

"We have to talk. We have to find a middle ground," she said.

UNESCO's Director General Audrey Azoulay on Saturday added her voice to the growing concern over the Taliban's limitations on girls after only boys were told to go back to school.

"Should this ban be maintained, it would constitute an important violation of the fundamental right to education for girls and women," Azoulay said in a statement upon her arrival in New York for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly.

A former advisor to the women's ministry under the previous Afghan government sent a video message to The Associated Press from her home in Kabul, slamming the Taliban's move to close the ministry.

It is "the right of women to work, learn and participate in politics on the national and international stage," said Sara Seerat. "Unfortunately, in the current Taliban Islamic Emirate government there is no space in the Cabinet. By closing the women's ministry it shows they have no plans in the future to give women their rights or a chance to serve in the government and participate in other affairs."

Earlier this month the Taliban announced an all-male exclusively Taliban Cabinet but said it was an interim setup, offering some hope that a future government would be more inclusive as several of their leaders had promised.

Also on Saturday, an international flight by Pakistan's national carrier left Kabul's airport with 322 passengers on board and a flight by Iran's Mahan Air departed with 187 passengers on board, an airport official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said the two international flights departed in the morning. The identities and nationalities of those on board were not immediately known.

The flights were the latest to depart Kabul in the past week as technical teams from Qatar and Turkey have worked to get the airport up to standard for international commercial aircraft.

A Qatar Airways flight on Friday took more Americans out of Afghanistan, according to Washington, the third such airlift by the Mideast carrier since the Taliban takeover and the frantic U.S. troop pullout from the country last month.

Also Friday night, a flight by Kam Air, Afghanistan's largest private carrier, took off from Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, with 350 passengers on board, according to two employees there.

The flight was headed to Dubai, said the two, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. They said the plane carried foreigners but it was not clear if and how many Americans were on board.

Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Tameem Akhgar in Istanbul contributed to this report.
MCALLEN, Texas (Tribune News Service)  After some confusion on Friday, a federal judge set bond for the Alabama National Guardsman who attempted to pick up drugs while wearing his uniform and driving a Border Patrol vehicle in Texas last week.

Derrick Terelle Sankey, 21, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker on Friday, represented by his attorney, Crispin C. J. Quintanilla III.

Sankey was arrested Monday after he attempted to pick up and transport a kilogram of cocaine from an undercover agent at a restaurant in Hidalgo, Texas and take it to a hotel in McAllen for $1,000, according to a criminal complaint.

The detention hearing was split into two sessions when the judge was told the military planned to take custody of Sankey after his release.

The government attorneys, who were initially unopposed to his release on bond, changed their recommendation when they learned of the militarys pending custody.

Attorneys and military personnel present in the courtroom did not know if the Army planned to keep him in their custody and charge him under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

 If we lose him, I made a bad decision, Hacker said before ending the first session and allowing further discussion between U.S. attorneys, Sankeys counsel and military personnel to sort out the question.

After the break, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert L. Guerra Jr. said the Army affirmed they would not be proceeding with UCMJ charges against Sankey, and would, therefore, allow him to return to court proceedings in McAllen.

Hacker set an unsecured bond of $50,000 that will require a co-surety. Sankeys mother is expected to be the guarantor.

Guerra said once Sankey is released on bond, he will remain in the Valley for about a week before being transported to Fort Bliss where he will be out-processed from his deployment.

Afterward, Sankey will be allowed to return to his home in Alabama.

___

(c)2021 The Monitor (McAllen, Texas)

Visit The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) at www.themonitor.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(Wikicommons)

Crime and courts National Guard
Attorney Michael Sussmann, left, and Special Counsel John Durham, who on Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021, charged Sussmann with making a false statement to the FBI. (Perkins Coie and U.S. Department of Justice)

WASHINGTON  A prominent cybersecurity lawyer on Friday pleaded not guilty to making a false statement to the FBI in a charge stemming from a probe of the U.S. government's investigation into Russian election interference.

Michael Sussman appeared Friday in D.C. federal court before Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui. He is just the second person to be prosecuted by special counsel John Durham in two-and-a-half years of work.

The indictment accuses Sussmann of lying to the FBI when he was questioned about a September 2016 conversation he had with the FBI's general counsel in which he relayed concerns from cybersecurity researchers about potentially suspicious contacts between Russia-based Alfa Bank and a Trump Organization server.

The FBI looked into the matter but found no connections. Sussmann is a former federal prosecutor who specializes in cybersecurity. He resigned this week from the firm Perkins Coie.

According to the 26 page indictment, Sussmanns lie misled the FBI General Counsel and other FBI personnel concerning the political nature of his work and deprived the FBI of information that might have permitted it more fully to assess and uncover the origins of the relevant data and technical analysis, including the identities and motivations of Sussmanns clients.

The indictment also refers to a person listed as Researcher-1 that the alleged misinformation campaign had the potential to expose every trick we have in our bag.

Sussmann's lawyers, Sean Berkowitz and Michael Bosworth, said their client is a highly respected national security lawyer and they were confident he would prevail at trial and "vindicate his good name."

No case brought by Durham so far undoes the core finding of an earlier investigation by Robert Mueller that Russia had interfered in sweeping fashion on behalf of Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and that the Trump campaign welcomed that aid.

The Alfa Bank matter was not a pivotal element of the Russia probe and was not even mentioned in Mueller's 448-page report in 2019. Still, the indictment may give fodder to Russia investigation critics who regard it as politically tainted and engineered by Democrats.

Sussmann's firm, Perkins Coie, has deep Democratic connections. A then-partner at the firm, Marc Elias, brokered a deal with the Fusion GPS research firm to study Trump's business ties to Russia. That work, by former British spy Christopher Steele, produced a dossier of research that helped form the basis of flawed surveillance applications targeting a former Trump campaign official, Carter Page.

The Durham investigation has already been ongoing months longer than Mueller's probe. It was slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and leadership tumult following the abrupt departure last fall of a top deputy on Durham's team.

Until now, Durham had brought only one criminal case  a false statement charge against an FBI lawyer who altered an email related to the surveillance of Page to obscure the nature of Page's preexisting relationship with the CIA. That lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation.
An accumulation of data on kereru  the New Zealand pigeon  is now in its final year, and experts are asking for the communitys help one last time.

Tony Stoddard of Kereru Discovery says this is the last year of the Great Kereru Count.

After this there will be eight years of data which will provide a scientifically robust understanding of trends, and how best to help kereru, says Tony, who coordinates the count and is a passionate advocate for the bird.

Whether you are inside your bubble or just out of it, make sure you count all the kereru you see between September 17 and 26.

Tony says community participation over the last seven years has been a privilege to be part of.

Over the last seven years there has been a total of 52,034 observations, and 119,910 kereru counted. For this final count, its important that as many people as possible join in. Its super easy, good for you, and good for kereru.

Kereru only live in New Zealand. They are protected birds, and a treasure or taonga to many.

Once there were large flocks of kereru, and now they are mostly seen singly or in small numbers perching on trees or overhead wires.

Kereru are critical in keeping native forests growing because they are the only way that seeds of large native trees like tawa, taraire, hinau and miro are dispersed.

They are also the only bird left in New Zealand that can distribute these large seeds and help keep native forests growing.

The count is a collaborative project led by Urban Wildlife Trust and Kereru Discovery, together with partners Wellington City Council, Dunedin City Council/City Sanctuary, Nelson City Council and Victoria University of Wellington.

Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology director, Dr Stephen Hartley, says last year there was a 50 per cent increase in sightings from 2019.

Despite this, there is a worrying recent report from the NZ Bird Atlas that numbers may be declining in the South Island, says Dr Hartley.

The count is about New Zealand working together as community scientists to gain a better understanding of kereru so we can help them thrive.

Whether you see any kereru or not, sharing observations is helping us get a great picture of where kereru live, their abundance, and most importantly how best to protect them.

From the data we already have, we know that some of the best ways people can help kereru in their community is by planting trees like kowhai, which is the most common tree people have seen kereru feeding on.

Dr Hartley also expects to see the importance of pest control for boosting kereru numbers. They lay a single egg which is very vulnerable to being eaten by rats, possums and stoats.

Although this is the last year of the count, Kereru Discovery will continue so that people can keep sharing their stories and encounters and continue to build a shared understanding of kereru. Analysis of the eight years of data will be completed by Sam Rammell - a post-graduate student at Victoria University of Wellington.

Great Kereru Count observations and sightings can be logged at: www.greatkererucount.nz
The Premier 1 Mens match being played this afternoon at Puarenga Park between Whakarewarewa and Tauranga Sports is being livestreamed free on the Bay of Plenty Rugby Facebook page thanks to Local Gecko Productions.

The final starts at 2.45pm. Watch live below:

Earlier today the decision was made to cancel the Premier 2 final between Rotoiti and Rangataua and the Premier 2 Development final between Rangataua and Marist St Michaels.

The decision came following the Ministry of Health releasing its latest, Locations of Interest yesterday to include a petrol station in Tauriko and a bakery in Mount Maunganui. A player from one of the clubs participating in one of those matches found himself as a casual contact having been at the same venue on the same day and between the same times.

Once news of the player and his unfortunate situation was brought to the attention of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union and all three clubs involved in the two matches, all parties unilaterally decided that peoples health and well-being was far more important than playing a club rugby final.

The Bay of Plenty Rugby Competitions and Emergency Committee will decide next week what to do with the trophies.

The Premier 1 Development match being played at Murray Salt Stadium between Te Puke and Tauranga Sports this afternoon is unaffected by this decision and will go ahead as planned.

No public access is permitted at any of the finals of the games under Alert Level 2.

The host clubs have developed their Level 2 Covid-19 Safety Plans and made arrangements with their opposition to cater for team bubbles, which cannot exceed 100 people.

The Premier 1 Final will be live-streamed for free on the Bay of Plenty Rugby Facebook page.
Bay of Plenty

Have you got your Class 2 manual license and are looking to get your foot in the door of a well renowned company? Read on!he...



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Turbojc BHPian



Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 373 Thanked: 1,087 Times

Automotive coincidences in India | Share yours here



We were on the outskirts of Salem when we spotted a nice restaurant off the highway. I parked my car and rushed in to grab a bite.



After a quick but sumptuous lunch, we headed back to the parking lot, where we were greeted by this mother of all coincidences:







I mean, what are the odds ! Not two, not three, but eight Hyundai cars all parked next to each other by complete happenstance! Mine's the third car from the left, the Wine Red Grand i10.



There is another interesting automotive coincidence in my life - my neighbour and I both own a Breeze Blue Ritz VDi that share the same registration series and are fitted with the same Sony Xplod head unit !



Have you witnessed any such bizzare automotive coincidences? Please do share them here.



Cheers! My parents and I were en route to Coimbatore from Chennai by car. It was around 2pm, when the air raid sirens in my stomach blared furiously. I was so engrossed with driving on my favourite highways after two years that I'd forgotten it was lunch time.We were on the outskirts of Salem when we spotted a nice restaurant off the highway. I parked my car and rushed in to grab a bite.After a quick but sumptuous lunch, we headed back to the parking lot, where we were greeted by this mother of all coincidences:I mean, what are the odds! Not two, not three, but eight Hyundai cars all parked next to each other by complete happenstance! Mine's the third car from the left, the Wine Red Grand i10.There is another interesting automotive coincidence in my life - my neighbour and I both own a Breeze Blue Ritz VDi that share the same registration series and are fitted with the same Sony Xplod head unitHave you witnessed any such bizzare automotive coincidences? Please do share them here.Cheers! Last edited by Turbojc : 16th September 2021 at 11:36 .
GreaseMonkey BHPian

Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Thane Posts: 41 Thanked: 87 Times

Adding Luggage accessories...



Top Rack with baseplate (ZANA)

Saddle stays (Motone UK - Ordered from Motousher)

Saddle bag (Tripmachine)

Tank pouch (Tripmachine)



The Top Rack & Saddle stays mounting



















The Saddle bag mount - As per Tripmachine install video















Was not too happy with the exposed straps on the seat & also thought that it would bother the pillion (In my case would be the Mrs!!)



So decided to explore available options and use the rack & the saddle stays to the maximum potential:



The Saddle bag mount - Optimised

















The final result....

















Yet to come.... Leather grips (Waiting for the rains to finally get over)!



Now that the accessories are mounted need to check how it fares on the rides.



As of now have ensured that there is a sizeable gap between the upswept exhausts, saddle stays are ensuring there will be no risk of contact with tyres while riding.



Hopefully will be updating shortly after some rides!! Till then... stay safe & ride safe !! Finally got around to mount the Luggage accessories as follows:Top Rack with baseplate (ZANA)Saddle stays (Motone UK - Ordered from Motousher)Saddle bag (Tripmachine)Tank pouch (Tripmachine)Was not too happy with the exposed straps on the seat & also thought that it would bother the pillion (In my case would be the Mrs!!)So decided to explore available options and use the rack & the saddle stays to the maximum potential:The final result....Yet to come.... Leather grips (Waiting for the rains to finally get over)!Now that the accessories are mounted need to check how it fares on the rides.As of now have ensured that there is a sizeable gap between the upswept exhausts, saddle stays are ensuring there will be no risk of contact with tyres while riding.Hopefully will be updating shortly after some rides!! Till then... stay safe & ride safe !!
From the earliest days of "Pokemon" games in Game Boy up to the Nintendo Switch, fans are always excited to see what's new in every version.

Regardless of the difference of the gym leaders, storylines, and legendaries, the true-blue players are always on the go for a different game experience.

Over the past years, we have seen that developers are getting creative through various fan-made games. So far, many ROM hacks have been entertaining to play just like the original ones.

If you want to get started testing these fan-made "Pokemon" games, here's a list for you.

Best Pokemon ROM Hacks That You Should Try

There is something special about "Pokemon Liquid Crystal." For the fans who have already played the original "Crystal" version, the mechanics in this fan-made game works the same.

This Pokemon game will let you have a revisit to the two oldest Pokemon regions: Kanto and Johto.

Somehow, the vibe of this game contrasts that of the "Pokemon Dark Rising." While the latter is somehow dark, the theme for "Pokemon Liquid Crystal" is carefree for fans.

Hoenn region-centered Pokemon games such as "Pokemon Ruby" and "Pokemon Sapphire" already have "remake" versions, including "Pokemon Omega Ruby" and "Pokemon Alpha Sapphire."

However, "Pokemon Emerald," another game that features both Team Magma and Team Aqua in Hoenn, has not received a remake.

The fans were disappointed when "Pokemon Delta Emerald" did not happen.

For those who missed it, you can play this ROM hack, "Pokemon Mega Emerald X and Y" editions.

Although its concept borrows what "Pokemon Emerald" offers, players could explore other things that are not present in the old game.

There are tons of Pokemon sprites that you can discover here, plus the challenging Legendary hunt.

If you have played "Dark Souls" or "Ghost 'n Goblins," you already know how it feels to be frustrated beating a game. There is a Pokemon ROM hack that we can consider under that category: "Pokemon Dark Rising."

For someone who is up for challenges, this fan-made game will never let you down. You will play as a youngster who just woke up from a bad dream. Your never-ending search for Pokemon will begin once you open your eyes.

The interesting part here is you can start your journey with Dragon-type Pokemon. From Kanto to Unova, you can roam the wild in search of the best team that will rule the Core region.

Read Also: 'Pokemon Sword & Shield' Will Be Integrated into 'Pokemon GO'--What to Expect? [LEAK]

"Pokemon Insurgence" has distinct gameplay compared to other Pokemon ROM Hacks. While others are only enhanced versions, this game works in RPG style.

There are different modes to fit your playstyle, such as Easy, Normal, and Hard. You can also customize your character as well as your own secret base.

Beginning in the Torren region, your journey will revolve around defeating a group of cults with your Pokemon. There are also never-before-seen Delta Pokemons that have strange types.

For example, the usual Grass-type Bulbasaur will be Fairy/Psychic on its delta variant.

On the other hand, Delta Charmander will be Ghost/Dragon instead of Fire-type. Delta Squirtle meanwhile will become Dark/Fighting instead of Water-type only.

Besides weird Pokemon typing, you can also enjoy bizarre mega-evolutions for Pokemons that do not actually have it.

This list of ROM hacks will not be complete without "Pokemon Light Platinum." This old game features nice graphics that are absent from the usual GBA fan-made games.

You can participate in two leagues after collecting 16 badges, as per Your Money Geek. It's the same thing that you can experience when playing "Pokemon Crystal," which features both Indigo and Orange leagues.

If you miss playing Pokemon, you can check the new Pokemon games, such as "Pokemon Go," "New Pokemon Snap," and the upcoming new games, "Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl," and "Pokemon Legends: Arceus."

Related Article: 'Pokemon GO' Luminous Legends Y Event Features Yveltal, Sylveon and MORE: When is the Part 2 Event?

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Written by Joseph Henry

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) said that the rising romance scam or dating app fraud has resulted in more than $133 million losses. This is currently a serious matter since scammers on various dating applications are now trying to fool unsuspecting users into trading and invest in their crypto scams.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced that they received more than 1,800 complaints about online dating app fraudsters. Authorities explained that these scammers usually contact their victims via social media sites and dating applications to gain their trust.

As of the moment, many individuals across the globe are relying on giant online platforms to contact their friends and families. On the other hand, lonely people are using online dating apps, such as Tinder and Bumble, to know strangers in hopes of having a long-lasting relationship.

However, scammers and other fraudsters are taking advantage of the world's current situation caused by the ongoing global pandemic. This is one of the main reasons it is important to know if the unknown user you are talking to is a verified one.

FBI Warns About Rising Romance Scam

According to CNET's latest report, the FBI warns consumers about the rising online dating app scams. Involved authorities claimed that these malicious actors are saying that they have proper knowledge when it comes to cryptocurrency investment.

Also Read: Fortinet VPN Users' Compromised as Hacker Gang Leaks 500,000 Passwords on Dark Web Forum

But, once their targets are fooled, they would direct them to a fake app or website. If you don't want to become one of their victims, there are various habits you need to practice when talking to a stranger online:

Never send money, even if they are claiming to be in an emergency situation.

Avoid providing bank details with a person you have never met in person.

Don't trust your dating prospect if they are leading you to crypto investment or other similar trading activities.

Aside from online apps, various hackers and scammers are also using other online services to fool more individuals. These include one of Apple App Store's published applications. On the other hand, crypto hackers are also using verified Twitter accounts to victimize users.

Identifying and Reporting

FTC provided some signs that the one you are talking to in dating platform is a scammer:

If they ask you for a plane ticket

If they are asking for financial aid

If they ask for your visa details or other banking information

If they claim they are working for an oil rig or for a military agency

On the other hand, if you want to report a suspected romance scammer, you can visit ReportFraud.ftc.gov so that authorities would assist you.

For more news updates about online dating app scams and other malicious activities on the internet, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: New UPS Delivery Scam Can Deceive Even the Experts--Do Not Open the Email Immediately

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Amazon announced on Friday, Sept. 17 that 3,000 Chinese-branded stores on its platform were removed because of their rampant fake reviews. The company's senior executive explained that the giant removal activity doesn't have a negative effect on the overall growth of Chinese online merchants on the platform.

To avoid any conflict with the giant Asian country, the e-commerce company explained that the deletion of the online merchant accounts, which offer products of more than 600 Chinese brands, was not intended to target China.

Amazon explained that it is a part of their ongoing campaign against the rising consumer review abuses. On the other hand, the company's vice president for Asia Global selling, Cindy Tai, explained their recent activity in an interview with China Central Television, one of the country's state-owned broadcasting companies.

She reiterated that the deletion of thousands of Chinese-branded merchant accounts doesn't negatively impact the growth of China-based sellers.

Amazon Responds To Questions About Its Anti-Fake Review Campaign

According to South China Morning Post's latest report, the latest interview with Tai is the first in which Amazon responded to questions about its current campaign against fake reviews.

Also Read: Amazon Ticketless Palm-Scanning Tech Could Head to Sports Stadiums, Music Venues, and Live Entertainment

This just shows how serious the giant e-commerce firm really is when it comes to cleaning up merchants who are using paid reviews to make their stores more popular. The actions of Amazon are currently important since many consumers across the globe now prefer to shop online to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Buyers need to know the efficiency and quality of the products they will buy, which they usually identify through other consumers' reviews.

The massive crackdown would greatly help many people across the globe, especially since Black Friday 2021 is about to kick off. On the other hand, the online retail stores also have other projects, such as its Amazon College Tuition campaign for its workers.

Identifying Fake Reviews on Amazon

Penny Hoarder provided some tips on how you can identify a fake review. Since fake reviews on Amazon are still not completely removed, consumers need to do their part to avoid getting scammed. This is why you need to follow these habits:

Always check the product's Q&A section

Check the timestamp filter. If the consumers reviewing the product followed a merchant within the same day, there's a chance that they are recruits to do fake reviews.

Check the merchant's history. Fake reviews usually appear in new stores.

For more news updates about Amazon and other online retailers, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Amazon Prime and Co-op Partnership Lets UK Customers Buy Groceries Online

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hyundai is now using the new Boston Dynamics robot dog called "Factory Safety Service Robot," a new version of Spot, another employee-friendly machine of the robotics design company.

@hyundai today introduced Factory Safety Service Robot (hereafter referred to as the Robot), a robot for industrial site safety, and announced its pilot operation at Kias plant in South Korea. pic.twitter.com/0SPZrdcidb  Bhavana chaudhary (@Bhavana09798359) September 17, 2021

"The Robot is based on Boston Dynamic's quadruped robot, Spot, with applied artificial intelligence (AI)," explained Hyundai.

The giant automaker confirmed the innovation on Friday, Sept. 17. Hyundai, which bought a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics, announced that the new version would be used in a local Kia plant.

The AI-powered machine would help its employees observe and conduct surveys in various industrial areas without actually being there. Hyundai's partnership with Boston Dynamics is essential since it would allow its workers to identify issues before they even happen remotely.

Hyundai Uses New Boston Dynamics Robo Dog

According to CNET's latest report, the new Factory Safety Service Robot uses a thermal camera and 3D lidar tech. Thanks to these advanced features, the machine can help employees to identify which equipment is overheating.

@hyundai today introduced Factory Safety Service Robot (hereafter referred to as the Robot), a robot for industrial site safety, and announced its pilot operation at Kias plant in South Korea. pic.twitter.com/0SPZrdcidb  Bhavana chaudhary (@Bhavana09798359) September 17, 2021

Also Read: Boston Dynamics' Robots and BTS Collaborated to Celebrate Hyndai's Acquisition of the Company

This would allow Hyundai staff, who are working in the actual plants, to avoid unwanted accidents. On the other hand, Spot's new version can also locate a fire hazard area before a human even enters it.

Another great thing about Factory Safety Service Robot is that it sends alarm signals for overheating or fire hazard machines so that plant management staff could be informed in real-time.

In other news, Spot Robot's creator shared some insights on its current workshop. Critics claimed that new machines from Boston Dynamics could still arrive. On the other hand, Boston Dynamics and NYPD contract has ended cause of Spot's alleged aggressive tactics.

Factory Safety Service Robot's Other Details

The News Market reported that the new Factory Safety Service Robot is the first collaboration of Hyundai and Boston Dynamics.

Hyundai Group Robotics Lab's Head Dong-Jin Hyun explained that they would still continue creating new smart machines to help their employees during industrial activities. On the other hand, the automaker's engineers also integrated some of their innovations into the new version of Spot.

These include the staff-detecting artificial intelligence and Factory Safety Service Robot's lidar, thermal camera, and navigation feature.

They explained that these technologies could also be applied in other similar robots.

For more news updates about Hyundai and the Boston Dynamics partnership, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Boston Dynamics Bots CRUSH Parkour Course

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Next-gen Oppo smartphone models could feature a very unusual technology. Rumors claimed that the giant tech creator has a patent describing the integration of new side cameras.

Oppo, Apple, Samsung, and other in-demand smartphone brands currently have the same camera setup, which consists of front and back sensors. This style is the basic design when it comes to handsets.

However, the common cam setup still has a lot of limitations, which restrict mobile videographers and photographers from capturing the best images and videos they could have. However, this could change once Oppo releases a new model with side cameras.

According to PetaPixel's latest report, Oppo's side camera patent was already completed in the first months of 2021. However, it was just approved this September, with the Chinese tech firm not disclosing the exact date.

Next-Gen Oppo Smartphone To Have Side Cameras

Oppo's patent is mostly written in the Chinese language. However, some parts, such as the abstract, are written in the English language.

"The electronic device comprises a housing and a reflective module, a camera is provided in the housing, the housing is provided with two light-transmitting holes," said Oppo via its official patent, which LetsGoDigital publishes.

Also Read: OPPO's MagVOOC Line-Up Can Match Apple's MagSafe-- Charging Pad, Powerbank, Charging Stand, and MORE

On the other hand, the new Oppo smartphone also features a reflective module located between the camera and the light-transmitting hole in towards the cam sensors.

Based on the manufacturer's newly leaked patent image, the extra cameras would be placed on the side where the volume and power buttons are located. As of the moment, Oppo hasn't confirmed the new total number of cams in its upcoming smartphones. The Chinese company also did not disclose if it is already working on the new model.

In other news, Oppo's under-screen selfie cam could arrive. On the other hand, Oppo with a two-screen handset is also rumored to be released, which is similar to OnePlus' upcoming smartphone.

Oppo Side Cameras' Efficiency

Since the new Oppo smartphone with side cameras is not yet released, and only a few details about it are leaked, it is still hard to conclude if the innovation would be efficient.

However, some critics claimed that the new cam setup could allow consumers to capture more HD videos and photos of moving objects. Meanwhile, Oppo hasn't explained yet how the new side cameras work once they are integrated into one of the company's next-gen devices.

For more news updates about Oppo and its upcoming smartphone techs, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: OPPO, OnePlus Merging Teams Sees 20% Staff Cut for Software and Hardware Teams

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Written by: Griffin Davis

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
(Photo : Image from Unsplash Website) South Korea to Suspend Over 60 Crypto Exchanges | Registration to the Financial Intelligence Unit Required By Sept 24

South Korea is suspending over 60 crypto exchanges and rolling out requirements should these exchanges want to continue. The cryptocurrency exchanges should notify their customers of partial or full suspension a week before the new regulations start.

Crypto Exchanges Required to Register

According to the post on SlashDot, in order to continue operations, these crypto exchanges should register along with the Financial Intelligence Unit before September 24, 2021. The exchanges are also required to provide a security certificate coming from the internet security agency.

They should also partner up with banks in order to help ensure real-name accounts. The crypto exchanges that have reportedly not yet registered must shut down their services come September 24. Those that have registered but have still failed to get partnerships with banks will also be prohibited from trading in won.

South Korea Crypto Exchanges

In a previous report, it was even noted that South Korean crypto exchanges could actually sue the government for alleged "unconstitutional" banking requirements. As of the moment, however, since these crypto exchanges are already required to secure a banking partner, it seems like the move was not successful.

The Financial Services Commission noted that should some or even all services need to close down, the crypto exchanges should notify customers of the expected date to close and procedures for them to withdraw their money before the actual closure. The Financial Services Commission noted that the notification had to be done before the end of September 17, 2021.

60 Crypto Exchanges Affected

The story from Reuters notes that over 60 crypto exchanges in South Korea should notify their customers of either their partial or full suspension a week before the regulations come into effect. It was noted that of all of these cryptocurrency exchanges, there would be nearly 40 that are all set to suspend all services.

It was noted that 28 have already been able to get security certificates but still have not yet been able to secure bank partnerships. Only four crypto exchanges have been successful, namely Bithumb, Upbit, Coinone, as well as Korbit. South Korea has already been looking towards banning cryptocurrency trading as early as 2018, which, although it did not become too successful, still had a significant impact on the prices of Bitcoin, and even Ethereum as well.

Read Also: SundaeSwap Officially Added to CardanoCube Platform | $ADA's Version of PancakeSwap?

Only Four Companies Successful

These four companies were the few successful companies that have been able to get their own company registered while also being able to secure partnerships with the banks. This will not only allow the companies to make won settlements but also allow these crypto exchanges to continue their function in South Korea.

Some of the smaller exchanges, which include Cashierest, ProBit, and even FlyBit, have noted that they will be ending won trading. It was noted that they will still continue operations that involve only digital coin trading until they are able to secure partnerships with the South Korean banks.

Related Article: Crypto Watch - Cardano $ADA Alonzo Update | Price Drops Down

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Inspiration4 crew, who are currently orbiting the Earth, was able to chat with patients from the hospital the SpaceX mission is raising funds for.

The four Inspiration4 crew members answered questions asked by the children from the St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis.

One of the mission's crew members, Haley Arceneaux, is a physician's assistant at the hospital.

Inspiration4 Crew Chats With St. Jude's Patients

Inspiration4's four-member crew was able to chat with the young patients from the St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis. One of the crew members, Haley Arceneaux, is a physician's assistant at the Memphis hospital and also a childhood bone cancer survivor.

According to a report by Space, Arceneaux told the young patients of the hospital, "We are thinking about you so much, I wanted to tell you that I was a little girl going through cancer treatment, just like a lot of you. If I can do this, you can do this, and I'm so proud of each and every one of you."

Jared Issacman, the Shift4 Payments founder who was said to have paid $200 million for the mission to happen and to raise funds for the hospital, was asked by a patient named Tyler about why the mission was happening.

Issacman answered that there is still so much that is not known about space, and there may be answers to those questions that can be found by doing the mission.

"But we also have to pay attention to some of the real responsibilities we have on Earth as well. That's why St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is such an important part of our mission," the Shift4 Payments founder added.

Related Article: Health Worker Becomes First Person with Prosthetics to Board First SpaceX Private Flight

Inspiration4's Successful Launch

SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission successfully launched on September 15 at 8:02 p.m. EDT. The Falcon 9 rocket, which carried the Crew Dragon spacecraft, launched from Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission has made history as the first all-civilian mission to space as there are no trained astronauts aboard the flight. One of the crew members, Sian Proctor, also made history as she became the first black female spacecraft pilot to orbit the Earth.

SpaceX and its CEO, Elon Musk, received congratulations from countless people for the success of the launch. Most notably, Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos tweeted his congratulations to Elon Musk.

Inspiration4 to Raise $200 Million for St. Jude's

As previously mentioned, the Inspiration4 mission is an effort to raise $200 million for the St. Jude's Children Research Hospital in Memphis.

According to an explainer on the SpaceX mission by Space, Jared Issacman "didn't want just another billionaire spaceflight on the books, he wanted the mission to really mean something, so he led a campaign to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research."

The four members of the crew are expected to conduct medical experiments and research while orbiting Earth. They are also going to record health data that may be useful to future spaceflights.

Also Read: SpaceX Inspiration4: What is Their Mission in Their Multi-Day Journey? Is It Streamed Live?

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Israel is currently accused of using remote-controlled, AI-powered machine guns to conduct the recent assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian nuclear scientist. The Middle Eastern country is believed to have used artificial intelligence-assisted weapons back on November 27, 2020, to complete their violent activity.

Before the assassination took place, the Iranian intelligence service already warned the researcher about Israel's possible attack on him. For the past few years, the neighboring country wanted to kill Fakhrizadeh since he is one of the leading scientists in developing nukes for Iran.

However, Mohsen did not take the warning seriously since he had already received multiple threats against him by Israel. Way back in 2004, the Israeli government's foreign intelligence agency called Mossad tried to prevent Iran from acquiring powerful nuclear bombs.

To do this, they have been various conduction campaigns, which involve cyberattacks and other technological methods. But, Iranian authorities claimed that the most efficient one is the remote-controlled gun.

Israel Uses Remote-Controlled Machine Gun?

According to The New York Times' latest report, various Iranian news agencies claimed that the assassination operation of the Middle Eastern country was fully conducted remotely.

Also Read: Bell's New Hybrid Plane Has Helicopter's Horizontal-Vertical Flying Capability, Jet-Like Speed

On the other hand, Thomas Withington, the electronic warfare analyst involved in the investigation, explained that the AI-powered machine gun theory should still be taken with caution, especially since Iran still doesn't have enough evidence regarding the claim.

However, the details disclosed by American, Israeli, and Iranian officials and some intelligence experts familiar with the assassination planning clearly described the attack conducted using the remote-controlled machine gun.

Some critics explained that the new weapon is more efficient than drones since it can't easily be detected. Aside from this new weapon, various countries are also enhancing their arsenals. These include U.S. Air Force's new magnetic field-based system. On the other hand, the U.S. Navy also plans to release new CPS missiles by 2028.

New Remote-Controlled Gun's Efficiency

Engadget reported that Israel mounted the new AI-powered weapon on a pickup truck by the side of the road. Individuals involved in the investigation explained that the machine gun was activated when the nuke expert's car approached the truck.

They added that the attack was efficient since it only killed Mohsen, even without using the facial recognition feature. As of the moment, the Israeli and Iranian governments still did not confirm the use of the said weapon despite the statements of the witnesses.

For more news updates about Israel's new war technologies and other similar innovations, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: US Drone Strike Kills Two ISIS-K Members, Evacuation Deadline Updated, & Uses of the American UAS

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 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Tangipahoa Parish warehouse shut down after hundreds of nursing home residents were evacuated there for Hurricane Ida was once part of a pesticide plant that is still under a decades-long cleanup order because of hazardous chemicals that leached into the ground.

State environmental officials say contaminants in underground water at the site have been reduced to levels that pose no serious health risk inside the warehouse, especially for short-term occupants, and issued a letter in 2015 saying the agency had no objection to residential uses for the property.

But other experts question the wisdom of housing vulnerable people at a site with such a history, saying even brief exposure to small amounts of noxious chemicals could cause issues such as respiratory problems and rashes for people who are already in weakened health.

"It would be like putting a very sick person into an area that is going to make them sicker," said Wilma Subra, an environmental scientist who works as technical director for the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, an advocacy group.

Nursing home owner is already facing several lawsuits over Hurricane Ida evacuation Its only been a week since 843 nursing home residents were rescued from a partially flooded warehouse in Tangipahoa Parish where they were li

The hot, crowded and unsanitary conditions in the converted Waterbury Companies complex prompted state officials to revoke the licenses held by Bob Dean for the seven nursing homes evacuated there ahead of Ida. Seven of the 843 people taken there died in the aftermath of the storm and at least 50 were hospitalized.

State health inspectors found the residents were neglected in the Independence warehouse, lying in feces and urine for days at a time, many of them on mattresses on a warehouse floor that flooded.

Now the facilitys history and the lingering groundwater contamination around it have become another element in one of several lawsuits against Dean, his companies and the state Department of Health over the abortive evacuation effort.

A new filing claims Dean failed to live up to his duty under the nursing home Residents Bill of Rights to inform his residents that they would be taken to a building where they could be exposed to toxic chemicals. The suit alleges Dean publicly misrepresented the old Waterbury warehouse and its outbuildings as either an alternative care facility, an old Fruit of the Loom warehouse or an old Febreze factory.

This is critical information that should have been shared with the residents and their loved ones," said Don Massey, a plaintiffs lawyer who filed the lawsuit. But instead it was concealed from them.

John McLindon, a Baton Rouge lawyer representing Dean, said state agencies had no problem with the location of the shelter, citing the 2015 letter from the state Department of Environmental Quality and the state Department of Healths approval of the evacuation plan for the group of nursing homes.

He added that Dean's companies never received any prior complaints from the public or government agencies about the facility.

We have no evidence there has ever been any problem with fumes or anything like that, he said.

State environmental department records show that for more than 30 years, under Waterbury and an earlier owner, Cline-Buckner, the buildings were used to mix chemicals and package them into aerosol cans for fragrances and pesticides.

Some of the chemicals stored there in large amounts were defined by federal regulations as hazardous materials, Waterburys emergency plans show. Operations ended in 2011.

PAC supporting Sen. John Kennedy returns campaign donation from nursing home owner Bob Dean A political action committee supporting U.S. Sen. John Kennedy has refunded a $25,000 donation from nursing home magnate Bob Dean after Dean c

The hazardous chemicals included the industrial solvents tetrachloroethene and methyl chloroform and the pesticide Propoxur, annual reports say.

About a decade ago, producers voluntarily withdrew Propoxur from use inside homes and in flea collars because of its potential toxicity to humans, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The groundwater contamination dates to before 1985, when the site was run by Cline-Buckner, DEQ records say. Trichloroethylene and vinyl chloride are among the pollutants being cleaned up under DEQ oversight since 1987.

Trichloroethylene, an industrial solvent, is a common groundwater contaminant and the frequent focus of long-running post-industrial cleanups.

State revokes nursing home licenses for owner who sent 800 residents to warehouse for Ida Louisiana health officials announced Tuesday that they are revoking Bob Dean's seven nursing-home licenses after he evacuated more than 800 nu

A likely carcinogen, it breaks down underground into vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen. Both can vaporize from groundwater and seep upward into homes, even through cracks in concrete slabs, according to environmental regulators.

The contamination at the old Waterbury plant triggered lawsuits in the past from nearby property owners who settled out of court.

The latest reports to DEQ show the contamination continues to trend downwards and has been eliminated from some spots, but a few areas not directly under the old Waterbury buildings continue to have elevated vinyl chloride and trichloroethylene levels.

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In an interview last week, Fernando Iturralde -- who supervises underground pollution cleanup for DEQ -- said it is unlikely vapor could travel into the buildings from the areas that still have elevated contamination.

Problem with nursing-home evacuation was execution, not plan itself: Louisiana health officials The ghastly problems that festered after residents of seven New Orleans-area nursing homes were evacuated to a warehouse in Tangipahoa Parish 

In 2015, the real estate investment company that sold the property to Dean asked DEQ to greenlight the site for residential use, saying a company was interested in turning it into a nursing home evacuation shelter, according to DEQ correspondence. DEQ geologists issued a "no objection" letter to that use.

After years of cleanup, the groundwater contamination didnt pose a risk because levels were low enough and what remained did not have a pathway to expose people, the letter said. Also, no one used the shallow aquifers for drinking water, DEQ noted.

Three months after the March 2015 letter, one of Deans companies bought the property for $918,000, Tangipahoa Parish land records show. Windsor Investment Group retained the groundwater monitoring responsibility and financed the building purchase.

DEQ's Iturralde said it is very unlikely the flooding that soaked mattresses and the floor in the buildings during Ida contained pollutants from the remaining underground contamination elsewhere on the site. DEQ officials said they have never tested the buildings' interiors for any vapors from the underground contamination.

3 more Louisiana nursing-home residents die after evacuation to warehouse; total now at 7 Three more nursing-home residents who were controversially evacuated to a huge warehouse in Tangipahoa Parish have died, bringing the total nu

State health officials have declined to say whether they considered the sites environmental history before approving Deans plans to temporarily house residents there.

"While there are multiple ongoing investigations into this event, including our own rigorous review, I'm not able to answer most of your questions at this time," said Kevin Litten, spokesman for the agency.

Litten also declined to say whether the health department contacted DEQ about the site. DEQ spokesman Greg Langley said there's no record of any formal contact between the agencies.

Subra, the scientist with the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, said that in addition to the underground contamination, the fact that dangerous chemicals were mixed inside the facility should be a concern.

+3 AG probes warehouse of Hurricane Ida nursing home evacuees; 5th resident reported dead A fifth nursing home resident who had been transferred to a Tangipahoa Parish warehouse ahead of Hurricane Ida has died.

DEQ's "no objection" letter didn't examine the risk of spills inside the buildings.

State health inspector reports from visits made during the Ida evacuation say nursing home residents were at first housed in three buildings on the old Waterbury site before flooding forced them into the main warehouse.

McLindon, Deans lawyer, noted chemical mixing did not happen in the large warehouse where most residents were housed. But he acknowledged some residents were, for a time, in a building that contained a chemical mixing room.

He pointed out that the chemical mixing ended 10 years ago.

Former Waterbury employees interviewed recently said the chemical mixing process occasionally produced spills. Those spills, they said, were immediately cleaned up.

Measuring up to a few dozen gallons, the spills were usually too small to hit the mandate for reporting to state regulators, the former employees said.

One of them, Andrew Truxillo, worked as a chemist at Waterbury from 1998 until shortly before it shut down. Truxillo said he would mix batches of up to 4,000 gallons of chemicals at a time in enclosed vats.

The spills were typically handled by sopping up the chemicals with absorbent blankets that were then put in hazardous waste containers, he said. Truxillo said he wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping on the shop floor given its history.

"Hell to the no, hell to the no," he said. "You don't know what they spilled on that floor years ago.

Dr. Ray Dorsey, a professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said the most serious health risks from trichloroethylene -- such as Parkinson's disease and cancer -- result from long-term, not short-term, exposure.

But he added that the warehouse would not be the optimal place for housing displaced residents because of the risk of inhaling fumes from the residual groundwater contamination nearby.

Subra, too, said she is concerned about the possibility of toxic fumes seeping into the buildings, as well as about the persistence of spilled chemicals even after theyve been wiped up.

"That was the most inappropriate location. They should have never taken the chance," she said.
The crew of the Inspiration4 mission has mixed scientific experiments with music, M&Ms and talking to a movie star.

But all good things must come to an end.

History's first all-civilian space flight is scheduled to splash down off the Florida coast at about 6:06 p.m. CDT Saturday, two hours short of three days after it launched from the Kennedy Space Center, SpaceX announced Friday.

The mission, which includes Baton Rouge native Hayley Arceneaux, has served as a giant fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where Arceneaux was once a patient and now is a physician assistant. She and crew members Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor and Chris Sembroski, held a 10-minute video chat Friday while their Dragon spacecraft passed over Europe.

They showed off the cupola window  the largest window ever launched into space  and talked about their activities.

"We've been spending so much time in this cupola," Arceneaux said. "We can put our heads in  and see the entire perimeter of the Earth, which gives such an incredible perspective. The views, I have to say, are out of this world."

The crew showed off some of their equipment, from high-tech (a portable ultrasound for medical tests) and low-tech (the plush toy dog that served as an indicator that the spacecraft had reached zero-gravity). Sembroski played briefly on the ukulele that he brought to entertain himself and the crew.

"We're giving all of our time right now to science research and some ukulele playing," Isaacman said.

Actor Tom Cruise, who has been in talks with NASA about visiting the International Space Station for filming, had a call with the crew. Cruise starred in the 1986 film "Top Gun," and a sequel comes out next year. SpaceX did not release details about their conversation.

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However, St. Jude released a 10-minute video conference that the crew had Thursday with eight of the hospital's young cancer patients. While Isaacman, Proctor and Sembroski faced the camera in an upright position, Arceneaux floated upside down in the zero-gravity environment as the Dragon capsule flew at 17,500 mph.

The questions showed the children's fascination with life in space:

What kind of sleeping bags do they use? Much like those used in camping, Arceneaux said, except they needed a seat belt to keep from floating away.

+11 Upcoming SpaceX flight will be only the latest thrill ride for former St. Francisville resident Hayley Arceneaux That Haley Arceneaux jumped at the chance to travel to outer space is no surprise. Shes already journeyed to five continents, ridden on camel

What was the main reason you decided to go to space? "There is an awful lot that still needs to be accomplished in space," Isaacman said. "There's an awful lot of it, and we still know so little about it."

What was training like? The crew trained for six months, Arceneaux said, and included zero-gravity flights, water survival training and mountain hiking.

Are there cows on the moon? Not yet, Proctor said, but maybe one day.

What was it like just before launch and after escaping the atmosphere?

"When we first got strapped into the rocket, it felt like time was moving really slowly," Isaacman said. "The countdown clock was barely moving. Then, when it got down to the last five minutes, it was racing. We just saw those numbers disappear real quick. Then, before you knew it, we heard 'liftoff,' and the whole journey uphill was only about 12 minutes. So, before we knew it, we were hanging in our straps and floating. Then, we were like, 'What do we do next?' It happened so, so fast."

Can you fall in space since there's no gravity?

The astronauts demonstrated by catching floating peanut M&Ms with their mouths.
Now that most people have their power restored  a lot faster than in the past  Louisiana can transition back to more divisive issues, like abortion.

A half-dozen states have passed laws banning abortions when heartbeats are detected in the fetus. Enforcement, however, differs depending on the state. Alabama, for instance, made it a crime for doctors to perform abortions. The courts suspended Alabamas law for the time being.

On Sept. 1, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to block it, the Texas fetal heartbeat law went into effect leading to the closure of most abortion clinics and sending women on long trips across state lines to terminate pregnancies.

Rather than having state government enforce the law, which would have quickly led to court challenges, Texas authorized private citizens to sue anyone they personally deem to have assisted in an abortion from the doctor to the person who drove her to the clinic. Winners can collect up to $10,000 plus their attorney fees.

Apparently, mutual social vigilance has become a new conservative value.

Columnist George Will, the dean of practical conservatives, points out that Texas feint toward totalitarianism undoubtedly will be sent off to historical footnotes like the Salem Witch trials when courts focus on the private enforcement of any laws.

Michael Sean Winters in his National Catholic Reporter column agrees, writing the new Texas law was introducing a kind of vigilante justice we had all thought consigned to old Western movies, but one that could backlash badly on the pro-life movement.

Texas also takes the eye off Mississippi, which has the case that could make abortions illegal.

The Texas law is different because of the civil enforcement mechanism, said Benjamin Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, based in New Orleans. The most important thing Louisiana should be watching is the Supreme Court decision in (the Mississippi case) Dobbs.

Louisiana has laws similar to Mississippi, one forbidding abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy and another that bans the procedure after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which often happens at six weeks, before the woman knows she is with child. Louisiana wont enforce its laws until the courts decide the constitutionality of the Mississippi laws.

When their term begins in two weeks on Oct. 4, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Thomas E. Dobbs, in his official capacity as State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al., versus Jackson Womens Health Organization, on behalf of itself and its patients, et al. The question before the high court is whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortion are unconstitutional.

Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision and its judicial progeny, eventually allowed abortions at different degrees of availability based on the chances of the baby's survival after birth. Abortion was easier to obtain in the first trimester, at 13 weeks, a little more difficult in the second trimester. After the third trimester, 26 weeks, the procedure was usually limited to protecting the mothers life and serious medical conditions.

At 15 weeks a fetus heart is beating, gender is identifiable, and they can move their fingers. But a fetus cant survive on its own outside the mothers womb until about 24 weeks into a usual 39-week pregnancy.

Alarm bells rang for Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights when the now 6-3 conservative-leaning high court, after a dozen or so requests, finally accepted Dobbs. She said in a statement: The Supreme Court just agreed to review an abortion ban that unquestionably violates nearly 50 years of Supreme Court precedent and is a test case to overturn Roe v. Wade.

In Louisiana, Clapper said pro-life forces are looking to ensure enforcement of the states laws regardless of whether the Supreme Court supports the Mississippi and hence the Louisiana law, or just modifies the Roe v. Wade standards. The group is studying the Texas enforcement provision, talking to legislators, and deciding what to do when lawmakers reconvene March 14 for the next regular session.

Clapper said he hasnt studied civilian enforcement enough to have formed an opinion, but he understands why.

Theres a lot of frustration that for nearly 50 years this is the law of America and so citizens are frustrated with the courts and theyre just trying to ask themselves What can we do thats peaceful?
The success rate for women trying to have a baby from IVF has jumped almost 20 per cent in a decade, with more women every year using frozen embryos to screen for genetic abnormalities.

The number of twins and triplets born in Australia to women who undergo IVF has plummeted to a record low in the past ten years, the latest analysis from the Australian and New Zealand Assisted reproductive database (ANZARD) shows, while the live birth rate continues to climb particularly when using frozen embryos.

Shameela Karunakaran and Julian Rayappu and their three children, aged 5, 3 and 1. Ms Karunakaram underwent IVF to have her children. Credit:Janie Barrett

The overall live birth rate for each embryo transfer has increased from 22 per cent in 2010 to 28 per cent in 2019. One in every 20 babies is now conceived from IVF.

It is unprecedented to see this rise in the IVF live birth rate in Australia while simultaneously having one of the lowest multiple birth rates in the world, president of the Fertility Society of Australia, Professor Luk Rombauts, said.
Previously healthy patients in their 40s and younger are filling Victorian hospital wards, as the state encounters a new pandemic of the young and unvaccinated.

New data provided to The Sunday Age has revealed the drastically changing face of coronavirus in Victoria, with 61 per cent of those hospitalised in the states latest outbreak aged 40 or younger, compared to about 20 per cent in 2020.

Emergency doctor Stephen Parnis says many more young people are being hospitalised with COVID-19. Credit:Eddie Jim

As parents fall ill at higher rates and the Delta strain spreads through extended families, asymptomatic children with COVID-19 are being taken in at a Melbourne hospital because no one in their family is well enough to care for them.

Doctors are also concerned about the number of pregnant women who are catching the virus. They say many of the people falling seriously ill with the disease in the states third wave have never been in hospital before and do not have underlying health conditions, a contrast to 2020 when patients tended to be older and with more complicated medical histories.
People who test positive for coronavirus can soon expect to receive a text message informing them of the news before they receive a phone call, as rising cases put pressure on Victorias contact tracing system.

Health Minister Martin Foley said the change indicated the contact-tracing system was under pressure but not overwhelmed.

When youve got several thousand cases, thats got to be dealt with in a different way, he said.

Department of Health deputy secretary Kate Matson said text messages were already being sent to people with COVID, but said by the end of the week more people should expect the first notification to arrive by text, in order to prevent delays in people receiving the news.
The federal government has hit back at criticism from France over the decision to tear up a contract to buy 12 French submarines, defending the move as in Australias clear and communicated national security interests.

As the diplomatic row between Canberra, Paris and Washington escalates, the Morrison government has also noted with regret the French governments disappointment over the move, emphasising that France is an important partner it hopes to work with again.

French President Emmanuel Macron, center, and Australias Prime Minister Scott Morrison wave to reporters before a working dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Tuesday, June 15, 2021. Credit:AP

Paris decision overnight to take the extraordinary step of withdrawing its ambassadors to Australia and the United States has underscored French President Emmanuel Macrons fury over the move.

Australia now plans to buy at least eight nuclear-powered submarines that will use tecnology from the United States and United Kingdom, rather than following through on the $90 billion deal to buy 12 diesel-electric French submarines.
For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, learn more here.

Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Colin Moxey did not sign up to be a bouncer. But when his eponymous hair salon in Melbournes Chapel Street shopping precinct reopens to its now-shaggy waitlist of 300 clients, Moxey is afraid the government will make him work out his own COVID-19 vaccine policy for clients, instead of setting clear rules for all businesses. The last thing I want to do is be like a doorman at a nightclub  I dont want to choose [which patrons can enter]. And if they cant get vaccinated that puts you in a real predicament, he says. If there is an official notice from the government on my front door, it takes the onus off me. But in Australia and overseas, vaccine mandates and passports have been shunted off into the future, raised but with few details and little legal clarity or the subject of bitter divisions that have upended traditional political fault lines, depending on the state. The last thing I want to do is be like a doorman at a nightclub, says salon owner Colin Moxey. Credit:Penny Stephens The concept behind vaccine passports is simple: people link their vaccine status to their states QR code app and check in at venues to verify that they are vaccinated and therefore allowed to be there. Everything else about the idea is more complex. With vaccination rates rising fast but more than 10 per cent of the adult population, or about 2.2 million people, still hesitant, according to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Ages Resolve Political Monitor, the debate is only becoming more intense. If states reopen venues like pubs and restaurants to the vaccinated once 70 or 80 per cent of the eligible population is jabbed, as NSW and Victoria have suggested, the number of people missing out on freedoms will be double or triple that.

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One of the medical experts who helped guide Australia through the early stages of the pandemic, Dr Nick Coatsworth, foresees people becoming furious at each other over vaccinations if the situation isnt handled properly. Were seeing sufficient people start to question the lack of clarity at 80 per cent that unless we give more clarity and hope and a psychological runway, were going to start to lose more people in terms of adherence to restrictions, Coatsworth says. But if all those freedoms are made conditional on vaccination targets that are set too high, then Coatsworth, who is as far as anyone can be from being an anti-vaxxer, fears intense shaming of those who cant or wont get the jab. I dont want people who havent been vaccinated actually vilified for that choice. Loading If targets are set too low, the prospects are also dire, as soaring deaths in the United States, largely among the unvaccinated, show. At one level, the choice is about how great a public health risk premiers and the public are willing to accept. But it is also a moral choice about whether society should decide that people are competent to make their own decisions about vaccination, even when the consequence of declining a jab can be a painful illness and a lonely death.

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That dimension seems to have sparked the political divisions. North Sydney MP Trent Zimmerman is a small as well as capital-L Liberal who supports NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklians vaccine passports plan. Under that scheme, when the state hits a 70 per cent double-dose vaccination rate, only the inoculated will be allowed at church services, gyms, sporting matches, pubs and restaurants. Moderate Liberals Trent Zimmerman and Katie Allen have different views on vaccine passports. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen A lot [of coronavirus restrictions] do sit uncomfortably with anyone liberal by nature, but theres such an essential need for these things to be in place for a health perspective, Zimmerman says. He believes the passport plan will encourage and reward vaccine uptake and last only as long as necessary before being unwound if the virus abates. The timing question has caused ructions inside the NSW government. Deputy Premier John Barilaro suggested on Monday the passports could be valid for only a few weeks, whereas Berejiklian has signalled they could go longer.

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Dont assume that at 80 per cent double-dose vaccination that unvaccinated people are going to have all those freedoms. I want to make that point very clear, Berejiklian said this week. Some of her Liberal colleagues disagree. Conservative Tasmanian senator Eric Abetz is concerned about creating a second class of citizen. In a liberal democracy, youre allowed to make unwise decisions or decisions which are not mainstream, and being allowed to move around in your country is, I think, a basic right, he says. Dr Katie Allen, a Victorian Liberal MP who is among the most progressive in her party, also has reservations. She is afraid that mandates  except for key industries such as aged care  and passports will harden the hesitant into outright anti-vaxxers. Loading The word passport, particularly domestic vaccine passports, is something that in my electorate has made people extremely angry, she says. People should be offered a chance to have regular testing instead if they want access to mass gatherings, Allen says. That perspective has created an unusual political dynamic because NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has been a determined backer of mandates in high-risk industries and passports more broadly. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has also sketched out a reopening plan for when his state hits the 70 per cent double-dose threshold that seems similar to Berejiklians.

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Youre going to be able to go to a pub, the cinema, to a sporting event. Youre going to be able to do all sorts of things that an unvaccinated person is not going to be able to do, he says. Then there are the largely COVID-19-free jurisdictions of Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania, which are in a different phase altogether because every one of their residents has those freedoms at present. It will not last forever though, and figures from the non-partisan Melbourne Institute show the problem could become more acute when those states do open up because vaccine hesitancy is higher at 22.1 per cent in WA and 21.6 per cent in Queensland compared to less than 15 per cent in Victoria and NSW. Loading From Moxey the salon owner to Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the countrys largest business lobby, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, employers are getting fed up at the divergent state stances and lack of detail about how reopening rules will be enforced. Leaders have got to start thinking about the fact that theyre Australians first, and start thinking about how as a nation we get to a cohesive outcome here rather than thinking narrowly about how one state can be all right and other states can go to hell, McKellar says. He wants nationally consistent rules enforced by government authorities, not businesses, but Canberra, which is making the technology to integrate vaccine status with state QR code apps, has largely left it to the states to decide how it will be used.

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Frances recalled ambassador to Australia has likened Canberras actions to treason after the Morrison government dumped a $90 billion submarine contract with Paris and instead decided to build nuclear-powered submarines with the United States and Britain.

France on Saturday has taken the extraordinary step of recalling its ambassadors from Australia and the US, as the fallout grows from a new defence pact that has infuriated French President Emmanuel Macron.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age hours before he was recalled, Frances ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, did not rule out suspending talks to allow French troops greater access to Australian military bases after his nation was stabbed in the back.

Frances Ambassador to Australia, Jean-Pierre Thebault, says the crime was prepared for 18 months. Credit:Getty

Adding insult to the process... we have very reliable reports from the independent press, which I thank, about the fact that all this was in the making for 18 months. Which means we have been blind-sided intentionally for 18 months. The crime was prepared for 18 months, he said.
Washington: The Morrison government knew that French President Emmanuel Macron would be upset when it tore up a $90 billion submarine contract with a French defence contractor Naval Group.

So did Joe Biden, which is why the US President made a point of praising Frances commitment to the Indo-Pacific region at a press conference announcing he would share Americas prized nuclear-powered submarine technology with Australia.

Its clear neither Morrison nor Biden grasped just how outraged France would feel by the submarine decision. Yes, they knew the French would moan and groan but what else would they do?

Emmanuel Macron openly welcomed Joe Bidens election and praised him at G7. Credit:AP

Now we know through Macrons extraordinary decision to recall the French ambassadors to Australia and the US.
Colossal aims to have something similar to a woolly mammoth calf within the next six years. Company leadership acknowledges that the timeline is ambitious. Ben Lamm, CEO of Colossal, said via email that the extinction of the woolly mammoth left an ecological void in the Arctic tundra that Colossal aims to fill. The eventual goal is to return the species to the region so that they can re-establish grasslands and protect the permafrost, keeping it from releasing greenhouse gases at such a high rate. We believe our work will restore this degraded ecosystem to a richer one, similar to the tundra that existed as recently as 10,000 years ago, he said. Colossals board is comprised in part of biologists and bioethicists, and renowned geneticist George Church is at the front of the companys mammoth push. The project also hopes to de-extinct other species and create an inventory of genetic material from endangered species. Church said that Colossal is most interested in preventing the loss of endangered species like the Asian elephant through genetic variation.

Whats next - Jurassic Park? He also said this Arctic elephant was chosen for the project partly because it is easy to track, adding that the Asian elephant is arguably the most charismatic endangered species. Christopher Preston, a professor of environmental ethics and philosophy at the University of Montana, questioned Colossals focus on climate change, given that it would take decades to raise a herd of woolly mammoths large enough to have environmental impacts and there are tried-and-true conservation tactics that need funding. We should be making sure those get enough resources, rather than taking our eye off the ball by the distraction of a project such as de-extinction, he said. Its very hard for me to think that the idea you could de-extinct a woolly mammoth is a technological fix for anything that needs fixing in the next century. But Beth Shapiro, an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, professor at University of California at Santa Cruz and author of How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction, said as flashy as the idea of bringing back a mammoth is, this endeavour is exciting because it doesnt stop there.

Shapiro said the investments made in this project could create technologies to help living species adapt to climate change by editing their genes to include more resilient traits. This is critical because animals can no longer evolve as quickly as their habitats do. She said the thought of bringing the mammoth back to stomp across the Earth has also drawn in massive donors who likely would not have thrown their money towards more traditional methods. Though Wendling was also initially excited by the idea, later she thought about groups of woolly mammoths wandering through Russia, Alaska and Canada and wondered what the tundras Indigenous people would think of the effort. The tundra wasnt nearly as populated with humans when woolly mammoths roamed the Earth, she noted, and its difficult to predict what actual effects reintroducing them would have on the environment. Lamm said no Indigenous populations will be affected by Colossals initial reintroduction plans, which will begin in Pleistocene Park, a nature reserve in Siberia. He said while the company is several years off from beginning the rewilding process, we are already starting conversations with several Indigenous leaders in various northern regions. Paul Thompson, W.K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics at Michigan State University, said while research like this could help move the science forward and ignite the imaginations of those watching it unfold, it also seems frivolous.
125 Staff Part Ways With Indianas Biggest Hospital System After Refusing Vaccine

Indiana University Health, the biggest hospital system in the state, has announced that 125 staff members are no longer employed there after refusing to comply with the organizations COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Indiana University Health has put the safety and well-being of patients and team members first by requiring employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1, IU Health said in a Sept. 16 statement. After a two-week unpaid suspension period ending Sept. 14, a total of 125 employees, the equivalent of 61 full-time employees, chose not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and have left the organization.

While the statement did not specify whether the workers quit or were fired, a spokesperson for IU Health told Newsweek that the employees who refused to get the shot resigned.

The Epoch Times has reached out to IU Health with a request for confirmation whether the employees quit or were terminated, but did not receive an immediate response.

Most of the employees who chose not to be vaccinated worked part time, less than part time or have not worked for a number of months and will have a minimal effect on staffing, the spokesperson told Newsweek, adding that, as of Friday, all employees at IU Health were compliant with the vaccine mandate.

IU Health, which operates 15 hospitals and dozens of outpatient clinics around the state, employs around 36,000 staff members.

Two weeks ago, IU Health announced that around 300 employees had been suspended and that they could return to work if they received a partial or full COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

In June, IU Health announced it would require all doctors, nurses, and other staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, joining over 150 hospital systems nationwide to issue employee vaccine mandates.

IU Healths announcement came on the same day that some two dozen Republican attorneys general wrote a letter (pdf) to President Joe Biden, warning of impending legal action if his proposed vaccine requirement for tens of millions of Americans goes into effect.

Bidens sweeping mandate for private-sector employees, health care workers, and federal contractors would require businesses with more than 100 employees to have staff either vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly for the disease. The scheme would be put in place through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Your plan is disastrous and counterproductive, the prosecutors wrote in the letter sent to Biden, adding that the vaccine edict is also illegal.

If your Administration does not alter its course, the undersigned state Attorneys General will seek every available legal option to hold you accountable and uphold the rule of law, they wrote.

Republican leaders, as well as some union chiefs, have criticized Biden for the move, accusing him of overreach.
14-Year-Old Girl Becomes Youngest to Sail 1,600 Miles Around BritainAfter Mom and Dad Say OK

After convincing her parents to let her embark on the biggest solo sailing venture of her life, a teenager became the youngest person ever to single-handedly sail 1,600 nautical miles around Britain.

Katie McCabe, 14, is the tiller of her very own boatthe beautiful turquoise vessel Falanda. In August, she broke the record previously held by Timothy Long of Aylesbury, England, who completed the same trip at the age of 15.

Katie started from her hometown of Topsham, Devon, on June 30, and finished the journey 7 1/2 weeks later. She was escorted into the dock by a fleet of 20 boats and welcomed home by a cheering, waving crowd.

Katie McCabe sailing in her vessel Falanda. (Courtesy of Katie McCabe)

Completing the expedition, she shared her elation on Facebook, posting: Wow, what a return! Tonight I can officially say I have sailed single-handedly around Britain, something I have been dreaming of doing since forever!

Traveling counterclockwise, Katie charted an epic course: passing the River Solent, the Thames, the Firth of Forth, the Caledonian Canal, the Irish Sea to Wales, the Ramsey Sound, Milford Haven, crossing the Bristol Channel, around Lands End and the Lizard, and arriving back home to Topsham.

She navigated the route herself, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of life at sea. Occasionally accompanied by schools of dolphins, she spotted native puffins and cheeky seals, and was dwarfed by tankers further out at sea.

Nor was it just for fun. Katie partnered with Sea Shepherd UK, raising over 16,000 pounds (approx. US$22,000) in donations with funds going toward the charitys efforts to conserve and protect marine wildlife.

But before the trip even began, Katie admitted she faced headwinds when she fielded the idea to her parents, Hazel and David McCabe. Dad was all for it, she told the Daily Mail. But Mum wasnt keen.

Katie passed the Mum test during a family trip to the Scilly Isles in 2020, impressing her parents by sailing Falanda by herself. Nevertheless, David, 54, kept a watchful eye from a distance, trailing his daughter on her record-breaking trip in case she crashed into a million-pound yacht, said Katie.

Still, with her father as far as five miles behind, the teen felt very alone under the cover of darkness.

As for her daily toil, the seafarer was self-sufficient, spending between 8 and 15 hours at sea every day, while mooring at harbors most nights, where she would check in with dad. The longest period at sea was 32 hours, she recalled. By the end of that I was exhausted and there hadnt been time to put my protective gear on. I got pretty wet.

Katies mom, Hazel, 49, knows her daughter can weather storms, both real and figurative. Shes very determined, Hazel said. Shes seen it all through and we are very proud.

Among those who came to congratulate her was Timothy Long, the previous record holder.

Last year, I got to meet Timothy whilst he was on his way around Britain to become the youngest person to go round solo, Katie shared on Facebook. Almost a year later, he was at the boat yard waving me in as I broke his record.

I think it was great of him to even be able to look at me and Falanda, never mind be actually friendly, she added. Id like to think Id be that nice if someone younger went round next year!

Katie found her sea legs earlier than most. As a toddler, she accompanied her parents on their three-year, 14,000-mile honeymoon trip at sea. She returned home with them in 2008 having found her hereditary love for sailing.

Alongside her parents and younger brother, Reuben, 11, Katie spends every family holiday at sea. The siblings were even home-schooled during a months-long excursion to Spain and Portugal, and once lived on a moored boat; it came as no surprise to Hazel and David when Katie asked for her own vessel at the age of 12.

Katie with her father, David, and her boat Falanda. (Courtesy of Katie McCabe)

They bought an 800-pound (approx. US$1,100) refurbishment project, which eventually became Falanda, the turquoise beauty that saw Katie finish her record-breaking voyage.

Since her return to dry land, shes been preparing for a new school semester, though she managed to squeeze in a boat trip across the English Channel with her mother first.

She told the BBC that female sailors Ellen MacArthur and Laura Dekker inspire her to dream big. Id like to do something like theyve done, she said. So maybe racing [is what] Id like to try next.

(Left) Katie is received after completing her 1,600-mile record-breaking expedition; (Right) Katie and Timothy Long. (Courtesy of Katie McCabe)

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Passengers prepare to board a Qatar Airways aircraft at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

28 US Citizens Depart Kabul via Charter Flight, State Department Confirms

Almost 30 more U.S. citizens have been flown out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan since the full withdrawal of U.S. troops, the State Department confirmed on Sept. 18.

We can confirm that a Qatar Airways charter flight departed from Kabul yesterday with 28 U.S. citizens and 7 lawful permanent residents on board, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

We are grateful to Qatari authorities, who continue to coordinate these flights with us. We will continue to help U.S. citizens and Afghans affiliated with the U.S. government to depart Afghanistan.

Price suggested that the evacuation succeeded because of the Talibans cooperation.

He also indicated that the United States will continue the engagement with the terrorist group to ensure U.S. citizens and Afghans enjoy full freedom of movement.

The evacuation was first mentioned by U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad on Sept. 17.

Grateful that more Americans were able to leave today on a Qatar Airways flight. We welcome this development, he wrote in a Twitter post.

The Associated Press reported that more than 150 passengers were on the flight, citing an anonymous official. The news agency also said that more than 300 foreign nationals, U.S. green card holders, and Afghans with special visas have left Afghanistan in the past week.

The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the AP reports.

The White House had said in early September that more than 100 Americans remained in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Between 100 and 200 U.S. citizens were believed to be in the country when U.S. troops exited on Aug. 30. That number remains above 100, but it is closer to 100 than 200, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters in Washington.

Without a military presence in Afghanistan, the United States is attempting to use diplomatic means to secure safe passage for the Americans stranded in the country.

President Joe Biden stuck to his self-imposed withdrawal deadline, even as he promised to keep troops there until all Americans who wanted to get out were able to leave.

The Taliban has promised to allow Americans to leave. Meanwhile, Taliban fighters stopped some Americans from passing through checkpoints, even as U.S. troops were still on the ground, and beat multiple Americans in Kabul.

Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to the report.
Australian beef is seen at a supermarket in Beijing on May 12, 2020 (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Australia, Japan Likely to Block Chinese Bid to Enter Pacific Trade Pact

Australia and Japan will likely oppose Chinas bid to join one of the worlds largest trade agreements unless it halts its economic coercion campaign targeting Australian exports and resumes diplomatic contact.

Beijing announced on Sept. 16 that it had formally applied to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in a letter to New Zealand Trade Minister Damien OConnor.

The CPTPP was signed by 11 nations in 2018, and covers 13.4 percent of global GDP.

Prospective members (including the United Kingdom and Thailand) can gain entry only with unanimous support from all pact members, which includes Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.

Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan said China could not join the CPTPP until members were convinced of a track record of compliance with existing trade and World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements. It would also require Beijing to resume high-level dialogue with Australia, he told Newscorps Weekend Australian.

Minister for Trade Dan Tehan speaks to the media during a press conference in Sydney, Australia on May 21, 2021. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

CPTPP parties would also want to be confident that an accession candidate would fully implement its commitments under the agreement in good faith, Tehan said.

As we have conveyed to China, these are important matters which require ministerial engagement.

Japanese Economic Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura echoed Tehans comments.

Japan believes that its necessary to determine whether China, which submitted a request to join the TPP-11, is ready to meet its extremely high standards, he told reporters on Sept. 17.

Japanese Deputy Finance Minister Kenji Nakanishi suggested on Twitter that same day that Beijings subsidiaries of state-owned enterprises and its arbitrary application of law would hinder efforts to join CPTPP.

China  is far removed from the free, fair and highly transparent world of TPP, chances that it can join are close to zero, he wrote in a Twitter post. This can be thought of as a move to prevent Taiwan from joining.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said the department could not comment directly on Chinas bid but noted: We would expect Chinas non-market trade practices and Chinas use of economic coercion against other countries would factor into CPTPP parties evaluation of China as a potential candidate for accession, according to Reuters.

Since April 2020, Australia has weathered an ongoing trade coercion campaign from Beijing after Foreign Minister Marise Payne called for an investigation into the origins of COVID-19. The move drew a sharp rebuke from Chinese Ambassador to Canberra Cheng Jingye, who warned of potential action against Australias trading relationship with China.

Bottles of Australian wine are displayed at a supermarket in Hangzhou, in eastern Chinas Zhejiang Province on Nov. 27, 2020. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

In the following months, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) implemented a series of bans, suspensions, and regulatory hurdles on Australian coal, wine, beef, barley, lobster, timber, lamb, and cotton exports to the country.

Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the result was a $5.4 billion drop in trade exports over the year to the June quarter. However, during the same period, exports of those goods to the rest of the world have increased by $4.4 billion, he told the Australian National Universitys Crawford Leadership Forum on Sept. 6.

Besides diversifying trade to other nations, Australia has launched two actions via the WTO over the wine and barley tariffs.

Beijing has responded with a flurry of WTO actions against Australian tariffs implemented several years ago on Chinese goods including tariffs on wind tower imports in 2014 (valued at 10.9 percent), railway wheels in 2015 (17.4 percent), and stainless-steel sinks in 2019 (60.2 percent).

Australian Finance Minister Simon Birmingham called the move petty.
ACT Police perform checks on traffic on the NSW/ACT Border in Australia, on Sept. 14, 2021. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images)

Australian Soldiers to Patrol State Border to Stop People From Entering Capital

Soldiers will be deployed to patrol state borders within Australia in a bid to stop people from coming into the countrys capital territory amid the prolonged response to a CCP virus Delta variant outbreak in the state of New South Wales.

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is bounded on all sides by NSW and is home to Canberra, the countrys capital city.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the Australia Defence Force would be used for the first time along the border after a massive joint ACT and NSW police compliance operation at four major entry points had stopped over 4,000 vehicles and turned around 12 cars trying to enter the territory.

There will be boots on the ground, Barr told reporters on Friday, going on to say this had been planned for weeks.

Saturday also marks the start of school holidays, a popular time for ACT families to enjoy vacations on the NSW coast, therefore additional police patrols will be arranged at major entry points to the ACT to prevent such travel, deemed illegal under public health orders.

With school holidays commencing tomorrow it is a timely reminder that you cannot travel anywhere for a holiday, Barr said. You cannot leave the ACT unless you have an essential reason.

Signage on the ACT NSW border displaying lockdown information in Canberra, Australia, on Aug. 20, 2021. (Rohan Thomson/Getty Images)

The troop deployment comes in response to Fridays report of 30 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, on Friday.

There currently has 245 active cases in the ACT after 341 cases recovered. There are eight cases being treated in hospitals and one in an intensive care unit requiring ventilation. The ACT government did not report whether there were co-morbidities contributing to the need for any of the hospitalisations.

The 30 new cases is the highest daily tally for the ACT. The jurisdictions Chief Health Officer Kerryn Coleman said that figure did not indicate an upward trend.

Meanwhile, in a post on Facebook, Barr reminded ACT residents that they may only travel to and from approved NSW border postcodes.

The only reasons ACT residents may cross the border into NSW are for either: essential work, childcare for essential workers, medical or healthcare needs, visiting a romantic partner where the two people dont live together, providing urgent compassionate care or help to a vulnerable person, and essential animal welfare purposes.

NSW, Victoria, and the ACT currently have lockdown measures in place to suppress the spread of the CCP virus. Each of their leaders has said they will not lift restrictions until at least 70-80 percent of their residents have been fully vaccinated.

ACT Health said more than 80 percent of Canberrans aged over 16 have received at least their first vaccine dose, making it the second jurisdiction after NSW to reach the figure.

Health figures also showed more than 55 percent of over-16s in the ACT are fully vaccinated, which is the highest of any state or territory.

Over 52 percent of ACT residents who are 12 and older have received two doses.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters on Friday that ACT hospitals were well prepared to handle a potential rise in COVID-19-related admissions, should there be a surge in cases once lockdown restrictions are eased.
Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during a news conference with Australian Minister of Defense Peter Dutton, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the State Department in Washington, DC on Sept. 16, 2021. (Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Australias Foreign Ministry Expresses Regret Over Frances Recall of Ambassador

Australias foreign ministry has noted with regret Frances decision to recall its ambassador to Australia, after the island nation this week scrapped a $90 billion deal for conventional diesel-electric submarines in favour of a nuclear fleet option as part of an alliance with the United States and the United Kingdom.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the move as a stab in the back and overnight said he was directed by President Emmanuel Macron to recall their ambassadors from Australia and the United States in protest of the deal.

We note with regret Frances decision to recall its ambassador to Australia for consultations following the decision on the Attack class project, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Saturday.

Australia understands Frances deep disappointment with our decision, which was taken in accordance with our clear and communicated national security interests.

Australia values its relationship with France, which is an important partner and a vital contributor to stability, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. This will not change.

Paynes spokesperson said Australia and France share many issues of interest and we look forward to engaging with France again.

Le Drian slammed the alleged unacceptable behaviour between allies and partners, the consequences of which affect the very conception that we have of our alliances, our partnerships and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian attends a joint news conference at the Bauhaus University in Weimar, Germany, on Sept. 10, 2021. (Jens Schlueter/Pool via Reuters)

It was really a stab in the back. We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed, Le Drian said in a sharply worded statement on Thursday.

Macron received a letter from Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday morning announcing the cancellation of their deal, Le Drian said on Friday, local time.

American officials later said they informed Paris just hours before Bidens announcement of the deal on Wednesday.

Senior federal Labor MP Mark Dreyfus called on Morrison to explain how he plans to patch relations with Paris.

The impact on our relationship with France is a concern, particularly as a country with important interests in our region, Dreyfus said on Saturday. The French were blindsided by this decision and Mr Morrison should have done much more to protect the relationship.

The AUKUS arrangementbetween Australia, the United States, and United Kingdomcould see Australias first nuclear-powered submarines in the water before 2040.

Morrison confirmed Australia spent $2.4 billion on the scrapped French submarine deal for 12 Attack-class submarines.

Of course theyre disappointed, he said when the new deal was announced.

He stressed the decision did not reflect on the Attack class, Naval Group, or the French government.
Banks Beware, Outsiders Are Cracking the Code for Finance

LONDONAnyone can be a banker these days, you just need the right code.

Global brands from Mercedes and Amazon to IKEA and Walmart are cutting out the traditional financial middleman and plugging in software from tech startups to offer customers everything from banking and credit to insurance.

For established financial institutions, the warning signs are flashing.

So-called embedded financea fancy term for companies integrating software to offer financial services means Amazon can let customers buy now pay later when they check out and Mercedes drivers can get their cars to pay for their fuel.

The logo of Amazon in Lauwin-Planque, northern France on Feb. 20, 2017. (Pascal Rossignol/Reuters)

To be sure, banks are still behind most of the transactions but investors and analysts say the risk for traditional lenders is that they will get pushed further away from the front end of the finance chain.

And that means theyll be further away from the mountains of data others are hoovering up about the preferences and behaviours of their customersdata that could be crucial in giving them an edge over banks in financial services.

Embedded financial services takes the cross-sell concept to new heights. Its predicated on a deep software-based ongoing data relationship with the consumer and business, said Matt Harris, a partner at investor Bain Capital Ventures.

That is why this revolution is so important, he said. It means that all the good risk is going to go to these embedded companies that know so much about their customers and what is left over will go to banks and insurance companies.

Where Do You Want to Play?

For now, many areas of embedded finance are barely denting the dominance of banks and even though some upstarts have licences to offer regulated services such as lending, they lack the scale and deep funding pools of the biggest banks.

But if financial technology firms, or fintechs, can match their success in grabbing a chunk of digital payments from banksand boosting their valuations in the processlenders may have to respond, analysts say.

Stripe, for example, the payments platform behind many sites with clients including Amazon and Alphabets Google, was valued at $95 billion in March.

Accenture estimated in 2019 that new entrants to the payments market had amassed 8 percent of revenues globallyand that share has risen over the past year as the pandemic boosted digital payments and hit traditional payments, Alan McIntyre, senior banking industry director at Accenture, said.

Now the focus is turning to lending, as well as complete off-the-shelf digital lenders with a variety of products businesses can pick and choose to embed in their processes.

The vast majority of consumer centric companies will be able to launch financial products that will allow them to significantly improve their customer experience, said Luca Bocchio, partner at venture capital firm Accel.

That is why we feel excited about this space.

So far this year, investors have poured $4.25 billion into embedded finance startups, almost three times the amount in 2020, data provided to Reuters by PitchBook shows.

A smartphone displays a Klarna logo on top of banknotes is in this illustration taken on Jan. 6, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Leading the way is Swedish buy now pay later (BNPL) firm Klarna which raised $1.9 billion.

DriveWealth, which sells technology allowing companies to offer fractional share trading, attracted $459 million while investors put $229 million into Solarisbank, a licensed German digital bank which offers an array of banking services software.

Shares in Affirm, meanwhile, surged last month when it teamed up with Amazon to offer BNPL products while rival U.S. fintech Square said last month it was buying Australian BNPL firm Afterpay for $29 billion.

Square is now worth $113 billion, more than Europes most valuable bank, HSBC, on $105 billion.

Big banks and insurers will lose out if they dont act quickly and work out where to play in this market, said Simon Torrance, founder of Embedded Finance & Super App Strategies.

You Need a Loan

Several other retailers have announced plans this year to expand in financial services.

Walmart launched a fintech startup with investment firm Ribbit Capital in January to develop financial products for its employees and customers while IKEA took a minority stake in BNPL firm Jifiti last month.

Automakers such as Volkswagens Audi and Tatas Jaguar Land Rover have experimented with embedding payment technology in their vehicles to take the hassle out of paying, besides Daimlers Mercedes.

Customers expect services, including financial services, to be directly integrated at the point of consumption, and to be convenient, digital, and immediately accessible, said Roland Folz, chief executive of Solarisbank which provides banking services to more than 50 companies including Samsung.

Its not just end consumers being targeted by embedded finance startups. Businesses themselves are being tapped on the shoulder as their digital data is crunched by fintechs such as Canadas Shopify.

It provides software for merchants and its Shopify Capital division also offers cash advances, based on an analysis of more than 70 million data points across its platform.

No merchant comes to us and says, I would like a loan. We go to merchants and say, we think its time for funding for you, said Kaz Nejatian, vice president, product, merchant services at Shopify.

We dont ask for business plans, we dont ask for tax statements, we dont ask for income statements, and we dont ask for personal guarantees. Not because we are benevolent but because we think those are bad signals into the odds of success on the internet, he said.

A Shopify spokesperson said funding goes from $200 to $2 million. It has provided $2.3 billion in cumulative capital advances and is valued at $184 billion, well above Royal Bank of Canada, the countrys biggest traditional lender.

Connected Future?

Shopifys lending business is, however, still dwarfed by the big banks. JPMorgan Chase & Co., for example, had a consumer and community loan book worth $435 billion at the end of June.

An employee works at Shopifys headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on Oct. 22, 2018. (Chris Wattie/Reuters)

Major advances into finance by companies from other sectors could also be limited by regulators.

Officials from the Bank for International Settlements, a consortium of central banks and financial regulators, warned watchdogs last month to get to grips with the growing influence of technology firms in finance.

Bains Harris said financial regulators were taking the approach that because they dont know how to regulate tech firms they are insisting theres a bank behind every transaction  but that did not mean banks would prevent fintechs encroaching.

They are right that the banks will always have a role but its not a very remunerative role and it involves very little ownership of the customer, he said.

Forrester analyst Jacob Morgan said banks had to decide where they want to be in the finance chain.

Can they afford to fight for customer primacy, or do they actually see a more profitable route to market to become the rails that other people run on top of? he said. Some banks will choose to do both. And some are already fighting back.

Citigroup has teamed up with Google on bank accounts, Goldman Sachs is providing credit cards for Apple and JPMorgan is buying 75 percent of Volkswagens payments business and plans to expand to other industries. Connectivity between different systems is the future, said Shahrokh Moinian, head of wholesale payments, EMEA, at JPMorgan. We want to be the leader.

By Anna Irrera and Iain Withers
Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, on Sept. 17, 2021. (Al Drago/Getty Images)

Blinken Replaces We Stand With the People of Hong Kong Message With Milder Version on Twitter

A Twitter post from the account of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that said the United States would stand with the people of Hong Kong was recently taken down and replaced with a more subdued version.

Blinkens statement was addressing news on Sept. 15 of how seven democratically elected Hong Kong opposition district councillors were disqualified after their oaths of office were deemed invalid. That determination came after a loyalty test in the form of a vetting and screening mechanism implemented by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that ensures Hong Kong politicians are patriotic.

The initial post, shared on Sept. 16, reads, Beijing should let the voices of all Hong Kongers be heard. The PRCs disqualification of district councillors only weakens Hong Kongs long-term political and social stability. We stand with the people of Hong Kong & continue to support their human rights & fundamental freedoms.

The post was deleted on Sept. 16, and a separate message addressing the same issue appeared on Blinkens Twitter account on Sept. 17: The PRCs disqualification of seven pro-democracy district councillors undermines the ability of people in Hong Kong to participate in their governance. Governments should serve the people they represent. Decreasing representation goes against the spirit of Hong Kongs Basic Law.

The PRCs disqualification of seven pro-democracy district councilors undermines the ability of people in Hong Kong to participate in their governance. Governments should serve the people they represent. Decreasing representation goes against the spirit of Hong Kongs Basic Law.  Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 16, 2021

The message, posted at 5:29 p.m. ET, did not express that the United States would stand with the people of Hong Kong, and was interpreted by many online as being a more subdued message compared to that in Blinkens initial Twitter post.

State Department Spokesperson Ned Price later shared the same message as Blinkens initial post with the phrase We stand with the people of Hong Kong. It was shared at 6:05 p.m. ET on Sept. 17.

Beijing should let the voices of all Hong Kongers be heard. The PRCs disqualification of district councilors only weakens Hong Kongs long-term political and social stability. We stand with the people of Hong Kong & continue to support their human rights & fundamental freedoms.  Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) September 16, 2021

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Prices Twitter account had also previously shared the same message on Sept. 16, but deleted it that day. The Epoch Times could not verify the report.

In a emailed statement to The Epoch Times, the State Department spokesperson said, The team that manages the Secretarys twitter account mistakenly sent the tweet intended to come from the spokesperson. We fixed that error and tweeted from both accounts, speaking out about Hong Kong authorities disqualification of pro-democracy district councilors.

Suggestions that this administrative change was somehow motivated by political concerns is patently untrue. The tweets affirmin words and in meaningthat the United States stands with the people of Hong Kong. We urge the PRC to allow the people of Hong Kong to meaningfully participate in their governance.

Blinken previously used the phrase We stand with the people of Hong Kong on Aug. 5. He has also previously repeatedly issued criticisms of the CCPs actions toward Hong Kong.

The Chinese foreign ministrys Hong Kong office issued a statement on Sept. 17, condemning irresponsible comments from certain U.S. politicians on Hong Kong, reported the SCMP. The statement said that no U.S. slanders would deter the CCP from ensuring patriots administering Hong Kong.

The statement also accused the seven now-disqualified Hong Kong opposition district councillors of having smeared the Chinese central government and the HKSAR government, stood on the side of anti-China, destabilizing forces in Hong Kong and interfered in Hong Kong affairs and Chinas internal affairs as a whole. HKSAR is the acronym for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Bride Tears Up When Grandpa She Thought Couldnt Attend Her Wedding Shows Up

A bride who thought her grandfather wouldnt make it to her wedding because of COVID-19 got the shock of her life when he surprised her on her special day. The brides outburst of happy tears was caught on camera as the close-knit pair embraced.

Days before her wedding, Suzy Dean, a high school English teacher in South Florida, received a call from her 82-year-old grandfather, Henry Dean III, while working out. It was the fourth cancellation call shed received that day. The news that Henry wasnt going to attend her wedding broke her heart.

Suzy Dean was overcome with emotion on seeing her grandfather at the wedding. (Courtesy of Colleen Sanclemente & Suzy Dean)

He told me he just didnt feel safe and was making the decision to stay in Virginia, the 27-year-old told The Epoch Times via email. I knew it was a heartbreaking decision for him, and I would never expect or ask that my grandpa put himself in a position that made him feel unsafe.

Suzy said she and her grandpa have shared a very close bond over the years. She credits him for informing her worldview with his love and compassion, excitement for the mundane, and ability to find beauty in places that others wouldnt. Because of this, she said, it was imperative that Henry attend her wedding.

I couldnt imagine spending my wedding day without him spreading his joy and augmenting my own, she said.

Suzys wedding was being held at an outdoor venue, although only with 70 guests. She respected her grandpas choice not to come, but was overcome with sadness after the phone call.

I told him I would call him again once I was able to process his decision, but I never got the chance, she said. I found myself crying every time I thought about it; I did not want him to feel guilty.

Unbeknown to Suzy, Henry changed his mind just a week later. He called Suzys parents to break the good news, but asked them to keep it a secret with his special surprise in mind.

On July 25, 2020Suzys wedding dayher father, Henry Dean IV, orchestrated the big reveal by walking ahead of his 82-year-old father as the party approached the aisle. Suzys bridesmaids had already walked, and as she turned to urge her father to hurry, thats when she saw her grandfather step to one side.

My grandpa had been walking behind him, said Suzy. We didnt say anything, because we said it all with our faces  the feeling was indescribable.

This was one of the very few times, she says, that her grandpa had teared up. Suzy was reminded of the only other time she had seen her grandfather cry: when she told him she was expecting a baby. Yet, overcome with emotion, Suzy found herself spiraling into a panic attack in front of her wedding guests. Luckily, a bridesmaid helped calm her down.

Suzy Dean as a child with her grandfather. (Courtesy of Suzy Dean)

Suzy later found out, to her shock, that her mothers original plan was to have Henry sitting in the front row.

I had to keep myself together during the entire ceremony, which was the hard part, she said. I couldnt wait to see him and hug him after.

Wedding photographer Colleen Sanclemente was there to catch the moment of Suzy and Henrys long-awaited embrace. She shared five of the sweetest shots on Instagram, captioned, As wedding photographers, were not just here to capture pretty poses. Were here to document all of the precious and timeless moments in between as well!

Suzy knew her grandfather was still uncomfortable being at the wedding. He took necessary precautions, she said, even eating separately from the other guests. However, she spent time with him near the bonfire as he ate.

The blushing bride recalls guests and vendors tearing up as she and Henry held one another. I was still in such shock that I didnt have much to say, she told The Epoch Times. But I hugged him and cried in his arms and told him how important he was to me, and I think that said enough.

Henry, a retired Florida Highway Patrol officer, regularly travels between Florida, Virginia, and Kentucky, and sees his granddaughter often. Yet their last meeting before Suzys wedding was likely three months earlier, she said.

Suzy, who had sleepovers with her cousins at her grandparents home every Friday night growing up, cherishes her memories of their family trips, and credits Henry with having more energy than me and most people that I know.

On her wedding day, her grandpa gifted her yet another incredible memory to cherish for the rest of her life.

I still constantly find myself tearing up over it, she said. Im unbelievably lucky to have a grandpa like him.

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
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen (C) attends an inauguration ceremony of a Ta Chiang Corvette at a navy base in Yilan on Sept. 9, 2021. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

China May Impose an Economic Blockade on Taiwan to Force Submission: Experts

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has ramped up its threats to Taiwan as the United States reportedly considers a measure favorable to the self-ruled island claimed by Beijing.

The Financial Times recently reported that the Biden administration is seriously considering allowing the island to change the name of its de facto embassy in Washington to include the Taiwan. The office is currently called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office. The report prompted Global Times, a hawkish newspaper controlled by the CCP, to publish an editorial charged with threats of economic and military action against the small East Asian island.

A Feasible Economic Threat

The Epoch Times spoke to Michael E. OHanlon about the plausibility of these types of threats coming to fruition in the near future. The senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at Washington-based think tank Brookings Institution said he considers an economic blockade to be the most feasible action to be taken against Taiwanand the repercussions could be enough to cripple the small island. By definition, an economic blockade involves the intentional disruption of a countrys economy.

Rather than immediately taking military action, the Chinese regime, according to OHanlon, is much more likely to look for ways to gradually turn up the temperature on Taiwan with various kinds of economical, psychological, and political pressure. An economic blockade scenario is more conceivable than an attempted invasion, he said.

Dan Steiner, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and global strategist agreed, saying an economic attack would be the most plausible course of action for Beijing in the near future. Bending the will of the Taiwanese people to accept unification with mainland China is a sound conceptand economic pressure is an integral part of that, he told The Epoch Times. According to the CCPs campaign of unrestricted warfare, Steiner said, economic tools are in parity with physical tools.

OHanlon said that shutting down the Taiwan economy by interfering with ships coming in and out of Taiwan is a substantial threateven if the island is not completely cut off. For example, hampering with global supply chains moving in and out of Taiwan could greatly harm their stock market, cause the investor community to pull away, and potentially lead to a crippling recession, he said.

In this scenario, the Chinese regime would get enough leverage on Taiwan to establish some demands that could lead to something that looks like reunification, OHanlon said.

But the CCP is slick on the global stage, he noted. Dont be surprised when things like medicines and other goods are allowed into Taiwan to give the appearance of being humanitarian when their actions actually say otherwise.

A Distant Military Threat

Steiner doesnt believe the Chinese regime would risk the embarrassment of Taiwan bloodying their nose if there were an actual physical confrontation. Faced with the possibility of the United States stepping in to defend Taiwan, the CCP likely doesnt want to take such risks and pursue a military invasion, he said.

While OHanlon perceives an invasion to be a distant possibility, even the slightest chance of a military response remains very worrisome. An outright attack on Taiwan, he said, would be a tectonic event in world affairs, something more than an internal or regional conflict. Such an attack would risk American intervention, prompting possibilities of a third world war or nuclear war, according to the expert.

In early March, the then-head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), U.S. Adm. Philip Davidson, said that the threat of the CCP invading Taiwan will manifest in the next six years. U.S. Adm. John Aquilino, now the INDOPACOM head, later said the threat of a Chinese invasion is much closer to us than most think.

OHanlon doesnt rule out other forms of military attacks, including cyberattacks or a strike on a shipping vessel at some point in time. Either option could, ultimately, interfere with Taiwans economy, he added.

Finding Security in Volatile Times

According to OHanlon, Taiwan would be best served by stocking up on essential supplies so it could ride out a blockade for a while. But Steiner cautioned that the CCP is patient, and Taiwan may not be positioned to withstand the regimes long-term pressure of economic isolation.

Meanwhile, the island needs to continue shoring up its defenses, OHanlon said.

It would be well-advised for Taiwan to make sure the invasion scenario is completely unthinkable by continuing to improve ways of repulsing Chinese ships as they approach the shoreline, he said.

To that end, the Taiwanese government plans to increase its defense spending by $8.69 billion ($240 billion Taiwan dollars) over the next five years.

OHanlon, however, questioned the benefit of the recent commissioning of a domestically-made warship in Taiwan. The naval vessel has been labeled a carrier-killer warship, designed to bolster defense capacity amid heightened tensions with the Chinese regime.

Should the Chinese regime ever attack Taiwan, he suspects, China wont bother using a carrier, as it can easily use airplanes that are based 100 miles away on the Chinese coast.

Protecting Taiwans shores from invasion doesnt require a navy so much as a robust land-based, but anti-maritime set of capabilities, OHanlon said. If anything, to get more ambitious on the naval front, the ability to go after Chinese submarines should be the higher priority.

Playing Nice For Now

Despite mounting tensions in the South China Sea, the CCP would like to be seen as the nice guys on the international stage, according to OHanlon. He argued that the regimes whole strategy for expanding influence at this time relies on other countries being willing to cooperate and collaborate with China, economically, if nothing else.

Cooperation and collaboration must be the goal long enough for the Chinese regime to insert its tentacles into the world economy so deeply that individual countries dont dare challenge it at some point in the future, OHanlon said. [The regime] will either genuinely try to be somewhat cooperative with most other countries, or its going to try to fool other countries into believing that it is.

Steiner said, In order to be successful economically, the Chinese regime cant be seen as an ogre; they have to be patient, as the ogre can come later.

Thus, in the same breath of tough rhetoric about taking military action against Taiwan, it appears the Chinese regime will also continue to publicly tout the idea of a peaceful reunification for the time being, according to OHanlon. Yet he cautioned, there is still a high enough risk for [military action] to merit considerable attention and concern for the future.
Jerome David, assistant to the Territorial Unit Manager and Timber Marketing Manager of the National Forest Office checks an oak log marked in the middle in eastern France, on Dec. 11, 2020. (Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinas Massive Import of Timber Raises Alarm on Global Forest Industry

Sawmill industry in mortal danger: French wood manufacturers

Chinas recent years of dramatically purchasing log material have caused a survival crisis in the wood processing industries in many countries. French wood manufacturers have launched a petition calling on the EU to restrict the exportation of log material.

Its time to wake up to the fact that European sawmills are now facing closures and liquidation if nothing is done to stop the hemorrhage that is taking place before our eyes, states the Stop Log Exports petition, launched by French wood manufacturers.

The log supply crisis is already threatening downstream lines such as industry, crafts, construction, and logistics, which have to rely on imports from outside Europe due to a lack of raw materials.

All the qualities of logs  even industrial logs for panels and paper are leaving by the shipload, the French wood manufacturers said in the petition.

A photo of a truck with CHINA SHIPPING written on the side is posted on the English page of the petition website, which likely indicates that communist China is the main concern.

More than 13,000 companies, including 600 in Poland and 200 in Germany, have signed the petition in less than one month.

France: Chinas Massive Purchase is a Strategic Plundering

Between January and May 2021, China imported over 205,810 tons of French oak logs and over 303,600 tons of softwood logs, an increase of 42 percent and 66 percent respectively compared to the same period in 2020, and more than 80 percent of logs exports in the five months were from French private forests, according to the National Wood Federation.

As early as 2018, discussions began to circulate in France about Chinas massive purchases of oak logs. About 20 percent of the oak produced in France was exported to China, bypassing local sawmills and threatening the local wood processing industrys 26,000 jobs, reported France24 in July 2018.

Shawn Lin, who worked in the international transportation industry, including log transportation for more than 10 years, told The Epoch Times that A tree grows into lumber takes 20-30 years, even more, but it only takes a few minutes to cut it down, so logging does not create much profit.

Only wood processing can create profits, and the deeper the processing, the higher the profits. The sawmill industry is part of the processing industry, even though it is primary processing.

If the CCP buys raw logs, it means that the whole processing industry will be taken to China, and the local workers no more have jobs to do, he continued.

French wood manufacturers warned that the CCPs (Chinese Communist Party) massive purchases are a strategic plundering and destruction of resources. This economic and ecological aberration must stop now, said the petition.

French wood manufacturers are worried that the sawmill industry is in mortal danger, according to the petition. They said that the export of raw materials ensures European industries a strategic and priority supply, but The services of the Member States and the representatives of the European institutions have been letting this toxic trade take hold for 10 years. We now are on the edge of the cliff.

Have we learned nothing from the episode of COVID masks and vaccines? they asked in the petition.

They are referring to the CCP virus (the cause of the COVID-19 disease), which originated from Wuhan, China, and exploded around the world. In anticipation of a global outbreak, the CCP raided the world for basic epidemic prevention supplies such as protective masks and medical clothing, creating the global supply crisis. According to data by Chinese customs, 2 billion masks were imported in five weeks from January last year, equivalent to two and a half months of global production; and about 400 million sets of other protective equipment, such as medical goggles and protective clothing, were imported, reports The New York Times.

According to CCP state-run Renmin media, as early as 2017, the China State Forestry Administration confirmed a three-stage approach to completely stop commercial logging of natural forests, including state-owned forest areas such as the Inner Mongolia District and Jilin Province.

Chinas policy on raw materials is to put both ends outside, big in and big out, which means to seek raw materials and sales markets outside the country and to vigorously develop processing industries with the goal of exporting to generate foreign exchange, according to an Oct. 22, 2012 article published on the official website of the China Economic History Forum.

On July 24, French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced an extra 100 million euros to address the timber industry, expecting to alleviate supply difficulties.

The massive export of logs has affected likely more than just sawmills and France. For example, the price of oak barrels imported to Australia from France jumped to around $1,530 due to the limited supply of raw French oak. In addition, some top wineries in California and Chile will also be affected, said The Drinks Business website on Aug. 16.

New Zealands Processing and Construction Industries Are in Wood Supply Crisis

According to data from the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, forestry is the third biggest export, earning more than $6.7 billion a year.

The majority of New Zealands timber exports are raw logs, with 70 to 80 percent of them going to China. From 2008 to 2021, New Zealands log shipments to China surged from 1 million tons per year to about 20 million tons, reported New Zealand local media Stuff, in March.

David Turner, the executive director of Sequal, a wood processing factory in Kawerau, New Zealand, told Stuff that large exports of logs to China are at the expense of New Zealands wood processing industry.

[We] send so many raw logs to China without turning them into something more valuable, Turner said, This is a violation of our responsibility to future generations.

New Zealands domestic construction industry has also seen recently a shortage of wood materials. In August, Minister for Building and Construction Poto Williams once considered restricting timber exports to protect the domestic supply.

However, Williams later said that the government would not interfere with timber exports. She said she had received suggestions that some suppliers would increase production of structural lumber and reduce exports in the next six months, according to Stuff in an Aug. 6 article.

Russia Imposes Tariffs on Timber Exports as a Protection Measure

Critics in Russia have accused the government of selling logging rights to Chinese companies at low prices, threatening the countrys economic development. These people also warn that China is protecting its own forest land while it is deforesting countries in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia states an April 2019 article by The New York Times.

In 2018, a petition to Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a ban on timber exports to China and was signed by more than 520,000 people.

Russia is imposing export tariffs on unprocessed timber and will ban exports of softwood and high-value hardwood logs from 2022 onwards. On May 21, the Russian government decided to impose an export tax as high as 10 percent on sales of several kinds of Russian wood. On July 1, export duties were imposed on unprocessed timber with a moisture content exceeding 22 percent.

That is to limit exports of rough unprocessed wood products, as well as to hold down the price for it in the domestic market  stimulate additional economic activity within Russia, and help to mitigate illegal logging, reported Forest Economic Advisors.

China, as the worlds largest timber importer, also imports raw materials from Latin America, the Congo Basin in Africa, and Southeast Asia. The immense scale of Chinas sourcing  means that a significant proportion of its timber and wood product imports were illegally harvested, said the Environmental Investigation Agency.

Kathleen Li Follow
A sign near the closed Border Patrol highway checkpoint on Highway 90 near Uvalde, Texas, on Sept. 17, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Border Patrol Checkpoints Close, Agents Sent to Del Rio Bridge

UVALDE, TexasBorder Patrol has been forced to close down several highway checkpoints near the border to free up more agents to deal with the crisis unfolding under the international bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

The two highest-volume checkpoints now closed are on Highway 57 from Eagle Pass to San Antonio and Highway 90 from Del Rio to San Antonio. A checkpoint at Comstock, Texas, is also closed. The closures leave the highways largely unimpeded for human and drug smugglersmost of the extra Texas state troopers deployed to the border highways are also being pulled to the bridge for security.

Just hours after the closures, Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe said hes certain the lack of checkpoints is already being exploited by everybodycartels, human smugglers, on and on.

Coe was a Border Patrol agent in the area for 31 years before becoming sheriff. Kinney County sits on Highway 90 between Del Rio and the checkpoint near Uvalde.

Its a straight shot from Del Rio to San Antonio nownobody to check anything, Coe told The Epoch Times on Sept. 17.

Border Patrol and other law enforcement agencies are struggling to contain the situation under the bridge in Del Rio as thousands of illegal immigrants cram into a dirt area adjacent to the Rio Grande. As of mid-afternoon on Sept. 17, more than 12,800 illegal aliens, mostly Haitians, were camped out under the bridge waiting to be processed by Border Patrol. The number has swelled almost by the hour since the morning of Sept. 13 when around 2,000 were under the bridge.

Highway checkpoints are usually located from between 40 miles and 70 miles beyond the U.S.Mexico border and are designed to stop the traffic that is traveling from the border. Often, an agent with a K-9 will be working to help find drugs or hidden humans.

The amount of drugs seized at the highway checkpoints has already gradually decreased this year as Border Patrol agents have continually been pulled into processing large numbers of illegal immigrants.

At highway checkpoints along the whole southern border, agents have seized 431 pounds of fentanyl during the last 11 months, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics. More than 2,000 pounds of cocaine and 5,285 pounds of methamphetamine were also seized.

CBP didnt break the seizure numbers down by sector, so the specific Del Rio Sector numbers arent available.

Mayor of Uvalde Don McLaughlin said it was still too early for Uvalde to feel the impact of the checkpoint closure, but now its just wide open.

You want to bring drugs through, bring them through, he said. Theres no checks  theres no Border Patrol.

McLaughlin said he expects an increase in the groups of illegal aliens who arent stopped by Border Patrol at the border, as agents are forced to leave miles of border unprotected.

Uvalde sits around 70 miles from the U.S.Mexico border. The city has been dealing with a spike in vehicle pursuits through town, as well as burglaries.

My police department is spread thin, our burglaries are up about 80 percent in Uvalde, said McLaughlin, adding that the culprits arent all illegal aliens.

One smuggler got his car impounded and the jail was full so they wouldnt take him, so they released him in town. He broke in two houses, four automobiles, and stole six guns, he said.

If the federal governments going to abandon the state of Texas, the state of Texas needs to say the hell with the federal government, lets just do it on our own.

CBP didnt respond to a question regarding how long they anticipate the highway checkpoints to be closed.
Connecticut Readies to Accept Afghan Refugees

Officials in Connecticut say they are expecting to house several hundred Afghanistan refugees in the coming weeks.

Gov. Ned Lamont said in a news release the refugees will be fully vetted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and have all necessary vaccinations, including for COVID-19.

My administration was informed by the White House that our state will soon be asked to house as many as 310 Afghan refugees for resettlement in Connecticut, Lamont said. I welcome these individuals with open arms into our wonderful state.

Lamont said he had ordered the states Department of Social Services to coordinate with other state, federal and local entities to ensure all the necessary resources are in place to support the refugees with necessities such as food, shelter and job training.

These evacuees are our allies and have supported our country for years, and it is our turn to return the favor, Lamont said. Connecticut has a legacy of being there for those in need, and we are proud to answer the call.

The Associated Press reported that each refugee will be provided a stipend of $1,225 for rent, furniture, food, and pocket money. Afghan refugees are not eligible for food stamps, cash assistance, Medicaid or traditional services funded through the Department of Health and Human Services.

State Sen. Christine Cohen, D-Guilford, said in a tweet she was proud the state is welcoming 310 Afghan refugees.

The state has also joined Welcome.US, a bipartisan organization committed to helping Afghan refugees resettle.

By Brent Addleman
Tourists walk next to the crater of the San Antonio Volcano on the Canary Island of La Palma, Spain, on Sept. 17, 2021. (Borja Suarez/Reuters)

Earthquakes Ease on Spains La Palma as Volcano Alert Remains

LA PALMA, SpainA surge in seismic activity on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma has slowed in the past day but could return at any moment, authorities said on Friday, as they kept almost half the islands population on yellow alert for an eruption.

The decrease in seismic activity may be transient and does not necessarily imply a halt to the reactivation, the regional emergency services said in a statement after a meeting with politicians, volcano experts, and civil defense authorities.

Scientists have recorded more than 4,000 tremors in the Cumbre Vieja national park in the south of the island, prompting authorities to declare a yellow alert for eruption on Tuesday, the second of a four-level alert system.

The yellow alert affects some 35,000 people in the regions of Fuencaliente, Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso y Mazo.

Authorities on Friday advised people in those areas to prepare an emergency backpack with vital supplies and a mobile phone in case an evacuation is ordered.

So-called earthquake swarms are common on volcanic island chains such as the Canaries, said Eduardo Suarez, a volcanologist with Spains National Geographic Institute on neighboring Tenerife.

What is noteworthy this time is that normally they occur between the crust and the mantle, at a depth of around 20 kilometers (12 miles)  now in some zones they are between 1km3km (0.61.9 miles) from the surface, he said.

More than 11 million cubic meters (388 million cubic feet) of magma have seeped into Cumbre Vieja, around a quarter of the amount expelled during the last major eruption in 1971.

By Borja Suarez
Effectiveness Gap Between Modernas, Pfizers COVID-19 Vaccines Widens Over Time: Study

A new study seeking to shed light on real-world COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness shows a widening gap between Modernas and Pfizers vaccines four months after each vaccines second dose.

Among the 3,600-plus U.S. adults without immunocompromising conditions who were enrolled in the study, vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization within the first four months of being fully inoculated was higher for the Moderna vaccine (93 percent) than the PfizerBioNTech vaccine (88 percent) and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (71 percent), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While the Moderna vaccines effectiveness dropped slightly to 92 percent after 120 days of full vaccination (with a median of 141 days), Pfizers declined significantly to 77 percent (with a median of 143 days), researchers found.

Because only a limited number of patients received the J&J shot more than 120 days before the onset of illness, its effectiveness wasnt stratified by time in the study, which was conducted between March 11 and Aug. 15. Also, confidence intervals for estimating the J&J vaccines effectiveness were wide because of the relatively small number of patients inoculated with the product, according to researchers.

Although these real-world data suggest some variation in levels of protection by vaccine, all FDA-approved or authorized COVID-19 vaccines provide substantial protection against COVID-19 hospitalization, the CDC stated.

The study didnt evaluate vaccine efficacy by variant, such as Delta, nor did it gauge effectiveness against COVID-19 that didnt result in hospitalization. The analysis also didnt consider effectiveness in children and immunocompromised adults.

COVID-19 is the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, also known as SARS-CoV-2 or the novel coronavirus.

The study was published on Sept. 17, the same day that the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) vaccine advisory panel voted 163 to recommend booster shots of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine for individuals aged 65 and older and those at high risk of occupational exposure. At the same time, the panel voted 180 against recommending booster shots for those aged 16 to 65.

Dr. James Hildreth, a voting member on the FDA expert panel, said that he [has] a serious concern of myocarditis in young people. The FDA had previously issued warnings that, while rare, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which are built on messenger RNA technology, could cause myocarditis or pericarditis among younger individuals.

Another FDA adviser, Dr. Melinda Wharton, echoed Hildreths concerns and said she would not feel comfortable with recommending boosters to younger people due to the risk of myocarditis. She noted during the panel that younger people are at very low risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 or becoming severe breakthrough cases.

While U.S. health officials, some other countries, and vaccine makers have argued that boosters are needed for everyone, many scientists, including some inside the FDA and the CDC, have disagreed. Booster doses have been previously recommended by the CDC for immunocompromised individuals.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Election Campaign Day 35: Trust Me, Says Trudeau; Tories not Wedging People on Vaccination, Says OToole

With only two days left before Canadians head to the polls, party leaders focused on issues ranging from trust and security to personal freedoms and health care.

Liberals

During a campaign stop in Aurora, Ont., on Sept. 18, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was asked why Canadians should trust him given he had previously promised not to call an election during the pandemic.

Trudeau didnt answer directly, but stressed that Canadians should focus on who to trust to get through the pandemic, given almost 80 percent of eligible Canadians have been vaccinated thanks to the Liberals and everyone across this country wants to see this pandemic end.

He also used the question to attack Conservative Party Leader Erin OToole, accusing him of being untrustworthy in matters relating to assault weapons, womens right to choose, and telling his candidates to hide their vaccination status.

When the reporter said her question wasnt about OToole, but him, and why Canadians should trust him since there are instances where you have not kept your word, Trudeau replied that any leader should be able to fall back on the core values that Canadians can trust.

Trudeau was also asked whether he would consider getting rid of the first-past-the-post voting system if elected, and how the rise of the Peoples Party of Canada would factor into his decision.



I have always been a fan of ranked ballots where people get to choose first choice, second choice, third choice, he said. I am not a fan of proportional representation because it gives more weight to smaller parties that are perhaps fringe parties, as weve seen right now.



He added that it would be interesting to follow up but that is not his priority right now.



Conservatives

In a campaign stop in Dundas, Ont., on Sept 18, OToole urged Canadians to vote for his party to secure their future.

Too many Canadians are scared. Prices are out of control. Spending is out of control. Secure jobs are harder to come by, he said.

When they look to the future, theyre not filled with hope. When they look to the future, they dont see an affordable home, they dont see a pension, they dont see securitythey see only endless struggle.



When pressed by a reporter to explain why he made vaccination a matter of personal health choice given the fear thats out there, OToole said his approach is to encourage as many Canadians as possible to get vaccinated.

Were not going to be doing that by wedging people like Mr. Trudeau, always dividing people, using even a health crisis for his own benefit, he said.

He added that he would never have partnered with China, which the Trudeau government did in their effort to strike a vaccine deal with Chinese company CanSino that fell through.

Retired Vice-Admiral Mark Norman endorsed OToole and the Conservatives on Sept. 18, saying in a video posted on Twitter that Canada needs a leader of substance with a solid plan in the best long-term interest of this country.

I believe Erin OToole is the leader that Canada needs now, he said.

A failed prosecution of Norman on breach-of-trust charges by the Liberals resulted in the House of Commons issuing an apology to Norman in May 2019.

NDP

Speaking in Saskatoon on Sept. 18, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh pledged to hire more health care-workers if elected.

He said health-care workers are burned out due to understaffing as a result of cuts in health-care transfers from the federal government to the provinces over the years, with the situation exacerbated by the pandemic.

Were going to fight to make sure you get the funds, the resources, the work conditions, and the staffing levels necessary to do the care that delivers, the care that you know, you can, and want to deliver, he said.

Peoples Party

While campaigning in Strathmore, Alberta, on Sept. 17, PPC Leader Maxime Bernier pledged that if elected, he would adopt common-sense policies.

Common sense will be with us. Common sense is with us because we believe in you. We dont believe in a big fat government that will tell you what to do with your life, that you must have a vaccine passport, Bernier told the crowd.

He urged those present to vote for his party so that we will have a freedom voice, a common-sense voice in Parliament.

He promised to balance the federal budget in four years, defund the CBC, and protect the Canadian sovereignty by cutting foreign aid to the United Nations.

When tyranny becomes law, revolution becomes our duty, he said.

Green Party

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul travelled to B.C. on Sept. 18 to support the partys candidates in the final few days of the election.
Shipping vessels are docked at The Port of Los Angeles, in Long Beach, Calif., on Jan. 12, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Experts Advise Consumers to Plan Ahead for the Shopping Season Due to Shipping Congestion

As the shipping season approaches its peak, congestion at the Port of Los Angeles, the largest port on the West Coast, and its adjacent Port of Long Beach, remains unresolved, which may affect the upcoming shopping season.

Gene Seroka, Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, reminded consumers to plan ahead for the upcoming holiday shopping season at the Port of Los Angeles monthly update meeting on Sept. 15.

What were seeing is the unevenness of the supply chain, factory output in Asia is at its highest in recorded history, yet there are still back orders, said Seroka.

Buy toys now, said Ed Desmond, executive vice president of the Toy Association. If you see toys you think the kids are going to want for Christmas  pick them up now and tuck them away to make sure you have them.

Though the current supply chain in the toy industry is fairly stable, there is a risk of shortage or a lack of a variety of products due to various reasons such as shipping congestion crisis, inefficient distribution channel system, and labor shortage. We just dont know whats going to happen down the road as we get closer to Christmas, Desmond added.

The steady flow of cargo through the twin ports over the past year indicates strong consumer demand in the United States. Eight months into the 2021 calendar year, overall cargo volume was 7,273,053 TEUs, an increase of 30 percent compared to 2020, according to data from the Port of Los Angeles.

Our Port Optimizer data indicates significant volume headed our way throughout this year and into 2022, said Gene Seroka.

And figures of the Port of Long Beach show that its total cargo volume exceeded 6,346,377 containers, an increase of 29.2 percent over the same period in 2020.

However, the surge in imports into the Twin Ports has also created logistical challenges. According to the Maritime Report published by the Marine Exchange of Southern California, the number of ships in port at the Twin Ports from Sept. 815 set new records.

For example, the number of ships in port hit a record high on Sept. 10, with 134 ships in port, including 86 container ships. While all anchorages were full and 16 ships inside the green circles were drifting.

On Sept. 15, the record was set again: 146 ships in total were packed in port, of which only 58 were at berth and the remaining 88 were at anchor or drift areas. Of these 146 ships, 92 were container ships.

Shipping congestion has been going on for months since it was revealed earlier this year that nearly 700 workers were infected with coronavirus and 1,800 people were unable to work at the Twin Ports. Kip Louttit, executive director of the Southern California Maritime Exchange, told The Epoch Times in February that the continued congestion would cause more problems for businesses.

At the time, economists analyzed that the difficulties faced by the twin ports would also affect the entire supply chain of products in the United States.

Last month, Seroka noted that space in warehouses, rail yards, and container terminals was tight, hence they are working on offering new data tools and incentives while cooperating with the private sector and the federal government to develop alternative strategies.

But again, because of a confluence of factors with regard to the global supply chain, there will be some delays, said Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach.
Facts Matter (Sept. 17): Durham Officially Files Grand Jury Criminal Indictment Against Clinton Lawyer

Late Thursday night, John Durham, the special counsel currently investigating the alleged spying that was done against Donald Trumps campaign in 2016, released a grand jury indictment.

In it, he charged a lawyer, who represented both the Democratic National Convention as well as the Clinton campaign, with lying to the FBI.

However, there is a lot more to this case than meets the eye.

Resources:

 AMAC:

https://ept.ms/3bzYr8f

 Criminal Indictment:

https://ept.ms/3hJK7fH

 Durham Article:

https://ept.ms/2VVSs8E

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Fallout from Gen. Milleys Calls to China; New Alliances Form Amid Calif. Recall

The turmoil in Washington continues over secret phone calls made by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, to his Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng in the final months of the Trump administration. How do the calls, and the brewing scandal around those calls, impact US-China relations? Bill Gertz, national security reporter for the Washington Times, and author of Deceiving the Sky: Inside Communist Chinas Drive for Global Supremacy, shares his views.

Next, in American Q&A, we ask: Post-Afghanistan withdrawal, are you more concerned about terrorists attacking the United States?

Then in California, Republican rookie Larry Elder failed to dethrone Governor Gavin Newsom. But Elders campaign picked up some unlikely support, including from our guest, former Democratic California Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero.

Finally, our second America Q&A asks people across the country if they think members of Congress should be subject to the same vaccine mandates as other workers.

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Dead dolphins on beach and in water in Skalafjorour, Faroe Islands, on Sept. 2, 2021. (Sea Shepherd/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Faroe Islands Look Into Dolphin Killings After Record Slaughter

COPENHAGENThe Faroe Islands said on Thursday it would review regulations governing its centuries-old tradition of hunting dolphins after graphic footage of the slaughter of a record catch of hundreds prompted an outcry.

More than 1,400 Atlantic white-sided dolphins were herded into shallow waters by boats and jet-skis then killed on a beach on Sunday, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society campaign group said.

The U.S.-based organization released footage showing people turning the water red as they cut some of the dolphins with knives. It described the hunt as brutal.

The Faroe Islands has defended its traditionknown as the grind (or Grindadrap in Faroese)of shoring up pods of dolphins or whales and slaughtering them on beaches for decades.

But the government of the North Atlantic archipelago said in a statement on Thursday the latest catch had been extraordinary due to the size of the pod and it would look into regulations around the practice.

We take this matter very seriously. Although these hunts are considered sustainable, we will be looking closely at the dolphin hunts, and what part they should play in Faroese society, Prime Minister Bardur a Steig Nielsen said.

Meat from the hunt is traditionally divided among the islanders.

Hogni Hoydal, leader of the opposition Republican Party and a former fishery minister who co-created the current whaling legislation, told Reuters he got around 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of the delicate and lean dolphin meat delivered to him on Monday.

My claim is that the Faroese whale and dolphin killing, as long as the population is not threatened, is probably the most sustainable use of natural resources that we see in the modern world, Hoydal said.

But I do understand that some react to the number (of slaughtered dolphins) and that it is obviously a bloody affair, he added.

Around 45,000 residents have collected their share of the catch, all of which was given away for free, Hoydal said.

Sundays catch was a record, the government said. On average, around 250 dolphins and 600 pilot whales are caught every year in Faroese waters, it added.
Jon and Jennifer Cicio look at Jon's accomplishments as a 17-year firefighter for the city of Gainesville, at his home in Gainesville, Fla., on Sept. 17, 2021. (Jann Falkenstern/The Epoch Times)

Florida Firefighters Fear Losing Their Jobs to Vaccine Mandates

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.When Hurricane Dorian decimated The Bahamas in September 2019, he answered the call; when the Surfside condominium towers fell in June, he answered the call. Its what he does and what he loves to do. But Jon Cicio is ready to give it all up to stand on principle.

On Aug. 5, the city of Gainesville narrowly voted through a vaccinate or terminate policy for its employees. As a result, Cicio and other first responders for Gainesville, through their attorney Jeff Childers, have filed a brief for emergency injunctive relief. On Monday, Judge Monica Brazington of the Eighth Circuit for Alachua County will hear from both sides of the issue. For Cicio, the choice to join the lawsuit was clear.

Im not anti-vaccine, he said. Im anti-mandate.

Childers said that time is running out for the citys employees because they want the first vaccine to be taken by Oct. 1 and the second by Oct. 31. The penalty for not getting the first dose is a disciplinary measure of 52 days off without pay, and the penalty for not getting the second shot is termination.

The clock is ticking on these people, Childers told The Epoch Times in a one-on-one interview. This is unconstitutional.

Cicio said he is still researching the vaccine and has not made up his mind whether he will get the vaccine or not. He said if the powers that be would leave people alone to make up their own minds about what works for them, they might get different results. However, threatening peoples livelihoods is not the way to go.

I had COVID, so has the rest of my family, he said. From the research I have read, I have natural immunities because I had the virus, and I am afraid to put something else in my body that some people have had reactions to.

Cicio has a lot more than a job on the line if he does not comply with the citys demand. He has 10 faces looking to him for support. Jon and his wife have 10 children: five biological children, four adopted, and an 8-month-old who is still a foster child but will soon join the Cicio clan legally.

Daddy, daddy, daddys home, screamed four little voices in unison during a recent Epoch Times visit to the Cicio home. The patriarch entered his newly custom-built home that sits on a picturesque lot where one would envision a rural Florida home to be. Picturesque oak trees tower above and around the Cicio home with Spanish moss slowly swaying in the breeze, a peaceful and relaxing scene. The home was built with love, sweat, and sometimes tears by Cicio, his 18-year-old son Eli, and the brotherhood of the Gainesville Fire Department. Next door sits their old home that is approximately 1,500 square feet with one bathroom. Cicio said it was bursting at the seams. The couple decided to build on their adjoining lot that they hope will sustain everyone until each child leaves the nest.

Jon and Jennifer Cicio have called Gainesville home their entire lives and have been married a few months shy of 20 years. Now, 39 and 38 years of age, respectively, the couple have five children of their own: Eli, 18; Katelayn, 16; Noah, 11; Audrey, 9; and Taylor, 7. Through the years, four other childrenJade, 11; Wyatt, 5; Maya, 3; and Thomas, 2came into their lives through fostering and were ultimately adopted. An 8-month-old girl, who is a sibling to one of their other adopted children, recently came into their home and will soon be adopted by the couple.

Their faith keeps them grounded as a family. It is the core conservative values that the Cicios were raised on and that they are passing on to their children.

God hasnt let me down yet, Cicio said as he clutched 2-year-old Thomas tightly to his chest. The city of Gainesville is not my provider, God is.

Jennifer Cicio is bitter toward the city because of what they have done in the form of mandates to her husband and the others they call their extended family.

[Jons] the one who leaves our house when there is an emergency, she said, tears welling in her eyes. They [the city] dont appreciate him the way they should. I feel betrayed.

However, Jennifer isnt worried and relies on her faith to see her through.

I am not worried, she said. We will make it because my husband will find something to do, hes talented. Being a member of the Gainesville Fire Department is what he loves to do.

Jon Cicio and his band of brothers of the Gainesville Fire Department are called upon, whether its in their own community or whether the call comes from across the ocean; they are there to lend their hands and give help to those in need, he said.

Cicio has been involved in two search and rescue missions, including for the 2019 hurricane that decimated The Bahamas.

The Gainesville Fire Department responded to the island after Dorian hit, he explained as he pointed to a wall plaque that pictured Cicio and his fellow rescuers in a newspaper account, digging for any signs of life. It was horrible, and yes, we recovered dead bodies.

When the Surfside condominiums collapsed in June, again, Cicio and other members of the Gainesville Fire Department were sent by the city to help and represent.

When we went, we understood that there would probably be no survivors, he said. But we prepared ourselves for that and kept it professional.

Part of a wall in their living area is dedicated to awards he has received over the years. His children will go over and look at them and can talk about what each represents to them.

Nine-year-old Audrey picked up a piece of rebar that was displayed on the shelf and stared at it pensively.

My daddy brought this back on his last trip, she said. It is hard to believe that this is what was holding up that great big building.

Cicio had brought that back from the surfside condominium scene to show his family what he was digging through in an effort to find human lives that he never foundonly the smell of death and dust, he recalled.

It was recovery at that point, he recalled, gently taking the rebar from his daughter and returning it to its resting place on the shelf. But nothing could prepare us for the betrayal of the city of Gainesville because they always said we were heroes.

During the pandemic, first responders nationwide have been described as heroes by people of all walks of life. But because of Gainesvilles new vaccine mandate, they are now being hailed as selfish by the very city that sends them to be a positive reflection in other areas when there is a crisis.

Were good enough to be sent to other areas to help out because we represent the city well, Cicio said. But now we are being called selfish because we dont want a shot?

Other people have their own reasons for not wanting to be injected, Cicio explained.

People have to be their own advocates, he said. If we do not stand up and say, Enough, it will give them a license to go further and further until this country is unrecognizable. Thats why I fight; I fight for my childrens future and to show my kids that its the right thing to do.
Logo of Mylan Laboratories, a company primarily engaged in the commercialization of generic drugs, is pictured in Merignac near Bordeaux, France on Sept. 19, 2019. (Regis Duvignau/Reuters)

Former Mylan Executive Pleads Guilty to Insider Trading

A former information technology executive at Mylan pleaded guilty on Friday to insider trading for using tips from the drugmakers chief information officer (CIO) to trade in its stock, generating $4.27 million of illegal profit, authorities said.

Dayakar Mallu, 51, admitted to conspiring to commit securities fraud, and to an unrelated charge of helping prepare a false tax return, before U.S. District Judge W. Scott Hardy in Pittsburgh.

Mylan is now known as Viatris Inc. after merging last November with Pfizers Upjohn off-patent drug business, which Pfizer spun off. The combined companys headquarters remain in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb.

Authorities said that between October 2017 and July 2019, Mallu traded Mylan stock based on material nonpublic information about the companys results, Food and Drug Administration drug approvals, and the Upjohn merger.

Mallu, now a resident of Orlando, Florida, was previously vice president of global operations information technology at Mylan, and had been a friend and colleague of the chief information officer, court records show.

The tax return charge related to a computer programming company based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, that Mallu owned, prosecutors said.

Mallu could face 57 to 71 months in prison under recommended federal guidelines at his Jan. 24, 2022, sentencing, according to a plea agreement with the Department of Justice.

He also agreed to forfeit $4.27 million and make restitution to the Internal Revenue Service, court records show. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed related civil charges.

Aitan Goelman, a lawyer for Mallu, declined to comment.

Ramkumar Rayapureddy, who was Mylans CIO at the time of Mallus trading, now holds the same job at Viatris, according to Viatris website and his LinkedIn Page.

The SEC said Mallu shared some profits with the source of his inside information, who directed him to make cash payments in person, in India, to avoid detection.

Rayapureddy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Viatris said: The company is committed to the highest standards of integrity and compliance with the law. The company has been fully cooperating with the authorities. We are not in a position to comment further.

By Jonathan Stempel and Chris Prentice
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks at a signing ceremony of the Less Is More Act, in New York on Sept. 17, 2021. (Kevin P. Coughlin/Office of the Governor)

NY Governor Orders Release of 191 Rikers Island Inmates Jailed for Technical Parole Violations

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered the immediate release of 191 inmates from the crisis-stricken Rikers Island correctional facility, saying that the individuals in question had served their debt to society but had ended up back in prison due to technical parole violations.

Hochul made the announcement at a Sept. 17 event at which she signed the Less Is More: Community Supervision and Revocation Reform Act into law, a criminal justice reform measure meant to reduce instances of parolees being reincarcerated for what she described as technical violations of parole conditions, such as missing curfew or failing a drug test.

All too often, in this state particularly, parole becomes a ticket back into jail because of very technical violations. Someone was caught with a drink, or using a substance, or missing  an appointment. We call these technical violations, and what it does is it lands people back in a place that they finally paid their debt to and were released from, Hochul said at the signing, noting that around 65 percent of people who are returned to prison for parole violations fall into the technical category.

While the Less Is More Act doesnt go into effect until March 2022, Hochul said she was ordering the immediate release of the nearly 200 Rikers Island inmates under the provisions of the new law.

I believe that we also have to take some very swift action and take it right now. So the Board of Parole, under my direction, will have 191 people released today, she said. They have served their sentences under the dictates of the new Less Is More, but they shouldnt have to wait until the enactment date.

The Rikers Island jail complex stands in New York with the Manhattan skyline in the background on June 20, 2014. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

Other measures introduced by the legislation include requiring speedy adjudicatory hearings and an opportunity for parolees to earn credits for every 30-day period in which they dont violate a condition of supervised release, which will go toward reducing their period of parole.

While backers of the Less Is More Act say putting people in prison for technical parole violations is costly and fuels recidivism, Republicans in the state legislature have accused Democrats of focusing more on individuals who commit crimes rather than their victims.

Donna Hylton, a former Rikers Island inmate and founder of the advocacy group A Little Piece of Light, praised the measure.

I am thrilled today has arrived, Hylton said in a statement. It is a victory for the women who have suffered behind bars for small parole missteps.

New York state Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican who plans to run for the office of governor, criticized Hochuls decision to sign the bill and proceed with releasing inmates on its basis.

Even months before this new law takes effect, Hochul has criminals now pouring out of Rikers Island, and its clear the madness isnt ending anytime soon, Zeldin said in a statement, in which he called for repealing cashless bail, keeping qualified immunity, standing up for law enforcement, and restoring a balance of power in Albany.

The release of those on Rikers Island comes as the correctional complex grapples with staffing shortages, poor conditions, and restrictions placed on guards, with city authorities scrambling to bring in more officers, reduce the inmate population, and speed up repairs.
A teacher introduces himself to the students in a classroom at a secondary school, during the first day of the new term, in Hong Kong on Sept. 1, 2021. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Hong Kong Teachers Exit Under Shadow of Security Law, Schools Scramble to Fill Gaps

HONG KONGFor his last class in Hong Kong in July, liberal studies teacher Fong showed his students calligraphy by the territorys late democratic activist Szeto Wah: Choose the right path and stick to it. He emigrated to Britain days later.

Fong is one of many teachers that left Hong Kong before the school year began in September, some saying they felt disillusioned and threatened by the authoritarian turn the city has taken since Beijing imposed a stringent national security law in June 2020.

The day I resigned, I told my school: If one day, some students downstairs chant slogans, I would have to call the police to arrest my own students, said 45-year-old Fong, who asked to be identified by only one name for fear of drawing the attention of authorities. I could not do that. And I could not hold my tears.

Several principals who spoke to Reuters said teachers were departing this year at about twice the normal rate, leaving some of them scrambling for new recruits.

The Hong Kong Association of Heads of Secondary Schools (HKAHSS) warned the government in July that would cause a brain drain that would reduce the quality of education in the city. About 700,000 pupils attend 1,000 or so primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong.

The education environment and also the atmosphere have changed quite drastically in the past two years, Samuel Cheng, principal at United Christian CollegeKowloon East, told Reuters. People are stirred up by their friends and colleagues who left so I have to help them at least emotionally settle down. I have to stabilise the school.

In response to Reuters questions, Hong Kongs Education Bureau (EDB) said teachers might have quit the profession to pursue other jobs or studies, or for other personal reasons, and did not address the issue of a brain drain. It said the national security law was not affecting the education sector or the quality of teaching.

The allegation by the so-called departing teachers is totally biased and unfounded on evidence, the EDB said in a statement to Reuters. It is inherently misleading and statistically biased to regard views from these individual teachers as representative of the education professionals in general.

National Security Lessons

It is impossible to determine how many of the almost 60,000 school teachers in the former British colony left this summer, or plan to leave this year. Figures on teacher employment for this school year collected by the EDB are not yet available.

The Professional Teachers Union (PTU), which was Hong Kongs biggest union before it disbanded this month, said in May that 40 percent of teachers it surveyed wanted to leave the education sector.

Some have emigrated, although Hong Kong does not publish information on how many people leave the territory or their occupation.

Britain, Canada and other countries have said tens of thousands of Hongkongers have emigrated in the past year or so, out of a total population of 7.5 million.

One of those was Grace Kwok, a 33-year-old music teacher who moved to Britain in January. She told Reuters some parents complained to her principal after she told pupils that Tian Han, who wrote the lyrics of Chinas national anthem, March of the Volunteers, died in prison during Mao Zedongs 1960s Cultural Revolution.

I do not want to teach my students values I do not believe in, said Kwok. I do not want to be in danger.

The education system has become a key target of a broader plan by Chinese regime leaders to reform Hong Kongs youth after the pro-democracy demonstrations of 2019.

Almost 20 percent of the more than 10,000 people arrested during the protests were of school age. About 100 teachers and staffers from schools were also arrested, according to the citys education secretary.

In February, Hong Kong introduced new curriculum guidelines ensuring that children as young as six learn more about China and are taught about the national security law, which made any act that Beijing regards as secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces punishable by up to life in prison.

The EDB has replaced the subject of liberal studieswhich it introduced in 2009 to increase social involvement and to develop critical thinkingwith a smaller module called citizenship and social development which focuses on patriotism.

References to the bloody 1989 massacre of protesters in and around Beijings Tiananmen Square and the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests in Hong Kong have been removed from textbooks seen by Reuters, along with other pro-democracy events.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said last year that teachers who were bad apples needed to be removed from the education system. The EDB told Reuters it received 269 teacher misconduct complaints from June 2019 to December 2020. It did not provide any details of the complaints.

Under pressure from authorities, the PTU officially disbanded earlier this month. The Hong Kong government had already cut ties with the 95,000-strong union.

Head Teachers Scramble

The EDB told Reuters that 4 percent to 5 percent of teachers in primary and secondary schools dropped out every year for the past four years. It does not have data for the school year just started.

Some principals told Reuters that teacher turnover this summer was much higher than that. Dion Chen, chairman of Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council, said many schools had five or six teacher resignations, with some reporting 15 to 20, more than in previous years. Not all were caused by emigration, he said, but the departures triggered a musical-chair effect of teachers changing jobs.

Tai Tak Ching, who retired as the head of the Wan Chai District Headmasters Conference in August, estimated five to seven resignations per school, compared with only two or three in recent years.

Polly Chan, vice-chairwoman of the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Council, said four teachers at her Yaumati Catholic Primary SchoolHoi Wang Road emigrated and she had to replace 10 teachers in total over the summer. Chan said the higher turnover was caused by the pandemic, plus social disturbances, plus political reasons. She said emigration had only become a significant factor this year.

Cheng at United Christian CollegeKowloon East said he had to replace 14 of his 80 teachers this summer: nine emigrated, four changed schools and one retired. He said he had never before had to replace more than three or four.

Most of those who left had taught at the school for more than 15 years, he said, but some of their replacements did not have the postgraduate diploma required to fully qualify as a teacher, which Cheng described as a compromise.

Cheng told Reuters he brought back a retired teacher to guide one of the new recruits, hired an external firm to help the new Japanese teacher and assigned mentors internally for the rest of the new staff. He said he expects the big burden of emigration to last another two or three years.

The education sector takes a hit because the people with experience are leaving in droves, former PTU president Fung Wai-wah told Reuters, before the union disbanded.
Police tape is seen in this stock photo. (Carl Ballou/Shutterstock)

Investigator: 3 Killed in Helicopter Crash in Georgia Forest

Monticello, Ga.Three people were killed when a helicopter crashed in the dense woods of a national wildlife preserve in central Georgia, a federal investigator said Friday.

The Robinson R66 helicopter scattered debris over a path 125 feet (38 meters) long, indicating a high-energy impact, Aaron McCarter, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, told a news conference.

He said two pilots and a passenger died in the crash Wednesday night. Their identities were not immediately released.

The helicopter took off from Thomasville, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) south of the crash site, at 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, McCarter said, and was reported missing about two hours later. He said the weather during the flight was rainy with low clouds and reduced visibility.

Search teams combed the woods in rural Jasper County looking for the crash site, and discovered the wreckage Thursday afternoon.

April Seabolt, who lives in the area, said it was pouring rain Wednesday evening. She told The Telegraph of Macon that she and her husband heard a low-flying aircraft over their house and felt like something was wrong.

It was flying really low, Seabolt told the newspaper.

It wasnt immediately known what caused the crash. McCarter said the NTSBs investigation will look at the weather conditions, as well as the credentials and experience of the pilots and evidence collected about the helicopter itself and its maintenance history.

He said the NTSB should release preliminary findings on the crash within about two weeks.
The download page for the TikTok app is displayed on an Apple iPhone in Washington, DC, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Irish Data Watchdog to Probe TikTok Over Handling of User Data

TikTok, the Chinese-owned video sharing platform, faces two inquiries from a data regulator in the European Union (EU) over its processing of childrens information and transferring of user data to China.

The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) said it will first look at the processing of personal data in the context of platform settings for users under age 18 and age verification measures for persons under 13, according to a statement released on Sept. 15.

The second inquiry will examine whether TikTok transfers EU user data to China, where its parent company ByteDance is located.

Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon warned of data transfer issues in March, according to a report by The Irish Times.

TikTok tells us that EU data is transferred to the United States and not to China. However, we have understood that there is [a] possibility that maintenance and AI engineers in China may be accessing data, the report stated, citing Dixons speech at an online event.

In July, the Dutch Data Protection Authority fined Tiktok $885,000 for not offering a privacy statement in Dutch. The agency said that children may not understand how the app collects, processes, and uses personal data.

The Netherlands privacy regulator said in a statement that it transferred several results of its investigation to the Irish Data Protection Commission as TikTok established operations in Ireland during the course of the investigation.

EUs strict General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law, allows only one regulator to oversee multinational companies operations in the bloc.

From that point on, the DPA was only authorized to assess TikToks privacy statement because the violation itself had already ended, Monique Verdier, deputy chair of the Netherlands data watchdog, said in the statement.

It is now up to Irelands Data Protection Commission to finish our investigation and issue a final ruling on the other possible violations of privacy investigated by the DPA.

Under GDPR, companies can be fined up to 4 percent of their global revenue. ByteDance reported $34.3 billion in earnings in 2020, up 111 percent year-on-year.

Irelands privacy watchdog levied a record fine of $265 million to WhatsApp for breaching GDPR earlier this month. The regulator said it had received complaints about how the app processes personal data, including users and those who dont use WhatsApp, since the enactment of GDPR in 2018.

This includes information provided to data subjects about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies, according to the statement.

TikTok has been under scrutiny in the United States because of security concerns about its Chinese owner.

The threat is that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)  can use TikTok to gather sensitive information about Americans, Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said in a previous interview with The Epoch Times.

The Trump administration attempted to ban TikTok in August 2020, saying that the app could be used by the CCP to spy on Americans, but the order was never enforced as the result of several court orders. President Joe Biden revoked the ban in June, instead directing the Commerce Department to a review of apps with ties to the Chinese regime for national security risks.

Cathy He contributed to this report.
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, speaks during an address to attendees at Access Intelligence's SATELLITE 2017 conference in Washington on March 7, 2017. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Jeff Bezos Sends Rare Message to Elon Musk in First Tweet Since February 2020

The two men have been duking it out on the social media platform all year

Are there olive branches in space?

Sure looks like there might be in an unexpected yet, dare we say, seemingly sincere gesture from Jeff Bezos towards Elon Musk on Twitter.

Musk, whose space exploration company SpaceX launched a historic all-civilian flight this week, was the recipient of a subtle congratulations by billionaire and longtime rival Bezos on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

Congratulations to @ElonMusk and the @SpaceX team on their successful Inspiration4 launch last night, Bezos wrote. Another step towards a future where space is accessible to all of us.

Congratulations to @ElonMusk and the @SpaceX team on their successful Inspiration4 launch last night. Another step towards a future where space is accessible to all of us.  Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) September 16, 2021

This was a rare showing for the Amazon founder, who hasnt posted on the social media platform since February 2020, when he sat down with French president Emmanuel Macron to discuss sustainability and climate change.

Related: SpaceX to Carry All-Civilian Crew in Space Flight

Bezos Tweet to Musk received over 123,700 likes as of the time of this writing, along with one very brow-raising response from Musk himself.

Thank you, the Tesla CEO quietly responded.

Thank you  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 16, 2021

The polite exchange between the two men was anything but ordinary.

The billionaires have been duking it out on the social media platform all year, most recently when Musk slammed the Amazon founder over his multitude of lawsuits and petitions that were filed in opposition of SpaceX, including NASAs original contract to grant SpaceX the sole grant to human lunar exploration.

Bezos didnt stop there, filing a separate complaint with the FCC regarding SpaceXs permission to develop a second-generation Starlink satellite system.

Related: Russian Space Chief Wants Elon Musk Over for Tea

Not only did Musk respond to each of the lawsuits as they made their away around Twitter, but he purposely spelled Bezos name incorrectly before calling him out.

Turns out Besos retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX, the Tweet read.

However, when Bezos himself flew to space in Blue Origins New Shepard rocket in July, Musk sent an acknowledgment over the social media platform to which Bezos did not respond.

Best of luck tomorrow, Musk wrote in response to Blue Origins tweet pre-launch.

This week, NASA announced that it was awarding five companies with contracts to develop moon-landing designs, totaling $146 million.

Both SpaceX and Blue Origin were among the five companies.

Related: Elon Musk Makes Fun of Bezos on Twitter, Purposely Spells His Name Wrong
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee gives the command to start engines prior to the NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn., on July 15, 2020. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Judge Blocks Opt-Out Option on School Masks in Tennessee County

A federal judge on Sept. 17 temporarily blocked the implementation of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lees executive order, which allowed parents to opt children out of wearing masks in schools.

The judge blocked Lee, a Republican, from enforcing his order in Shelby County and directed Shelby officials to enforce the countys health orders without exception.

The same court issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month against the governor.

Plaintiffs offered sufficient evidence at this stage to demonstrate that the executive order interferes with Plaintiffs ability to safely access their schools, U.S. District Court Judge Sheryl Lipman wrote in a 29-page opinion (pdf).

The three plaintiffs in the case are parents of children with disabilities who argued that their children are at increased risk of adverse outcomes from COVID-19 and that the governors order would prevent the children from safely attending school.

On Aug. 6, the Shelby County Health Department mandated universal masking in schools. The policy allowed for no exceptions for students and staff who were vaccinated or possessed acquired immunity to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus.

On Aug. 16, 10 days after the Shelby County mask mandate, Lee issued an executive order allowing parents to opt their children out of any school mask policy. At the press conference announcing the executive order, Lee said the best way to protect children at schools is to have them wear masks.

If you want to protect your kid from the virus or from quarantine, the best way to do that is to have your kid in school with a mask, Lee said.

After Lees executive order, nearly 2,400 parents in Shelby County opted their children out of mask-wearing, according to court documents. At the time of the hearing on the temporary restraining order, which was issued in early September, 22 percent of the children at the school of one of the plaintiffs had opted out of wearing masks, according to court documents.

The opt-out rate in one of the other plaintiffs schools is about 17 percent. The plaintiffs child cant wear a mask due to autism and is immunocompromised due to chemotherapy. Hoping to avoid exposure to COVID-19, the parents say the child cant go to the lunchroom, the gym, or walk in the hallways with unmasked peers.

The judge also found that the plaintiffs arent required to exhaust their options through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Plaintiffs will face irreparable injury if the Executive Order remains in place, and the public interest is served by enjoining the enforcement of this Executive Order, the judge wrote.

The preliminary injunction ordered on Sept. 17 will last until the court enters a final order in the case.
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses for the official group photo at the U.S. Supreme Court in the District of Columbia on Nov. 30, 2018. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Justice Thomas Defends the High Court, Warns Against Destroying Our Institutions

In a rare public appearance, Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas defended the high court, warned against efforts destroying our institutions, and criticized the media for depicting the justices as politicians.

Thomas gave a speech Thursday at the University of Notre Dame, the alma mater of the newest Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett.

They think that we make policy, Thomas responded to a question about misconceptions to the court, criticizing the media. I think the media makes it sound as though you are just always going right to your personal preference. So if they think you are antiabortion or something personally, they think thats the way you always will come out. They think youre for this or for that. They think you become like a politician.

Thats a problem. Youre going to jeopardize any faith in the legal institutions, Thomas added. The media and the interest groups further that.

The high court has been criticized by the mainstream media and abortion rights supporters since its recent 54 vote to let a Texas banning-abortion law stand temporarily. The court majority emphasized that their decision didnt include a conclusion about the constitutionality of the Texas law. Abortion rights supporters deem the decision as evidence that the right to abortion, which was established in 1973 Roe v. Wade, could be threatened.

In a 1992 decision, Thomas was one of four justices who would have overturned Roe v. Wade that extended abortion rights across the country.

Thomas said its wrong to determine a judge based on the outcome of the decision.

If you go back and you look at some of the New York Times articles in the 30s and 40s on Supreme Court cases, the few that Ive read are excellent. Because they summarize the case, they talk about the arguments, they summarize the whole length, and then there may be a short paragraph on the implications, Thomas said. Now put that side by side with what you would get today. I think thats problematic, and that sort of encourages these preconceptions about the court. Thats all just personal preferences.

Last week, Barrett also defended the Supreme Court, saying, this court is not comprised of a bunch of partisan hacks.

Its not my job to decide cases based on the outcome I want, the newest justice said.

Thomas said that some judges venture into political, legislative or executive branch lanes, and resolving things that are better left to those branches, which contributes to the criticism and pressure the judicial system faces.

I think thats problematic, Thomas said.

When, for example, President [Franklin] Roosevelt threatened to pack the court, there was enough sense of what the court meant and what separation of powers meant to criticize him, Thomas said. Today, you see almost no criticism or very little when you have those kinds of conversations. So I think part of its the judges own doing by venturing in areas we should not have entered into.

Last week, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer also warned against remaking the Supreme Court, including expanding the institution with justices, suggesting Republicans would do the same.

Serving the high court for 30 years, Thomas admitted that the court is flawed.

It is flawed. Its very flawed, like every human institution.  But I will defend it because knowing all the disagreements, it works, Thomas said. It may work sort of like a car with three wheels, but it still works.

I think we should be careful destroying our institutions because they dont give us what we want when we want it, Thomas said.

Asked how to solve a case conflicting with his Catholic faith, Thomas said that wouldnt be a problem.

I have lived up to my oath, Thomas said. There are some things that conflict very strongly with my personal opinion, my policy preferences, and those were very, very hard, particularly early on.

I mean, you do your job, and you go cry alone, Thomas said. The audience responded with laughter and applauds.

Next month, the Supreme Court is going to hear a case about Mississippis ban on most abortions. Thats the first time the court returns to the courtroom since the pandemic, the Washington Post reported.
Members and guests of Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club stand in silence during a special Colors ceremony in honor of the 13 fallen soldiers who died on Aug. 23 during the American retreat from Afghanistan, in Newport Beach, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2021. (Lynn Hackman/The Epoch Times)

Local Tributes to Fallen 13 Emphasize Importance of Tradition

CORONA DEL MAR, Calif.As Americans around the country continue to hold ceremonies in honor of the thirteen fallen soldiers killed during the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan on Aug. 26, members and guests of the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) held a solemn remembrance on Sept. 15, using time-honored maritime and military traditions.

In the days after the tragedy, BCYC volunteers and staff created a fallen soldier tribute with a reserved sign at one of the seats of the clubs bar, with a framed photo of the thirteen fallen soldiers flanked by a glass of beer at the ready, a traditional gesture symbolizing their loss.

A ceremony was then organized and led by BCYC Port Captain, Mark Jensen, himself a veteran who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.

Jensen was in Portugal at the time the American warriors were killed, and upon hearing the news, he sent an email to BCYC Vice Commodore Kari Konapelsky to whom he reports, requesting that the club fly the national ensign (American flag) at half staff for the next 13 days to honor the fallen soldiers. He also asked if he could organize a special ceremony during the clubs nightly retiring of the colors on Sept. 15.

I know that a lot of other military personnel have been lost in that (Afghanistan) war, Jensen told The Epoch Times. But nevertheless, these were the last. I felt strongly that we needed to do something to honor these soldiers, because those men and women made the ultimate sacrifice at the end. It didnt need to happen that way, but it did and they deserve our appreciation and respect for their service.

Konapelsky responded with a photo of the clubs American flag already at half-staff and a thumbs up approval of the remembrance ceremony when Jensen returned home.

BCYC Commodore, Rhonda Tolar, who attended the tribute, told The Epoch Times, BCYC has long had a proud history of upholding dearly held American maritime traditions. We felt this was an appropriate tribute, particularly because we are so blessed with the freedoms all Americans enjoy each day, thanks to the service and sacrifice of those who died in the name of our country, like the 13 who perished far from home in Afghanistan on August 23rd.

The Tradition of Colors

The tradition of colors began with the British Royal navy and has continued with the U.S. Navy. Cannons or guns are fired, or a ships bell rung, at sunset when the flag is taken down, as a sign of respect.

In the days when sailing ships were armed with cannons, it could take as long as twenty minutes to load and fire a gun. When a ship fired her guns in salute, she rendered herself powerless for the duration. By emptying their guns, the ships crew demonstrated to shore batteries and forts that they were no threat.

Over time, this gesture became a sign of respect, with both shore and ship gun batteries firing volleys.

Attention on Deck

BCYC has observed the time-honored naval tradition of the colorsthe daily raising and lowering of the American Flagever since the clubs founding in 1958.

Tradition calls for the colors to be hoisted smartly each morning and lowered ceremoniously at dusk. Colors is a tradition observed at many yacht clubs throughout the U.S., and at all military bases throughout the world.

During colors, members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute, and any service person present in uniform should render a salute.

Each evening at BCYC, as the sun sets over the harbor and the Pacific Ocean, a ships bell is rung, and the command Attention on Deck is announced to staff, members and their guests. All those on club property in sight of the flag stand and face the flag in silence, with their hands over their hearts, until the flag is fully lowered. Many veterans stand at attention and salute the flag as it is lowered each evening.

At sunset on the 15th, Jensen, with the help of BCYC Traditions Committee Chair, Elizabeth Barden, asked members and their guests to rise and silently face the flag. Barden began the remembrance with what is referred to as a death knell, the ringing of a ships bell twice three successive times during the silence.

This is a solemn occasion for this evening during our colors ceremony, Jensen told the crowded room after the bells tolled. Tonight, we remember and honor our 13 fallen American Warriors.

Jensen then read the names of the fallen soldiers after a single bell toll was rung for each.

These are the 13: Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20 of Rio Bravo, Texas. Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, of Roseville, California. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover, 31, of Utah. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23, or Corryton, Tennessee. Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamunga, California. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California. Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska. Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, of Wentzville, Missouri. Navy Hospital Corpsman and Marine medic Max Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio.

Jensen finished the brief but moving remembrance. With tears in his eyes and choked voice, Please remain silent and at attention while the colors are retrieved.

He then gave the final command concluding the ceremony when the flag is raised from half-staff to full and then brought down. Raise the colors to full staff. Retrieve the colors, and a final two ships bells rang out among the silent crowd.
Los Angeles Fire Department firefighters push ambulance cots at the scene of a structure fire that injured multiple firefighters in Los Angeles, Calif., on May 16, 2020. (Damian Dovarganes/AP Photo)

Los Angeles Fire Department Captain Burned in Explosion Sues Businesses, Building Owner

A Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) captain is suing a downtown vape shop and its building owner for negligence and hazardous activity after he was severely burned in an explosion last year.

Firefighters were responding to a fire that broke out in the warehouse in May 2020, when the building exploded in a 30-foot-wide ball of fire, injuring 12 firefighters along with LAFD Captain Victor Aguirre, a 20-year veteran of the department.

Aguirre sustained burns all over his body, and third-degree burns on his hands, some of which were so severe that each of his fingers was partially amputated; he was hospitalized for two months and has undergone 25 surgeries since. The 12 other firefighters sustained minor to critical burns, and one firefighter suffered a lower extremity injury, according to a report by the LAFD.

As a Union leader whose top concern is the health and safety of our members, this is personal to me, Freddy Escobar, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, said in a statement. Our firefighters are lucky to have escaped this inferno with their lives. We support the City Attorneys efforts to hold people accountable for their reckless actions that put our first responders in harms way.

Aguirre is suing building owner Steve Sungho Lee, along with owners of the businesses inside the building, including Smoke Tokes, a vape shop. The lawsuit alleges that the building illegally stored large amounts of hazardous materials. Lee owns several buildings on Boyd St., which is also known as Bong Row due to the high number of businesses selling goods associated with smoking vapes, tobacco, and marijuana.

The lawsuit comes after the LAFD report found that the blast was caused by an excess of nitrous oxide and butane in the Smoke Tokes vape shop.

However, despite the large quantities of butane, the LAFD had no record of ever inspecting the building. The LAFDs report said that the subject address was not found in the LAFD Fire Prevention database and records of inspection were never completed.

Fire Chief Ralph M. Terrazas told the LA Times that a fire inspector would have annually inspected Smoke Tokes due to the large amount of nitrous oxide and butane in the building, and that the materials would likely have been seized upon inspection.

From what I saw shortly after the incident  they were obviously overstocked, and we would have cleared inventory, directed them to reduce inventory, cleared aisles, cleared product away from the doors  basically make it safe for our firefighters in the event there was an emergency, Terrazas said.

Business operators and building owners on Bong Row are facing more than 300 criminal charges from the city for violations at various building locations as a result of multiple inspections by the LAFD, LAFDs Arson Unit, Los Angeles Police Department, and the Department of Building and Safety.

Charges include violations of the Los Angeles Municipal Code and the California Penal Code, such as failure to comply with LAFD fire and building code orders, according to a statement by the L.A. city attorney.

Lee faces charges on 36 counts for violations at 327 Boyd St., 50 counts for violations at the building he owned next door, 46 counts for violations at 309 S. San Pedro St., and three counts for violations at 5719 S. Avalon Blvd. Lee could face up to 68 years in jail and face thousands of dollars in fines.

Neither Aguirre nor Lee could be reached for comment. The LAFD declined The Epoch Times request for comment as the matter is in litigation.
McCarthy Calls for National Guard to Help Cope With Del Rio Illegal Immigrant Surge

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has urged President Joe Biden to deploy the National Guard to help deal with the illegal immigrant surge along the southern border, insisting the situation is a national security crisis and blaming the Biden administration for a failed response.

McCarthy made the remarks in a Sept. 17 statement that came as thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly from Haiti, were congregating under the Del Rio International Bridge in Texas while they await processing by Border Patrol.

The Biden Administration must recognize this for what it is: A National Security Crisis. As such he must fully deploy the National Guard to the southern border to help our Border Patrol agents with more resources to control the situation, the Republican leader said.

Recently, over 10,000 migrants have surged to the border in Del Rio. It is no coincidence this is happening as Democrats in Congress are moving to pass legislation that would grant immediate citizenship for up to 10 million illegal immigrants. This is a wakeup call to Democrats that their policies are putting American lives in danger and must be abandoned, McCarthy said.

Thousands of illegal immigrants amassing in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

The number of individuals gathering at the Del Rio bridge has skyrocketed in less than a week, to around 9,000 by Sept. 16 from only a couple of hundred on Sept. 9, according to Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez.

Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano confirmed that another 20,000 are on their way.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who traveled to the border on Sept. 16, called the scenes at the Del Rio bridge the most horrific thing Ive ever seen.

There are right now, as were speaking, there are 10,503 people under that bridge. It is packed in as a mass of humanity, Cruz said. They take your breath away because it just goes on and on and oninfants, little children, people struggling enormously.

Being briefed by @CBP on the escalating #BidenBorderCrisis while yards away from over 10,000 illegal aliens. This is a manmade disaster. And it is a direct result of Joe Bidens political decisions. pic.twitter.com/gLUFq4LTjw  Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) September 17, 2021

Cruz, too, blamed the Biden administration for the situation and called for deportation flights to Haiti to resume.

Its a political decision that Joe Biden could end tonight by simply following the law and saying were going to send people back to Haiti, which is what federal immigration law requires, Cruz said.

The Biden administration paused deportation flights to Haiti after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated the country on Aug. 14. While there has been media speculation that the Biden administration was working on plans to start deporting people back to Haiti, those reports remain without official confirmation. The Associated Press cited anonymous administration officials as saying that deportation flights were to resume this week, while NBC News cited internal documents to that effect.

Illegal immigrants board a bus to be transported to a Border Patrol station for processing, under the international bridge, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers urged Biden in a Sept. 16 letter (pdf) to extend the deportation pause indefinitely for noncitizens who pose no threats to public safety or national security.

The mayor of Del Rio said its not clear who the illegal immigrants are and that he is concerned about security.

Im deeply frustrated. The thing that I worry about is a stampede. The thing I worry about is terrorism, Lozano said. We dont really know who they are.

The United States recorded more than 208,000 illegal immigrant arrests at the border in August, one of the highest months on record. Under the Biden administration, the country is on pace to set records for the highest number of fiscal year and calendar year encounters.

Charlotte Cuthbertson and Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the COVID-19 response and the vaccination program at the White House, on Aug. 23, 2021. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr. President, Do the Right Thing: End the Unconstitutional Vaccination Mandate

Commentary

President Biden, the Constitution you swore on the Bible to preserve, protect, and defend gives you very limited authority. You are not a dictator.

That Constitution was ratified only because it sharply restricted federal authority. Its promoters reassured the public again and again that the Constitution enumerated (listed) federal powersand that if a power isnt on the list, it isnt there.

The Constitutions supporters even agreed to amendments reinforcing this point. The Ninth Amendment (whose language is widely misunderstood today) says that the Constitutions specific limits on federal authority (such as the First Amendment), merely supplement the documents other limits (such as the limits inherent in enumerated powers). The 10th Amendment says that federal functionaries like yourself have only those powers the Constitution enumerates. The rest are divided between the states and the people, with the specific lines of division varying in each state under its state constitution.

Now, Mr. President, lets see what authority you do have. Pull out that pocket Constitution and examine it. The principal list of your powers is in Article II, Sections 2 and 3. There are a few others (like the presidential veto) in other places. Read the Constitution through, and you will find nothingnothingremotely resembling presidential authority to impose a vaccination mandate.

You might respond that your mandate merely enforces congressional laws, and that you are just exercising the discretion given you by Congress. But return to that pocket Constitution and examine the powers granted to Congress. The longest list is in Article I, Section 8, but there are others scattered throughout the document.

You will find that Congress may legislate for the District of Columbia, other duly-created federal enclaves, and the federal territories. You may impose your vaccination mandate there. But within state boundaries, Congress has nothing remotely resembling that authority.

Mr. President, some of your toadies might direct your attention to the Preamble and Article I, Section 8, Clause 1, both of which refer to the general Welfare. But as the Supreme Court has recognized (pdf), the Preamble is a statement of general purpose, not a source of constitutional rules. Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 grants Congress the power to tax, and the general Welfare language is designed merely to circumscribe the kinds of taxes it can impose. Nothing there authorizes a vaccination mandate.

What of Article I, Section 8, Clause 18? It says Congress may make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. That doesnt help, either. As some Founders stressedand as Chief Justice John Roberts acknowledged in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (pdf) (the first Obamacare case)the necessary and proper clause merely clarifies that Congress may adopt incidental means for carrying out enumerated powers. For example, Congress may set packaging standards as part of its power to regulate Commerce among the several States.

But it doesnt enable Congress, or you, to dictate health decisions to your fellow Americans.

At Syracuse University College of Law, the professors probably taught you the modern Supreme Court hasin defiance of the Constitution you swore to upholdenormously expanded the Commerce Power. (By Commerce Power, I mean the authority granted by the Constitutions commerce clause in conjunction with its necessary and proper clause). The court now claims a congressional measure is necessary and proper if it regulates an economic activity that substantially affects interstate commerce.

And, yes, vaccinations, like everything else, affect interstate commerce. But re-read the courts legal standard: For the federal government to regulate an activity under the Commerce Power, the activity must be economic in nature.

For example, the 1992 Supreme Court decision in United States v. Lopez (pdf) ruled that merely possessing a gun wasnt an economic activity, so Congress couldnt control possession of a firearm under the guise of regulating commerce. Similarly, the Sebelius case held that, while purchasing health insurance is an economic activity, refusing to purchase health insurance is not.

If refusing to enter an economic transaction isnt economic, then abstaining from a non-economic activity (getting vaccinated) certainly isnt economic! In other words, Mr. President, you cant justify a vaccination mandate even under the modern courts expansion of the Commerce Power.

Mr. President, I know that when you were in law school, you read the opinions of the greatest of all chief justices, John Marshall. Remember what they told you then: Chief Justice Marshall was no right-wing, states-rights, dont-tread-on-me, Fox News-watching, Proud Boy, anti-vax, insurrectionist freak. He was an advocate of a strong federal government. He was central to establishing that government on a firm basis.

You may recall reading Marshalls famous opinion in Gibbons v. Ogden (1824). You may recall how your constitutional law professor told you that the case established a liberal interpretation of Congresss Commerce Power. Your professor might have added that when, in 1942, the World War II-era Supreme Court adopted the very liberal substantially affect standard, the justices relied specifically on Gibbons v. Odgen (pdf).

But, Mr. President, there is one part of Marshalls opinion you might never have read. Thats because liberal case book authors and other law professors sometimes omit it, so students dont see it. That part of the opinion identifies activities over which the federal government has no jurisdiction:

Inspection laws  form a portion of that immense mass of legislation, which embraces every thing within the territory of a State, not surrendered to the general government: all which can be most advantageously exercised by the States themselves. Inspection laws, quarantine laws, health laws of every description, as well as laws for regulating the internal commerce of a State, and those which respect turnpike roads, ferries, &c., are component parts of this mass. No direct general power over these objects is granted to Congress; and, consequently, they remain subject to State legislation.

There is no Supreme Court authority higher than Marshall, and he himself told us that health laws of every description are matters for determination by the states. Not by Congress, Mr. President. And not by you.

Yes, Im aware of the pretext your administration has inventedthat this mandate is just a business regulation. But this is unworthy of you, Mr. President. And if you persist, you will learn that is bad politics and bad law. The American people dont like to be pushed around or lied to, and the courts arent fooled by pretexts.

Do the right thing on the vaccination mandate, Mr. President. Pull the plug.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
New York real estate scion Robert Durst, 78, answers questions from defense attorney Dick DeGuerin (L) while testifying in his murder trial at the Inglewood Courthouse in Inglewood, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Gary Coronado/Pool/Los Angeles Times via AP)

New York Millionaire Robert Durst Guilty of Best Friends Murder

INGLEWOOD, Calif.A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance.

Durst, 78, was not in court for the verdict from the jury that deliberated about seven hours over three days. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus.

Durst, who faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman. She was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000 as she was prepared to tell police how she helped cover up his wifes killing.

Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Dursts longtime confidante who told friends she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Susan Berman (L) and Robert Durst pose sometime in the mid- to late 1990s. (Courtesy of Sareb Kaufman/HBO)

Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didnt think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Bermans killing with Kathie Dursts suspected death and the 2001 killing of a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and hes been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes. We just feel really gratified that hes been held accountable, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.

Lewin met with jurors after the verdict and said they thought prosecutors had proven Durst had killed his wife and had murdered both Berman and his Texas neighbor in an effort to escape justice.

He said jurors did not find Durst credible as a witness.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession.

Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: There it is. Youre caught.

Dursts decision to testify in his own defensehoping for a repeat of his acquittal in the Texas killing backfired as he was forced to admit lying under oath, made damning admissions and had his credibility destroyed when questioned by the prosecutor.

New York real estate scion Robert Durst appears in court in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 4, 2020. (Etienne Laurent/Getty Images)

Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Friday they believed there was substantial reasonable doubt and were disappointed in the verdict. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

The conviction marks a victory for authorities who have sought to put Durst behind bars for murder in three states. Durst was never charged in the disappearance of his wife, who has never been found, and he was acquitted of murder in Galveston, Texas, where he admitted dismembering the victims body and tossing it out to sea.

The story of Durst, the estranged scion of a New York real estate developer, has been fodder for New York tabloids since his wife vanished. He provided plot twists so numerous that Hollywood couldnt resist making a feature film about his life that eventually led to the documentary and discovery of new evidence in Bermans slaying.

Durst ran from the law multiple times, disguised as a mute woman in Texas and staying under an alias at a New Orleans hotel with a shoulders-to-head latex mask for a presumed getaway. He jumped bail in Texas and was arrested after shoplifting a chicken sandwich in Pennsylvania, despite having $37,000 in cashalong with two handgunsin his rental car.

He later quipped that he was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

New York real estate scion Robert Durst, 78, answers questions from defense attorney Dick DeGuerin, left, while testifying in his murder trial at the Inglewood Courthouse in Inglewood, Calif., on Aug. 9, 2021. (Gary Coronado/Pool/Los Angeles Times via AP)

Durst escaped close scrutiny from investigators when his wife disappeared. But his troubles resurfaced in late 2000 when New York authorities reopened the case.

His lawyer told him to be prepared to be charged in the case, and he fled a life of luxury to Galveston, Texas, where he rented a cheap apartment as Dorothy Ciner, a woman he pretended couldnt speak. He eventually dropped the disguise after mishaps that included walking into a mens restroom and igniting his wig at a bar while lighting a cigarette.

Just before Christmas, he testified that he traveled to Los Angeles to visit Berman for a staycation with plans to see some of the tourist sites.

Durst, who had long denied ever being in Los Angeles at the time of Bermans death, testified at trial that he found her dead on a bedroom floor when he arrived.

Berman, a writer who had been friends with Durst since they were students at the University of California, Los Angeles, had serious financial problems at the time. Durst had given her $50,000, and prosecutors suggested she was trying to leverage more money from him by telling him she was going to speak with the cops.

Nine months after her death, Durst killed his Galveston neighbor Morris Black, in what he said was either an accident or self-defense. Durst said he found Black, who he had become friends with, in his apartment holding Dursts .22-caliber pistol.

Durst was acquitted after testifying the 71-year-old was killed in a struggle for the gun. Durst then chopped up Blacks body and tossed it out to sea. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

After the trial and the ghastly evidence of the dismemberment, Durst found he was a pariah, he said. Despite an estimated $100 million fortune, he was turned away by multiple condominium associations and said the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wouldnt take his money unless he donated anonymously.

Durst thought a 2010 feature film based on his life, All Good Things, starring Ryan Gosling as him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, had been largely accurate and painted a sympathetic portrait, despite implicating him in three killings. He only objected that he was depicted killing his dogsomething he would never do.

He reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to sit for lengthy interviews for a documentary. He encouraged his friends to do the same and gave the filmmakers access to boxes of his records.

He came to deeply regret his decision after The Jinx aired on HBO in 2015, calling it a very, very, very big mistake.

New York real estate scion Robert Durst appears in court in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 4, 2020. (Etienne Laurent/Getty Images)

The documentary filmmakers discovered a crucial piece of evidence that connected him to an anonymous note sent to police directing them to Bermans lifeless body.

Durst, who was so confident he couldnt be connected to the note, told filmmakers only the killer could have written the note.

Filmmakers confronted him with a letter he sent Berman a year earlier. The handwriting was identical and Beverly Hills was misspelled as Beverley on both. He couldnt tell the two apart.

The gotcha moment provided the climax of the movie as Durst stepped off camera and muttered to himself on a live microphone in the bathroom: Killed them all, of course.

During 14 days of testimony that was so punishing Judge Mark Windham called it devastating, Durst denied killing his wife and Berman, though he said he would lie if he did.

Robert Durst in his wheelchair spins in place as he looks at people in the courtroom as he appears in a courtroom in Inglewood, Calif. on Sept. 8, 2021. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)

He tried to explain away the note and what prosecutors said was a confession during an unguarded moment.

For the first time, Durst admitted on the witness stand that he sent the note and had been in Los Angeles at the time of Bermans death.

Durst said he sent the note because he wanted Berman to be found but didnt want anyone to know he had been there because it would look suspicious.

He acknowledged that even he had difficulty imagining he could have written the note without killing Berman.

Its very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman, Durst testified.

A prosecutor said it was one of the truest things Durst said amid a ton of lies.

By Brian Melley
North Carolina Judges Strike Down Voter ID Law, Claiming Its Racist

Two North Carolina judges on Sept. 17 struck down a law that required photo identification to vote, saying the measure was enacted with the unconstitutional intent to discriminate against African American voters.

The law was enacted in violation of the equal protection clause in North Carolinas Constitution, the majority of the panel said. The clause says that no person shall be denied the equal protection of the laws; nor shall any person be subjected to discrimination by the State because of race, color, religion, or national origin.

Defendants in a lawsuit, including North Carolina House Speaker Timothy Moore, failed to show that racial discrimination wasnt a substantial or motivating factor behind the enactment of the law, Superior Court Judges Michael OFoghludha and Vince Rozier Jr., both Democrats, wrote in a 102-page ruling permanently blocking the measure.

Other, less restrictive voter ID laws would have sufficed to achieve the legitimate nonracial purposes of implementing the constitutional amendment requiring voter ID, deterring fraud, or enhancing voter confidence, they said.

The law in question, Senate Bill 824, was enacted after a majority of voters in North Carolina approved it as a constitutional amendment in 2018. Before that, the Republican-controlled state legislature passed the bill and overrode a veto from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat.

According to previous court rulings, plaintiffs challenging a law in the state must show that discrimination was a motivating factor in passing a law, the pair of judges said in their majority decision. That puts the burden on defendants to prove that the law would have been enacted without this factor, they said, quoting from a North Carolina Court of Appeals ruling from last year, Holmes v. Moore.

Jabari Holmes and five other voters in the state sued over the law on the same day the legislature overrode Coopers veto, noting that a previous voter identification requirement was invalidated by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit because it was alleged to be intentionally racially discriminatory, in a decision upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The bill unconstitutionally and unjustifiably burdens the right to vote of Plaintiffs and similarly situated registered, qualified North Carolina voters who lack acceptable photo ID when they go to the polls and are subject to a complex process to vote, the group of voters said in their complaint.

Moore and other defendants claimed that the suit should be dismissed because, they said, the law didnt violate the state Constitution.

Voters during the North Carolina primary elections at the Pullen Community Center in Raleigh, N.C., on March 15, 2016. (Sara D. Davis/Getty Images)

Judge Nathaniel Poovey, the third judge on the panel, offered a dissenting opinion, in which he highlighted how the law was approved by the voters of the state.

Presenting some form of identification is a task we must perform quite frequently in everyday life. Adding more familiarity to the process of casting a vote increases the level of certainty in the electoral process. And doing so by requiring the presentation of photographic identification ensures each person offering to vote is who they proclaim to be, thereby increasing confidence in the outcome of each election, said Poovey, a Republican.

The evidence showed that no registered voter in this State will be precluded from voting by the identification requirements in this law, he said.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which represents the plaintiffs in the case, said in a statement that the ruling Is a testament to the overwhelming evidence, including compelling stories of disenfranchisement from voters themselves, which highlighted how the states Republican-controlled legislature undeniably implemented this legislation to maintain its power by targeting voters of color.

Sam Hayes, general counsel for Moore, the North Carolina House speaker, said in a statement: Once again, liberal judges have defied the will of North Carolinians on election integrity.

This fight is far from over. We look forward to appealing this partisan ruling on behalf of the people of North Carolina.

Two other lawsuits against the measure are also being considered by courts. A federal suit brought by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is set to go on trial in January 2022; a separate suit brought on the state level by the association is awaiting a decision on appeal to the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Off-Duty Bay Area Policeman Sees Mom With Choking Baby on Roadside, Pulls Over, Saves His Life

An off-duty Bay Area police officer was driving home from the movie theater with his family when he was called upon to save the life of a baby who wasnt breathing.

After watching an action film Sunday evening Aug. 15, Gilbert Troche of the San Pablo Police was near First Street in Livermore, when his wife spotted a mother in distress, standing outside her vehicle by the curb.

I looked to my left out of my window and I saw a lady holding her baby and she appeared to very distraught, Troche told The Epoch Times. She was crying and rocking back and forth.

He pulled over behind her car, got out, and offered to help.

I thought that maybe her car just ran out of gas, Troche said. She just immediately just handed me her baby.

I could see very clearly that he was choking, that he couldnt breathe.

Her sons face and lips were turning blue.

The baby opened his mouth as if to cough or cry, but no sound came out.

I immediately leaned him over and I started doing some back slaps, Troche said.

The officer later admitted that he was scared to death, as he knew that three to five minutes of asphyxia was the red zone and could cause brain damage.

The mother had entrusted him with her sons life.

When back slaps werent working, the officer turned to his wife, who was waiting in the car, and silently mouthed the words 9-1-1, so as not to alarm the panic-stricken mom.

Meanwhile, Troches 12-year-old daughter recorded the incident on her phone.

He did more back slaps, and then asked the mom to finger sweep her babys mouth. He saw him begin to vomit. And thankfully he began to cry.

I used a little bit more force for the last one, and I heard a pop, and then he vomited and started crying, and that was when I knew the airway was clear, the officer said, who then handed the boy back to his mom, who was very thankful.

(Courtesy of Gilbert Troche)

Once first responders arrived, Troche got back in his car and left, so as to not block traffic.

His kids, whod watched everything unfold before their eyes, talked about the ordeal the whole day, which he said was a really cool thing, because they had a chance to see what police officers do on the job every day.

Troche, who was named Officer of the Year in 2018 and is a devout Catholic, believes he was put there at that point in time for a reason.

What I did helped and worked, and thank God, he added. It could have gone a different way.

Named Officer of the year in 2018, Gilbert Troche poses for a photo with his wife, Daniela. (Courtesy of Gilbert Troche)

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Ohio Files Lawsuit Against Google for Anti-Competitive Behavior

On Tuesday, Attorney General Dave Yost of Ohio filed a lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of discriminatory and anti-competitive behavior. The lawsuit moves to have Google declared a public utility, subjecting it to regulatory boards in the state.

Though Google has faced federal and state level scrutiny before, this lawsuit is the first to definitively call for Google to be treated as a public utility.

Ohio AG Criticizes Monopolistic Practices by Google, Calls for Regulation

The opening of the case, State of Ohio v. Google (pdf), reads: The vast majority of Ohioans use the internet. And nearly all of those who do use Google Search. Google is so ubiquitous that its name has become a verb.

This wide, practically unchallenged supremacy is a key argument for the state to consider it a public utility.

As further proof of this, the suit notes that Google dominates internet search, globally and domestically. This domination is so widespread that nearly 90 [percent] of all internet searches are conducted through Google. On mobile devices, it says, this dominance is even starker, with Google controlling 95 percent of all internet searches.

This dominance, it continues, is essentially impossible to break due to high barriers to entry in the field. Search engine algorithms improve, it notes, with each successive search. With its long history, Google has had time to improve its search engine well beyond competitors search engines.

The suit says that even though Googles mission statement is to organize the worlds information and make it universally accessible and useful, the site fails to disclose to its user[s]  that it manipulates its presentation of that information to preference its own services, yielding search results that best benefit the interests of Google.

Still, the suit notes This suit does not seek redress for Googles dominance of internet search, nor does it argue that Googles dominance of internet search is good or bad when viewed in isolation. These, it says, are left to be resolved elsewhere.

This section of the suit concludes with the words that Google as a common carrier and public utility  cannot self-preference on its Results Pages.

The suit also notes that the legal action and its requested remedies are founded upon the positive statutory, common, and/or decisional laws of Ohio. In other words, if Ohio courts approved the suit against Google, its regulations would only apply within Ohios borders.

It also rejects federal interference in the states legal proceedings against the corporation, saying that any such efforts would improperly disturb the balance of federal and state responsibilities and would be without basis in law or fact.

Suit Gains Support From Conservative Politicians, Think-Tanks

Some conservative politicians and organizations came out in support of the suit.

Rep. Douglas Swearingen (R-Ohio), U.S. Senate primary contender J.D. Vance, and the Claremont Institutes Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence (CCJ) joined in filing an amicus brief explaining why the suit by Yost should be accepted.

In a media release from Claremont, CCJ founder John Eastman notes that The Claremont Institutes goal is to protect public discourse and a robust marketplace of ideas, and therefore it has a real and substantial interest in the Attorney Generals efforts to protect Ohioan citizens ability to communicate and engage in meaningful democratic discourse on todays public squarethe internet.

Broad concerns over social media censorship have long been a conservative concern, leading President Donald Trump to found a hotline to allow people to report their social media bans to the federal government. These concerns only intensified after Trump, while still the sitting President of the United States, was banned from Twitter.

Even Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), an outspoken critic of Trump, found the ban concerning. Do I feel particularly comfortable that the then-president of the United States could not express his views on Twitter? I dont feel comfortable about that, Sanders said in an interview with the New York Times.

A tweet from Senate challenger Vances press team described Yosts lawsuit as an effort to break Big Techs stranglehold on the public square.

Vance said, Dave Yost deserves to be applauded for this landmark lawsuit which can give Ohio the ability to provide overdue meaningful oversight of Big Technology companies like Google.

On a press release on the legal action, Yost notes Ohio is the first state in the country to bring such a lawsuit.

In plain terms, the release says, Ohioans are harmed by Google because they cannot make the best choices if they dont get all of the information. For example, if someone searches for a flight and Google returns its own presentation of search results to steer the person to Google Flights, the person doesnt see offers from competitors such as Orbitz and Travelocity.

Google has moved to have the courts reject the suit, a motion which the writers of the amicus brief urged the court to deny.
Pennsylvania Rations Alcohol Due to Crippled Supply Chain

A shortage of certain alcohol brands is leaving some drinkers in low spirits; the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) announced this week it would begin rationing a list of popular liquor labels.

Due to sustained supply chain disruptions and product shortages, purchase limits of two bottles, per customer, per day were applied to certain items beginning Friday, Sept. 17, and will remain in effect for the foreseeable future.

The two-bottle limit applies to all consumers and liquor license holders such as bars and restaurants, and includes 43 well-known labels including Hennessy Cognac, Don Julio 1942 Tequila, Jack Daniels Whiskey, Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne, and Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

The rationing was not a surprise to Shawn McCall, general manager at Room 33 Speakeasy in Erie, Pa. The speakeasy has had trouble getting some brands for the last three or four months.

I havent been able to get Bulleit Bourbon for a month. Jack Daniels was out for a while but its back in now, McCall told The Epoch Times in a phone interview. People know there is a shortage, so bar owners are overstocking. That is why they put a limit on it.

In Pennsylvania, wine and spirits are sold at state-operated stores where both consumers and liquor license holders shop. The state stores buy directly from producers so they have a first look at supply.

We are aware of product shortages in other states, PLCB Press Secretary Shawn Kelly told The Epoch Times in an email. While the current supply challenges are not unique to Pennsylvania and are impacting markets across the U.S., the PLCB has experienced product shortfalls before, and we regularly impose bottle limits on products for which we know demand will exceed supply in order to distribute the product as fairly as possible. These bottle limits are preventative measures to fairly distribute product and minimize out-of-stock situations, which will vary by location.

Chuck Moran, executive director of the Pennsylvania Licensed Beverage & Tavern Association, says the rationing adds to a growing list of challenges for small businesses.

Before the pandemic I believe there were problems making kegs, having to do with steel tariffs, Moran told The Epoch Times in a phone interview. Weve dealt with shortages before. But now it seems to be one thing after another. We went through this with chicken wings, ketchup packets, plastic cups, and there is still a recovery effort going on from COVID. Businesses were having a hard time finding employees. The combination is really hampering recovery for small business.

Moran hopes that when Pennsylvanias legislators return to session Monday, they have a plan to help small businesses.

Glass Shortage and More

There are several reasons for the shortage. All producers who spoke with The Epoch Times pointed to increased consumer demand as one reason.

Many of our brands, including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, have been on allocation for a few years due to demand outstripping supply of aged whiskey, Amy Preske, spokeswoman for the Kentucky-based Sazerac Company told The Epoch Times in an email. On average, the whiskeys we sell today were made seven to eight years ago (2013/14) and we underestimated todays consumer demand.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is in the midst of a $1.2 billion expansion, including more barrel warehouses, construction of an additional still, additional fermenters, and expanding its dry house operation. But it will still be a few years before bourbon supply catches up with demand. This shortage is related to any glass shortage or worker shortage in the supply chain, Preske said.

Barrels of bourbon are seen inside of a closed storage building as they age at the Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky on April 11, 2019. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)

But Svend Jansen at Jack Daniels Distillers headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, says those issues did impact its operation.

We are managing through the impact of global supply chain disruptions, including glass supply and challenging cost headwinds. With the rebound and recovery of our markets and channels, coupled with strong consumer demand for our brands, we are currently managing through glass supply constraints, Svend told The Epoch Times in an email. We have deployed a number of risk mitigation strategies and are working actively with our suppliers and distributor partners to optimize our supply chain to meet the consumer demand. While we expect these disruptions to persist throughout the fiscal year, we believe that the impact will become less significant in the second half of the year.

A global glass shortage is affecting large and small companies. Adam Flatt, co-owner of Franklin Hill Vineyards in Bangor Pa., and Social Still, makers of Sasquatch Vanilla Maple Bourbon in Bethlehem Pa., says the cost of bottles has gone up and its tough to buy them at any price.

Two years ago, I paid $1.47 for a glass bottle, now I pay $2.50 a bottle, Flatt told The Epoch Times in a phone interview. The supply chain is broken for sure for us small guys, and now suppliers are not warehousing as much as they used to.

In January, he ordered 6,000 bottles for October. The supplier has changed the delivery to no sooner than January, but his orders have been pushed back so many times he is not confident about getting bottles by then. Flatt has changed bottle designs, suppliers and still struggles to get bottles. And there is more.

There are labor shortages. For a while, nothing could be shipped to you. The bottle company was on quarantine and people were not allowed to work. Now demand is back, even better than before, Flatt said. But everything seems more challenging. Like pricing, a dollar more a bottle. Sometimes you think, Ill pay a little more to fix a problem, but money cant fix some of these problems.

Every part of the supply chain has problems, says Pat Shorb, president at Holla Spirits, a York, Pa. vodka producer.

If we were to order today, we would have issues getting bottles, caps, labelsmany are experiencing problems with their glues, we can get them but they are delayedits all down the board. Its parts for equipment. Its drivers, general freight at the ports, delays getting products out of warehouses and into stores, Shorb told The Epoch Times in a phone interview. Theres not a person in the industry who is not feeling the constraints of the supply chain.

Shorb says he has a supplier who needs 50 workers in his warehouse and cant find the workers, even with a $3,000 sign-on bonus. It means products sit in the warehouse longer and the company makes adjustments.

Were forecasting better, working more in advance and in higher quantities, and hoping that the supply chain issue shakes itself out, Shorb said, adding that Pennsylvanias ration of major brands is an opportunity for consumers to embrace new brands.

A majority of major spirit brands are foreign-owned. Its a great opportunity for consumers to support your local or regional producers, to experiment. There are phenomenal local products of superior quality and consumers should try them.

Products Rationed in Pennsylvania

Bars and consumers may buy no more than two bottles of any items on this list.

1792 Chocolate Bourbon Ball Cream Liqueur 34 Proof 750 ML

Bakers Straight Bourbon Small Batch 107 Proof 750 ML

Blantons Single Barrel Straight Bourbon 750 ML

Blood Oath Bourbon Trilogy 3 Pack Second Edition 99 Proof 2.25 L

Bond and Lillard Straight Bourbon 100 Proof 375 ML

Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 90 Proof 1 L

Buffalo Trace Straight Bourbon 90 Proof 750 ML

Buffalo Trace Straight Bourbon 90 Proof 1.75 L

Colonel E H Taylor Jr Straight Bourbon Small Batch Bottle in Bond 100 Proof 750 ML

Dom Perignon Champagne Brut 750 ML

Don Julio 1942 Tequila Anejo 80 Proof 750 ML

Don Julio Tequila Blanco 80 Proof 750 ML

Eagle Rare Single Barrel Straight Bourbon 10 Year Old 750 ML

Elijah Craig Single Barrel Straight Bourbon 18 Year Old 90 Proof 750 ML

Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof 750 ML

Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof 1 L

Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof 200 ML

Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof 375 ML

Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof 50 ML

Hennessy Cognac VS 80 Proof 1.75 L

Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Black Label Tennessee Whiskey 80 Proof 1.75 L

Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial Champagne 750 ML

Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial Champagne Rose 750 ML

Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne Brut 375 ML

Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne Brut 750 ML

Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne Brut 1.5 L

Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne Brut 187 ML

Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne Rose 750 ML

Moet & Chandon Imperial Champagne Rose 187 ML

Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne 750 ML

Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne Rose 750 ML

Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne Rose 375 ML

Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Champagne Rose 187 ML

Patron Tequila Silver 80 Proof 750 ML

Russells Reserve 13 Year Old Straight Bourbon Barrel Proof 114 Proof 750 ML

Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey 90 Proof 750 ML

Veuve Clicquot Champagne Rose 750 ML

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut 1.5 L

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut 750 ML

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut 750 ML

Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label Champagne Brut 375 ML

WB Saffell Straight Bourbon 107 Proof 375 ML

Weller Special Reserve Straight Bourbon 90 Proof 750 ML
Passengers board a Qatar Airways aircraft at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2021. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Plane Carrying Afghans, US, and European Citizens From Kabul Arrives in Doha

DUBAIThe third chartered flight bringing civilians from Afghanistan to Qatar since U.S. forces withdrew last month landed on Friday with around 170 passengers on board, including U.S. and European citizens as well as Afghans, a Qatari official said.

Foreign nationals on board include those from Belgium, Britain, Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy as well as the United States, the official said.

The passengers were transported to Kabul airport in a Qatari convoy after the Gulf Arab state reached a safe-passage agreement with Afghanistans ruling Taliban terrorist group, the official said.

In Doha, the passengers will initially stay in a compound that is hosting Afghans and other evacuees.

Qatar has emerged has a key interlocutor between the West and the Taliban. The Gulf state is a close U.S. ally, hosting the largest American military base in the Middle East, and has hosted a Taliban political office since 2013.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit via a video link at his residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Sept. 17, 2021. (Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters)

Putin Says Russia Needs to Work With the Taliban

MoscowRussia needs to work with the ruling Taliban terrorist group in Afghanistan, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at a meeting of a China- and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Speaking via video link at the conference held in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Putin said Russia supported a United Nations conference on Afghanistan and that world powers should consider unfreezing Afghanistans assets.
Science Shaky on School Mask Mandates While Harms Ignored

News Analysis

Should children be required to wear masks at school? A review of the costs and benefits, including some of the latest science, doesnt add much to the case for mandating school masks.

First, lets look at some basics.

The risk of death from COVID-19 among schoolchildren is very, very low.

How low?

A Nature study estimating the COVID-19 infection fatality rate (IFR), or the proportion of those who die from infection, found an IFR of just 0.001 percent in children aged 5 to 9, as well as an IFR well below 0.01 percent in all those aged 19 and younger.

Thats less than one in 10,000 among teenagers and less than one in 100,000 in 5- to 9-year-old children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has advocated for masking children aged 2 and older, found that only 460 children had died of COVID-19 between late May 2020 and Sept. 9, 2021, across 45 states, New York City, Guam, and Puerto Rico0.08 percent of the total number of deaths they counted, regardless of age.

Looking again across multiple states, the AAP found that COVID-19 cases among children have surged in recent weeks, growing by 10 percent to 5,292,837 from 4,797,683 between Aug. 26 and Sept. 9a trend that could be related to the start of in-person schooling.

Yet, the AAPs own data show that children are just 0.9 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations, a rate on par with previous weeks, and down from reported hospitalization rates of 3.8 percent in mid-2020.

With all that in mind, what are the benefits of masking children?

According to the AAP, those benefits include the protection of unvaccinated students from COVID-19, as well as reduced transmission.

Yet as described above, COVID-19s risks for schoolchildren have been, and remain, extremely low.

Whats more, vaccines have been made widely available or, in some cases, are even mandated among teachers, who belong to age groups that are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than children.

And potential therapeutics are available. For instance, despite efforts to restrict access to ivermectin, individuals may still be able to obtain the drug, identified as an essential medicine by the World Health Organization.

Like the AAP, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends universal masking in schools, a change from its previous stance that vaccinated students and teachers dont have to wear masks. Neither the AAP nor the CDC mention natural immunity in their school masking guidance.

They, too, point to transmission as a justification for universal indoor masking, citing the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Concerns about transmission come down to two questions: First, how much is widespread COVID-19 transmission driven by children in schools, and second, how well do masks and mask mandates limit transmission?

While some scientists have provided evidence that children might play a significant role in community spread, researchers generally agree that children, and especially young children, arent the primary drivers of it.

An observational study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested that children up to the age of 9 attending school werent major contributors to COVID-19 spread, although the studys findings on teenagers were more equivocal.

A 2020 meta-analysis, or analysis of multiple studies, on COVID-19 susceptibility among young children and adolescents concluded that susceptibility was lower in those groups than in adults and offered weak evidence that they play a lesser role in population-level transmission.

More recently, a 2021 meta-analysis on COVID-19 transmission clusters concluded that children infected in school are unlikely to spread SARS-CoV-2 [COVID-19] to their cohabiting family members.

While the Delta variant appears to be more contagious, driving a rise in CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus-related cases and deaths, many have argued that its less deadly than the original Alpha strain.

That would be in line with the hypothesized trade-off between transmission and virulence, which suggests that pathogens evolve in the direction of spreading farther while also becoming less damaging to their hosts.

The effectiveness of masks and mask mandates in schools is also a matter of dispute, with mask mandates for students apparently lacking clear support.

In his July 30 executive order against mask mandates in Florida schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis argued that forcing students to wear masks lacks a well-grounded scientific justification, citing a 2021 preprint that found no correlation between mask mandates and COVID-19 case rates among students and faculty across schools in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts.

Yet the authors of that study stressed that their research was limited to just three states, meaning that their conclusions may not apply elsewhere. They also emphasized that the masking variation that they identified in Florida schools could make their findings even less generalizable to all U.S. students.

A 2020 report by the CDC itself on elementary schools in Georgia noted that COVID-19 incidence was 37 [percent] lower in schools that required teachers and staff members to use masks.

Crucially, however, the CDC found that mask mandates for students didnt have a statistically significant effect on COVID-19 incidence.

Here too, the studys authors noted some limitations to their work; notably, their findings were based on self-reporting, and investigators didnt directly examine whether people were using masks.

What About Masks More Generally?

An early randomized controlled trial of 4,862 adult participants from Denmark didnt find that surgical masks reduced COVID-19 infection, although the authors noted that some results were inconclusive.

On Sept. 1, however, researchers released a working paper detailing a cluster-randomized trial of mask promotion across communities in rural Bangladesh, which involved 600 villages and more than 300,000 individuals, that appeared to support masking.

After surveying all reachable participants and testing blood from symptomatic individuals, the researchers linked mask promotion to a slight reduction in symptomatic COVID-19 infections.

Yet similar to the Danish study, the Bangladesh study was explicitly intended to examine mask-wearing among those who appear to be 18 years or oldernot the young children or adolescents to whom school mask mandates apply.

What, then, are the potential costs of requiring children to be masked at school?

One obvious cost is cleanliness.

We were almost all taught as children that disposable tissues are good because handkerchiefs are unhygienic and disgusting, Michael Brendan Dougherty wrote in an article for National Review Online. But for young children, toddlers in particular, the cotton-jersey masks that they most often wear in schools are just that, a handkerchief pulled over their mouth and nose constantly. They often are disgusting at the end of a day of use.

Unsurprisingly, childrens masks may be a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms, some being potentially dangerous.

One recent analysis from the University of Florida revealed that most masks worn by children in 90-degree Fahrenheit heat were contaminated with parasites, fungi, and bacteria, including a virus known to cause a fatal systemic disease in deer and cattle.

Masks, particularly disposable masks, are also harmful to the environment. With billions of single-use masks being thrown out every day, researchers believe that discarded masks and respirators are adding to plastic pollutiona problem to which school mask mandates can only contribute.

Masking and other interventions may also have knock-on effects related to the frequency of other respiratory diseases.

The recent, out-of-season spike in pediatric hospitalizations for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has been tied to the COVID-19 response, with infants and young children who would have otherwise been exposed to RSV at an earlier age now falling ill from it.

Masking may also have significant psychological and developmental effects on children.

A 2004 article on masking in a pediatric hospital, authored long before the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the scientific debate on masking, expanded on some of the psychological hazards for children.

Imagine the impact of a hospital filled with faceless people on a young child. Who is smiling? Who is frowning? How do I recognize my doctor? How does my nurse recognize me? Why is everyone so scared of me and my germs?

When wearing masks, goggles, and/or face shields, non-verbal communication is impaired. Subtle facial cues are absent or can be misread and lip-reading is impossible.

More recently, in a roundtable discussion with DeSantis and several scientists, Stanford professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya argued that masking children is both medically unnecessary and developmentally inappropriate.

I mean, how do you teach a child to read with a face mask on Zoom? I think children develop by watching other people, Bhattacharya said.

The controversy over the developmental impact of masking children has even affected the AAP.

In August, internet users unearthed an AAP webpage emphasizing the developmental importance of face time between parents and babies that had apparently been removed from the organizations website, along with other AAP webpages describing how babies and young children learn through looking at faces.

The AAP responded by stating that the web pages disappeared as a result of website migration, telling Just the News that some content areas, including Early Brain and Child Development, are still being organized before they go live on the new platform.

Finally, the practice of mandating masks could be argued to compromise individual and parental autonomy.

Advocacy groups such as Utah Parents United have spoken out against school mask mandates, saying that they undermine parental rights and are unnecessary for such a low-risk group, particularly given the availability of vaccines to adult teachers and staff.

With all that we know so far, how can we answer those parents?

If the benefits of mask mandates dont outweigh the costs, its hard to find fault with opposition, or at least skepticismespecially for young schoolchildren, who are at the lowest risk of serious illness and death and who may be most vulnerable to the uncertain and understudied costs of universal masking and other stringent measures.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama's state health officer, points at a computer screen in his office in Montgomery, Ala., on June 29, 2021. (Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images)

Some of Them Will Die: Alabama Hit Hard by Monoclonal Antibody Rationing

The federal governments sudden rationing of monoclonal antibody treatments, which are keeping Americans who get COVID-19 out of hospitals, is hitting Alabama hard, with some sites already running out of or projected to run out of supply soon.

The antibodies are highly successful at stemming the effects of COVID-19, which is caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, when given to patients soon after they contract the disease. But a huge jump in demand in recent weeks has left what some officials have described as a national shortage, triggering the federal government to intervene and start doling out whats left.

Stringfellow Memorial Hospital in Anniston, Alabama, didnt have any of the antibodies on the premises on Sept. 15, according to Dr. Almena Free, vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer. Other facilities in Jefferson and Huntsville counties were struggling to source enough of the treatment, Dr. David Thrasher, a pulmonary critical care physician in Montgomery, Alabama, said a day later.

Some entities are very low on product, and some project running out of product over the weekend, Dr. Karen Landers, a health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health, told The Epoch Times in an email on Sept. 17.

The shortage comes at a time when intensive care unit capacity is beyond full, Dr. Scott Harris, Alabamas health officer, told reporters in a Sept. 16 virtual briefing. That means there are more people in the state that require critical care than there are beds in hospitals.

COVID-19 isnt entirely to blame for the capacity issues, as many hospitalized patients dont have the disease, but the monoclonal antibody (mAb) shortage will likely contribute to hospital crowding. About 70 percent of patients who get the treatment soon after their diagnosis dont need hospital care, according to clinical studies and experts such as Thrasher.

We were originally told [by the federal government] we were only going to get 70 percent of our allocation. That means 30 percent of people are not being treated, and some of them will die, he said.

That is not acceptable.  This is not right, what the federal governments doing.

The federal government has dominated the supply of monoclonal antibody treatments from Regeneron and Eli Lilly. Under the model that was in place until early September, hospitals and other facilities could order directly from the Biden administration, which would send doses straight to the health care centers. States didnt have to worry about costs, because the administration was footing the bill.

The new model has the government rationing the doses, deciding how much to give each state. The change comes as supply dwindles and new production isnt enough to meet the booming need, according to experts.

The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services have defended the change, saying that it provides for a more equitable distribution.

A Regeneron monoclonal antibody infusion bag is seen during a news conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, on Aug. 19, 2021. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Our role as the government overseeing the entire country is to be equitable in how we distribute. Were not going to give a greater percentage to Florida over Oklahoma, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Sept. 16.

Transitioning to a state/territory-coordinated distribution system gives health departments maximum flexibility to get mAbs where they are needed most, an HHS spokesperson told The Epoch Times via email.

Several options are in play for states that are facing a shortage. They can draw on existing supply, taking doses from sites that have plenty and sending them to others that dont. Or they can reach out to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a UK-based company that hasnt sold any of its product to the U.S. government.

Florida is the only state that has started the process of sourcing directly from GSK, according to health officials across the United States. Health officers in some states, such as Mississippi and Arkansas, said they had enough supply and didnt project being affected by the distribution model switch. Others, such as Texas and Alabama, are being affected, but arent pursuing the direct sourcing method.

Some suggested getting antibodies from GSK would prove to be too expensive.

At this time we have not had any requests for it and it is quite costly, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health told The Epoch Times via email.

One course of treatment costs $2,100, a GSK spokesperson told The Epoch Times. Thats the same price per dose in Regenerons latest two contracts with the federal government. The cost of Eli Lillys product is roughly the same.

The federal government has locked up hundreds of thousands of doses of the Regeneron and Eli Lilly medicines, and GSKs is the only other monoclonal antibody treatment currently authorized for use in the United States. U.S. drug regulators rejected an application for emergency use authorization for a fourth drug earlier this month.

Michigan and Alabama officials told The Epoch Times that hospitals and other providers can order directly from GSK if they wish. In the meantime, the states, like many others, are scrambling to try to redistribute the supply to make sure theres enough at each facility.
An employee of the drugs and chemicals group Merck KGaA waits in line in front of a vaccination centre at Merck's plant in Darmstadt, Germany on May 4, 2021. (Arne Dedert/Pool via Reuters)

Supply Fears Lead EU Vaccine Industry to Seek Home Comforts

FRANKFURTEuropean companies playing key supporting roles in COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing are working to move production and supply chains closer to their customers to guard against trade restrictions that have interrupted supplies during the pandemic.

Germanys Merck KGaA, whose Life Science unit is one of the worlds largest makers of bioreactor gear and supplies, told Reuters it is pushing to spread its production network geographically so that fewer shipments have to cross customs borders.

U.S. regulations in particular, which give priority to companies fulfilling U.S. government contracts, have posed a challenge for Merck as its seeks to meet soaring demand for supplies such as sterile fermentation bags and filters.

But the United States is not the only country engaging in what some call vaccine nationalism. India barred vaccine exports in mid-April to focus on its domestic immunization drive.

In the wake of production shortfalls at AstraZeneca earlier this year, the European Union imposed an export-monitoring scheme and accused Britain of withholding COVID-19 vaccine volumes that it said should be shared with the EU.

Vials labelled Astra Zeneca COVID-19 Coronavirus Vaccine and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo, in this illustration photo taken on March 14, 2021. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Every forward-looking decision we have made integrated the geographical dimension into it, Chief Executive Belen Garijo told Reuters. In the context of the trade constraints that we have seen, we have enhanced our global diversification any time we had the chance, she added.

At Rentschler Biopharma SE, a German contract manufacturer for major pharma companies that is helping to produce CureVacs COVID-19 vaccine candidate, the pandemic triggered a review of its procurement routes.

The coronavirus crisis gave us an important push to bring our supply chains closer to home. We decided to source most of our equipment in Europe so that we are no longer as dependent on the United States, said Chief Executive Frank Mathias, naming sterile bags for bioreactors as an example. He would not name suppliers.

Mathias said supply chains collapsed earlier this year when the United States commandeered certain volumes for domestic vaccine producers.

The U.S. Defense Production Act with its system of rated orders that prioritize U.S. crisis response, also hobbled Mercks ability to serve vaccine makers elsewhere in the world.

In response, Merck in March laid out plans to invest 25 million euros in France to make disposable plastic materials for bioreactors, an essential input for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing.

The new site, Mercks first such facility in Europe, will likely come on stream at the end of 2021, adding to similar production lines in runs in the United States and China.

That followed it investing $47 million in its U.S. facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in December, at the time touted as strengthening its global output to meet unprecedented demand.

The pandemic has been a wakeup call, said Mercks Garijo. You want to have a global footprint in order to be able to deal with potential trade constraints.

Family-controlled Merck also makes prescription drugs and chemicals for semiconductor production, but its Life Science unit, mostly made up of businesses formerly known as Millipore and Sigma Aldrich, has become its main earnings driver.

An AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at the local vaccination centre as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Hagen, Germany on March 19, 2021. (Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)

Its competitors include Thermo Fisher, Danaher and Sartorius.

In another move to avoid long transport routes and any fallout from international wrangling, German family-owned vaccine maker IDT Biologika earlier this year laid out plans to invest more than 100 million euros to produce AstraZenecas COVID-19 vaccine in collaboration with the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker.

The production line, currently set to come on stream in 2023, would be designed to churn out Astras shots or other vaccines of the same viral vector class, to the tune of at least 360 million doses a year.

IDT would make the active ingredient and mix, bottle and pack the final product, combining in one place a suite of production steps that are currently widely scattered.

IDT said the project was on track but declined to comment further. The company has said Germanys federal health ministry had assisted in the project but the investment was not subsidized.

Retooling production networks in a pharma sector that has for decades relied on cross-border exchange and international division of labour can only be done in incremental steps, cautioned Merck CEO Garijo.

You cannot move a factory from one day to the other, this takes time, she said.
This Is Illegal: Republicans Question Biden Administrations Ban of Drones at Epicenter of Border Crisis

The Biden administration ban on drones at the new epicenter of the border crisis may not be legal, according to Senate Republicans.

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, imposed on Thursday the no-fly-zone for drones and other unmanned aircraft in Del Rio, Texas, where thousands of illegal immigrants have amassed.

I believe that the reason that theyre limiting drone usage is because they dont want the American public to know, and I think this is illegal, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said on Fox & Friends.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) also questioned the drone ban, which he said has grounded drones that were being used by news organizations to cover the border crisis.

Any government stifling of First Amendment activities is unacceptable, Johnson wrote to Troy Miller, acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The ban was imposed on the same day that Fox News flew a drone in the area and captured aerial footage of the immigrants.

The FAA said in announcing the ban that it was driven by special security reasons. Johnson asked what those reasons were. The agency told The Epoch Times in an email that Border Patrol requested the restrictions due to drones interfering with law enforcement flights on the border. Johnson asked for more details on the alleged interference.

Illegal immigrants board a bus to be transported to a Border Patrol station for processing, under the international bridge, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Other Republicans also questioned the ban, including Reps. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio.).

The FAAs conveniently placed a ban on drones flying over the international bridge where [10,000 plus] illegal aliens are waiting to be processedpreventing media from covering the scene, Babin wrote on Twitter.

President Joe Biden doesnt want you to see what a disaster hes created, he added.

CBP and the White House did not respond to early morning requests for comment. The FAA declined to say under what authority the agency issued the flight zone restrictions.

The White House did not hold a briefing on Friday and Biden traveled to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for the weekend without speaking to reporters. He has no public events scheduled.

The FAA said Friday in a statement that Fox applied for and received clearance to operate drones in the restricted airspace and directed any other media organizations wanting to apply for exemptions to the restrictions to its website.

As with any temporary flight restriction, media is able to call the FAA to make requests to see if it is possible to safely operate in the area, the agency told The Epoch Times.

While Foxs drones were still grounded, correspondent Bill Melugin went up in a helicopter with the Texas Department of Public Safety and recorded fresh aerial video footage and photographs.
Tories Accuse Trudeau of Calling Election to Cover Up Winnipeg Lab Collaboration With Chinese Military Scientist

The Conservatives are accusing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau of calling the election to cover up details of what happened at Canadas only level 4 laboratory, where a Canadian government scientist reportedly collaborated with a high-ranking Chinese military officer.

We now know why Justin Trudeau called this early $600-million election, risking the health of Canadians in the middle of a fourth wave of the pandemic: to prevent the release of the Winnipeg lab documents to Parliament, and cover up what happened at the Winnipeg lab, said Conservative candidate Michael Chong, who is seeking re-election in Wellington-Halton Hills.

The House of Commons ordered the Trudeau government to produce the Winnipeg lab documents. That order dissolved with the dissolution of Parliament.

Conservative MP Michael Chong rises during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Nov. 19, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

Chong made reference to a recent report by the Globe and Mail that scientist Xiangguo Qiu, who worked for the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg, had collaborated with Chinese Maj.-Gen. Chen Wei, a high-ranking officer in the Peoples Liberation Army.

Qiu, along with her husband Keding Cheng, also a scientist at the NML, and their Chinese students were escorted from NML amidst an RCMP probe in July 2019. Qiu and Cheng were formally fired in January. The Public Health Agency of Canada, which is in charge of the NML, says the termination was the result of an administrative matter and possible breaches of security protocols, but has declined to provide further details, saying security and privacy concerns prevent the agency from disclosing further information.

Opposition parties had pressed the government to release more information on the case but the Liberals refused, also citing national security and privacy concerns. The House of Commons issued an order requiring the government to disclose the information, but the government took the Speaker of the House to court to obtain confirmation that it could withhold the documents. The case was dropped after an election was called and Parliament was dissolved.

The news makes clear that a Canadian government scientist was conducting joint research with Major-General Chen Wei of the Peoples Liberation Army, who was recently lauded by President Xi Jinping for developing a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine, Chong said in a statement.

This cover-up needs to end today. Justin Trudeau must come clean about these national security breaches at the governments Winnipeg lab, so that Canadians know the truth before they vote on Monday.

The Epoch Times reached out to the Liberal Party for comment, but didnt receive a response.

Chong called on the Liberal leader to come clean on questions including who approved co-operation between the Chinese military and scientists at the NML, and whether members of the Chinese military ever gained physical access to the only lab in Canada designated at containment level 4the highest level of biosafety, capable of handling the worlds most dangerous pathogens.

Chong also questioned whether Qiu and Cheng ever passed Canadian intellectual property to China and the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Qiu shipped samples of Henipah and Ebola viruses to the WIV with permission from NML authorities in March 2019.

In his statement, Chong questioned Trudeaus overall approach to dealing with China.

Justin Trudeau has made Canada the only one of our intelligence allies to allow Huawei in our 5G network. Hes joined Canada to the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, but he didnt join our close allies the UK, the US, and Australia yesterday in a new defence alliance, he said, referring to AUKUS, a security agreement pact the three countries signed on Sept. 15.

Trudeau has downplayed the exclusion, citing Canadas involvement on other fronts.

This is fundamentally a question of trust, Chong said.

Its increasingly clear that Justin Trudeau is covering up evidence that Chinas military infiltrated our most sensitive, top-level government lab. Its increasingly clear the Trudeau government is putting the safety and security of Canadians at risk, as well as our relationship with allies. Its increasingly clear Mr. Trudeau cannot be trusted in safeguarding our nations national security.

Conservative candidate Garnett Genuis, who is seeking re-election in Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, also wrote on Twitter that the Liberal leader aims to win a majority government in this election in order to bury the Winnipeg lab documents.
A Cathay Pacific jet is seen in front of an air traffic control tower at the Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong, on Oct. 24 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Tougher EU Airport Slot Rules Trigger Asia Retaliation Threat, Risk Industry Trade War

Regulators in Asian hubs like Hong Kong have threatened to retaliate against European Union plans to force airlines to start using takeoff and landing slots frozen during the coronavirus pandemic, a move that could oblige Europes carriers to fly empty seats for thousands of miles at a loss.

Authorities controlling slots at major Asian airports are ready to slap similar use it or lose it conditions on European carriers flying to Asias citiesraising the prospect of an industry trade war over the uneven impact of COVID-19.

After rare unity during the pandemic, when carriers were being bailed out or trying to stay afloat, industry leaders say the dispute has rekindled fundamental differences across a fragmented sector as the world stages a multi-speed recovery.

Is it a trade war? Certainly the germ of one, said former Australian aviation negotiator Peter Harbison, chairman emeritus of the Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation consultancy.

And it will be accentuated as more airlines collapse and international markets remain closed, or at best, uncertain.

Tensions have grown since July, when the EU announced plans to force airlines to use 50 percent of their rights or lose them to rivals from next month. That move partially reinstated competition rules that had been waived as airlines struggled to survive the pandemic.

But while the EU decision reflects a traffic recovery that is well under way in Europes mainly short-haul market, Asian carriers are protesting they will be unfairly penalized because their long-haul networks will take much longer to recover.

In Asia, long quarantines remain the norm for travelers and airlines operated just 14 percent of their 2019 international capacity in July, well below the 46 percent of 2019 levels seen in Europe and 48 percent in North America, International Air Transport Association (IATA) data shows.

Cathay Pacific last month warned publicly that the slower recovery in Hong Kong meant it risked losing prized overseas airport slots and harming the citys hub status.

Taiwans China Airlines and Korean Air Lines expressed concern about the EU rules in statements to Reuters.

In Europe, Lufthansathe EU carrier with the most flights to Asiasaid the tough EU rules could ultimately harm the climate as well as airlines, if they are forced to fly empty planes to keep slots. Air France and KLM said their decisions to fly were not based on airport slots.

Shock Phase Over

The EU broke with a global industry recommendation and tightened rules for the winter schedule season, which runs from October to March, after heavy lobbying by low-cost carriers like Ryanair, with big short-haul networks, and European airports, many of which are privatized and trying to produce returns.

Were no longer in immediate shock phase, said Aidan Flanagan, safety and capacity manager at Airports Council International Europe. We are now in a situation where the market is stable with much lower levels than what we were in 2019, but its stable.

The European Commission said in July the 50 percent use ratedown from 80 percent in normal timeswas chosen to ensure good use of airport capacity and to benefit consumers. It also granted exceptions so that airlines do not need to reach 50 percent while strict measures like quarantine that make it hard to travel remain in place.

The Commission did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

6 Weeks to Respond

Once travel restrictions are lifted, Asian carriers will have to boost flying to the European Union within six weeks or risk losing slots even if demand is slow to return.

When the demand is not there it is unreasonable to expect people to operate, IATA Head of Worldwide Airport Slots Lara Maughan said. It is a really short window they have once restrictions are removed to sort of recalibrate that whole operation back.

Rene Maysokolua, managing director of German airport slot manager FLUKO, said his organization had been informed that some Asian countries were telling European airlines they would need to fly 50 percent of the time or risk losing their slots in retaliation for the EU rules.

Hong Kong and South Korea are among those taking a harder line against European carriers, said an industry source who was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter.

Authorities in Hong Kong confirmed reciprocity provisions are in place but declined to comment on specific cases.

Korea Airport Schedules Office did not respond to a request for comment, but Korean Air, a member of the countrys slot working group, confirmed the provisions.

Meanwhile, even as the potential for conflict brews between Asia and Europe, the United States on Thursday announced more lenient winter season rules for international carriers than the European Union.
Passengers queue for check-in at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, England, south of London, on Dec. 20, 2020. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

UK Loosens COVID-19 Restrictions on International Travel

The British government announced on Friday that COVID-19 restrictions for international travel will be loosened next month.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced that the traffic light system, which is currently in force, is set to be replaced from Oct. 4 by a single, reduced red list of destinations from where travellers arriving in England will have to quarantine in a government-supervised hotel.

People who are fully vaccinated will no longer need a pre-departure test before returning from non-red list destinations, and from the end of October they will be able to replace the day two PCR test with a cheaper lateral flow test.

The rules were revised following intense pressure from the travel industry after another summer severely hit by the COVID-19 restrictions.

Shapps said the measures were intended to strike the right balance, simplifying the system while managing the public health risk as No. 1 priority.

Todays changes mean a simpler, more straightforward systemone with less testing and lower costs, allowing more people to travel, see loved ones or conduct business around the world while providing a boost for the travel industry, he said.

Public health has always been at the heart of our international travel policy and with more than eight in 10 adults fully vaccinated in the UK, we are now able to introduce a proportionate updated structure that reflects the new landscape.

Airlines and travel industry chiefs welcomed the move but urged the government to go further.

Removing the pre-departure test coupled with the disbanding of the traffic light system will inject some much needed confidence into travel once again, said EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren.

However, vaccinated travellers and those from low risk countries will still have to do an unnecessary test after arriving in the UK, making travel less affordable for all. Since July 1 there has been no testing at all for vaccinated travellers within the rest of Europe, and this is why the UK will continue to fall further behind the rest of Europe if this remains.

British Airways chief executive Sean Doyle also urged ministers to scrap all testing for fully vaccinated passengers as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government said it would drop the traffic light system but would not follow England in removing the pre-departure test requirement for the fully vaccinated returning from non-red list countries.

Scotland will also not copy England in using lateral flow tests on day two at this stage.

PA contributed to this report.
Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 22nd year of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in New York on July 18, 2021. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

US Medical Bodies Silent on Chinas Organ Harvesting Over Fear of Regime Retaliation, Doctor Says

Fear of economic retaliation from Beijing has in part led the world to turn a blind eye as the Chinese communist regime kills innocents and forcibly harvests their organs for profit, a physician told a global human rights summit.

The World Summit on Combating and Preventing Forced Organ Harvesting, consisting of six webinars over two weeks, began on Sept. 17 with more than 2,000 virtual audience members attending the live-streamed event on its first day.

State-sanctioned forced organ harvesting has taken place in China for years on a significant scale, and the principal victims of the abuse are adherents of the persecuted faith group Falun Gong, according to the findings of an independent London-based tribunal in 2019.

Not long after the tribunal released its final report, Dr. Weldon Gilcrease, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at the University of Utah, approached the leaders of the schools health care system, hoping to have a discussion on how they could respond to such abuse as an institution.

One of the leaders essentially said to me that there was no doubt in his mind that the Chinese Communist Party was capable of such atrocities and that it was indeed happening, but that if we said anything, China would simply send all of its students to Texas, Gilcrease said during a Sept. 17 virtual panel discussion.

Representatives for the University of Utah Health didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.

Gilcrease, vice executive director at the Washington-based medical advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, later told The Epoch Times that he was a little surprised that there was such fear of saying anything due to financial ties.

A man jogs past Falun Gong practitioners using a mock organ harvesting display as part of their protest against China and its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, on May 2, 2008. (The Canadian Press/Tom Hanson)

You definitely get support on an individual level, but when you try to raise that to the level of the institution, thats where it gets deafeningly silent, he said.

What Gilcrease found over the years is that often the medical professionals he met were reluctant to take a stance on organ harvestingnot because they were in doubt that it was happening, but rather because they were trying to distance themselves to avoid the perception of getting political.

Thats the weapon that they [the CCP] use to try to maintain silence, Gilcrease said. If you say anything, you are getting political. Stay out of it.

Gilcrease believes the opposite is actually true.

Staying free from politics doesnt mean avoiding taking uncomfortable positions, and in fact, it means we should say something against the Chinese Communist Party if it is going to  co-opt our field, our experts, our physicians, and our surgeons, he said during the webinar.

Collaborating with a medical system thats under the thumb of an evil regime is dangerous, he said, noting that a number of individuals who helped build Chinas transplant centers received medical training in the United States and other Western countries.

Falun Gong practitioners take part in a parade marking the 22nd year of the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in Brooklyn on July 18, 2021. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

On diplomatic and economic fronts, similar U.S. collaboration with China has come to detrimental ends, he said. A flurry of Chinese scientists and physicians have had to leave their posts in recent years for not properly disclosing their financial ties with the regimeincluding three from Houstons MD Anderson Cancer Center and another six from Tampas Moffitt Cancer Center in 2019.

Concerns over such engagement go beyond the integrity of U.S. biomedical research, according to Gilcrease.

Its about being tied to a system that has proven over and over again, using the medical system, to carry out crimes, he said.

Chinese doctors appear to have continued forced organ harvesting practices throughout the pandemic and have used findings from such transplants to build credentials in international medical journals.

The Annals of Surgery published a study in July 2020 involving two elderly patients with end-stage COVID-19 symptoms. Both were given lung transplant surgeries around three days after enrolling in the countrys transplant system.

The second patient, aged 70, received a double-lung transplantation on March 8, three days after a comprehensive evaluation prompted doctors to register the patient in the transplant allocation system.

Ray Scalettar, emeritus professor at the George Washington University Medical Center, said the article raised serious ethical concerns as to how the lungs for the recipients were obtained in so short a time, noting that in the United States, which has a much larger donor pool than China, the minimal wait for this type of donor is 15 days.

Scalettar ended up writing a critique of the article to the authors, but the response has been nonexistent or evasive.

The greater medical community has continued to suffer from a drastic lack of awareness on forced organ harvestingonly around 5 to 10 percent have heard of it, according to Gilcrease. But the regimes ongoing coverup of the pandemic has likely brought a mindset shift, he said.

The medical community at least has more of an understanding of who were dealing with, he said.
Huawei Technologies Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou returns to a court hearing following a lunch break in Vancouver, Canada on Aug. 18, 2021. (Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters)

US Resumes Talks With Huawei CFO on Resolving Criminal Charges: Globe and Mail

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is in talks with Huawei and its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhous lawyers about an agreement that could allow her to return to China, the Globe and Mail reported on Friday, citing Canadian sources.

Meng was arrested at Vancouver International Airport in December 2018 on a warrant from the United States, charging her with fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC about Huaweis business dealings in Iran.

The United States is prepared to end an extradition request and criminal proceedings against Meng if she pleads guilty and pays a hefty fine, the report said, citing sources.

Both parties have been in talks for weeks, the newspaper added, citing two of its sources.

Huawei and the U.S. Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Meng, who has maintained her innocence and is fighting extradition to the United States, is confined to Vancouver and monitored 24/7 by private security, that she pays for, as part of her bail agreement.

Judicial hearings in her extradition case wrapped up in August with the date for a ruling to be set on Oct. 21.

Following Mengs arrest, China detained two Canadians, and sentenced one in August to 11 years in prison for espionage, in a move widely seen as retaliation.

The Globe and Mail report said the development could open the door for China to free the Canadians, without quoting sources. However, it said Huaweis talks with the United States did not include what will happen to the Canadians.
Illegal immigrants board a bus to be transported to a Border Patrol station for processing, under the international bridge, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

US to Expel Illegal Immigrants Gathering Under Texas Bridge

Illegal immigrants who have gathered in a Texas bridge area will be expelled, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday.

The DHS made the announcement after various reports said that thousands of illegal immigrants are amassing under an international bridge in Del Rio, Texas.

Some 9,000 illegal immigrants, including Haitians, Cubans, and Venezuelans, were in the area, Val Verde County Sheriff Joe Frank Martinez said on Thursday. However, the number has increased to 14,000, a Border Patrol source told The Epoch Times.

Thousands of illegal immigrants gather near the international bridge after crossing the Rio Grande, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

The immigration authorities have temporarily closed the Del Rio Port of Entry and rerouted traffic from Del Rio to Eagle Pass, which is about 60 miles away.

The illegal immigrants are being relocated to other processing locations to accelerate the deportation process.

DHS is conducting regular expulsion and removal flights to Haiti, Mexico, Ecuador, and Northern Triangle countries, the agency said in a statement.

Updated: Now 14,000 illegal immigrants under bridge, per Border Patrol source. International bridge is closed to all traffic as massive camp of mostly Haitians forms. Travelers going to/from Mexico need to travel about 60 miles to Eagle Pass crossing. pic.twitter.com/E33bRytoRS  Charlotte Cuthbertson (@charlottecuthbo) September 18, 2021

The number of illegal immigrants gathered in the bridge area has skyrocketed in less than a week, from only a couple of hundred under the bridge on Sept. 9.

Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said earlier the week that another 20,000 are on their way.

Im deeply frustrated. The thing that I worry about is a stampede. The thing I worry about is terrorism, Lozano said.

This is not secure. This is not defensible, he said, looking toward the wide-open border and the number of people walking back and forth across it.

We dont really know who they are.

Migrants stand by the International Bridge between Mexico and the United States, in Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 16, 2021. (Office of U.S. Congressman Tony Gonzales/via Reuters)

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that he has directed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard to maintain their presence at and around ports of entry to deter crossings.

The Biden Administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan, Abbott said in a statement on Sept. 16.

Most of the illegal immigrants will be expelled under the CDCs Title 42 authority, and others who are in the United States illegally and cant be expelled under Title 42 will be placed in expedited removal proceedings, the DHS said.

Title 42 was invoked early in the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic under former President Donald Trump to help control the spread of COVID-19 in detention facilities by turning back migrants encountered by the Border Patrol, without giving them a chance to seek to stay in the United States by asking for asylum or for some other reason.

Emmet Sullivan, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, ruled Friday that the Biden administration cant use Title 42 to expel illegal immigrants. However, the judge allowed the Biden administration to halt the practice for two weeks.

Zachary Stieber, Charlotte Cuthbertson, and The Associated Press contributed to the report.
What If Chinas Economy Collapses?

Commentary

What will be the global strategic impact of the economic decline or collapse of China in the next few years?

Major investors have begun to question the viability of investment in China, after decades of championing investment there.

Chinas economic decline has been underway for more than a decade. Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping recognizes this, and knows he has to manage the decline by suppressing those in China who have grown accustomed to wealth and freedom.

A reversion to Maoist internal circulation economics is likely to be presented to the 20th CCP Party Congress in October 2022 as irreversible and necessary. Xi is already presenting himself as the only leader capable of managing the controlled implosion of China, and return to Maoist isolationism. He must portray himself as a robust leader who challenges the Partys enemies.

So what are the ramifications of the collapse or decline of Chinas economy?

This has received little consideration by foreign governments. Instead, there has been a religious belief in the unrealistic claims of Chinese economic growth, and an avoidance of contingency planning to cope with a Chinese collapse.

Much will depend on how Chinas economic declines. Will it implode at great speed, or will it be managed to ensure stability within the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)? Will there be a sudden break-point when the PRC reverts to a Maoist state?

PRC demand for many raw materials has fallen away.

Iron ore prices peaked in early 2021 because there has been a collapse in Chinas demand for steel (and therefore iron ore), and a concurrent worldwide oversupply in the steel market.

Pretense that declining PRC demand for minerals was temporary does not address the reality that Xi has begun shutting down much of Chinas private sector in ways that make it difficult to revive.

Suggestions that China would reduce iron ore imports from Australiaits biggest supplieras punishment of the Australian government for taking an anti-PRC line are Beijings tactics to disguise declining demand. Other suppliers, such as Brazil, will also see a decline in demand. The massive Chinese project to develop iron ore deposits in Guinea, West Africa, seems likely to fade away.

Stackers and reclaimers moving iron ore to rail cars at Rio Tintos Port Dampier operations in Western Australias Pilbara region in 2010. Chinas deepening slowdown is likely to have an outsize impact on Australian miners. (Amy Coopes/AFP/Getty Images)

China attempted to portray a rapid recovery from the 2020 COVID-19 crisis by ramping up domestic industrial production. That pretense is now over. Chinese investment in Australiasome $13 billion in 2016plunged to well under $1 billion in 2020. By 2019, iron ore made up almost a quarter of Australias total exports, 81.7 percent of which went to China. By 2021, the decline in Chinese demand for all Australian exports had become stark. Beijings funds for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI, also known as One Belt, One Road) have been minimal for some years.

Australia and Brazil are unlikely to find replacement markets for their mineral exports before Chinas market collapses. This means they will go into rapid economic recession.

The United States is likely to see some buffering in the economic decline of the PRC because of Chinas urgent need for food produced in America, and which the PRC cannot source elsewhere in sufficient quantities. The U.S. aerospace industry (particularly Boeing) had become dependent on China. Boeing was seen as one of the apologists for Beijing.

But the Chinese market for U.S.-made transport aircraft was declining anyway.

But every country has become dependent on trade with China, so a collapse in the PRC would precipitate a global economic recession, at a time when the world has not yet recovered from the economic damage caused by COVID-19 shutdowns.

Consider the following:

Indications of a PRC economic transformation and shutdown are now too clear to ignore.

No coherent plans seem to exist among Chinas major trading partners to manage the impending collapse of the PRC economy, although, by May 2021, some governments finally began to acknowledge an economic slowdown.

Much of the world will probably enter serious recession by the end of 2022.

Mainland Chinese people will face increasing challenges by mid-2022. By 2023, starvation and unrest may be evident.

Xis priority is to manage the decline of Chinas economyand therefore its internal and external securityin a way that he retains control of the CCP and the CCP retains control of China. All other considerations are secondary, including whether or not the PRC remains wealthy.

Xi must project confidence and dominance during a period of loss for every person in China. So Xis bluster and threats escalate, but are staged to avoid military conflict. Xi must avoid direct conflict at all cost, while pursuing brinkmanship to the most aggressive level.

This is unavoidable if Xi is to dominate the Party Congress of October 2022.

The real China threat to the world comes more from its economic collapse than from a major hot war.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Police search the driveway of a house where three children were found dead in the South Island town of Timaru in New Zealand on Sept. 17, 2021. (George Heard/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Woman Charged With Killing 3 Young Girls in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, New ZealandA 40-year-old woman was charged Friday with killing three young girls in a crime that has shocked New Zealand.

Police did not immediately identify the woman but the Stuff news agency said she was the girls mother, Lauren Dickason, a doctor who had just moved to New Zealand from South Africa along with her daughters and husband Graham Dickason, an orthopedic surgeon.

Emergency services said that when they responded to an incident at the home in the South Island town of Timaru they found a woman, who was hospitalized in stable condition.

Police said the woman killed twin 2-year-old girls Maya and Karla and their 6-year-old sister Liane. Police said they had earlier given incorrect ages for the girls.

The family had moved into housing for medical professionals near the Timaru Hospital less than a week earlier. Before that, as new arrivals to the country, they would have been required to spend two weeks in a coronavirus quarantine hotel run by the military.

Stuff reported that Graham Dickason returned home just before 10 p.m. Thursday and found the bodies of his daughters.

Neighbors Karen and Brad Cowper called police when they heard a man screaming and crying, Stuff said. The neighbors said they asked the man if he was OK but he didnt respond other than to say: Is this really happening?

Police said they werent looking for any other suspects.

Look, whenever our police staff face a tragedy like this, you cannot help but take it personally. A lot of us are parents, we have our own children, and the human side of us comes through, said Police Superintendent John Price.

A police officer stands in the driveway of a house where three children were found dead in the South Island town of Timaru in New Zealand on Sept. 17, 2021. (George Heard/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Nothing on Lauren Dickasons social media pages over recent months when she was living in Pretoria, South Africa, indicated anything was amiss. She posted pictures of her family and of bakery treats, and wrote about the virus. In May, she marked the couples wedding anniversary on Facebook.

Happy 15th wedding anniversary Graham Dickason. What an adventure. We have truly created a beautiful family and had many good times together, she wrote. May the next years be more blessed, more happy, and may the kids let us sleep.

Her Facebook page says she went to high school in Pretoria and studied medicine in Cape Town.

Mandy Sibanyoni, who worked as a childminder for the Dickasons in South Africa, described them as an awesome family with wonderful kids and no obvious problems.

She said the only sign of stress she saw from Lauren Dickason was as a result of one of her daughters being born with a lip disfigurement, which needed surgical interventions. But both parents loved their kids like nobodys business, she said.

Im torn apart, a part of mine is gone, Sibanyoni said in an interview with The Associated Press in Pretoria. And its like those kids, they are my kids too because I raised them.

I dont know what to do about this because the only question that Ive got now is, what happened? What went wrong? Because Lauren cared for her kids.

New Zealands Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson said the killings were absolutely tragic and his heart went out to everybody associated with the family.

Inspector Dave Gaskin, the Aoraki area commander, said the deaths were incredibly distressing for residents of Timaru, particularly after five teenagers from the town were killed in a car crash last month.
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  A survivor of an errant U.S. drone strike that killed 10 members of his family demanded Saturday that those responsible be punished and said Washington's apology was not enough.

The family also seeks financial compensation and relocation to the United States or another country deemed safe, said Emal Ahmadi, whose 3-year-old daughter Malika was among those killed in the Aug. 29 strike.

On that day, a U.S. hellfire missile struck the car that Ahmadi's brother Zemerai had just pulled into the driveway of the Ahmadi family compound as children ran to greet him. In all, 10 members of the family, including seven children, were killed in the strike.

On Friday, U.S. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, called the strike a tragic mistake and said that innocent civilians were indeed killed in the attack.

The U.S. military initially defended the strike, saying it had targeted an Islamic State group's facilitator" and disrupted the militants' ability to carry out attacks during the chaotic final stage of the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan late last month.

Discrepancies between the military's portrayal of the strike and findings on the ground quickly emerged. The Associated Press and other news organizations reported that the driver of the targeted vehicle was a longtime employee at a U.S. humanitarian organization. There were no signs of a large secondary blast, despite the Pentagon's assertion that the vehicle contained explosives.

The drone strike followed a devastating suicide bombing by IS  a rival of the Taliban  that killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel at one of the gates to the Kabul airport in late August. At that time, large numbers of Afghans, desperate to flee the Taliban, had crowded the airport gates in hopes of getting on to evacuation flights.

McKenzie apologized for the error and said the United States is considering making reparation payments to the family of the victims.

Emal Ahmadi told the AP on Saturday that he wants the U.S. to investigate who fired the drone and punish those responsible.

That is not enough for us to say sorry, said Ahmadi who heard of the U.S. apology from friends in America. The U.S.A. should find the person who did this."

Ahmadi said he was relieved that an apology was offered and the family members he lost were recognized as innocent victims, but that this won't bring them back. He said that he was frustrated that the family never received a call from U.S. officials, despite repeated requests.

He looked exhausted as he sat in front of the charred ruins of his brother's car.

In the days before the Pentagon's apology, accounts from the family, documents from colleagues seen by the AP and the scene at the family home  where Zemerais car was struck by the missile  all sharply contradicted the accounts by the U.S. military.

Instead, they painted the picture of a family that had worked for Americans and were trying to gain visas to the U.S., fearing for their lives under the Taliban.

Zemerai Ahmadi was the family's breadwinner and had looked after his three brothers, including Emal, and their children.

Now I am then one who is responsible for all my family and I am jobless, said Emal Ahmadi. The situation is not good, said Ahmadi of life under the Taliban.

International aid groups and the United Nations have warned of a looming humanitarian crisis that could drive most Afghans below the poverty level.

McKenzie said the decision to strike a white Toyota Corolla sedan, after having tracked it for about eight hours, was made in an earnest belief  based on a standard of reasonable certainty  that it posed an imminent threat to American forces at the Kabul airport. The car was believed to have been carrying explosives in its trunk, he said.

But Ahmadi wondered how the family's home could have been mistaken for an Islamic State hideout.

The U.S.A. can see from everywhere," he said of U.S. drone capabilities. They can see that there were innocent children near the car and in the car. Whoever did this should be punished.

It isn't right, he added.
ALTON  Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited the Kreative Kids Learning Center in Alton Friday morning to promote the states child care investments in the Metro East.

Pritzker said it is his mission to make Illinois the best state for families raising young children.

Weve been providing $570 million in child care restoration grants to over 5,000 child care centers since last summer, helping them stay afloat through these challenging times, Pritzker said.

Of that amount, $19.5 million was given to over 209 providers in Madison and St. Clair counties. According to Pritzker, the grants have worked, with 30% fewer centers closing last year than on average from 2016 to 2018.

Kent Neuber, CEO of the Kreative Kids Learning Center at 121 W. Elm St., said he appreciates Pritzkers support and the Child Care Restoration Grant program.

Without those funds, our center would have had to either eliminate and lay off staff or greatly reduce services and leave many of the children without quality care, said Neuber, who presented Pritzker with a giant thank you card made by the centers children.

State Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg, said she has had multiple conversations about the hurdles child care providers have faced since the beginning of the pandemic.

Its vital for our state, for the Metro East, and for families that we stay open for business and our workers head back to work, Elik said. In order to return to work, parents need access to quality, affordable child care for their families.

Earlier this week, Pritzker and Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou announced a series of investments to further access to child care for parents seeking to reenter the workforce while simultaneously aiding child care providers and their employees. This fall, providers will be able to apply for their share of $300 million in grant funding to recruit and obtain additional workers.

Our work to uplift this sector didnt begin with the pandemic, Pritzker said. Ive spent decades before I became governor finding ways to make quality child care and early child care more affordable and available.

Pritzker said his first budget contained the largest early childhood appropriations in Illinois history. Earlier this summer, Pritzkers administration delivered its third payment rate increase to child care providers. Additionally, he said, eligibility has been increased by 25% so that more families benefit from the child care assistance program.

As families incomes rise, we dont want them to simply fall off the cliff because theyre making more money, Pritzker said.

Starting Oct. 1, parents looking for work in Illinois will be able to access three months of child care assistance.

When our youngest families succeed, our whole state reaps the benefits, Pritzker said. Thats the Illinois our residents deserve.

Hou said that, under Pritzker, the early childhood system is truly transforming and recognizes accessing quality child care is the best way to support working parents and to grow and nurture young minds.

Its good for the now, its good for our recovery and its good for the future of our state, Hou said.

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said the administration is sending a message to all families in Illinois.

We see you, we hear you and we will always be there for you, Stratton said. Right now, families need that more than ever.
Cambodia vaccinating children as young as six

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia yesterday (Sept 17) began vaccinating children as young as six against the coronavirus, even though the World Health Organisation (WHO) has yet to approve a vaccine for the under-12s.

ChineseCoronavirusCOVID-19Vaccine

By AFP

Saturday 18 September 2021, 10:35AM

A granddaughter of Prime Minister Hun Sen receives a dose of Sinovac coronavirus vaccine at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh yesterday (Sept 17), as Cambodia begins vaccinating children aged between six and 12. Photo: AFP

The country has won praise for its swift vaccination programme, which has seen more than 98% of the adult population receive at least one dose, according to the health ministry.

The latest phase of the drive began with the grandchildren of Prime Minister Hun Sen and other officials receiving a Sinovac shot in front of reporters in Phnom Penh.

It is necessary for us to do this because we have to step ahead, Hun Sen said.

Cambodia plans to give two shots of the Chinese-made vaccine to children aged six to 12, with a third booster dose later.

Sinovac has been approved for adult use in more than 50 countries, while China has cleared it for use in children.

But health experts are not yet sure about the advisability of vaccinating younger children. The WHO has urged countries to hold off jabbing those under 12.

More evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations, the UN health agency said.

A global study on the effectiveness of the Sinovac shot on youngsters aged between six months and 17 years was launched last week.

The research will involve 14,000 children and teenagers in South Africa, Chile, Kenya, Malaysia and the Philippines.

But Hun Sen, the strongman who has ruled Cambodia for over three decades, dismissed safety concerns.

Cambodia has its duty to protect the lives of its people and has a duty to reopen the economy, including education, he said.

After Singapore, Cambodia has ranked second for the speed of its vaccination programme in Southeast Asia.

The country has inoculated roughly 72% of its 16 million population with two doses, putting it well ahead of larger, wealthier neighbours Thailand and Vietnam.

Since the pandemic began, the country has recorded 102,000 COVID infections and 2,078 deaths.

A report by the Mekong Strategic Partners consultancy attributed the success of the vaccination drive to a strategy based on location rather than age cohorts, low vaccine hesitancy, compulsory jabs for public officials and a broad-based approach to procurement.

The lions share of Cambodias jabs have come from China - Sinovac and Sinopharm - but the country is also using some UK developed AstraZeneca and American Johnson & Johnson doses.

Schools in some lower-risk parts of the country reopened this week and Hun Sen said a pilot scheme to reopen the borders to tourists was under consideration.

Visitors would be exempt from a 14-day hotel quarantine but would have to stay in particular provinces for at least seven days.
Forest ranger killed in gaur attack in Khao Yai

PRACHIN BURI: A forest ranger was killed and another one injured in an attack by a wild gaur while they were patrolling in Khao Yai National Park on Friday (Sept 17).

animalsviolence

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 18 September 2021, 04:31PM

Forest rangers and the family of Nakorn Sriruang arrive at Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital in Prachin Buri to receive his body to prepare for funeral rites following his death in a wild gaur attack. Photo: Manit Sanubboon / Bangkok Post

The two were among six rangers who had been conducting patrols in national park areas that straddle Nakhon Nayok and Prachin Buri provinces since Wednesday. They had stayed overnight in the forest on Thursday and continued their patrol on Friday, reports Bangkok Post.

When the patrol arrived at Khao Samer Poon in Prachin Buri on Friday afternoon, a gaur standing behind a rock suddenly ran towards Nakorn Sriruang, head of the patrol, and then charged Samruay Neeplee, said Adisak Phusitwongsanuyut, chief of Khao Yai National Park.

Other rangers fired warning shots to chase away the animal. The two injured rangers were given first aid and a helicopter was sent to airlift them to safety.

Nakorn was taken to Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital in Prachin Buri, where he died shortly after being admitted. Mr Samruay is now being treated at Pakchongnana Hospital, said Mr Adisak.

The family of the dead ranger and officials from the national park on Saturday arrived at Chao Phraya Abhaibhubejhr Hospital to receive the body for funeral rites.

Gaurs are among the largest living land animals. Only elephants, rhinos, hippopotamus and giraffes grow heavier. An adult gaur bull can weigh between 650 and 1,000 kilogrammes.

The gaur population in Thailand is believed to number only a few hundred, but the animals are making a comeback at Khao Phung Ma, a conservation area adjacent to Khao Yai that has been designated a non-hunting area. Researchers estimate that 250 gaurs live in the area.
Second COVID death from outbreak at Phuket Prison

PHUKET: Officials have confirmed that a second inmate who contracted COVID-19 while incarcerated at Phuket Provincial Prison has died from being infected with the virus.

COVID-19Coronavirusdeath

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 18 September 2021, 04:57PM

Thalang Police Station received a notification from Thalang Hospital staff today (Sept 18) that a male prisoner receiving treatment for COVID-19 at the hospital had died at 12:15pm.

The deceased was a 24-year-old Sahaschai Ketmuang, who was previously a resident of Baan Bang Duk, Mai Khao. His body has been released to his family for funeral rites, police confirmed.

The death of Mr Sahaschai follows the death of a 38-year-old male prisoner whose death was confirmed by provincial officials yesterday.

Provincial officials yesterday confirmed only that the 38-year-old man, designated as Case 7942, had died on Thursday (Sept 16). He was already suffering high blood pressure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and had been vaccinated with two injections of the Sinovac vaccine.

However, it was later revealed by sources that the 38-year-old, now identified as Anulak Yuenburi, originally from Phetchaburi province, was an inmate infected while incarcerated at Phuket Provincial Prison.

He was brought to Thalang Hospital after being confirmed infected during mass testing at the prison. He died at Thalang Hospital at around 5am on Thursday. His body was taken to Wat Phra Thong for cremation that same day.

The death certificates for both Mr Anulak and Mr Sahaschai note, "Lungs infected with the COVID-19 virus".

The two deaths follow Phuket health officials reporting that mass testing proactive screening of inmates at the prison by using antigen test kits (ATKs) had been conducted on Sept 4, and that 199 inmates had tested positive.

It was not reported what action was taken by health officials on learning that so many inmates had tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor), arrived at the prison yesterday to donate 1,000 ATKs to Phuket Provincial Prison Commissioner Suchart Silapachai for further testing of inmates to be conducted.

Also handed over were four boxes of alcohol-based hand sanitiser, along with staff to assist prison officers in testing inmates at the prison.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Revamp the tax code and important federal health care and environment programs. Spend $3.5 trillion over 10 years, but maybe a lot less. Ensure that no more than three Democrats in all of Congress vote no because Republicans will be unanimously opposed.

Try to finish within the next couple of weeks. And oh yes: Failure means President Joe Biden's own party will have repudiated him on the cornerstone of his domestic agenda.

That's what congressional Democrats face as they try writing a final version of a massive bill bolstering the social safety net and strengthening efforts to tame climate change. Here's a guide to some pivotal differences they must resolve:

PRICE TAG

The White House and top Democrats compromised on a $3.5 trillion, 10-year cost for the bill. That's a huge sum, though a fraction of the $61 trillion in federal spending already slated over that period.

Moderates led by Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have said $3.5 trillion is too expensive, and votes from every Democrat in the 50-50 Senate are mandatory for success. Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have recently acknowledged what seems inevitable: The final cost may have to drop.

Manchin has suggested limiting the total to $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion, which progressives reject as paltry. Led by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., they initially said at least $6 trillion was needed for serious efforts to help families and curb global warming.

Eventually a compromise will be reached, with some expecting it in the $2 trillion to $2.5 trillion range. But since House committees just finished crafting a $3.5 trillion version of the package, a smaller price tag means some priorities would have to be trimmed.

TAXES

To pay for much of the bill, the House Ways and Means Committee approved $2.1 trillion in tax boosts, mostly on the rich and corporations. Some details and numbers seem likely to change.

Biden, who's promised to not increase taxes on people earning under $400,000, will probably get his proposal to raise the top individual income tax rate on the richest Americans to 39.6%. That would be up from 37% approved under former President Donald Trump.

But Democrats also want to raise other levies on the wealthiest. It's unclear which proposals will survive and in what form.

For example, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has expressed interest in boosting taxes on the value of some large estates that heirs inherit. Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., omitted that from his panel's plan.

Democrats want to provide tax credits for children, health care and child care costs and low-income workers. If the bill's size shrinks, Democrats might save money by delaying, gradually phasing in or out or limiting some of those breaks. Some moderates say a proposed tax credit for buying electric vehicles shouldn't go to higher-earning people.

Biden wants to raise the 21% corporate tax rate to 28% but may have to settle for around 25%. Democrats face other differences over taxes on corporate foreign income and stock buybacks.

MEDICARE

Three moderate Democrats blocked a House committee from approving a top priority for Biden and progressives: saving hundreds of billions by letting Medicare negotiate lower prices for pharmaceuticals it buys. Another committee approved the language, so it's not dead.

Still, the plan is opposed by drug manufacturers and some moderates want to water it down.

Democrats planned to use the savings to pay for another progressive goal: new dental, vision and hearing Medicare coverage. If the drug-pricing language is diluted and produces less savings, it's unclear how the Medicare expansion would be financed.

SALT AND IRS

In a town that loves acronyms, SALT, shorthand for state and local taxes, is on the table.

Democrats from high-tax coastal communities are demanding an increase in the current $10,000 limit on deductions taxpayers can claim for state and local taxes they pay.

With Pelosi unable to afford losing more than three Democratic votes, many think that deduction ceiling will be increased. To make up for the lost revenue, the IRS could be given extra money or banks might be required to report more financial transaction information to the IRS, ideas aimed at bolstering tax collections.

OTHER PRIORITIES

The House has proposed grants for power companies that move toward renewable fuels and fines on those that don't, a pillar of the chamber's climate change agenda. Manchin, chairman of the Senate energy committee and a fierce defender of his state's coal industry, has told colleagues he opposes that.

The House has proposed a plan for mandatory family leave that's significantly costlier than what Senate Democrats envision. And lawmakers await a decision from the Senate parliamentarian on whether language helping millions of immigrants remain in the U.S. violates budget rules and must be omitted.

TIMING

Last month, Pelosi told moderates that the House would consider their top priority, a separate $1 trillion bill financing road and other infrastructure projects, by Sept. 27.

In what seems a mutual political suicide pact, progressives have threatened to vote against that bill unless unenthusiastic moderates support the $3.5 trillion package. Ideally, Democratic leaders would love for both bills to be voted on together.

With so many loose ends, it seems highly unlikely the $3.5 trillion measure will be finished then. That's raised questions about how Pelosi will keep her party's antagonistic wings supportive of each other's priority bills and how she will shepherd both to passage.

DEMOCRATS' TWO SECRET WEAPONS

For one thing, a collapse of the effort would mean a jarring failure to enact their highest priorities, weakening their bid to retain their congressional majorities in next year's elections. Every Democrat knows that.

Another is Pelosi herself, who's proven deft at holding Democrats together and squeezing out votes she needs.

House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., cited both factors in an interview last week, describing what he tells Democrats.

Ive said everybody should be posturing and doing the best you can to stand up for your priorities, but in the final analysis youre going to vote for this thing," Yarmuth said. And by the way, have you met Nancy Pelosi?
MASCOUTAH  Boeing Co. officials on Friday announced the company will invest $200 million to begin manufacturing the U.S. Navys latest unmanned aircraft at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.

Boeing plans to build the MQ-25 Stingray, the Navys first carrier-based unmanned aircraft, in a state-of-the-art plant of about 291,000 square feet, according to a news release provided to The Associated Press. The project is estimated to add about 150 mechanics, engineers and support staff.

The worlds largest aerospace company is doubling down on Illinois because of our unparalleled assets in the transportation and logistics sector and the world-class talent of our people, said Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

To prepare our communities for the future, my administration is committed to making continued investments that will modernize our airports, spark new innovation and bring jobs and economic opportunities to our communities from Chicago to St. Clair and beyond, he said. He added the project will give companies another reason to choose Illinois.

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, applauded the news.

The Metro East region plays an essential role in our defense manufacturing industry, with Southern Illinoisans producing components for the CH-47 Chinook, the F/A-18 Super Hornet, and now the MQ-25 Stingray, said Bost.

The men and women working in the defense industry bolster our national security by ensuring that our armed forces have the aircraft they need to accomplish their missions, he said. Not only that, this new Boeing facility at MidAmerica Airport will also create new jobs, expand our aviation manufacturing base, and help solidify Illinois innovative and technological leadership for years to come.

Aviation industry reports state construction of the new facility is scheduled to start yet this year with completion in early 2024. Production would start later that year. The firm currently employs 70 at its Boeing-St. Clair site at MidAmerica.

Boeing will receive breaks on its state income tax liability for its $200 million investment over 15 years and the addition of 150 jobs. The deal is part of an EDGE economic-development agreement with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The MQ-25 Stingray, developed from a 2018 Boeing contract with the Navy, is a refueling aircraft designed for seamless integration on the flight decks of Navy carrier ships.

According to state officials, the new MQ-25 facility will include state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and tools, including robotic automation and advanced assembly techniques.

The team and state-of-the-art technology were bringing to the Navys MQ-25 program is unprecedented, and were incredibly proud to be expanding both as we build the future of autonomous systems in Illinois, said Kristin Robertson, vice president and general manager of Autonomous Systems, Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Weve received great support from MidAmerica Airport and countless dedicated employees, and were excited to build the Navys first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft right here in the Metro East.

Boeing and the Navy have been flight testing the Boeing-owned MQ-25 test asset for the past two years from MidAmerica Airport. The new MQ-25 facility will be in addition to existing manufacturing operations at Boeing St. Clair, which produces components for the CH-47 Chinook, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-15 and other defense products.
DEL RIO, Texas (AP)  The Biden administration plans the widescale expulsion of Haitian migrants from a small Texas border city by putting them on flights to Haiti starting Sunday, an official said Friday, representing a swift and dramatic response to thousands who suddenly crossed the border from Mexico and gathered under and around a bridge.

Details are yet to be finalized but will likely involve five to eight flights a day, according to the official with direct knowledge of the plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. San Antonio, the nearest major city, may be among the departure cities.

Another administration official speaking on condition of anonymity expected two flights a day at most and said all migrants would be tested for COVID-19.

U.S. authorities closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions at the only border crossing in Del Rio, Texas, after chaos unfolded Friday and presented the administration with a new and immediate challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching U.S. soil.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was closing the border crossing with Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, to respond to urgent safety and security needs. Travelers were being directed to Eagle Pass, Texas, 57 miles (91 kilometers) away.

Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico through knee-deep water, with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders. Unable to buy supplies in the U.S., they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months.

Migrants pitched tents and built makeshift shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.

The vast majority of the migrants at the bridge on Friday were Haitian, said Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens, who is the county's top elected official and whose jurisdiction includes Del Rio. Some families have been under the bridge for as long as six days.

Trash piles were 10 feet (3.1 meters) wide, and at least two women have given birth, including one who tested positive for COVID-19 after being taken to a hospital, Owens said.

Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez estimated the crowd at 13,700 and said more Haitians were traveling through Mexico by bus.

The flight plan, while potentially massive in scale, hinges on how Haitians respond. They may face a choice: stay put at the risk of being sent back to their impoverished homeland -- wracked by poverty, political instability and a recent earthquake  or return to Mexico. Unaccompanied children are exempt from fast-track expulsions.

About 500 Haitians were ordered off buses by Mexican immigration authorities in the state of Tamaulipas, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of the Texas border, the state government said in a news release Friday. They continued toward the border on foot.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many of them having left the Caribbean nation after a devastating earthquake in 2010. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.

It is unclear how such a large number amassed so quickly, though many Haitians have been assembling in camps on the Mexican side of the border, including in Tijuana, across from San Diego, to wait while deciding whether to attempt to enter the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. We will address it accordingly, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on MSNBC.

An administration official, who was not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the action is not targeting Haitians specifically and does not reflect a policy shift, just a continuation of normal practices.

The Federal Aviation Administration, acting on a Border Patrol request, restricted drone flights around the bridge until Sept. 30, generally barring operations at or below 1,000 feet (305 meters) unless for security or law enforcement purposes.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and frequent critic of President Joe Biden, said federal officials told him migrants under the bridge would be moved by the Defense Department to Arizona, California and elsewhere on the Texas border.

Some Haitians at the camp have lived in Mexican cities on the U.S. border for some time, moving often between them, while others arrived recently after being stuck near Mexico's southern border with Guatemala, said Nicole Phillips, the legal director for advocacy group Haitian Bridge Alliance. A sense of desperation spread after the Biden administration ended its practice of admitting asylum-seeking migrants daily who were deemed especially vulnerable.

People are panicking on how they seek refuge, Phillips said.

Edgar Rodriguez, lawyer for the Casa del Migrante migrant shelter in Piedras Negras, north of Del Rio, noticed an increase of Haitians in the area two or three weeks ago and believes that misinformation may have played a part. Migrants often make decisions on false rumors that policies are about to change and that enforcement policies vary by city.

U.S. authorities are being severely tested after Biden quickly dismantled Trump administration policies that Biden considered cruel or inhumane, most notably one requiring asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court hearings. Such migrants have been exposed to extreme violence in Mexico and faced extraordinary difficulty in finding attorneys.

The U.S Supreme Court last month let stand a judge's order to reinstate the policy, though Mexico must agree to its terms. The Justice Department said in a court filing this week that discussions with the Mexican government were ongoing.

A pandemic-related order to immediately expel migrants without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum that was introduced in March 2020 remains in effect, but unaccompanied children and many families have been exempt. During his first month in office, Biden chose to exempt children traveling alone on humanitarian grounds.

The U.S. government has been unable to expel many Central American families because Mexican authorities have largely refused to accept them in the state of Tamaulipas, which is across from Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. On Friday, the administration said it would appeal a judge's ruling a day earlier that blocked it from applying Title 42, as the pandemic-related authority is known, to any families.

Mexico has agreed to take expelled families only from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, creating an opening for Haitians and other nationalities because the U.S. lacks the resources to detain and quickly expel them on flights to their homelands.

In August, U.S. authorities stopped migrants nearly 209,000 times at the border, which was close to a 20-year high even though many of the stops involved repeat crossers because there are no legal consequences for being expelled under Title 42 authority.

People crossing in families were stopped 86,487 times in August, but fewer than one out of every five of those encounters resulted in expulsion under Title 42. The rest were processed under immigration laws, which typically means they were released with a court date or a notice to report to immigration authorities.

U.S. authorities stopped Haitians 7,580 times in August, a figure that has increased every month since August 2020, when they stopped only 55. There have also been major increases of Ecuadorians, Venezuelans and other nationalities outside the traditional sending countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

___

Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers Ben Fox, Alexandra Jaffe and Colleen Long in Washington, Paul Weber in Austin, David Koenig in Dallas and Maria Verza in Mexico City contributed to this report.
MEG BEAL, Westerly volleyball, senior: Beal had 13 aces and 28 assists in three Westerly victories. Beal also contributed 15 digs for the Bulldogs.

ZOOT BOSCHWITZ, Chariho football, senior: Boschwitz completed 14 of 16 passes for 176 yards in the Chargers 42-6 win over Central Falls/Blacksone Valley Prep. Boschwitz threw three touchdown passes.

MADDIE PERKINS, Wheeler girls soccer, senior: Perkins scored two goals and assisted on another in the Lions 3-0 victory against Tourtellotte.

WILL SAWIN, Stonington boys soccer, senior: Sawin, a senior, scored four goals and assisted on three others in a pair of Stonington victories. For the season, Sawin has 11 goals and 10 assists for the Bears.

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Taste of success: Single cask whisky is becoming more popular

In the early 1980s, Pip Hills, an Edinburgh-based entrepreneur, would shake off the strains of urban life with regular visits to a friend in rural Aberdeenshire.

On one occasion, a local farmer approached and offered him a wee dram of whisky  from a lemonade bottle.

The whisky was single cask from a nearby distillery and Hills was hooked.

In 1983, he and 12 friends formed the Scotch Malt Whisky Society so they could buy and enjoy individual casks of whisky.

The society expanded steadily and listed on AIM in June this year as the Artisanal Spirits Company, with 29,000 members and strong ambitions for growth.

Having floated at 1.12, the shares have drifted back to 83p. This reflects neither recent performance nor future prospects, and the stock should recover as boss David Ridley delivers against his strategy.

Back in the 1980s, blended whisky was the norm and distilleries were closing down. Today, premium whisky is increasingly popular, there are at least 100 distilleries in Scotland and another 40 or so in development.

Single cask whisky takes premiumisation to a new level. While single malt comes from a specific distillery and tends to be around 40 per cent proof, single cask comes from individual barrels and can be 55 to 60 per cent proof.

Each batch has its own unique flavour and there are just 250 bottles per cask.

Designed to appeal to discerning spirit lovers, the market has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years. And the Artisanal Spirits Company is a leader in the field.

Ridley, a veteran of the drinks industry, has driven growth in Europe, Japan, Australia and China, as well as America, the largest Scotch whisky market. Expansion in the US was constrained by tariffs under Donald Trump, but these have been suspended and recovery has been swift.

Ridley has also spent recent years building up the Scotch Malt Whisky Society's inventory. The group now owns 14,000 casks, which at current sales rates would provide members with whisky for the next 26 years.

Recently too, the Society has begun to buy whisky straight from the still, putting the spirit into casks and allowing it to mature before selling bottles to members. The process takes time, but profit margins are substantially higher.

Members are also offered single cask whisky from Japan and America, as well as more unusual locations such as India and Scandinavia. There is even the odd cask cognac, rum or gin.

Membership costs around 65 a year and most members buy at least seven bottles of whisky a year, with prices averaging 75, though some ultra-special examples can cost up to 1,500. First-half figures, released last week, were encouraging, with sales of 7.9million, up 20 per cent year on year.

Brokers expect revenues of 17.5million for 2021, rising to more than 21million next year. The group is loss-making, as cash is ploughed back into the business, but it should become profitable from next year. Ridley has also just launched a new offshoot, JG Thomson, which will sell special malt whiskies online and in selected off-licences.

Midas verdict: The Artisanal Spirits Company has had a lacklustre debut on AIM, but this seems undeserved. Enthusiasm for premium spirits is increasing, Ridley has plenty of plans for growth and the company is an expert in e-commerce too. At 83p, the shares are a buy  investors gain half-price membership to the Society too, a type of dividend in kind.

Traded on: AIM Ticker: ART Contact: artisanal-spirits.com or 0131 555 6588
Mobile phone giant Three is planning a major revamp of its 313 UK stores to sell internet-connected gadgets and broadband packages to home workers.

Chief executive Robert Finnegan said the eyes of consumers 'had been opened' to new devices such as film projectors while they were stuck at home during lockdown.

He plans to start transforming all of his stores next year after a successful trial in Ireland to sell more than just mobile deals for the first time.

Change of direction: Robert Finnegan plans to start transforming all of his Three stores next year after a successful trial in Ireland (pictured)

The shops will be more akin to a small Currys than a phone store, though Finnegan said he wasn't going after the retailer's market.

He said the revamped shops would help Three market broadband packages to people who had moved to more rural areas since the pandemic and wanted a better internet connection for home working.

As part of his land grab on mobile and broadband customers, Finnegan said Three could consider a multi-billion pound acquisition of a rival telecoms provider.

The mobile network has already begun a permanent 27 million refit of its Irish shops, which are stocked with devices such as 400 Anker outdoor film projectors and Steepletone speaker tables, which have seen a 50 per cent jump in sales.

Finnegan said: 'People have realised technology improves their lives significantly at home since they've been spending more time there. It's connecting people to their home with security devices, or to hobbies, with high-end cameras, projectors and outdoor speakers.

'We wanted to showcase the whole range of products so that we can help deliver our vision of a better connected life for our customers.'

Three hopes to lure home workers with its 5G internet packages and win customers from fibre-cable based rivals such as BT and Virgin Media.

Finnegan said: '5G can bring you speeds as good as, or better than, fibre at more cost effective rates. It is something that will help if people move out to rural areas, because it will take Openreach or whoever longer to get to building in those rural areas.'

Land grab: The shops will be more akin to a small Currys than a phone store

Finnegan called the UK telecoms market 'dysfunctional' as it features four big networks  BT-EE, Vodafone, O2-Virgin and Three. He said the best coverage and speed was in cities such as Oslo and Seoul where just three players compete.

Three was blocked in its 10 billion merger attempt with O2 in 2016. Asked if Three could now attempt a takeover of embattled BT or Vodafone, Finnegan said: 'If an opportunity comes along we're looking at every opportunity.'

He described Three's Hong Kong parent, CK Hutchison, valued at 19 billion, as 'cash rich' and 'in a very strong financial position'.
ALBANY  Back in April, a local man made off with more than $4,000 in jewelry he allegedly stole from a downtown Albany store.

The evidence was right there for all to see. The suspect, who lives in Albany County and has previous arrests, was filmed by a security camera reaching over the counter at Truman Jewelers on North Pearl Street and taking items out of the glass case while a store employee was in the back.

A month later, Albany police nabbed the suspect, whose identity is being withheld by the Times Union so as not to unfairly influence his pending criminal case.

But it was not just the video that led to the suspect being arrested and charged with larceny. It was also synthetic DNA that helped police nab him.

Synthetic DNA?

It's not Frankenstein. And it's not human DNA.

A Florida company called CSI Protect makes the product, called SelectaDNA, using the components that comprise DNA: adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. By putting those substances in special combinations, CSI Protect is able to create unique DNA codes that can be encased in liquid "micro-dots" that are either sprayed on or made to stick to a burglar when a crime happens.

The DNA-filled micro-dots identify a particular store or high-value item, making them highly effective in helping police match a suspect with a particular crime. The technology has been used in the United Kingdom for years, but is only recently being adopted in the United States, mostly by jewelry stores and high-end retailers.

The store can "mark" suspects either through a special mist that can be sprayed on a suspect or intruder  or it can be applied to items in the store with a special adhesive so it sticks to a suspect.

The micro-dots contain a tracer material that allows them to be detected with an ultra-violet light. They also contain a special DNA strand that gives them a unique identification.

Potential criminals are also warned with signs that if they try to steal something, they will be tagged for police, just like bank robbers who can be are sprayed with a special dye pack that explodes when they open a wad of stolen bills.

Truman Jewelers participated in a pilot program to test SelectaDNA that had the support of several law enforcement organizations, including the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police, which believes the technology could lead to more arrests and prosecutions of thieves.

SelectaDNA says stores that use the DNA marking system have been able to reduce thefts by 40 to 86 percent as criminals are deterred when seeing a sign that says the system is in use. The spray is water-based and non-toxic. The special code can remain on a suspect's skin and clothing for a month-and-a-half, giving police and prosecutors plenty of time to investigate and arrest them.

Although some retailers have used the technology in the New York City area, company officials say this is the first time that a suspect has been arrested and charged after getting sprayed with the DNA. The system was installed at Truman Jewelers last year as part of a program used to test its effectiveness.

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This pilot project was designed to demonstrate the value of forensic marking technology in combating and deterring crime, and assisting with the apprehension of criminals," said Patrick Phelan, executive director of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. "Today, we can say definitively that it works.

Video of the theft provided to the news media shows the suspect, whose face is blurred to protect his identity, quickly reaching into a glass case at Truman Jewelers while the employee in charge is in the back. Although the theft appears to be aided by an extreme lack of attention by the employee running the store, Albany police insisted that the theft was not encouraged or set up by CSI Project hoping to prove its product's effectiveness.

The suspect was charged with third-degree grand larceny, Albany Police spokesman Steve Smith said. Conviction on such a felony can result in a sentence of several years in prison if the accused has a history of criminal activity.

In this case, when Albany Police nabbed the suspect, they were easily able to identify that he was sprayed with the SelectaDNA using a UV light.

Although the use of such DNA markers to gain convictions has not yet gained traction in U.S. courts, it provides store owners like Paul Crabbe, who owns Truman Jewelers, with a sophisticated way to track alleged thieves without disrupting the store's operations.

As a downtown business owner for over three decades, Im committed to creating a safe and secure environment in which my customers can shop and my staff can work with peace of mind, Crabbe said. This technology provides an added layer of protection, and combined with our proactive policies and the professional work of our law enforcement agencies, ensures we can focus on doing business and contributing to our community.

Shepherd Communication & Security of Albany installed the system at Truman Jewelers about a year ago.

Forensic marking technology is poised to revolutionize the way business owners protect their employees, customers, workplaces and assets, said Richard Ruzzo, managing partner of Shepherd Communication & Security.
Abiola and Lanre Peters, pastors who are married to each other, celebrated last Saturday moving their rapidly growing congregation of 250 into a beautiful, historic Albany church building  a gift from their mother church in Lagos, Nigeria.

Abiola Peters said the brick and stone building at 475 State St. is more than 150 years old with a sanctuary lined with richly colored stained glass windows and a soaring arched ceiling.

We started with three members in 2003 and now we have 250, she said. We never asked our congregation for funds to buy the building because the pandemic made life so difficult financially for so many. Our mother church in Nigeria and its churches all over Africa and the world contributed to help us buy a building because were still growing here in Albany.

The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) is a denomination that began in Nigerias capital city with nine worshippers who met in each others houses in 1952. It now claims 2,000 parishes across Nigeria as well as churches in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Gambia, Cameroon, South Africa, England, Germany, and France. The Peterses became Redeemed members and pastors in New York City. In 2003, they were asked to start an Albany church in a long, narrow Lexington Avenue building that resembled a former retail or storage space.

Abiola Peters says the churchs new home became available when a Lutheran church decided to move to another location. She recalls that at one point there were five other bidders for the property. Negotiations took more than a year. The congregation sees its new home, across from Washington Park, as worth the wait. Lanterns illuminate the sanctuary. Blue sky and water blaze in one stained glass window of Christ's baptism and pale honey-hued flowers sparkle under a huge golden sun in another.

This will be a wonderful venue for weddings, she said. And our building has a commercial kitchen for anyone who wants to host a banquet or fundraising dinner here.

The diversity of her congregation is what really inspires her pride.

When we came to Albany, a lot of folks who came here from Africa were familiar with Redeemed Christian and joined. But we also have Caucasian and Latino members and young people of all races and ethnicities who may have first been attracted to our music. She laughs and adds, We sing hymns and gospel people can dance to in their aisles, move their bodies to. People may lose weight after they attend one of our services.

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Redeemed Christians ministries include a community food pantry and school supplies and backpack giveaways for children in need and scholarship funds for high school students wanting to further their education. The church offers a welfare and hospitality department focused on college students who may need help in a financial crunch or counseling. The Peterses also manage to enjoy family time with their two college student daughters and 11-year-old son.

While their congregation grows in its new space, the mother church in Nigeria also has expansion plans in the form of The RCCG Coastline Worship Centre, which is envisioned as a 17-floor tower with mutilevel car parking, a jetty that can dock 16 boats, a helipad, a medical center, bank outposts and a shopping arcade.

It may sound dramatically ambitious but as the BBC observed last year, the Pentecostal denomination has enjoyed explosive growth across the African continent with megachurches. A few even offer medical services for congregants who cant afford health care.
ALBANY  A 29-year-old city man was arrested Thursday on Sherman Street while holding cocaine in both of his hands and carrying a bag with a 9mm pistol in it, city police said Friday.

The man was arrested at 10:45 a.m. Thursday in the 200 Block of Sherman Street between Robin Street and North Lake Avenue. The arrest was made following an investigation by detectives from the Albany Police Departments Community Response Unit, police said in a news release.
PLATTSBURGH  Samuels voice cracked through the line from the Clinton County jail before he paused for translation from Haitian Creole.

What can you do to get me out?

When his lawyer responded that there was no way to get him out right now  no bond, no bail  and that hed been fast-tracked for deportation, the young fathers tone changed. Im here just for an immigration problem, he said, confused.

Samuel, a 35-year-old who first fled his island after the assassination of his parents, has spent over two months in the northern New York jail.

He was detained after Canadian officials refused to receive his asylum claim at the land border adjacent to Champlain. He had been trying to join his daughter, who is now 6. (He shared his story on the condition that the Times Union not use his real name.)

Canadas border services agency often sends refugees back to face U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when they attempt to enter Canada at regular land ports of entry, due to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). The treaty, active since 2004, requires that most asylum seekers file claims in the first of the two countries where they land, unless they already have a valid visa for their destination or come in through an irregular crossing point.

U.S. border officials process those who are denied entry into Canada. Asylum hopefuls with no legal status in America are then turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation hearings, according to a spokesperson for CBP. Representatives for ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

During the pandemic, irregular crossings such as New Yorks well-known Roxham Road were closed by the Canadian government, but many claimants have felt desperate and tried their luck at Roxham regardless, or attempted to cross at ports of entry even if they dont fit an exception to the treaty. Border officials have been sending back an increasing number of would-be applicants, some of whom are now incarcerated in northern New York.

Lauren Parnes is a staff attorney for Prisoners Legal Services who has been working in the area since April 2019. Supported by a grant from the Office of New Americans to provide immigrant legal services in the north country, she has spoken to many asylum seekers detained at Clinton County jail since the pandemic began.

This is whats happening to people. A: Theyre being fast-tracked to deportation. B: Other doors are being closed that may have given them protection, just by virtue of them attempting to enter Canada, said Parnes, who is working with Samuel and has spoken repeatedly to the Haitian father through a translator since he was detained.

Samuel does not speak English or French, but can communicate some ideas in Spanish. When he turned up at the jail, another inmate  a Spanish-speaking U.S. citizen  used his own money to have his girlfriend three-way call Parnes in order to get Samuel legal services.

Parnes said Samuels attempt to leave the U.S. resulted in a federal judge denying him bond, which means he is likely to have no way to leave detention until his case has concluded. Had he not been fast-tracked, Parnes also thinks he might have received Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which allows migrants to live and work in the U.S. while their countries of origin remain unstable. But shes worried theres now not enough time for him to apply.

Samuel, believing that his child in Canada made him an exception to the STCA, did not think he would need to wait for the pandemic rules to change and cross irregularly into the northern country in order to claim asylum. Instead, he caught a cab to the official port of entry and showed his babys birth certificate to authorities.

He thinks they were mistaken to turn him away. Parnes thinks theres a chance hes right. But now, Samuel's standing with U.S. authorities is her main concern.

They consider him a flight risk for attempting to enter Canada, Parnes said. So if Canada made a mistake in denying him entry, its also negatively impacting him in the U.S. immigration system.

A Canada Border Services Agency spokesman told the Times Union that he cannot provide details on individual claimants due to privacy issues, but that they are processed on a case-by-case basis. He added that an eligible family relationship does not guarantee a person can ask for asylum, since officers consider additional restrictions under Canadian refugee law.

A list of exceptions to the STCA on the Canadian government website includes people with close family members in Canada: a spouse, child, sibling or parent, among others. Family members under 18 sometimes count, though it depends on their status in Canada. The list does not include cousins or in-laws. Other, more rare exceptions include stateless people and those who can prove they would otherwise be subject to the death penalty.

Jim Milstein, who works with Parnes as the Albany-based managing attorney of Prisoners Legal Services, said that people frequently try to cross through New York into Canada, and many of those without legal status in the U.S. end up in detention.

Some people get to the point where, because they're unable to work in the United States and can't get any employment authorization, they get down to their last dollar  theyre desperate, and then they try to go to Canada, he said. And then there's obviously others that have family there and want to reunite.

The Canadian system offers support to asylum seekers once they have entered their claims. They can apply for a permit to work legally in Canada while they wait for a determination, and they have access to some social assistance, education, health services, emergency housing and legal aid.

Special report Asylum hopefuls barred from Canada Migrants have long passed through New Yorks northern border to claim asylum in Canada; many, though not all, hold temporary legal status in the U.S. Now, misinformation about the safe third country agreement policy and its pandemic-era updates have led a number of asylum seekers to be stranded, detained, or deported by U.S. authorities. Misinformation leads Canadian asylum hopefuls to rejection at Roxham Asylum seekers jailed in New York after trying to enter Canada Coming soon: Canada's direct-back policies for asylum seekers face legal challenges

So as not to get into trouble

Clinton County jail is not transparent at all about whos in there, Parnes said. She sees many detainees, but thinks there are a number that have passed through without her knowledge. By her best estimate, close to 100 immigrants have been sent to detention this past year from the closest Canadian border point, near Champlain.

Some migrants who have ended up in the Plattsburgh jail had never heard of the binational treaty, and did not realize the United States could detain them for trying to leave and reenter the country.

One such man used to work as a midlevel manager at Venezuelas state-owned petroleum company, until he took a stand against actions of his countrys controversial leader, Nicolas Maduro.

At work, when they realized that I participated actively in some protests against the government, I started to get pressured, threatened, he said. Everyone looked at me like the bad guy in the movie, you know?

He was also getting threats outside of the office, and said someone once set his car on fire while he was in the vehicle with his mother and girlfriend. They got out safely, but he decided to come to the United States for the security of his family.

The former petroleum worker said his case is not unique: he knows many people at Venezuelas state-run companies who are being attacked for opposing government decisions.

He first flew to the United States on a visa valid for six months, but then the pandemic hit, complicating his flight out of the country. He applied for an extension and never heard back from authorities. Eventually, nervous about breaking rules but unable to return to Venezuela, he decided to cross into Canada  where his cousins live  and claim asylum, so as not to get into trouble with authorities in the U.S.

I made the decision to go and try to enter Canada legally, through the main port of entry, he told the Times Union, explaining that in January 2021 hed taken an Uber to the border from the Plattsburgh airport and asked Canadian officials if he was allowed to claim asylum.

But the Venezuelan mans attempts to avoid doing anything irregular backfired. He said Canadian border officials took him to a waiting room and held onto his passport and his visa. Eventually they brought him in for questioning. After telling him the border is closed and that he didnt fit an STCA exception, they sent him back to U.S. authorities, who asked another series of questions before telling him he would be detained.

They kept stressing that I am not a citizen of the United States, and that my actions constituted a crime, he said.

He was sent first to a local jail for about 20 days before being moved to a federal facility in Batavia, in the outskirts of Buffalo. Meanwhile, his sister contacted Milstein, of Prisoners Legal Services, and with the attorneys help the Venezuelan man was able to get his bond set quickly at $10,000.

Clinton County jail, his original stop, has long been contracted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold some foreign nationals who they detain in the area. It is often the initial destination for immigrants detained at the border with Canada. But it is not an immigration-specific facility.

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There are a wide range of inmates incarcerated in the Clinton County jail ranging from charges of traffic violation to murder, according to the sheriffs department's website.

I really felt quite desperate, anguished, scared, the Venezuelan man said. I had never been detained ... and I was pretty scared to be around other people in jail, some of whom he knew were being held for violent crimes.

After a month and a half and two 14-day COVID-19 quarantines, one at Clinton County jail and the other at Batavia, the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund paid the $10,000 bond for his release and he could travel to Florida to wait for his day in court.

Carl Hamad-Lipscombe, the executive director of the fund, said the not-for-profit group started paying immigration bonds in 2018. In the first couple of years, the average balance they paid was around $8,000, which was just over the national norm. But recently, that amount has soared.

On average, the bonds this year have been closer to $12,000, Hamad-Lipscombe said. Weve seen increasingly high bond amounts. Ive honestly seen $20,000, $30,000. We saw a $100,000 bond a couple of months ago. And theres no rhyme or reason, individuals that have strikingly similar cases can have very different bonds set based on which judge they encounter.

He said that since the beginning of the pandemic the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund helped about 250 immigrants bond out of detention, guaranteeing up to $10,000 per person.

But in circumstances like that of the Haitian father, Samuel, Parnes said a bond was always unlikely given the facts of his case.

A second escape from Haiti

Before his current stint in Clinton County jail, Samuel had been behind bars only once before: when he first crossed the border into the United States with his young child and her mother in 2016. They were fleeing threats from the people who assassinated his parents.

In California, we were in the same prison. After that we were separated, my daughter went to a different prison, and after that I never saw her again, he said.

Once they were released, his daughter and her mother were able to travel north to seek refuge in Canada. But Samuel was deported back to Haiti.

A group of bandits, criminals that killed my parents, were after us, and they were trying to kill me too, Samuel said. He stayed in hiding after his deportation to Haiti, but knew he couldnt stay under the radar for long  he said the criminal groups were strong, and would easily find him, so he reached back out to the group that had smuggled his family out of the country the first time.

The agency told me to put my paperwork together very quickly; after six days I was able to travel to Brazil, he said.

After his flight south, Samuel began making his way north by land, country by country  he counted nine in total. About a month later, he made it back to the United States. This time he lived and worked in the U.S. undocumented until his recent decision to claim asylum in Canada.

Even after spending two months in jail for his attempt to cross the border, he sounded puzzled by his situation. He had been told by acquaintances and friends that going to Canada would be a better option for him, that he would be able to enter legally due to his daughters status and then find employment, something he had struggled with during his time as an undocumented migrant in Miami.

My hope, if I had been able to get there, was to see my daughter, and hopefully to find a job, to work, to make a living, Samuel said through the translator.

Though he faces likely deportation, Samuel cant imagine what might happen if he does get sent back to Haiti. He told his lawyers and the Times Union that his parents assassins already found out he had been detained and were celebrating.

I'm still very afraid to go to Haiti, especially now. Its only the criminals who have control over the country," he said, noting the July assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.

Moise's murder, which made international headlines, was followed by a deadly earthquake and then a direct hit from Tropical Storm Grace. But Samuel is most concerned about the people in charge in the wake of the calamities.

If they can kill the president, I will get there and within a day I will be gone, he said.
ALBANY  Members of the Albany Symphony Orchestra kicked off an ambitious multi-year endeavor by touring historic areas of the city on Friday to learn about the history of African Americans in Albany and gain exposure to the foundations of various Black art forms.

Music Director and Conductor David Alan Miller, who has led the ASO for almost 30 years, said that although he loves how the orchestra stays current with contemporary music, he felt it was missing an integral piece of music culture.

We felt that there are these incredible music traditions that we as an orchestra have not been in close contact with. There are all these great Black-American cultural traditions, Miller said.

The Convergence Project, funded by the Carl E. Touhey Foundation, will be a three-year collaboration between the ASO, Capital Region communities, and nationally acclaimed artistic partners. It aims to bridge the gap between the orchestra and the Black community in Albany by creating a space for the musicians to learn about both Black culture and the Black experience through the lens of historical landmarks and various art forms created by Black artists.

Friday's tour was the first of a two-day Convergence Summit that continues Saturday at the Palace Theatre, where those in attendance will participate in workshops exploring three pillars of Black art: jazz, hip hop, and the Afro-Caribbean styles of the diaspora.

Three world-renowned artists chosen as collaborators for the project will lead workshops on Saturday: jazz violinist Regina Carter, Afro-Haitian dancer Adia Whitaker, artistic director of Ase Dance Theatre Collective; and spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, vice president and artistic director of Social Impact at the Kennedy Center. They will continue to share their talents for the duration of the program through additional workshops and performances.

"Orchestras are made up of artists and if we can respect the artists and the arts as opposed to what it looks like, what we think it looks like, or what we think its supposed to look like, we can appreciate and celebrate different forms of that expression, said Jenae Gayle, ASO's director of education and community engagement.

She stated that the cultivation of the program "really reflects how we can understand and portray the Black American experience through these genres with an American orchestra in a way that is not just appropriate but authentic."

The tour on Friday for about 20 people provided insight into the historical significance of the Albany area and African American roots in the capital city. It showed off a number of sites: Crailo State Historic Museum in Rensselaer, Empire State Plaza, Schuyler Mansion, the Stephen and Harriet Myers Residence for the Underground Railroad Walking Tour, and the Sweet Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church.

The early history of African Americans in Albany was described at the very beginning of the tour by Sam Huntington, interpretive programs assistant at the Crailo State Historic Site.

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Huntington spoke about the first inhabitants of the Hudson Valley and the slave trade that followed the arrival of Europeans in America. He explained that the region's first inhabitants were Native Americans.

The earliest settlement by the Dutch in the Hudson Valley was Fort Orange in New Netherland or present-day Albany. The settlements were established after Henry Hudson sailed up the river that would bear his name in 1609.

Huntington explained the enslaved people arrived not long after that and were believed to be captured off Spanish and Portuguese vessels by Dutch privateers in the Middle Passage.

Listeners were silent as they took in every word about this history in Albany, and they spoke of their appreciation in the effort that the symphony is taking to tell these stories in appreciation and respect.

I was not aware of how much history is here so I am interested in learning about it on a deeper level through the lens of this project, said Paula Oakes, long-time violinist with the Albany Symphony Orchestra.

Miller sees this tour as a stepping stone of the nearly for the project, and hopes that the events, workshops, and performances to follow will engage the various communities in Albany that will create long-lasting relationships with the members of the orchestra.

This tour helps to gain some understanding of Black Albany, of the Black communitys experience in Albany and history, Miller said. Its hopefully going to blossom into a lot of different projects that enrich us further as we go forward.
KHABAROVSK, Russia (AP)  The handful of demonstrators gathering each evening in Khabarovsk are a shadow of the masses who took part in an unusually sustained wave of protests last year in the Russian Far Eastern city, but they are a chronic reminder of the political tensions that persist.

The demonstrators have been demanding the release of the regions popular former governor, Sergei Furgal, who was arrested last year on charges of being involved in killings.

Now, his Kremlin-appointed replacement, Mikhail Degtyaryov, is on the ballot for governor in the three days of regional voting that concludes Sunday. The regional election is taking place at the same time that Russians are voting for members of the State Duma, the national parliament.

The race for governor is being closely watched to gauge how much anger remains in the region, located seven time zones and 6,100 kilometers (3,800 miles) east of Moscow.

The region really worries the Kremlin because they dont want a repeat of those incidents (last years protests) of course. Khabarovsk is now under close supervision, said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank.

Three other people are on the ballot for governor, but supporters of Furgal and others in the city of about 600,000 complain they are insignificant candidates who were allowed to run to give the appearance of a democratic and competitive race.

Whoever posed even the smallest threat was barred from running, and they left only spoiler candidates, said 64-year-old protester Zigmund Khudyakov.

Notably, United Russia  the country's dominant political party and loyal backer of President Vladimir Putin  is not fielding a candidate for governor in Khabarovsk. Nor is Russias second-largest party, the Communists.

Degtyaryov, a member of the nationalist Liberal Democratic Party, is widely believed to be backed by the Kremlin with both advice and money.

The man who wanted to run on the Communist ticket was kept off the ballot because he was unable to get enough signatures from officials. That aspiring candidate, Pyotr Perevezentsev, told The Associated Press that municipal authorities in some districts had been told by their superiors whose nominating petitions to sign.

People representing the presidential administration curated these elections, he said.

Separately, Furgal's son Anton says he was kept off the ballot for the national parliament. There is an opinion that if my last name had been Ivanov, for example, I would likely be allowed to run, he said.

Degtyaryov rejects such claims.

As head of the Khabarovsk regional government, I am obligated to ensure transparent, legal, free and fair elections, and we are following all of these provisions, he said on a recent televised question-and-answer session with residents.

The weeks of protests that arose after Sergei Furgals arrest in July 2020 appeared to catch authorities by surprise. Unlike in Moscow, where police usually move quickly to disperse unsanctioned rallies, authorities didnt interfere with the unauthorized demonstrations in Khabarovsk, apparently expecting them to fizzle out.

A Liberal Democratic Party member, Furgal won the 2018 regional gubernatorial election even though he had refrained from campaigning and publicly supported his Kremlin-backed rival.

His victory was a humiliating setback for United Russia, which also lost its control over the regional legislature.

While in office, Furgal earned a reputation as a peoples governor, cutting his own salary, ordering the sale of an expensive yacht bought by the previous administration, and offering new benefits to residents.

His arrest, which was shown on Russian TV stations, came after the Investigative Committee, the nations top criminal investigation agency, said he was accused of involvement in the murders of several businessmen in the region and nearby territories in 2004 and 2005. During interrogation in Moscow, Furgal denied the charges, according to the Tass news agency.

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Ultranationalist lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky, a veteran politician with a reputation for outspoken comments and also a member of the Liberal Democrats, once called Furgal the best governor the region ever had.

Furgal's arrest brought hundreds, and then thousands, of people into the streets of Khabarovsk in a regular Saturday protest. A year later, the rallies  albeit much smaller  continue.

Local activists say thats because of sustained pressure from authorities interested in ensuring Degtyaryov wins the election.

Under new rules enforced by police who monitor and film the protests, the rallies are restricted to 10 people at most. Officers disperse anything larger.

The protesters say they are pressured at work and at university, with some adding that they lost their jobs after being seen at the demonstrations.

Many wear T-shirts with the face of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, while others carry signs depicting Furgal or denouncing the new governor.

We constantly live in fear because any day we can be arrested, said Denis Pedyash, a 47-year-old education worker who says he now comes to protests with a packed bag of essentials in case he is detained.

Its difficult. But people have hope and faith and are actively fighting the lawlessness of the authorities and the lawlessness of the elections, which are a laughingstock for the world to see," Pedyash said.

___

Anna Frants and Olga Tregubova in Moscow contributed reporting.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the last name of the protester in the final two paragraphs is Pedyash, not Pedish.
NISKAYUNA  Newly appointed police chief Jordan Kochan is well aware of the many challenges ahead of him in a department where morale is low and negative attention has been a focus for the past few months.

Many of the officers who remain on the force stood along the back of council chambers at Town Hall Friday afternoon and erupted in applause after he was sworn in and his wife, Katrina, pinned his chiefs badge on his lapel. His parents, children and other family members also attended.

Everyone in here knows me, Im generally the loudest one in the room, laughs the loudest, likes to have a good time and enjoy life, he quipped.

A native of Nebraska, Kochan explained that moving to Niskayuna in 1996 helped mold him into the man and police officer he is today.

He thanked the community for embracing him and giving him the chance to be a police officer, promising that Im going to give all of me back to you.

His remarks followed a vote where Supervisor Yasmine Syed and Town Board member Denise Murphy McGraw, who were in the room, and John Della Ratta who appeared remotely, all voted from him.

It was unclear how councilman Bill McPartlon voted because he seemed to have some audio problems and couldnt be heard.

As of Saturday morning, the town was seeking to determine how McPartlon voted and how to deal with the matter.

Board member Lisa Weber explained that she was abstaining from voting because her appointment to the board occurred after the candidates were interviewed.

Syed told Kochan, 38, that he has all the support in the world from the Town Board and myself.

We are so excited today to begin what we hope will be a new era between the town and the police department," she said. "We have every confidence in you, Jordan, that youre going to take the helm of the department and youre going to run it optimally, and that youre going to get back to work and get the town back to work in doing what were supposed to do, and thats serving and protecting the residents.

Kochan's appointment punctuates a tumultuous period for this small police force that in the past year or so has endured the loss of two chiefs to retirement and has been plagued by complaints from some officers that they are forced to work long hours because the department is short-staffed and have not received enough training or support from town leaders.

After his swearing-in, Kochan, who has been on the force since the summer of 2008 and was promoted from sergeant to his new position, said he hopes to get the department back on track. He will be paid $133,384 a year.

I think stability is the key, and I think everyone here realizes that, and I think today is the first step, for not only the police department but the town so that we can give the community the very good service that it deserves, he told reporters Friday after taking the oath of office.

He said he plans to have an open-door policy and is open to ideas to change the culture in the department.

Kochan said he also plans on continuing the push to get the officers body-worn cameras, an effort thats already underway.

Kochan was chosen for the job over two other finalists, including Deputy Chief Michael Stevens, who had publicly criticized Kochan saying he lacked the experience to lead the department. Stevens had been serving as interim chief.

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Asked about working with Stevens going forward, Kochan replied: I know I can work with anyone, Im an open person, Im transparent, and so I can definitely work with Deputy Chief Stevens.

Syed told reporters later that she views staffing and morale as two major issues Kochan needs to tackle right away.

Stevens during a Friday afternoon interview said he hopes Kochan succeeds and that he too can "work with anybody"

"The responsibility that he took on today, I hope he's ready for it," said Stevens. He added, in answer to another question, "I think I was more ready for it. What I've learned in these 7 and a half years of being the No. 2 prepares you to take that role (police chief)."

He stressed that the transition from a sergeant to chief is not an easy one in law enforcement in general.

Stevens expressed outrage at the town for earlier this week canceling a disciplinary hearing to address allegations that he violated town policy, insisting he was denied his "opportunity to his due process." He has always maintained his innocence in the matter, which has not been disclosed publicly.

"It looks a little weird at the eleventh hour we cancel this thing, and from there, I've heard nothing," added the 19-year veteran of the town police force. "I'm a little hurt by the fact that the time that I spent here and the devotion that I've given to this town to this department bought me zero credibility with this Town Board."

Syed in a news release announcing the hearing's cancellation said she would recommend "next steps" to town leaders in the future regarding the case.
ALBANY  State Inspector General Letizia Tagliafierro, a longtime aide to former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, has resigned from her post as the executive branch's top internal-affairs watchdog, according to her office.

Her resignation was effective Friday, according to spokesman Lee Park. The inspector general's office is empowered to investigate wrongdoing by state employees across the vast network of state agencies under the governor's control.

The acting inspector general, until Hochul can make her own appointment, will be Chief Deputy Inspector General Robyn Adair.

Before joining the inspector generals office at the beginning of 2020, Adair had worked since 2015 in Cuomos office. That included a nearly four-year stint as Cuomos special counsel for ethics, risk and compliance, helping run a program founded in 2015 by longtime Cuomo aide Linda Lacewell that served to suppress negative information about the governor.

In 2013, Adair was special counsel to Cuomos Moreland Commission on Utility Storm Preparation and Response, and has worked as an attorney at several state agencies, dating back to Republican Gov. George Pataki's administration.

Tagliafierro's departure comes less than a month after Cuomo's resignation and two weeks after a majority of the state Joint Commission on Public Ethics voted to ask state Attorney General Letitia James to investigate the conduct of the inspector general's office in its probe of an illegal leak of confidential information from JCOPE to Cuomo in January 2019.

Earlier this week, James rejected JCOPE's referral of that matter as well as the ethics panel's request to see the attorney general's office investigate the leak itself. James cited what she concluded was JCOPE's failure to follow rules that require gubernatorial appointees to approve investigations that involve the governor. On Tuesday, the commissioners voted again to approve the referral of the leak investigation  and mustered a sufficient number of gubernatorial appointees to support it  but failed to sustain the referral regarding the performance of Tagliafierro's office.

Although the alleged leak happened more than two and a half years ago, pressure has been building recently for an outside investigator to revisit the matter.

Former JCOPE Commissioner Julie Garcia, who first reported the leak, told a state Senate panel earlier this month that the inspector generals office was either incompetent or corrupt in its 2019 investigation of the apparent disclosure.

In July, the Times Union disclosed new details about Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heasties interactions with Cuomo following the alleged leak. Heastie has acknowledged receiving a berating call from Cuomo shortly after a JCOPE meeting on Jan. 29, 2019. The governor was apparently irate about how Heastie's appointed commissioners had voted in a confidential proceeding that day on whether to investigate the possible misuse of government resources by a former top Cuomo aide, Joseph Percoco.

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It's a misdemeanor to leak information about JCOPE's confidential deliberations.

Tagliafierro recused herself from the leak investigation, she said, because she had previously worked as a top staffer at JCOPE. The investigation was overseen by her deputy, Spencer Freedman, who earlier this year departed for a job with another former Cuomo confidant, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras.

John Carl D'Annibale

Nine months after the apparent leak, the inspector general's office issued a report to JCOPE that contended it could not confirm an illegal leak had occurred, in part because the allegations were based on hearsay.

Yet the investigation did not include interviews with key individuals embroiled in the allegations, including Cuomo and Heastie. Garcia, outraged by the lackluster investigation, resigned from JCOPE.

The inspector generals office argues it conducted a thorough probe, including requiring JCOPE staff and commissioners to sign sworn affirmations stating they did not illegally leak information from the 2019 meeting. The inspector generals office also subpoenaed some phone and text message records.

Tagliafierro took over as inspector general the same month the leak occurred, replacing Catherine Leahy Scott, who had served in the post for almost seven years.
SCHENECTADY  They had no luck with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo but now a pair of Schenectady-area lawmakers are asking Gov. Kathy Hochul for help in restoring pensions for more than 1,000 people who worked at the now-closed St. Clares Hospital.

Unfortunately, our previous governor refused to ever meet with or listen to the concerns of the pensioners. We know you have a tremendous amount on your plate, we respectfully ask you to please set aside a few minutes in the near future to meet with us and the leader of the St. Clares Pensioners Recovery Alliance so we and her can impart their concerns, reads a letter to Hochul sent on Friday by GOP Sen. Jim Tedisco, Democratic Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara and Mary Hartshorne, chair of the St. Clares Pensioners Recovery Alliance.

Hochul spokeswoman Haley Viccaro said they had just received the letter on Friday morning and would be reviewing it soon.

Santabarbara,Tedisco and others have been fighting for restoration since 2018, when the pension collapsed. Retirees also have sued the Catholic Diocese of Albany which operated the hospital.

St. Clares more than a decade ago closed and was absorbed by Schenectadys larger Ellis Hospital as part of a statewide plan to cut unnecessary hospital beds.

At the time, the state had provided $28 million to help cover pension liabilities but that wasnt enough. Subsequent calculations showed they need $47 million.

Because the employees were technically working for a religious order, federal pension protections such as those provided by the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. didnt apply.

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As a result about 400 former employees of the hospital lost most of their pensions, with another 700 or so losing all the payments.



Santabarbara, Tedisco and the pensioners said they had repeatedly tried to contact Cuomo, but he refused to meet with them or respond in any way to their concerns, even saying he was unaware of the issue when asked about it during a press conference.

Cuomo resigned from office in August amid a mushrooming sexual harassment scandal and other accusations of wrongdoing.



"Sadly, more than 1,100 retirees of the former St. Clare's Hospital in Schenectady were told that they would no longer receive their pensions back in 2018, and during these challenging times they continue to face dire financial straits to say the least, Santabarbara said.



As Governor Hochul vows to restore trust in government and foster a culture of greater transparency, we respectfully request that she give us and Mary Hartshorne, the leader of the St. Clares Pensioners Recovery Alliance, a few minutes of her time to listen to the concerns of the pensioners, who have seen their life savings disappear through no fault of their own, Tedisco added.



My fellow St. Clares health care workers all gave their hearts when taking care of patients when they were at their most vulnerable. Our St. Clares retirees deserve their pensions they worked so hard to earn, said Hartshorne.

In their press advisory about the letter, the lawmakers noted that the federal government has already put out $1.9 billion for Covid-19 relief. That included an $86 billion carve-out to help other workers shore up failing pension plans but that didnt include those who worked at St. Clares.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
Following the 2020 elections, former President Donald Trump tried to coerce Georgias Republican Secretary of State into finding him 11,780 votes, the number needed to carry the state. The recorded conversation remains part of an ongoing fraud investigation. This was the only documented evidence of attempted fraud in the last election. Before those elections, Trump also had openly encouraged his supporters to cast multiple votes. North Carolinas attorney general was so concerned he thought it necessary to warn voters that voting twice is illegal. According to the Brennan Center for Justice in July, more than 400 bills with provisions that restrict voting access have been introduced in 49 states in the 2021 legislative sessions.

With all this in mind, I emphasize the importance of local elections.
The editorial "A chilling message," Sept. 10, got it right. The politically motivated charges leveled against seven courageous Black Lives Matter activists in Saratoga Springs amounts to "selective abuse of police power" best described as "nasty, petty, small-town authoritarianism."

The political right and its local enablers are silent about a violent insurrection where police officers were injured and public property was destroyed. To cover up this disgrace, they seek to discredit peaceful social-justice protests where no one was hurt and where property damage was minimal.
I am humbled every Labor Day. I think of the working folk who came before me, fighting to end slavery, sacrificing life and limb for wage and benefit guarantees, for worker protections and safety.

Yet, I am also humbled by what has not been accomplished. There is still not a living wage assurance. Unionization is abysmally low, and it took a pandemic for workers to have even a minimal edge.
In courtrooms around the country, prosecutors routinely request, and judges routinely grant, stay away orders in criminal cases involving intimate partner violence. The orders are meant to ensure that victims are kept safe from further violence pending triala laudable goal. But they operate on the assumption that all people charged with crimes of domestic violence pose a continuing risk to their partners and that all of those victims want separation from their partners.

Both of those assumptions are faultyand the consequences can be devastating for families.

Shamika Crawford is a case in point. In 2019, the 34-year-old Bronx resident was arrested and charged with assaulting her partner, Keivian Mayers. At her arraignment in Bronx Criminal Court, prosecutors requested a temporary order of protection prohibiting Crawford from contacting Mayers and ordering her to stay out of his home. What prosecutors may not have knownbut quickly learned from defense attorneyswas that the apartment Crawford had been ordered to stay away from wasnt Mayers. It was Crawfords.

Only Crawford, her brother, and her two children were listed on the lease. Nonetheless, for the next three months, prosecutors defended and judge after judge upheld the temporary order of protection, preventing Crawford from living in her home with her children, for whom she was the primary caregiver, and jeopardizing her public housing, which prohibited anyone other than the people listed on the lease from living there permanently without permission.

As this caseand hundreds like it in New York alonedemonstrates, while some people arrested for domestic violence might pose a risk, not all do. Since the adoption of mandatory domestic violence arrest laws in many jurisdictions in the United States, arrests of women, who are more often the victims of violence, have increased significantly. Those arrests are not attributable to womens increased criminality, but rather to police implementation of the law.

Thats what happened to Crawford. Despite the years of abuse Mayers inflicted upon Crawford (including allegations that he beat her with a stick and strangled her), despite the 16 previous police reports dating back to 2013, all of which name Mayers as the aggressor, police nonetheless arrested Crawford based on Mayers vague accusations. The prosecutors who asked for an order of protection in Crawfords case knew or should have known that Mayers had long been the primary aggressor in that relationship, that Crawford did not pose any risk to Mayers, and that such an order was unnecessaryas Judge Audrey Stone determined nearly three months later.

Its also the case that some victims of violence dont want to be separated from their partners while their cases are pending. Victims decisions about separation are informed by a number of factors, including economic and housing stability, issues with children, concerns about the safety and well-being of their partners, and love. As law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen has argued, protective orders operate as a sort of de facto divorce, preventing couples from continuing their relationships while the order is in effect.

Of course, no judge wants to be the one who failed to issue an order of protection in a case where something horrible subsequently happens. But courts still have an obligation to explore the underlying facts to determine whether the defendant is likely to be dangerous and whether such orders will do more harm than good for the victim.

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An appellate court in New York agreed. On June 24, it handed down a decision holding that the Bronx Criminal Court was wrong to not hold a hearing about the appropriateness of the order of protection in Crawfords case, and mandating such hearings going forwardnow known as Crawford Hearings.

However, the decision leaves certain details open to interpretation by the courts, and as a result the ruling has been undermined, and applied in an inconsistent manner. The New York Office of Court Administration has gone so far as to issue an internal memorandum to judges urging them not to hold evidentiary hearings despite Crawfords mandate because of the strain it would put on the court system. While at least one legal scholar has published guidance which interprets the memo far more broadly, judges appear to be following the edict of this non-binding memo rather than the language of the decision itself.

Thats why the Promoting Pre-Trial (PromPT) Stability Act (A4558A/S2832A) is so important. Sponsored by Assemblyman Dan Quart, D-Manhattan, and Sen. Jessica Ramos, D-Queens, the act would require judges to hold a hearing to determine whether an order of protection should be entered rather than allowing judges to enter them as a matter of course. Judges would still have the discretion to enter temporary orders of protection in cases where those orders are appropriate and necessary, but with more complete information.

In the three months that the order barring Crawford from her home was in place, she lost both of her jobs. She was forced to sleep in her car. She lived with the fear that she and her children would become homeless. And in the end, prosecutors dismissed the charges against Crawford altogether. No victim of violence should be forced to wait three monthsor morefor justice.

Leigh Goodmark is the director of the Gender Violence Clinic at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law and author of Decriminalizing Domestic Violence: A Balanced Approach to Intimate Partner Violence and A Troubled Marriage: Domestic Violence and the Legal System.
Tree experts in Oregon say the effects of the drought and heat on trees won't be fully known until next spring
Robert Dursts long, bizarre and deadly run from the law ended when a Los Angeles County jury convicted him of murdering his best friend more than 20 years ago
Jury convicts again in 2007 fatal Luxor bombing in Las Vegas

A new jury says a man previously convicted in a fatal bombing at the Luxor casino parking garage in Las Vegas is guilty of murder and attempted murder
[September 18, 2021] Athena's DBA Program - 40 Countries, 100 Students and counting

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Athena's DBA program completes one year this September. Since launch, the doctorate program has been seeing an overwhelming response, and has already enrolled 100 learners from over 40 countries across five continents. The Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program is what any business professional should be looking forward to, to accelerate their growth professionally. The program is tailored to full time working professionals, who are looking to improve upon their business problem solving skills, without taking a break from their career. The three-year online program is designed and developed in partnership with Universidad Catolica San Antonio De Murcia (UCAM) of Spain. UCAM, ranked among top 10 universities in Europe by Times Higher Education in 2019 for Quality Education, is fully accredited by the Ministry of Education, Spain. By the end of the program, learners would be equipped with a tangible set of management and decision-making skills and would be prepared to take on eadership roles.



DBA is a doctoral level program that blends the academic rigour of a Phd with the business experience of a full-time working professional. It allows the learners to explore an area of business management that is closely related to their work and/or interest and use that knowledge to gain the highest level of an academic degree. "It has been almost a year since we launched the DBA program and we are excited about the enthusiastic response that we have received till date. The DBA program instils in the learner real-world, business-oriented critical thinking and problem-solving skills which equips the candidate with specific leadership qualities. It is a versatile degree, helping you to tap several career possibilities," says Mr Firoz Thairinil, Founder & CEO, Westford Education Group.

According to Dr Andrew Hambler, Director of the DBA Program, "This DBA program has been formulated to meet the aspirations of busy professionals who are ready for the intellectual rigors of doctoral study required for strategic planning and decision making." Dr Mervyn Emmanuel, Head of Academic Delivery and Student Engagement, adds, "At Athena, learning is completely online and flexible using high quality videos, learning material and content created by experts." DBA admissions are open for Batch starting in November 2021. Apply now: https://athena.edu/doctorate-of-business-administration?utm_source=PR-DBA&utm_campaign=PR-DBA. Athena Global Education is dedicated to providing quality education to students from around the world and to be on the cutting edge of education continually. Visit https://athena.edu/?utm_source=PR-DBA&utm_campaign=PR-Website.

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[September 18, 2021] World's 1st DeFi Metaverse Index Fund with Yield

Singapore, Sept. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ZEX, DAOventures is launching Metaverse Farmer on September 17th, the worlds 1st DeFi Metaverse Index Fund with Yield that helps investors profit from NFT and crypto game trends.

Index funds are traditionally a popular investment option for those looking for portfolio exposure to a broad asset class or sector. This index fund product from DAOventures however, is built entirely on-chain, and also takes advantage of DeFi innovations for additional yields. Introducing The Worlds 1st DeFi Metaverse Index Fund with Yield The DAOventures Metaverse Farmer (MVF) is an index fund product that allocates an investors capital across a curated list of cryptocurrencies. These cryptocurrencies are governance and utility tokens for projects in this booming sector, Metaverse. MVF is built on Ethereum and powered by smart contracts. 50% of the index is allocated to ETH. The other half of the index is split among popular gaming ecosystems, such as Axie Infinity (AXS and SLP) and Illuvium (ILV). Portfolio components and weights were selected based on criteria such as user growth and market capitalization. For example, Axie Infinity recently achieved a record 1 million daily active players battling each other with NFT monsters, while Illuvim has a market value of over $300 million.



MVF reduces portfolio volatility and earns additional incentives for investors. Portfolio assets are paired up with ETH and deployed into trading pools to earn trading fees and liquidity mining rewards on Sushi, a popular decentralized exchange to trade cryptocurrencies on. The portfolio algorithm also automatically compounds yields and rebalances periodically to keep things as hands off as possible for investors.

Invest with DAOventures Beyond the metaverse, DAOventures offers funds for market weight strategies, technical analysis combined with yield farming, and synthetic stock baskets. Ultimately, while there are risks to crypto investing, the potential rewards are high as well, and the metaverse, in particular, offers a novel alternative investment opportunity for investors seeking high growth. About DAOventures

DAOventures is a multi-chain DeFi investing platform for fund managers and crypto investors. Their mission is to make DeFi simpler, more accessible, and inclusive. DAOventures is a team of engineers, researchers, crypto-investors, DeFi & NFT adopters, and problem solvers who want to build and accelerate the future of money, together. Resource

Website: https://daoventures.co/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VenturesDao

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/UJaCPMkb6q

Medium: https://daoventuresco.medium.com/ Media contact

Sarah Kwon | sarah@daoventures.co PR Contact Name- Sourav Ghosal Website- News Coverage Agency Email- touch@newscoverage.agency Telegram- Sourav Ghosal Source Link



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[September 18, 2021] TUMO Announces $50 Million "TUMO Armenia" Campaign To Extend Its Learning Network Nationwide

YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marking TUMO's 10 year anniversary and the inauguration of the new TUMO Gyumri building, the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies today announced a five year, $50 million initiative to make its leading edge educational program available to all teenagers throughout Armenia and Artsakh. With 110 satellite facilities called TUMO Boxes connected to 16 fully equipped TUMO Hubs in regional centers, the program will serve 80 thousand students and reach all young Armenians even in the most remote villages. A $10 million seed fund donated by the Yemenidjian family will launch and support hubs in Vanadzor, Kapan and Koghb, along with TUMO Boxes that feed into these and three existing hubs. To raise the remaining $40 million, TUMO is kicking off an international fundraising campaign. The Armenian General Benevolent Union and Elie & Elzbieta Akilian have each pledged to match up to $10 million of funds raised in the first 2 years of the campaign. With $10 million in seed funding, a $20 million fundraising goal, and an additional $20 million in matching contributions, the deployment initiative is already underway. The announcement was made during the anniversary celebration of the official opening of the new TUMO center in Gyumri in the presence of government representatives, partners and friends. TUMO founders Sam and Sylva Simonian joined via live video and gave opening emarks.



"Our vision has always been to empower all young Armenians to achieve their full potential," said Sam Simonian. "And now we are setting out to fulfill that vision throughout Armenia and Artsakh." Also attending were Armen Yemenidjian, representing the Yemenidjian family, Vasken Yacoubian and Vera Setrakian on behalf of AGBU, Elie Akilian, on behalf of Elie & Elzbieta Akilian, via video feed, and TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian.

"My family is extremely excited and proud to be a part of this vital initiative to arm the next generation of Armenians with the tools necessary to compete in the global technology marketplace, no matter where they live in Armenia," said Armen Yemenidjian. "We hope this initiative encourages our Armenian brothers and sisters in the diaspora to invest in the future leaders of our country and economy." "AGBU has supported the incredible mission and vision of TUMO since its expansion in Armenia and Artsakh, and this gift will solidify a partnership to benefit Armenian children for generations to come. It is an honor to be able to strengthen the relationship between TUMO, AGBU, and students and their families. I also wanted to thank the other generous donors who will be joining this important campaign," said Dr. Eric Esrailian on behalf of the AGBU Council of Trustees and Central Board of Directors. Donations in the United States are tax deductible, and can be made in the form of one time or recurring contributions to the general project or earmarked to specific hubs or boxes through https://armenia.tumo.org/. More information about TUMO can be found in the electronic press kit . About TUMO

TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is a free-of-charge education platform that puts teenagers in charge of their own learning. The TUMO program is made up of self-learning activities, workshops and project labs that cover a wide range of focus areas at the intersection of technology and design, including computer programming, animation, game development, music, robotics, 3D modeling, writing, filmmaking, graphic design and more. Over 20 thousand students currently attend TUMO centers in Armenia on a regular basis. In recent years, TUMO centers have also opened in Paris, Moscow, Tirana, Berlin and Beirut, with additional centers expected to open in Lyon, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Milan, Tashkent and Seoul. Licensing revenues from international locations contribute to the long term sustainability of TUMO in Armenia and Artsakh. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1628147/TUMO_Logo.jpg

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[September 18, 2021] Laiye Selected in Leading Position in Gartner's "Critical Capabilities for Robotic Process Automation 2021"

BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Gartner releases "Critical Capabilities for Robotic Process Automation 2021" in which Laiye is selected in leading position in all the five common use cases. "Laiye offers an integrated intelligent automation platform with a range of capabilities including document processing, chatbot, AI model creation and process discovery." as rated by Gartner of Laiye RPA products. When done right, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can be a game-changing technology for organizations. RPA tools have been deployed in various industries, used to automate business processes. The scenarios it covers have expanded from rule-based, simple task automation to complex process automation that requires Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities. Selecting the RPA tool that matches your business process requirements is critical, but success also lies in choosing right underlying RPA product. Here are three insights on selecting RPA product that will continue to deliver value. 1. UI automation are foundational capability for RPA product Do the research and understand the features and capabilities of the different RPA tools. Tools vary between vendors, and the technology is continually evolving and can meet different technical and business requirements. For example, automation via user interface integration, or UI automation, is identified by Gartner as the most fundamental and critical use case for RPA. Since its inception, RPA tools are known for non-intrusive UI automation, with the capability to automate business processes by bridging cross-system data without modifying existing systems. Although most RPA products provide UI automation capability, the key that differentiates them is the underlying workflow engine. Currently, many RPA products are developed based on a workflow engine called Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation. While it leverages an off-the-shelf framework, there are obvious risks and limitations. Firstly, Microsoft has made a limted investment in Windows Workflow Foundation - it has not been updated since August 2012. Hence, it's still unclear how the technology will develop in the future.



Secondly, Windows Workflow Foundation only supports the Windows system. Therefore, RPA products developed based on it could only support automation on Windows and cannot be used in other operating systems. This may hem in the organization in terms of future RPA scalability and agility in responding to changing business needs. 2. Citizen developers are key to RPA scaling

Citizen developers - or non-technical users - can create RPA robots that automate repetitive work for themselves or their departments without the help of IT. Hence, enterprises need to evaluate RPA vendors whether they can enable citizen developers in order to achieve large-scale implementation of RPA. Some vendors also provide community editions of their RPA software to encourage a huge external pool of developers and community members which can be an extra developer talent pool for organizations to leverage. These vendors continually cultivate new talents by offering courses with several universities and holding competitions for RPA developers. Gartner has highlighted how a great RPA product can significantly lower the threshold for bot development and usage. It can accelerate citizen automation, empowering citizen developers to build automation scripts using low-code development interfaces, guided navigation and workflow generation. Gartner also pointed out that the ability to create headless bots is crucial to realize the large-scale implementation of RPA. Laiye's RPA provides various means to create headless bots, including SDK, APIs, command library, plug-ins, etc. All can be easily integrated and reused - whether it is an end-to-end automation process or a piece of an automated task that might be used repetitively. Specifically, SDK equips third-party software with the capability of process automation. APIs allow third-party systems to manage and schedule RPA bots, and plug-ins support multiple programming languages like C++, C#, Java, and Python, greatly enhancing the bots' ability to serve as a connector. 3. AI is critical to expanding the boundary of RPA While RPA automates repetitive and mundane rules-based tasks, AI can gather and learn from insights and pass that on in a structured format for RPA. When combined, RPA and AI technologies can enable even greater intelligent automation. In some business cases, traditional rule-based RPA bots can no longer meet all the requirements, and AI capability becomes a necessary and important element to build intelligent automation solution. Gartner identifies augmenting knowledge workers and automating document processing as two use cases combining AI and RPA. Since two of the five use cases identified by Gartner are AI-related, the importance of AI capability for RPA products cannot be underestimated. To augment knowledge workers to get work done, RPA bots need to recognize and understand images with the help of computer vision (CV) technology, understand texts through natural language processing (NLP) technology, and realize human-machine interaction with conversational AI capability. A successful approach is to combine these AI technologies to achieve end-to-end automation through human-machine interaction. This solution is seen in use cases such as employee desktop assistant. Looking forward, just as the industrial revolution has significantly automated manufacturing processes, RPA will eventually automate the operations and decision-making processes within organizations. Today, existing RPA products only solve part of the enterprise business automation challenges. There remains much room for imagination and potential for future growth in this space. SOURCE Laiye

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This week New KCI moved closer to selecting vendors for concessions and the choice has already started to raise eyebrows among insiders.

Apropos for Friday night, this is an important part of the conversation . . .

The favored company for New KCI played a critical role in a LaGuardia booze scandal that earned attention across the nation . . .

A $28 Sam Adams Summer Ale at LaGuardia Forces Airport Restaurants to Reevaluate Their Prices The Port Authority has reportedly told its food vendor to audit its menu after a tweet exposed the $28 beer. If you're seeking the truest expression of America cutthroat capitalism, you needn't look any further than the airport.

And so we ask . . .



IS $28 BEER FROM A CANADIAN COMPANY THE ONLY 'AMENITY' THAT NEW KCI HAS TO OFFER VOTERS AFTER BILLIONS COMMITTED TO THIS PROJECT?!?



Once again the city hall shell game has betrayed voters . . .

At first glance this seems like a smack in the face to locals and a major win for yet another company that doesn't seem to know much about Kansas City.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

Kansas City names company to run concessions at new KCI Airport Kansas City has picked the company it wants to run all of the concessions at the new single-terminal KCI Airport.The city named the Vantage Airport Group to run the concessions when the new terminal opens in 2023. It beat four other finalists."No. 1, their minimum annual guarantee was superior to anybody else's.

Developing . . .
That headline is only somewhat jokey . . . In fact, a Kansas prog blog mostly sings the praises of what some have described a lynch mob or at least some very emotionally charged property damage.



Thankfully, police promised further investigation . . . But here's the teachable moment quote:



These protests are a way of students holding their peers accountable because they believe that the institution is failing to do so, an activsit said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .
This weekend looks to be busy but hopefully not violent.

Accordingly, check the report from a recent shooting tragedy recently released and posted to TKC . . .



Homicide (Late Death) 6700 block of Manchester Avenue

On 09-11-2021 just before 10pm, officers were called to the 6700 block of Manchester Avenue on a reported shooting. Upon arrival, they located the victim, an adult male, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition (the victims condition has since improved as is stable).

Simultaneously, a vehicle arrived to the hospital with several subjects inside including one who had been shot. That subject was admitted into the hospital in critical condition. On 09-12-2021, the subject, identified as Sheybeon Wyatt-Thompson b/m 12-08-1991, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.

Investigators determined the vehicle that arrived at the hospital, and the original incident scene were related. The exact sequence of events that led up to the shooting on Manchester are still being investigated.

All of the subjects involved have been identified and released pending further investigation. Once the investigation is completed, detectives will submit the case to the prosecutors office for consideration of applicable charges.

Developing . . .
Okay, not really but this is a legal dispute involving the courts.

Accordingly, in this compilation we share all manner of info on police action, legal fights and aftermath reports.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

FBI assisting KCPD to locate a fugitive wanted on murder charges KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The FBI was asked to assist the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department to help locate a wanted fugitive charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Jackson County. Damon Lee, 23, was charged in connection to a homicide that occurred on April 3, 2021, at an apartment complex on 6010 Highland Ave, according to a release from the FBI.

A second alleged sexual assault reported near KU amidst a week of protests The Lawrence Police Department received a report of a sexual battery on Sep. 12, 2021. The alleged assault occurred around midnight in the 1000 block of Alabama Street in Lawrence, Kansas. The University of Kansas Office of Public Safety reported the incident Wednesday, following a week of outcry and protest from students.

Investigators rule fire that killed woman, child was accidental KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Investigators have ruled that a fire, which killed a woman and later a child, in March was accidental. On March 31, officers responded to the area of east 55th Street and Woodland Avenue where Kansas City fire fighters were already on scene battling a fire.

A 70-year-old man who was shot in June has died. His son is charged with murder A man who was shot in June died in early September, police said. The victim has been identified as 70-year-old Dennis Trusewicz. Officers were called just after 9 a.m. June 5 to the 5600 block of Wabash Avenue on a shooting, Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department, said in a email.

Rae's Cafe gets new judge to hear challenge to Jackson County closure order INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - Rae's Cafe in Blue Springs is getting a new judge to hear its challenge to Jackson County's order closing the restaurant for refusing to comply with the public health mask mandate. A hearing on the future of the restaurant will be rescheduled before a new Jackson County court after Judge James Kanatzar granted the restaurant's motion for a change of judge.

Developing . . .
The outcry for justice continues for our middle-class friends who don't have to work their way through college . . .



"The loudest chants were demands for the fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, to be banned from campus. The protesters also demanded immediate justice for the incident and held signs declaring KUs administration complicit in the matter."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news link . . .

KU students demand action from Girod as they continue protest over handling of alleged sexual assault A third protest stemming from an alleged sexual assault at a University of Kansas fraternity last weekend was directed at the university leaders on Friday. A few dozen students gathered outside KU Chancellor Douglas Girod's office in Strong Hall on the university's campus chanting phrases such as "Stop protecting rapists" and "We believe her."

Meanwhile, murder near the campus doesn't really bother anybody . . .

Police arrest man in deadly Lawrence shooting near KU campus, looking for second suspect LAWRENCE, Kan. - One person has been arrested and police are looking for a second suspect in connection to a deadly shooting last week near the University of Kansas campus. Lawrence police said with the help of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office they have arrested 18-year-old Javier Isidro Romero for suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Christian Willis, of Wichita.

Developing . . .
Outside of journalists and activists there is VERY LITTLE interest in this case.



However, the latest update reveals a significant victory for advocates . . .



Jackson County Judge Kevin Harrell ruled Friday that the innocence petition of Kevin Strickland will continue in the 16th Circuit Court.



In a court filing last month, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt questioned the courts impartiality and asked that the proceedings be moved.



Harrell's ruling, which the attorney general could appeal, sets the stage for an evidentiary hearing 43 years in the making.



This court is unabashedly independent, unambiguously impartial, humbly competent and uniquely qualified in executing its judicial obligations, Harrell said when he handed down his judgement.



After announcing the decision, Harrell tentatively set a date for Stricklands evidentiary hearing of Oct. 6 and 7. Scheduling conflicts could push those dates forward a day.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com news links . . .

Jackson County Judge Rules Against Attorney General In Kevin Strickland Case, Hearing Date Set Jackson County Judge Kevin Harrell ruled Friday that the innocence petition of Kevin Strickland will continue in the 16th Circuit Court. In a court filing last month, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt questioned the court's impartiality and asked that the proceedings be moved.

Kevin Strickland's fight for freedom will stay in Jackson County, judge rules KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man's claim of being wrongly convicted will be heard in Jackson County court next month. That's the decision a judge made Friday in the case of Kevin Strickland. Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt wants Strickland to remain behind bars.

Jackson County judge rejects AG's efforts to move case of convicted murderer who the prosecutor says is innocent JACKSON COUNTY, MO (KCTV) -- The Kevin Strickland saga will continue to play out in Jackson County court, as a county judge on Friday denied the state attorney general's motion to move the case out of Jackson County courts.

Developing . . .
For the Jackson to Bar Harbor/Acadia portion of your trip, Id recommend the following (with a few options included):

From Jackson, take NH Rt 16 north to Gorham, NH. Depending on how much foliage color has developed in the north country by then (or started to go beyond peak, as the case may be):

Option #1: .From Gorham, continue north on Rt 16 through Berlin and Errol NH into Maine and on through Oquossoc to the lakeside village of Rangeley, ME. From there, take ME Rt 4 south to US Rt 2 in Farmington. Driving time for this option is about 3 hours not including stops. Few opportunities for craft or food stops between Berlin NH and Rangeley, but some great forest and river scenery and a moderate chance of seeing wildlife. I would probably gas up before leaving Berlin unless you start the day with a full tank. This is the least populated, least developed route of the three options with longer stretches of woods-and-water between communities.

Option # 2: From Gorham, turn right onto US Rt 2 through the White Mountains National Forest and along the Androscoggin River valley into Maine and through Bethel and Rumford to ME Rt 17 north in Mexico, ME. Turn left onto Rt 17 north and follow it to ME Rt 16 in Oquossoc, Rt 16 to Rangeley and Rt 4 to Farmington. Travel time for this option is also about 3 hours, but more opportunities for craft, food and fuel stops and a fantastic scenic view at the Height of Land roadside rest area on your left just south of Oquossoc.

Option # 3: From Gorham NH, take US Rt 2 through Bethel, Rumford and Wilton ME to Farmington. Travel time for this option is about 2 hours with more opportunities for stops that either of the other two options.

However you choose to get to Farmington, your route from there is US Rt 2 east to I-395 in Bangor; I-395 from Bangor to US Rt 1A in Brewer; US Rt 1A from Brewer to ME Rt 3 in Ellsworth; and ME Rt 3 to Bar Harbor. Travel time from Farmington to Bar Harbor should be about 3 hours. Multiple opportunities for craft, food and gas stops along this segment.
Good for: Business meetings

Dining options: Breakfast, Dinner, After-hours, Lunch, Private Dining, Reservations

Neighbourhood: Mayfair

Description: Theo Randall's passion for simple, rustic Italian fare took him from Chez Panisse in California to Head Chef and Partner at The River Cafe. In 2006, Theo brought this experience to the prestigious address of No 1, Park Lane when he opened Theo Randall at the InterContinental. His unwavering dedication has earned him the respect of his peers, many industry accolades and awards, and a loyal following of diners. The restaurant continues to exemplify Theo's signature style of showcasing the best of Italian cuisine in a buzzing restaurant setting. The daily changing menu is inspired by his regular trips to Italy and dictated by the best seasonal ingredients available from the market every day. Theo has personally overseen the extensive wine list that features 90% Italian varietals, including a selection of Grappas. The spacious dining room offers views onto the theatre of the chefs in action and the stylish lounge bar presents informal counter-top dining for lunch or dinner, as well as an extensive drinks menu. Since its launch in 2006, Theo Randall at the InterContinental has won numerous awards, including Best Italian Restaurant of The Year from the London Restaurant Awards. The restaurant was a key contributing factor behind the accolade of Best Hotel in the UK for Food, from Conde Nast Traveller and it continues to be recognised by the Sunday Times Food List, the National Restaurant Awards and The London Lifestyle Awards.
Dining options: Reservations

Description: The Pullman Restaurant on the grounds of Glenlo Abbey Hotel & Estate is one of Ireland's truly unique dining experiences. Comprising of two dining carriages from the original Orient Express, Pullman Restaurant offers panoramic views overlooking Lough Corrib. Located just 2 miles from Galway, on the West Coast of Ireland, this is a dining experience not to be missed on your trip to Galway. One of the carriages, the Leona, dates back to 1927 and was part of the original Orient Express and carried VIP's all over Europe and the UK during its lifespan. 1965 saw Leona's final journey when she was used as part of Winston Churchill's funeral cortege. After this event, Leona with other carriages played a staring role in the classic movie, "Murder on the Orient Express", which featured greats such as Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall and Sean Connery. Today, you can have an unforgettable dining experience in the Pullman Restaurant as our guest.
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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.
Good for: Groups, Local cuisine, Child-friendly

Dining options: Lunch, Breakfast, Dinner, After-hours, Reservations

Description: At The Lobster Pound, our philosophy is simple: serve great food and treat guests like family. That philosophy was born in 1926, when The Lobster Pound served its first customers in the exact same spot where it stands today. From day one, weve been committed to providing a high quality meal and outstanding service to every guest who walks through our doors. What began as an outdoor lobster cooker has grown into a 260 seat iconic establishment. The Lobster Pound has become a staple in the Lincolnville community and a second home to families from both here and far away. As we head into our 92nd season the tradition continues for this to be a place where you can enjoy an authentic Maine dinner while catching up with old friends, meeting new ones, and celebrating family milestones. The Lobster Pound is a dining tradition that has been family orientated for generations, a place where you can take a moment, connect through real conversations and enjoy an excellent meal.
We'd booked 7 days at the Residence next door, but quickly realised it was a false economy, and booked a triple room in the Meridien, and it was beautiful and so worthwhile. It was an exceptionally busy time in Croatia in mid August, so difficult to find sunbeds, tables for lunch and dinner if you hadn't booked, and space. But staff were very, very helpful and keen to accommodate, and if you're organised and book restaurants and kabanas on the beaches for during the day, you'll be OK. Or get to the pool to nab a sunbed before 9am. Which we didn't do. The Reception is stunning, really jaw dropping views and sense of space. Staff were welcoming and patient, despite how many people they were helping. We loved the Gooshter Beach Bar for lunches and dinners, but, beware some cocktails cost more than a main course - 20 each. Again, staff are lovely. It was a bit of a "scene" for young people, so if you like people-watching, it's perfect. We didn't love the Italian restaurant on the marina so much, but that was just us. In the evenings, the sunsets from the 7 Palms restaurant, right on the beach, were just fantastic. Staff, again, were lovely, and the local Posip wine slipped down well. Food in all three restaurants is great, if not Croatian ! Prices are quite high, but you are never disappointed and the settings are all beautiful. We didn't try the Champagne bar or the breakfast restaurant. Our room was spacious and clean, fabulous views across the bay towards Split, and, there is a medium sized outdoor pool that could feel crowded, and a large indoor pool with jacuzzi jets and beds, as well as saunas, you can use. You can also lie on the sunbeds under the pine trees, but beware biting bugs ! Bring beach shoes to make it easier to get in and out of the sea - it's rocky. All in all, we had a wonderful 4 days here, and recommend it for a relaxing holiday. (You can uber in to split in 15 minutes but it was 39 degrees when we went, and just too hot !)
Over the past day, September 17, seven ceasefire violations were recorded in the Joint Forces Operation area in eastern Ukraine.

The enemy fired 120mm mortars banned under the Minsk agreements near Pisky (11km north-west of Donetsk); under-barrel grenade launchers and small arms  outside Katerynivka (64km west of Luhansk); two attacks using grenade launchers of different systems, heavy machine guns, and small arms were launched towards Pavlopil (25km north-west of Mariupol). In the area of Zaitseve (62km north-east of Donetsk), occupiers opened fire from grenade launchers of different systems and delivered POM-2 anti-personnel mines, the press center of the JFO Headquarters informed.

In Luhansk region, an enemy Orlan-10 UAV was spotted flying over the contact line.

Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in the shelling.

Ukrainian defenders opened fire in response to the attacks.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC informed the OSCE Mission about all the violations by the Russian-occupation forces through the established coordination mechanism.

As of 07:00, September 18, no ceasefire violations were reported.

"Ukrainian soldiers control the situation in the Joint Forces Operation area to repel and deter the armed aggression of the Russian Federation," the JFO Headquarters stressed.

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Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says that the Irish low-cost carrier plans to significantly expand its presence in the Ukrainian market.

"The one market I would point to is Ukraine... I would think we will be a major investor in Ukraine when they join up to European Open Skies," Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary told an investor call following the company's annual general meeting, Reuters reports.

As noted, Ryanair launched its first routes in Ukraine in 2018. Currently, Ryanair operates from five Ukrainian airports on a bilateral basis but that there were as many as 12 suitable airports in the country.

"I think that will be certainly a model that we will be aggressively moving into," O'Leary said.

As reported, on June 28, the Council of the EU gave the go-ahead for the signing of three neighbourhood aviation agreements  with Ukraine, Armenia and Tunisia  as well as an air transport agreement with Qatar.

The agreements are expected to be signed in autumn 2021. Every agreement will then need to be ratified by each member state, the European Union and the other party.

The European Common Aviation Area (ECAA) is a bilateral agreement between the EU and third countries that establishes common safety standards and liberalizes aviation market relations, ensuring more efficient and safer use of airspace.

Negotiations on the ECAA with Ukraine ended in 2013, but the signing of the agreement was blocked due to the UK-Spain conflict over the status of Gibraltar airport.

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The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine imposed personal restrictive measures against 33 candidates for members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation for involvement in the organization and conduct of elections in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

"The third issue considered at today's meeting of the National Security and Defense Council is the issue of sanctions  The vast majority of sanctions concern issues that exist today in the occupied territory of Crimea and in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions  the elections to the so-called State Duma of the Russian Federation. We are convinced that the Russian Federation has no right to hold elections in these territories, therefore, all participants in this process, members of the precinct commission, electioneerers, candidates, all observers who are official persons in this election, they will be sanctioned by our country," Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said at a briefing following the NSDC meeting on September 17, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

He stressed that the first list of people involved in the organization and conduct of elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the occupied territories of Ukraine had already been prepared. According to the NSDC Secretary, sanctions will soon be imposed on all of them by a decree of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

"To date, sanctions are imposed on 53 members of territorial election commissions, 33 candidates for the State Duma members, 7 officials, employees of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, who were directly involved in the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. This list will be further expanded," Danilov said.

In addition, Danilov warned foreign nationals who intend to join the election process. "If they [foreign nationals] appear there as official observers or as any other person after the election, regardless of whether they are senators or any other officials who have one or another immunity, we will definitely impose sanctions on them," the NSDC Secretary stressed.

As reported, Russia holds the State Duma elections on September 17-19.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called on the international community not to recognize the legitimacy of these elections due to the intention of the Russian authorities to illegally hold voting in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including Crimea and occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

ol
The Ukroboronprom member company joined the space lunar mission, carried out by the British company Spacebit.

Joint Stock Company Meridian n. S.P.Korolyov, which is a member of Ukroboronprom State Concern, has joined the domestic part of the space lunar mission, carried out by the British company Spacebit in partnership with companies from around the world. The launch is scheduled for spring 2022. This flight is the first mission to the Earth's satellite with Ukraine participating, Ukroboronprom informs.

According to Olha Rudenko, director for development at the Meridian, their testing laboratory will check the equipment to be used on the moon for climatic and mechanical stress. And due to a unique "hot cell" with sources of ionizing radiation up to 13 stage, these devices and equipment will be tested for radiation resistance and radiation aging.

"We also go ahead with manufacturing ultralight and heavy-duty mechanical structures for the equipment of the lunar rover, which kicks off exploring the surface of the Earth's satellite in a year. We will get an opportunity to touch the future and see how the products of our company help to conquer space," Rudenko says.

As noted, sensors manufactured at Ukrainian enterprises shall collect information about the radiation background, and a special camera will stream video from the surface. All the data obtained will be available to Ukrainian scientists for the development of space programs.

Delivery of Ukraine's flag, printed on a 3D printer made of Ukrainian titanium, will beome symbolic. It was manufactured under a special green or waste-free production technology, announced Spacebit founder and CEO Pavlo Tanasyuk.

"It's a great honor for us to be the team that brings the flag of Ukraine to the surface of the Moon for the first time in history and carries out the first Ukrainian mission to the Earth's satellite. At the same time, synergies with the public sector are important in this area. We set a high value on our cooperation with Ukroboronprom, in particular with the Meridian OJSC and Yuzhnoye State Design Office. We are open to a new partnership to revive Ukraine's image as a leading country in the world space scene," Tanasyuk said.

As reported, British company Spacebit in cooperation with American partners will carry out the first Ukrainian mission to the Moon in 2022, as part of which equipment for scientific research will be delivered to the surface of the Earth's satellite.

ol
A South Sudanese cattle herder ushers his livestock down a flooded road in Bunj, South Sudan.  UNHCR/Elizabeth Stuart

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa partnered to convene an event on Climate Change and Displacement in Africa, including other UN development and humanitarian agencies and practitioners of international law.

The event, which took place on 14 September, was held in the margins of the 9th Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IX) entitled Towards a just transition that delivers jobs, prosperity and climate resilience in Africa: leveraging the green and blue economy.

Symbolically hosted by Cape Verde, located off the Western coast of the African continent, one of the Small Island Development States facing the perils caused by climate change, about which the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres sounded the alarm back in 2019, stating they do not have the luxury of time.

In his official opening remarks, Cape Verdes Minister of Environment, Gilberto Silva said, Africa is more vulnerable and disadvantaged by its weather patterns aggravated by poverty and deficient technology to mitigate the impact of climate change. I appeal to the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to support member states as a guide to minimize greenhouse emissions and build resilience from the adverse impacts of climate change.

I have suffered twice, once I fled from home due to conflict and now, by climate change.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) noted that food insecurity remains one of the greatest challenges of climate change on displaced populations, adding that climate change continues to affect food availability, reduce access to food and affect food quality.

A young Somali woman looks pensive at a school used as a temporary shelter in Bur Amino, Ethiopia.  UNHCR/Eduardo Soteras Jalil

An aerial view of flooding in Bunj, South Sudan.  UNHCR/Malar Maharajah Smith

Displaced women walk through a section of Macomia city that was destroyed by Cyclone Kenneth in northern Mozambique.  UNHCR/Luiz Fernando Godinho

Displaced people canoe through floodwater in Niger's capital, Niamey.  UNHCR/Boubacar Younoussa Siddo

The event also featured participation by refugees and internally displaced people from Somalia, Burundi and South Sudan, who have been directly impacted by the increasingly changing weather patterns on the continent witnessed over the past years. They were able to share their concerns and appealed directly to member states to act, by creating clean jobs and building climate-resilient shelters.

I have suffered twice, once I fled from home due to conflict and now, by climate change  strong winds, water and increasing temperature levels. I was helpless as water and wind swept my shelter from under our feet time and time again, said Dheeraad Abdi Cuncun, a Somali residing in Raf Iyo Raho IDP settlement in Bossaso, Somalia.

Presentations by climate experts, academia, policymakers, partners and UN agencies noted that displacement was often triggered by disasters, climate change and conflict in many countries within Africa, leading to acute humanitarian and protection needs. They advocated for adaptation and mitigation measures that include pathways for regular movement to prevent displacement and proper application of international refugee instruments for protection of displaced people, with an emphasis on partnerships that can address emerging challenges from climate changes.

While acknowledging the inter-agency efforts being made to combat climate change, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, UNHCRs Director for the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regional bureau said, UNHCR has joined the UN-wide efforts to become climate compatible. I urge that we promote responsibility-sharing arrangements amongst States, which can expand support to countries and regions receiving large numbers of refugees, strengthen protection, help stabilize displacement situations and improve access to solutions while applying and adapting the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework , (CRRF) approach to specific contexts.

Ms. Nkweta-Salami noted the example of Burundi - considered one of the 20 most vulnerable countries globally because of climate change - where in 2020, the number of IDPs increased and the number of refugee returns reached over 150,000.

Burundi has faced the dual pressure of large-scale returns in a context where climate shocks are recurring and infrastructure is weak, said Nkweta-Salami, reiterating the need to take stock of recent key developments and impact of climate change through the lenses of UNHCRs Strategic Framework for Climate Action and the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR).

I urge [member States] to redouble their efforts in addressing the global challenges of climate change.

In their analysis of climate change dynamics, participants noted knowledge gaps with a call for more research to ensure implementation of relevant legal instruments including the 2009 Kampala Convention on IDPs, and under specific circumstances, the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1969 OAU Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. Researchers and academics were encouraged to engage on climate change related projects that address protection needs of displaced persons in collaboration with regional and international actors.

The narrative of climate change has been exacerbated with the advent of the nefarious impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The African Union remains committed to support member states, but I urge them to redouble their efforts in addressing the global challenges of climate change, said Amira Alfadil, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development at the African Union Commission (AUC).

The conference was a call-to-action ahead of the 26th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that will soon take place in Glasgow.
When she was just ten years old, Mikaela Jumala and her family were forced to flee for safety when armed conflict between state and non-state forces erupted in Zamboanga City. Their coastal barangay of Sta. Barbara was among those affected by the conflict, which lasted from 9 to 28 September 2013, and displaced approximately 119,714 individuals (23,794 families).

Eight years after the conflict, Mikaela and her family remain in Masepla Transitory Site. She is now a Grade 9 student and an active member of the community, serving as the vice-chairman of the barangay youth committee.

Mikaela Jumala, 18, was forced to flee for safety during the Zamboanga conflict in September 2013. Today, she lives in Masepla Transitory Site with her family, and is a youth leader for their barangay youth committee.  UNHCR/Jonathan Porras In the time of COVID-19, the situation of the 130 families in Masepla transitory site was worsened by loss of livelihood, posing challenges to some of the families in accessing limited resources in the area.  UNHCR/Jonathan Porras The lack of access to facilities has created risks to the health and safety of the displaced families who remain in Masepla transitory site.  UNHCR/Corazon Lagamayo

As a youth leader, she shared her sentiments about the challenges they face. In the time of COVID-19, their situation was worsened by loss of livelihood, posing challenges to some of the families in accessing limited resources in the area. With sanitation being a top concern, Mikaela mentioned that the lack of access to facilities has created risks to their health and safety. Not every house has a toilet, and this makes the surroundings unhygienic. Health care facilities are also difficult to access.

How your support protected the most vulnerable during COVID-19

With the help of donors like you, support from the Australian Government, in partnership with the Integrated Resource Development for Tri-People (IRDT), and in collaboration with the City Government of Zamboanga, UNHCR Philippines recently built communal latrines and a water pump for the residents of Masepla Transitory Site. This water, sanitation & hygiene (WASH) facility will benefit Mikaela and 130 families in maintaining good health and sanitation practices, especially during this critical time.

The communal latrines and water pump built for the residents of Masepla transitory site will help 130 families in maintaining good health and sanitation practices, especially during this critical time.  UNHCR/Jonathan Porras The project will provide much-needed access to water and sanitation amid COVID-19, and is also envisioned to promote community empowerment, foster peaceful co-existence, and strengthen the resilience of the forcibly displaced.  UNHCR/Corazon Lagamayo

This will affect the health of every family who is staying here, said City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) Chief Ma Socorro Rojas during the handover, who also highlighted that multi-sectoral collaboration is critical in implementing a project like this as this. Evelyn Lakibul, the president of the Project Management Committee for this particular quick impact project (QIP), also expressed her gratitude, saying, Masaya kami dahil merong naipagkaloob dito ang UNHCR at mga partner na mga latrines. Dati rati nahihirapan ang mga tao dito. Bilang lider, dapat lagi ko silang paalalahanin na lagi nilang sundin kung ano mang ikabubuti dito para maging long lasting ito. Maraming maraming salamat. (We are very happy because of the latrines given by UNHCR and partners. Before, the community really had a hard time. As a leader, I will always remind everyone to follow the guidelines so that we can make this facility last for a long time. Thank you very much.)

Aside from providing access to water and sanitation during the pandemic, this project also aims to promote community empowerment, foster peaceful co-existence, and strengthen the resilience of the forcibly displaced.

Staying and delivering

It has been eight years since she was forced to flee from home, and despite the day-to-day challenges, Mikaela remains hopeful for the future. She takes her responsibility as a youth leader seriously, sharing that she hopes to influence the other young people in her community to do good and stay on the right path. When asked about her dreams for the future, she shares, Gusto ko po maging nurse, gusto ko po makatulong sa pamilya ko masuklian ko yung paghihirap nila yung mga pagpapaaral nila sakin tsaka gusto ko po makatulong sa ibang tao, sa kabataan. (I dream of becoming a nurse. I want to help my family, considering all their sacrifices in helping me complete my studies. I also want to help others, especially the youth.)

In the last eight years, much has been done to assist those displaced by the Zamboanga siege. With the help of donors and partners, UNHCR has conducted protection monitoring activities for those who are displaced, provided core relief items to complement the assistance of the city government and other humanitarian agencies, implemented quick impact projects like this WASH facility, conducted IDP profiling and consultation activities to ensure that no IDPs are left out of government support and interventions, and implemented capacity building initiatives to empower local partners and members of the community.

While most of those displaced from the conflict have already been able to return home, as of 9 September 2021, approximately 3,600 individuals (720 families) remain displaced and are still waiting for the completion of the permanent housing units under the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Rehabilitation (Z3R). Of the total, 58 families are living in transitory sites, while 662 families are in home-based settings.

With the delays in the completion of the permanent houses, these forcibly displaced families are continuously facing recurring protection issues and great exposure to COVID-19. In July 2021, protection partners reported the increasing case of COVID-19 among the IDPs. City LGUs reported that there are some IDPs who have availed COVID-19 vaccinations. However, there is still a need to strengthen the campaign for COVID-19 vaccination as majority of the IDPs in the transitory sites still remain unvaccinated.

Your committed support makes it possible for UNHCR to stay and deliver for displaced people like Mikaela and her family  by scaling up water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions, supporting and advocating access to vaccines, protecting incomes and livelihoods, and helping the most vulnerable children and families in Mindanao rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.

Thank you for helping us stay and deliver for the most vulnerable.

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Mongolia signed an agreement on Friday to build a hydropower plant in the western part of the country with Chinese companies, according to Mongolia's energy ministry

ULAN BATOR, Sept. 18 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2021 ) :Mongolia signed an agreement on Friday to build a hydropower plant in the western part of the country with Chinese companies, according to Mongolia's energy ministry.

The Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), along with PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corp Ltd, will build the Erdeneburen hydropower plant on Khovd River in the Erdeneburen soum (administrative subdivision) of Khovd province in the coming five years, with a soft loan from the Chinese government, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement.

The 90-megawatt hydropower plant is considered crucial to ensuring long-term energy supplies to western Mongolia and laying the foundation for the development of renewable energy in the region.
LONDON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 18th Sep, 2021) His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, has met with Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, on the sidelines of his visit to the United Kingdom.

Sheikh Mohamed and Barzani discussed the cooperation and relations between the UAE and Iraq, particularly the Kurdistan Region, across various economic, investment, development and humanitarian fields.

They also exchanged views on developments in the middle East and efforts to achieve peace, stability and prosperity for its peoples.
SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 18th Sep, 2021) The 10th edition of the International Government Communication Forum, on 26th and 27th September, 2021, at the Expo Centre Sharjah, will host two vital brainstorming sessions to catalyse conversations around the lessons learnt from crucial government communication strategies over the years and determine the expertise required to cope with future demand.

In the presence of leading global thinkers, top government officials and communication experts from the Arab region and globally, the discussions at the regions leading forum on government communication will highlight the vital questions that experts seek answers to, for developing a blueprint for an effective communication model.

A panel discussion on 26th September titled, "The efficacy of communication messages - A cross-disciplinary collaboration involving behavioural science and data analytics", will look closely at the changes resulting from digital transformation and the challenges and opportunities it has since thrown up.

The session will also address how to integrate new sciences into communication departments, and develop a general framework for the needs of current and future government communication professionals to achieve an effective level of public communication by involving experts from a variety of fields.

The distinguished panel includes Saeed Mohammad AlEter, Head of the UAE Government Media Office, and Director-General of the Executive Office in Dubai, who developed the Federal Governments general communication strategy and championed the development of strategic government communication guidelines within the UAE Government; Dr. Abdullah bin Ahmed Al-Maghlouth, Acting Minister of Media and Director General of the Centre for Government Communication in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and David Halpern, Chief Executive of Behavioural Insights Team, a United Kingdom-based global consulting firm.

The future relevance of government communication tools: An assessment", a key panel discussion to be held on 27th September as part of the main programming agenda at IGCF 2021, will host Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications; Eng. Sakher Marwan Dudin, Jordans Minister of State for Media Affairs, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, former President of Estonia (2006-2016), and Sir Craig Oliver, veteran British editor, producer and media executive, who served as Director of politics and Communication for former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Pulse 95 presenter, Sally Mousa, will moderate the session.

Al Olama, the Managing Director of the World Government Summit, who spearheads UAEs efforts to grow into a global leader in the digital economy, will lead an expert assessment of the commonly used tools and platforms and highlight opportunities and challenges in government communication.

The question that government communication teams face globally is whether they have the right structure in place for a modern communications function, and whether they have the latest tools and guidance to effectively evaluate the situation.

Over the years, though the communications profession has changed dramatically, this question remains valid and is one all government communicators should regularly ask themselves. As a function and profession, government communication practices must constantly evolve, anticipate and keep pace with technological change, be audience-focused and demonstrate its effectiveness. This discussion will provide a blueprint for shaping such an effective and future-ready government communications strategy.

The two-day global summit will be held under the patronage of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 18th Sep, 2021) ABU DHABI, 18th September 2021 (WAM)  The United Arab Emirates was elected for the second time in row as Vice President of the Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF) in its second edition, during the meetings that brought together participants from 57 countries around the world.

The UAEs delegation participated in the Supervisory board meeting, where the President and the Vice President of the Forum were elected. The United Arab Emirates  represented by FTA Director General Khalid Ali Al Bustani  was elected Vice President of the Forum for the second time after being elected in the first meeting of the Supervisory Board in China in April 2019.

The Second Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum (BRITACOF) and the accompanying virtual exhibition discussed ways to collaborate on tax administration coordination between the Belt and Road initiative states  particularly when it comes to harnessing digitalization to develop the sector.

The three-day forum, which was conducted via videoconferencing, discussed the prospects of the digital economy and explored ways to build an integrated digitalized tax system, relying on digital tax management, enhancing digital tax services, and discussing the use of modern technologies in tax transactions, including Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Big Data was also discussed as a means to facilitate tax procedures and increase resilience in the tax industry.

In addition, the forum showcased ways to modernize tax data management, exchange tax information, develop control frameworks, and enhance tax data security.

Speaking at the Forum, Al Bustani showcased the UAEs pioneering experience and the FTAs extensive efforts to continuously upgrade the tax system, ensure transparency, and streamline procedures.

Al Bustani underlined the FTAs achievements in implementing a fully electronic tax system that encourages voluntary compliance, offering a wide range of advanced services to taxpayers, including registration in the tax system, submitting Tax Returns, and settling their due taxes. The system allows Taxable Persons or their representatives to quickly complete all procedures without physical interaction or paper documents, which helps preserve public health and maintain social distancing.

The FTA is keen on maintaining uninterrupted communication with stakeholders across the tax system, whereby its call centre answers hundreds of thousands of enquiries over the phone or via email.

The Federal Tax Authority explored the experiences and success stories showcased by various member states at the Second Belt and Road Initiative Tax Administration Cooperation Forum and exhibition.

The Authority asserted that the event is an opportunity to further optimise tax collaboration to remove barriers to trade, investment, and economic cooperation, setting the stage for deeper tax collaboration among countries of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Manila, Sept 18 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2021 ) :Exhausted nurses in the Philippines are struggling to care for patients as colleagues contract Covid-19 or quit a profession that was dangerously understaffed even before the pandemic.

The country is enduring a record rise in infections, fuelled by the Delta variant, with the health department reporting a nursing shortfall of more than 100,000 -- forcing those left to work long hours for little pay on often precarious short-term contracts.

"They are tired and burned out," nursing director Lourdes Banaga, at a private hospital south of Manila, told AFP.

"At the start of the pandemic we had almost 200 nurses," said Banaga, director for nursing services at the Lipa Medix Medical Center in Batangas province.

"By September that will reduce to 63." Official figures show 75,000 nurses are working in public and private Philippine hospitals but roughly 109,000 more are needed.

The pandemic has exacerbated a pre-existing lack of nurses, said Maristela Abenojar, president of Filipino Nurses United -- a situation she describes as "ironic" in one of the world's biggest exporters of healthcare workers.

The "chronic understaffing" is down to inadequate salaries, she said.

An entry-level nurse in a public hospital can earn 33,575 pesos ($670) per month, official data show.

But Abenojar said most were on short-term contracts, earning 22,000 pesos with no benefits such as hazard pay. Meanwhile, those in the private sector were making as little as 8,000 pesos.

And many have had enough: About 40 percent of private hospital nurses have resigned since the start of the pandemic, according to the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines.

More than 5,000 nurses have been given the green light to go abroad this year after a Covid-19 ban was replaced with a cap to ensure enough nurses were available in the Philippines.

It hasn't worked.

"We can't get additional nurses, we can't compel them to apply," said Jose Rene de Grano of the private hospitals association.

- 'We feel exhausted' - In recent weeks, health workers have protested over unpaid benefits, including a coronavirus special risk allowance.

Abenojar said many were still waiting.

President Rodrigo Duterte has asked for patience while the government tries to come up with the money.

"We don't feel cared for," said Melbert Reyes of the Philippine Nurses Association.

Many hospitals boosted their bed capacity after a virus surge earlier this year threatened to overwhelm them.

Official data show coronavirus ward and ICU bed occupancy rates at more than 70 percent nationwide as daily cases often exceed 20,000, fuelled by the hyper-contagious Delta variant.

A public hospital in Binan city, near Manila, turned a car park into a ward.

"Many of our nurses are sick and in quarantine," medical director Melbril Alonte told AFP.

"We feel exhausted... but we always keep in mind that we have to help our people because... no one else will." But due to the nursing shortfall, some facilities -- like the Lipa Medix Medical Center -- have had to slash their bed capacity, and extend their nurses' shifts.

Nurse Trixia Bautista said she works up to 15 hours per shift looking after mostly severe Covid-19 patients at a public referral hospital in the capital.

At times, she has cared for as many as 30 patients on her own after nurses on her ward quit or got sick.

"Physically it's very tiring," she said. "There's not enough people to cater to all these patients." - 'Not worth being a nurse' - But there are plenty of qualified nurses in the Philippines, said Abenojar of Filipino Nurses United.

She estimated 200,000 to 250,000 were not working in the sector.

Many healthcare workers enter the profession to try to secure better-paid jobs abroad, but the shortage is not due to overseas migration.

"It's because nurses have left the profession," said Yasmin Ortiga, assistant professor of sociology at Singapore Management University, pointing to the dearth of stable jobs and dismal wages.

A proliferation of nursing programmes led to an oversupply, with many unable to get a permanent position in a local hospital -- necessary to work abroad -- and subsequently a drop in enrolments.

Ortiga said: "People realised that if I am unable to leave the country it's really not worth being a nurse at home."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Mexico City, Sept 18 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2021 ) :Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro hit back Saturday at challenges to his legitimacy as he attended a regional summit in his first trip abroad since the United States accused him of drug trafficking.

Maduro showed up at the last minute at a meeting of the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC.

In March 2020, the US Department of Justice accused Maduro of crimes including "narco-terrorism", drug trafficking, and possession of weapons, and offered $15 million for information leading to his arrest.

The designation came as the Trump administration worked to help opposition leader Juan Guaido take power.

The Venezuelan president, who usually travels to Cuba, a close ally, or to Caribbean countries, has avoided leaving his country after the reward was issued and his trip to Mexico is the first of an official nature since then.

More than 50 countries, led by the US, recognize Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate interim president. Guaido proclaimed himself as such in 2019 after Maduro claimed re-election in voting widely dismissed as fraudulent.

During Saturday's proceedings, the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay -- which are among those 50 -- said their presence at the summit did not mean they recognize Maduro as president.

"There is no change in my government's position and I think it is the gentlemanly thing to say so out loud," Mario Abdo Benitez of Paraguay said in a speech to the gathered leaders. His government severed ties with Venezuela after Guaido declared himself president.

President Luis Lacalle of Uruguay said that in Venezuela "there is no full democracy... Repression is used to quash protests, and the opposition is jailed." Maduro, a leftist firebrand and former bus driver handpicked by the late Hugo Chavez, responded by challenging both of those presidents to a debate on democracy in his country and in Latin America in general.

"Name the date, the place, and the time," Maduro said, addressing the two leaders.

He invited them to come to his country and observe municipal elections on November 21, which the opposition has said it will take part in after boycotting voting for three years.

"Come see the dictator Maduro, how he convenes elections," Maduro said.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2021 ) :Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Saturday said peace in Afghanistan would be in the interest of not only the Taliban but the entire region.

In a special talk about Afghanistan, he said Prime Minister Imran Khan and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon would play a role in bringing the Taliban and Tajiks closer.

The Tajik president, he said, was respected by Tajiks around the world.

Fawad said efforts would be made for giving Tajiks representation in the new Afghan government.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Tajik President expressed keen interest in bringing the two factions closer, the minister said.

The announcement of talks with the Taliban, he said, was a historic step.

It would not be easy for the Taliban to include in the government the groups that have been fighting with them for decades.

The two factions must work together to find a lasting solution to Afghanistan's problems, the minister said adding, socio-economic recovery was an important factor for peace and security in the region.

The Tajik President and Prime Minister Imran Khan have vowed to work together for peace, stability and security in the region, especially in Afghanistan, the minister said.

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Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch urged the citizens to adopt precautionary measures against dengue besides, of taking precautionary measures against coronavirus pandemic

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Sep, 2021 ) :Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department (P&SHD) Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch urged the citizens to adopt precautionary measures against dengue besides, of taking precautionary measures against coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement issued here on Friday, he appealed to the people to take special care of cleanliness and no garbage should be thrown in open places, adding that people should be more responsible in preventing dengue during monsoon, and rainwater should not be accumulated in residential areas.

"Be a responsible citizen by keeping your surroundings neat and clean" he said and adding that the public was requested to extend full cooperation to health department teams, if they come to your home or business centres for the checking of dengue larvae, as dengue could be fatal and was a very dangerous fever which could cause death.

The secretary directed the department to intensify the dengue prevention activities across Punjab. He appealed to all the religious scholars to inform the worshipers coming to mosques about the prevention of dengue.

During the last 24 hours, 34 dengue patients were reported from Punjab, out of which, 29 in Lahore and two from Rawalpindi, whereas respectively one patient each was reported from Gujrat, Jhang and Pakpattan.

During this year, total 398 confirmed cases of dengue had been reported from Punjab, out of all confirmed patients, 320 patients had been reported from Lahore. At present a total of 20 patients were admitted across Punjab, out of which, 11 dengue patients were admitted in the hospitals of Lahore. three patients were admitted in Fatima Memorial Hospital, two respectively in each Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Services Hospital and Masood Hospital respectively, one patient each was admitted in Mayo Hospital and Shalimar Hospital. seven dengue patients were admitted in Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi whereas, one patient each was admitted in Benazir Bhutto Hospital Rawalpindi and District Headquarter Hospital Gujrat.

During the last 24 hours, 480,915 indoor and 100,987 outdoor surveillance were carried out in Punjab, while larvae were also destroyed from the 1,604 locations. Similarly in Lahore 70,562 indoor and 8,979 places were checked for dengue larvae and 1139 positive containers were destroyed.
Turkey considers the provisions of the Athens Declaration on Cyprus conflict settlement adopted at the EUMed 9 summit to be biased and short-sighted,Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said on Saturday.

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2021) Turkey considers the provisions of the Athens Declaration on Cyprus conflict settlement adopted at the EUMed 9 summit to be biased and short-sighted,Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said on Saturday.

The EUMed 9 summit was attended by the heads of state and government of France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal and Slovenia on Friday. The summit declaration reaffirmed members' commitment to the peaceful settlement of the Cyprus conflict on the basis of a bicommunal, bizonal federation with the political equality under UN Security Council resolutions. The declaration ruled out the possibility of any solution based on the coexistence of two states.

"The paragraphs concerning the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and irregular migration of the joint declaration adopted at the end of the Summit held with the participation of the nine members of the EU .

.. in Athens on 17 September 2021, are biased, lacking vision and disconnected from reality as this was the case in previous years," Bilgic said in an official statement.

Cyprus has been de facto divided between the Greek and Turkish communities since 1974, when Turkey deployed armed forces to Cyprus after an attempt to unify Cyprus with Greece. Thirty-seven percent of the island's territory was occupied. In 1983, the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus was formed, recognized solely by Turkey.

The United Nations attempted to mediate reunification talks between the Greek and Turkish communities, but the negotiation reached an impasse in 2017.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has been advocating a confederal structure of Cyprus, while the Greek Cypriots believe that a solution to the Cyprus problem is possible only on the basis of UN decisions within the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2021) US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and her Turkish counterpart Sedat Onal have discussed boosting enhancing ties during a meeting earlier in the day, Spokesperson Ned price revealed in a readout on Friday.

"Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met today with Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal as part of the 2021 U.

S-Turkey High-Level Political Dialogue," Price said. "They discussed the strength of the U.S.-Turkey relationship and opportunities to deepen cooperation bilaterally and as NATO Allies to address areas of mutual concern."

Following the meeting, Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland and the Turkish delegation discussed Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya among other regional matters, Price added.
MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th September, 2021) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will take part in the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Mexico City, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said.

"I tell you that several minutes ago, we received a confirmation that President Maduro is flying to Mexico right now," a spokesperson for the ministry said on late Friday.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez wrote on Twitter that she had also arrived in Mexico to participate in the summit.

CELAC was officially established in 2011 in Venezuela and includes all countries of the two Americas, except for the US and Canada. The organization serves as a platform to promote regional integration and dialogue between 32 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
(UroToday.com) The Society of Urologic Oncology session at the 2021 Virtual AUA annual meetings bladder cancer session included a presentation by Dr. Peter Black discussing what is new for biomarkers in bladder cancer. Dr. Black highlighted that there are different types of biomarkers based on the disease state of interest:

Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC): urine markers for detection and monitoring

Muscle invasive bladder cancer: (i) markers to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and (ii) ctDNA to guide adjuvant therapy after radical cystectomy

Metastatic urothelial carcinoma: markers for guiding systemic/targeted therapy

Dr. Black notes that there is an extensive history of biomarkers in bladder cancer dating back to 1970 with the advent of urine cytology, however what we are still missing is intervention trials comparing standard of care to marker-directed management.1 One such study is the UroFollow trial that has been designed as a prospective randomized study comparing a noninvasive marker-based (UroVysion, NMP22, urine cytology, and ultrasound) follow-up with the current standard of care over a period of 3 years. The following figure is the UroFollow study design:

In the neoadjuvant chemotherapy disease space, there are several molecular predictors of response: (i) molecular subtypes  basal/squamous, luminal papillary, etc; (ii) COXEN model  RNA expression-based molecular marker; and (iii) DNA damage repair gene alterations  ERCC2, ATM, etc. To investigate the ability of molecular subtypes to predict pathological downstaging and survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy, Seiler et al.3 assessed pre-neoadjuvant chemotherapy transurethral specimens from 343 patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Overall survival (OS) according to subtype was analyzed and compared with OS in 476 non-neoadjuvant chemotherapy cases (published datasets). The genomic subtyping classifier was able to predict four consensus molecular subtypes with high accuracy (73%), and clinical significance of the predicted consensus subtypes could be validated in independent neoadjuvant chemotherapy and non-neoadjuvant chemotherapy datasets. Luminal tumors had the best OS with and without neoadjuvant chemotherapy, whereas claudin-low tumors were associated with poor OS irrespective of treatment regimen. Basal tumors showed the most improvement in OS with neoadjuvant chemotherapy compared with surgery alone.

The SWOG S1314 COXEN clinical trial was a biomarker validation trial with the following trial design:4

Among 167 evaluable patients, the odds ratio (OR) for pT0 with the gemcitabine-cisplatin gene expression model score in gemcitabine-cisplatin treated patients was 2.63 (95% CI 0.82-8.36]; for the ddMVAC COXEN gene expression model score with ddMVAC treatment, the OR was 1.12 (95% CI 0.42-2.95). The gemcitabine-cisplatin gene expression model score was applied to pooled arms (gemcitabine-cisplatin and ddMVAC) for downstaging with an OR of 2.33 (95% CI, 1.11-4.89).

Mutations in DNA damage repair genes also predict survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Work from Dr. Betsy Plimack published in European Urology in 20155 showed that patients with a pathologic complete response had more alterations than those with residual tumor in both the discovery (p=0.024) and validation (p=0.018) sets. In the discovery set, alteration in one or more of the three DNA repair genes ATM, RB1, and FANCC predicted pathologic response (p<0.001; 87% sensitivity, 100% specificity) and better overall survival (p=0.007).

The RETAIN trial initially presented results at the GU ASCO 2021 meeting. This is an adaptive trial with the following flow diagram:

To date, 71 patients have been enrolled in the trial, with 38 having no identifiable mutation, and 33 patients with a mutation. There were 25 T0 patients on re-TURBT after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (76%) with these patients staring on surveillance; 65% ultimately had a recurrence and the primary outcomes of 2-year metastasis free survival is still pending.

In the adjuvant setting, circulating tumor DNA is prognostic and predictive after adjuvant atezolizumab.6 Among 581 patients, ctDNA testing at the start of therapy (cycle 1 day 1) identified 214 (37%) patients who were positive for ctDNA and who had poor prognosis (observation arm HR 6.3, 95% CI 4.45-8.92). Notably, patients who were positive for ctDNA had improved disease-free survival and OS in the atezolizumab arm versus the observation arm (disease-free survival HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.43-0.79, OS HR 0.59, 95% CI 0.41-0.86).

In advanced bladder cancer, Dr. Black emphasizes that the treatment landscape has rapidly evolved over the last several years. Based on the change in the label in September 2021 from the FDA to pembrolizumab or atezolizumab in first-line metastatic urothelial carcinoma, regardless of PD-L1 status, there is currently no role of PD-L1 immunohistochemistry in any disease state:

Finally, erdafitinib is approved in platinum refractory metastatic urothelial carcinoma among patients screened positive for FGFR translocations or mutations.

Dr. Black concluded his presentation with the following take home messages for what is new in biomarkers:

The quest for the optimal urine marker continues

Markers to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (especially DNA damage repair gene mutations and molecular subtypes) is being tested in a randomized clinical trial

ctDNA may be prognostic and predictive of response to adjuvant immune checkpoint blockade, with prospective validation pending

PD-L1 immunohistochemistry currently has no role in guiding immunotherapy in urothelial carcinoma

FGFR testing is essential to guide anti-FGFR therapy in metastatic urothelial carcinoma

Presented by: Peter C. Black, MD, FACS, FRCSC, Khosrowshahi Family Chair, Professor Department of Urologic Sciences, Vancouver Prostate Cancer, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

Written by: Zachary Klaassen, MD, MSc  Urologic Oncologist, Assistant Professor of Urology, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University/Medical College of Georgia, @zklaassen_md on Twitter during the 2021 American Urological Association, (AUA) Annual Meeting, Fri, Sep 10, 2021  Mon, Sep 13, 2021.

References:
Canada's Bishops announce that due to the ongoing health crisis, they will be holding their plenary assembly online for a second consecutive year.

By Francesca Merlo

Taking place from 20 to 24 September, the Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will take place online. The news came in a statement released on the Bishops' Conference's website on Friday.

The Bishops write that the decision was made in consideration of the ongoing public health recommendations on gatherings regarding COVID-19, as well as concern for the health and safety of all involved.

The virtual format

Within the virtual format, reads the statement, "Bishops will address a number of important subjects, including the pastoral priority of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, to which the Bishops of Canada remain fully committed".

Along with this, other key topics will be discussed, such as "how to re-engage or continue the mission of the Church following the coronavirus pandemic; family and life initiatives; and the multi-phase journey leading up to the 2023 Synod of Bishops entitled 'For a Synodal Church: Communication, Participation and Mission'".

In addition, the statement reads, the new Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, "will deliver his first address to the Bishops of Canada by videoconference". After this, the Bishops of Canada will conclude the election process for the new CCCB Executive Committee consisting of a President, a Vice-President, and two Co-Treasurers, one from each the English and French Sector.

Agenda consideration

As in 2020 year, when the Plenary Assembly was also held virtually, meetings by videoconference will need additional consideration regarding timetables and the agenda. "Owing to a condensed agenda, topics of general interest  typically featured on the first day-and-a-half of past in-person meetings  will be postponed until next year and likewise precludes the participation of invited observers and guests from a number of national Catholic organizations, as well as accredited representatives of the media as in years past", reads the statement.

A summary of the discussions and key decisions from the Plenary will be issued at the conclusion of the meeting.
Irish Church leaders to mark the Partition of Ireland and the formation of Northern Ireland with a Service of Reflection and Hope.

By Lisa Zengarini

Irish Church leaders have announced a special Service of Reflection and Hope on October 21 to mark the centenaries of the establishment of Northern Ireland and the Partition of Ireland in 1921, reiterating their common commitment to peace, healing and reconciliation in the British islands.

The location chosen for the venue is Saint Patricks Church of Ireland Cathedral, in Armagh, due to its significance as Irelands ecclesiastical capital  a status which has its origins in the 5th Century, when the present site of the Church of Ireland cathedral was presented to Saint Patrick for building his great stone church. Both the Irish Catholic and Anglican primates of Ireland sit in Armagh in their respective cathedrals which are both dedicated to the Irish Patron Saint.

Deepening relationships to promote reconciliation

The special Christian act of worship will involve people from diverse backgrounds and traditions, and with different beliefs and aspirations, coming together to pray for the healing of past hurts and to seek Gods guidance in a spirit of hope for the future. It is part of the joint efforts promoted this year by the Anglican Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches of Ireland to encourage inter-community peace and reconciliation through dialogue with a focus on relationships.

Journeying together for peace

This was pointed out last March in their joint St Patricks Day Message. The statement, entitled In Christ We Journey Together, emphasizes the need to be intentional in creating spaces for encounter with those who are different from us, and those who may feel marginalised in the narratives that have shaped our community identity and, in doing so, to face difficult truths about failings in our own leadership in the work of peace and reconciliation. It welcomes the progress that has been made through the peace process in building relations of mutual respect and trust across the British islands (UK and Ireland). While acknowledging that there is still much work to do, and that these relationships are often tested, they note that our communities have also demonstrated great resilience, solidarity and compassion, evident most recently in the response to Covid-19. The Message places particular emphasis on the interconnectedness of the people of the UK and Ireland, saying that what is undeniable is the reality that we have to live in a shared space on these islands, and to make them a place of belonging and welcome for all.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says the United States is safer now than it was 20 years ago. Speaking in an interview with Voice of Americas Pentagon Correspondent Carla Babb on the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, Austin said U.S. defense capabilities and strike abilities have evolved and increased by orders of magnitude.

Austin said the U.S. will continue to pay attention to the threats as they evolve in Afghanistan, but that effort would not prevent the U.S. from focusing on its pacing threat, China.

VOA: Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for speaking with the Voice of America today. Today is a very special day. It's the day that we stop and pause and remember those who died 20 years ago. And reflecting on that, is the United States safer today than it was in 9/11?"

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin: "Well, if you just look at the capabilities that have evolved since, since 2001, in terms of our ability to collect and to analyze and to track various threats around the globe, our capabilities have increased by orders of magnitude. Our ability to strike has increased by orders of magnitude. What's most important is that as a government, we operate a lot better with any interagency in terms of our ability to share information, our ability to coordinate and deconflict. So, because of all of those things, I would say, yeah, we are safer."

VOA: "When you talk about that information, so, let me go back to the withdrawal. In April, the intelligence was showing that the Taliban could likely take over Kabul around December, late December, but by July that timeline had shrunk to late September. So, why were you so surprised when they took over in mid-August?"

Austin: "I think what youve heard us say is that there were, the intelligence estimate provided a range of possibilities, and those, they changed over time. We'll go back and look at all these things in the future as we, as we assess what happened and assess the things that we could possibly, as an interagency, do better. And, but, until we complete that process, I won't, I won't hazard to provide any kind of assessment."



VOA: "Reflecting, do you think you should have paused the withdrawal when you started getting the intelligence in July that the collapse was more imminent?"

Austin: Well, again, don't want to get into any hypotheticals or, you know, any, any type of assessments here. I think we owe it to ourselves to do a very deliberate and detailed assessment, not only for the military but across the interagency."

VOA: "When I was speaking to some of the troops from 10th Mountain Division, they wished they could have gotten to HKIA. They wished they could have gotten to the airport sooner and had a few more people. Do you think that the evacuation should have started sooner?"

Austin: "Again, I think our young men and women that were a part of that operation did a tremendous job. And I think once they arrived, they, and once they secured the airport, they had to defend the airport, they had to evacuate 124,000 people. Of that 124,000, some 6,000 Americans. And we still are, the State Department is still focused on evacuating Americans as we speak. So, you know, I think, I think our young men and women just did a tremendous job. As you heard me say, I think it was historic because of the size of the airlift, and it certainly was heroic in terms of their actions."

VOA: "But do you wish you would have started sooner?"

Austin: "Again, you know, I, we will go back and assess what we did when we did it, but you know, we made our decisions based upon, you know, the intelligence and the activities that were going on at that time."

VOA: "We have been tied to Iraq and Afghanistan because of 9/11, and you actually oversaw the withdrawal forces from Iraq only to see U.S. troops return there three years later. Why would you oversee the withdrawal from Afghanistan when there were similar conditions in Afghanistan as there were in Iraq when it comes to terrorists?"

Austin: "I think youre, actually, two. First of all, we never completely left Iraq. As you know, we kept an element in Iraq that was focused on training the Iraqis. But as you compare the two scenarios, they're completely different. They're different people, they're different, facing different adversaries. So, I don't think it's fair to compare them head-to-head."

VOA: "So, you don't see the similarities on the ground now that you saw in Iraq?"

Austin: "There will be similarities in every military operation, but there will be clear distinctions in those operations based upon the threat, based upon the forces available, and based upon the allies that you're working with, you know, the people that you're supporting."

VOA: "Let's talk about where the counterterror war goes now. So, what area of the globe do you believe that terrorists have the greatest desire and capability to attempt to strike the homeland?"

Austin: "Great question. I think what you've seen and what you know to be true is that transnational terrorists will look for ungoverned spaces to go to, to operate out of. And so, everywhere on the globe where we see, you know, breakdown in governance or weak governance or areas that are ungoverned, we can expect that, at some point, that theres a possibility that terrorist activity will take root in those places."

VOA: "And so, if you had to, you said you've mentioned some areas to us in the briefing room. So, if you had to pick one area where the focus seems to be most intent on attacking the U.S. homeland, where, where is that right now?"

Austin: "Well, I certainly don't want to get into any intelligence assessments here, but, I mean, we see terrorist, transnational terrorist activity in a lot of places. We see, certainly in Africa, we see in Somalia, we see a number of organizations looking to operate freely there."

VOA: "Are you looking to put troops back into Somalia?"

Austin: "Again, I won't  I don't have any troop announcements to make in this forum."

VOA: "OK, and let's talk about, because we're still bogged down in Afghanistan, we don't have troops there, but we are still bogged down with the counterterror war, so won't that divert your attention away from China and Russia for at least some time?"

Austin: "We know that we have to maintain a focus, in order to defend this country, which is my top priority, we have to maintain a focus on countering transnational terrorism and preventing terrorists from exporting terror from any place on the globe to our homeland, and we will remain focused on that with a laser focus."

VOA: "So, yes, they will, they will bog us down for some time?"

Austin: "No, that's, that's not bogging us down, that's making sure that we pay attention to the threats as they evolve, but it won't prevent us from doing what we need to do to focus on our major elements there, our major challenges there. And you've heard me say that China remains a, our pacing challenge going forward here.

VOA: And I want to ask you, because you reached out today  it is 9/11  you reached out to the families who died with your remarks today. What would you like to say to the Afghans who fought beside us, who joined us in this war, post 9/11, those who lost loved ones in this war, those who are still worried about the future?

Austin: Were certainly, were grateful for their help in our efforts to help improve the conditions in their country. And, and so, you know, their partnership, that those people who served as interpreters and facilitated our operations, I certainly want to say thank you to them, and remind them that we will remain grateful going forward."

VOA: Well, Mr. Secretary, thank you so much for speaking with Voice of America.
The U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan says he secured a last-minute deal with the Taliban in mid-August to keep the insurgents outside Kabul while they negotiated a political transition. But, he says, President Ashraf Ghanis decision to flee the country scuttled that plan.

Afghan-born envoy Zalmay Khalilzad made the disclosure in an interview with the Financial Times, saying he had negotiated a two-week grace period hours before the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban on August 15. He said Ghanis escape left a security vacuum in the city, however, which prompted the Islamist group to march into the city that day.

Khalilzad explained that the deal would have allowed Ghani to remain in his post until a settlement was reached in Doha on a future government, even as the Taliban stood at Kabuls gates.

FILE - Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. special representative on Afghan reconciliation, speaks during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the U.S.-Afghanistan relationship, on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 18, 2021.

Taliban confirmation

A Taliban official Wednesday confirmed details of the understanding they had reached with Khalilzad in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where the insurgents run their political office.

Yes, there was a gentleman word from our side that our forces will not enter Kabul city, and we will talk about a peaceful transfer of power, Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told VOA from Doha.

Khalilzad told the Financial Times he had no clue that Ghani was intending to flee into exile in the United Arab Emirates.

There were questions of law and order in Kabul after Ghani fled.  The Talibs [then]  say: Are you going to take responsibility for security of Kabul now? And then you know what happened, we werent going to take responsibility, the U.S. envoy said.

Khalilzad negotiated an agreement with the Taliban in February 2020, paving the way for the United States to bring home all American troops from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of involvement in the Afghan war.

FILE- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani makes an address about the latest developments in the country from exile in United Arab Emirates, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video on Aug. 18, 2021.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also has repeatedly stated in recent days he had received assurances from Ghani on the eve of his escape that the Afghan president was on board with Washingtons plan.

What he [Ghani] told me in that conversation the night before he fled is that, as he put it, he was prepared to fight to the death, " Blinken told Afghan-based Tolo News earlier this month.

Ghani has issued statements in recent days from the UAE apologizing for abandoning Afghans and saying he acted on the advice of the presidential palace security. The former president also dismissed allegations of taking off with tens of millions of stolen dollars.

Caretaker government

The Taliban announced a caretaker government last week in Afghanistan, 20 years after they were ousted from power by the U.S.-led international military invasion for harboring al-Qaida leaders.

The Taliban introduced strict Islamic laws when they were previously in control of the country from 1996 to 2001. A brutal justice system, mistreatment of Afghan minorities, the barring of women from public life and banning of girls from receiving an education marked the Taliban rule at the time, leading to Afghanistans global isolation.

The U.S. and many other countries now are pressuring the Taliban not to bring back their hardline governance system if they want their country to remain part of the international community and win diplomatic recognition for any Taliban-led government in Kabul.
The World Health Organization is warning that COVID-19 vaccine export bans and hoarding by wealthy countries will prolong the pandemic in Africa, preventing recovery from the disease in the rest of the world.



While more than 60% of the U.S., European Union, and British populations have been vaccinated, only 2% of COVID vaccine shots have been given in Africa.



The COVAX facility has slashed its planned COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to Africa by 25% this year. WHO Africa regional director Matshidiso Moeti says the 470 million doses now expected to arrive by the end of December are enough to vaccinate just 17% of Africans on the continent.



Export bans and vaccine hoarding still have a chokehold on the lifeline of vaccine supplies to Africa. Even if all planned shipments via COVAX and the African Union arrive, Africa still needs almost 500 million more doses to reach the yearend goal. At this rate, the continent may only reach the 40% target by the end of March next year, Moeti said.



The WHO reports more than 8 million cases of COVID-19 in Africa, including more than 200,000 deaths. Forty-four African countries have reported the alpha variant and 32 countries have reported the more virulent and contagious delta variant.



Moeti warns of further waves of infection and loss of life in this pandemic. Given the short supply of vaccines, she urges strict adherence to preventive measures, such as mask wearing and social distancing.



She reiterates WHOs call for a halt to booster shots in wealthy nations, except for those with compromised immune systems and at risk of severe illness and death.

I have said many times that it is in everyones interest to make sure the most at-risk groups in every country are protected. As it stands, the huge gaps in vaccine equity are not closing anywhere near fast enough. The quickest way to end this pandemic, is for countries with reserves to release their doses so that other countries can buy them, she said.



Moeti said African countries with low vaccination rates are breeding grounds for vaccine-resistant variants. She warned this could end up sending the world back to square 1, with the pandemic continuing to ravage communities worldwide if vaccine inequity is allowed to persist.


Algerias decision to revoke the accreditation of France 24 over its coverage of long-running pro-democracy protests signals the pressure that media in the North African country work under, analysts say.

The move against the French state-owned news outlet earlier this month comes amid tensions between the government and press over coverage of the pro-democracy Hirak Movement. The announcement came the day after legislative elections in which 70% of the electorate did not vote, according to data from the Algerian electoral authority.

The Hirak Movement protests began in early 2019, forcing former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign. But as protests calling for widespread reform continued, authorities cracked down on journalists who cover them or who criticize the government.

Media and human rights watchdogs say that journalists in Algeria frequently face harassment and arbitrary detention, and that access to several news websites has been blocked. Under a 2020 law, journalists risk up to five years in prison for undermining public order. A separate decree says news websites have to be based in the country and run by an Algerian national, Freedom House data shows.

Overall, the countrys press freedom record since 2018 has declined 10 places  falling to 146 out of 180  on Reporters Without Borders (RSF) annual index.

In France 24s case, Algerias Ministry of Communication said in a statement that its June 13 decision to revoke the accreditation was a response to the broadcasters hostility and aggressiveness toward Algeria, and added that the broadcaster had failed to respect the rules of professional ethics, disinformation, and manipulation.

The broadcaster had received a warning from the ministry in March related to its coverage of protests.

France 24 directed VOA to its statement shared with Agence France-Presse that read, We cover Algerian news transparently, independently and honestly, as is the case with all countries we cover.

As well as revoking a broadcasters credentials, Algeria this month detained two journalists  RSF correspondent Khaled Drareni and Maghred Emergent director Ihsane El-Kadi. Both have previously faced legal action over their reporting.

Drareni served almost a year in prison for endangering national unity and inciting an unarmed gathering while covering a protest. He was released on bail in February 2021.

The RSF correspondent says he thinks a meeting that he had with foreign journalists led to his arrest. Drareni told VOA that officials asked him bizarre questions about his work, life, and why he had met with foreign journalists who came to Algiers to cover the elections.

VOA attempted to seek comment from Algerias Ministry of Communications but received an automated email saying the mailbox is full. The countrys embassies in the U.S. and France did not respond to requests for comment.

Shrinking freedoms

Journalists who cover Algeria said that given the current climate for media in the country, the decision to revoke France 24s accreditation was not surprising.

Adam Nossiter, the New York Times Kabul bureau chief who used to cover Algeria, said that the broadcaster being a French state-owned outlet adds another layer.

They're especially prickly toward the French. Their complicated colonial relationship with the French just also complicates whatever relations they have with French media, Nossiter told VOA. Critical coverage coming from French media is much more keenly felt in Algeria.

Algeria was under French colonial rule until gaining independence in 1962 after a seven-year war, which remains a sensitive issue for both countries.

Mustapha Bendjama, editor-in-chief of Algerian opposition newspaper Le Provincial, said the recent incidents are indicative of declining media freedom across the country.

The state does not tolerate that journalists and the media dare to have an editorial point of view that differs from the states version, Bendjama said.

The journalist said he has also been arrested previously over coverage.

Journalists in Algeria, especially local media, face widespread harassment and the threat of arbitrary detention, says Justin Shilad, a senior Middle East and North Africa researcher at the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

We're seeing more and more journalists detained for longer periods of time and in greater numbers, Shilad said. At one point last month, authorities arrested at least 16 journalists who were covering the protests.

The situation is leading to widespread self-censorship, said Akram Kharief, editor-in-chief for news website MENADEFENSE, which focuses on international defense and security.

Kharief said efforts to suppress the media include indirect pressure including financially via a loss in advertising revenue, and direct pressure, like revoking accreditation or arresting journalists.

Since the beginning of this revolution in 2019, we have more and more pressure applied against the media, Kharief said. And we have a very strong decline in free speech in general.

Foreign journalists in Algeria tend to have more leeway that their local counterparts, according to Nossiter.

In the case of foreign media, if they're really unhappy with you, they'll just kick you out or revoke your accreditation, Nossiter said. They're even harsher with local media. They throw them in jail.

Drareni said that even if the treatment is different, the governments objective is the same.

In the same way that the government controls or tries to control the Algerian press, it also tries to control the foreign press, Drareni said.

With limited coverage in state or official media of the protest movement and big issues including corruption and the economy, Algeria has seen a growth in independent outlets specifically to fill the void, said Shilad.

It would be incorrect to characterize the media as all being supportive of the protest movement, but Shilad said, There is definitely an appetite in Algeria for critical reporting on corruption, the economy, and human rights, which are also issues that the Hirak protests have focused on.

For journalists on the ground, there is determination to keep reporting.

As long as there are online media and newspapers that continue to resist, in the face of censorship, in the face of pressure, in the face of threats, I am optimistic," Drareni told VOA.
The impact of the pandemic has increased wildlife poaching around Zimbabwes national parks, as people who lost their jobs hunt the animals for food. To help protect the animals, anti-poaching organizations have been formed, including a squad of vegan, women rangers.

Those are recruits of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation on a drill near Mana Pools National Park, about 300 kilometers north of Harare.

Nyaradzo Auxillia Hoto has been part of this group, known as Akashinga, the Brave Ones, since it started in 2017 to fight poaching here. The 29-year-old Hoto says she does not fear poachers or wildlife.

I am not even afraid. At first, yeah, I was a bit afraid. But now we have been taught on animal behavior and also because of time I have spent in the bush now I have experience of how to handle animals. Whenever I experience even a lion, I wont be scared. But I would like to study more and to know more about the animals, especially the one I am protecting, she said.

The women are well-armed, and if they encounter poachers, they detain them, and turn them over to police for prosecution.

Damien Mander, an Australian national and an Iraq war veteran, formed the Akashinga project. He says anti-poaching patrols will help preserve Africas wildlife, which has been under steady assault from poachers for decades.

"It was a trial in the beginning on one reserve in northern Zimbabwe, we started with 16 women protecting 90,000 acres. We now got 240 staff as part of this program. We now have eight reserves that we patrol. We are on target to have 1,000 staff by 2026," he said.

Tinashe Farawo, spokesman of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, says the efforts of such conservation groups are helping to fight poaching in this wildlife-rich country.

"These people have been provided the much-needed resources like patrol, in terms of anti-poaching law enforcement. The same partners some give us vehicles for patrol, some give us fuel, so that we are visible on the ground, our law enforcement is always intact, our rangers are always equipped. Those are some of the problems we always face: that our national parks are in extreme weather conditions. So they need tents, sleeping bags, uniforms, boots. All those things if you put them together it means we can do wonders. Because of these activities and partnerships, we are visible on the ground and less of poaching incidences are recorded in our national parks," said Farawo.

With more rangers coming on board, Zimbabwe hopes to eliminate poaching in its entirety, and ensure the safety of wildlife roaming the national parks.
Cameroon says its military has killed seven self-proclaimed separatist generals who blocked traffic for a month on roads in the central African states English-speaking western regions. The military says during a two-week operation, it recovered 70 vehicles the fighters had seized from civilians and rescued several women and children held hostage in separatist camps.

Cameroon said Friday its military had eliminated separatists from roads the fighters had illegally occupied in the English-speaking North-West region since July. Lieutenant Conrad Onana says he commanded government troops in one of several operations to neutralize fighters blocking roads.

Onana says a heavy exchange of fire lasted for over two hours starting at 1 a.m. Friday, when government troops attacked the fighters in Bafut. He says many of the separatists and their five self-proclaimed generals killed by government troops had been wanted by the military.

Onana did not give the total number of separatists killed in the raid.

He said the military rescued several women, including a pregnant woman, and a nursing baby held hostage by the fighters. He said at least six men were arrested for collaborating with separatists.

General Nka Valere is commander of government troops fighting separatists in the North-West region.

Nka says several hundred government troops took part in operations in which two self-proclaimed generals were killed in Bali in addition to the five in Bafut, towns in the North-West regions Mezam Division. He says the generals killed by the military are called Small Pepper, Stone, Small Bible, Ibobe, Prince, Kobet and Babilla. He says his troops recovered many weapons and seized material the fighters were using for homemade bombs.

Nka said he is asking civilians to collaborate more than ever before with the military by reporting suspected separatist fighters hiding in their communities.

Separatists have said on social media that some of their fighters and generals were killed but have given no further details. The fighters say many government troops were also killed.

Nka said a few government troops sustained light injuries, but none were killed.

In July, Cameroonian officials prohibited use of motorcycles in Mezam. The officials accused separatists of using motorcycles for crimes, including the ambush and killing of five police officers in Bali July 18.

Cameroon said the separatist fighters also used motorcycles to attack and raze military positions, police stations and government offices.

On social media, separatists claimed responsibility for killing the police officers and burning buildings occupied by the military. The fighters also imposed a ban on motor vehicle traffic and promised to lift the ban when government officials allow motorcycle traffic.

The military said the separatists seized over a hundred vehicles that defied the ban and used the vehicles to erect road barricades.

The government said it ordered the military to clear the roads of separatist fighters because thousands of people who use the roads daily were stranded.

Deben Tchoffo, governor of the North-West region, said 70 vehicles were removed from the road. He said all the roads blocked by separatist fighters are now safe and useable. Tchoffo said Cameroonian President Paul Biya has reiterated that fighters who surrender and drop their weapons will not be prosecuted.

Twenty-four-year-old truck driver Innocent Njikong says it is the sixth time since 2015 that the government is assuring travelers that roads in the North-West region are safe. He says he is very certain that the fighters will not drop their weapons.



"How do you meet and convince them [fighters] when they are still staying outside? They [the military] have burned their [fighters] houses, Njikongsaid. We are pleading to the government, let them [the military] drop their guns. We need to sacrifice in order to bring peace."

Njikong said by sacrifice, he means that the government should declare a cease-fire.

Cameroon has always said its military is not involved in any wrongdoing and that it will crush separatists who refuse to surrender.

Violence erupted in 2017 in Cameroon's English-speaking regions when teachers and lawyers protested alleged discrimination by the French-speaking majority. The military reacted with a crackdown and separatist groups took up weapons, claiming that they were protecting civilians.

The United Nations says over 3,000 people have been killed and 550,000 displaced in Cameroon and neighboring Nigeria since the conflict began.
Cameroonian authorities are urging thousands of villagers who fled northern Cameroon after a violent conflict between herders and fishers this week to return home. The villagers fled across the border into neighboring Chad after clashes over resources left farms and villages destroyed.

Cameroon says the conflict between cattle ranchers and fishermen has displaced people in Logone and Chari villages, but residents are reluctant to return due to concerns of ongoing violence in the countrys northern border with Chad.

Midjiyawa Bakari is the governor of Cameroons Far North region, where the Logone and Chari Division is located.

Bakari insists that Mousgoum fishermen and Arab Choua cattle ranchers are fighting over water resources to maintain control over their natural habitats. He wants all civilians to know that Mousgoum fishermen also clash among themselves over water in fishing areas. He adds that the Arab Choua cattle ranchers have informed Cameroon government officials on several occasions that their peers allow cattle to stray out of ranches in search of water, causing tensions between Arab Choua cattle ranchers.

Bakari said Mosgoum and Arab Choua communities are not fighting to chase each other from territories they have been living in for decades.

Last week, the central African nation reported at least 11,000 civilians were displaced by conflicts between Mousgoum fishermen and Arab Choua cattle ranchers over water usage. Cameroon said 10,000 civilians jumped across the Logone river separating Cameroon and Chad to Chadian border towns and villages.

Kamssouloum Abba Kabir is an Arab Choua community leader and a lawmaker in Cameroon National Assemblys lower house of parliament. He says peace is gradually returning to both communities.

He is pleading with displaced Arab Choua community in Cameroon and Chad to return home, he says, seeking peace and hoping to reconcile. He has called on the Arab Choua community members in Logone and Chari, an administrative unit on Cameroons northern border with Chad, to drop their weapons for peace and return.

Cameroon President Paul Biya held a 5th crisis meeting in Kousseri, the capital of Logone and Chari Division Monday. During the meeting, it was reported that 43 people have been killed and more than one hundred wounded in the clashes, including 40 villages burned.

Dougmbe Ahamat, a fisherman and spokesperson of the Mosgoum community, says civilians fear returning because their livelihoods have been destroyed.

"It is difficult for displaced Mosgoum fishermen and their families to return when their villages have been burnt down and fishing lands destroyed," he said. "The social and economic consequences of the clashes are enormous, and many men were killed, and their wives and children do not know who to rely on."

Bakari said the government will be sending assistance to the victims but did not say when. He, however, distributed food and matrasses to at least 200 displaced people who returned on Monday.

Mahamat Bahar Marouf is a traditional leader also known as Sultan of Logone-Birni, in another town in Logone and Chari Division.

Marouf says the Mosgoum and Arab Choua communities should learn to settle their disputes peacefully because they will forever live in Logone and Chari. "Fighting instead of exploiting limited natural resources in a sustainable manner will only bring misery to both communities, deepen poverty and underdevelopment," he said.

Cameroon says it will send government officials, cleric and traditional rulers to Chad in the coming days to encourage people to return home.




The attack in Burkina Faso last month that killed 160 civilians was in retaliation for activity by pro-government civilian militias in the area, according to Human Rights Watch.

In the daytime, Daouda Diallo is a scientist. By night, he is one of Burkina Fasos most prominent human rights campaigners.

He runs the Collective Against Impunity and Stigmatization of Communities, a campaigning group set up in the wake of the Yirgou massacre, an attack that saw around 200 people killed, mostly from the Fulani ethnic group, in early 2019.

In Burkina Fasos conflict with the Islamic State group and al-Qaida, the number of civilians killed by security forces has often come close to the numbers killed by the terror groups.

Diallo has been deeply affected by this.

Im a very sensitive person  I like to help the widow and the orphan, the vulnerable.  Ive devoted my time to this, but it's not an easy job, and I go unpaid. I do it for humanitarian reasons, Diallo told VOA.

Diallo also points out that one of the governments most controversial policies is a law that allows preexisting civilian militias, known as koglweogos, to be armed and trained by the government.

The new force is called the Volunteers for the Defense of the Homeland, or VDPs.

When the law was created in 2020, Human Rights Watch said arming poorly trained civilians could lead to abuses.

So far, at least 95 people have been killed in 38 incidents of violence against civilians by VDPs, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

A man, whose full name has been withheld to protect his safety, says he watched as VDPs killed two of his neighbors after accusing them of being terrorists.

...Issa was sick and decided to go to the market. The VDPs shot at him there. Issa ran to his house, where they killed him. Bad things happen. Thats why I had to run away. The militias are chasing you; the terrorists are chasing you.

Burkina Fasos Ministry of Defense did not respond to VOA's interview request about the incident.

One VDP leader, who asked to not be named, said most VDPs simply want to defend their homeland, many having had terrifying encounters with terrorists themselves.

The terrorists came and burned my house. They were looking for me, but fortunately I was not around. They also killed some of my neighbors and burned their houses as well. Its because of that I really felt I had to join the VDPs, he said.

A leader of the ruling MPP party admits its possible VDPs commit abuses  but says they are necessary.

Within the framework of the fight against terrorism, we are obliged to face the fact that the VDPs make a very big contribution," said Lassane Sawadogo, MPP Party Executive Secretary.

As widespread protests against insecurity in Burkina Faso have swept the country in recent weeks, President Roch Marc Christian Kabore said he will reform the VDPs as one way of improving security.

Diallo says the government should take corrective action quickly. However, the government has yet to say what its actions will be.
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera says he will take steps to mitigate the steep rise of fertilizer prices which have doubled in the last year. He says about 80 percent of Malawi farmers can no longer afford to buy fertilizer.

Farmers in Malawi say the rise in fertilizer prices is likely to affect production in this agro-based southern Africa country.

Jacob Nyirongo is Chief Executive Officer for Farmers Union of Malawi.

Most farmers in Malawi are poor and its quite a struggle for farmers to access fertilizer even at the prices that they were like last year. So, the increase that we have seen this year means it is pushing more farmers to a bracket where most farmers wont be able to access fertilizer," he said.

Fertilizer prices have hit an all-time high in Malawi with a bag weighing 50 kilogram now selling between $40 and $50 dollars. This is almost double the prices of last year.

Agriculture experts say this would likely lead to higher costs for government subsidized fertilizers under the Affordable Inputs Program, in which ultra-poor farmers buy at $6 dollars per 50 kilograms bag.

But in his national televised address Saturday, President Chakwera vowed the keep the prices low.

He said the price hike is the result of actions by a cartel, which he did not name, and accused it of trying to undermine his Affordable Inputs Program.

He says But what I want you to know is that I and my government cannot allow someone to kill agriculture in this country. Whether one likes it or not, farmers will buy fertilizer at a cheaper price this year.

He, however, said the prices might be slightly higher than last years but not as exorbitant as they are now.

But the Fertilizer Importers Association in Malawi, a group of fertilizer importers justifies the current price rise.

Speaking in Malawi Parliament Wednesday, the group said the rise is dictated by the international market which is facing the rise in fertilizers raw materials like phosphate.

In response to the rise in fertilizer prices, the Ministry of Agriculture announced in July that it has trimmed the number of beneficiaries of the subsidized farm input program this year from 3.7 million to 2.7 million.

But Chakwera has reversed that decision.

I will not allow anyone to remove any family or village from the list of beneficiaries of the cheap fertilizer. This is taking the government for granted. If there are people I vowed to fight for, they are the farmers, he said.

Dr. Betchani Tchereni is a lecturer in Economics at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences.

He says farmers should do organic farming which largely relies on manure.

This organic way of farming is the way to go. We just need to propagate it to make sure that everyone understands the best way of doing it. Once we do that, I think issues of biodiversity will come in and I am very sure that at the end of the day, we are going to benefit as a country economically and also in terms of our own health, he said.

But Farmers Unions Nyirongo, also an agronomist, says manure cannot stand alone.

So what we have seen as farmers is that if you use manure, you improve the health of the soil. And you enable the soil to utilize the fertilizer that you apply to a crop. So, if for example, you combine manure with inorganic fertilizer, you get the best yield, he said.

Nyirongo says for now, farmers are keeping their fingers crossed on President Chakweras pledge to help control the overpricing of fertilizer.
A new agreement between Nigeria and Russia provides a legal framework for Moscow to supply military equipment and training to the West African nation as it struggles with Islamist militant extremists and other security challenges.

The Nigerian Embassy in Moscow released a statement calling the agreement, signed Monday, a landmark development in bilateral relations. It provides a framework for the supply of military equipment, provision of after sales services, training of personnel in respective educational establishments and technology transfer, among others.

It furthers our bilateral cooperation with the Russian Federation in this area, Abdullahi Shehu, Nigerias envoy to Russia, told VOAs Hausa Service by phone Thursday from Moscow.

Nigeria already uses some Russian fighter jets and helicopters, alongside military equipment purchased from Western powers, such as the United States, according to Reuters news service.

Shehu said the new five-year pact did not preclude more collaboration with other strategic partners.

Reuters reported in late July that U.S. lawmakers had put a hold on a proposal to sell almost $1 billion worth of weapons to Nigeria over concerns about possible human rights abuses by the government. Reuters elaborated in reporting this week that, according to several sources last month, the proposed sale of 12 attack helicopters and related equipment was being delayed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Shehu, asked whether the agreement reached with Russia was influenced by the failure to secure a deal with the U.S. government, told VOA, No, no, no, no  After the signing ceremony, I said clearly that Nigeria is not looking for alternatives but complementarity and mutual benefits. So, the fact that Nigeria has signed agreement with Russia does not affect Nigeria's relationship and cooperation with its strategic partners around the world.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson gave VOA a statement: "Nigeria is a critical partner in the fight against terrorism in Africa.  Our security cooperation with Nigeria aims to enable the Nigerian government to better protect its citizens and defeat terrorist groups that threaten U.S. interests, while respecting human rights and the law of armed conflict.

Nigeria is confronting several security challenges: the Islamist extremist groups Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa Province (ISWAP), a wave of kidnappings and a resurgent separatist movement for an independent state of Biafra in the countrys southeast.

The State Department spokesperson said U.S. military assistance included military education and training, as well as training and equipping law enforcement and judiciary professionals in an array of priorities, such as from stopping banditry to protecting intellectual property rights to more effectively addressing trafficking in persons and gender-based violence.

The State Department, in a fact sheet on U.S.-Nigeria security cooperation released in March, says the two countries have enjoyed a strong security partnership and friendship for over 50 years. It cited Nigerias importance as Africas most populous country, biggest economy and top oil producer.

The fact sheet outlined U.S. spending to strengthen security in the country  for example, $7.1 million for Nigerian military training from fiscal years 2016 through 2020. It also noted $590 million in active government to government military sales cases.

Those cases include the controversial sale of a dozen A-29 Super Tucano attack planes worth more than $494 million. Six of the aircraft were delivered to Nigeria in July and the rest are expected in September.

Their sale initially was announced in 2016 but later stalled by the Obama administration over concerns about the Nigerian militarys rights abuses  including the January 2017 bombing of a displaced persons camp in northeastern Borno state. The military said the bombing, which left at least 112 civilians dead, was accidental, based on wrong target coordinates.

The Trump administration later approved the deal, saying the planes would aid Nigerias fight against insurgents and bolster defense jobs in the United States. The propeller-driven plane is made by Brazils Embraer, which has a second production line in Florida.

The Super Tucano aircraft are intended to aid Nigerias military in combating Islamist militant extremists and countering trafficking.

Grace Alheri Abdu of VOA Hausa service and Nike Ching at the State Department contributed to this report.
The Taliban's swift takeover of Afghanistan has raised concerns that it could encourage other Islamist militant groups around the world, such as al-Shabab in Somalia. Experts warn that when and if international forces there try to hand over security to the Somali government, the world could see a repeat of what happened in Afghanistan.

Former Somali intelligence official Abdulsalam Gulaid says Somalia could see a similar development unless the Somali government ends its overdependence on international troops. He spoke Monday, one day after pro-al-Shabab media outlets in Somalia celebrated the fall of Afghanistans government to the Taliban.

Gulaid said that although al-Shabab does not possess the military power of the Taliban, he has no doubt nothing will stop them if they choose that path.

In April, Somali armed forces assumed a lead role in their operations, as laid out in a Somalia Transition Plan approved by the government and the African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM. The plan is a strategy in which AMISOM peacekeepers will gradually transfer security responsibilities to Somali security agencies before a pullout. The plan signed in 2018 includes a troop reduction.

Last month, the military said more than 250 al-Shabab militants had been killed during Somali military operations unaided by AMISOM.

Speaking during an interview with local media, the Somali presidents national security advisor, Abdi Said Ali, strongly rejected any comparison of the security situations in Mogadishu and Kabul, or the Somali military to Afghan forces.

He said al-Shabab and the Taliban are not the same regardless of peoples beliefs, adding that Somali armed forces are currently in control and responsible for security in most parts of the country with support from AMISOM peacekeepers.

Al-Shabab was pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 by Somali and AU forces but the group still conducts bombings and hit-and-run attacks. It has recently threatened to disrupt ongoing Somali elections, warning tribal delegates not to take part in the process.
South Sudanese are reeling from fuel shortages and soaring food prices after Kenyan and Ugandan truck drivers went on strike nearly two weeks ago, stifling commerce along the Uganda/South Sudan border.

Hundreds of motorists camped at the Trinity gas station in Juba for hours on Monday, waiting in long queues to fill up their tanks with diesel or gasoline.

"You hear people are busy, they want to get the fuel, they are struggling to get it at any cost," Juba motorist Steven Leju told VOA's South Sudan in Focus program.

The strike began when truckers halted their routes in response to the killings of two Kenyan truck drivers by assailants along the Juba-Nimule highway in August.

The drivers say they want South Sudan's government to improve security along the highway before they resume transporting goods into that country.

South Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is committed to providing security along the highway. The government said escorts will be provided by the South Sudan People's Defense Force and South Sudan Police Service and that "obstacles that cause [a] delay on the highway to Juba will be removed."

A frustrated motorist, who asked to be identified only as Leju, said the government had better act quickly. "I believe that if government gives security, then fuel will come," Leju said.

Rising fuel prices

Fuel prices rose to between 700 and 800 South Sudanese pounds (roughly $5.50) per liter Monday from 300 pounds (about $2.30) late last week.

Juba resident Justine Wota, one of hundreds of commuters who endured a long wait to get fuel, said prices are climbing by the hour.

After waiting since before dawn, "then you have to go to the fuel station and the price has changed," Wota told South Sudan in Focus.

Lack of food

Meanwhile, goods sold at markets are becoming scarce and prices are rising.

Rita William, a trader at Juba's Freedom Market, told South Sudan in Focus that the fresh vegetables she was expecting from Uganda are stuck at the Elegu border post.

She enlisted automobile transportation to bring carrots to Juba, which caused delays and additional costs.

"Most of our things are getting spoiled because things we loaded since Thursday, we have not received them," she said.

William Muhereza, chairperson of Freedom Market, called on South Sudanese nationals to engage in small scale farming to cushion their livelihoods against emergencies like the strike.

The government should be better prepared to deal more quickly with disruptions, he said.

"We expect the road to be maximum secured as far as security is concerned," he said. "That is the only road which feeds South Sudan. Without that road, South Sudan cannot exist. If that road is cut off, automatically there will be no food, or fuel, or anything."


Analysts say China's recent invitation of Myanmar's ousted pro-democracy party to a regional summit is an old move from its foreign policy playbook aimed at burnishing its bruised image in Myanmar and helping protect its economic and strategic interests there.

Even as Beijing forges ever-closer ties with the junta that seized power February 1, China's Communist Party openly welcomed the deposed National League for Democracy to a September 9 virtual summit of South and Southeast Asian political parties.

"There is resentment on the public opinion side that China needs to deal with, and to engage NLD and to show that China still remembers and still maintains relationships with NLD is aimed in this direction," said Yun Sun, China program director at the Stimson Center, a Washington research organization.

Damage control

Across most of Myanmar, and its majority ethnic Burman heartland especially, the NLD is loved almost as much as the military is loathed.

With pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi at its helm, the party leaped to power in 2015 elections that ended decades of absolute military rule. The NLD won a second landslide at the polls in 2020 before the generals seized power while claiming, without evidence, that the party had rigged the vote.



Incensed by China's support of the junta  it dismissed the coup as a "cabinet reshuffle" and watered down a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning the putsch  Myanmar's pro-democracy forces have trained much of their ire on their big neighbor. Chinese-owned factories have gone up in flames. Boycotts target Chinese products. Social media posts suggest blowing up pipelines China has laid across the country to funnel vital oil and gas imports from the Middle East to its landlocked provinces.

With Suu Kyi and dozens of other NLD lawmakers in custody and the rest in hiding, Sun said China is not keeping in touch with the party to hedge against the new regime's collapse.

"At this moment I would say that China is convinced that the junta has succeeded," she said.

Sun stressed that China has been reaching out to the NLD via the Communist Party and not its Foreign Affairs Ministry, using a well-worn path in Beijing's triple-track diplomacy that keeps relationships with other countries separated between parties, states and militaries.

"This is a party-to-party platform. It does not in any way indicate state-to-state recognition or state-to-state relations. This is a completely different track," Sun said.

By at least keeping party ties alive, though, she said China is hoping to show the people of Myanmar that it has not forgotten them, and to preserve the option of calling on the NLD to come to its defense should anti-China sentiment flare up again. China and the NLD-led government had fostered fairly friendly relations in the years leading up to the coup.

"These types of levers, leverages, and also channels of influence through NLD is still quite important for China. I don't think China will use it now, but to maintain the relationship is always better than not maintaining the relationship," Sun said.

A double game

China has long played this sort of "double game" in Myanmar, said Lucas Myers, an Asia analyst at the Wilson Center, another U.S. think tank.

China's weapons sales, for example, have been arming both Myanmar's military and some of the ethnic minority rebel groups the military has been battling along the country's border with China for decades, giving Beijing some leverage over the conflict.

In a recent guest column for Foreign Policy magazine, Myers said China's latest double game with the junta and NLD could backfire if it only ends up riling them both. On the other hand, he added, if it helps keep them both onside, "China could see its influence expand and interests advanced."

Richard Horsey, a Myanmar analyst and senior adviser to the International Crisis Group, told VOA that the NLD also gives China a useful backchannel to the so-called National Unity Government.



Pulling together ousted lawmakers, ethnic minority groups and other opposition players, and operating from the shadows, the NUG claims to be Myanmar's true government in a direct challenge to the military regime. Unlike the NLD, the regime has outlawed the NUG as a terrorist organization.

"To the extent that China is engaging with the NUG, I think it's framing it as engagement with NLD, given that NUG has a lot of NLD people in it," Horsey said. "That gives it some wiggle room to continue to engage and then to say to the regime with a straight face, well, we're just engaging with the NLD party as we always have and what's wrong with that, aren't they still legal?"

Staying alive

The NLD is legal for now, but for how much longer is an open question.

Thein Soe, an ex-general handpicked by the junta to lead the regime's election commission, has already suggested dissolving the NLD for "fraud," a claim the party and international election observers have dismissed. By putting the NLD's leaders on trial, many believe the junta is laying the groundwork to ban the party.

Horsey said China would then find it much more awkward to stay in touch with the NLD, and by extension the NUG. He said sources have told him China's Asian affairs envoy, Sun Guoxiang, pushed the junta "quite hard" not to dissolve the party on a visit to Myanmar in August. The Irrawaddy, a local news outlet, reported similar appeals from China last month, also citing informed sources.

Horsey, though, is not sure China will get its way.

As important as China is to the junta for its cash, weapons and diplomatic cover, he said keeping the NLD out of the elections the generals have promised to hold by 2023 may be more important.

"A core part of the regime's roadmap is to hold new elections in two years without the NLD or Aung San Suu Kyi being able to participate  so I think it's still quite likely that the regime will move at some point to disband the NLD," he said.

"It [the regime] may be able to be influenced around the edges, but it's not like China could just turn around to the regime and tell it to do this or that and the regime would feel it had to do so," he added.

According to The Irrawaddy, Sun Guoxiang reportedly asked the generals to meet Aung San Suu Kyi during his visit but the generals refused.


Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife have recovered from COVID-19 and returned to their regular duties on Tuesday, three weeks after they had tested positive for the coronavirus, the presidents office said.

According to the statement, Syrias first couple had their PCR tests and the results were negative, and the mild symptoms of the virus that they had experienced before were now gone.

Assad, 55, and his wife, Asma, who is 10 years younger and had announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, had isolated themselves since testing positive on March 8.

Syria is witnessing a sharp increase in cases. Earlier this month, state media has reported that intensive care units in state hospitals in the capital of Damascus were full and that medical staff have been called to stay on alert to deal with coronavirus patients.

Syria has been mired in civil war for 10 years since anti-government protests that began as part of Arab Spring uprisings turned into an insurgency in response to a military crackdown. A decade of fighting has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Syrian authorities have so far registered more than 18,000 cases of the coronavirus and 1,247 deaths in government-held parts of the country, where the first case was reported in March last year.

According to the World Health Organization, there are nearly 21,000 cases in the last rebel stronghold in Syrias northwest along the border with Turkey, as well as some 9,000 cases in areas controlled by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters in the northeast.

The real numbers are believed to be much higher, as testing is limited. Many Syrians cannot afford PCR tests amid the countrys severe economic crisis.

The pandemic, which has severely tested even developed countries, has been a major challenge for Syrias health care sector, already depleted by 10 years of conflict. The conflict has killed more than half a million people and displaced half of Syrias pre-war population of 23 million.

WHO said last week it will oversee a coronavirus vaccination campaign in Syria that is expected to start in April, with the aim of inoculating 20% of the population by the end of 2021.
A World Health Organization official said Thursday that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent appeared to be stabilizing, but numbers of infections are still very high, with almost 248,000 new cases reported in the past week alone.

During a virtual briefing on the status of the pandemic in Africa, WHO Africa Regional Director Matshidiso Moeti said that 24 countries were seeing a resurgence of infections and that deaths were rising in eight countries.

She said, This is a preventable tragedy if African countries can get fair access to the vaccines.

Moeti said the good news was that 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the past week, triple that of the previous week. She said many of the doses came from donations and sharing arrangements through the WHO-administered COVAX vaccine cooperative.

She said 117 million doses were due to arrive in Africa in the coming month. But to meet the goal of having at least 10 percent of the continent vaccinated by the end of September, she said, another 34 million doses will be needed.

The WHO Africa director urged nations with ample supplies to keep sharing doses. She said, With international solidarity we can protect those at highest risk of COVID-19 in all countries in the world.

She also encouraged African governments to ensure that staffing and financial resources were available when shots arrived to get vaccines into the arms of our populations. No precious doses should be wasted.

Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
This weeks nuclear submarine deal between the United States and Australia threatens to become divisive in Australia, where some critics already are saying it risks Australian security rather than enhances it in the face of Chinas militarization of the South China Sea.

Under the deal, the U.S. will help Australia build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines during the next 20 years to replace its current fleet of six diesel-powered subs.

This is the first time since 1958 that the United States has shared its nuclear submarine technology, having only ever previously shared it with the United Kingdom. The deal is the highlight of a surprise trilateral security partnership, called AUKUS, announced among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States by the three countries leaders Thursday.

Dubbed a forever partnership by Australias conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the pact comes amid high tensions between Australia and China, and on the heels of Washingtons exit from what has been dubbed its forever war in Afghanistan.

The irony has been impossible to ignore for critics of Canberras increasingly hawkish posture toward China.

One of those critics is former Labor Party prime minister Paul Keating, a strident critic of confrontation with China who has long advocated Australian engagement with Asia ahead of its traditional Anglo-Saxon Western allies and who scorns Canberras reliance on the United States for support.

Australia has had great difficulty in running a bunch of locally built conventional submarines. Imagine the difficulty in moving to sophisticated nuclear submarines, their maintenance and operational complexity. And all this at a time when U.S. reliability and resolution around its strategic commitments and military engagements are under question, he wrote in an op-ed in The Sydney Morning Herald after the deal was announced.

Some security analysts advocate less, not more, reliance on U.S. military support, and caution against interpreting the U.S. pivot away from its Afghan campaign as part of a long-awaited pivot toward the Indo-Pacific, first promised by former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2011.

What Australia, and other U.S. friends and allies in Asia, need to consider is whether it is possible that the U.S. will make a similar judgment about their presence in this region over the long term as well, Sam Roggeveen, who heads the international security program at the Lowy Institute, told VOA in an interview.

This deal signals that Australia is gambling that, over the decades-long lifespan of these submarines, the United States will remain committed to its defense and to maintaining a regional presence in the face of the largest economic and strategic challenge in American history, Roggeveen wrote separately in the think tanks Interpreter magazine Friday.

Calling the deal momentous, he warned that its scale will create expectations from Washington.

Australia cannot have this capability while assuming that it does not come with heightened expectations that Australia will take Americas side in any dispute with China, he wrote.

China has imposed several trade sanctions on Australia in recent years, furious at Canberras moves to curb foreign direct investment, its rejection of telecommunications giant Huawei, its charges of domestic political interference by Chinese agents, and its support for an inquiry into COVID-19s origins in Wuhan.

Strategy experts caution that increased defense dependency on the United States could cost Australia more than the price of eight long-distance stealth submarines.

It cuts both ways, East Asia expert Richard McGregor, a senior associate at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an interview.

As a U.S. ally, if the U.S. is confronting China, were on one side of that. The South China Sea is where thats going to be played out. Well be caught out, and well always be on the wrong side, according to China, McGregor, also a senior associate the Lowy Institute, told VOA.

If under [U.S. President Joe] Biden, as is pretty clear, America now values alliances, that means they also expect us to do more. So if the U.S. is focused on China, they might want more troops here. They might want to put missiles on our soil. More might be demanded of us. That comes at the cost of relations with China.

Weve crossed the Rubicon now. The U.S.-China deep confrontation is a permanent condition of regional global politics. Thats not going to be unwound for many years, he added.

On the other side of the ledger, the nuclear sub deal may temper anxieties in Australia over weaknesses in the ANZUS treaty, a 1951 security pact among the United States, Australia and New Zealand. The wording of Article IV -- "Each Party ... declares that it would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes" -- is considered weak in terms of a security commitment as it does not guarantee military support in response to an attack.

Former leader Tony Abbott, prime minister from 2013 to 2015, extolled the decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines as sending a necessary signal that we are a serious country and a force to be reckoned with.

Given that China is well into whats probably the biggest military build-up in history, time is not on our side, he wrote in The Australian newspaper.

The deal, he wrote, will give Australia vastly more strength to resist aggression and vastly more sovereign capacity to stare down even a superpower if needs be.

Michael Shoebridge, director of defense, strategy and national security at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, has said he believes the deal makes Australia safer.

The nuclear-powered submarines will give Australia "a powerful deterrent and strike weapon, adding offensive military power that any potential adversary must factor in to any decision to engage in conflict," he told VOA.

"The primary advantage [of the deal] is as an increase in ally and partner capability to deter [President] Xi[ Jinping]'s China from using force against others in the region, and continuing on the path he is taking China of the growing use of intimidation and coercion to dictate the choices that other nations make," Shoebridge said.

"Being able to raise the costs to [Xi] of conflict is a way of preserving peace in the Indo-Pacific. Australia has always sought to be an active contributor to regional security, working closely with partners and allies who share interests, and the AUKUS alliance empowers us to do so more effectively. It will accelerate other partnerships and groupings like the Quad and the Aus-Japan-U.S. trilateral and reassure other regional nations that do not want to have their choices dictated by Beijing."

The nuclear submarines wont be ready until the end of next decade, with some projections putting their delivery as late as 2040. China already has six of its own nuclear-powered subs, according to a U.S. Defense Department report last year.

In the meantime, under the trilateral pact Australia will also acquire a suite of long-range missiles including U.S. Tomahawk missiles, and unmanned underwater vehicles.

It is impossible to read this as anything other than a response to Chinas rise, and a significant escalation of American commitment to that challenge, Roggeveen said.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump tried threats of "fire and fury, followed by personal letters and made-for-TV summits to convince North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons.

As U.S. President Joe Biden now maps out his own strategy for North Korea, many former U.S. officials want the White House to base its approach on a less flashy but in some ways even more provocative idea: that North Korea has no plans to abandon the nuclear program it spent decades building.

The United States has long demanded the complete denuclearization of North Korea, even as a wide range of Korea watchers agreed that will likely never happen. For many, the alternative is simply unfathomable; recognizing North Korea as a nuclear weapons state could convince other nations to pursue the bomb, leading to a regional or global arms race.

But with or without recognition, North Korea has made steady progress on its nuclear and missile programs. According to recent estimates, North Korea possesses anywhere from 15-60 nuclear warheads. It also has an increasingly diverse array of ballistic missiles, including some that may be able to reach anywhere in the continental United States.

Given the trajectory, a growing number of observers advocate what they say is a more pragmatic approach that would aim to cap or reduce the threat of North Koreas arsenal, even if the immediate goal isnt full denuclearization.

More pragmatic

A reality check is overdue, said Markus Garlauskas, a former U.S. intelligence official, in an article this month published by the U.S. Institute for Peace.

Garlauskas is not just any analyst; until June he was the U.S. governments top intelligence officer for North Korea.

In Garlauskas' view, U.S. policy toward North Korea has been based on two ideas that have proven false: 1) that the United States has enough leverage to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, and 2) that China will cooperate in achieving that goal.

Garlauskas proposes Washington shift its focus away from near-term denuclearization while offering Pyongyang diplomatic and military engagement.

Such efforts would help build buffers against the risks of escalation, misinterpretation, and miscalculation in crises, as well as help combat perceptions of implacable U.S. hostility, he says.

Arms control

Many former U.S. officials now embrace such views, with some calling for an arms control deal that would mirror those reached by the United States and Soviet Union during the Cold War.

The parties would seek to cap and contain the most dangerous elements of North Koreas weapons programs in order to stop their growth and minimize chances of inadvertent use, proliferation, and leakage, former National Security Council member Victor Cha wrote in November for Foreign Affairs magazine.

In October, former senior U.S. diplomat Joseph Yun and ex-Pentagon official Frank Aum lamented that for 15 years, Washington has chased the white whale of complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization at the expense of achieving near-term, material reductions in the nuclear threat.

But doing so has made the perfect the enemy of the good. North Korea will not easily give up its treasured sword, which represents the only noteworthy success in its history, they said, calling for an interim deal that freezes North Koreas nuclear and missile activities.

Though North Korea's nuclear program has made impressive technological advances in recent years, some analysts argue its still worth freezing at the current stage. According to nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker, who has visited North Korean nuclear facilities, North Korea still needs to do more nuclear and ICBM tests to be able to reach the United States with a nuclear-tipped missile.

Not a perfect fix

But the idea of an arms control approach doesnt sit well with some U.S. allies in the region. Many fear it would result in a de facto recognition of North Koreas nuclear program.

"I get the rationalist argument that national or regime survival will mean that Kim won't de-nuke, a senior military official of a U.S.-allied nation told VOA. But if the U.S. accepts this premise, the consequences across the region would be most significant.

An even implicit U.S. recognition of North Korea could make it easier for other countries, such as Japan and South Korea, to eventually develop their own nuclear weapons.

There would also be implications for countries like Iran, who may conclude that they can develop their own nuclear weapons and eventually even achieve some degree of relations with the United States, if they persevere through a period of sanctions.

Another commonly expressed concern: North Korea could decide to sell its nuclear technology to other countries or even terrorist groups.

Given those concerns, some say its better for the United States to publicly push for denuclearization, even if it may never happen.

In some ways it is the polite fiction that must be maintained while [U.S. officials] try and reverse the trend of an expanded nuclear capability, said the military official.

Few signs from Biden

Biden, who is consumed with domestic issues like the coronavirus and the economy, has given few hints about the direction of his new policy.

In a briefing last week, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the denuclearization of North Korea remains a central premise of the U.S. approach.

But even Secretary of State Antony Blinken has at times in the past called for an interim agreement with North Korea.

In a New York Times editorial in 2018, Blinken argued that Trump should use the Iran nuclear deal as a model when negotiating with Pyongyang.

Earlier this month, Blinken said the United States would consider both sanctions and diplomacy as part of the administrations wide-ranging North Korea policy review.

But it may not be the right strategic moment to apply more sanctions. Not only are there humanitarian concerns about tightening sanctions during a global health emergency, there are questions about how effective economic pressure would be, considering North Korea has already voluntarily sealed itself from the rest of the world to contain the novel coronavirus.

But the Norths pandemic calculation could eventually change, says Duyeon Kim, a Korea specialist at the Center for New American Security.

The longer the pandemic persists, the more Pyongyang will desire sanctions relief when the pandemic subsides, she says. The more desperate North Korea becomes for sanctions removal, the more leverage the Biden administration could have.


Myanmar is awaiting a U.N. General Assembly decision that could play a role in who leads the country in the future. Myanmar is still grappling with the aftermath of a military coup that ousted the democratically elected government February 1.

At the 76th General Assembly session next week, Myanmar will be a hot topic, as the Credentials Committee, made up of nine countries, must recommend an entity to take the country's U.N. seat.

The choice comes down to either the military junta or representatives of the former government.

The military claims it ousted the ruling National League for Democracy because the party had ignored allegations that the general elections in November 2020 were riddled with fraud. The NLD had won the poll in a landslide, drubbing the military's proxy Union Solidarity and Development Party in a contest deemed mostly free and fair by local and international election observers.

NLD's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and former President Win Myint have been detained since the coup and face several charges.

Meanwhile, a group called the National Unity Government (NUG), founded in the wake of the coup, claims to be Myanmar's legitimate government. It is made up of ousted politicians, leaders and pro-democracy activists, and the military deems it illegal.

In a crackdown on anti-coup protesters led by the civil disobedience movement (CDM), more than 1,000 people have been killed and thousands more detained, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a nonprofit human rights group based in Thailand.

While signs of a possible civil war continue to increase, some prominent women activists are calling for international pressure on the junta.

Daw Ma Khin Lay, a former political activist and aid to Suu Kyi in the 1990s, left Myanmar following the coup.

Khin Lay is the director of Triangle Women Organization, a civil society group advocating for women's empowerment. Khin Lay maintains she is doing "what needs to be done" to eliminate military rule.

According to Khin Lay, there is a possibility the U.N. could recognize the NUG.

"We have to try many possible ways, diplomacy way, international pressure," Khin Lay said. "The credential is very important to get the recognition of the NUG and denounce the military.  Our desire is to reject the military. This is the best possible way."

In February, Kyaw Moe Tun, then Myanmar's representative to the U.N., appealed for the coup to end. He was subsequently fired by the military. It was later reported that New York authorities had arrested two people allegedly involved in a conspiracy to assassinate him.

Khin Lay added that although there are hopes for the NUG to be recognized, it is essential that the U.N. recognize Moe Tun.

"Credentials are very new for us. We have to learn," Khin Lay said. "According to ASEAN, there will be three possible options. (We believe) the most possible  is to recognize Moe Tun," she added. ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Thinzar Shunlei Yi is another prominent activist fighting for change in Myanmar. She is wanted by the military but managed to speak to VOA by phone in August.

The activist maintains that the coup is still regarded as a failure, as the CDM continues to stifle the junta's operations.

"Even after the killings, people still go on the streets and keep protesting, so the grounds are different," she said. "We still have many protests in different places, in different forms. On the street, digital platforms  so I feel the resistance is still going strong even after all these intimidations.  People still risk their life. That's the mindset of CDM people."

And the activist stressed there should be no confusion about whom the U.N. should recognize.

"For the recognition of NUG, I don't think it is a dilemma. These are not two political parties. This is clearly a military junta abusing power to grab power and take control of the civilian government. The U.N. community doesn't need to have that dilemma," she said.


Cameroon has turned public buildings on its northern border with Nigeria into temporary housing for former Boko Haram militants. Hundreds of Boko Haram members have been defecting from the Islamist group, including more than two hundred on Sunday.

Cameroon says its center for Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration, or DDR, in Meri, a northern town on the border with Nigeria, is now home to about 1,500 former Boko Haram militants. Three weeks ago, the center had about 750 former militants.

DDR officials in Meri said Tuesday most of the 237 former jihadist members who arrived this week included women and children. One hundred are former Boko Haram fighters, all looking tired, unkempt and hungry, officials said.

Alidou Faizar, 33, says he defected from a Boko Haram camp in the Sambisa Forest located on the Cameroon/Nigeria border.

He says he is tired of killing and looting and that Boko Haram promised to improve his living conditions when he joined the jihadist group three years ago, but he is now poorer, and he has a guilty conscience about crimes he committed. He adds that peace is priceless.

Faizar said his wish is to return to Abadam, a town in Nigerias Borno state. Cameroon says close to 900 of the 1,500 former jihadists in Meri are Nigerians.

Oumar Bichair, director of the DDR center at Meri, says the center is already at full capacity.

He says Cameroons government has turned public buildings, including a Womens Empowerment Center at Mora, another northern town, into temporary residences for former Boko Haram members. He says the governor of Cameroons Far North region has suggested that his colleagues in Nigerias Borno state, considered an epicenter of the jihadist group, should make arrangements for the former militants to voluntarily return to Nigeria.

Francis Fai Yengo, the DDR country director, says Cameroonian President Paul Biya has allocated funds for the construction of a DDR center that can host 1,500 former militants in Meme, a town located in north along the border with Nigeria. He says Cameroon is grateful that many militants are escaping from Boko Haram camps.

We have to thank ex-fighters for laying down their arms. I am sure that they looked at the bigger picture which is to have peace," he said. "Everyday elites, mayors, people are going to help these ex-fighters. They [civilians] dont only give them [former militants] material things, they [civilians] counsel them [ex-fighters]. You see how very young, vibrant and dynamic ex-fighters are struggling everyday with us to appeal to the others [fighters] in the bush to come [surrender] to have peace.

Yengo said Cameroons president has asked that all fighters who dropped their weapons to be pardoned and reintegrated back into society. He said Nigerians who want to return to their country will be handed to Nigerian government authorities but did not say when.

The Multinational Joint Task Force of the Lake Chad Basin, or MNJTF, that is fighting the jihadist group says Nigeria has been informed that many ex-fighters have surrendered in Cameroon and want to return to Nigeria. The task force is made up of troops from Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Nigeria. Nigeria is yet to issue a statement on the possibility of the former militants returning to the west African state.

Cameroons military said the militants surrendered to MNJTF troops stationed at the border around Sambisa Forest. The task force said many militants have been defecting in Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad following the death of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau. The jihadist group leader was declared killed in May.
A U.S. government advisory panel rejected a plan Friday for the widespread use of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, dealing a setback to President Joe Bidens administration, which had championed extra shots for nearly all Americans.



By a vote of 16-2, a Food and Drug Administration vaccine advisory panel rejected the widespread use of boosters, citing a lack of data on their safety as well as a lack of evidence concerning their value.



The independent panel did endorse extra vaccine doses for people who are 65 and older or at high risk of severe illness.



Drugmaker Pfizer had requested full approval for boosters for people 16 and older, a proposal backed by the Biden administration.



The White House announced last month that Americans who received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines could get a booster shot eight months after their second dose.

Earlier on Friday, the White House said it was ready to roll out the booster shots if health officials approved them.



Pfizer submitted data to the FDA this week that it said shows that the efficacy of its vaccine diminishes by about 6% every two months following the second dose, making a booster at the six-month mark safe and effective at strengthening protection against the virus that causes COVID-19.



Research has shown that although immunity levels decrease over time in those vaccinated, the Pfizer vaccine still provides strong protection against severe illness and death, even in delta variant cases.



The FDA panel's recommendation is not binding; the FDA is not required to follow the panel's recommendations, but it generally does.



Next week, an independent advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will weigh in on who should get a booster and when.



Meanwhile, media reports say Biden is expected next week at the U.N. General Assembly to urge countries to pledge resources to vaccinate 70% of the world by next September. According to the World Health Organization, that would require about 11 billion doses. Moreover, the effort could still run into supply bottlenecks. Pfizer points to obstacles offshore in vaccine packing, distribution and cold storage.



However, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in an open letter that the company is continuing to work around the clock so we can bring the vaccine to the world as quickly, efficiently and equitably as possible.

In June, the U.S. purchased 500 million doses to be distributed by Covax, the WHO-backed initiative, for low- and middle-income countries. As of August, the U.S. government had donated 110 million doses overseas. The Washington Post reports that the Biden administration is expected to announce next week it has bought another 500 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to donate.



That has done little to satisfy critics, such as Amnesty International, which says Western countries are hoarding vaccines for their own populations.



The WHO says that of the 5.7 billion vaccine doses so far administered globally, 73% have been administered in just 10 countries. High-income countries have administered 61 times as many doses per inhabitant as low-income countries, according to WHO.



Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center said early Saturday it had recorded more than 227 million global COVID cases and 4.7 million deaths.



In Australia Saturday, police in Melbourne clashed with anti-lockdown protesters and arrested more than 200 people.



American Samoa reported its first COVID case on Friday. The infected person, a resident of the U.S. territory, had returned home from Hawaii on Monday, the first day commercial flights were allowed to resume operation from Honolulu to Pago Pago since March.



The Associated Press reports the infected traveler was fully vaccinated and had tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the flight back to American Samoa.



Indias health ministry reported more than 35,000 new COVID-19 cases Saturday and 281 deaths.



Over 660,000 white flags have been installed on the National Mall in Washington to commemorate the people in the U.S. who have died from COVID. In America. How could this happen is the name of artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenbergs installation.



The artist will ceremoniously add new flags every day to keep up with the COVID death toll, according to her website. The installation was mounted Friday and will last until October 3. There are benches among the flags, allowing visitors to sit in quiet reflection.

Johns Hopkins reports there have been more than 672,000 COVID-related U.S. deaths.



Some information for this report came from the Associated Press.
France has recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia after Australia ended a deal to buy French submarines in favor of one to pursue nuclear-powered vessels using U.S. technology.

Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement Friday that the move "is justified by the exceptional seriousness" of the matter.

He said the decision by President Emmanuel Macron followed "unacceptable behavior between allies and partners."

This is the first time France has recalled its ambassador to the United States, according to the French Foreign Ministry. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1778.

A White House official said that the U.S. regretted the French decision and would be engaged in the coming days to resolve its differences with France.

At the State Department, spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, "France is a vital partner and our oldest ally, and we place the highest value on our relationship."

U.S. President Joe Biden announced Wednesday the deal between the United States, Australia and Britain to provide U.S. nuclear submarine technology to Australia.

Macron has not commented on the issue.

France had been planning to sell conventional submarines to Australia in a multibillion-dollar deal.

The country has also been pushing for several years to create a European strategy to boost economic and defense ties in the Indo-Pacific region.

In an interview Thursday with France Info radio, Le Drian described the deal between the United States and Australia as a "stab in the back."

"We built a relationship of trust with Australia, and this trust was betrayed," he said, adding that Biden had acted like his predecessor, Donald Trump.

"This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr. Trump used to do," he said.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse.
Guinea's junta has said it will not bow to pressure from West African leaders to allow ousted President Alpha Conde to leave the country.



Dozens of Guineans protested against sanctions levelled against their country as two West African presidents arrived for talks with coup leaders on Friday (September 17).

One sign says ECOWAS, that's West Africa's main regional bloc, "doesn't decide for us".



But it wasn't only outside the airport in the capital Conakry where defiance was on show.



On Thursday (September 16), ECOWAS agreed to freeze the financial assets of the junta and their relatives, and bar them from traveling.



The next day presidents Alassane Ouattara of Ivory Coast and Ghana's Nana Akufo-Addo arrived in Guinea.



They were asking for Conde's release.



But on state television the junta, which seized power two weeks ago, said: "The former president is and remains in Guinea. We will not yield to any pressure."



After talks with coup leader Colonel Mamady Doumbouya, Akufo-Addo said they had held "honest, brotherly meetings" and that he was confident Guinea and ECOWAS would find a way to "walk together."


The Islamic State group on Saturday claimed responsibility for an attack on a major natural gas pipeline southeast of the Syrian capital that led to power outages in the city and surrounding areas.

IS fighters "were able to plant and detonate explosives on the gas pipeline feeding the Tishreen and Deir Ali plants," the group said in a statement.

The Deir Ali station southeast of Damascus generates half of Syria's power needs, Electricity Minister Ghassan al-Zamel said Saturday in comments carried by the official SANA news agency.

He said an attack on the gas pipeline on Friday evening with explosive devices caused the station to go out of service temporarily.

The outage affected several other stations, causing blackouts in Damascus, its outskirts and other areas, Zamel said, before power was restored about 30 minutes later.

He said maintenance work had started Saturday but warned of severe rationing until the pipeline was repaired and power plants resumed normal operations.

The Deir Ali and Tishreen plants remain out of service.

The IS group's so-called caliphate in Syria was declared defeated in the riverside hamlet of Baghouz in 2019 following a grueling U.S.-backed offensive.

But the group continues to conduct attacks on Syrian government forces from its hideouts, including in the vast east Syrian desert.

Syria's gas and oil infrastructure have been among the targets of militants and rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

The Syrian conflict since 2011 has ravaged electricity networks as well as oil and gas infrastructure across the country.

Syria's largest oilfields remain beyond the government's reach in the country's Kurdish-held northeast, and Western sanctions have hampered fuel imports from abroad.

Syrians in government-held areas have had to adapt their lives at home and work around power cuts of up to 20 hours a day.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday visited Iraqs northern city of Mosul, which suffered widespread destruction during the war to defeat the Islamic State group in 2017. He vowed to fight alongside regional governments against terrorism.

Macron said IS carried out deadly attacks throughout the world from its self-declared caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq. He said IS did not differentiate between people's religion and nationality when it came to killing, noting that the extremists killed many Muslims.

We will do whatever we can, shoulder to shoulder, with the governments of the region and with the Iraqi government to fight against this terrorism, Macron said in English following a visit to an iconic mosque that was destroyed by the extremists. We will be present alongside with sovereign governments to restore peace.

Macron said France will help in rebuilding mutual respect as well as monuments, churches, schools and mosques and most importantly economic opportunity.

Despite the defeat of IS on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, the group's sleeper cells still carry out deadly attacks in both countries and an affiliate of the group claimed Thursday's attacks at Kabul's airport in Afghanistan that killed scores.

Macron began his visit to Mosul by touring the Our Lady of the Hour Church, a Catholic church that was badly damaged during the rule of IS that lasted from 2014 until the extremists' defeat three years later. Iraqi children dressed in white and waving Iraqi and French flags sang upon Macrons arrival.

It was the same church where Pope Francis led a special prayer during a visit to Iraq in March. During the trip, the pontiff urged Iraqs Christians to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches.

Macron moved around the church  whose walls are still riddled with bullets  amid tight security as a priest accompanying him gave him details about the church built in the 19th century. The French president then went up to the roof overlooking parts of Mosul accompanied by Iraqi officials.

We hope that France will open a consulate in Mosul, Iraqi priest Raed Adel told Macron inside the church. He also called on the president to help in the reconstruction of Mosul's airport.

Macron made a list of promises during his meeting with Christian leaders at Our Lady of the Hour church, including opening a consulate. Im struck by whats at stake here so I want to also tell you that we are going to be making the decision to bring back a consulate and schools," Macron said.



Macron left the church in the early afternoon and headed to Mosuls landmark al-Nuri mosque, which was blown up in the battle with IS militants in 2017 and is being rebuilt.

The mosque, also known as The Great Mosque of al-Nuri, and its iconic leaning minaret were built in the 12th century. It was from the mosques pulpit that ISs self-styled caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, declared the caliphates establishment in 2014.

Mosul, Iraqs second largest city, became ISs bureaucratic and financial backbone. It took a ferocious nine-month battle to finally free the city in July 2017. Between 9,000 and 11,000 civilians were killed, according to an Associated Press investigation at the time, and the war left widespread destruction. Many Iraqis have had to rebuild on their own amid a years-long financial crisis.

Since the early years of Christianity, northern Iraq has been home to large Christian communities. But over the past decades, tens of thousands left Iraq and settled elsewhere amid the countrys wars and instability that culminated with the persecution of Christians by extremists over the past decade.

The traditionally Christian towns dotting the Nineveh Plains of the north emptied out in 2014 as Christians  as well as many Muslims  fled the Islamic State groups onslaught. Only a few have returned to their homes since the defeat of IS in Iraq was declared four years ago, and the rest remain scattered elsewhere in Iraq or abroad.

Macron arrived in Baghdad early Saturday where he took part in a conference attended by officials from around the Middle East aimed at easing Mideast tensions and underscored the Arab countrys new role as mediator.

Macron hailed the Baghdad conference as a major boost for Iraq and its leadership. The country had been largely shunned by Arab leaders for the past few decades because of security concerns amid back-to-back wars and internal unrest, its airport frequently attacked with rockets by insurgents.

Macron vowed to maintain troops in Iraq regardless of the Americans choices and for as long as the Iraqi government is asking for our support. France currently contributes to the international coalition forces in Iraq with 800 soldiers.

On Saturday night, Macron visited a Shi'ite holy shrine in Baghdad before flying to the northern city of Irbil, where he met Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, the 28-year-old activist who was forced into sexual slavery by IS fighters in Iraq.

A member of Iraqs Yazidi minority, Murad was among thousands of women and girls who were captured and forced into sexual slavery by IS in 2014. Her mother and six brothers were killed by IS fighters in Iraq. She became an activist on behalf of women and girls after escaping and finding refuge in Germany and shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
Emily Franc lifts a round basket out of the Potomac River at National Harbor in Oxen Hill, Maryland, just outside Washington. Inside are freshwater mussels, a shellfish that used to be plentiful in the Potomac River a century ago.

But not anymore.

Millions of mussels were in these waters when they started dying off sometime over the past century, but we are not sure why, said Franc, vice president of development and philanthropy for the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, an environmental organization working to protect the water quality of the river.

What we do know is that that the mussels were being overharvested for their shells which were made into buttons, she told VOA.

Now, a project is underway to restore native freshwater mussels to the Potomac to improve water quality. The river provides drinking water for 6 million people.

The aim is to restore 50 million mussels to the river by 2030, Franc said.

Currently, the project is in the early stages.

A couple of dozen mussels are being suspended in baskets above the river bottom  a kind of mussel nursery where we can monitor them and better ensure their survival, Franc said.

"The long-term goal is to begin getting the mussels to breed on their own, added Dean Naujoks, the riverkeeper who keeps watch over the Potomac river.

The scenic 650-kilometer-long Potomac river flows through Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Despite its beauty, the river has been experiencing environmental degradation for years.

Once considered one of the dirtiest rivers in the country, cleanup efforts, public education and laws to protect the countrys waterways, have helped to improve water quality.

However, pesticide runoff from farms and lawns continues to make its way into the river. In addition, in the Washington area, contaminates from streets get in the waterway, as does sewage after heavy rainstorms due to an aging water and sewer infrastructure.

The pollutants that are bad for the river are some of the very things mussels use to get their nutrition.

The shellfish removes harmful algae and bacteria, as well as toxins and sediment from the water.

They like nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous, so they are helping to remove excess chemicals, like fertilizer on our lawns, that run off into the river, Franc said.

If the program is successful, the water quality in the Potomac is expected to greatly improve in the future.

These mussels alone should filter about 18 million gallons [68 million liters] of water over a single year, Washingtons water utility, DC Water, said on its website.

The Potomac River Network keeps tabs on the water quality. Volunteers take water samples in various places along the river.

As 16-year-old Emma Carter fills a small bottle with water in Alexandria, Virginia, told VOA, what surprises me if how different the water samples are depending on where they were taken. You would think they would all be the same, but they arent.

The samples are analyzed for E.coli, bacteria from fecal contamination in the water.

Our data showed dangerous levels of E.coli in areas near combined sewer overflows that discharge raw sewage when it rains, a report from the riverkeeper network said.

Besides gauging the health of the river water, the information is used to let people know where it may be safe to swim in the Potomac.

Another initiative to help keep the river clean is encouraging volunteers to come to trash pickup events.

Nadia Coleman searches for floating garbage from a kayak in Alexandria.

Every time I come out here I find cans, plastic water bottles and take-home food containers -- and even came across someones boot today.

Franc is especially concerned about pollution from the water bottles.

They break down into very small pieces and the birds, fish, and other animals eat it thinking it is food, she said. Their stomachs get full and they starve to death. The chemicals in the plastic gets into our drinking water supply.

Naujoks said he would like to see trash traps installed in Potomac tributaries, to keep the garbage from getting into the river that so many people enjoy for recreational activities like boating and fishing.
The Biden administration plans on massive movements of Haitian migrants in a small Texas border city on flights to Haiti starting Sunday, an official said Friday, representing a swift and dramatic response to thousands who suddenly assembled under and around a bridge.

Details are yet to be finalized but will likely involve five to eight flights a day, according to the official with direct knowledge of the plans who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. San Antonio, the nearest major city, may be among the departure cities.

U.S. authorities closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions at the only border crossing in Del Rio, Texas, after chaos unfolded Friday and presented the administration with a new and immediate challenge as it tries to manage large numbers of asylum-seekers who have been reaching U.S. soil.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was closing the border crossing with Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, to respond to urgent safety and security needs. Travelers were being directed to Eagle Pass, Texas, 91 kilometers away.

Haitians crossed the Rio Grande freely and in a steady stream, going back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico through knee-deep water with some parents carrying small children on their shoulders. Unable to buy supplies in the U.S., they returned briefly to Mexico for food and cardboard to settle, temporarily at least, under or near the bridge in Del Rio, a city of 35,000 that has been severely strained by migrant flows in recent months.

Migrants pitched tents and built makeshift shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.

The vast majority of the migrants at the bridge on Friday were Haitian, said Val Verde County Judge Lewis Owens, who is the county's top elected official and whose jurisdiction includes Del Rio. Some families have been under the bridge for as long as six days.

Trash piles were 3.1 meters wide, and at least two women have given birth, including one who tested positive for COVID-19 after being taken to a hospital, Owens said.

Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez estimated the crowd at 13,700 and said more Haitians were traveling through Mexico by bus.

About 500 Haitians were ordered off buses by Mexican immigration authorities in the state of Tamaulipas, about 200 kilometers south of the Texas border, the state government said in a press release Friday. They continued toward the border on foot.

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S.in large numbers from South America for several years, many of them having left the Caribbean nation after a devastating earthquake in 2010. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.

It is unclear how such a large number amassed so quickly, though many Haitians have been assembling in camps on the Mexican side of the border, including in Tijuana, across from San Diego, to wait while deciding whether to attempt to enter the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment. We will address it accordingly, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on MSNBC.

The Federal Aviation Administration, acting on a Border Patrol request, restricted drone flights around the bridge until Sept. 30, generally barring operations at or below 305 meters unless for security or law enforcement purposes.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and frequent critic of President Joe Biden, said federal officials told him migrants under the bridge would be moved by the Defense Department to Arizona, California and elsewhere on the Texas border.

Some Haitians at the camp have lived in Mexican cities on the U.S. border for some time, moving often between them, while others arrived recently after being stuck near Mexico's southern border with Guatemala, said Nicole Phillips, the legal director for advocacy group Haitian Bridge Alliance. A sense of desperation spread after the Biden administration ended its practice of admitting asylum-seeking migrants daily who were deemed especially vulnerable.

People are panicking on how they seek refuge, Phillips said.

Edgar Rodriguez, lawyer for the Casa del Migrante migrant shelter in Piedras Negras, north of Del Rio, noticed an increase of Haitians in the area two or three weeks ago and believes that misinformation may have played a part. Migrants often make decisions on false rumors that policies are about to change and that enforcement policies vary by city.

U.S. authorities are being severely tested after Biden quickly dismantled Trump administration policies that Biden considered cruel or inhumane, most notably one requiring asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court hearings. Such migrants have been exposed to extreme violence in Mexico and faced extraordinary difficulty in finding attorneys.

The U.S Supreme Court last month let stand a judge's order to reinstate the policy, though Mexico must agree to its terms. The Justice Department said in a court filing this week that discussions with the Mexican government were ongoing.

A pandemic-related order to immediately expel migrants without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum that was introduced in March 2020 remains in effect, but unaccompanied children and many families have been exempt. During his first month in office, Biden chose to exempt children traveling alone on humanitarian grounds.

The U.S. government has been unable to expel many Central American families because Mexican authorities have largely refused to accept them in the state of Tamaulipas, which is across from Texas' Rio Grande Valley, the busiest corridor for illegal crossings. On Friday, the administration said it would appeal a judge's ruling a day earlier that blocked it from applying Title 42, as the pandemic-related authority is known, to any families.

Mexico has agreed to take expelled families only from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, creating an opening for Haitians and other nationalities because the U.S. lacks the resources to detain and quickly expel them on flights to their homelands.

In August, U.S. authorities stopped migrants nearly 209,000 times at the border, which was close to a 20-year high even though many of the stops involved repeat crossers because there are no legal consequences for being expelled under Title 42 authority.

People crossing in families were stopped 86,487 times in August, but fewer than one out of every five of those encounters resulted in expulsion under Title 42. The rest were processed under immigration laws, which typically means they were released with a court date or a notice to report to immigration authorities.

U.S. authorities stopped Haitians 7,580 times in August, a figure that has increased every month since August 2020, when they stopped only 55. There have also been major increases of Ecuadorians, Venezuelans and other nationalities outside the traditional sending countries of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan says he has opened a dialogue with Afghanistans Taliban to try to persuade them to form an inclusive government in Kabul to ensure peace and stability in the war-torn country.

Khan disclosed the initiative Saturday via Twitter, saying it stemmed from his meetings this week in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, with leaders of countries bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistani leader concluded a two-day visit to Dushanbe on Friday, where he held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, an annual meeting of the China- and Russia-led regional security bloc.

After meetings in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbors & especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks, Khan tweeted.

Without elaborating, he emphasized inclusivity as key to ensuring Afghan peace and stability after four decades of conflict, adding that it would serve the interest of not only the war-ravaged South Asian nation but also the entire region.

Pakistan shares a nearly 2,600-kilometer border with Afghanistan, where the Taliban swept back to power last month as all U.S.-led troops withdrew, ending nearly two decades of war.

The insurgent group last week named an all-male 33-member caretaker government, comprising mostly senior leaders of the Taliban, who are predominantly ethnic Pashtun.

The move drew strong criticism at home and internationally for excluding women and not giving proper representation to Afghan ethnic minorities such as Tajiks, Hazara and Uzbeks, contrary to the Talibans pledges on inclusivity.

At Fridays summit, leaders of SCO member states  China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan  vowed to work with the Taliban and urged the global community to engage with Kabul rather than abandoning it to help prevent a looming humanitarian crisis and an economic collapse in the war-torn country.



Abandoning Afghanistan could take us back to an unstable situation resulting in civil strife, negative spillover effect on neighboring countries, outflow of refugees, rise in terrorist incidents, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, Khan told a meeting of the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Eurasian intergovernmental military alliance comprising several post-Soviet states, also hosted by Dushanbe.

Afghanistan is an observer state, but it was not invited to the SCO huddle because member nations have not yet recognized the Taliban government, nor has the international community at large.

Pakistan has had close ties with the Taliban and has been accused of sheltering its supporters as they directed a deadly insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul for 20 years, charges Islamabad denies.

Washington has acknowledged Islamabads role in arranging negotiations that culminated in the February 2020 deal, paving the way for the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Some conflict of interests

However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week told a congressional hearing in Washington that Pakistan has a "multiplicity of interests, some that are in conflict with ours.

It is one that is involved hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan, it's one that's involved harboring members of the Taliban. ... It is one that's also involved in different points cooperation with us on counterterrorism," Blinken said.

He noted that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden would soon be reassessing its relationship with Pakistan.

This is one of the things we're going to be looking at in the days and weeks ahead  the role that Pakistan has played over the last 20 years but also the role we would want to see it play in the coming years and what it will take for it to do that," Blinken said.

Pakistan responded by expressing surprise over Blinkens remarks, saying they were not in line with the close cooperation between the two countries.

A foreign ministry statement noted that Islamabads "positive" role in the Afghan peace process, facilitation of the multinational evacuation effort from Kabul before and after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, and continued support for an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan had been duly acknowledged by the international community.
Afghanistans Taliban said Monday they had discussed bilateral security cooperation with Pakistan, including measures needed at border crossings between the two countries to stem the movement of terrorists into Pakistan.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters in Kabul that a delegation from Islamabad visited the country over the weekend for the discussions. The Pakistani team was led by General Faiz Hameed, the head of the countrys spy agency, known as the Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI.

Mujahid said the visitors conveyed their concerns over multiple jail breaks during the Talibans takeover of Afghanistan and the release of hundreds of prisoners involved in militant attacks in Pakistan. He said the Taliban had assured the delegation that no one will be allowed to use Afghan soil against Pakistan.

It was also discussed that there shall be a check or scrutiny system at the (border) gates to detect individuals who want to harm Pakistan, as per their information, and we dont know about them because we are dealing with this new situation where doors of prisons had already been opened, he said.

Mujahid said his side had stressed the need for not using this issue to close border gates to Afghan travelers, including patients, refugee families and daily wage workers who move across the border in search of work.

Official sources in Islamabad told VOA the ISI chief went to Kabul to discuss with Taliban representatives matters related to border management and overall security issue(s) to ensure that spoilers and terrorist organizations do not take advantage of the situation. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to publicly interact with media.

"Will you be meeting senior people in the Taliban?"@lindseyhilsum asks Pakistans intelligence chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, about their hopes for Afghanistan as he arrives in Kabul. pic.twitter.com/rp72c8Si9E  Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) September 4, 2021

The Taliban retook control of Afghanistan last month, nearly 20 years after U.S.-led international forces removed the Islamist movement from power for harboring al-Qaida planners of the terror strikes on the United States on September 11, 2001.

Pakistan has long complained that leaders of an alliance of militant organizations known as Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, use sanctuaries in volatile Afghan areas to organize cross-border terrorist attacks.

Islamabad has had strained diplomatic ties with the former Afghan government that collapsed in the face of stunning Taliban victories, enabling the Islamist movement to seize control of Kabul on August 15.

The tensions stemmed from allegations that Islamabad was covertly supporting Taliban military activities and sheltering insurgent leaders on Pakistani soil. For their part, Pakistani authorities accused Kabul of supporting the TTP in plotting terrorist attacks against Pakistan.

When the Taliban marched into the Afghan capital last month, inmates from a prison facility at the Bagram Airfield, 50 kilometers north of Kabul, managed to flee with the help of supporters taking advantage of the chaos. The prisoners included TTP operatives, a development that alarmed Pakistan.

The U.S. controlled the Bagram Airfield until July. The American military vacated the facility as part of its withdrawal from the country that was concluded on August 31.

Pakistans long-running ties with the Taliban might have generated hopes the Islamist group would help rein in TTP cross-border violent activities from their Afghan hideouts, say analysts. But they say those expectations could be misplaced, citing the ideological closeness between the Afghan and the Pakistani Taliban.

"For Pakistan, getting the Taliban to curb the TTP amounts to an ambitious task. The TTP has long been allied with the Taliban, and it has partnered operationally with the Taliban. The Taliban isnt known for denying space to its militant allies, and I dont see the TTP being an exception to the rule," said Michael Kugelman, deputy Asia director at Washingtons Wilson Center.

Analysts note an increase in deadly TTP-orchestrated attacks in Pakistan. The latest one occurred Sunday, when a suicide bomber in the city of Quetta killed four Pakistani troops and wounded at least 18 others.

It was widely assumed that as the Afghan Taliban are close to Pakistan for several reasons, the TTP threat to Pakistan will automatically decline/end with its takeover of Afghanistan. However, the August TTP attacks list shows its opposite. TTP has claimed the highest number of attacks in August than in a single month of the last four to five years, observed Abdul Sayed, a regional security expert.

Sayed, who is based in Sweden, noted that around 800 TTP members secured their freedom from Afghan jails with the arrival of the Taliban in Kabul.

Pakistani officials, however, remain upbeat that landlocked Afghanistan requires a free flow of trade and transit trade facilities through Pakistan to overcome its humanitarian and critical economic challenges.

That leverage, the officials say, and counterterrorism commitments the Taliban have given to the United States and neighboring countries would be used to press the new Afghan rulers to deliver on their pledges.

Just before the Taliban took over Kabul, their chief, Hibatullah Akhundzada, had set up a three-member high-powered commission to persuade TTP members to stop violence against Pakistan and return to their homes across the border to live peacefully, VOA had learned from highly placed official sources in Islamabad.

However the Taliban have not since publicly confirmed the panels formation and TTP attacks have continued against Pakistani forces.

Analysts say the Taliban are under international scrutiny and must live up to their counterterrorism commitments if they want their country to remain part of the regional community or the world at large and earn global recognition for their rule.

On Monday, Taliban spokesman Mujahid said that they would like to join a multibillion-dollar bilateral project China has initiated in Pakistan.

The CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) project is important for entire Asia, including Afghanistan. If the CPEC route goes through Afghanistan, we would cooperate, he said.

China has spent more than $25 billion in Pakistan over the past six years under the bilateral collaboration, building road networks, power plants and a deep-water port on the Arabian Sea and developing agriculture as well as social sectors.

Both Islamabad and Beijing say they are set to bring roads and other CPEC-related infrastructure into Afghanistan to help in the reconstruction of the war-shattered nation.

Beijing has in recent years developed close contacts with the Taliban and expects the Islamist movement to fight the banned East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which is blamed for conducting terrorist attacks in China.


The United Nations humanitarian chief met Sunday with leaders of the Taliban, who pledged to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers and aid access in Afghanistan, a U.N. spokesman said.

Martin Griffiths was in the Afghan capital on Sunday and is to have several days of meetings with Taliban leadership amid a looming humanitarian disaster in the country newly under the control of the hardline Islamists.

"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.

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 Taliban delegation, led by the group's co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, thanked U.N. officials for the "promised continuation of humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people" and assured them "of cooperation and provision of needed facilities," according to a statement posted on Twitter by Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen.

The U.N. says Afghanistan is mired in a humanitarian crisis affecting 18 million people, or half the population.

Even before the Taliban ousted the Western-backed government on August 15, Afghanistan was heavily aid-dependent, with 40% of the country's GDP drawn from foreign funding.

But the future of aid missions in the country under the Taliban has been a source of concern for the U.N. and aid groups, despite Taliban pledges of a softer brand of rule than during their first stint in power. Many Afghans doubt the reliability of their pledges and many countries are taking a wait and see approach.

Several relief organizations have previously confirmed to AFP they were in talks with the Taliban to continue their operations or have received security guarantees for existing programs.

The U.N. said this week humanitarian flights had resumed to several Afghan provinces.
Afghanistans new Taliban rulers apparently have closed the governments ministry of womens affairs and replaced it with a ministry aimed at promoting morality and averting wrongdoing.



Outside the building in Kabul that housed the womens affairs ministry, a new sign was raised Friday saying it was now the headquarters of the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.



Employees of the World Bank's $100 million Women's Economic Empowerment and Rural Development Program were escorted out of the building Saturday as part of the change, according to program staffer Sharif Akhtar, who was among those forced out.



In a statement Saturday, the Taliban-run education ministry said, All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions. It did not mention women teachers or female students.



The developments are the latest indications the Taliban are limiting womens rights since they seized the capital of Kabul last month, despite recent statements they are willing to ease restrictions on women and girls.



When the Taliban ruled the country from 1996 until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, the Taliban denied women and girls the right to education and largely excluded them from public life.



The Taliban has not commented on the developments.



Also Saturday, three people were killed in three explosions targeting Taliban vehicles in the eastern provincial capital of Jalalabad. No one has claimed responsibility, but Islamic State militants, enemies of the Taliban, are based in the area.



More than 500 people left Afghanistan Saturday morning on two flights out of Kabuls airport, one by Pakistans national carrier and the other by Irans Mahan Air, an airport official said. The official said the identities and nationalities of the people were not immediately known.



On a Qatar Airways flight on Friday, more Americans flew out of Afghanistan, according to Washingtons peace envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad.



Some information in this report came from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
A drone strike carried out during the waning hours of the U.S. evacuation from Afghanistan did not kill a terrorist bent on attacking the international airport in Kabul, and instead killed as many as 10 civilians, including an aid worker and seven children.

The admission Friday from the commander of U.S. troops in the region followed a military investigation sparked by claims from people on the ground, as well as media reports, that the target struck August 29 by a Hellfire missile was never a threat.

This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport, General Kenneth Frank McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command, told reporters at the Pentagon via a video link. Our investigation now concludes the strike was a tragic mistake.

"We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle or those that died were associated with ISIS-K," McKenzie added, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror groups affiliate in Afghanistan, also known as IS-Khorasan.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also apologized for the errant strike.

On behalf of the men and women of the Department of Defense, I offer my deepest condolences to surviving family members of those who were killed, Austin said in a statement. We apologize, and we will endeavor to learn from this horrible mistake.

The apology was a dramatic turnaround for the U.S. military, which had been defending the airstrike for weeks.

Just days after, the senior-most U.S. military officer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, defended the strike as righteous.

We know from a variety of other means that at least one of those people that were killed was an ISIS facilitator, Milley told Pentagon reporters September 1. The procedures were correctly followed.

Even then, accounts from the ground were telling a different story  that instead of killing an IS-Khorasan facilitator, the U.S. drone strike had actually blown up Ezmarai Ahmadi, an aid worker with the California-based Nutrition and Education International who had applied for resettlement in the U.S.

Family members said the other fatalities included Ahmadis daughter, as well as nephews and nieces.

Additional investigations by The New York Times and The Washington Post cast further doubt on the U.S. assertion that the strike had eliminated an IS-Khorasan terrorist.

The Times investigation determined that the car, a white Toyota Corolla, which U.S. officials thought was filled with explosives, was actually carrying canisters of water. And the suspicious stops Ahmadi had made as the U.S. watched him from the sky were stops to pick up colleagues and to make water deliveries.

We didn't take the strike because we thought we were wrong. We took the strike because we thought we had a good target, CENTCOMs McKenzie said Friday, pointing to what he said were over 60 very, very high-caliber reports of imminent threat to our forces in and around Kabul, many centered on the use of a white Toyota Corolla.

Clearly our intelligence was wrong on this particular white Toyota Corolla, he said.

U.S. military officials said they still believe there was an IS-Khorasan plot to attack the airport with that type of car from one of the locations where Ahmadis Toyota was spotted. But they now believe that attack may have been disrupted by a U.S airstrike days earlier that targeted the terror groups operatives in Nangarhar province.

McKenzie said the U.S. is now looking into making so-called ex gratia payments to the surviving family members, though he admitted delivering the reparations could be difficult without a U.S. presence on the ground.

The CENTCOM commander declined to say whether any disciplinary action would be taken against those involved in carrying out the strike, saying that the ultimate responsibility lay with him.

Human rights organizations are demanding more.

The U.S. must now commit to a full, transparent and impartial investigation into this incident, said Brian Castner, a senior crisis adviser with Amnesty International.

Anyone suspected of criminal responsibility should be prosecuted in a fair trial, Castner said in a formal statement. Survivors and families of the victims should be kept informed of the progress of the investigation and be given full reparation.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the drone strike in Kabul should be a wake-up call.

In this strike, we see the echoes of so many other civilian lives lost and gravely harmed, whether in wars like in Afghanistan, or outside of them, like in Somalia, Hina Shamsi of the ACLU said in a statement.

Some U.S. lawmakers are also calling for more to be done.

The Department of Defense has taken the first step towards transparency and accountability, said Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, in a written statement. He called the deadly drone strike a devastating failure.

We need to know what went wrong in the hours and minutes leading up to the strike to prevent similar tragedies in the future, he added.

The Armed Services Committee will hear from administration officials in the weeks ahead on the chaotic and deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, Senator James Inhofe, the ranking member of the committee, said in a written statement.

The August 29 strike shows how difficult and complex counterterrorism operations can be, and unfortunately it highlights that an over-the-horizon' strategy will only increase the complexity and difficulty, he said.

There are also questions about the future of any U.S. counterterrorism strikes in Afghanistan against groups like IS-Khorasan or al-Qaida, which for now would be conducted over the horizon  from U.S. bases hours away in the Middle East.

But McKenzie said the rules of engagement for such airstrikes would be different.

We will have a lot more opportunity probably than we had under this extreme time pressure to take a look at the target  to soak the target with multiple platforms to have an opportunity to develop extended pattern of life, he said. None of these things were available to us given the urgent and pressing nature of the imminent threat to our forces.

The U.S. commander also said that despite their repeated assurances and commitments, the Taliban had done little to help the evacuation aside from establishing an outer security perimeter around Kabul airport that also allowed them to screen people that might otherwise have gotten to the airfield.

As far as any other help against IS-Khorasan, I don't know that they're doing anything at all for us right now, McKenzie said.
As China spreads its influence across Asia with its Belt and Road infrastructure projects, the United States is striking back with a major development project right in China's backyard: Mongolia.



U.S. Ambassador Michael Klecheski and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh presided last month over the groundbreaking ceremony for a U.S.-funded water purification plant program. The $93 million program is part of a $350-million grant aimed at addressing a growing water shortage in the rapidly expanding Mongolian capital, Ulaanbaatar.



"Today marks a new chapter in the United States' partnership with the people of Mongolia," said Alexia Latortue, deputy chief of the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation, or MCC, the U.S. government agency providing the funding.



"Once operational, this purification plant will help  provide the critical water resources needed to support the everyday wellness and economic growth of Mongolians," she told ceremony participants.



Ties to US



Sandwiched between America's two largest geopolitical rivals, China and Russia, Mongolia might seem an unlikely target for U.S. diplomatic and economic outreach.



But, Klecheski told VOA in a telephone interview, decades of educational exchanges have laid the groundwork for warm relations between the two countries.



"A lot of people in [Mongolia's] government are educated in the United States," he said, adding that "the prime minister is a Harvard University alumnus." About one-third of Mongolia's parliament is composed of U.S. alumni, according to the State Department's account.



This is a young country. Theres a great deal of interest in the United States, in our system and in learning English! Klecheski said.



And there is more to the relationship than personal ties, according to Sodontogos Erdenetsogt, the Mongolian government official in charge of MCC projects in the country.



"I love working with the Americans because of their adherence to rules, their abiding by the system. That's the beauty of the Americans," she said by telephone from Ulaanbaatar.



She said she is impressed by her American counterparts' loyalty to their "values," including "transparency, accountability, responsibility, objectivity and the goodwill of the American people to help others."



Sodontogos said Mongolia's goal "is to abide by the same values" as the Americans, even though there are differences, such as in the handling of human relationships. "But these differences will never undermine our strong collaboration."

Support through grants



Another sweetener for the Mongolians is that the MCC project  unlike many Chinese infrastructure projects, which leave countries with varying degrees of debt  will be paid for entirely by the U.S., with some contribution from the Mongolian government.



"The U.S. government is supporting Mongolia's economic growth, using grant financing, when possible," Klecheski said at the groundbreaking, "because we believe that growing democracies benefit from programs that do not lead to too much debt."



Sodontogos said that for a developing country such as Mongolia, aid in the form of a grant is "very, very valuable."



The water project is a big deal for Ulaanbaatar, which faces a burgeoning water crisis as its population explodes. The city now accounts for almost half of the country's roughly 3.3 million people.



When completed, the project is expected to increase the city's water supply by 65%, making up the bulk of a larger plan to increase the supply by 80%. [[https://www.mcc.gov/news-and-events/release/release-082021-mcc-and-mongolia-break-ground-on-93-million-infrastructure-project]]



"Because it is water, everybody cares  because water is our main source of life," Sodontogos said. "Mongolian people are very much aware of this program. They support, they're grateful, they're willing to work with the U.S. government to successfully implement it,"



But for Klecheski, there is no less satisfaction in smaller projects, such as the groundbreaking ceremony he attended two weeks ago for a U.S.-funded kindergarten in Ulaangom, 1,290 kilometers (800 miles) west of the capital. It will be the eighth such U.S.-funded kindergarten to date.



"We are honored to have the opportunity to work with our Mongolian partners to provide safe and comfortable education environments for school-age children in Mongolia, one school at a time," read a statement on the website of the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is supervising the construction to ensure the highest quality, the statement adds.



U.S. and Mongolian armed forces have also forged close ties in recent years, including in the training of Mongolia's peacekeeping force and the latters contribution in U.S. and NATO efforts in Afghanistan over the past two decades.



U.S. and Mongolia entered into a strategic partnership in July 2019 during a meeting between then-Mongolian President Khaltmaa Battulga and President Donald Trump in Washington. In a sign of continued U.S. commitment, Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State in the Biden administration, visited Mongolia in July this year as part of an East Asia tour that also included Japan and South Korea and a last-minute stop in China.



Klecheski says the U.S. values the fact that Mongolia is the first country in Asia that has made the successful transition from a communist-led country to a free, democratic nation following the fall of the Soviet empire. "Obviously Mongolia is in an important part of the world," he said.



Nevertheless, Klecheski told VOA, the United States has much to do if it hopes to compete for economic influence with China, which receives 90% of Mongolia's exports  mainly minerals  and provides one-third of its imports. Russia also plays a major role in Mongolia's energy sector.



"Let's just say the embassy is very much anxious to see the expansion of cooperation in more areas," Klecheski said.



Americans don't know a lot about Mongolia, he acknowledged, and the market of 3 million people may be too small for some businesses. But, he said, Mongolia's mining and agricultural industries, IT sector, and other areas offer great potential for American investment.



Mongolia's people take pride in a heritage that dates back to the 13th-century conquests of Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan), Klecheski said, but there is also "a strong sense of modernity here." He said he has observed a strong desire to "integrate with the world."
Unless Congress votes to increase the amount of money the U.S. Treasury is allowed to borrow above its current debt of $28.5 trillion, the United States will default on its financial obligations sometime in the next several weeks, experts warn.

Few experts consider that likely to happen, but if it did, it could trigger an economic catastrophe with effects far beyond America's shores.

In a letter to members of Congress last week, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned of the damage that would result if the U.S. is unable, even for a short time, to pay its bills.

"A delay that calls into question the federal government's ability to meet all its obligations would likely cause irreparable damage to the U.S. economy and global financial markets," wrote Yellen, the former chair of the Federal Reserve Board. "At a time when American families, communities, and businesses are still suffering from the effects of the ongoing global pandemic, it would be particularly irresponsible to put the full faith and credit of the United States at risk."

With that crisis looming, Democrats and Republicans in Washington are battling over who should take responsibility for the politically unpopular task of raising the cap on borrowing, commonly known as the debt limit. Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have vowed that not a single one of them will vote to raise the limit.

For their part, Democrats say that much of the spending the increased debt would finance is the result of policies passed by a Republican-led Congress and signed by a Republican president, Donald Trump. Therefore, they argue, the GOP should participate in raising the limit.

'America must never default'

The strange thing about the current debate is that there is absolutely no disagreement between the parties about what should happen. In an interview with the Louisville Courier-Journal in his home state of Kentucky last week, McConnell was explicit, saying that "America must never default" and "the debt ceiling needs to be raised."

However, McConnell said, Republicans will not provide any votes to make that happen. What he is demanding the Democrats do is raise the debt limit unilaterally, using a process called "budget reconciliation," which would make it impossible for Senate Republicans to block a vote on the measure.

McConnell's stance has angered Democrats, who point out that enforcement of the debt ceiling was suspended three times during the four years of the Trump presidency, each time with Democratic support for allowing the debt to rise.

Possible House vote next week

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has ruled out the possibility of including a debt ceiling increase in a reconciliation package, creating what appears to be an impasse on Capitol Hill.

On Friday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, said the House would vote on a measure to raise the debt ceiling next week. House Democrats could opt to tie the debt limit measure to a must-pass spending bill that would avert a government shutdown when the fiscal year ends on September 30, upping the significance of Republican opposition.

If the House bill passes, it would move to the 50-50 Senate, where Democrats have a bare majority because Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tiebreaking vote. Such a measure, however, would be susceptible to a Republican filibuster if GOP lawmakers choose to block it.

'Who blinks first?'

Many in Washington believe the debt ceiling will be raised before the U.S. defaults, but they aren't sure of the mechanism. Yet lawmakers have come dangerously close to defaulting in the past. In 2011, when House Republicans battled with Democratic President Barack Obama over the federal debt, the bond rating firm Standard & Poor's issued the first-ever downgrade of U.S. sovereign debt, sparking a major stock market sell-off.

"We know what's going to happen, but we don't know how it's going to happen," said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a government spending watchdog. "At the end of the day, one way or another, politicians will raise or suspend the debt limit. The United States cannot and will not default on its obligations. And so somebody is going to budge. But the question is, who blinks first?"

There are multiple ways this could play out, said Richard Kogan, a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

"Congress could enact a debt limit increase or a new suspension, and the amount of that increase or the duration of the suspension could be debatable," he said. "Congress could choose to add other conditions, but doing so has not been the standard in recent years, for good reason. And it is possible that for political reasons Republicans in Congress will allow this to be done, but only with Democratic votes."

New borrowing necessary

Until August 2, the country had been operating under the latest of a series of suspensions of the debt ceiling that allowed the Treasury to issue new debt without restrictions. When the suspension was lifted, the government's debt stood at an estimated $28.5 trillion.

That represented an increase of about $6.5 trillion since 2019, the last time the limit was suspended, and about $8.6 trillion since a suspension that took effect in the first months of the Trump administration.

Most of the increase in federal debt since 2017 happened under the Trump administration, but a significant part of it, mainly in pandemic relief legislation, was signed into law by President Joe Biden.

Since August, the Treasury Department has engaged in a series of "extraordinary measures" to avoid defaulting on obligations without additional borrowing. However, Treasury officials have said those measures will become unsustainable sometime next month.

Pressure campaign

The Biden administration has been trying to increase the political pressure on McConnell and congressional Republicans to force them to participate in a debt limit increase.

On Wednesday, Yellen spoke with McConnell on the phone. The White House said the purpose of the call was to "convey what the enormous dangers of default would be." But a spokesperson for McConnell made it clear that the conversation had not moved the Republican.

"The leader repeated to Secretary Yellen what he has said publicly since July," the spokesperson said. "They will have to raise the debt ceiling on their own, and they have the tools to do it."

On Friday, The Associated Press reported that the administration had been reaching out to state and local government leaders to warn them about interruptions in federal funding that could result if the limit wasn't raised.

Debt limit history

The debt limit was not designed to be used as a political cudgel. Its origins go back to World War I, when Congress pre-authorized a certain level of debt so the Treasury would not have to seek congressional authorization every time it needed to issue new bonds.

Since 1917, when it was created, the debt limit has been raised many times. According to the Treasury Department, since 1960, Congress has acted to "raise, temporarily extend, or revise the definition of the debt limit" 78 times.

It is only in recent decades, as federal borrowing has accelerated, that raising the debt limit has become a political weapon.
The U.S. plans to speed up its efforts to expel Haitian migrants on flights to their Caribbean homeland, officials said Saturday as agents poured into a Texas border city where thousands of Haitians have gathered after suddenly crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that it moved about 2,000 of the migrants who had gathered under and near a bridge in the border city of Del Rio to other locations on Friday for processing and possible removal from the United States. It also said it would have 400 agents and officers in the area by Monday morning and was prepared to send more if necessary.

The announcement marked a swift response to the sudden arrival of Haitians in Del Rio, a city of about 35,000 people that's roughly 145 miles (233 kilometers) west of San Antonio and sits on a relatively remote stretch of border that lacks capacity to hold and process such large numbers of people.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press on Friday that operational capacity and Haiti's willingness to accept flights would determine how many there will be. The official said progress was being made on negotiations with Haitian authorities.

The official said the U.S would likely fly five to eight planes a day, starting Sunday, while another official expected no more than two a day and said all migrants would be tested for COVID-19. Both officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed traffic to vehicles and pedestrians in both directions Friday at the only border crossing between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, "to respond to urgent safety and security needs." Travelers were being directed indefinitely to a crossing in Eagle Pass, 57 miles (91 kilometers) away.

13,700 new arrivals

Crowd estimates varied, but Val Verde County Sheriff Frank Joe Martinez said Friday that there were about 13,700 new arrivals in Del Rio. Migrants pitched tents and built makeshift shelters from giant reeds known as carrizo cane. Many bathed and washed clothing in the river.

The flight plan, while potentially massive in scale, hinges on how Haitians respond. They might have to decide whether to stay put at the risk of being sent back to an impoverished homeland troubled by political instability or return to Mexico. Unaccompanied children are exempt from fast-track expulsions.

DHS said "our borders are not open, and people should not make the dangerous journey."

"Individuals and families are subject to border restrictions, including expulsion," the agency wrote. "Irregular migration poses a significant threat to the health and welfare of border communities and to the lives of migrants themselves, and should not be attempted."

Stephen Miller, the main architect of former President Donald Trump's hardline policies and a frequent critic of the Biden administration, expressed doubt that Haiti's government would agree to the number of flights for a large-scale operation. He recounted daily calls with U.S. State Department officials last year over Haiti's resistance to flights, with Haiti relenting only under the threat of sanctions.

About 500 Haitians were ordered off buses by Mexican immigration authorities in the state of Tamaulipas, about 120 miles (200 kilometers) south of the Texas border, the state government said in a news release Friday. They continued toward the border on foot.

Haitians fled after quake

Haitians have been migrating to the U.S. in large numbers from South America for several years, many having left their Caribbean nation after a devastating earthquake in 2010. After jobs dried up from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, many made the dangerous trek by foot, bus and car to the U.S. border, including through the infamous Darien Gap, a Panamanian jungle.

It is unclear how such a large number amassed so quickly, though many Haitians have been assembling in camps on the Mexican side of the border to wait while deciding whether to attempt to enter the United States.

U.S. authorities are being severely tested after Biden quickly dismantled Trump administration policies that Biden considered cruel or inhumane, most notably one requiring asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while waiting for U.S. immigration court hearings.

A pandemic-related order to immediately expel migrants without giving them the opportunity to seek asylum that was introduced in March 2020 remains in effect, but unaccompanied children and many families have been exempt. During his first month in office, Biden chose to exempt children traveling alone on humanitarian grounds.

Mexico has agreed to take in expelled families only from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, creating an opening for Haitians and other nationalities.

In August, U.S. authorities stopped migrants nearly 209,000 times at the border, which was close to a 20-year high, even though many of the stops involved repeat crossers because there are no legal consequences for being expelled under the pandemic authority.
A recent report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) calls for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve COVID-19 detection and prevention measures at the U.S.-Mexico border amid record-setting migrant arrivals.



"Without stronger COVID-19 prevention measures in place, DHS is putting its workforce, support staff, communities, and migrants at greater risk of contracting the virus," the report says.

Between March and May of this year, investigators reviewed DHSs COVID-19 guidelines and discovered several problems with the agency's efforts to stop the virus from spreading among migrants detained at border holding facilities.



The review showed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), one of DHSs subagencies responsible for the detention of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, is unable to keep vast numbers of migrants properly distanced from each other.



Currently, there is no federal requirement for COVID-19 testing of migrants at the southwest border, but DHS says it has followed guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for preventing COVID-19 transmission.



According to the report, CBP "does not conduct COVID-19 testing for migrants who enter CBP custody and is not required to do so. Instead, CBP relies on local public health systems to test symptomatic individuals."

Are migrants at the border being tested?

Not initially when taken into U.S. custody. However, for migrants who are transferred or released from CBP custody into the United States, the agency says it coordinates with other federal, state and local partners to test them for COVID-19.



The OIG report notes, however, that the agency is duty-bound to screen for COVID-19 symptoms and other health problems prior to a migrants transfer or release.



According to CBPs policy and guidance, once taken into custody, migrants are to receive a health screening to identify any potential medical issues or whether an individual may have COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, chills, cough, or shortness of breath, the report said.

If a migrant in custody is suspected of having COVID-19, CBP procedure dictates that officials contact the local public health department and then transfer the individual to a hospital for testing. But the OIG report noted that doing so is not always operationally feasible, especially during an influx of migrant crossings at the southwest border.

What is happening on the ground?

In August, Pete Saenz, a mayor from the U.S. border city of Laredo, Texas, told a local news outlet that CBP was not testing migrants prior to their release. Instead, shelters such as Holding Institute in Laredo and Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley were administering tests after migrants were released to them from federal custody.

Saenz said the city was coordinating with the federal government, nonprofits and other local city governments to offer masks and provide additional hygienic resources.

The reason why we dont do testing is that once you test, theres an obligation, Saenz said. If theyre positive, were told that you have to quarantine [them]. We dont have the infrastructure for that.



What was DHSs response?

The inspector generals office recommended that DHS reassess its COVID-19 response framework to identify areas for improvement and urged all agencies involved to coordinate with DHSs chief medical officer to boost resources and ensure operational safety.



DHS accepted the recommendations and said the agency would continue to implement improvement actions based on active monitoring and impact analysis of mitigation efforts.

Jim H. Crumpacker, director of the departments GAO-OIG liaison office, wrote in a letter included in the report saying that DHS is committed to the well-being of the communities in which we serve, our workforce, and people in our care and custody.



Has the report impacted political debate?



For months, Republican lawmakers have argued that the crowded and chaotic situation at the U.S.-Mexico border constitutes a health threat to the United States during the pandemic.



In August, a group of House Republicans wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting more details on COVID-19 guidelines at the border. Lawmakers cited reports from a whistleblower that migrants were being released into the country without health screenings, a situation they said could cause widespread COVID-19 infections and fatalities.

For its part, the Biden administration has relied on a public health policy held over from the Trump administration to deny asylum claims filed by most migrants other than unaccompanied minors and families with young children.



On Thursday, a federal judge ordered a halt to the expulsion of migrant families. The ruling would go into effect September 30.
On this edition of Africa 54: President Biden today set up the framework for further sanctions against Ethiopia; ECOWAS imposes sanctions in response to the military coup in Guinea; And an immigrant from Sierra Leone who is known in New York City as the Harlem Groomer, inspired a national movement.
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While more people are likely to be eligible for Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, the most glaring issue prolonging the pandemic is the large swath of unvaccinated people, who are filling up hospitals and dying from the persistent virus, officials and health experts said.

Advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration on Friday greenlighted recommending emergency use authorization of a booster dose of Pfizer's vaccine six months after full vaccination for people 65 and older and those at high risk of severe illness from the virus. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention is meeting next week with its vaccine advisers, and the agency determines the final approval for the shots.

But with 54.4% of the US total population fully vaccinated, health experts reiterated that booster shots are not the answer to ending the pandemic.

Dr. Paul Offit, who is a member of the FDA Vaccines Advisory Committee, said vaccinating every eligible Americans remained the most important strategy.

"What is going to be the change in the arc of this pandemic by giving a third dose to people who are already vaccinated as compared to giving two doses to people unvaccinated?" Offit told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday.

It's been a bleak trajectory in terms of hospitalizations and deaths over the past few months. On Thursday, the seven-day average of Covid-19 deaths hit 1,464, according to the CDC, the highest it's been since March 1, which was before the widespread availability of the vaccines.

In West Virginia, where 74 people have died from the virus since Wednesday, the governor is pleading for residents to get vaccinated. The state has fully vaccinated only 40.1% of its population, CDC data shows.

"We're either going to run into the fire and get vaccinated right now, or we're going to pile the body bags up until we reach a point in time to where we have enough people that have immunities and enough people that are vaccinated," Gov. Jim Justice said Friday during a news conference. "The only thing I have in my arsenal that will make this get better is for you to get vaccinated. That's all I've got."

In Alabama, the increased availability of hospital beds is only because of the double-digit numbers in Covid-19 deaths, State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said Friday during a news briefing.

"I would just say very respectfully and with compassion ... there are two ways people leave the hospital, and one of them is not very good," Harris said.

The state, where 41% of its residents are fully vaccinated, has been seeing "typically 40 or 50 or sometimes 60 deaths a day," Harris said.

And at least seven pregnant people have died from Covid-19 in Alabama since the pandemic's onset, Harris said. The state also averaged 23 pregnant people hospitalized with Covid-19 over the past week.

FDA advisers OK booster shot for certain high-risk people

Friday's highly anticipated meeting to discuss boosters resulted in a recommendation from a group of advisers --vaccine experts, immunologists, pediatricians, infectious disease specialists and public health experts -- that people 65 and older along with those at high risk of severe Covid-19 to get a Pfizer booster shot six months after they get their first two shots.

The committee stopped short of recommending a booster shot for 16 and older six months after they are fully vaccinated due to concerns about the safety of a booster dose in younger adults and teens. Members also complained about the lack of data about the safety and long-term efficacy of a booster dose.

The vote was messy, with some advisers expressing concern that the move left out health care workers, who are at high risk of infection, if not of severe disease. The FDA asked the advisers to informally expand their recommendation to encompass people at high occupational risk of infection -- and won a yes.

"I think this should demonstrate to the public that the members of this committee are independent of the FDA and that in fact we do bring our voices to the table when we are asked to serve on this committee," Dr. Archana Chatterjee, dean of the Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University, said after the last vote.

The issue of independence bubbled to the surface because the Biden administration had announced it would be ready to distribute booster doses as early as Monday -- ahead of any FDA action or even consideration.

Florida sees decline in Covid-19 cases

There was a glimmer of good news from Florida, which has been a virus hotspot, even as the state surpassed 50,000 Covid-19 deaths.

"One-quarter of those deaths have occurred since the surge of infections from the Delta variant, so that puts an exclamation point on the fact, just how deadly the Delta variant has been for all of us," Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said Friday.

Orange County, home to Orlando, saw 372 residents die from Covid-19 in August, said Demings , adding there have been 85 additional deaths since the last briefing on Monday.

However, the county is also "seeing some very promising news," Demings said, as the number of daily infections declines. For the 13th consecutive day, the number of daily cases has been under 1,000 in the county.

"That's more good news," Demings added. "As of today, 72% of eligible residents ages 12 and up have received one or more doses of the vaccine."

Overall, the state is saw fewer than 100,000 new cases of Covid-19 in the past week for the first time since July 16, according to data published Friday by the Florida Department of Health.

New cases per week in Florida have been declining steadily since August 20, when the state hit its peak of 151,880 new cases in a week.

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The search for the now-missing fiance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito is focused on a Florida nature reserve, where 50 officers from five local agencies and FBI agents scoured the area Saturday, according to North Port Police spokesperson Josh Taylor.

During a Saturday news conference, Taylor said Laundrie has an "enormous amount of pressure" on him to provide answers following Petito's own disappearance.

Brian Laundrie's family told police Friday night they have not seen the 23-year-old since Tuesday. Police said at that time Laundrie is not wanted for a crime, and that authorities are working "multiple missing person investigations."

Investigators were searching for Laundrie at the "vast Carlton Reserve" near Venice, Florida, North Port Police said on Twitter Saturday. The search effort included the use of drones and bloodhounds who had used articles of Laundrie's clothing taken from his home to get his scent, Taylor said.

The search ended Saturday evening due to darkness and will resume Sunday morning, North Port Police said in a tweet.

Laundrie's family told police he left home with his backpack Tuesday and told them he was going to the reserve, Taylor said Saturday. Police believe the vehicle he was driving may have been at the reserve too, but has since been returned to the Laundrie's home.

Police initially focused their search on a nearby park about 200 acres large, but throughout the day it had spread into the reserve, which is about 25,000 acres, he said.

When asked why Laundrie's family didn't tell police of his whereabouts until Friday, Taylor said, "that's a great question."

"You know we've obviously been trying to reach the family to get answers in this case since (last) Saturday," Taylor said. "The first time that we've had any in-depth conversation with them was yesterday when their attorney called and said the family was concerned about Brian's whereabouts."

Laundrie family attorney Steven Bertolino said Friday that Laundrie's whereabouts "are currently unknown."

Richard Stafford, the attorney for the Petito family, said in a brief statement sent to CNN, "All of Gabby's family want the world to know that Brian is not missing, he is hiding. Gabby is missing."

Search for Petito is now a week old

Law enforcement began investigating Petito's disappearance on September 11, when Petito's family reported her missing after they were unable to contact her for several days. Prior to her disappearance, Petito had been traveling with Laundrie on a road trip through several western states.

Laundrie returned to North Port without Petito September 1, according to police. Officials later found the van the couple had been traveling in at the home Petito shared with Laundrie and his parents in North Port.

On Saturday, the FBI said the search for Petito included ground surveys being conducted in Grand Teton National Park with the National Park Service, the Teton County Sheriff's Office and the Jackson, Wyoming, police.

"This is an active and ongoing investigation, so we ask the public to maintain distance from any law enforcement personnel, equipment, vehicles, and their related activity for the safety of the public in these remote areas and to protect the integrity of our work," the FBI's Denver field office said in a tweet Saturday afternoon.

In a statement issued to NBC before it was reported Laundrie's whereabouts were unknown, family attorney Bertolino said Laundrie would not speak about the matter because "intimate partners are often the first person law enforcement focuses their attention on in cases like this and the warning that 'any statement made will be used against you' is true, regardless of whether my client had anything to do with Ms. Petito's disappearance."

North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison told CNN's Don Lemon earlier in the week that Laundrie had invoked his Fifth Amendment right, which generally means a person cannot be forced to make statements they feel might be negative or used against them.

Police previously visited the home but the family refused to talk and instead gave authorities the information for their attorney, Taylor said this week.

On Saturday, he reiterated police were limited in what they could do because "we don't have a crime."

"We can't go just pulling people in, he certainly has the Fifth Amendment not to speak, and we're respectful of that," he said. "We get it. We're frustrated."

Petito stepfather: 'I don't know what to believe'

Petito's stepfather said Friday he is happy Laundrie's parents called police, but said, "I don't know what to believe."

Jim Schmidt told CNN's Chris Cuomo he was "caught off guard" by the news shared moments earlier that Laundrie's family spoke with authorities, saying he hadn't even had a moment to digest it.

"All that matters is finding her and bringing her home," Schmidt said.

"We're still trying to get the word out there and try to find that one person that might have some details that we need," Schmidt said. "Just trying to get out there and find that person and hopefully they can help us with anything that will bring her home."

When asked if there was anything from the last few times he contacted Gabby that would be helpful now, Schmidt said, "I'm not sure. We've been analyzing everything as much as we can, and your mind races in a million different directions when you're trying to put something like this together and it's -- we're still trying to get a full grasp on the entire situation."

Schmidt asked for the media to "just keep getting the word out," adding, "Some different photos, not just the ones that have been out there, maybe that sparks something in the public that somebody didn't recognize before and just keep getting that word out there and keep this fresh in the media so it keeps going until we find her."

The FBI has released a new Missing Person poster, asking for help in the search for Petito.

Campsite reviews appear to show the couple this summer

Before they vanished, Petito and Laundrie appeared to have left reviews on an online camp community app called The Dyrt. A photo of the couple was posted on The Dyrt two months ago and tags their social media accounts.

An account linked to the couple lists campgrounds in Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and Utah, as well as left reviews of campsites where Petito was last seen. Camping spots to the Grand Teton National Park were saved on the profile.

According to a timeline of events provided Friday by Petito family attorney Stafford, Gabby FaceTimed with her mother on August 24, saying she was leaving Utah and headed to the Tetons.

Their most recent review is about Arches National Park in Utah in July, in the same county where Moab police had an interaction with Petito and Laundrie two weeks later.

At the time, officers with the Moab City Police Department responded to reports of disorderly conduct involving Petito and Laundrie, which ended with a report describing them as having "engaged in some sort of altercation."

The officers who responded to the incident suggested Laundrie and Petito should separate for the night, according to the report, and no charges were filed.

One of the officers who responded to the scene wrote in the police report Laundrie said the pair had been traveling together for "the last four or five months."

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One urgent care clinic in Decatur is seeing an increase in vaccinated patients coming in with COVID-like symptoms and even testing positive for the virus.

WAAY-31 spoke with nurse practitioners there on why they believe they're seeing this change.

COVID-19 test COVID-19 test

At the Decatur location of American Family Care they're still as busy as ever but recently they've been seeing more vaccinated people coming in because they're getting sick from COVID.

The staff here told us it's because some people are possibly letting their guard down too soon, when now is not the time.

"These people who are vaccinated, feel like they don't need to be tested because they have been vaccinated. We just want to continue testing if they have symptoms or an exposure," Julie Knop.

Knop and Landon Dutton are both nurse practitioners at AFC in Decatur and they told us just because you're fully vaccinated does not mean you can't contract COVID.

The delta variant is even more transmissible than the original strain of COVID and wearing a mask and getting tested is still important.

But there's some good news here.

"The average over the last seven days has actually decreased 40% from the peak that we saw at the end of August, of COVID cases," said Dutton.

Dutton is talking about the average number of COVID cases in the state.

Alabama is still not in the best place to do away with social distancing, wearing a mask or vaccination efforts, but Knop told us at AFC they will continue to educate you on what's the best practice to keep.

"The more we spread the education that it's still possible to contract, spread and have symptoms of COVID most of the population is trusting us if we feel they need to be tested," said Knop.

On the Alabama Department of Health's website you can find out who is doing COVID testing and offering the vaccine.

At AFC Decatur they offer Moderna and starting next week, they'll start offering the flu vaccine ahead of cold and flu season.
The FDA voted against recommending COVID booster shots for people 16 and up, but unanimously approved the recommendation of booster shots for those who are 65 or older or have a high risk of severe disease.

The White House calls the FDA's decision "an important step forward."

State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris gave his COVID update Friday morning before the FDA made its vote, but that didn't stop him from saying Alabama is prepared to give out these third booster shots.

"I may try to get it under the wire," Kevin Powell said.

He is just shy of the cutoff age at 62 years old, but he is eager to get his third COVID shot.

"Anything we can do to better the odds. We're looking to do that," Powell said.

Powell's been afraid of getting COVID-19 since the pandemic began and got his vaccine as soon as it became available to him.

"It was a relief! It was a feeling of relief is what it was," Powell explained.

However, with a new contagious delta variant he's getting increasingly worried. That's because studies show the level of antibodies in your body starts to drop after a few months.

"We still have quite a bit of antibodies and we still should be safe. So, I'm kind of in that gray area. Kind of close, but not close enough," Powell said.

Dr. Harris says around 36,000 third doses have been administered in Alabama so far.

"We don't know if some of those people are immunocompromised people for whom those additional doses are recommended or these are just people who sought out a third dose because they wanted one or thought they needed one," Dr. Harris explained.

Dr. Harris says they were prepared to give out third doses to everyone 16 and up, but the FDA voted against that recommendation.

"We didn't think there was enough data to support that. We wanted to test the water with one foot really and make the vaccine recommendation initially for those over 65, those who have high-risk medical conditions that put them at risk of serious disease," Director of the Vaccine Education Center Dr. Paul Offit said.

Still, Dr. Harris knows booster shots will be inevitable and knows Alabama is prepared.

"Vaccine shortage is not an issue. Vaccines are widely available. There is no shortfall," Dr. Harris said.

There are some steps that still need to take place before we can start administering booster shots to people over 65. It still needs to be approved by the CDC. There will be another meeting with vaccine advisers next Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the FDA's decision.

The state health department says getting your first COVID shots still remains the priority and is the most important way to bring the pandemic under control.
Italian presenter claims her shock remarks were "extrapolated".

A television journalist has sparked outrage in Italy after suggesting that a recent spate of killings of women could have been provoked by the "exasperating" victims.

"In the last seven days there have been seven women killed allegedly by seven men," Barbara Palombelli, host of the Forum programme on Rete 4, said on Thursday's edition of the show.

"Sometimes it's also legitimate to ask: were these men completely out of their minds, completely confused, or was there also exasperating and aggressive behaviour on the other side as well?" she asked.

Her comments have sparked outrage on social media and have been condemned strongly by politicians and women's rights groups.

"When the media claim that a femicide can be the effect of the victim's behaviour, we are victim blaming, which is precisely one of the causes of femicides and the lack of adequate sanctions and laws," wrote Amnesty Italia on Twitter, alongside the hashtag #palombelli.

Quando i mezzi di comunicazione sostengono che un femminicidio possa essere l'effetto del comportamento delle vittima, siamo nel pieno del victim blaming, che e proprio una delle cause dei femminicidi e della mancanza di sanzioni e leggi adeguate #palombelli Amnesty Italia (@amnestyitalia) September 17, 2021

"How can you say that if a woman is murdered by her partner, perhaps it is also because of her?" - said Antonella Veltri, president of DiRe, the national network of anti-violence centres - "Palombelli's remarks are a disgrace to women who seek the strength to report [violence] and an offence to those working every day against gender-based violence.

Political reaction

"Violence against women is never justified," said equalities minister Elena Bonetti, describing it as an "abhorrent and unacceptable scourge that is still all too present in our country."

No, non e lecito chiedersi se una donna abbia meritato di morire per mano di un uomo.



La causa dei femminicidi e una sola: l'idea di possesso verso le donne che spinge gli uomini alla violenza. Punto e basta.



Gravissime le parole di #palombelli, pronunciate per giunta in tv. laura boldrini (@lauraboldrini) September 17, 2021

Palombelli's remarks are "very serious" - said youth policies minister Fabiana Dadone - "they are offensive to all women."

Patrizia Cadau, a Movimento 5 Stelle councillor in Oristano and a survivor of domestic violence, republished a picture of her beaten, bloodied face with the message:

"Dear Barbara Palombelli, this is me in the photo, and I would like to point out immediately that no, I did not go looking for it, I have never, never, ever been aggressive, [and] that I have never been an exasperating woman."

Cadau accused Palombelli of being "part of the problem", posing the rhetorical question to the journalist: Have you ever felt the barrel of a gun pressed to your head or mouth?"

Barbara Palombelli

Responding to the growing controversy last night, Palombelli distanced herself from the remarks on Italian television show Quarto grado, saying that her words were "extrapolated" and used for an "avalanche of attacks" against her.

"I have always been on the front line against violence against women" - she said - "There is no justification for a femicide."

Femicide, or feminicide, commonly refers to the killing of a girl or woman by a partner or family member.

There have been 83 women killed in Italy so far this year, according to the interior ministry, with more than half killed by their current or former husbands or boyfriends.

91 women were killed in Italy in the first 10 months of 2020, according to the EU research agency Eures which equated the figure to one woman killed every three days.
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The head of Australia Post is urging consumers to start thinking about their Christmas shopping now as the national postal service grapples with lengthy delays caused by a surge in online shopping.

Rodney Boys, the companys acting chief executive, said parcel volumes were already at Christmas-like levels due to more than 15 million Australians living under lockdown.

Australia Post is taking on more staff to deal with the surge in home deliveries. Credit:Justin McManus

Posties and delivery drivers are delivering more than 10 million parcels every week, with more than 50 per cent of Australian households purchasing something online last month. Its a trend set to continue, with no firm date for when bricks and mortar retail stores will reopen.

This Christmas is certainly going to be the busiest weve ever seen, Mr Boys told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
We knew, maybe in April 2020, we actually had got as far as anyone else in this caper, Pouton says .  We were probably only a month behind [mRNA vaccine manufacturer] Moderna.

With serious government investment, he thought it could be made into a home-grown jab. He wanted a chance to pitch the minister.

Professor Colin Pouton, a vaccine developer at Monash University, was at the press conference. He recalls talking to Hunts staff in the hope he could meet the minister.

Not this one. What happened next, in the chaotic early days of the pandemic, is strongly contested.

Dozens of similar press conferences are held every year as the government dispenses science dollars; they usually pass without remark.

On May 20 last year, Health Minister Greg Hunt held a press conference at Monash University in Melbourne to announce a new tranche of research funding.

And Poutons research did eventually receive federal funding, they point out: $4.6 million as part of two grants.

The Department and Office have reviewed all of the Ministers diary, office accounts and departmental records. There is no record of having received a request from Colin Pouton or Monash to be briefed on this project.

Thats not how Hunts office remembers things. They claim Hunt did meet Pouton at the press conference and chatted about mRNA, but they said there was never a request for a formal meeting with the minister. There was also significant scepticism Pouton really did have a leading vaccine candidate.

The Minister for Health, Greg Hunt, Associate Professor Mireille Lahoud and Professor Allen Cheng at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. Credit:Eddie Jim

We certainly tried to get in front of government. But its hard to do, hard for an academic scientist to talk directly to the ministers, says Pouton.

But no meeting with the minister was ever forthcoming, although there were several discussions with advisers.

Pouton, who is described by colleagues as having the disarming manner - and accent  of a University of Cambridge English professor (he studied in London and Bath), merely calls it frustrating.

Its just nuts, says former colleague and mRNA Victoria Scientific Advisory Group member Professor Bill Charman. Colin spoke with the Health Department, he couldnt get through  but he shouldnt feel as though he was in poor company, because the worlds biggest health company (Pfizer) couldnt get through either . (Charman later clarified he was speaking in a personal capacity).

Pouton was on the right side of history, but just a few months too early.

About six months after that brief meeting at the press conference in Melbourne, scientists from the companies announced clinical trial results that shocked nearly everyone. MRNA had produced two extraordinarily powerful COVID-19 vaccines.

But heres the sting in the tail: Pouton didnt know it at the time, but the vaccine he was working on used almost exactly the same design and technologies as vaccines being developed elsewhere, thanks to more than $1.5 billion in government funding, by Pfizer and Moderna .

I would have thought it was clear we wanted to meet but  formal request?  I dont even know what that means. Maybe we should have persisted, says Pouton.

Place your syringes into a squat, glass-fronted machine that costs about as much as a new BMW. The menu is a touch-screen; tap through to recipes, and then hit the one for a Delta vaccine. Now press the green button.

With a second syringe, draw from a dark glass jar half a millilitre of four fats: cholesterol and distearoylphosphatidylcholine, as well as special fats that can only be made in a lab.

To make an mRNA vaccine for the Delta strain of COVID-19, draw up one millilitre of liquid mRNA, which should look like clear water in your syringe.

A Fast Performance Liquid chromatography machine, used to purify the mRNA before it is encapsulated into the lipid nanoparticles. Credit:Wayne Taylor

In a few months those efforts will bear fruit, when the first doses of Australias first home-made mRNA vaccine roll off the production line.

It would have been easy to retreat to the lab. Pouton chose a different path. A man who has spent a career avoiding the limelight became an activist.

Thats the first 20 of about-300 genetic letters for the code for COVID-19s spike protein.

An mRNA vaccine starts with a code, written in the four letters of the genetic alphabet, like auguuuguuuuucuuguuuu .

The doses made here are for the labs animal tests. In Boronia, in Melbournes East, a company called IDT has just taken delivery of a huge version of this machine, which it will use to make doses for a 150-person clinical trial, due to start in October.

The crucial machine that encapsulates mRNA in lipid nanoparticles. A larger version of this device will make the vaccine for the clinical trial. Credit:Wayne Taylor

A dribble of clear fluid is ejected into a test tube. That is, in every sense, a Delta vaccine, says Dr Harry Al-Wassiti, a bioengineer in Professor Poutons lab. He warns against drinking it.

The fluids trickle into channels carved into a piece of black plastic the size of a credit card, which wind and come together. On a scale too small for the eye to make out, indentations in the channels act like river rapids, swirling the liquids together till they combine just so.

Each of our cells contains a tiny factory, the ribosome, which together churn out the proteins that make up your body. Hair, skin, antibodies  nearly everything that makes you you is a protein, made for you by your ribosomes. MRNA provide the instructions to the factories. Need fingernails? Just feed in the code.

MRNA vaccines contain the code for a section of a virus. After injection, the ribosomes read the code, produce the virus section, and the immune system gets busy raising antibody armies.

At least thats what everyone agreed was supposed to happen. But for decades it didnt. After injection, the mRNA just kind of sat there. No one could get the delivery right.

Professor Damian Purcell. Professor Pouton stands behind him to his left. Credit:Meredith OShea

Professor Damian Purcell, now head of the molecular virology laboratory at The Peter Doherty Institute, was building an mRNA vaccine in the early 2000s for HIV that used an electric shock to activate the mRNA.

It worked, he says. But no one wants to get zapped.

Unlike the biologists who dominate the study of mRNA, Pouton is a pharmacist who specialises in delivery. He is one of the world experts in the use of lipids to enhance the delivery of pharmaceuticals, says Charman.

Pouton had become focused on lipid nanoparticles, tiny balls of fat that can carry fragile molecules like RNA inside cells  where they actually do their work.

Much like RNA, lipid nanoparticles seemed for decades like a dead end. It took scientists until late last decade to find a way of making them non-toxic. With that advance in hand, they were suddenly the perfect delivery vehicle for RNA.

Pouton spotted that early; he had spent the last three years working on an mRNA-nanoparticle project. A trial version of his COVID-19 vaccine produced such extraordinary results when tested on mice at the Doherty Institute in August the Institute chose to partner with his team.

I knew this was a big advancement, what hed done, what he was making and the way he was delivering it, says Purcell, who did those tests. But he was really hand-to-mouth, struggling to move it along.

Unfortunately for Pouton, Moderna and Pfizer had spotted the same potential in nanoparticles. And they had money  billions of dollars from Washington and Berlin. We had the phenomenal sum of $2 million for all vaccine development, says Purcell.

Under president Donald Trump, the US invested hundreds of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccines. Credit:AP

When Pfizer and Moderna published their clinical trials at the end of 2020, it was immediately clear they were going to make billions upon billions of dollars. Pouton had what he thought was a great vaccine, but almost no money  and even if he had funding, there was no one in Australia who could actually make his mRNA jab at scale.

We thought if we just carry on with research, apply for grants, were not going to get anything done in a reasonable time frame, says Pouton.

So he began reaching out to other scientists around Australia who had an interest in RNA. There werent many: originally just a group of six, meeting on Zoom every fortnight to plot and plan.

Associate Professor Archa Fox, one of the original members of a group they christened the Australia NZ RNA production consortium, says: You do sometimes get with scientists a gatekeeper type attitude. He could have said, Look, Im the only person in Australia developing mRNA vaccines. I have a strategic edge; I am going to use that to develop my own position. But he did not do that.

Perhaps burnt by his experience, Pouton realised governments would never invest big money in a high-risk vaccine gamble, Fox thinks. They needed to show mRNA could be used for much more than COVID-19: gene therapies, blindness treatments, even new tools to attack cancer.

Our job, we felt, was to convince them there was a future, and that it wouldnt just be a one-trick pony, she says.

And Pouton engaged with the media  not easy for a man colleagues say shies away from the limelight. In the six months from April through September 2021, his media profile jumped 252 per cent, compared with the previous six months, according to data from Streem.

It wasnt hard to manufacture an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, he told journalists in a front-page article. Its just a matter of the will to make it happen.

There are some within government and industry who think hes overselling it.

It cant be that easy to make an mRNA vaccine, they say. There are only two companies in the whole world who have successfully done it.

In simple terms, we know what all the steps are [to make a vaccine]. But its like saying you can go into a Michelin-star restaurant and make the dish, Trent Munro, one of Australias most experienced biotech and biopharmaceutical experts at the University of Queensland, told The Age earlier this year (he declined to comment for this story).

And was Pouton really only a month behind Moderna in April? Moderna gave its first human doses in March; he hadnt yet finished preclinical studies.

But any successful media campaign needs to build hype. Judged by results, Poutons campaign has been a triumph.

NSW and Victoria are in a multimillion-dollar arms race for mRNA manufacturing capacity; the federal government is courting Moderna and has pledged to spend millions on our own mRNA facility. In June 2021, Pouton finally got his big break  a grant from the Victorian government to fund a phase 1 clinical trial.

Without Pouton, all this probably doesnt happen, says mRNA Victorias Charman.

Government needs to have examples it can point to, to say, This is not pie in the sky.

The obvious question to ask a scientist working on a COVID-19 vaccine in September 2021 is: why?

We often ask the same thing ourselves. Is it really worth pursuing this? says Pouton.

We have fantastic vaccines. To get approval, new vaccines have to be even better, a very high bar to hurdle.

Poutons vaccine is a gamble - a bet well need a new type of vaccine to counter the antibody-evasive variants of COVID-19, like Delta, that continue to emerge.

Consider the twisting bundle of proteins that make up COVID-19s spike. On the very tip of the spike is the receptor binding domain, a small molecular hook that needs to catch onto an ACE2 protein jutting off the side of a human cell.

A 3D map of SARS-CoV-2's spike protein. Credit:Science

The virus success is entirely dependent on that tiny hook catching. Build an antibody that gums it up, and youre basically immune.

Unfortunately, your immune system doesnt know that. It sees the entire spike, and builds antibodies for the whole thing. Some gum up the binding domain; most dont, and many do nothing at all.

If the binding domain changes shape, your antibodies cant stick to it.

Moderna and Pfizer are planning to update the shape of the spike for their boosters. Everyones hoping that works.

But theres some chance it wont, owing to a phenomenon immunologists call original antigenic sin.

This occurs when the immune system fails to spot the subtle differences between the spike protein in the original dose of vaccine and the new spike in the booster. It assumes they are the same  and doesnt update its arsenal of antibodies.

Poutons solution: slice the tip off the spike. His vaccine contains only the receptor-binding domain from the Beta variant  the most vaccine-resistance of the variant cousins  of COVID-19s spike.

Rather than having the whole spike, were really targeting a region most of the neutralising antibodies develop against, keeping the immune response a bit more tight and focused on a region we think is the most important, says Al-Wassiti.

Will it work? Were months away from finding out. If it does, then comes the next step, striking a deal with a big pharma company to actually manufacture it.

Obviously, in the end, we run out of big companies that would actually want to commercially develop this product, says Pouton.

For our vaccine to be developed commercially, it would definitely need a big pharma company to take it on. You just dont know if thats going to happen.

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Every now and then, its useful to stop and ask the basic questions. Questions like: How do submarines actually contribute to our national security? And now, it seems, nuclear-powered submarines at that.

The fundamental national security responsibilities of any government are to maintain our territorial integrity, political sovereignty and economic prosperity from external aggression. In Australias case, submarines form a critical part of a Defence Force designed to deter, disrupt or defeat military threats to our country.

When the Labor government I led prepared the 2009 Defence White Paper, we applied these disciplines to the challenges we saw for our national security to 2030. It was the first time since the 1960s that a white paper had named China as an emerging strategic challenge, for which the Liberals attacked me as an old Cold War Warrior. I made no apology despite Beijings deep objections.

Scott Morrison joins US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to announce the defence pact on Thursday.

Based on Defence advice, we agreed to double the conventional submarine fleet to 12 boats, increase the surface fleet by a third, and proceed with the acquisition of up to 100 Joint Strike Fighters.
What we saw today was a group of protesters that came together, not to protest freedoms, but simply to take on and have a fight with the police, he said. Were here to help and keep the community safe. What we dont to come to work for is to get trampled, assaulted, and end up going home with broken bones. Commander Galliott said police were at times worried about their safety, and that the cost of the total operation would run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The protesters walked up Bridge Road and then turned down Burnley Street, where the rally stopped and protesters sat in the middle of the street shouting you serve us at police.

Police used capsicum spray to subdue some protesters, who were closed in on both sides by officers carrying batons. Loading Another group of protesters later arrived and sandwiched police at one end of the demonstration. The protesters as one point broke through a gate of an apartment complex to evade police, causing traffic chaos in Richmonds side streets. They then walked back to Bridge Road before moving up Church Street in Hawthorn and then back down to Barkers Road to avoid police. Police surrounded protesters again in a gorge on Victoria Street and used capsicum spray to turn them back.

Protesters managed to surge through the police line, screaming and soaked in capsicum spray as they went. At least one officer was knocked over and trampled in the bedlam. God gave free will and freedom of choice, its not for government to take it, one protester yelled from the crowd. The mental health toll is too great, said another. The protest continued in diminishing numbers in Melbournes inner east after winding through streets for up to 10 kilometres.

A group of around 200 protesters again congregated near the corner of Bridge Road and Church Street about 2.30pm, with police blocking both sides of the major thoroughfare, before the protesters dispersed shortly after. More than 2000 officers have been deployed as part of the anti-protest operation, with senior police stating they will do everything they can to prevent access to the city. Police close off a suburban street in Melbournes inner-east. Credit:Luis Ascui Police made two hundred arrests at the last anti-lockdown rally on August 21 after more than 4000 people descended on the city. Chief Commissioner Shane Patton said earlier this week that intelligence suggested thousands more may be planning to attend Saturdays protest in breach of lockdown restrictions.

This is the biggest game in town for us, to stop this occurring, Mr Patton said. Theres nothing more important than what were about to embark on this weekend to stop this protest. Well do everything we can to prevent access to the city. Police are seen approaching protesters in Bridge Road, Richmond. Credit:Darrian Traynor/Getty Images Mr Patton also revealed that the longer restrictions go on the more likely it was that people would be fined. He said the longer and heavier the lockdown the greater the temptation was for people to break the rules. Access to the CBD will only be granted to those travelling for essential work, healthcare or to attend a vaccination appointment.
Inspectors from Western Australias mining regulator are investigating the death of a worker at an iron ore mine in the states Pilbara region.

The 52-year-old maintenance worker died after a fall on Friday at CITIC Pacifics Sino Iron site, about 100 kilometres south of Karratha.

CITIC Pacifics Sino Iron project is about 100 kilometres south of Karratha in WAs Pilbara. Credit:Tony McDonough

The company said the incident happened at the coarse ore stockpile shed in the concentrator precinct about 11am. The worker was treated at the scene before being rushed to Karratha Health Campus.

A statement from the company said the mans next of kin in the eastern states had been notified and other workers at the site were being offered counselling.
Police have arrested at least two people near a planned anti-lockdown protest at Sydney Park south of Newtown, as NSW recorded 1331 new local COVID-19 cases and six deaths.

The first arrest was a woman on the corner of South King Street and Sydney Park Road.

Police at Sydney Park in anticipation of anti-lockdown protests planned today. A woman was searched and arrested on the corner of King St and Sydney Park Road for being more than 5kms from her LGA. Credit:James Brickwood

Sydney Park is a popular spot for runners, and witnesses who saw the initial arrest said she had been asked for ID, and it showed she was outside her 5km zone or local government area. It is not known whether she was planning to attend the protest.

The police on the scene refused to confirm details on the basis that it was a major police operation with a commander, while police media said they would not provide rolling commentary but would hold a press conference later.
London: The British government said it was taking steps to return to its traditional system of imperial weights and measures, allowing shops and market stalls to sell fruits and vegetables labelled in pounds and ounces alone, rather than in the metric systems grams and kilograms, a move it hailed as an example of the countrys new post-Brexit freedoms.

The plans, which David Frost, the minister overseeing Brexit, announced this week, were cheered by Brexit supporters, many of whom had argued that the switch to the metric system over the decades was a sign of unwelcome European Union interference in daily life in Britain.

While the EU currently requires members to use only the metric system, it had allowed Britain, when it was a member, to label its produce in imperial units alongside metric units. There were also exceptions for traffic signs and beer.

The EU had always made an exception to their all-metric rule to allow British pubs to sell pints of beer. Credit:PA Pool

As part of its exit from the EU, the British government is now reviewing thousands of EU rules that it retained and determining whether they best serve the national interest. Those rules include the EU ban on sales in imperial units, which the British government said it would legislate changes to in due course.
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP)  Two journalists and an environmental activist have been beaten up by suspected illegal loggers in a forest in northeastern Romania while making a documentary about illicit deforestation, authorities said Friday.

Thursday's attack in Suceava County involved 11 people who are being interrogated, a police spokesman said. The victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and their equipment was destroyed.

Successive governments in Romania have struggled to tackle widespread illegal logging, which has drawn strong criticism from the European Union, to which Romania belongs. There have been several other violent incidents  some fatal  in the past involving suspected illegal loggers, and authorities have been accused of not doing enough to stop the problem.

I assure you that the Romanian police treat (the attack) with the utmost attention, police spokesman Georgian Dragan said Friday. All legal measures will be taken.

He called illegal logging a scourge and a police priority.

Mihai Dragolea, one of the investigative journalists attacked in the forest, told The Associated Press that their assailants were all armed with axes and bats.

If its worth acting like an organized mob towards journalists and activists, it means you have a lot to lose. There is a lot of money involved, he said.

Last year the European Commission launched infringement procedures against Romania for failing to effectively prevent illegal logging, and for not respecting EU legislation in protected Natura 2000 sites.

National authorities have been unable to effectively check the operators and apply appropriate sanctions, the Commission said.

In 2019, two forest rangers were murdered while responding to reports of illegal logging in separate cases.

Romania is home to a vast swathe of old-growth and primary forests. Around half a million hectares of such forest exist, mostly in the Carpathian Mountains, out of a total forest cover of around 7 million hectares.

Environment minister Barna Tanczos strongly condemned Thursday's attacks and said the attackers must suffer the maximum legal consequences.

We cannot accept such reprehensible acts that endanger the integrity and even the lives of those who defend the forests, he said.

The victims met Friday with lawyers provided by Greenpeace Romania and will file a legal complaint to prosecutors.

We advised them to come to Bucharest  to make sure they get objective treatment from the police, Ciprian Galusca from Greenpeace Romania told the AP. There is a history of corruption linking local authorities with informal structures of local power from timber harvesters.

Gabriel Paun, president of environmental group Agent Green, was beaten unconscious by loggers in 2016 near Retezat National Park.

There still hasnt been a resolution from prosecutors despite the hard evidence which includes filmed footage with faces and identification of the attackers, he said. Romanias justice system is encouraging violent attacks to keep occurring.
The Kentucky State Police are requesting the public's help in locating a missing man.

Trevor E. Hook of Webster County was last seen on Sept. 3.

The 25-year-old is a resident of Clay, KY. He was last known to be wearing a black Nike hat, an orange cut off t-shirt, shorts and a black Nike backpack.

He frequents the areas of Hopkinsville and Webster County.

Anyone with information concerning the whereabouts of Trevor Hook is urged to contact KSP at 1-270-676-3313.
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INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance.

Robert Durst in his wheelchair spins in place as he looks at people in the courtroom as he appears in a courtroom in Inglewood, Calif. on Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, with his attorneys for closing arguments presented by the prosecution in the murder trial of the New York real estate scion who is charged with the longtime friend Susan Berman's killing in Benedict Canyon just before Christmas Eve 2000. (Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP)  A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance.

Durst, 78, was not in court for the verdict from the jury that deliberated about seven hours over three days. He was in isolation at a jail because he was exposed to someone with coronavirus.

Durst, who faces a mandatory term of life in prison without parole when sentenced Oct. 18, was convicted of the first-degree murder of Susan Berman. She was shot at point-blank range in the back of the head in her Los Angeles home in December 2000 as she was prepared to tell police how she helped cover up his wifes killing.

Berman, the daughter of a Las Vegas mobster, was Dursts longtime confidante who told friends she provided a phony alibi for him after his wife vanished.

Prosecutors painted a portrait of a rich narcissist who didnt think the laws applied to him and ruthlessly disposed of people who stood in his way. They interlaced evidence of Bermans killing with Kathie Dursts suspected death and the 2001 killing of a tenant in a Texas flophouse where Robert Durst holed up while on the run from New York authorities.

FILE - In this Thursday, March 5, 2020, file photo, Real estate heir Robert Durst sits during his murder trial at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 of murdering his best friend Susan Berman, 20 years ago in a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying linked to his wife's 1982 disappearance. (Robyn Beck/AFP via AP, Pool, File)

Bob Durst has been around a lot of years, and hes been able to commit a lot of horrific crimes. We just feel really gratified that hes been held accountable, Deputy District Attorney John Lewin said.

Lewin met with jurors after the verdict and said they thought prosecutors had proven Durst had killed his wife and had murdered both Berman and his Texas neighbor in an effort to escape justice.

He said jurors did not find Durst credible as a witness.

Hes a narcissistic psychopath. He killed his wife and then he had to keep killing to cover it up, Lewin said.

Lewin said he hoped Durst understands what its like to be held accountable  even if it took 40 years. Considering what hes done, he got a lot more of a life than he was entitled to," the prosecutor said.

Durst was arrested in 2015 while hiding out in a New Orleans hotel on the eve of the airing of the final episode of The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, in which he was confronted with incriminating evidence and made what prosecutors said was a confession.

FILE - In this Friday, Sept. 19, 2003, file photo, Robert Durst sits in the courtroom as attorneys meet with the judge in chambers in Galveston, Texas. Durst, then 60, whose late father, Seymour, founded a Manhattan-based real estate empire still run by the family, is charged with the 2001 slaying of Morris Black. A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 of murdering his best friend Susan Berman, 20 years ago in a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying linked to his wife's 1982 disappearance. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Durst could be heard muttering to himself on a live microphone in a bathroom: There it is. Youre caught.

Dursts decision to testify in his own defense  hoping for a repeat of his acquittal in the Texas killing  backfired as he was forced to admit lying under oath, made damning admissions and had his credibility destroyed when questioned by the prosecutor.

Defense lawyer David Chesnoff said Friday they believed there was substantial reasonable doubt and were disappointed in the verdict. He said Durst would pursue all avenues of appeal.

The conviction marks a victory for authorities who have sought to put Durst behind bars for murder in three states. Durst was never charged in the disappearance of his wife, who has never been found, and he was acquitted of murder in Galveston, Texas, where he admitted dismembering the victims body and tossing it out to sea.

The story of Durst, the estranged scion of a New York real estate developer, has been fodder for New York tabloids since his wife vanished. He provided plot twists so numerous that Hollywood couldnt resist making a feature film about his life that eventually led to the documentary and discovery of new evidence in Bermans slaying.

Durst ran from the law multiple times, disguised as a mute woman in Texas and staying under an alias at a New Orleans hotel with a shoulders-to-head latex mask for a presumed getaway. He jumped bail in Texas and was arrested after shoplifting a chicken sandwich in Pennsylvania, despite having $37,000 in cash  along with two handguns  in his rental car.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham thanks the jury for their service after they found New York real estate heir Robert Durst guilty of murder Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 in Inglewood, Calif. A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)

He later quipped that he was the worst fugitive the world has ever met.

Durst escaped close scrutiny from investigators when his wife disappeared. But his troubles resurfaced in late 2000 when New York authorities reopened the case.

His lawyer told him to be prepared to be charged in the case, and he fled a life of luxury to Galveston, Texas, where he rented a cheap apartment as Dorothy Ciner, a woman he pretended couldnt speak. He eventually dropped the disguise after mishaps that included walking into a mens restroom and igniting his wig at a bar while lighting a cigarette.

Just before Christmas, he testified that he traveled to LA to visit Berman for a staycation with plans to see some of the tourist sites.

Durst, who had long denied ever being in LA at the time of Bermans death, testified at trial that he found her dead on a bedroom floor when he arrived.

Berman, a writer who had been friends with Durst since they were students at the University of California, Los Angeles, had serious financial problems at the time. Durst had given her $50,000, and prosecutors suggested she was trying to leverage more money from him by telling him she was going to speak with the cops.

Robert Durst attorney's Dick Deguerin, left, and David Chesnoff listen to the verdict being read by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark E. Windham in court Friday, Sept. 17, 2021 in Inglewood, Calif. A Los Angeles jury convicted Robert Durst on Friday of murdering his best friend 20 years ago, a case that took on new life after the New York real estate heir participated in a documentary that connected him to the slaying that was linked to his wifes 1982 disappearance. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool)

Nine months after her death, Durst killed his Galveston neighbor Morris Black, in what he said was either an accident or self-defense. Durst said he found Black, who he had become friends with, in his apartment holding Dursts .22-caliber pistol.

Durst was acquitted after testifying the 71-year-old was killed in a struggle for the gun. Durst then chopped up Blacks body and tossed it out to sea. He was convicted of destroying evidence for discarding the body parts.

After the trial and the ghastly evidence of the dismemberment, Durst found he was a pariah, he said. Despite an estimated $100 million fortune, he was turned away by multiple condominium associations and said the Los Angeles County Museum of Art wouldnt take his money unless he donated anonymously.

Durst thought a 2010 feature film based on his life, All Good Things, starring Ryan Gosling as him and Kirsten Dunst as Kathie, had been largely accurate and painted a sympathetic portrait, despite implicating him in three killings. He only objected that he was depicted killing his dog  something he would never do.

He reached out to the filmmaker and agreed to sit for lengthy interviews for a documentary. He encouraged his friends to do the same and gave the filmmakers access to boxes of his records.

He came to deeply regret his decision after The Jinx aired on HBO in 2015, calling it a very, very, very big mistake.

The documentary filmmakers discovered a crucial piece of evidence that connected him to an anonymous note sent to police directing them to Bermans lifeless body.

Durst, who was so confident he couldnt be connected to the note, told filmmakers only the killer could have written the note.

Filmmakers confronted him with a letter he sent Berman a year earlier. The handwriting was identical and Beverly Hills was misspelled as Beverley on both. He couldnt tell the two apart.

The gotcha moment provided the climax of the movie as Durst stepped off camera and muttered to himself on a live microphone in the bathroom: Killed them all, of course.

During 14 days of testimony that was so punishing Judge Mark Windham called it devastating, Durst denied killing his wife and Berman, though he said he would lie if he did.

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He tried to explain away the note and what prosecutors said was a confession during an unguarded moment.

For the first time, Durst admitted on the witness stand that he sent the note and had been in Los Angeles at the time of Bermans death.

Durst said he sent the note because he wanted Berman to be found but didnt want anyone to know he had been there because it would look suspicious.

He acknowledged that even he had difficulty imagining he could have written the note without killing Berman.

Its very difficult to believe, to accept, that I wrote the letter and did not kill Susan Berman, Durst testified.

A prosecutor said it was one of the truest things Durst said amid a ton of lies.
WINDSOR, Ont. - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made an appeal to progressive voters in southern Ontario on Friday morning, but was forced to face questions about a past sexual assault charge against one of his candidates that was later dropped.

Liberal leader Justin Trudeau makes a campaign stop at the University of Windsor in Windsor, Ont, on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

WINDSOR, Ont. - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau made an appeal to progressive voters in southern Ontario on Friday morning, but was forced to face questions about a past sexual assault charge against one of his candidates that was later dropped.

Speaking in Windsor, Ont, Trudeau said Spadina-Fort York candidate Kevin Vuong has been asked to "pause" his campaign after the party learned about the allegations.

"We are a party that always takes seriously any allegations or reports of sexual harassment or intimidation or assault," Trudeau said. "That has been clear from the very beginning."

He said his party had not been aware of the charge until Thursday, when the Toronto Star published a report on the matter.

"We are looking into it very carefully and we have asked the candidate to pause his campaign," he said.

The Defence Department confirmed late Friday that the military is reviewing whether Vuong, who is listed as a naval reservist, reported his arrest to his chain of command, as he would be expected to do. "As things stand, we are looking into the matter further," Daniel Le Bouthillier wrote in an statement sent by email.

Earlier Friday, Vuong said in a statement that the allegations are false.

I vigorously fought these allegations when they were initially brought forward. The allegations were withdrawn. Had they not been withdrawn, I would have continued to defend myself against these false allegations, he said.

This resurfacing three days before the election is deeply troubling to me and my family. I will be taking some time with my family."

Vuong could not immediately be reached Friday night to respond to the news of the Defence Department's review.

Court documents confirm Vuong was charged with sexual assault in 2019 and that the charge was withdrawn later that year.

Brian Gray, a spokesman for Ontarios Ministry of the Attorney General, said in a statement that, in general, the Crown "has a duty to assess the strength of a case throughout a prosecution, and is duty bound to withdraw charges if there is no reasonable prospect of conviction, or if it is not in the public interest to proceed."

The Conservatives and the NDP both sent out statements criticizing Trudeau and calling for Vuong to be booted from the Liberal party.

"By defending this candidate, Justin Trudeau is still putting the ambitions of himself and other men over the lives and well-being of women," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement.

The Conservatives, for their part, accused Trudeau of hiding the charge form Canadians and called on the Liberal leader to promise that Vuong would not sit in the Liberal caucus if elected.

Trudeau did not specifically answer a question about whether Vuong would be fired, saying the party still had "questions about exactly what happened."

"We are looking into that very rapidly," he said.

Spadina Fort-York was previously represented by Liberal Adam Vaughan, who is not running again in 2021. The report comes after many Canadians have already voted in advance polls and mail-in ballots.

Trudeau chose to highlight the theme of sexual assault at an afternoon whistle stop in London, where he expressed support for the thousands of Western University students who walked out of classes on Friday to protest what organizers call a "culture of misogyny" on campus.

"It's not OK for women to feel unsafe in classrooms, in workplaces," Trudeau told the crowd on a restaurant patio, before pointing out that he was one of the first male volunteers at a student society sexual assault centre during his own university days at McGill some 30 years ago.

Trudeau was greeted in both Windsor and London by small groups of protesters who hurled insults his way. In Windsor, about two dozen people chanted "traitor!" at Trudeau, whose supporters tried to respond by chanting the leader's name. In London, a man with a megaphone shouted "masks are ineffective!" and said it was his duty to oppose "tyrannical laws."

In both cases, the Liberal leader ignored the protesters and went on greeting supporters.

The questions around the candidate came as the leaders are making their pitch to voters in the final days of the campaign.

At the event in Windsor, Trudeau said he "took it personally" in 2019 when experts labelled the NDP and Greens' climate plans as more ambitious than his own.

"It really bugged me that in 2019 the experts came out and looked at the various parties climate plans and said, 'the Liberal party has a great ambitious, concrete deliverable plan to fight climate change, sure, but the NDP and the Green party have more ambition in their plan,'" he told reporters.

He said the experience motivated him to create his new plan, which he says is not just more concrete and realistic than the other two parties' plans, but also more ambitious.

Trudeau spoke of his climate plan as he made a pointed plea to voters considering the New Democrats or the Green Party in the final days of the campaign.

He said the Liberal party is the only one that can stop the Conservatives from governing, and also the one with the best plan, meaning voters are no longer facing the "impossible choice" of whether to vote strategically.

"I will ask progressives across the country who are maybe thinking about voting for the NDP or Green Party to think about the top issues they are concerned with for the future," Trudeau said.

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The Liberals are promising a 40 to 45 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 2005 levels by 2030  a target submitted to the United Nations earlier this year.

The Conservatives are promising a 30 per cent reduction, while the NDP is promising 50 per cent and the Greens are promising 60 per cent.

Later Friday, Trudeau blitzed his way through several southern Ontario cities as he racked up another high-profile endorsement from south of the border.

One day after former U.S. president Barack Obama expressed his support for Trudeau, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton did the same, praising his leadership on accessible child care, reproductive rights and action on climate change.

"Im wishing him and our progressive Canadian neighbors the best in Monday's election," she wrote of Trudeau on Twitter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2021.
EDMONTON - Jagmeet Singh met with health-care workers and criticized the COVID-19 pandemic responses of provincial governments in Saskatchewan and Alberta Saturday as the federal NDP campaign focused on Conservative-held seats in the Prairie provinces.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh greets health care workers prior to making his morning announcement in Saskatoon, Sask., Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

EDMONTON - Jagmeet Singh met with health-care workers and criticized the COVID-19 pandemic responses of provincial governments in Saskatchewan and Alberta Saturday as the federal NDP campaign focused on Conservative-held seats in the Prairie provinces.

"We wanted to come here because it's that serious," Singh said during a campaign stop in Edmonton.

The party leader said people across the Prairies are being hit extra hard by the fourth wave of the pandemic because their governments have failed them.

He threw his support behind health-care worker unions who have called on Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to request military assistance for a health-care system they say is on the verge of collapse.

Singh aims to wrest prairie seats away from federal Conservativesin the two provinces that have historically voted blue.

His campaign stops in the provinces were much smaller and he met with only a handful of people and local candidates while staying outside.

Asked whether its appropriate to continue campaigning as the regions bring back significant public health orders to tackle the spread of COVID-19, Singh defended the decision.

"A leader has to show up," he said.

Samantha Waller, an intensive-care nurse in Edmonton, told Singh about the dire situation she faces at work. There aren't enough resources and patients are dying, she said.

"I got into health care on the foundation that I wanted to help people," she said in an emotional plea.

Another intensive-care nurse, Cathleen Cobb, echoed those concerns.

"It feels like we haven't been able to do enough for anybody," Cobb said.

People should be angry at the conservative premiers, Singh said during an earlier campaign stop in Saskatoon. Health is under provincial jurisdiction and Singh did not say how a federal NDP government would have dealt with the situation or the premiers differently.

He did take aim at Justin Trudeau, saying the Liberal leader abandoned the provinces in the fourth wave.

Singh has kept his sights on the Liberals throughout the campaign, arguing the New Democrats are a viable alternative and discouraging people from strategic voting. Despite running a campaign that outwardly prides itself on positivity, the New Democrats have been very negative about Trudeau.

Singh said Canadians have to make a choice, leaving the party with little choice but to point out mistakes and bad decisions of other leaders.

The New Democrats' popularity level hasnt moved much in the last week of the campaign, with the party lagging behind both the Liberals and Conservatives in opinion polls.

Singh did not answer repeated questions about whether hed support the Liberals or Conservatives if Monday's election results in a minority government. He would also not say whether he believes the party that wins the most seats should get the first crack at government.

The NDP said Singh is ready to grow the partys seat count to fight in the House of Commons for what Canadians need.

With that goal in mind, the New Democrats are trying to capitalize on voters who are mad at provincial governments for their handling of the pandemic.

Some may come over to the NDP, but pollsters are also watching to see if others get behind the Peoples Party of Canada, splitting the vote on the right. That could allow some NDP candidates to squeak in a win.

During the whirlwind tour Saturday, Singh also visited the Regina Indian Industrial Residential School with candidate Tria Donaldson before having a sit down with a handful of Indigenous supporters at the Moose and Bannock restaurant.

The riding of Regina-Lewvan was previously held by former NDP member of Parliament Erin Weir. The Conservatives have held it since the last election in 2019.

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Singh has made allyship with Indigenous issues a key point of his campaign. During the sit down, Singh was told that Canada's reckoning over residential schools and unmarked graves cannot be the end of action.

Attendees pointed to the ongoing apprehension of children through the child welfare system, language rights and self determination as pressing issues still in need of attention.

"It's time for Indigenous communities to thrive," said Chasity Delorme.

Singh will take the NDP campaign to British Columbia for the final push before election day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2021.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said former NDP MP Erin Weir lost the riding of Regina-Lewvan in 2019. Weir did not lose the race, but was out of office prior to the 2019 vote in which the Conservatives won the riding.
In its North American Agricultural Report released this week, BMO tries to paint a Dickensian picture that this is the best of times/the worst of times for the ag industry.

In its North American Agricultural Report released this week, BMO tries to paint a Dickensian picture that this is the best of times/the worst of times for the ag industry.

Farmers across the Canadian Prairies and the U.S. Northern Plains are dealing with severe drought conditions, resulting in significantly depleted yields from one-half to two-thirds the size of normal crops.

But at the same time, the BMO report notes, "there is a silver lining: after years of excess supply, expectations of a smaller harvest have helped provoke a large increase in crop prices."

BMOs Farm Product Price Index is at historic highs in Canada, thanks to low global reserves, high demand and the fact the Canadian dollar has remained low while commodity prices have spiked.

"These aggregates necessarily gloss over a diversity of experiences within the sector, but from ten thousand feet, there is no denying that farmers are enjoying a solid marketing environment," the report stated.

'Despite the current challenges, we see huge opportunities in agriculture... We are as positive as we've ever been on the longterm outlook for this industry'

While some local ag industry analysts agree that the drought  while more devastating to some individual producers than others  is not going to destroy the industry there tends to be more circumspection than BMOs "silver lining" take.

Neil Townsend, senior market analyst at FarmLink Marketing Solutions and a former senior market researcher at the Canadian Wheat Board, said if he had to use one word to characterize the last two years in the sector it would be resiliency.

"The agricultural sectors resiliency has been tested this year," he said. "But farmers understand that farming is more about multiple years than any one year. Yet it is a difficult business to sustain."

While prices may be up, the costs of everything from equipment, fertilizer, feed, and energy are up.

Cam Dahl, the general manager of Manitoba Pork, said hog production has held its own in Manitoba, unlike the cattle industry which was hit hard by the droughts destruction of pasture making cattle feed and available water so bad that herds have had to be culled.

But he said it will take its toll as there are concerns that hog feed costs will be up by 50 per cent by the end of the year.

BMO notes global demand and lower supplies for the increase in prices, but the lower supplies are partly the result of the scorchingly hot summer.

Statistics Canada recently forecast significantly smaller wheat and canola crops this year and BMO Economics is pegging those declines at 33 per cent for wheat and 37 per cent for canola.

So whatever benefit farmers get from the rising prices  canola is at $880 per tonne compared to $456 in 2019 and wheat is at $7.12 US per bushel compared to $4.94 US in 2019  will likely be offset by poor yields, not to mention significant input cost hikes.

Townsend said, "Farm revenues will definitely be lower this year. The rate at which prices have increased have not been the same at which the volume of production has decreased."

And while international demand is also on the rise, that too is mitigated by a significant increase in the cost of ocean freight, Townsend pointed out, making those commodities that much more expensive for the importers.

But Dahl said exports to China and Asia have bolstered the $2-billion domestic industry. The Philippines has become one of the largest export destinations for Manitoba pork recently because of the African Swine Fever epidemic.

"One word to describe where hog producers are at would be uncertainty, he said. "Prices are strong and our supply chain has functioned very well during the pandemic which has been helpful as well. And while the Asian demand has been driven by the African Swine Fever, we are not really sure where that is at, if it is under control."

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The example of Manitoba producers taking advantage of demand issues elsewhere is a testament to the enormous productivity gains the industry has experienced over the years.

The BMO report notes, " Setting aside year-to-year fluctuations in growing conditions, crop yields have trended ever higher over the long run, thanks to steady advances in plant genetics, land management practices, and most recently, precision farming. Overall, wheat production in North America has increased by almost 70 per cent over the past half century, even as the amount of acreage devoted to the crop declined by around 20 per cent."

So even though some Prairie producers will be left in desperate straits this year, Townsend said, "There could be scenario where there is a bad crop and prices are also terrible. We have avoided that and in my time in the industry, when you look at the investment horizon, there is more optimism today than there has been in 15-20 years."

The BMO thesis agrees with that.

Janine Sekulic, BMOs national director, agriculture and agribusiness, said, "Despite the current challenges, we see huge opportunities in agriculture. We have confidence in the resiliency of our customers. We are as positive as weve ever been on the long-term outlook for this industry."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Is the fact that agriculture got barely a mention as the political leadership of this country has duked it out on the campaign trail sad commentary or a blessing?

Is the fact that agriculture got barely a mention as the political leadership of this country has duked it out on the campaign trail sad commentary or a blessing?

This is a case for the latter.

Farmers and the industry would like to know their concerns over the drought, support programs, animal disease threats, and global competitiveness in an increasingly volatile world rank high as political priorities.

But if they were looking to see their issues receive a thorough airing during this compressed election campaign, they would be sorely disappointed. Sure, the political parties sent representatives to participate in the agricultural debate organized by the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. They trotted out the standard lines, such as continued support for farmers and supply management.

However, the campaign agenda has generally been dominated by leaders trading barbs over so-called hot-button issues, as in, vaccine politics and why was an election called in the first place?

Given the state of political discourse in this country, the low profile for agriculture is neither surprising or all that. Quite honestly, the issues facing the sector are so complex, so interconnected, and so critical, they dont belong in campaign-style policy-making.

The biggest concern for agriculture and food interests right now is that whatever form the government takes next week, whether its a majority or a minority, that it proves capable of functioning and focusing on sustainable outcomes for the sector.

Towards that end, the Canadian Agricultural Policy Institute produced what its calling a "transition binder" this week from its board members and research associates aimed at helping the next federal agriculture minister grasp the complexities.

"We have experienced droughts before; we have experienced trade disputes before; we have navigated protectionist agri-food trade. However, in the last 25 years these stresses have been mostly short-lived and distributed over time. It is a very different situation if they are likely to increase in frequency over time and-or come all at once," wrote Al Mussell, an agricultural economist who recently joined the think tank as research co-ordinator.

"Perhaps the best understanding is that our situation today seems much more integrated, with agricultural sustainability, climate-environment, animal disease and human action manifest in more hawkish trade and domestic policy on food all intrinsically linked," he said. "If this is correct, it is a precarious situation."

CAPI was formed in 2004 as an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that provides a neutral place for the industry to discuss the big issues facing the sector. It routinely comes out with analysis that cuts through the rhetoric and reframes a debate in ways stakeholder organizations such as farm policy groups cant and still be seen as representing their members interests.

That makes its perspective valuable in an era where singularly focused positions are the order of the day.

John Weekes, a CAPI board member who was formerly one of Canadas chief trade negotiators, points out that as one of the worlds few net agricultural exporters along with Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil, Australia and New Zealand, Canada needs to leverage its capacity to support global food security in a trade environment currently dominated by big players without so much at stake.

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"With the right political leadership, Canada could take the lead in creating a new group dedicated to the twin objectives of removing remaining impediments to agricultural trade and ensuring that efforts to feed the world are done in an environmentally sustainable way," he said.

The CAPI papers also make a strong case for shifting the focus of farm support away from direct subsidies to producers to programs that support productivity growth through a faster development and uptake of new technologies and processes.

Citing OECD data, the papers note that three-quarters of Canadas $7.8 billion in agricultural spending in 2019 went directly to producers, accounting for 10 per cent of gross farm receipts.

"Real money needs to go into collaborative projects where teams of scientists and farmers can work together with industry and society for faster adoption and outcomes," said Margaret Zafiriou, CAPI Research Associate.

Food for thought as the campaign ends and government gets back to business.

Laura Rance is vice-president of content for Glacier FarmMedia. She can be reached at lrance@farmmedia.com
Generations of Winnipeggers have eaten their last giant apple pancake, buttermilk pancake or waffle with wings combo at the Original Pancake Houses iconic location on Pembina Highway.

Generations of Winnipeggers have eaten their last giant apple pancake, buttermilk pancake or waffle with wings combo at the Original Pancake Houses iconic location on Pembina Highway.

The restaurant, which opened its doors to hungry families when Elvis and the Everly Brothers were riding the top of the record charts and John Diefenbaker was Canadian Prime Minister, closed its doors permanently earlier this week.

JESSICA LEE/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Staff of The Original Pancake House pose for a photo at the Pembina Highway location.

Its the first time since 1958 those doors wont be reopening.

But Terry Friesen, the local chains general manager, said while the Pembina location has closed after 63 years and serving three generations of patrons, Winnipeggers will still be able to get their pancake fixes at their other locations at The Forks, the Clarion Hotel next to the Polo Park mall, and on McGillivray Boulevard across from Costco.

And Friesen said the closure isnt because of COVID-19 like so many other restaurants in the city and across the country in the last two years.

"We didnt have the place for sale," said Friesen on Friday as he and other staff worked at clearing out the location. "This isnt the sad story of a business gone bankrupt because of COVID fortunately.

"Someone knocked on our door and asked if we were interested in him making an offer. We looked at everything and a lot of things fell into place that it was the right time."

Friesen, who wouldnt divulge who the new owner of the property is  except that it has nothing to do with the proposed condominium development at the site of the Pembina Hotel  said all staff who want to will be transferred to their other three locations.

"Its actually good because, like many other places, we have had a hard time with getting staff," he said. "Weve even had to close the McGillivray and Clarion locations in the evening at times."

Friesen, who has worked with the chain for 10 years, said there are people working who have spent decades there  and some customers just as long.

"Im hearing second- and third-hand stories of people who said this used to be a place where people went to before and after theatre," he said.

"It was even called the Original Pancake and Chicken House when it opened. It was one of the first places to have fried chicken. Thats an interesting piece of history."

Friesen said the Guberman family, which has owned the chain for decades, first opened it as a franchise of the Original Pancake House chain in the United States, but a year later they split away from the other company.

"There are still some in the United States, mostly in the southern United States, but they have no connection with us at all."

Kevin Garski went on to run his own food service location in a local company, but when he was 14 he was hired as a dishwasher at the Pembina restaurant in 1980.

"It brings back a lot of memories of youth," said Garski. "By the time I was 16 I was running the kitchen.

"I later was going to university and they made me the summer relief manager. They gave me the keys and said, more or less, here are the keys, youre the manager. I am certain that does not happen these days."

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Garski said he also remembers Monty Guberman, the owner, coming in to check things out.

"He would speak to all of us young people there," he said. "We all looked up to him."

As for the sign out front, depicting a bow-tied chef with a long stringy moustache flipping a pancake, Friesen said theyll be leaving it behind.

"I dont have space in my house," he laughed.

"And it has been a long time since a restaurant proudly advertised they have air conditioning."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
PHOENIX  Arizona reported more than 100 daily coronavirus deaths for the second time since February.

Airport workers check containers of the first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination as it arrives in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Moderna is the third type of COVID-19 vaccine to be used in Australia, with Pfizer and AstraZeneca already in use. (Bianca De Marchi/Pool Photo via AP)

PHOENIX  Arizona reported more than 100 daily coronavirus deaths for the second time since February.

The 108 confirmed deaths and 2,742 new coronavirus cases were reported Saturday. Hospitalizations dropped below 2,000 for the first time in nearly three weeks, with 1,981 COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds on Friday.

Thats down from the current surges high of 2,103 on Sept. 11.

Meanwhile, Johns Hopkins University data showed drops in the seven-day rolling averages of daily cases and deaths in the past two weeks. The daily cases dropped from 3,152 on Sept. 2 to 2,732 on Thursday. The daily deaths dropped from 39 to 33 during the same period.

Phoenix officials say the citys two mobile COVID-19 vans and other city testing locations will begin offering vaccines. The city will use federal pandemic relief money to pay for adding vaccinations to the testing program.

Arizona has reported a total of 1.06 million confirmed cases and 19,487 confirmed deaths since the start of the pandemic.

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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:

 Schools without mask mandate get brunt of latest virus wave in South Carolina

 Floridas daily coronavirus cases drop from last month

 UN using honor system to check vaccinations for New York meeting

Victoria police fire pepper spray during a clash with protesters at a Rally for Freedom in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. The protesters were demonstrating against the latest COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

 Nonprofit started by Sean Penn aids Georgia vaccine drive

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 See AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

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HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

ROME  Italy is reporting up to a 40% increase in the number of people getting a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine following a government decree requiring a health pass for all workers, public and private, starting Oct. 15.

The office of Italys coronavirus czar says theres been a 35% one-week rise in first doses compared to last Saturday. Italian regions nationwide reported upticks of 20% to 40% for appointments this week to get the shot.

On Thursday, Italy became the first major European economy to require all workers to present a Green Pass to work next month. It requires proof of vaccination, a recent negative test, or contracting the virus in the past six months.

Health Minister Roberto Speranza says the requirement is aimed at boosting the vaccine campaign while creating safer workplaces. Italy, once the epicenter of the outbreak in Europe, has fully inoculated 75% of its population ages 12 and older. Italy has reported more than 130,000 confirmed deaths, the third-highest toll in Europe after Britain and Russia.

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ORLANDO, Fla.  Florida reported 11,275 new daily cases on Friday, about half the number from last month.

Florida was averaging more than 21,000 cases a day in August.

Victoria police clash with protesters during a Rally for Freedom in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. The protesters were demonstrating against the latest COVID-19 lockdown in Melbourne. (James Ross/AAP Image via AP)

Epidemiologists say the states rates of vaccination has outpaced the national average, but it hasnt been enough to keep the highly contagious delta variant at bay because of the Floridas large elderly population and low vaccination rates among younger groups.

AdventHealths Central Florida Division says the number of COVID-19 patients at its hospitals stands at 850 people, several hundred patients fewer than this summer.

Florida has reported nearly 3.5 million confirmed cases and 51,240 confirmed deaths.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif.  Two of Gov. Gavin Newsoms children have tested positive for the coronavirus.

A statement issued Friday says Newsom, his wife and two other children have since tested negative for the virus.

All four of the governors children are under 12, the age when children can be vaccinated.

The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic, said a statement from Erin Mellon, spokesperson in the governors office.

The announcement comes only days after Newsom handily defeated an effort to recall him, partly driven by the impact of the pandemic.

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UNITED NATIONS  The U.N. General Assembly is relying on a vaccine honor system for world leaders before they speak at next weeks meeting.

Presidents, premiers, monarchs and other dignitaries wont have to show vaccination cards or other proof of inoculation. Assembly President Abdulla Shahid says theyll simply attest to being vaccinated by swiping their ID badges.

A man stands leaning on a bench as stray dogs sleep at a beach on the Arabian Sea coast in Kochi, Kerala state, India, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Beaches and parks in the state that had been closed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus were reopened to public on Tuesday. (AP Photo/R S Iyer)

The U.N. has been wrestling with how to implement a New York City vaccination requirement for convention centers. Russia has criticized the policy, and the first scheduled speaker, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, says he doesnt plan to get vaccinated anytime soon. He contracted the coronavirus in July 2020.

Shahid told members earlier this week he supported the New York City policy but didnt give details on how it would work. Shahid, a 59-year-old Maldivian, was elected president of the U.N. General Assembly in June.

Next week, more than 100 heads of state and government and over 20 foreign ministers have signed up to speak in person. Other nations are participating by video for the speeches, where leaders discuss global issues, spotlight domestic ones and use the world stage to court allies or assail foes. The coronavirus pandemic forced the assemblys top-level annual meeting to go mostly virtual last year.

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ATLANTA  A disaster relief organization founded by actor Sean Penn is helping Georgias drive to vaccinate people against the coronavirus.

CORE, or Community Organized Relief Effort, has offered vaccines at hundreds of pop-up clinics around the state, including schools, farmers markets and meat plants.

Only 46% of the state is fully vaccinated, well below the national average of 54%. Its a big factor in Georgias nearly three-month surge in COVID infections and hospitalizations.

CORE offers vaccines for free. Funding for community outreach comes from a foundation backed by the billionaire owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank, and the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. The group plans to spend more time offering vaccines to employees at work sites, where turnout is better, said Margaret Herro, COREs Georgia director.

CORE is also offering vaccines in Washington, D.C., Oakland, California, New Orleans, Chicago, Los Angeles and a county in North Carolina. Penn started the organization in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake killed thousands in Haiti.

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COLUMBIA, S.C.  South Carolina is setting records for COVID-19 hospitalizations, and new cases are approaching the peak levels of last winter.

Since ending South Carolinas state of emergency on June 7, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster has maintained that parents alone should decide if children wear masks in schools, even as the states new cases soared from 150 a day on average to more than 5,000.

Zoe Nassimoff, of Argentina, looks at white flags that are part of artist Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg's temporary art installation, "In America: Remember," in remembrance of Americans who have died of COVID-19, on the National Mall in Washington, Friday, Sept. 17, 2021. Nassimoff's grandparent who lived in Florida died from COVID-19. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Now teachers, students and parents are struggling with the fallout as more young people contract the delta variant, forcing nearly two dozen schools and two entire districts back to online learning within a month of returning in person.

State health and education officials say the statewide mask ban in schools took away one of their best tools to stop the spread of COVID-19. The state hit nearly 2,600 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in early September, a record.

We spiked the football too early. Instead of continuing to listen to medical professionals and interpreting the data, he has been guided by Republican Governors Association talking points, Democratic state Sen. Marlon Kimpson of Charleston said.

Some lawmakers from both parties are pushing for a special session to repeal the rule and allow local governments to make decisions. The state Supreme Court is considering a lawsuit over whether the mask provision is legal.

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DUBAI  The capital of the United Arab Emirates has ended a policy requiring those coming in from other emirates to have a recent negative coronavirus test.

Abu Dhabi made the announcement Saturday, saying that people from the UAEs six other emirates could enter the capital from Sunday without getting a test.

For months, oil-rich Abu Dhabi had restricted travel, even as neighboring Dubai rapidly opened itself up to tourists.

Abu Dhabi also has implemented a requirement that people prove their vaccination status to enter some public places  a stricter requirement than the countrys other emirates.

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NEW DELHI  India gave out 25 million doses during a special COVID-19 vaccination drive organized on Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday.

The campaign took place Friday as Modi turned 71. The Health Ministry said Saturday the special drive had raised Indias overall vaccinations to more than 790 million.

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2021, file photo, a health worker administers a dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic at the Reading Area Community College in Reading, Pa. A key government advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected Biden's plan to give COVID-19 booster shots across the board and instead recommended the extra vaccine dose only for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya called the feat  a golden chapter  written in the history of the country and the world.

Only China has administered more. The Chinese government said this week it had given more than 2.16 billion shots and that 1 billion Chinese people were fully vaccinated.

India, a country of nearly 1.4 billion people, has given at least one dose to more than 62% of eligible adults and two doses to about 21%. Health ministry officials say they plan to administer over a billion shots by mid-October.

India has reported more than 33 million coronavirus cases and 444,529 deaths. The country is recording over 30,000 new COVID-19 cases a day.

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MELBOURNE, Australia  Police used pepper spray to subdue protesters Saturday at an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne, Australias second-largest city.

About 1,000 demonstrators gathered in the suburb of Richmond after the location of the protest was changed at the last minute to evade authorities.

There were minor scuffles as well as a violent confrontation involving a handful of protesters. Several protesters were arrested.

Most of the demonstrators defied regulations by failing to wear masks.

Some 2,000 police officers were deployed at road checkpoints and barricades, and on roving patrols, to try to stop the rally going ahead in breach of public health orders.

Melbournes sixth lockdown began on Aug. 5. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria state, which on Saturday reported 535 new infections and one COVID-19 death in the latest 24-hour period.

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Serbian police guards the area as demonstrators take the streets to protest potential new COVID-19 restrictions announced by the government in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska  Military leaders on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson have declared a public health emergency in response to increasing COVID-19 cases in Alaska.

They also encouraged all personnel to avoid places that do not require masks or social distancing, officials said.

U.S. Air Force Col. Kirsten Aguilar said Friday that the declaration will remain in effect for 30 days, but could be shortened or extended based on cases and community transmission of COVID-19.

Hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases across the state have increased as a result of the highly contagious delta variant. Alaska on Friday reported more than 1,200 newly confirmed cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.

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PAGO PAGO, American Samoa  American Samoa reported its first case of coronavirus on Friday.

The U.S. territorys acting governor and health officials said the islands first case of COVID-19 was of a resident who returned to American Samoa from Hawaii this week.

The infected traveler flew in on Monday, the first day of newly resumed commercial flights from Honolulu to Pago Pago. The route had been suspended since March 2020.

Officials say the resident was fully vaccinated and had traveled to Hawaii and the U.S. mainland. They say the traveler tested negative for COVID-19 before boarding the flight back to American Samoa.

American Samoa requires all travelers to be vaccinated and to quarantine.

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BATON ROUGE, La.  A child is among the latest to die from COVID-19 in Louisiana, state health officials said Friday.

Heath department figures showed the state death toll from the illness grew by 52. One of the victims was a child between the ages of 5 and 11. Fifteen people younger than 18 have died in Louisiana since the pandemic began. And its the sixth pediatric death since a fourth surge began this summer.

Coronavirus hospitalizations continued to drop. They fell to 1,367 in Fridays figures, 64 fewer than the previous day. Hospitalizations are down from a peak of more than 3,000 in August but still well above the pre-surge levels of mid-summer.

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WASHINGTON  The White House says President Joe Biden will host a virtual summit next week aimed at calling the world to account on defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.

The meeting, to take place on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly, is meant to encourage more countries to do more to vaccinate the world against COVID-19 and improve coronavirus treatments.

Press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden will be asking participants to commit to of a higher level of ambition on global vaccinations and therapeutics, along with preparing for the next pandemic.

The U.S. has committed to donating the more COVID-19 vaccine doses than any other nation to the rest of the world, and Biden is expected to ask other well-off nations to make bolder vaccine sharing commitments.

The White House says world leaders, philanthropists, industry representatives and non-governmental organizations will participate.

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.

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WASHINGTON  After overwhelmingly rejecting a plan to give Pfizer booster shots against COVID-19 to most Americans, an influential federal advisory panel has approved the extra shots for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.

The decision was made by a committee of outside experts who advise the Food and Drug Administration.

The vote recommending the booster shots for older Americans and other high-risk groups helps salvage part of the White Houses plan but is still is less than the sweeping plan proposed by Biden administration to offer booster shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to nearly all Americans eight months after they get their second dose.

Members of the panel questioned the value of offering boosters to nearly everyone. The World Health Organization has encouraged wealthier nations to hold off on boosters, except for the most vulnerable people, until other countries have received their first shots.

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RICHMOND HILL, Ont. - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Saturday that he remains open to getting rid of Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system if his party is re-elected, but added that it's not a priority since there's no consensus on the issue.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau greets supporters at a campaign stop in Newmarket, Ont., on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

RICHMOND HILL, Ont. - Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Saturday that he remains open to getting rid of Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system if his party is re-elected, but added that it's not a priority since there's no consensus on the issue.

Trudeau said, however, that he would not favour proportional representation as an alternative, saying the system "gives more weight to smaller parties that are perhaps fringe parties."

Trudeau instead expressed his preference for a ranked ballot system, saying such an approach contributes to less divisive elections.

"I have always been a fan of ranked ballots where people get to choose first choice, second choice, third choice," he said during a campaign stop in Aurora, Ont. "I think it forces parties to come together and make a pitch to be the second choice of other voters and therefore they are less divisive."

The Liberal leader first raised the prospect of electoral reform in 2015 by promising that the federal election held that year would be the last to use the first-past-the-post method, a pledge he would ultimately renege on.

Trudeau added Saturday that moving forward with electoral reform was "not a priority" since there was still no consensus among political parties on the issue.

"If ever there is more of a consensus, it could be interesting to follow up on and I'd be open to that, because I've never flinched in my desire for ranked ballots," he said.

Trudeau was asked about the issue shortly after his party announced it was cutting ties with a Toronto candidate who previously faced a sexual assault charge that was later dropped.

The party said Friday it had learned of the allegations against Kevin Vuong through a report in the Toronto Star a day earlier, and had asked him to "pause" his campaign.

But the party released a statement on Saturday saying Vuong won't be a Liberal candidate anymore, and if he's elected to represent Spadina-Fort York on Monday, he will not be a member of the Liberal caucus.

Vuong denied the allegations against him in a statement Friday, and noted the charge was withdrawn. He did not immediately respond to request for comment on Saturday's developments.

When asked about the issue on Saturday, Trudeau said the party had followed the processes in place and had "come to the conclusion this individual can no longer be a Liberal candidate in this election."

He also said his party would continue to improve its candidate vetting process to avoid similar situations in the future.

With only two days before Canadians head to the polls, Trudeau clearly wished to keep his attention firmly fixed on the battle for last-minute votes.

Under sunny skies, he blitzed through a series of stops in Ontario -- buying honey at a farmer's market in Newmarket, doing some lawn bowling in Richmond Hill and dropping by a campaign office to urge volunteers to "go flat out" to get the vote out.

"Knock on doors, talk to your neighbours," he urged them.

At most stops, Trudeau was greeted by friendly crowds who swarmed him for selfies, with the occasional protester or heckler throwing insults from the outside.

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A small group of sign-waving protesters lined the road leading to Trudeau's final rally in Peterborough and booed his bus as it passed, but were limited to the street outside the venue under the watchful eye of police officers.

Over and over, Trudeau repeated his party's promise to fight climate change and promote vaccines, and insisted Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole would "take Canada backwards."

Trudeau has been coy in recent days about his own post-election future, saying that he wants to concentrate on Monday's vote and not engage in speculation.

But on Saturday, he said he's not done with putting forward his agenda on issues such as climate change, affordable child care and protecting seniors, adding he's enthusiastic "not only for the days to come, but the years to come together."

"There is lots of work still to do, and I'm nowhere near done yet," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 18, 2021.
OTTAWA - The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic coloured some heated political debate Saturday in the final stretch of the federal election campaign.

Conservative leader Erin O'Toole gives the thumbs up as he speaks with supporters outside a campaign office Friday, September 17, 2021 in Brantford, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - The fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic coloured some heated political debate Saturday in the final stretch of the federal election campaign.

Justin Trudeau touted the importance of getting vaccinated as key to a safer future, while the NDP's Jagmeet Singh criticized the Liberal leader for failing to push harder for paid sick leave and proof-of-vaccination certificates.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, meanwhile, insisted his party was running a safe campaign but would not say how many of his candidates are fully immunized against the virus.

O'Toole has repeatedly taken Trudeau to task for calling an election during the pandemic.

"I will not use a health crisis to divide Canadians as Mr. Trudeau has with this election," the Conservative leader said during a swing through southern Ontario.

O'Toole tried to cast the debate forward, citing a need to be ready for the possibility of another pandemic.

He pointed to the Tory platform, which includes promises to ramp up domestic vaccine research, trials and manufacturing capacity as well as domestic production of critical supplies and better means of detecting and assessing health-related threats.

The goal is "to be more prepared for a pandemic, to not be relying on others, to rely on ourself," O'Toole said.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole and Rebecca OToole stop and play with Grace, a golden retriever, during a campaign stop in Flamborough, Ont., Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Campaigning north of Toronto, Trudeau accused O'Toole of telling his party's candidates to hide their vaccination status.

The question of who Canadians trust to get through the pandemic is a core one for voters, because everyone wants to see the end of COVID-19, he said.

"We are seeing a fourth wave. It is concentrated amongst unvaccinated people  it is concentrated, actually, in those conservative western provinces that didn't move forward as strongly on vaccination as other parts of the country," Trudeau said.

"The reality is Canadians deserve to make a clear choice."

Voters head to the polls on Monday, though many have already cast ballots in advance polls or through the mail.

Opinion polls generally place the Liberals and Conservatives in a deadlock, with notable leads for Trudeau's party in vote-rich Ontario and Quebec.

Singh seemed unfazed Saturday when asked about his party's lack of movement in the polls, seemingly stalled in third place.

"Canadians are going to decide what type of Parliament we have on Monday, and that's going to be their choice," Singh said in Saskatoon.

"I've been hearing from so many people that have been saying, I can't vote for the Liberals again, I can't pay the price of their broken promises."

Looking to a pandemic recovery, Singh stressed the importance of ensuring people don't have to go to work when they are ill.

"We know that many times in this pandemic, people were going into work sick, and that workplace transmission of the virus is one of the highest sources of transmission. We want to make sure people don't have to do that anymore."

The NDP want to continue supports for small businesses and "make sure that big box stores and large corporations start paying their fair share to invest that back into people," he added.

Singh also emphasized the New Democrats' promise to end privatized long-term care.

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"We have a plan to make sure people are at the heart of our solutions and that health care is something we invest in."

Green Leader Annamie Paul, campaigning in British Columbia, called for greater co-operation across levels of government and political parties to combat the virus.

"We need clear information so that people can can go about their lives knowing that they're doing their fair share to help us to defeat COVID once and for all," Paul said.

"And we also need a much more vigorous education campaign for those who continue to hesitate to get vaccinated."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2021.

 With files from Kelly Geraldine Malone and Nick Wells.
Manitobas highest court has upheld a sex assault conviction for a man who had sex with the mentally ill victim while she was in the grip of an alternate personality.

Manitobas highest court has upheld a sex assault conviction for a man who had sex with the mentally ill victim while she was in the grip of an alternate personality.

The man, identified in court documents by the initials K.G.P., argued at trial the woman initiated and consented to sex after assuming an alternate personality during a mental episode in May 2018.

The woman was later diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, once commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder.

While the victim was undiagnosed at the time of the assault, court was told K.G.P. knew the victim had suffered what she described as "seizures" which were accompanied by a "switch" to an alternate personality over whom she said she had no control.

Simply having a mental illness does not equate to not having an operating mind. For her to be able to communicate her consent and withdraw it must mean she is capable of understanding she has a choice I appreciate she feels she was violated, but we are looking at what her state of mind was at the time.  Defence lawyer Joshua Rogala

"The trial judge was satisfied that the victim did not consent in the sexual activity and did not have the capacity to consent," Manitoba Court of Appeal Justice Lori Spivak said, dismissing K.G.P.s appeal on behalf of the court following a two-hour hearing Friday. "She found he did not take reasonable steps to ascertain consent and exploited the victims vulnerabilities."

Defence lawyer Joshua Rogala argued Friday the woman actively negotiated what she would and would not do sexually, including a demand K.G.P. not kiss her, showing she was in a position to make her own decisions.

"Simply having a mental illness does not equate to not having an operating mind," Rogala said. "For her to be able to communicate her consent and withdraw it must mean she is capable of understanding she has a choice I appreciate she feels she was violated, but we are looking at what her state of mind was at the time."

What the victim said at the time is irrelevant, Crown attorney Ami Kotler countered, "all that matters is whether (she) believes she was in control."

"The defence argues we have words suggesting consent, dont look behind them," Kotler said. "You could say the same thing about a complainant who was intoxicated or muttering in their sleep."

The defence argues we have words suggesting consent, dont look behind them. You could say the same thing about a complainant who was intoxicated or muttering in their sleep.  Crown attorney Ami Kotler

K.G.P. went on trial last year and was sentenced in April to just under 3  years in prison.

At trial, court was told K.G.P and the then-30-year-old victim met in December 2017 while living in the same apartment building. They quickly became friends.

In a text message to K.G.P. the following month, the woman described her mental-health troubles.

"Something would come over me and I would be so out of it and talk in third-person, and my voice would change, and I would have this evil laugh that wasnt my laugh," the woman wrote. "I would make a growling noise and say evil things I felt like someone or something was controlling me and making me act a certain way and say certain things that I would never say or do."

The woman testified she had slept over at K.G.P.s apartment the night before the assault. She said when she woke up the next afternoon, K.G.P. was present when she suffered a seizure and felt like she was going to "switch."

Something would come over me and I would be so out of it and talk in third-person, and my voice would change, and I would have this evil laugh that wasnt my laugh, the woman wrote. I would make a growling noise and say evil things I felt like someone or something was controlling me and making me act a certain way and say certain things that I would never say or do.  Text message from victim to her accused

The woman said her next clear memory was standing alone and naked in the living room, and being sore in her rectal area. When the woman accused K.G.P. of raping her, he claimed: "You told me to have sex with you, so I did."

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"No, I told you I had switched," the woman said. "You knew that wasnt me."

K.G.P. recorded audio of the assault on his cellphone. The woman, in a voice different from her "host" identity, referred to herself as the devil. Six minutes into the 20-minute recording, she urged K.G.P. to "f--- us."

Later, K.G.P. asks the woman to roll over, to which she responds: "We dont roll over." K.G.P repeated the request several times, telling the woman: "She likes it."

The trial judge rejected the defence argument it was sufficient that one of the victims identities was consenting to sex, regardless of her mental state. Queens Bench Justice Shauna McCarthy said that position ignored the expert medical evidence of Dr. William Fleisher, who said the victims brain would not have been functioning properly during a dissociative-identity-disorder event.

"The tone and quality of the (victims) voice and her manner of speaking can only be described as troubling and, at times, bizarre," McCarthy said in a written decision convicting K.G.P. "I have no question in my mind that any reasonable person, even without knowledge of her mental health problems or diagnosis, would have had concerns about her mental state at the time."

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
HEADINGLEY  Trails Manitoba has selected the first projects approved for funding through the provincial government's Manitoba Trails Improvement Endowment Fund.

HEADINGLEY  Trails Manitoba has selected the first projects approved for funding through the provincial government's Manitoba Trails Improvement Endowment Fund.

After receiving more than 80 applications, 35 recreational trail projects were chosen in rural Manitoba, with approved Winnipeg projects to be announced later this year, Conservation Minister Sarah Guillemard said Friday at Beaudry Provincial Park.

The province established the $10-million endowment fund to generate revenue for groups to develop new trails and enhance and maintain trails throughout the province. Nearly $900,000 has been granted for recreational trail projects following the first round of applications for 2020-21, Guillemard said.

Some of the approved projects include $39,200 to develop a scenic walking trail off of the Headingley Grand Trunk Trail, $25,850 for a study on a new trail on the Brokenhead Interpretive Trail Loop, and $65,366 for a regional trail system connecting Stony Mountain to Stonewall.

Manitobans have made the most of the province's trail system during the pandemic, proponents said.

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"In the past year and a half, as COVID-19 has forced people to explore locally, we've really seen how important trails are for our mental and physical health," said Erik Dickson, president of Trails Manitoba. "I encourage everyone to get outside and explore our communities, towns, cities and our province."

A member of the Headingley Grant Trunk Trail Association said that trail had a huge increase in use during the pandemic  even during winter. Jean Robson said users will soon have a wilderness detour running from the 10-kilometre straight, flat route on top of a former rail bed.

"It's great for hiking, running and riding bikes, but it's not quite as relaxing and doesn't get you as in touch with nature as the new little piece will," Robson said at the park near the end of the Grand Trunk trail. The new trail runs through a forest, natural marshland and is bookended by tall grass prairie, she said.

Wood chips will soon be spread along the path that has fitness and rest areas, as well as a natural playground with interactive signage about conservation and sustainability, Robson said.

"It's a really nice journey."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
The last time Leonard Ross saw his daughter, Jessie McKay, she was on her way to a birthday party. He dropped her off near Redwood and Main; as she got out of the car, she told him she loved him. Later that night, Jessie called her sister to say she was going to bring home some birthday cake.

The last time Leonard Ross saw his daughter, Jessie McKay, she was on her way to a birthday party. He dropped her off near Redwood and Main; as she got out of the car, she told him she loved him. Later that night, Jessie called her sister to say she was going to bring home some birthday cake.

Sept. 5 was the last time any of Jessies family members have spoken to her. The outgoing 22-year-old never made it home that night and has fallen uncharacteristically silent on social media. Her relatives are searching for her and asking the public for help.

Jessie McKay

On Friday afternoon, over a dozen of Jessies relatives, along with Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias, gathered at the offices of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak to issue a plea to Winnipeggers.

"We just want our niece Jessie to come home," her uncle, Christopher Ross, said. "Jessie, if you see this, phone your mom or dad. Were very worried about you, and we love you. I hope you make it home."

The silence is not like Jessie. Like most youth her age, she "lives on her phone," her mother Phyllis Ballantyne said, and shes very close with her sister. She had a job waiting for her in Pimicikamak, also known as Cross Lake, where she had spent the summer and was set to return to work at Northmart.

Jessie is "very friendly," her uncle said, and usually keeps in touch.

"She loves her family, I know that, and she cares for her nephew," Ross said.

Jessie is 4-11, and weighs about 150 lbs. She has dyed blond hair and wears glasses. The last time she was seen, she was wearing a multicoloured shirt, black Nike sneakers and ripped jeans. She was carrying a black Nike bag.

Winnipeg police checked for her at local hospitals; her relatives, most of whom live in Cross Lake and have come down to join the search, have been compiling lists of friends and driving all over the city in hopes of locating her.

"Theyre all here, they care deeply for her," Monias said. "Were hoping that we can find her."

Anyone with information about her is urged to call the Winnipeg police missing persons unit at 204-986-6250 or Bear Clan at 204-794-3568; callers may leave tips anonymously.

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Others who wish to help can share her picture, or join in the search: on Saturday afternoon, Bear Clan will lead a search group from noon to 4 p.m, starting at Bear Clans 584 Selkirk Ave. headquarters.

The public can also support Jessies family directly. Searching for a missing loved one is incredibly draining, both emotionally and financially; with most of her family visiting the city from Cross Lake, 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg, the effort to find her has already been costly.

If anyone wishes to donate to support the search, they can contact Christopher Ross at 204-997-4691.

"When an Indigenous woman goes missing from the north, its very difficult for family," said Hilda Anderson-Pyrz of MKO. "Theres very limited resources for families to search for their loved one in urban environments, so its a real struggle. If theres individuals who can donate to the family, thats really helpful as well.

"Its a very challenging time, its a very stressful time, and were all praying for a good outcome that Jessie is located safely."

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
The flagrant violation of public health orders has been good for business for two Winnipeg eateries.

The flagrant violation of public health orders has been good for business for two Winnipeg eateries.

"We will not comply with any unconstitutional mandates!" reads a sign taped to the door that leads to the Monstrosity Burger and Tuxedo Village Family Restaurant, which share a space in a Corydon Avenue strip mall. "We will not participate in helping government steal your freedom of choice and divide our people!"

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Owners Dave Jones and Paulina Jojnowicz have gone public about being ticketed and their views against the provinces measures to curb COVID-19.

Inside the entryway, signs and stickers tout a "pro freedom zone" and advise visitors they wont be asked for proof of immunization; a stool in the corner holds a stack of newspapers with articles critical of COVID-19 vaccines and mandates.

Even before the restaurants open for the Friday lunch rush, a lineup of about a dozen customers forms outside. Some take photos of the signage on the door, and one patron explains to the others that he had travelled from The Pas to show his support for the restaurant. It has been fined for breaking COVID-19 public health rules. A prominent local organizer of anti-mask rallies stops by, unmasked.

Owners Dave Jones and Paulina Jojnowicz have gone public about being ticketed and their views against the provinces measures to curb COVID-19. In a public interview with a local Facebook group posted Tuesday, Jones compared masks to muzzles and said he and Jojnowicz planned to fight their tickets.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS We will not comply with any unconstitutional mandates! reads a sign taped to the restaurants' door.

"We have a government thats committing treason, trying to get us to enforce something thats illegal, to have someone provide their medical records," he said. "Were not going to do that, were not going to bow down to this government anymore."

Jones refused to comment after being contacted by the Free Press Friday.

The owners are no strangers to controversy. Earlier this month, a video surfaced online of two unmasked uniformed police officers ordering in the restaurant. The staff who took their orders were also unmasked. At the time, police board chairman Markus Chambers told media he expected police officers to behave in line with public health orders.

The police chief weighed in on the incident after attending a police board meeting Sept.. 10.

"It will be looked at  the division commander is aware of it. I expect them to find out what the circumstances were," Danny Smyth told reporters.

"Theyll be a follow-up, and theres potential that professional standards may be involved," the chief said.

In June 2020, the Tuxedo Village restaurant was vandalized after one of the owners commented on a personal Facebook account claiming that "white people (were) going around and bowing down to and kissing the feet of Black people to prove their (sic) not racist." It was posted days after a large Black Lives Matter in Winnipeg.

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Not every Winnipeg eatery has had success after speaking out against public health orders.

The downtown coffee shop Forth Cafe decided to close less than a week after management announced it would halt indoor dining after "struggling to align (its) values of a healthy society with the current mandate from the Manitoba government which restricts indoor dining to only vaccinated customers."

"We are struggling to align our values of a healthy society with the current mandate from the Manitoba government which restricts indoor dining to only vaccinated customers," the Instagram post, published last week, reads. "We do not believe this is an effective and inclusive public health policy and we wish to signal support for open and reasonable debate on the public health response in Manitoba (and Canada)."

A post on Instagram Thursday said the cafe would be closed for the rest of September because staff was harassed after the owners shared their views online.

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
Canadian political parties may not be interested in talking about Indigenous peoples this federal election campaign, but Indigenous people are sure interested in talking about them.

Opinion

Canadian political parties may not be interested in talking about Indigenous peoples this federal election campaign, but Indigenous people are sure interested in talking about them.

The 2021 campaign was supposed to be different  especially after a summer where unmarked graves of First Nations children were found at former residential schools, "Cancel Canada Day" resulted in the toppling of statues and names of racist past figures, and the COVID-19 pandemic made clear poverty in Indigenous communities could result in Canadians paying the price for historic, systemic racism.

It was supposed to be the election to talk about Tory Leader Erin OTooles flagrant ignorance surrounding Indigenous rights, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeaus promise to "honour Canadas nation-to-nation relationship" with Indigenous communities, and whether NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh could truly address systemic racism.

It was supposed to be the election where reconciliation was actually talked about, with a record 77 Indigenous candidates running for federal office.

Instead, party heads ignored the issues while accusing one another of treating Indigenous communities worse, with Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet far more worried about Quebecs reputation than the highly publicized in-hospital death of Indigenous woman Joyce Echaquan.

Yet, Indigenous people are, remarkably, still encouraging one another to cast a ballot

All this week, community leaders across the country have encouraged their citizens  through announcements, news releases and via numerous "Rock the Indigenous Vote" sites on social media platforms  to vote Sept. 20.

In Manitoba, all three of the provinces grand chiefs and the Assembly of First Nations regional chief are on-board with a "I am First Nations and I Vote" campaign.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee and Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas vow to work with whichever federal party is victorious Monday, but have publicly endorsed Liberal candidate (and Cree woman) Shirley Robinson in Manitobas northern ChurchillKeewatinook Aski riding.

This is like saying you support everyone and only one party at the same time. It is however also an example that shows how Indigenous people are motivated to vote by relationship instead of platform or party alliance.

The AFN has long-encouraged First Nations citizens to vote collectively, almost in a rebuke of party politics. Its officials released data showing  if voting in a block  24 federal ridings could be determined primarily by Indigenous voters.

ChurchillKeewatinook Aski is top of that list, with 63 per cent of electors in the area First Nations, followed by DesnetheMissinippi-Churchill River in Saskatchewan (49 per cent) and Kenora in Ontario (29 per cent).

The increase in support for Indigenous voter participation and calls for strategic voting comes from a severe lack of representation in Parliament. The largest number of Indigenous MPs was 10, elected in 2019; thats less than three per cent of MPs.

If First Nations people did vote as a block and for their own interests, it would likely be for the NDP. There is near-universal agreement its platform is the most progressive for First Nations.

The Liberals are in many ways the party that best represents Metis interests. Manitoba Metis Federation president David Chartrand is a huge Trudeau backer.

This is not to forget the Conservatives, who have made more Indigenous-related promises in their platform (a whopping 14 pages) than at any time in history.

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Meantime, there is hope to bounce back from the 11 per cent drop in First Nations voter participation in 2019 from the record 61.5 per cent turnout in 2015. (Metis votes are harder to track and Inuit participation barely breaks 20 per cent.)

In Manitoba, on-reserve voting was 57.5 per cent in 2015, dropping to 40.6 per cent in 2019.

The simple difference between the two elections was one name: Stephen Harper. The majority of Indigenous people wanted the Tory prime minister out of office and were willing to cast a ballot to do it.

Turns out Indigenous people, like non-Indigenous Canadians, would rather vote against than for someone.

That much, we share.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca
The federal Conservatives are demanding answers from the Liberals after news a researcher at the National Microbiology Laboratory, who has links to China, worked in Winnipeg with a Chinese military officer.

The federal Conservatives are demanding answers from the Liberals after news a researcher at the National Microbiology Laboratory, who has links to China, worked in Winnipeg with a Chinese military officer.

In July 2019, renowned Ebola researcher Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Chang, were removed from the Arlington Street lab and later terminated by the Public Health Agency of Canada, which has only ever cited an "administrative matter" involving "possible policy breaches."

The RCMP is investigating Qiu and Chang but neither has been charged.

Qiu has received high-profile awards for her key role in developing an Ebola vaccine at the Winnipeg lab.

Months before her ouster, Qiu had sent samples of Ebola and Henipah viruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China. Sources in Winnipeg have told the Free Press this was done without adequate paperwork, an allegation Public Health has denied.

The lack of a clear explanation has fuelled conspiracy theories about the novel coronavirus, which surfaced in late 2019 in Wuhan, but officials have found no credible link with the Chinese citys lab.

Last month, journalist Elaine Dewar revealed Qiu had worked with Major-Gen. Chen Wei, who is part of the Peoples Liberation Army, on Ebola research.

Dewars book, On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years: an Investigation, noted the research identified Chen as a researcher with a Chinese agency linked to the military, but did not specify she was the militarys most senior virologist.

Media reported on this connection this month, prompting the federal Conservatives to claim the Liberals are covering up the labs work with the Chinese military.

In a statement, the Public Health Agency of Canada said it regularly works with researchers from abroad, and visitors must always be escorted by an employee who has security clearance.

"While the NML does not have institutional agreements with the Chinese military, Canadas scientists have collaborated with Chinese scientists to contribute to the global public health fight against deadly diseases, such as Ebola," an agency spokesperson told the Free Press in an emailed statement.

"These collaborations have yielded vaccine and treatment candidates for diseases, as documented in peer-reviewed journals."

The Conservatives said the Liberals must reveal several details on the matter to Canadians, including who approved co-operation between the scientists and the Chinese military, as well as whether any intellectual property was passed on to China.

"This is fundamentally a question of trust. Its increasingly clear that (Liberal Leader) Justin Trudeau is covering up evidence that Chinas military infiltrated our most sensitive, top-level government lab," the Tories allege in a news release.

The party did not directly respond to questions Friday from the Free Press, instead directing a reporter to a series of past news releases.

In an email, a Liberal spokesperson called the Conservative claims "disappointing."

"We take national security very seriously, and it is disappointing that the Conservatives continue to play games with Canadians safety and security. This past spring, the requested documents were provided to the Canada-China committee with protections in place for privacy and national security. The Liberal government then went further and provided unredacted documents to the only committee of parliamentarians that has the security clearance and adequate safety protocols," Brook Simpson said in an emailed statement.

In May, the Globe and Mail reported the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had first tipped off Public Health about Qiu and her husband, raising concerns about their contacts in China and the possible transfer of intellectual property.

The Globe, which did not name its sources, reported Public Healths decision to pull the couples security clearance came at the suggestion of CSIS.

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This spring, members of Parliament pushed Public Health to be more open about why the two scientists were let go, with the agency insisting for months it cannot discuss personnel matters.

Ottawa had only provided highly censored documents, and eventually said disclosing the records could endanger national security. Opposition parties rejected the Liberals request to have the documents shared with a panel of MPs approved by the prime minister.

The spat escalated to an unprecedented court case, in which the Speaker of the House of Commons argued the government was violating the supremacy of Parliament by withholding documents. The Speaker withdrew that case as the election was called in August.

Qiu could not be reached for comment Friday.

 with files from Joyanne Pursaga

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
WINKLER  Its the lunch rush at Twisters, and wait staff are serving up coffee and sandwiches to hungry diners.

WINKLER  Its the lunch rush at Twisters, and wait staff are serving up coffee and sandwiches to hungry diners.

Patrons at the 1950s-style diner are greeted warmly, seated and given menus. Staff members and customers exchange small talk, but one topic of conversation is notably absent: COVID-19.

On a recent Friday, the Free Press visited a dozen Winkler businesses, none of which implemented provincial public-health orders mandated to curb a looming fourth wave of the virus. COVID-19 is taking hold in the southern Manitoba city, where vaccination rates are the second-lowest in the province, higher only in the surrounding Rural Municipality of Stanley.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Twisters restaurant in Winkler. Many in the southern Manitoba region do not agree with COVID-19 vaccines, masks and vaccine passports.

The vast majority of patrons walked into Twisters unmasked and no one, including a Free Press reporter, was asked to show proof of immunization. A few coffee refills later, a young server came by and asked the reporter if they had proof of vaccination and a mask, but didnt ask to see either, because she said staff had been tipped off that it was possible a health inspector could be checking that day.

Flouting health orders pays off for city restaurants Click to Expand MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Owners Dave Jones and Paulina Jojnowicz have gone public about being ticketed and their views against the provinces measures to curb COVID-19. Posted: 5:19 PM Sep. 17, 2021 The flagrant violation of public health orders has been good for business for two Winnipeg eateries. We will not comply with any unconstitutional mandates! reads a sign taped to the door that leads to the Monstrosity Burger and Tuxedo Village Family Restaurant, which share a space in a Corydon Avenue strip mall. We will not participate in helping government steal your freedom of choice and divide our people! Read Full Story

Public-health officers didnt visit Twisters that day, so no fines were issued, owner Christine Kornelsen said. She said while it was possible servers werent asking for proof of vaccination or masks, she and her staff were confused by muddled messaging from the provincial government at the time about what they were required to enforce.

"Were trying to enforce whoever will listen, put it that way," she said.

Since the Free Press visit, staff have been briefed on the rules and have become more strict when asking for proof of immunization and masks, she said.

There doesnt seem to be any way to find out the number of tickets  if any  were issued in Winkler that day to individuals and businesses for public-health order violations. A provincial government spokesperson refused to answer a Free Press request for that information, as well as the number issued in that community since the return of the mask mandate in establishments on Aug. 28.

The spokesperson instead referenced the weekly COVID-19 enforcement reports, which do not break down the numbers of violation notices by health district.

"The Manitoba government appreciates the partnership of our business community to help keep Manitobans safe and protected from COVID-19 and while we reopen our province," the spokesperson wrote in an email.

Were trying to enforce whoever will listen, put it that way."  Twisters owner Christine Kornelsen

From Sept. 6-12, enforcement officers handed out 14 COVID-19 health order violation notices in the entire province, including two $5,000 fines to businesses.

The province reported 88 new COVID-19 cases Friday; 30 of them  the highest number of any of the five regions  were in Southern Health, where Winkler is located.

NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine accused the provincial government of taking an irresponsible step backward when it comes to cracking down in health districts where Manitobans are blatantly ignoring health orders and putting lives at risk.

"I think that its quite shameful to see how folks have not stepped up and (done) their part... and equally shameful that the government is kind of just throwing up their hands and saying, Well, theres nothing that we can do. Lets not upset certain segments of the Manitoba population. Lets not do anything thats going to make them uncomfortable," Fontaine said.

Anti-vaccine/anti-mask rallies that have drawn hundreds in various communities have proven that the province will not act proactively to stop dangerous gatherings before they start, she said, pointing to the disproportionate ratio of the number of people often at these rallies and the number of tickets the province reports handing out.

"The government knew, has known, over and over and over again, when these people rally and when they put peoples lives, really, at risk," she said.

Tensions have, in extreme cases, escalated to violence in Winkler. Police are investigating after a confrontation between a masked woman and unmasked man inside a store ended with the man running the woman off the road when she attempted to drive away from the store Aug. 28.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A person passes mask and kindness signage as he enters a Winkler business.

Winkler is taking a break from being in Friendly Manitoba, it seems.

"Not all, but some of them are just angry, they take it out on staff members at the store," police Chief Ryan Hunt said. "Were just seeing a lot of frustration."

A couple of days later, police were called to a similar situation where someone shoved their shopping cart at an unmasked customer and uttered threats. No one was charged, but the unmasked shopper received a warning.

Winkler police issued "less than five" tickets in the last week. Hunt declined to say how many health-violation tickets have been issued by his officers overall.

"Theres a lot of variables at play that, I think, makes people come up with the idea that were not enforcing it, but theres so much misinformation the last little while," he said. "Its frustrating."

The government knew, has known, over and over and over again, when these people rally and when they put peoples lives, really, at risk."  NDP house leader Nahanni Fontaine

Many reports of violations are made after the fact, he said. That, combined with an overworked and understaffed department, means officers arent able to answer every COVID-related call they receive.

And, on the other side, theres no shortage of support for businesses in the community flouting the rules. Such as a locked Facebook group with nearly 2,000 members in southern Manitoba and beyond who share their (usually critical) views on the provinces COVID-19 response and regularly provide lists of restaurants and other businesses where mask-wearing and proof of immunization are not enforced.

The Free Press received multiple tips from concerned Winkler residents who said some local business owners had met recently and decided collectively to ignore health orders.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Mask and vaccination signs greet customers at Twisters.

Mayor Martin Harder confirmed the meeting took place and said he was present, but insisted its purpose was to find a way to address business owners concerns of what he called the "abuse" of young employees who were trying to enforce the rules.

The solution, he said, was the creation of a sign businesses could have at the door encouraging visitors to treat staff with kindness.

"We never once said that they should not or didnt need to follow the rules," Harder said. "The sign clearly says what they do need to do."

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winkler mayor Martin Harder.

As gentle as the signs message is, there were business owners at the meeting who didnt support the effort.

"There were some there that definitely said they were going to use it, it would help them to enforce (the health orders), and there were some there that said, Well, Ill put the sign up, but I wont make my staff ask for identification," the mayor said.

And now, in practice, a sign on the window hasnt done much to defuse the situation, an employee at a local boutique said.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous fearing backlash toward the business or her family, said she hadnt asked the Free Press reporter to wear a mask in the store out of a sense of defeat. People who arent following the rules in stores often get loud. And even violent.

"Theyre very negative," she said. "They yell, they swear, they spit, they refuse to stand behind the plastic shields."

Theyre very negative. They yell, they swear, they spit, they refuse to stand behind the plastic shields.  Anonymous employee at local store

She said her teenage daughter works in a local big-box store and regularly endures verbal abuse from adults customers angry about the rules.

"I dont know whose responsibility it is to do anything, but I dont believe its the stores; its got to be police," the woman said, her voice shaking.

She said she has heart issues and is immunocompromised and constantly worries about her daughters safety.

"Theyre not listening to the store employees or store owners," she said. "They do what they want."

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Workers in the community are exhausted, overwhelmed and afraid, she said.

While a business in Winnipeg that takes a public pro-mask, pro-vaccine stance might alienate a small percentage of customers, in Winklers small-town culture where everyone knows everyone else, the effect could be devastating, she said.

"I think a lot of business owners are scared to offend people. Theyre scared that at the end of this, if theyre too strict, theyre going to suffer for it for years to come," she said.

"And I think some are very fearful of that."

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: malakabas_
A controversial candidate for the Progressive Conservative leadership who was rejected by the party won't go down without a fight.

A controversial candidate for the Progressive Conservative leadership who was rejected by the party won't go down without a fight.

Ken Lee, who met most of the entry requirements to run for leader, plans to hold a protest outside the PC party's downtown headquarters Saturday afternoon.

Ken Lee posted social media notices on Friday claiming his exclusion from running for party leader  and premier of Manitoba  is "dirty party politics." (Facebook)

Lee posted social media notices on Friday claiming his exclusion from running for party leader  and premier of Manitoba  is "dirty party politics."

The party's former chief financial officer was endorsed by anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and the far-right People's Party of Canada. Lee says he met all the entry requirements and hasn't been told why he was not approved.

The PC party announced Thursday that former health minister and Tuxedo MLA Heather Stefanson, and former police officer and Conservative MP Shelly Glover, will be the only two candidates in the Oct. 30 race. They have "met all requirements as set out in the rules established by the partys executive council."

Candidates also have to pass an interview process "to ensure a commitment to the principles and values of the party," the Progressive Conservative party said Thursday. It said the vetting process is confidential.

On Friday, the party's leadership election committee said it considers the application process closed.

"The rules provide avenues for applicants who disagree with the decisions of the committee," spokesman Keith Stewart said in an email.

Lee, a critic of the PC government's pandemic restrictions and vaccine passports, sold more party memberships than Glover or Stefanson, sources told the Free Press. Each PC party member gets to vote for leader.

Lee, who has declined interview requests, suggested the party disqualified him because he had sold the most memberships.

"Leading, then shut out?" his notice about Saturday's protest said.

The party has not released the number of memberships sold by each candidate. Each was required to sell 1,000 by Sept. 15 as one of the criteria to run for leader. Several sources have said Lee sold more than four times that amount, at $20 each  raising more than $80,000 for the party, in addition to the $25,000 entry fee per candidate.

"Our memberships and donations dont count?" said Lee's protest poster. "Give our voices back NOW!"

The PCs said they can give people back their money.

"The party will consider requests for a refund on memberships," Stewart said. He noted the office on Kennedy Street, where Lee's protest was to be held, is closed on weekends.

On Friday, Lee's fellow leadership hopefuls expressed a mix of disappointment, sympathy and enthusiasm for Lee, his grievances and demonstration plans.

"A leadership campaign should be a time of optimism and unity for members of the PC party," said PC MLA Shannon Martin, who left the race Wednesday after falling short of meeting the entry requirements.

"Although I cant comment on the leadership election committees official candidate selection process, I hope we can work together to chart a better future for our party and all Manitobans," Martin said.

Peaceful protest and freedom of speech are an important part of democracy, he said Friday. "I remain hopeful that we can move forward together in a positive and inclusive way."

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Glover, meanwhile, expressed sympathy for the men who are out of the race.

"Im sure the last couple of days have been hard for Shannon Martin and Ken Lee," Glover said Friday. She wouldn't comment on the decision to disqualify Lee or his planned protest.

"The candidate qualification process was established by the PC party and any questions should go to them," Glover said in email.

Stefanson said likewise. "The approval of official candidates is decided through the PC partys leadership committee, and Ill leave it at that." Stefanson said she's "excited" to run for leader and for Manitoba to have its first female premier.

"We're ready to prove to Manitobans that our vision is the best way to move our party and government forward," Stefanson said in an email. "Regardless of what happens in this race, Manitoba will be led by a woman for the first time in its history."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
My father once quipped near the end of his farming career that if he had waited until he could afford to farm, it never would have happened.

My father once quipped near the end of his farming career that if he had waited until he could afford to farm, it never would have happened.

Farming was about much more to Leonard Rance than earning a living. It was how he lived his life. And if wealth could be measured by gratitude, he was well-endowed with riches.

The Rance family in 1966: Rolling with the punches: Rather than fret after a six-inch rain ruined the crop in July 1966, the Rances piled into their van and headed off to the mountains for a camping holiday. (Supplied)

It might have had something to do with the fact that his formative years were spent during a time when money as a measure of wealth didnt seem to matter much. The oldest of seven, he was born Nov. 5, 1928, a year before the stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. That era is also remembered as the Dirty Thirties because of the drought-like weather and low grain prices that drove many from the land.

The Rances were spared that outcome. But LeRoy and Mabelle raised their brood to be frugal, self-reliant, community-minded teetotalers who expressed their faith through everyday actions. If that sounds austere, rest assured there was no shortage of laughter and music in that farmhouse that went through popping corn by the 100-pound bag. In song, as in life, Dad was always looking for the harmony.

He took his diploma in agriculture and headed home to farm. The dashing young farmer driving a Willys Jeep soon hit it off with the new teacher at the local school. He married Mary Elliot in 1952, forming a partnership that lasted nearly 69 years that amplified their shared commitment to social justice.

The farm adjacent to the family homestead in the Sperling area was where they raised their own kids, fostered many more, and hosted youth through an international agricultural exchange. They engaged in community ministry, spoke up in solidarity with northern communities that lost their land to hydroelectric development, and supported global food security.

That was all while farming for 40 years on flat-as-a-pancake heavy clay soil that once formed the bottom of Lake Agassiz. When they started, their land was poorly drained and prone to salinity. Intensive tillage practices of the time had left the soil exposed and vulnerable to erosion.

Leonard left full-time farming in 1993 and moved to Wawota, Sask. to become a ministers spouse supporting Marys career in ministry. (Supplied)

Looking for ways to repair what he saw as a broken relationship between human and soil, he heard about a group calling itself the Manitoba-North Dakota Zero Tillage Farmers Association. He became an early convert to a conservation movement that fundamentally changed how crops are grown on the northern great plains.

The surprisingly decent yields many farmers are harvesting this year, in spite of the drought, can be traced in large part to the dramatic reduction in tillage and agroecological principles these farmers pioneered four decades ago.

Researchers documented a steady improvement in Prairie soil health, measured as organic matter, microbiological activity and its improved ability to use moisture as these practices took hold.

"ManDak" was an information-sharing network. Dad often returned home from the annual workshops, which at their peak drew upwards of a thousand farmers from several states and provinces, in awe of what he had learned. He was nominated to the board of directors and served as president in 1991, the year the group produced its first production manual designed to assist other farmers who were starting out.

Leonard Rance with his seeder: The early zero-till drills used mechanics to manage seed placement. They were soon replaced by air seeders that used hydraulics to insert the seed with much improved precision. (Supplied)

"Your dad was part of something transformative," said Martin Entz, a University of Manitoba plant science professor who first attended their workshops as a PhD student. "The ManDak farmer-leaders were innovators in the true sense. They were visionaries."

Entz still uses their manuals in teaching today. "These production manuals helped so many farmers and non-farmers develop more resilient and regenerative farming systems, and along the way they documented the evolution of thinking within the farming community," he said.

Researchers, extension workers and equipment manufacturers have said they learned more from the farmers in those early days than they could ever teach. Their role quickly became one of helping farmers understand the science behind the changes in their soils and designing equipment that could meet their needs.

"It took a little gentle arm-twisting to have him take on the role of president," recalls Robert Stevenson, an Oak Lake farmer who first met Dad on a tour of our farm. "He humbly suggested he was too small a farmer, at the end of his career, too this or too that, but we didnt believe any of it. He stepped up and promoted what he believed in."

The Jeep Leonard Rance drove in 1948 still runs and remains in the family. (Supplied)

Operating a living lab was a struggle, however. Like many, Dad wrestled with finding equipment that could seed into standing stubble, getting seeds to germinate in cold soil and ever-changing weed dynamics, not to mention the skepticism of other farmers who said it would never work.

But his faith that if he looked after the land, it would look after him was rewarded. He observed rising levels of organic matter, a 50 per cent reduction in fuel consumption, and soil that became more sponge-like than compacted. His herbicide costs didnt increase as much as he anticipated.

While the economics of the no-till farming system became apparent over time and led to widespread adoption, for Dad, it was a cause rooted in stewardship.

"I have a great deal of respect for the native people of our nation, who lived here many centuries before us and have created no environmental damage. When pondering an important question, they would consider how their decision might affect those several generations later. I often wonder if our generation would benefit from the same process," he said in one of his ManDak reports.

Dad left us on Fathers Day. His ashes were returned to the earth in July.

lrance@farmmedia.com
There is a good reason why Ken Lee was rejected as a leadership candidate for Manitobas PC party. The party cant say publicly why it turned down his application this week because the vetting process is confidential. But I can.

There is a good reason why Ken Lee was rejected as a leadership candidate for Manitobas PC party. The party cant say publicly why it turned down his application this week because the vetting process is confidential. But I can.

Lee was a good friend of mine for many years before he began to slide into a dark hole of conspiracy theories, Trumpism and anti-social behaviour. I knew him long before he was active in politics, prior to his 10-year stint as chief financial officer of the PC party. He was a fellow runner whom I met through mutual friends in the running community.

Lee was chosen as CFO in the early 2000s under party leader Stuart Murray, not only because of his knack for numbers (hes a chartered accountant who owns his own firm) but because of his work ethic and dogged determination to acquire expertise in elections finance laws. He was an honest and excellent CFO who served his party well.

Lee left the party after Brian Pallister became leader in 2012. Like many, Lee crossed swords with the former premier. He stayed on as the official agent for Tory MLA Janice Morley-Lecomte and helped run her election campaigns. As time went on, he found himself increasingly alienated from a party that he had had ties to for most, if not all, of his adult life.

Lee was never a "progressive" conservative, at least not since Ive known him. He didnt know what the term meant. He was always a fiscal hawk who believed in smaller government. He had little time for the social values side of his party. That gap began to widen a few years ago.

Former PC Party chief financial officer Ken Lee. (FACEBOOK)

When Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016, Lee became an instant and devoted follower, despite the Trumps anti-immigration, racist, and climate change-denying policies. Lee was falling into a world of extremism, the kind of personal transition that puts great strain on friendships.

His political views further distanced him from the PC party, whose principles and values he increasingly rejected.

Lee is a climate-change denier. He does not believe human beings are contributing to the warming of the Earths atmosphere. He is convinced its a hoax and rejects the consensus among the worlds scientists that we are in a climate emergency.

Lee also does not believe in reconciliation with Indigenous people. Lee, who is of Chinese descent, grew up in poverty in the North End of Winnipeg and is self-made. He believes others should be able to overcome obstacles of race and poverty by pulling themselves up by the boot straps, as he did.

Political parties have an obligation to vet candidates, especially those who want to run for leader, to ensure their values align with those of the party. Lees do not. Its almost certainly why he was rejected as a leadership candidate.

My former friends extremist views hardened when the pandemic hit. The extraordinary public health measures governments were forced to take to contain COVID-19, including the shutting down of businesses and schools, represented an untenable invasion of the state into the lives of Canadians, according to Lee. Like climate change, the pandemic was a hoax, in his view.

I dont know first-hand what Lee thinks about COVID-19 vaccines and their role in ending the pandemic. We stopped talking well over a year ago. But judging from his campaign material, he appears to have fallen into the anti-science, anti-vaccine crowd which views proof-of-vaccine policies  now being implemented all over the world (even in Alberta)  as a violation of human rights.

I have no insight into what topics were canvassed with Lee during his leadership interview with the PC party. But it would be shocking if these and other issues were not discussed.

Political parties have an obligation to vet candidates, especially those who want to run for leader, to ensure their values align with those of the party. Lees do not. Its almost certainly why he was rejected as a leadership candidate.

Lee would be a better fit to run for the Peoples Party of Canada, where his worldview would be embraced. He is no more suited to be at the helm of the PC party of Manitoba than he is to seek the leadership of the NDP or Liberals.

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tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca
Its been said most people inherently know the right thing to do  but actually doing it is another matter entirely.

Its been said most people inherently know the right thing to do  but actually doing it is another matter entirely.

That appears to be the case when it comes to the debate surrounding who gets third doses of COVID-19 vaccines  so-called booster shots  and when they get them.

From a purely moral perspective, it is questionable for wealthy nations to provide booster shots to citizens who have already received two doses while billions of people, mostly in poor countries, still have not yet received a single shot.

Vaccine Implementation Task Force medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer. (Kevin King / Pool files)

The World Health Organization earlier this month called for rich countries with large stockpiles of vaccines to avoid giving out extra coronavirus jabs until year-end, pointing to the billions worldwide who remain unprotected.

"There are countries with less than two per cent vaccination coverage, most of them in Africa, who are not even getting their first and second dose. And starting with boosters, especially giving it to healthy populations, is really not right," WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

It is entirely understandable that many jurisdictions around the globe, including Manitoba, have started providing third doses to people with compromised immune systems. The province is making boosters available to people with medical conditions that may hinder their ability to mount a strong immune response.

"For those who are immunocompromised, two doses of the vaccine may not provide adequate defence against COVID-19, particularly given concerns with the highly contagious delta variant," Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead for Manitobas vaccine task force, said Wednesday.

It is expected most people will eventually require a third shot to maximize their protection against the virus, but the science is unsettled on when healthy members of the general public will need boosters.

A study by Princeton University and McGill University released in August warned that 'vaccine nationalism' wherein countries stockpile vaccines to prioritize access for their citizenry over equitable vaccine sharing may increase the emergence of such variants.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine for double-dosed Americans would be available on Sept. 20, but on Friday an advisory panel at the Food and Drug Administration rejected Pfizers application, citing insufficient data. The final approval decision on boosters will now come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An expert review of scientific evidence by U.S. and international scientists in the medical journal The Lancet concluded last week that boosters are "not appropriate at this stage in the pandemic" for the general public.

The issue of providing vaccines to poor nations is not merely a question of morality. From a practical perspective, based on pure self-interest, allowing COVID-19 to run unchecked in those jurisdictions risks the creation of deadlier variants that can threaten wealthier nations with a high percentage of vaccinated citizens.

A study by Princeton University and McGill University released in August warned that "vaccine nationalism"  wherein countries stockpile vaccines to prioritize access for their citizenry over equitable vaccine sharing  may increase the emergence of such variants.

In nations such as Canada and the U.S., vaccine supplies far exceed demand, even as the global shortage forces poorer nations to wait. Canada reportedly has enough vaccine on hand to fully protect every resident seven times over.

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But vaccinated citizens in developed nations have an obligation to look beyond their own borders and remember there are vast portions of the world where first doses remain unavailable.

No country is out of danger until COVID-19 is beaten back on a global scale, which means delaying boosters for healthy people in the wealthiest nations in favour of getting first and second doses into arms in poorer regions of the globe isnt just the right thing to do; its our best  and, arguably, our only  bet for bringing the pandemic to an end.
Weary Manitobans wanting a winter escape to a sunny beach in Mexico, the Caribbean or the United States have no shortage of questions on whether a trip south is safe  and indeed possible  as COVID-19 vaccination instils new confidence in travel.

Weary Manitobans wanting a winter escape to a sunny beach in Mexico, the Caribbean or the United States have no shortage of questions on whether a trip south is safe  and indeed possible  as COVID-19 vaccination instils new confidence in travel.

Steinbach-based travel agent Mary Jane Hiebert says she and her colleagues are returning to pre-pandemic client volumes as Manitobans seek help booking an all-inclusive getaway or cruise amid the minefield that is travelling in a pandemic.

Whats the risk? Manitobans wanting a winter getaway have a lot to consider before booking a trip abroad to warm destinations. Winnipeg-based epidemiologist Cynthia Carr shares some insight into the risks associated with travel, even after being fully immunized. click to read more Manitobans wanting a winter getaway have a lot to consider before booking a trip abroad to warm destinations. Winnipeg-based epidemiologist Cynthia Carr shares some insight into the risks associated with travel, even after being fully immunized. How concerned should I be about flying? The on-aircraft experience is probably one of your least-risky situations, but its actually counter to what we think, Carr said. There are examples where outbreaks are linked to air travel but theyre actually very rare. Theyre quite unusual. Part of the reason for this is aircraft have a phenomenal air exchange, or ventilation system... the aircraft is set up to prevent air circulating front to back as much as possible, but to keep it going in very specific, more localized areas around your environment. So long as passengers follow the safety procedures of the aircraft, including mask use, not travelling while sick and comply with pre-boarding tests or vaccination requirements, flying is a less-risky travel-related activity, Carr said. The more risky situation is, where are you going? And what are you doing when you are at the airport? she said. What about the destination? The first thing any traveller should look at is either the Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) travel recommendations by destination or Government of Canada travel advice and advisories (www.travel.gc.ca), Carr said. Carr said its important to understand the level of community spread thats occurring in the proposed destination and the availability of health services. You might not be able to get those health services if that destination is experiencing high levels of COVID and theres just no room for you to get care, she said. It's also a good idea to check the public-health measures related to restaurants, museums and galleries, public transit, gatherings and more will also help inform travellers about the safety measures being taken by the local government, she said. Dont assume that the place youre going will have the same public-health measures in place (as Manitoba) with respect to infection, prevention and control, she said. Are resorts risky? Areas where people gather  concert venues, bars, restaurants  can be places with higher risk on a given resort property, Carr said, but if vaccination is a condition of checking in, that risk can be managed. Unless the resort has those requirements related to vaccination, youre not safer at the resort, necessarily, than you are elsewhere, because you dont know what the vaccination rules are among staff," she said. "And in some countries not everyone has the same access to health care, so dont assume anything. Carr advises checking for previous reports of outbreaks at any resort under consideration.  Danielle Da Silva Close

"Many want to head south  theyre eager, theyre tired  and so right now, Im getting a lot of questions about whats required," Hiebert told the Free Press. "People are anxious to travel and so they're calling their travel agencies and asking for information and assistance."

Hiebert, who also chairs the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies, said before the pandemic derailed the winter vacation season in early 2020, demand for travel agency services was trending upward.

And after 18 months of severe restrictions on international tourism, travellers who have flight credits and cruise vouchers burning holes in their wallets are increasingly turning to agents to navigate vaccination and testing requirements, evolving public-health rules and the risk of contracting COVID-19, she said.

"The challenge is that this is such a fluid situation, the requirements and what is necessary just change all the time," she said.

"A lot of the product isnt even available to sell at this point in time, and thats just because of the uncertainty of how ready the resorts are at the destination, and thats probably a bigger challenge that people arent even aware of."  Mary Jane Hiebert, Steinbach-based travel agent

But the top question shes hearing from prospective travellers hoping to escape to a resort is "where can I go?"

And for the time being, with few direct flights from Winnipeg on the schedule and resorts rebuilding their workforces, the answer is that options are limited, Hiebert said.

"A lot of the product isnt even available to sell at this point in time, and thats just because of the uncertainty of how ready the resorts are at the destination, and thats probably a bigger challenge that people arent even aware of," she said.

Air carriers are also slowly, and cautiously rebuilding their routes and recalling laid-off staff.

"Its a huge operation to get your charter aircraft back on a schedule," she said, adding that many popular destinations in Mexico are not being offered out of Manitoba this year.

Airlines are also moving slowly when it comes to opening sales with the possibility of increased COVID-19 spread through the fall and winter driven by the delta variant or another that emerges, posing a threat to travel plans, Hiebert said.

"People are very eager to book and what we don't want to find is ourselves in a situation where weve got packages that are booked, and then weve got to cancel the flights," she said.

Tyler MacAfee, vice-president of communications and government relations with the Winnipeg Airports Authority, said airlines have planned for 50 per cent of their pre-pandemic demand for sun destination travel, with just 11 routes on the schedule at this time.

"If the pandemic has taught us anything its that things can change really quickly. But where were at right now is theres a renewed confidence that were on the right track now, and that the worst is behind us and were able to move forward," MacAfee said.

"At the same time, we know the recovery is going to take a while. People are going to be more cautious. The airlines and airports are doing what they can to build that consumer confidence, and I think well see that gradual return."

"If the pandemic has taught us anything its that things can change really quickly."  Tyler MacAfee, vice-president of communications and government relations with the Winnipeg Airports Authority

International flights to Winnipeg were paused in February when the federal government limited arrivals to Canada to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver to slow the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.

They were allowed to resume Aug. 9, and for the first time in nearly eight months, Winnipeg's Richardson International Airport welcomed a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis earlier this week.

MacAfee said the routes taking travellers direct from Winnipeg to a sunny destination in the United States this winter include Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix and Las Vegas and seven other destinations in Mexico, Cuba and Jamaica.

Its possible more destinations will become available as talks continue between the airport and air carriers, he said.

Before booking, travellers must also make a decision about their own tolerance for risk in addition to considering the increased expense of pandemic travel, Hiebert said.

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Pre-departure research should include the vaccination requirements of a destination, resort policies on immunization status of staff and guests, masking and physical-distancing requirements on properties and in the surrounding community, and the availability and capacity of health services, she said.

Some resorts will have doctors and COVID-19 testing on site, she said, though the PCR test currently required to return to Canada is not always included in vacation packages and can cost as much as $1,000, depending on the country.

"(Resorts) have been able to modify and shift a little bit," she said. "Certainly tourism is such a huge industry in places like Cuba, for example, that theyre going to do whatever is necessary to get their numbers back up."

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca
The email, with a blunt subject line: Public Health Letter, arrived in Ryan Duecks inbox at 9:26 a.m. Thursday  one week after students at Grant Park High School returned after summer break.

The email, with a blunt subject line: Public Health Letter, arrived in Ryan Duecks inbox at 9:26 a.m. Thursday  one week after students at Grant Park High School returned after summer break.

The father of four school-aged children says he felt a pang of deja vu once he opened it and saw a generic COVID-19 case notice: "Well, here we go again."

With the 2021-22 academic year underway, hundreds of families have already received dreaded notices about cases in classrooms.

Manitoba's school dashboard, which is updated twice weekly, indicates 19 cases have been reported among staff and students since Sept. 7.

Manitoba's school dashboard, which is updated twice weekly, indicates 19 cases have been reported among staff and students since Sept. 7. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press files)

A crowdsourced count compiled by an anonymous parent on social media, who gathers public health letters via @CovidSchool on Twitter, lists a real-time number more than double that figure.

Given nerves are abound and procedures ever-changing, the Free Press has compiled everything Manitoba families need to know about cases in K-12 buildings:

What happens when a student or school employee tests positive?

Manitoba public health contacts a school when a community member tests positive, although families can also provide a heads-up.

A public health nurse then liaisons with a school leader to determine whether an individual was in the facility within 48 hours of symptom-onset, or 48 hours before an asymptomatic individuals COVID-19 test date.

Winnipeg principal Joey Robertson said subsequent contact tracing involves reviewing class and cohort information, seating charts, public health measures, daycare enrollment, and bus lists.

Contact tracing involves reviewing class and cohort information, seating charts, public health measures, daycare enrollment and bus lists. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Depending on a nurse's discretion, a teacher may be contacted to discuss student behaviour, said the leader at Victory School, a K-5 building on Jefferson Avenue.

If a sibling tests positive, their contacts are also searched to see if anyone needs to self-isolate as a result.

Who is a close contact?

Per the provinces case notification toolkit, last updated in May, the definition of a close contact is anyone who was within less than two metres of a case for a cumulative 10 minutes throughout the span of 24 hours in a communicable period.

Household members and individuals who have had "close face-to-face interactions" (including hugging or sharing food and personal items) with a case while unmasked or wearing a non-medical mask are automatically deemed close contacts.

At the same time, new provincial guidance states the use of non-medical and medical masks are "adequate protection" in school settings, so individuals are not to be deemed close contacts if they wear the above "consistently."

The definition of a close contact is anyone who was within less than two metres of a case for a cumulative 10 minutes throughout the span of 24 hours in a communicable period. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"The big question is why are we not looking at this from a lens of precaution instead of what I am calling a lens of obscurity?' Why arent we trying to err on the side of caution?" said Lauren Hope, a teacher and parent, who co-founded the Safe September MB movement.

What communication is provided after a case is identified?

Public health authorizes both close contact letters and generic ones for school communities-at-large.

"You either receive (a letter indicating) you are a close contact or you are not," said Robertson.

Last year, some families received courtesy notices their child was in a classroom or cohort in which a positive case was identified, but that practice  much to the disappointment of Dueck  is not required. Privacy has been consistently cited as a reason for withholding such details.

"My concern is, were my kids in the same room? Same hallway? I realize some of this would be difficult to trace, but being in the same classroom would be important to know," the father of students in grades 7, 8, 9 and 11, respectively, wrote in a message Friday.

Last year, some families received courtesy notices their child was in a classroom or cohort in which a positive case was identified, but that practice is not required. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Where can school case data be found?

The province updates its dashboard on Tuesdays and Thursdays, around 12:30 p.m.

Chantal Cloutier, however, said she no longer relies on "shady" provincial data because it is often missing cases and unclear about outbreaks.

(On Oct. 30, 2020, the province declared an outbreak at Centre scolaire Leo-Remillard, where Cloutiers daughter attends school, in a daily briefing. But the outbreak is not included in Manitobas current list of total outbreaks.)

"How do we keep kids safe if were hiding data?" said Cloutier, whose children are in grades 9 and 12, respectively. "All it ends up doing is make parents doubt the system and it is seriously causing anxiety."

Some school divisions, including Louis Riel and Hanover, post cases online to keep families up-to-date with local exposures.

The province updates its dashboard on Tuesdays and Thursdays, around 12:30 p.m. (Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press files)

On Twitter, @CovidSchool continues to crowdsource exposure letters and compile data into a public spreadsheet in an attempt to improve transparency. The 2021-22 edition includes 43 cases, as of Friday afternoon.

When is a school case, cluster or outbreak declared?

A case is added to the school dashboard when a student, staff or volunteer was present in a K-12 building within two weeks prior to experiencing symptoms or going for a test while asymptomatic  or within 10 days after illness-onset or the collection of an asymptomatic positive test.

However, a school is only deemed the possible or likely site of transmission when an individual both hasnt travelled and doesn't have documented contact with a known external case.

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The bar for a cluster to be identified is at least three cases that have a symptom-onset or positive test within 14 days of each other, meet the above school-transmission definition, and have no known epidemiologic link to each other or a known school or school-sanctioned extracurricular case.

An outbreak now indicates three or more cases on the dashboard, which have a symptom onset or positive test result within 14 days of each other, meet the school-transmission definition, and are epi-linked to a known case in a school or school-sanctioned extracurricular.

Citing her experience as an elementary school principal who did contact tracing last year, Robertson said Friday parents can be assured public health nurses are "thorough."

She added: "Schools are doing their absolute best to keep children safe and learning."

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie
The protests location had changed, but evidently one family didnt get the memo. The three of them arrived alone that afternoon, walking up Sherbrook Street towards the Health Sciences Centres main entrance. Two local news photographers trailed behind them; people leaving the hospital hustled past without interest.

The protests location had changed, but evidently one family didnt get the memo. The three of them arrived alone that afternoon, walking up Sherbrook Street towards the Health Sciences Centres main entrance. Two local news photographers trailed behind them; people leaving the hospital hustled past without interest.

The man held a picket sign at his waist, drooping low. The side with the message faced away from the street. "Its my choice," it read. "Live with it. I will." A woman and girl walked beside him. The man paused to look down at his phone, then up at the mostly empty sidewalk again.

A reporter asked if he knew where the protest was supposed to be: it got moved to the Leg, he said. Then he left, perhaps to meet up with the rally that, by then, was amassing at the legislature and preparing to march to city hall. About 150 people turned out and it made little impact, other than slowing traffic.

In other cities, the second round of hospital protests still happened. They seemed somewhat deflated as compared to the first, which impeded ambulances and intimidated patients and staff. Or, as Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur put it, witnessing this weeks protest outside Toronto General Hospital: "I didnt expect it to be so sad."

Thats the word that first came to my mind too, watching that man with his sign wandering outside HSC. There was a pathos to the scene, one that evoked less anger than pity, less disgust than sadness. Imagine waking up that day ready to protest outside a hospital, only to find your family arriving alone, sign dangling from your hands.

JESSICA LEE/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Hundreds of people showed up at an anti-vax protest at the Health Sciences Centre on Sept. 1. (Jessica Lee / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Imagine what led you there. Imagine what vicious rhetoric youve consumed that would allow you to see a hospital entrance as an appropriate place to make your stand. In the solitude of that man and his family, I saw in the space around him a whole lot of frustrating questions, but in the moment it was mostly just very sad.

It could have been worse. A lot worse. Since the start of the pandemic, one of the animating factors in resistance to public health orders and, now, vaccines has been rage, the same combustible rage that drove far-right protesters to storm the U.S. Capitol in January. Its driven by many of the same players. It shares the same characteristics.

On Twitter, one woman responded to a video of an Ontarian Peoples Party of Canada candidate firing a rifle, and said the candidate should "bring that bad boy to tomorrows raid on Toronto General Hospital" because protesters would "get inside and show the world that COVID is fake."

They didnt go into the hospital. Yet while one shouldnt put too much stock in the hot air a random person spews on Twitter, the naked aggression is alarming, and the threat has precedent. Last year, self-appointed "truth seekers" entered hospitals to "prove" the virus was a hoax; its entirely possible it will happen again.

When it does, the victims of this intrusion, this intimidation, will be hospital workers. They will be people without the power to shape the policies that protesters are so against, but who are asked to hold the line and save lives against those policies epidemiological effects. This is pure, and the majority of Canadians will not forget.

In Calgary this week, hospital staff affixed a sign in one window for protesters to see: "Go intubate yourself," it read.

Protesters marched from the Manitoba Legislative Building to Winnipeg city hall on Sept. 13 after the rally was moved from HSC. (David Lipnowski / The Canadian Press files)

Is it too cynical to say that, when it comes to these clashes, there will not be a resolution? There cannot be, so long as the terms of debate cannot even be agreed upon. Those who protest at hospitals, and the large majority of Canadians who widely support vaccine mandates, are operating from positions that are far too fundamentally different.

Consider how, from the start of the pandemic, the specifics of resistance have been varied, and they have shifted. In the spring of 2020, COVID-19 was a "hoax," caused by governments making a bid for control over something akin to the common cold; now its just as common to say its real, but with cures that doctors are concealing.

When the numbers show that hospitals are in crisis and vaccines are both safe and effective, they are dismissed as "manipulated." Everyone on Facebook anti-vaccine groups knows a guy who knows a guy whose cousin is a nurse and swears ICUs are empty; when ICU nurses speak about what theyve endured, that information is disregarded.

The short way to understand this dissonance is pretty simple: for the most part, we  yes, I include myself in this  tend to gravitate most to sources of information that confirm our own thinking; how we dissect news is part facts, and a whole lot based on feeling. We all cluster around information that confirms our priors.

In the case of vaccine mandates, as with many social debates in recent memory, that gap has fractured any chance of having a sober public discussion almost from the beginning. It happened so quickly, which is inevitable in a crisis, but the byproduct is that there has been little chance to consider them publicly in a methodical way.

Its hard to see how we can do that, even now: the battle lines are so stark. In or out, with or against, yes or no.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The battle lines have been drawn by anti-vaxxers. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Yet there are reasonable questions around the mandates. On one hand, its true we have to use every tool we have at slowing the spread of COVID-19, but its not unreasonable to be concerned about what those tools mean, or how they might be used or misused in the short or long term.

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It doesnt require conspiracy, for instance, to be concerned about a relatively sudden expansion of how governments can restrict access to social spaces based on medical status. And there has been relatively little public discussion of how the mandates could impact some of those who are already among the most socially vulnerable.

Sometimes I think about how many people who live without stable housing rely on coffee shops for a place to warm up in winter. Social service agencies have done much to help the folks they serve get vaccinated; still, I worry about who will be pushed even further to the margins, for lack of ID or proof of vaccination.

The problem is, none of those concerns can be given a fair hearing, when the loudest voices in opposition are tied up in threatening health-care workers, propagating conspiracy theories and potentially deadly misinformation, and thunderously insisting that the only relevant consideration is "personal choice."

Thats the thing about a pandemic. It puts light on the error in the main ideological streak underpinning these most aggressive protests: the idea that anyone lives as an island, our choices not affecting others. A pandemic is a virus infecting society as one body; it requires the co-ordinated response of the whole body to fix it.

"Its my choice," the mans sign said. "Live with it." Thats exactly the problem: we already are. Whats sad is, he cannot see it.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
A Conservative candidate dropped by the party over Islamophobic tweets she claims were faked says she is still running as the "confirmed" Tory candidate in the Toronto riding.

Conservative leader Erin O'Toole speaks to supporters as he stops at a campaign office Friday, September 17, 2021 in London, Ontario. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A Conservative candidate dropped by the party over Islamophobic tweets she claims were faked says she is still running as the "confirmed" Tory candidate in the Toronto riding.

The Tories dumped Lisa Robinson last week after the Beaches-East York Liberal incumbent, Nate Erskine-Smith, posted screenshots of Twitter posts allegedly written by Robinson.

But Robinson denied that the Twitter account that sent the posts in 2017 belonged to her and said she had previously reported it to police.

Robinson said Friday she is refusing to give up in the campaign, despite losing the endorsement of Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole.

She said in an email to The Canadian Press: "I am still fighting as a candidate in this election."

"I am still the confirmed Conservative candidate for Beaches-East York. There are a lot of confused voters and they need to know my values of being a rooted conservative have not changed," she said.

Her name remains on the ballot paper because she was dropped as the official Tory candidate after the deadline for registering.

Robinson said if she is elected in the riding, the Conservatives will either take her back, she will stand as an Independent or shell join another party.

She has been sending phone messages to voters telling them to "vote Conservative, vote for me, Lisa Robinson, a candidate who will stand up for you."

In the messages, she also says: "Despite what you are hearing in the news, I am your Conservative candidate and these accusations against me are false."

She adds: "I believe in the environment. I believe in health care. I believe in fiscal responsibility. I believe in human rights, and I believe in our Charter of Rights. And I believe in fighting for the needs of Beaches-East York for all generations. Justin Trudeau has failed Canadians during this COVID-19 crisis. It's time for change."

Her campaign website states that she is an independent but includes a large picture of her and OToole. It is also emblazoned with Tory blue.

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The Conservatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

Robinson is adamant that she never wrote the tweets that led to her being dropped.

One post stated that Muslim residents should "go home if our Canadian heritage offends you so much.''

She has said the Twitter account, titled "Ward 1 city councillor, candidate,'' is not hers and she reported it to police in 2018.

Robinson said last week that "racism and Islamophobia have no place in the Conservative Party of Canada or my campaign."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 17, 2021.
After Bart Schoenfeld's Chevrolet Bolt EV was recalled for the second time, he'd had enough.

GM had warned that some of the cars could have a manufacturing defect that might cause them to catch fire. For safety's sake, the automaker recommended Bolt owners restrict their use of the car to avoid straining the batteries, and park them away from their homes.

In an electric car, if one battery cell has a defect that allows its stored energy to be released in an uncontrolled way, that can cause it to heat up. That heat can, in turn, damage other cells nearby causing them to release their energy as heat, too. This can start a chain reaction known as "thermal runaway" leading to a fire. Still, electric car fires are rare compared to fires in gasoline powered cars.

So far, Chevrolet Bolts have been blamed for 12 fires, according to GM.

The restrictions turned owning what had been a very practical electric car into a huge inconvenience, Schoenfeld said. GM offered to lend him a different car, but it would have been gasoline-powered, since GM doesn't currently sell any electric vehicles but the Bolt. GM once sold a plug-in hybrid called the Volt, but that car went out of production in 2019. To Schoenfeld, a different GM car wasn't a viable alternative. So instead, GM bought his Bolt back from him.

"I'm very eco-conscious," he said. "I've got my solar and my geothermal in my house and I don't want to burn fossil fuels."

In a process that took weeks to finally work out, Schoenfeld sold his Chevrolet Bolt EV back to GM for a price that was at about $10,000 more than he would have gotten simply by trading the car in to a dealer, he said, though he declined to provide specific numbers.

It's a solution that many Bolt owners are resorting to, according to numerous social media reports and CNN Business interviews.

GM would not say how many vehicles it has bought back from customers. The company said it is deciding whether to buy back individual cars or not on a "case-by-case" basis. Alternatively, GM is also offering to exchange the car for another GM vehicle.

Brandon Neider, an information technology manager who also owns an auto detailing company in Yonkers, New York, has also submitted paperwork for a buyback, a process he's been told could take a few weeks given the number of requests.

"I really am not comfortable having this vehicle at this point," Neider said. "I'm not done with the brand but you know, these guys don't even know how long this is going to take to resolve."

GM first announced a recall of the Chevy Bolt electric vehicles in November 2020 due to fire risk, but it didn't have an immediate fix. In May, it announced a software repair, but then there were two fires involving Bolts that had received that fix, prompting another recall in July of 70,000 vehicles. A month later, the automaker issued a recall on another 70,000 cars.

GM spokesman Kevin Kelly said the company will begin replacing battery modules on Bolt EVs, at no charge to the owner, once it has confidence that its battery supplier, LG Energy Solution, is producing defect-free batteries. There is no specific time frame in which that's expected to happen though, he said. NHTSA is also investigating the cause of the fires.

"We don't have clear solutions yet as we're investigating the cause of the fire," a spokesperson for LG Energy Solution said.

The LG spokesperson also said that, since the issue is still being investigated, the company could not comment on whether the root cause was an LG manufacturing issue.

In the meantime, GM has recommended owners use their vehicles in ways that minimize stress on the batteries. That entails taking shorter trips and not allowing the batteries to charge too fully or drain too much.

Several Chevrolet Bolt EV owners interviewed for this story, some of whom didn't want their names published because they are still in discussions with the automaker, said they loved their electric cars and weren't upset at GM for the defect.

"You know, stuff happens," said one woman who bought her Bolt in 2017. "Things go wrong."

Although the process took weeks and involved lots of paperwork, Schoenfeld said all the customer service people he dealt with were kind, understanding and helpful.

Most of the other Bolt EV owners CNN Business spoke with were less sanguine on the customer service issue.

"I was on hold for one hour and 55 minutes listening to that god-awful music," said one man.

One woman in upstate New York, who was concerned about the safety of her home in the event the Bolt began burning, said GM offered her a 150-foot charging cable that would have allowed her to charge her car far away from her wooden house. But later, she said, another GM representative told her that no such cord existed. GM confirmed to CNN Business that there is no charging cord that long.

Several people said they are asking for buybacks because they purchased the car expecting it to be able to go a certain distance between charges, up to 259 miles for the most recent models.

In announcing the most recent recalls, GM recommended people not charge the battery to more 90% of its capacity. They also recommended that people not drain the battery to less than about 70 miles of range. That effectively reduced the driving range of even the longest-range models to about 163 miles, according to EPA estimates. In real-world driving, Chevrolet Bolts, like other vehicles, electric or not, often don't achieve their EPA-estimated range.

GM also recommended that people not charge their cars indoors overnight and that they park the cars outdoors immediately after charging. GM also recommended, when parking in a garage, parking on the top floor or an open deck and parking at least 50 feet away from any other vehicle.

"After every use, after I come home in the evening, I have get up in the middle of the night to unplug the car," said Schoenfeld.

GM customer service representatives suggested solutions, short of selling back the car, that also weren't helpful, some people claimed. Two people described being offered rental car reimbursement but they were asked to submit their rental car receipts at the end of each month. That would have meant racking up hundreds of dollars in rental car charges before even requesting repayment. GM did not confirm specifically how it handles rental car reimbursement.

Not all owners are thinking of getting rid of their cars, though. Many would rather keep their Bolt, abide by GM's suggested usage limits, and wait for the problem to be fixed.

"It seems like a small risk that we were willing to accept until Chevy can replace the battery," said Sally Heaven, a Bolt owner in Maryland. "We also don't have a garage, so our car is parked in the driveway."

For those who decide to request a buyback, the process is time consuming and there is a lot of paperwork involved. GM would not explain exactly how it decides which cars to buy back other than to say "We continue to evaluate buyback requests from Bolt EV owners on a case-by-case basis."

The formula used by GM in calculating a car's value, according to a brochure provided by the automaker, involves taking the full amount paid and deducting a small amount for each mile driven plus other things like any purchase incentives that were received from GM and the cost of removing modifications made by the customer. It's similar to calculations used in Lemon Law settlements, said Steve Lehto, a Michigan attorney who specializes in auto-related consumer law.

In agreeing to these buyback deals, said Lehto, GM is probably looking at the Lemon Laws and other warranty-related laws in each state. Every state has such laws, but they vary in details and enforcement, he said. Even though customers might not specifically invoke the laws, they provide a basis for GM to understand what it ultimately could be forced to do if a customer were to push the issue in court.

For now, some Bolt owners said they are looking at other electric cars. Both Schoenfeld and Neider said they have ordered Tesla Model 3s.

The-CNN-Wire

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LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI)  Sixth graders at East Tipp Middle School are a little more business savvy thanks to Junior Achievement of Greater Lafayette. Junior Achievement's BizTown is a simulation where students learn what it takes to run a business.

The sixth graders created resumes and applied for jobs at companies like Kirby Risk and State Farm and got to take on different professional roles and work in teams.

They put their classroom experience into practice at the BizTown storefronts.

Capstone Manager Resa Hodnatt says the lessons learned today don't end here.

"It also is really interesting, some of the students that have been through BizTown in the past even say 'I remember when I worked at X-business at BizTown and I want to work for that company," said Resa.

To learn more about Junior Achievement's BizTown visit this link.
Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

 "I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," President Xi Jinping said.

 Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

 To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday urged solidarity, upholding common security, openness and integration for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members to forge a closer SCO community with a shared future.

Xi made the comments via video link as he addressed the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, hosted by this year's rotating presidency Tajikistan.

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the 21st meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. [Xinhua/Shen Hong]

All SCO members have pledged to further enhance policy communication, security cooperation, smoothing trade, financing and people-to-people exchanges, according to a declaration issued after the conclusion of the meeting.

The organization, which covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent, nearly half of the world's population, and over 20 percent of the global gross domestic product, is embracing its 20th anniversary this year.

"I am confident that the growing SCO family will stride ahead together with all the progressive forces of the world, and be the builders of world peace, contributors to global development and defenders of the international order," said Xi.

Enhancing Solidarity to Counter Challenges

"We need to follow the journey of enhancing solidarity and cooperation," Xi said, adding SCO members should make the most of the meeting mechanisms and platforms at all levels, step up policy dialogue, communication and coordination.

Calling fighting COVID-19 the most pressing task, Xi urged deepening international cooperation against the virus and promote fair and equitable distribution of vaccines, adding China has provided close to 1.2 billion doses of finished and bulk vaccines to over 100 countries and international organizations.

The first batch of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Tashkent International Airport in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on March 27, 2021. [Photo by Zafar Khalilov/Xinhua]

Noting Afghanistan has undergone drastic changes and the country still faces many daunting challenges, Xi called on SCO members to step up coordination, make full use of platforms such as the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group and facilitate a smooth transition in Afghanistan, encourage Afghanistan to put in place a broad-based and inclusive political framework, and resolutely fight all forms of terrorism.

Joint efforts were also highlighted at the ensuing joint summit of the leaders of the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization member states on the Afghanistan issue, where Xi urged interactions with Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic angle, and said that certain countries should shoulder due responsibility for Afghanistan's development.

As the SCO members are all near neighbors of Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is an observer state of the SCO, the organization enjoys unique convenience and advantages in addressing the issues compared with other similar international arrangements, said Deng Hao, secretary-general of the China Center for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Studies.

"Aimed at addressing regional challenges that concern the interests of all, China's proposals have added new dimensions to related cooperation mechanisms, demonstrating a sense of responsibility as a major country to promote peace, stability and people's livelihoods," added Deng.

Advancing Integrated Development

Stressing the SCO members need to follow the journey of promoting openness and integration, Xi said they should continue to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and create growth drivers of cooperation such as digital economy, green energy and modern agriculture.

Photo taken on June 12, 2019 shows the Qingdao multimodal transportation center in the China-SCO local economic and trade cooperation demonstration zone in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. [Xinhua/Li Ziheng]

In 2020, the combined economic size of the SCO countries reached 18.4 trillion U.S. dollars, an 11-fold increase since its founding, while intra-SCO trade jumped eight times to 6.2 trillion dollars over the same period, a vivid proof of intensified SCO cooperation with concrete outcomes.

To facilitate post-COVID economic recovery in SCO countries, Xi said China will continue to share its market opportunities, strive to reach 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars in its cumulative trade with other SCO countries in the next five years, and improve its trade structure and balance.

"As SCO members are diverse in their national realities and development priorities, China's call for open cooperation and integration has echoed the common aspiration for economic recovery and sustainable growth, showing a strong determination to tide over difficulties together with the SCO family," said Sun Zhuangzhi, director of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Boosting Interactions

Noting interactions between civilizations provide the most solid foundation for the SCO's development, Xi emphasized the need to encourage exchanges, dialogue, harmony and co-existence between civilizations.

He proposed more projects including those of science and technology, education, culture, among others, adding China will provide 1,000 training opportunities in poverty alleviation for other SCO countries in the next three years, and host an SCO youth technology and innovation forum next year. He also extended welcome to SCO countries' participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Visitors take a tour near the Olympic sailing center, used as the conference hall during the 18th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, July 1, 2018. [Xinhua/Li Ziheng]

At the meeting, the attending leaders of relevant countries and international organizations voiced support for multilateralism, as well as opposition to hegemonism, unilateralism and interference in other countries' internal affairs under the pretext of democracy and human rights, and support for the independent choice of development paths for SCO countries.

"Amid resurging unilateralism and protectionism, the joint emphasis by SCO members on the importance of mutual learning and exchanges sheds light on the urgency for the region and the international community to adhere to mutual consultation and work for a community with a shared future," said Professor Yana Leksyutina of St. Petersburg State University in Russia.

In addition, the meeting has launched procedures to admit Iran as a member state of the SCO, as well as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar as new dialogue partners.

Hailing the SCO as an institution of global governance, Prof. B.R. Deepak at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India, said the new developments at the organization will help further extend the reach of multilateralism to more countries, unleash greater cooperation potential, and beef up the international voice of developing countries in the region.

(Source: Xinhua)
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a joint summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states on the Afghanistan issue and delivers an important speech via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. [Xinhua/Huang Jingwen]

BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday called for efforts to promote steady transition of Afghan situation as soon as possible, engage Afghanistan in dialogues, and help the Afghan people tide over difficulties.

Xi made the remarks in Beijing while attending a joint summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states on the Afghanistan issue via video link.

Member states of SCO and CSTO should join hands to safeguard peace and stability, which are "more precious than gold," said Xi.

These countries are all in the vicinity of Afghanistan, and are within a community for a shared future and shared security, Xi said, adding that they should work together to play their role in critical moments.

In a three-point proposal, Xi urged respecting Afghanistan's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, supporting the implementation of the "Afghan-led, Afghan-owned" principle, and letting the Afghan people independently decide the future of their own country.

He stressed supporting all parties in Afghanistan to reach inclusive political arrangements at an early date through dialogue and consultation.

Relevant parties in Afghanistan should be urged to resolutely crack down on and eradicate terrorist organizations in the Afghan territory and prevent terrorist forces in Afghanistan from wreaking havoc, said Xi.

He called on SCO and CSTO member states to interact with all parties in Afghanistan from a rational and pragmatic perspective, and facilitate a new political structure that is more open and inclusive, and adopts moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies and develops friendly relations with other countries, especially its neighbors.

China will provide the Afghan people with timely humanitarian and medical support in fighting COVID-19, Xi said, adding that China has announced it will deliver a batch of emergency relief supplies as soon as possible and will continue to provide more support within its capacity.

As the instigators of the difficult situation in Afghanistan, certain countries should especially draw lessons from the past and shoulder their due responsibilities for Afghanistan's future development, he said.

Xi stressed that China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant parties and work together to support the Afghan people in pursuing a bright future and safeguarding the lasting peace and stability in the region.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a joint summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states on the Afghanistan issue and delivers an important speech via video link in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 17, 2021. [Xinhua/Liu Bin]

(Source: Xinhua)
Biden admin to step up deportation of Haitians to address migrant surge, documents say
Philippe Etienne, the French ambassador to the US, confirms that the French government has recalled its ambassador to the US for consultation in response to the recently announced national security partnership with the United Kingdom and Australia.
Official: US to expel Haitians from US border, fly to Haiti
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner chooses former senior detective as deputy

A former senior detective who led an award-winning investigation into child sexual abuse has been chosen as the preferred candidate to become the new deputy police and crime commissioner in North Wales.

The appointment of ex-Detective Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones, who served as Head of Crime Services at North Wales Police, will go before the North Wales Police and Crime Panel for confirmation next Monday (September 20).

A native of Rhyl, he retired from the force in March of this year after a distinguished career spanning 30 years.

If the appointment is approved he has committed to becoming more fluent in Welsh, having already achieved Level 3 which means he is able to converse partly in Welsh.

He was chosen by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin who is also learning Welsh and says he is committed to promoting the use of the language, with 75 per cent of his team speaking Welsh fluently.

Mr Dunbobbin said: Wayne was chosen from high quality field of candidates after an open, rigorous and transparent selection process.

He was among the most talented and dedicated police officers of his generation whose detective and leadership skills achieved notable successes in catching and prosecuting many dangerous criminals.

He has been at the forefront of tackling emerging crimes like modern day slavery, online sexual offences involving children and adults, digital fraud and the like, and thankfully North Wales is a much safer place thanks to his efforts.

Waynes professional experience and detailed knowledge of modern-day policing will be of great assistance in helping me to devise the overall strategy for policing North Wales in consultation with the people of North Wales and other key stakeholders.

As I clearly stated during the election campaign period, I want to ensure all victims get the support they need to recover from their experience. I want to give victims and our communities their voice so that they are heard.

During the selection process, Wayne outlined his victim-focused vision. This aligns perfectly with my own priorities and together I am confident we can make a very real difference in making North Wales an even safer place to live and work.

Wayne Joness police career when he signed up with the Lancashire force at the age of 20, at a time when you had to be at least 21 to become a police officer in North Wales.

After three years in in Lancashire, he returned home to join North Wales Police in 1994, initially serving in Wrexham and progressing swiftly up the ranks. During his career he also served in Holyhead, Rhyl, Llandudno, the divisional headquarters in St Asaph and the force headquarters in Colwyn Bay.

As well as leading the fight against County Lines gangs, he was instrumental in establishing a number of ground breaking initiatives including the Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT), the Onyx team for Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and the forces Economic Crime Unit.

He was also the Gold Commander for the Operation Lenten investigation into child sexual exploitation which received a special award for its work.

It was a joint operation with Flintshire Social Services, working with victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation, supporting victims, while securing evidence against members of a nationally based Organised Crime Group.

Over five years more than 200 children were contacted and 50 suspects from all part of the country were arrested and charges brought against numerous individuals for offences including trafficking and serious sexual offences.

In December 2018 following a five week Crown Court trial attracting national interest two men were sentenced to more than 14 years each in prison.

The professionalism, empathy and diligence shown by the investigation team was recognised by the trial judge, the victims and by the National Crime Agency as a gold standard investigation.

Another high profile investigation he led was into the murder of Ermatati Rodgers, 41, in Wrexham.

She was strangled by dairy worker Lukasz Reszpondek, in 2008 who then buried her body in a shallow grave in the Erddig area on the outskirts of the town.

Father-of-two Reszpondek, who was subsequently jailed for life, was caught after being duped by the team led by Wayne Jones, then a Detective Chief Inspector.

While under surveillance, he returned to the site 13 times, dressed in camouflage clothing, to check on police progress and eventually tried to move her body.

He recalled: We employed a lot of covert tactics where we followed him, and we provoked him into a situation where he thought we were digging up the fields and he ended up leading us to the body.

Subsequently, he played a coordinating role supporting Operation Pallial  the independent National Crime Agency investigation into allegations of past abuse in the care system in North Wales  which began in November 2012.

According to Wayne Jones, protecting vulnerable people has always been at the centre of his approach to policing.

He said: Victims want to be heard, want to be listened to and sign-posted to support services so they can get all the help they need to aide their recovery.

I think the best thing thats happened over the past few years is that sort of refocusing towards putting the victim at the heart of everything which very much chimes with the Commissioners priorities.

I have dedicated a large part of my career to tackling vulnerability and passionately believe in making a genuine difference to vulnerable people, particularly child victims.

If my appointment is confirmed, I would very much like to continue this mission as the new Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, working alongside Andy.
Asia

Korean subway union calls off strike after accepting a vague agreement

The Korean Railway Workers Union, which covers thousands of Seoul Metro workers, called off a strike planned for Tuesday after last minute talks with management. The strike was called to oppose Metros restructuring plan, which planned to reduce accumulated losses of more than 1 trillion won ($US875.81 million) by eliminating 10 percent of the companys 16,700-strong workforce, slashing benefits, freezing wages and outsourcing work to the private sector.

Following talks, Seoul Metro agreed to withdraw its plan to eliminate 1,539 jobs while the union agreed to establish a consultation body between management and the union to discuss ways of improving workplace safety and normalising its business. Seoul Metro CEO said the company will overcome its financial crisis by establishing a model management-union relationship. In other words, the union will assist management to slash costs and drive-up productivity.

Seoul Metro also agreed to work towards eliminating expanded late-night operations and transfer management of the extended route of the No7 subway line. There was no announcement on planned cuts to allowances and the freezing of wages.

Taiwan parcel delivery workers protest against wage freeze

Parcel delivery workers from Chunghwa Express, a subsidiary of Chunghwa Post, demonstrated outside the Ministry of Transportation and Communications building in Taipei on Wednesday, threatening to strike if they are not given a pay rise. Workers alleged that their pay had not been adjusted for 17 years.

According to the Chunghwa Express Union, the average monthly salary for workers in the transportation and warehousing industry last year was NT$55,097. The basic monthly salary of an entry-level Chunghwa Express employee was less than NT$25,000. It claimed that adding full-attendance bonuses and overtime pay would only increase that to NT$26,000 ($US954) a month. The union wants a 5 percent pay increase for the companys 200 ground-level workers.

Chunghwa Post holds 50 percent shares in the company while the rest is held by private investors. Chunghwa Express board members claimed that the private sector board members were blocking any wage increase.

India: Madhya Pradesh junior doctors strike indefinitely

Around 3,000 junior doctors in Madhya Pradesh began an indefinite strike on September 8 demanding that the government withdraw an order to cancel the registration of three office-bearers of the Junior Doctors Association (JuDA). The order was a cynical act of retribution in response to the doctors week-long strike in June for higher pay and other issues. Services at the six government-run medical colleges in Bhopal, Indore, Sagar, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Rewa were adversely impacted.

JuDA office-bearers were directed to vacate their hostels and warned of action under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA). The doctors said they would remain on strike until the government repeals the order to de-register the three doctors.

The strike in June ended following a Madhya Pradesh high court return to work order. About 3,000 doctors resigned saying they would challenge the ruling. They returned to their posts when the state government assured them that their demands would be met. The doctors alleged the assurance was false and there has been no indication of progress on their demands.

Social health workers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana demand permanent jobs

Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) workers demonstrated in Andhra Pradesh and its neighbour state Telangana on September 13 to demand permanent jobs and a pay increase.

Around 150 ASHA workers from the Secunderabad Cantonment area, Telangana staged a silent protest outside the Picket Dispensary putting forward their demands. They also demanded three months of overdue pay and complained they were not provided with COVID-19 safety kits.

ASHA workers make up a skilled frontline workforce involved with vaccination drives and monitoring the health of home-quarantine patients and give other health support in rural areas. They alleged that despite working long hours, they are not given any insurance and job security. Their current monthly salary is just 7,000-rupees ($US95).

Last month, 1,000 ASHA workers from Andhra Pradeshs Chottoor district protested demanding a five million-rupee compensation payment to families of ASHA workers who died from COVID-19, inclusion in the state welfare scheme and a 300,000-rupee retirement benefit payment.

Tamil Nadu COVID-19 government hospital nurses protest

Around 100 contract nurses at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (GKMCH) in Chennai protested at the Directorate of Medical Education (DME) campus on Monday alleging that management had withdrawn accommodation and food.

Some 198 contract nurses were posted on COVID-19 duty at the hospital during the peak of the pandemic. They were provided accommodation and food in a hotel but management suddenly asked them to vacate the hotel from September 13. The nurses later withdrew their protest after officials at the DME promised to restore the entitlements.

Andhra Pradesh outsourced health workers protest for permanency

Outsourced health workers terminated by the Andhra Pradesh government following a supposed decline in COVID-19 cases held a sit-down protest in Visakhapatnam on September 8 demanding restoration of their jobs. Protesters said 136 outsourced employees of 26 urban Public Health Centres (PHC) in the district were terminated. State-wide around 1,800 outsourced employees were terminated.

As well as those workers recruited because of the COVID-19 pandemic, terminated workers also include Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), lab technicians, pharmacists, Class IV employees, who were all appointed through e-Vaidya (online doctor consultation) five years ago. They alleged some ANMs have been employed for 20 years.

Outsourced workers demanded permanent jobs, claiming that their services should be permanent because the number of urban Public Health Centres had increased from 222 to 560.

Punjab road commuter transport contract workers end strike

The union representing around 8,000 striking contract and outsourced workers from the state-owned Punjab Roadways and Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) ended strike action on Tuesday after talks with the government. The workers began an indefinite strike on September 6 demanding permanent jobs, equal pay for equal work and that the bus fleet be increased from 2,500 to at least 10,000. At least 75 percent of the state-owned bus fleet was off the road.

The Contractual Employees Union claimed it had reached a deal with the government on all workers demands but nothing was concrete. A union leader told members that the government assured them that salaries would increase by 30 percent and then 5 percent every year. He said the government had given its word that the bus fleet would soon be increased by 900 buses.

The government stalled on the issue of permanent jobs saying it needed a week to decide. The union told workers it had given the government two weeks or it will call another strike.

Tamil Nadu: Ford auto plant workers in Chennai oppose closure

Workers at Fords Chennai Maraimalainagar plant in Tamil Nadu demonstrated on September 14 opposing Fords decision to close the plant. The protest was called by the Chennai Ford Employees Union and the Stalinist Centre for Indian Trade Unions.

In the absence of any concrete industrial action, the union leaders appealed to the government to stop the closure and begged Ford Management not to neglect the lives of 2,700 workers in the factory.

Australia

New South Wales commuter rail workers take industrial action

Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) members at Sydney Trains and NSW Trains began work bans commenced on Tuesday in their dispute with the state Liberal government for an improved pay increase. Workers placed an indefinite ban on working with the New Intercity Fleet (NIF). The NIF carries commuters between Sydney and the Central Coast, Newcastle, the Blue Mountains and the South Coast.

Over 80 percent of workers rejected the governments proposed enterprise agreement (EA) offer of a 0.3 percent pay increase in the first year, with annual increases for the following two years capped at 2.5 percent.

The RTBU and Electrical Trades Union (ETU) have formed a combined unions negotiating team. Members of the Australian Services Union (ASU) have voted for industrial action in their EA dispute with Sydney Trains. Over 600 ASU members are involved.

More than 10,200 individuals are employed by NSW Trains, including drivers, maintenance and cleaning staff, signals operators, ticket inspectors, stationmasters, and guards, while Sydney Trains employs over 11,000 people.

Sydney warehouse workers walk out over COVID-19 concerns

Over 40 workers from the Scotts Refrigerated Logistics (SRL) warehouse at Erskine Park, 42km west of Sydney, walked off the job several times in the first nine days of September over safety concerns. COVID-19 had rapidly spread throughout the facility in the past two weeks. They refused to re-enter the site until it was made safe.

Three workers tested positive on August 30. Since then, a total of 11 workers have tested positive for COVID-19, with many more identified as close contacts by NSW Health and instructed to isolate for 14 days. There are around 70 employees at the site which supplies major supermarkets such as Woolworths, Coles, IGA and ALDI.

The United Workers Union (UWU) accused SRL of being in breach of its COVID Safe Plan, adding that some workers had already passed on the infection to their families, with household contacts including children testing positive to the virus.

Workers said that a colleague seen in physical contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 was instructed by SRL to continue working. The union alleged other breaches included instructing workers from other areas to work on the dock, compromising the larger worksite by exposing workers from different sections, and workers instructed to continue shifts despite being unwell.

Striking plasterboard manufacturing workers in Sydney win pay rise

Electrical Trades Union (ETU) members at the Etex plasterboard manufacturing and distribution facility in Sydney won a 9 percent pay increase over three years within hours of walking off the job. Around 40 workers represented by the ETU, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union were in dispute with Etex over its proposed enterprise agreement.

Workers wanted 3 percent annual pay increases to keep pace with the cost of living and payment of the industry standard $2 per hour Electrical Licence Allowance. Etex agreed to the demands.

Melbourne abrasives manufacturing workers take industrial action

About 35 workers at the Saint-Gobain abrasives manufacturing plant in Melbourne have begun industrial action for an improved enterprise agreement. Action could include various work bans and strikes ranging from 4 to 24 hours for an indefinite period.

Workers are asking for 3 percent annual pay increases and to retain their superannuation contributions at 1.5 percent above the minimum requirement. The United Workers Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) claimed the company repeatedly shut-down talks, refusing to negotiate a deal.

The AMWU claimed that workers at the plant achieved a 20 percent productivity increase since the last agreement making them determined to win their demands.

Cadbury chocolate factory workers in Melbourne walk out

About 340 members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) walked out for 24 hours at two Mondelez (Cadbury) chocolate factory sites in Melbourne on Friday demanding more secure jobs and an improved pay offer in the companys proposed enterprise agreement (EA). Workers have banned weekend overtime work.

An AMWU spokesman said some workers have been in casual roles for 10 years but Mondelez International is refusing to make them permanent. Workers have rejected the companys pay increase offer of 9.75 percent over four years, which is a pay cut when compared with the projected cost of living increase.
The English Touring Opera (ETO) has cited diversity to justify not renewing the contracts of 13 musicians, nearly half its orchestra. Though employed on rolling freelance contracts, many of the players had been with ETO for 20 years or more.

Screenshot of a June 5 tweet by the ETO asking for applications to join its pool of freelance musicians (Credit: @ETOpera)

The players have made a long contribution to the excellence of the ETO orchestra. As their playing was already known, they were not expected to audition at a recent call for new players. But this now suggests a longstanding intention to remove them, and to replace them based on racial or gender-based criteria.

This divisive move dismisses the qualities of the musicians involved and attacks the very basis of artistic accomplishment. Such quota-filling positive discrimination does nothing to address the historically determined divisions that stem from the very foundations of an unequal, class society, but serves only to fuel the racial divisions it claims to oppose. It is a gift to racists and the right-wing.

The announcement came in an unexpected letter to the 13 players, aged 40-66, from ETO Director James Conway last week. In it he wrote of significant changes at the company under new Music Director Gerry Cornelius, making it likely that ETO will not be in a position to offer you a freelance engagement in the Spring 2022 season, even if we would like to leave the door open for freelance engagements in the future.

Conway explained that these changes involved a commitment to increasing all kinds of diversity in the team, and that the company had prioritised increased diversity in the orchestra. This was in line with the firm guidance of the Arts Council and of most of the trust funds that support ETO.

Arts Council England (ACE), the primary funder of the ETOs extensive touring programme, swiftly denied any responsibility or support for the move, suggesting that ETOs actions might actually have compromised the arrangements of its 1.78 million funding: We did not instruct the English Touring Opera to send this letter. We are now in conversation with ETO to ensure no funding criteria have been breached.

The orchestras tours, with live productions and education projects, reach nearly 50,000 people each year.

Veteran British classical music journalist Norman Lebrecht has described the move as setting a dire precedent across UK arts.

ETO employ musicians on short-term contracts each season, but with a culture of rolling long-term engagement. That the players had no firmer security is in large part due to the Musicians Union (MU). The MU admit that ETO have always resisted the MUs negotiations around instating a first call core players list into its collective agreement. The MU describe this as a key protection a freelance player can have against losing their regular work in this way.

This has allowed ETO management to treat these non-renewals as a matter of course, with Conway writing the orchestra has always changed season to season.

But ETO has nevertheless depended on the long service of players and their considerable talents. Moreover, the coherence of an orchestra, no matter the individual talents involved, including those of the conductor, is hugely impacted by their previously playing together.

Conway admits the move casually sacrifices the high standards achieved during my tenure. The MU noted that the ETO orchestra has been consistently praised in the press for its quality, with some of the players (including those who have not been booked) being mentioned personally for the high standard of their playing.

But Conway used his recognition of their excellence only to justify abandoning them to their fate, pointing them to other employment: all those players have achieved distinction in their work with other groups, in their teaching, and in many other fields.

There was immediate outrage, with huge support for the dismissed players from other musicians and from audience members. However, ETO aggressively defended the policy, saying seasonal bookings and employing different players for different repertoires carried no obligation for future seasons.

ETO then said these seasonal contracts were offered on the basis of excellence. But if so, the decision to remove the musicians substitutes race, gender and other identity-based criteria for excellence. This can have only negative artistic and indeed social effects.

The last 18 months have been terrible for musicians, who have found themselves without work and often without means of support. The governments initial wage furlough scheme offered no provision for self-employed and freelance workers, most arts workers. Its Cultural Recovery Fund was aimed at enabling venues to reopen, although it was clear this could not be done safely. It was not aimed at enabling artists to survive during their enforced layoff.

When the government belatedly introduced its Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, many artists were not covered. The MU estimated that 38 percent of musicians were not eligible. Last October, the MU reported that more than 1,000 freelance orchestral musicians had had no income since concerts were closed-down in March 2020.

Conways initial letter declared, I recognise this last 18 months have been extremely difficult for freelance artists and technicians. He then tells these struggling artists to accept being effectively sacked to supposedly rectify social injustices for which they bear no responsibility whatsoever.

It must also be stressed that any failure for the ETO to not properly reflect societal diversity is Conways responsibility, not those being let go. In all events, no one, including of course Conway, has suggested that his employees gained work because they were white and/or male. They are only being let go for this reactionary reason.

Based on previous employment patterns, many musicians hoped the 2022 season would enable a return to work and a chance to begin repaying the debts that have built up. But it is clear that ETO have long been planning their latest move, as their refusal to incorporate a first call core players list in its collective agreement demonstrates.

The make-up of Corneliuss new orchestra is not yet clear. The day the non-renewal of contracts was reported, ETO announced the arrival of 12 musicians, speaking of an equivalent number of players we have worked with previously. This statement has now been removed from their website.

The comments of Jo Laverty, the MU National Organiser Orchestras, make clear the MU knew this situation would arise eventually. She said that ETO had mooted in pre-pandemic times their desire to refresh the orchestra.

The union noted, Sacking half the workforce under the guise of improving diversity is insincere and bad practice, with Laverty noting that its desire to refresh had never been expressed in terms of diversity and that ETO had made no efforts to address diversity in gradual and inclusive stages like other orchestras. Nor does the ETOs current call for musicians mention an equality, diversity and inclusion statement, or any commitment to addressing barriers for underrepresented groups.

The MU said it lauds efforts to increase diversity in the workplace, [but] this should be achieved fairly and legitimately, not by sacking half an orchestra. It also reports that musicians who have been offered work have expressed how devastated they are for their colleagues. Yet it has announced no measures to combat this wholly undemocratic and retrograde step.

ETO say they remain optimistic that the MU will smooth things out for them: We recognise the [MUs] mission to champion all their members and are confident that the Union will continue to find [ETO] a supportive and fair producer.
The decision by the United States, the UK and Australian to establish the military alliance AUKUS pact is a historic turning point in Britains foreign policy with major consequences.

The AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States) pact focuses on the Indo-Pacific region targeting China, one of the worlds major nuclear powers. Australia will be allowed to share nuclear technology and will be provided with at least eight nuclear-powered submarines. The UK will share contracts to supply the main component for the new submarines with BAE Systems and engine maker Rolls-Royce set to play a major role.

The UK Carrier Strike Group 2021, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, departing the UK (credit: Royal Navy/Flickr)

Expressing the rot of bourgeois democracy, all three governments involved are escalating a dangerous militarist agenda without even the pretence of democratic accountability.

There was no public discussion in the US Congress or the parliaments in Britain and Australia. The first that the world heard about AUKUS was on Wednesday, when it was announced in a joint press conference by US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

In a conspiracy against the populations of the three countries involved and the working class of the entire world, the plans were hatched behind closed doors over months.

Johnsons Conservative government allocated less than 45 minutes for a debate in parliament Thursday to discuss the formation of AUKUS. He began the discussion with an opening statement of less than seven minutes.

Johnson stated, If there were ever any question about what global Britains tilt towards the Indo-Pacific would mean in reality, or what capabilities we might offer, this partnership with Australia and the US provides the answer. It amounts to a new pillar of our strategy, demonstrating Britains generational commitment to the security of the Indo-Pacific and showing exactly how we can help one of our oldest friends to preserve regional stability.

Johnson didnt conceal what was at stake in winning control of what he called the new geopolitical centre of the world, intervening in the debate to declare, The whole Indo-Pacific tilt, of which this is a part, is a recognition of the fact that the CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific] area  is a 9 trillion trade area in which the UK has an increasing diplomatic and commercial presence.

As brief as the discussion was in parliament, it underscored why Biden, Morrison and Johnson can procced with their predatory imperialist agendathey can all count on opposition parties that share their aims.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said, New challenges can emerge and issues in faraway corners of the globe can quickly turn into threats at home, so Labour welcomes increased co-operation with our allies.

Chinas assertiveness does pose risks to UK interests in a secure Pacific region, in stable trading environments and in democracy and human rights, he added.

The Labour leader was more overtly hawkish than Johnson, insisting that the turn to the Asia-Pacific must not jeopardise the ongoing the military encirclement of Russia and Britains strategic interests in Europe and Asia. In order to protect our security and interests, we also need to look after our broader alliances, he said. NATO remains our most important strategic alliance. It is also the most successful, having delivered peace and security in Europe for three quarters of a century. Whatever the merits of an Indo-Pacific tilt, maintaining security in Europe must remain our primary objective.

He then asked Johnson to guarantee that the arrangement will not see resources redirected from Europe and the high north to the Pacific.

Other MPs were anxious not to be seen as any way unpatriotic or out of step. It was left to Johnsons predecessor Theresa Mayruthlessly dispatched from office by Johnsons Brexit wing of the party in 2019to point to the potentially catastrophic implications of a military confrontation with China

May asked, What are the implications of this pact for the stance and response the United Kingdom would take should China attempt to invade Taiwan?

Johnson refused to answer directly, replying that The United Kingdom remains determined to defend international law and this would be the strong advice we would give to the Government in Beijing.

The dangers of the UKs new course were confirmed the same day by Taiwan, citing a 'severe threat' from China and clearly timed to coincide with the AUKUS announcement, announcing additional defence spending of 6.28 billion over the next five years, including on new missiles and warships.

Mays intervention made clear that shifting away from a decade old policy which has seen the UK massively extend its economic relations with China means entering uncharted territory. The David Cameron-led Tory government (2010-2015) established a golden era with China, leading to Beijing investing billions in the UK economy, including in the development of UK nuclear power stations and mobile phone infrastructure. This led to anti-China hawks in the Tory Party, military and security apparatus insisting that Huaweis role must be curtailed.

In 2015, China set up the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to expand operations into less developed countries and to serve as Chinas equivalent to the World Bank. Britain was the first Western country to pledge its participation.

Speaking for substantial sections of the capitalist class concerned at the implications of upending economic ties with Beijing, Starmer insisted, We need to deal with those risks, defend our values and defend our interests, but the same [integrated review of foreign and defence policy] also rightly stated that the UK must maintain a commercial relationship with China, and we must work with them on the defining global issues of the day.

How this circle was to be squared, Starmer did not say. But the factional warfare in ruling circles that erupted over leaving the European Union has not disappeared.

Johnsons policy on coming to power was based on alliance with the US and the Trump administration, which had declared the EU a cartel and an economic rival. He claimed that this offered the possibility of developing a global Britain, with access to the US market and investments in China and other expanding markets in the Commonwealth compensating for lost trade with Europe.

This bubble was burst after Trumps election defeat by Biden, with the Democratic Party leader making clear that the price for Britain maintaining a relationship with Washington is to enlist in the US-led trade and military war drive against China.

This has poisoned the UKs already soured relations with Europe.

Britain played a major role in ensuring that Australia scrapped its A$90bn (48 billion) submarine deal with France. British Defence Minister Ben Wallace said Thursday that Australia had come to the UK seeking a deal in March and wanted to abandon the French upgrade, and that Johnson, Morrison and Biden had discussed this on the sidelines of the UK-hosted G7 summit in June.

The secret talks put the unprecedented hardening of the UKs position on China in recent months into context. This week Parliaments Speaker, the Labourite Sir Lindsay Hoyle, citing Beijings ongoing sanctions against seven UK MPs, banned China's ambassador to the UK from entering the parliamentary estate to speak at a scheduled meeting of the influential all-party parliamentary group on China.

This follows the unprecedented launching in May of the UKs Carrier Strike Group (CSG), led by the HMS Elizabeth aircraft carrier, on a six-month round trip to the Indo-Pacific. That HMS Elizabeth would be sent to the Indo-Pacific, including sailing provocatively into the South China Sea, was decided on last year. But as tensions were ramped up by Washington with China, the CSG was scaled up with substantial US participation. HMS Elizabeth and the CSG also participated in military operations in the Black Sea and Middle East.

Shortly before the CSG left the UK, Tory hardliner Iain Duncan Smith told the Telegraph, I'm pleased the Aircraft Carrier is deploying in the South China Sea, but they need to complete this process by letting the Chinese know that they disapprove of their very aggressive actions against their neighbours by sailing through the Taiwan Strait. He was backed by Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee.

Johnson refused to give the go-ahead to sail the Taiwan Strait, but it is now clear, through the formation of AUKUS, he was preparing aggressive actions against China on a vastly greater scale with incalculable consequences.

Even as Johnson boasted in the AUKUS debate that military spending was at 2.2 percent of GDP and had rocketed by 24 billion under his premiership, Ellwood said he hoped the prime minister now recognises that our peacetime defence budget is no longer adequate, and we will soon need to increase it to 3 percent of GDP if we are to contain the threats that now we face.

As with every penny handed to military, the cost of this will be borne by the working class in the destruction of jobs, wages and conditions and the continued evisceration of health care, education and housing provision. Everything now depends on the building of an anti-war movement rooted in the working class and animated by opposition to the source of war, the capitalist system.
Beaumont Health, which operates eight hospitals in the Detroit metropolitan area, announced on Wednesday that all ten of its emergency departments were nearly full and urged the public to go elsewhere.

Beaumont Health corporate headquarters in Southfield, Michigan [WSWS Media]

A midday announcement said that the Beaumont facilities are experiencing extreme numbers of patients seeking medical attention and the health system is encouraging patients to consider all options for treatment and evaluation, such as urgent care, when appropriate.

The statement went on to say some of the patients were seeking care for COVID-19, but the overwhelming majority of those arriving at the emergency rooms have other medical conditions and concerns.

The announcement included a statement from Beaumont Health CEO John Fox, who said, Many people delayed getting tests and treatment for medical issues because of their concerns about the pandemic. Now, more than a year and a half after the pandemic began, those delays in care are resulting in medical emergencies. Fox also said that the influx of unvaccinated and extremely ill patients suffering from the COVID-19 Delta variant have added to a staffing shortage and creating a perfect storm.

The announcement said that the staffing shortage had forced Beaumont Health to temporarily close 180 beds, or five percent of its capacity across the eight-hospital system.

Dr. David Donaldson, the emergency center chief at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Michigan, told the Detroit Free Press, What were currently seeing is different than the start of this pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, volumes across the country in emergency centers went down.  But at this point, were not only seeing our now-normal volumes, meaning pre-pandemic patient volumes, but were seeing that on top of COVID.

Other hospitals in the area are experiencing similar conditions. Henry Ford Health Systemwhich operates five hospitals in Detroit and one in Jackson, Michiganannounced Monday it had reduced its inpatient bed capacity by 120 because of staffing challenges.

Henry Fords Executive Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Adnan Munkarah claimed that the 10 percent reduction does not mean by any means that our level of care or safety of care is impacted.

Ann Arbor-based Michigan Medicine said on Wednesday that its emergency department has been experiencing heavy volumes for the last month and recently shut down 13 beds because of staffing shortages.

The emergency room crisis in the Detroit area is the product of the refusal of the political establishment, the corporations, the media and the health care industry to respond to the pandemic with a policy of eradication and elimination. Preoccupied with mergers and acquisitions and the bottom line for the past year and a half, the executive management of hospital systems like Beaumont Health have done nothing to prepare for the present situation.

Beaumont Health CEO Fox epitomizes the negligence of the entire industry. In the midst of the first wave of COVID-19 in April 2020, the management of Beaumont announced the temporary closure of its hospital in Wayne, Michigan, and one week later 2,500 health care workers were furloughed and 450 were permanently terminated.

Meanwhile, CEO Fox has been spending his time throughout the pandemic concentrating on the financial performance of the $5 billion health care system and working on the next merger and acquisition opportunity. Beaumont had signed a $6.1 billion agreement to merge with Akron-based Summa Health in January 2020 before the deadly pandemic had begun spreading throughout the US.

Despite the death and destruction that was visited upon the poorest, oldest and least-healthy segments of the population in Detroit and other major cities, the Beaumont CEO attempted to push forward with the Summa Health deal only announcing that it was being called off on May 29, 2020. The joint announcement ending the agreement did not even mention the pandemic which was by that point infecting hundreds and killing dozens each day.

The end of the Summa Health merger agreement did not stop Fox from continuing his crusade for a multibillion-dollar deal. Less than three weeks later, Beaumont announced a new merger plan with Advocate Aurora with 16 hospitals in Wisconsin and 12 hospitals in Illinois worth $17 billion. The deal was ultimately scrapped due to a groundswell of opposition from doctors, nurses, other employees and community members who were outraged by the callousness of Fox toward the horrifying reality of death and suffering facing the hospital staff during the pandemic.

In announcing the collapse of the deal with Advocate Aurora in October 2020, Fox barely mentioned the staff opposition but instead attributed his failure entirely to the pandemic, saying that the concerns of nearly everyone except himself were overshadowed by both COVID issues and non-COVID issues. By non-COVID issues he meant the inability of the respective boards of directors to meet face-to-face during the talks.

Lastly, the unpreparedness of Beaumont for the present situationincluding and especially the shortage of staffcomes amid the concentration of CEO Fox and the rest of the executive leadership of Beaumont on the latest merger plans announced on June 17 of this year with Spectrum Health of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The combined annual revenue of these two organizations would be approximately $13 billion.

In keeping with his tactics of deflection, Foxs statement regarding the unvaccinated being responsible for the present crisis is a complete diversion from the responsibility of the for-profit and nominally non-profit health care systems for their lack of preparedness for the present situation. Hospital staffing shortages are not the result of a lack of qualified employees but rather the refusal of management to adequately compensate, staff and protect the doctors, nurses and support people.

In November 2020, public disclosures revealed that Beaumont paid John Fox a $2.6 million bonus as part of his 2019 total compensation of $6.75 million. The bonus was prepared just as the deadly coronavirus pandemic was hitting Detroit and paid out while the hospital was laying off staff.

At the end of last year, Beaumont Health was flush with $3.49 billion in cash and investments, including $500 million in Medicare Advance Payments and $866 million in pandemic-related CARES Act payments and deferred payroll tax obligations from the federal government. Instead of using these resources to invest in the staff, the Beaumont Health leadership moved forward with its financial management strategy.
Autoworkers at plants for the Big Three automakers, General Motors, Stellantis and Ford, are speaking out in support of the Dana Inc. workers as they take on the company and the United Auto Workers (UAW) in their contract battle.

A Dana Inc. assembly technician wears a face mask as she assembles axles at the Dana plant in Toledo, Ohio, May 18, 2020 [Credit: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook]

More than 3,500 Dana workers across the US rejected a sellout contract by a more than 9-to-1 margin earlier this month, but the UAW and the United Steelworkers of America (USW), the official bargaining agents at several other Dana plants, are trying to punish workers by keeping them on the job on an indefinite day-to-day extension.

Their aim is to string the Dana parts workers out long enough to complete the changeover for new model vehicles over the next month, for which billions of dollars hang in the balance not just for Dana but the entire US auto industry. Dana Inc. plants produce critical components for many of the most profitable Big Three plants, and the UAW is deliberately sabotaging this strategic position. The workers are fighting back by building the Dana Workers Rank-and-File Committee to share information, develop a national strategy and establish lines of communications with other autoworkers.

Upon learning of the fight at Dana, many workers at the Big Three drew similarities to their own bitter experiences with the UAWs treachery, including the 2015 contract, which was rammed through under dubious circumstances and which expanded the use of temporary workers as a low-wage third tier in the plants; the 2019 nationwide strike at General Motors, which the UAW shut down, as well as the ongoing corruption scandal which has led to the imprisonment of two of the last four union presidents.

Dana workers labor in modern-day sweatshops, standing for hours on filthy shop floors and working for weeks at a time before getting a single day off while COVID-19 spreads in plants unabated, conditions which were bargained for by the UAW and USW. Similar conditions are being brought into the major assembly plants of the Big Three. Earlier this week, Stellantis invoked a clause in a side agreement with the union to put its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) on critical status, allowing it to force people to work every week for seven days a week for the next three months.

The World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter is campaigning for the broadest possible unity of Dana workers with autoworkers at the Big Three. Only through a joint struggle can the UAW/USWs sabotage at both ends of the automotive supply chain be defeated.

Worker from Ford Dearborn Truck Plant

I know at Dana they work 12 hours just like us. You dont have energy or time to do anything. You no longer have a life. They have no representation [from the UAW]. They [UAW] get paid to do nothing. At this point we need to think about why we need them. Every plant you go to complains about the UAW. We need to start something new. The new people coming into the plant get hurt by the unions.

Government and unions dont represent us, so we have to take it back. Public officials govern for 1 percent of the planet. Its getting old. Its been getting old for thousands of years. Its like slavery took a new form, instead of just blacks its everyone now. Its coming to a head now.

Worker from Stellantis Jefferson North Assembly Plant

I have friends who work in these parts plants, and its absolutely insane. If this can go on in a union shop, imagine the non-union shops? Theyve got it even worse, so now its even more fire in the furnace.

Jefferson is a Jeep plant. We are dependent on Dana. We build four-wheel drives.

The Dana committee [DWRFC], these guys are on the right track. After years and years of basically being sold out, their statement of their goals is exactly what is needed. They are asking for fairness and for dignity. Theyre doing a job. Its just a job. Its a way to make money to do what we want to dowe didnt sell our souls. We have to remind management that this is a job! Working here does not define who I am. Im a human being, and I expect to be treated like one. Thats all the Dana workers are asking fornothing more and nothing less. Its just basic human decency.

Theyve got to do something. Their elected officials have left them hanging, just like all the rest of them, so they have to do something.

Stand strong. Some people might think this is just a money grab. They think, Oh, these guys are just unhappy workers who just want more money. The truth is, no. Were fighting for our lives.

You work in these plants, and theyre poisoning us on a regular basis. Health and safety is a joke anymore. Everybodys seen it for years and years. OSHA has had its legs cut out from under it. And were at the mercy of the corporation. All this talk about how We care about you is a lie.

The truth is, they have to stand strong. Its about people, not about anything elseIts about peoples lives.

Dana might be the straw that breaks the camels back for waking people up. Because if Dana goes out on a strike, its going to grind the whole industry to a halt. People are gonna start asking, What the hell is going on here?

Worker from Stellantis Toledo North Assembly Plant

Dana workers are going to get sold out by their union officials unless they all walk out. Its going to happen. They will be sold out by the UAW.

The union is not going to come up with a contract that Dana workers will agree to. I mean, 435 no votes to 0 yes votes [at Dana Toledo]?! In order for the UAW to get a yes vote out of this, theres going have to be drastic changes. But what the UAW is going to do is make one small change [to the contract] and say, Well give you an extra holiday, or Well give you your birthdays off paid, something stupid, to say Look, its a different contract, vote on it, or, Look, weve come at you with 15 contracts.

But all those little things are not changes that will affect us in the way it needs toit wont raise any safety concerns, nothing like that. Then it will get kicked up to [the] International, then [the] International is just gonna say, Get back to work. So unless Dana workers continue to stand strongI know its not easy to do, I know its scary to do, it sucksbut they have to stand strong.

If Dana workers can stand up against the UAW, at this small, recently established local union [in Toledo], then the Local 12 Jeep unitwe have over 6,000 people at our plant, its the largest local in all of the UAWwe will support.

I have no faith in the UAW, not just from what they did to us [at Jeep] but also because of what they did to the Toledo nurses strike. They screwed them over. I was on the picket lines every day. I would get off of work and go straight to the picket, sit with them in the cold for four or five hours and talk to them. These nurses saved my life, straight up. I have been saved by nurses more times than I care to even think about. So the way the UAW treats people who literally save lives, that shows what theyll do to everyone at Dana, and what they really think of Dana workers.

They think all they do is build axles. They think they can just get any dummy off the street to do [Dana workers] jobs. They think were all ignorant morons. They think were just too ignorant to know any different. But Toledo Dana workers voting 100 percent no shows that, guess what, were not as dumb as the company and the union think. So, as long as they stand strong, they have the support of the Jeep unit, I can guarantee it. And Ill spread the word to some of the other local units I know, including the nurses, and I guarantee theyre gonna stand with you too. Because were all sick of the UAWtotally sick of it. Theyre selling us out left and right and have been doing it for years, and the proof is finally coming out.

Whos to say that the people who are in charge of the UAW now, who were appointed by the ones who were in charge then [in 2015], are going to do anything different? Theyll do the exact same thing.

Im impressed by the DWRFC. Every effort we had of trying to get something together at Jeep was met with termination by the UAW. I know for a fact about two people [who were fired] because of them trying to take action against the company and union for the betterment of the people.

If Dana workers can keep their committee together, theyre going to come out on top, because the company is going to have no other recourse. If they can stand strong, then we can see at places like Jeep, GM, or Ford that this little company of 430 people stood up against their oppression, then the 6,000 at our plant, or the 4,000 at another plant, can do it. So we can all get our committees on good solid footing and use Dana as an example of how they did it. Its really impressive that they were able to do not only that, but to get the info out there and get such a resounding no.

When I first read about the no vote there, I thought it was a typo. But then I realized it wasnt, and I was like, Wow, you gotta be kidding me! I got goosebumps, I yelled out an audible yes! Im excited about this stuffthis is our lives, our livelihoods, our safety.

I know what its like. At Jeep we did 90 days, 12-hour days. They were nice and gave us a couple Sundays off every once in a while, but it was rare.

They need to stand strong, and we need to get these committees at these other plants and locals and really, really start standing together to effect change, not just at one particular plant but at all of them. In Mexico, and Europe, and everywhere.
A month and a half after the widest reopening of schools in Brazil since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are clear indications that the novel coronavirus is infecting growing numbers of children, along with reports in the Brazilian media of COVID-19 child deaths. This coincides with the spread of the more infectious Delta variant throughout the country, accounting now for 62.4 percent of cases.

For infected children who survive, the damage could be disastrous. In an interview with the World Socialist Web Site, Lucas Ferrante, a researcher at the renowned National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), warned, We are creating a generation that will suffer multiple known and unknown effects from COVID-19.

INPA researcher Lucas Ferrante (Credit: CNPq)

Although Brazil is recording a drop in the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19, on September 15 it had 793 deaths and 14,780 new cases, figures that represent a major underestimation of the real situation. In total, the country has recorded 590,000 deathssecond only to the United Statesand more than 21 million cases.

In the Federal District, the infection of children and young people under the age of 19 has soared. The incidence of cases in this age group increased from 3 percent in March 2020 to 14 percent last month, with two of the 14 child and youth deaths from COVID-19 occurring in August. According to the SINPRO teachers union, there are now 98 schools in the district with recorded cases, a 30 percent increase in 10 days.

In Maringathe third largest city in the Southern state of Parana, with 400,000 inhabitantspediatric and neonatal COVID-19 ICU beds registered a 100 percent occupancy last week. The media has reported the deaths of two children, one six and the other an 11-year-old, in the state within the last two weeks. By the end of August, Parana had recorded 166,479 cases and 101 COVID-19 deaths of children and youth under 19.

Priscilla Lucietto, 11-years-old, victim of COVID-19 in Parana [Family photo]

In early August, after in-person learning resumed, Rio de Janeiro recorded 64 hospitalizations of children under the age of nine, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. In mid-August, 36 cities in the state, including the capital, Rio de Janeiro, were forced to close their public state schools because of the high number of cases.

In Sao Paulo, 3,600 cases were registered in state public schools in August. Of this total, 78 percent of the cases were among students. This week, the maximum occupancy of students in many state public schools increased from 50 percent to 100 percent. Day care centers in the state capital, Sao Paulo, also returned to 100 percent occupancy this week.

On September 6, the city of Queimadas in Bahia suspended classes after a six-year-old girl, Ana Vitoria Oliveira Merces, died of COVID-19. On September 12 and 13, the Brazilian media reported the deaths of two other children under the age of six in the states of Mato Grasso do Sul and Minas Gerais.

Ana Vitoria Oliveira Merces, died of COVID at age six in Bahia (Family photo)

The nationwide school reopenings will undoubtedly worsen a situation that is already dramatic in Brazil. COVID-19 has already killed 1,581 young people aged 10 to 19 in the first half of 2021, making it the leading cause of death by disease for this age group. Another 1,187 children under the age of 10 have succumbed to the virus since the pandemic began, almost half of them under the age of two. Brazil is the country with the highest number of child deaths from COVID-19 in the world.

Lucas Ferrante, the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) researcher who spoke to the WSWS on child deaths and infections, has been one of the Brazilian scientists most critical of fascistic President Jair Bolsonaros herd immunity policy and the reopening of schools. Ferrante has also denounced the federal government's environmental and genocidal indigenous policies, which has earned him a series of death threats.

In August of last year, three months after a devastating first wave of COVID-19 in Manaus, Ferrante was the lead author of a letter published in Nature Medicine warning of the risk of a second wave if schools and nonessential services were not closed in the city. In January of this year, horrific scenes of people dying due to lack of oxygen shocked the world.

In late August, he led a study published in the Journal of Public Health Policy, titled How Brazils president turned the country into a global epicenter of COVID-19. It established that The emergence of the Gamma variant in Manaus [at the end of last year] occurred due to the federal governments strategy of encouraging the contagion of children with the return of in-person classes so that the population would reach herd immunity. The Gamma variant is responsible for two-thirds of COVID-19 deaths in Brazil.

Despite being interviewed by major national and foreign media outlets about the pandemic in Brazil, Ferrante stated that his denunciations of the danger of reopening schools are almost always suppressed. I have been interviewed by all the major international media Le Monde, New York Times, CNN International and the only agenda that they dont want to take forward, that we notice that the editors bar, is the one of the risks of [in-person] classes.

The emergence of the Gamma variant was due to the return of in-person classes

According to Ferrante, a week after the reopening of elementary schools in Manaus in early October of last year, there was a 40-percent increase in urban mobility ... and these people who were in social isolation started to live together ... increasing community transmission in the city immensely.

He continued, Exactly 21 days after the massive return, which is the period of the viral cycle, you have an explosion of cases, hospitalizations and deaths. ... We see that the emergence of the Gamma variant coincides with this explosion of cases generated by [increased] urban mobility with the reopening of schools. In his August paper, Ferrante ruled out the role of the November elections and the New Years celebrations in the emergence of this variant, events that, according to him, only further increased transmission.

This process, he added, would not have happened if children had not played a role in the transmission: It is impossible for the Manaus scenario to occur if these people [going to school, including children] were not participating in active transmission. In fact, children transmit as much as adults, and that accelerated the community transmission.

Ferrante denounced the hypocritical claim advanced by governments worldwide that schools must reopen because of the psychological damage caused by social isolation. Nobody disputes that social isolation causes some psychological damage, he said, but, he added, Why is there no discussion of the psychological damage of the loss of a family breadwinner, the loss of a grandparent, a mother?

In Manaus, Ferrante said, You had a family that lost 12 adults, [the child] lost his father, mother and grandparents. Look at the COVID orphans that have emerged. Those families are completely broken. According to a study published in The Lancet in June, 130,000 children in Brazil have lost at least one of their caregivers.

In addition to the damage caused by the loss of a loved one, Ferrante stresses, For children, in general, you have kidney, neurological, motor and heart damage. ... We are creating a generation with COVID-19 sequelae. Will we have social security for these people in the future? We wont be able to afford to retire people on disability, and many people wont be able to work and develop the activities they should have because of COVID-19.

Although children can transmit the virus as easily as adults even when asymptomatic, Ferrante explained, In fact children have a lower mortality rate than adults. But with the advance of new variants and the increased exposure to the virus with the reopening of schools, children are becoming more infected and that creates a higher mortality. He warned, There is no safety for children at all.

As the Delta variant spreads across Brazil, it will be much worse than in other countries

Ferrante disputed the claims being disseminated by the Brazilian media that the situation in Brazil is different from the worlds experience with the Delta variant, since the country has recorded a recent downward trend in cases and deaths. He insisted that indeed, Brazil is going to be different from these other countries, [but] its going to be much worse because we have half the vaccination rate of countries recently hit by the Delta variant. Today, only 35 percent of the Brazilian population is fully vaccinated.

Brazil ... should be taking restrictive measures to slow the spread of the Delta variant, Ferrante said.

This should be done with a combination of vaccinations and social isolation, he said: We have been quite frank in saying: vaccination is extremely important. But we need social isolation as well because once community transmission outpaces our vaccination rate, we need to halt that, which can be done only with social isolation.

Bolsonaro has turned Brazil into the global epicenter of COVID-19

Bolsonaros open policy of herd immunity, as well as the various mitigation measures adopted by governors of all political parties and the unions, have made Brazil the global epicenter of the pandemic because we concentrate the largest number of variants, according to Ferrante.

We have 92 strains circulating in Brazil. With them getting transmitted and mutating, there is a risk of recombination. If you have a person who has a double, triple infection ... you can recombine the genetic material between one variant and another ... and a super-variant between Beta and Delta may emerge. That would be catastrophic, because Beta is the variant that diverges the most from vaccines, and Delta is the most transmissible.

As with Manaus and the Gamma variant, the wide reopening of schools can accelerate this process and extend the pandemic for years. The worst thing that we see from the return of in-person classes is an increase in community transmission that can generate new variants, Ferrante warned. Youre not only killing people today ... youre extending the pandemic for another two, three years because a vaccine-resistant variant is going to emerge at some point, which is very serious.

The struggle to close schools in Brazil as part of a global strategy to eradicate the coronavirus is being advanced by the Rank-file Committee for Safe Education in Brazil (CBES-BR). This struggle requires the independent mobilization of the working class so that every measure well known to scientists is utilized to stop the pandemic and save lives. No death can be normalized. Follow the CBES-BR Facebook page and contact us to be part of this struggle.
Five young children from Yucaipa, California, were orphaned in late August when their parents, Davy and Daniel Macias, died from COVID-19 after going on a family vacation that left the whole family infected. Davy Macias, a 37-year-old labor and delivery nurse, was seven months pregnant with their fifth child, a girl, who has yet to be named.

A teacher reaches her hand out to Pedro Garcia, 4, as he arrives for the first day of school at the Mosaic Pre-K Center in Queens, Monday, Sept. 21, 2020 in New York [Credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]

Although the children recovered quickly from their COVID-19 infections, Davys condition continued to deteriorate, and she was eventually admitted to the hospital soon after. Not even a week later, Daniel, 39 years old, was also admitted. On August 18, Davyalready intubatedgave birth to her daughter by emergency Caesarean section. She died eight days later, and Daniel passed away the week after.

Davy would never get to see or hold her newborn. Daniel would only be able to glimpse his daughter before succumbing to COVID-19 and never even knew that his wife had died, despite only being a few rooms away from her. They died before being able to name their daughter.

Terry Seri, Daniel Maciass sister-in-law, recounts how tight-knit the young family was, saying about Davy and Daniel, Their hobby was their kids. The children, the eldest only seven years old, have gone to live with their grandparents, with Terry noting that they spend a lot of time at night looking for mom and dad.

Davy, who worked for Kaiser Permanentes Fontana Medical Center, was not vaccinated due to her concerns of how it might affect her pregnancy. Daniel was a math and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) school teacher at Jehue Middle School. It is not known whether he was vaccinated.

Their tragedy is representative of thousands of frontline workers who have died as a result of contracting COVID-19. Whats more, the number of pregnant women who have died from COVID-19 has increased in recent months with the spread of the Delta variant. Only on August 11 did the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strongly recommend that pregnant women get the vaccine. Numerous families have attested that their deceased pregnant loved ones had intended to receive the vaccine after giving birth.

On August 20, Alabama mother Haley Richardson, a 32-year-old nurse from Pensacola, Florida, died from COVID-19 two days after her unborn baby had also passed away from the virus. Like Davy, she was concerned that the vaccine might harm her pregnancy and opted not to get it.

Just this week, Hawaii recorded its first maternal death due to COVID-19 on September 14. Due to privacy laws, the mothers vaccination status has not been revealed. Dr. Stacy Tsai of the Hawaii State Maternal Mortality Review Committee stated, We are seeing women getting COVID during pregnancy and becoming so sick that we are having to deliver preterm or premature in order to help them breathe ... better.

Mississippi is currently experiencing the highest levels of maternal deaths and stillbirths due to COVID-19 in the country. To date, there have been 15 maternal deaths and 72 stillbirths, according to the Mississippi health department. This is twice the number of stillbirths the state would typically see in that time period, reported Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the states health officer.

Dr. Brenna Hughes, chief of Duke University Medical Centers Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, said, Since were seeing more pregnant people get ill, its not surprising to me that  we are seeing a higher rate of fetal losses and stillbirth.

Dr. Timothy Villegas, an obstetrics and gynecology specialist from Columbus, Georgia, has been studying the correlation between COVID-19 and stillbirths recently, stating that there are Unique changes in the placenta that suggest COVID-19 itself, or the inflammatory changes ... are causing severe inflammation and cell death in the placental tissue, which then prevents the nutrients and the oxygen and the transfer of things between the mother and the baby from happening.

At Texas Childrens Pavilion for Women, doctors have seen twice as many pregnant patients with COVID-19, compared to a little over 15 last August. Dr. Manisha Gandhi, the hospitals chief of maternal-fetal medicine, told the Texas Tribune, Were just seeing a lot more of them progress [to serious illness] very quickly. She added, This variant is much more aggressive, [and] pregnant women are getting sicker much faster.

The CDC has reported more than 118,260 cases of COVID-19 in pregnant women, with an increase in severity in recent weeks among those who are unvaccinated. Furthermore, only 25 percent of pregnant women ages 1849 years old are vaccinated, compared to 61 percent of all women in the US. So far, 18,000 have been hospitalized, and 490 have been admitted to the ICU. Those with the most severe cases are placed on ventilators or ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machines to support their heart and lungs. According to a report by NBC News, 131 pregnant women have succumbed to COVID-19, and more than 200 have lost their pregnancies.

News stories of the tragic deaths of Davy and Daniel Macias claim that the couple contracted the virus while on vacation and visiting a water park. However, there is no definitive information as to the exact place they contracted the virus, itself the product of the lack of a robust contact tracing program.

The reality is that both of them were working on the front lines of the pandemic in the hospitals and overcrowded schools. Regardless, this tragedy has destroyed their family and traumatized their children, and they are all the victims of the unsafe policies adopted by states and governments across the country that have reopened full-fledged to prioritize profits and the economy, despite the immediate danger it presents to workers and their families. Between 3040 percent of the population in most states remain unvaccinated. This does not include some 40 million children across the country for whom a vaccine has not yet been approved.

Even with vaccinations and mask mandates, the half-hearted mitigation efforts are mathematically incapable of containing the pandemic. Californias Governor Gavin Newsom, President Joe Biden and the entire Democratic Party have peddled the lie that they follow the science and have been successful in containing the pandemic.

In reality, Biden has overseen a surge that will surpass the worst of the winter 202021 surge due to the full reopening of the economy, the encouragement of tourism, and most criminally the full reopening of schools and universities this fall. These homicidal policies have inflamed what was already a dire situation which is needlessly infecting millions of workers and their families and killing hundreds of thousands more.

The international working class must fight for the eradication of COVID-19. Such a fight, in its very nature based on the precedence of human life over private profit, must assume revolutionary demands bound up with the fight for socialism and against the herd immunity policies which have led to this and other entirely avoidable tragedies.
More than a year and a half into the pandemic, COVID-19 is continuing to run rampant throughout auto parts plants run by Dana Incorporated, a Fortune 500 company and one of the worlds largest automotive suppliers.

Dana Inc. assembly technician Brandon Green wears a face mask as he works to assemble axles at the Dana plant in Toledo, Ohio, May 18, 2020 [Credit: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook]

As has been the case throughout the auto industry, workers at Dana have been kept almost entirely in the dark about the extent of COVID-19 cases and deaths at their facilities, turning every workday into a gamble with a potentially deadly virus.

In the rare cases where the company has released limited information, such as at Danas Warren, Michigan, plant, they have provided a grim glimpse into the extent of COVIDs spread. According to the latest totals released to workers at the Warren plant, 167 people, out of a total workforce of approximately 600, have fallen ill with COVID-19 at some point during the pandemic, including 114 in 2021 alone. The proportion infected has been nearly three times higher than in Warren more broadly, confirming once again that workplaces have been transmission belts for infection.

The trade unions which claim to represent Dana workersthe United Autoworkers and the United Steelworkershave predictably joined with the company in depriving workers of information, in line with their blackout of cases and deaths in the auto and steel industries more broadly.

The Dana Workers Rank-and-File Committee, initiated by workers last month to oppose the demands for concessions pushed by company and the UAW and USW, issued a statement on September 13 calling for immediate measures to halt the out-of-control spread of the virus. The statement demands a shutdown of Danas plants combined with full pay for all those affected, in order to save lives and prevent COVID from afflicting further harm on workers and their families.

Tennessee and Kentucky, where Dana has eight plants, have been suffering horrific surges of the Delta variant of the coronavirus in recent weeks, with some of the largest uncontrolled outbreaks not just in the United States, but globally.

The two states have the second- and fourth-highest number of daily new cases per capita in the US, respectively. Daily new cases and hospitalizations have neared or even exceeded their records set previously in the pandemic, with deaths continuing to spiral upwards.

Kentucky

Danas facility in Dry Ridge, Kentucky, located in Grant County, is a hotspot for the spread of the virus. Grant County has a daily new case rate of 124 per 100,000 and test positivity rate of 14 percent, indicating uncontrolled community transmission.

The World Socialist Web Site recently reported that there are four workers currently hospitalized, with one worker on a ventilator fighting for his life. Workers have reported that there are dozens of active cases among those employed there.

To keep production going at the plant in spite of the outbreak, Dana has been sending teams of workers from out of state in order to make up production shortfalls, risking the possibility that the virus will be brought back to other factories when workers return, further fueling its spread.

In Louisville, located in Jefferson County and Kentuckys largest city, cases are surging. At Danas plant there, the company and the union refuse to inform workers about cases inside the facility. They dont like to tell us, so we never really know, a worker commented.

Boyle County, Kentucky is the site of Danas Danville plant. A worker there told the World Socialist Web Site, I think eight or nine [workers] are currently out, but thats just this month. There were as many, if not more, last month.

At Danas facility in Henderson, Kentucky, workers go unpaid for missing work due to quarantining, they say.

Tennessee

Danas plant in Paris, Tennessee is located in rural Henry County, roughly two hours west of Nashville. According to one former worker there, The company makes a point of keeping cases as quiet as possible, adding, I know for sure there have been two deaths, and I think a third.

Smith County, where Danas Gordonsville, Tennessee facility is located, is experiencing its worst outbreak of COVID-19 so far in the pandemic, with an astonishing 28 percent test positivity rate. According to the website Education Week, Gordonsville has lost at least one educator to the virus, Tracy Alexander, aged 57.

Dana also has facilities in Humboldt and Crossville, Tennessee. It is unclear as of this writing what the extent of the virus is inside these plants.

Columbia, Missouri

A worker at the Columbia, Missouri, Dana plant said they have been given no information about the number of cases in their workplace by either the company or the UAW. However, he said that as many as 15-20 workers were out sick with COVID-19 at one time, based on what workers had reported to each other. Until recently, the company provided little to no financial support to workers who needed to quarantine, he added.

As workplaces reopened after limited shutdowns, he said, a lot of people didnt want to go back into a factory, and I dont blame them. Youve got to pay the bills, but youve also to care of yourself and your family. You go into work, and you pray you dont take it [COVID-19] back home.

In Boone County, where Columbia is located, new daily reported cases have increased 85 percent compared to two weeks ago. Daily cases are being reported at a per capita rate of 35 per 100,000, and the test positivity rate is running at 11 percent.

The seven-day average of daily cases in Boone County is now running even higher than during the earlier surge of the Delta variant over the summer which ravaged Missouri.

The return to in-person school at the University of Missouri, which is located in Columbia, has undoubtedly contributed to continuing high rate of transmission in the area. Over 3,100 cases have been reported in connection with the university since the start of the pandemic, equal to roughly 10 percent of the 2021 enrolled student population.

Youre looking at a whole ton of 18-year-old kids coming from all around the country, the worker added. Youre going to have thousands and thousands of college kids coming from out of state, or from places that didnt have as many mask and other requirements as we had here.

Lima, Ohio

While it has been difficult to determine the extent of the spread within the Lima plant, workers have described conditions in which masking is often not enforced and frequently used machinery is never cleaned. The surrounding area has also experienced a surge of COVID-19 over the summer and into September.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, there have been 612 COVID-19 cases and 25 hospitalizations in Allen County, where Lima is located, since the start of September. The spread of the virus also prompted the Lima City Council to pass a resolution for the establishment of a quarantine and isolation facility for infected homeless people.

Fort Wayne, Indiana

At the Fort Wayne, Indiana, plant workers reported five known cases, while saying that it could be likely higher. Shop stewards and team leaders have been tested positive multiple times but the area is rarely ever cleaned, a worker said. One worker described their COVID experience: I had a migraine, couldnt smell or eat anything. I was in the plant for the first two days thinking I had a sinus infection. Come to realize I had COVID-19 and the line or other areas of the plant I was in was never cleaned.

The Indiana Department of Health reported 3,580 new positive COVID cases from September 713, and hospitalizations have increased 17 percent over the last two weeks. Since March 2020 there have been 925,698 cases with 15,046 deaths in the state.

In Allen County where the Fort Wayne plant is located, there have been 52,539 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne is currently at 100 percent ICU capacity.

Another worker responded to the spread of COVID-19 in the plant, saying, I read the article on the bombing of the area [with fungicide]. Workers need to be educated on this. People are afraid to speak up when infected. Theres a vague attendance policy. They dont want to get in trouble.

I agree with workers fighting against this. Like the contract, COVID is never discussed by the union. It wasnt in the contract. Theres never a shutdown because the financial people are taken care of. People like us are back in the plant and could be super spreaders. There were people in here early on that had COVID and almost died and are back now. They could tell you why its necessary for us to shut down and get the vaccine.

The World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter encourages workers to share information about the impact of COVID-19 on themselves and their workplaces. We will protect your anonymity and sources will be kept confidential. Contact us today.
A meeting of the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee (PWRFC) on Friday unanimously passed a resolution in support of the SEPs campaign to defeat the anti-democratic electoral laws rushed through parliament last month.

The new legislation seeks to deregister political parties that do not have a member of parliament. This would mean they could not run under their party name on ballot papers during federal elections.

In addition to tripling the membership requirement, the laws grant the Australian Electoral Commission the power to determine which parties have the basic democratic right to include widely used words such as socialist or communist in their party names.

The PWRFC calls on all workers to join the campaign to defeat these anti-democratic laws and become an electoral member of the SEP today. Attend the SEPs public online meeting this Sunday, September 19, to discuss how you can take this campaign forward. Click here to register for the meeting.

The resolution states:

This meeting of the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee endorses the campaign launched by the Socialist Equality Party and joins them in calling on the working class to defeat the new anti-democratic electoral laws rushed through parliament on August 26.

Under the laws, parties not currently holding seats face de-registration unless they can supply a list of 1,500 members (up from 500) who are enrolled to vote. Parties have been given just three months to provide the details of these members, in the middle of a deadly pandemic and lockdowns in major cities.

The murderous policies of Labor and the Coalition in relation to the pandemic have accelerated the decline in popular support for both parties.

Like other essential workers, posties have been forced to work throughout the pandemic, placing the health and safety of ourselves and our families in danger for the sake of company profits. Our workload has doubled, allowing Australia Post to rake in record parcel revenue of $6.5 billion.

Workers dont want to learn to live with COVID-19, as politicians and the corporate media constantly demand. Workers want to eradicate this disease to protect themselves and their families from serious illness and possible death. That is what the SEP stands for. We in the PWRFC fully support this policy.

The unions, which serve the same corporate masters as the major parties, have led the drive to keep workers on the job in dangerous conditions throughout the pandemic.

Workers have endured decades of cuts and attacks on our living standards and democratic rights, we do not even have the right to strike anymore! Enough is enough!

We call on workers to support the SEP and become an electoral member to help defeat this anti-democratic attack.

All Australia Post and other delivery workers are invited to contact the Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee.
The financial troubles surrounding the Chinese property developer Evergrande continue to worsen as discussion in financial circles focuses on what measures might be taken by the government to prevent a possible financial crisis.

China Evergrande Centre [Wikimedia Commons]

Evergrande, the countrys second largest property developer, with debts of more than $300 billion, has admitted it is on the brink of default and is desperately scrambling to build up cash.

But its efforts do not appear to be succeeding. On Thursday S&P Global Ratings, which has downgraded its rating of the companys bonds several times over the past three months, announced another downgrade, saying its liquidity and funding access are shrinking severely.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that Chinese authorities had told major lenders the company would not be able to meet interest payments on loans due on Monday following a decision by Evergrande to hire debt restructuring advisers.

So far, the government is keeping the details of any possible response close to its chest. Responding to a question on what impact Evergrande could have on the economy at a press conference on Wednesday, National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Fu Linghui said only that some large property enterprises were running into difficulties and the fallout remains to be seen.

The press conference was held on the latest national data which showed a worsening slowdown in the Chinese economy in August. Retail sales rose by only 2.5 percent for the month, well below forecasts by economists of a 7 percent rise. Industrial production, one of the main drivers of the economy, increased by 5.3 percent compared to the median forecasts by economists of an increase of 5.8 percent.

The slowdown is expected to continue. Goldman Sachs, which last month downgraded its forecast for growth in the Chinese economy from 5.8 percent to 2.3 percent for the third quarter, has cited a meaningful slowdown in industrial indicators such as electricity production and ferrous metal smelting.

So far, the problems surrounding Evergrande have not been transmitted into the banking and financial system. Interbank lending rates remain near average levels, indicating that there is sufficient liquidity. But the Japanese firm Mizuho Financial Group has reported that some banks are hoarding cash preparing for what it called a liquidity squeeze in crisis mode.

And there are some signs of broader financial stress. On Thursday, yields on Chinese junk bondsthose with a rating below investment-grade statusclimbed to an 18-month high and shares in real estate companies fell sharply after Evergrande had had its rating lowered further and requested a trading halt in its bonds.

All eyes are turning to the response of the government. Bloomberg reported that even senior officials at state-owned banks say privately that theyre still waiting for guidance on a long-term solution from top leaders in Beijing.

The Chinese government is facing an acute dilemma. On the one hand, it wants to rein in debt in the highly leveraged property sector as well as other areas of the economy. Some of the problems facing Evergrande arise from the tightening of credit regulations earlier this year. Back in July, vice premier Han Zheng said the property industry should not be used to provide a short-term boost to the economy.

On the other hand, it is fearful of the consequences of a collapse of Evergrande on the property development sector and for the rest of the economy. There are various estimates for its significance, but Bank of America has calculated it makes up around 28 percent of the Chinese economy when both direct and indirect economic effects are considered.

Summing up the problems facing the government, in comments during a recent podcast, Yu Yong, a former regulator with the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, said: The government has to be very, very careful in balancing support for Evergrande. Property is the biggest bubble that everyone has been talking about in China. So, if anything happens, this could clearly cause a systemic risk to the whole China economy.

In a warning of the impact of a default by Evergrande in a note issued on Wednesday, Fitch Ratings said smaller banks and weaker property developers would be hurt the most.

But there are fears the damage would not stop there and extend across the entire property sector. As one financial analyst told Bloomberg: Debt recovery efforts by creditors would lead to fire sales of assets and hit housing prices. Profit margins across the supply chain would be squeezed. It would also lead to panic selling in capital markets.

On top of the financial ramifications of an Evergrande collapse, the government also must deal with social struggles that could erupt. Already there have been protests at Evergrande offices around the country.

Its modus operandi is to sell apartments off the plan or at least well before completion. This means that owners are confronting a situation where they will have paid out their money, only to be left with an incomplete dwelling. As of last December, Evergrande is reported to have received at least down payments on yet-to-be-finished properties from more than 1.5 million buyers.

Another key issue facing the government is how to prevent the effects of an Evergrande collapse from spreading both within China and internationally.

In 2015, the collapse of a share market bubble, which like the property boom had been promoted by the government, sent ripples through the global financial system. Since then, as a result of the massive speculation of the past 18 months, it has become more fragile and an Evergrande collapse could have major international consequences.
Last night, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian recalled Frances ambassadors to the United States and Australia after the announcement Wednesday of the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) alliance. Australia had repudiated a massive 56 billion arms deal with France for attack submarines, to instead obtain them from Washington and London.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs. [Source: Wikimedia Commons]

Le Drians communique stated: At the request of the President of the Republic, I have decided upon the immediate recall to Paris for consultations of our ambassadors to the United States and Australia. This exceptional decision is justified by the exceptionally serious announcements made on September 15 by Australia and the United States.

This decision is without precedent in history. The recall of an ambassador is traditionally the last diplomatic measure taken before the outbreak of war. France, an ally of the United States in every war involving both countries since the 17751783 Revolutionary War for independence from Britain, has never before recalled its ambassador to the United States.

While the AUKUS alliance targets China, it has revealed explosive conflicts among the imperialist powers. Washington, London and Canberra prepared AUKUS over several months in total secrecy from what are ostensibly their closest allies among the European Union (EU) powers. This points to deep distrust among the United States, Britain and the EU countries, beset by insoluble military and economic rivalries in Asia.

On Thursday, Le Drian had given a TV interview to France Info to emphasize that the Australian and US decisions were fundamentally unacceptable to France. He said, I am outraged; allies do not do this to each other.  To speak plainly, this is a stab in the back.

We had established relations of trust with Australia; this trust has been betrayed, Le Drian said, stressing his great bitterness and pledging to sue for damages. Frances Naval Group corporation in Cherbourg was working with Australian manufacturers to deliver the first subs by 2023, he said, with teams of Australian engineers working in Cherbourg and Naval Group staff working in Adelaide [in Australia]. Then, suddenly, poof!

Le Drian then denounced Americas behavior, blaming President Joe Biden for not resolving but compounding the crisis of US-European relations under his predecessor, Donald Trump.

He said, This unilateral, brutal, unpredictable decision is very much like what Mr. Trump used to do. We learned brutally, by a declaration from President Biden, that the contract between the Australians and the French is broken, and that the United States will propose to the Australians a nuclear deal whose content is unknown.  This is not how one treats allies or other powers who want to develop a coherent, structured Indo-Pacific strategy.

Arguments that Australias violation of the deal was a technical moveto get longer range, nuclear-propelled submarines from Washington and London, as opposed to diesel-electric boats sold by Francedo not hold water. The submarines sold by France were in fact a nuclear design, the Barracuda, with its reactor replaced by a diesel-electric engine to respect Australias nuclear non-proliferation obligations. Yet Australian officials did not contact their French counterparts to change the design, instead scrapping the contract overnight and replacing it with US nuclear submarines.

To defuse tensions, an anonymous US official told AFP: Senior administration officials have been in touch with their French counterparts to discuss AUKUS, including before the announcement.

However, the French embassy in Washington immediately responded with a formal denial. Embassy spokesman Pascal Confavreux said, We were not informed of this project before the publication of the first reports in the US and Australian press, which came only a few hours before Joe Bidens official announcement.

This eruption of bitter conflicts between supposed NATO allies is a historic warning to the working class. The Soviet bureaucracys dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 did not resolve the deeply rooted, ultimately fatal contradictions of world capitalism. Depriving NATO of a common enemy, it exacerbated interimperialist conflicts that twice in the first half of the 20th century erupted into world war. Now, Asias economic rise and the US war drive against China are inflaming bitter US-European competition over profits and strategic influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

In Paris, Le Monde called AUKUS a slashing blow in the web laboriously woven by French diplomacy in recent years in the Indo-Pacific. Precisely to avoid the trap of Sino-American rivalries, Paris made a military-industrial turn to Canberra a leading focus of its new strategy in the region.

French attempts to pursue an independent policy in the Indo-Pacific region proved unacceptable to Washington, however. Le Monde compared the resulting breakdown in US-French relations to that of 2002, when Paris, Berlin and Moscow opposed US plans to invade Iraq: Is the Iraq war (2003), launched by the Bush administration, the last crisis of such magnitude? After the chaotic, unilateral US withdrawal from Afghanistan, it is a new warning for Europeans to build their strategic sovereignty, especially in the Indo-Pacific

In an editorial titled A Smart Submarine Deal with the Aussies hailing the AUKUS alliance, the Wall Street Journal asserted that AUKUS was US retaliation for Europes failure to fully support US policies against China, Russia and Iran. It wrote, French President Emmanuel Macron has made a point of emphasizing strategic autonomy from the US, including on China, Russia and Iran.  Europe cant play Chinas game of divide-and-conquer on economic and strategic issues without consequences for its US relationship.

Biden manifestly intended the announcement of AUKUS as a rebuke to the EU. He timed it the day before EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Foreign Policy Representative Josep Borrell unveiled a long expected Indo-Pacific policy statement, in the runup to France holding the rotating EU presidency in the first half of 2022. In America, Politico wrote that the AUKUS alliance aimed to show the EU that it is not in the geostrategic big league and mock Europes woolly Indo-Pacific strategy.

In this interimperialist conflict, there is no progressive faction; the fundamental question is uniting workers internationally in a socialist, antiwar movement. After the bloody failure of decades of neo-colonial wars in the Middle East since the 1991 Gulf War in Iraq, and the millions of deaths and economic dislocations caused by their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NATO powers face catastrophic conflicts for which they have no peaceful solutions.

Last week, it emerged that during Trumps January 6 coup attempt in Washington, US military officers worked desperately to prevent Trump from launching nuclear bombs at China.

European imperialism is not, however, fundamentally kinder or gentler than its American cousin. EU attempts to develop an independent Indo-Pacific policy are predicated on massive increases in military spending. This means new attacks on workers living standards and a continuing refusal to fund necessary social distancing policies to end the COVID-19 pandemic, after 1.2 million people are already confirmed dead of the disease in Europe.

Indeed, speaking Wednesday on the EUs Indo-Pacific strategy, von der Leyen called for greater new military programs, from fighter jets to drones and cyber. She concluded her remarks by stating, This is why, under the French Presidency [of the EU], President Macron and I will convene a Summit on European defense. It is time for Europe to step up to the next level.

These announcements must be taken as a warning of the mounting danger of aggression against China, of explosive tensions inside NATO and of the necessity of mobilizing workers around the world against the war danger.
Despite record heat and rising coronavirus cases, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced this week that more than 208,887 migrants were detained in August along the southern border with Mexico. It was the first month since Joe Biden became president that the number of border arrests did not increase, but the decline was only 2 percent down from Julys 21-year record of 212,672 immigrants detained.

Young minors lie inside a pod at the Donna Department of Homeland Security holding facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley run by the CBP, in Donna, Texas, March 30, 2021 [Credit: AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, Pool]

President Biden had said that the increasing numbers of immigrants caught at the southern border was in keeping with seasonal patterns, but the border crossings have continued despite record temperatures and rising cases of coronavirus brought about by the Delta variant. More than 1.5 million immigrants have been detained since the start of the fiscal year.

The Biden administration has continued to expel immigrants using the U.S. public health code known as Title 42. While ostensibly designed to limit the spread of the pandemic, Title 42 was invoked by the Trump administration to stop all immigration into the U.S. Nearly 1 million people were deported under the rule.

Authorities now claim that Title 42 has resulted in repeat border crossings saying that last month 25 percent of detained migrants had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months, compared to an average rate of 14 percent in prior years, according to CBP.

The number of migrants in detention under Title 42 has also declined, with only 44 percent of those in custody taken under that law last month. Out of 86,487 family unit members caught by authorities last month, only 19 percent were deported because of Title 42, while the rest were allowed to make asylum claims in the U.S.

Title 42 did not apply to unaccompanied minors, who arrived in record numbers this year. In August, 18,847 teens and children crossed the border alone, a one percent drop from last month. It should also be noted that almost all single adults caught at the border are immediately deported under Title 42.

In response to the influx and criticism from Republicans that the White House has been lax in enforcing immigration laws, the Biden administration has started deporting families on expulsion flights to southern Mexico, where they are usually loaded onto buses by Mexican police and taken back to Central America. Once home, they will return to the extreme poverty, violence, and hunger that forced them to leave in the first place.

The dire situation at the southern border has forced hundreds of migrants to gather under the International Bridge between Del Rio, Texas and Ciudad Acuna in Mexico in recent days. The migrants include Haitians, Venezuelans, Cubans and Africans, who languish in makeshift camps and try to protect themselves under bushes from 97 degree Fahrenheit heat.

A 40-year-old Haitian man, who identified himself to Reuters as Archalge, told the news service, We want water, we havent eaten, and that he had been there for three days.

The migrants have access to 22 portable toilets but no running water. Food is bought in Mexico while the migrants have to sleep on dirt underneath floodlights, security cameras, and armed border guards.

The Border Patrol estimated that more than 9,000 migrants were waiting under the bridge to be processed. A week earlier the temporary camp only had a few hundred people. Authorities say thousands more will attempt to cross the Rio Grande in the coming days and have requested more Border agents to the area.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott ordered state police and National Guard to help with Border Patrol and attacked the White House for not doing enough saying, The Biden Administration is in complete disarray and is handling the border crisis as badly as the evacuation from Afghanistan.

In addition to banning abortion and opposing mask mandates in his state, Gov. Abbot has also instructed local police to arrest migrants for trespassing to deter migrants who are already in the country awaiting resolution of their asylum claims.

Abbot has also said he will close entry points at the Mexican border to prevent the town from being overrun. Local jails are already being crammed with immigrants from the Governors anti- trespassing orders.

The vast majority of those who arrived under the bridge appear to be from Haiti, which is still suffering from natural disasters and the assassination of its president, Jovenel Moise, in July. Return flights to Haiti are expected to resume Monday for deportees and the Department of Homeland Security will send additional officers to help with the backup of asylum claims.

In a setback for the White House, a judge in Texas ruled that the Biden administration could not turn away families under Title 42, and must comply within 14 days.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan wrote that in view of the wide availability of testing, vaccines, and other minimization measures, the Court is not convinced that the transmission of COVID-19 during border processing cannot be significantly mitigated.

He added, Indeed, the government has successfully implemented mitigation measures with regard to processing unaccompanied minors in order to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The judges order however, does not prohibit the White House from deporting single adults under Title 42. Moreover, the Supreme Courts ruling last month that the Trump administrations Remain in Mexico policy stay in place, will mean that most asylum seekers will be turned back from the border anyways.
The Pennsylvania Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, attended by educators in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio, passed the following resolution at our meeting last Thursday calling for the immediate implementation of a strategy to eradicate the pandemic. All educators, parents and students in the region who wish to join our committee to fight for this should sign up today to get involved.

Pennsylvania classroom with in-person instruction (Credit: Conestoga Valley School District Facebook page)

Less than a month after in-person learning has begun in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio, COVID-19 cases have surged among educators, children and their communities. In all three states, new cases are several times higher than they were a year ago, and in Ohio they are approaching the peaks seen during the winter surge. Many school districts have been forced to close schools because of the severity of the outbreaks, yet merely plan to reopen in a few days.

Pennsylvanias Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and his Republican counterparts in Maryland and Ohio have pushed the reopening of schools without any concern for the safety of educators, students or the community. They are driven only by the desire to get children in the classroom and parents back to work. The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), as well as their state and local affiliates, have also pushed this reopening policy.

We, the educators of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio, demand the immediate implementation of a strategy to eradicate COVID-19, which requires the halting of all in-person instruction along with the strongest public health measures necessary to end this deadly pandemic.

Upon returning to the classrooms, we find our buildings in terrible shape and even basic precautions are no longer being taken. We cannot express our level of anger and frustration over the lack of even the most elementary safety measures for ourselves, our students and our community.

We are horrified to learn of our colleagues and students who are becoming infected and dying. In the Miami School District, 15 educators and staff died in the first 10 days after they reopened. Fifteen lives lost for no reason but to satisfy the whims of the wealthy to have children back in school so parents can be back at work. Scores of other educators, staff, bus drivers and now children are dying in other districts throughout the country. In every area of the country where schools have reopened, case counts, hospitalizations and deaths are on the rise.

Even the meager and inadequate actions taken last year have disappeared.

Gone are social distancing, remote instruction plans, and in some cases masks. Even the COVID-19 dashboards are gone. Parents, educators and staff are left in the dark as the pandemic grows and spreads. Would you operate a car or airplane if the instruments on the dashboard werent working? What has happened to a parents right to know about outbreaks at their childrens schools?

Most reporting is left to the students and staff themselves. We are expected to self-report cases at the same time that COVID-19 leave has been stripped away, incentivizing underpaid educators to not get tested and stay on the job. In some cases, teachers are being told to come in for work even with a positive test result as long as they are masked and not showing symptoms.

In most of our schools, testing and contact tracing are not being done at all. No one knows how bad outbreaks truly are with only the worst cases recorded. Under-reporting is rampant, and administrators often do not count student infections, claiming that the students were infected in the community rather than in school.

Under such circumstances, it is disgraceful that our schools are in such decrepit order. Many of our buildings are 100 years old or older, filled with levels of asbestos and lead that made them unsafe before the pandemic. Ventilation, which was promised to be improved by the Biden administration, does not exist or is woefully inadequate. Some teachers cannot even open their classroom windows.

The Biden administration and state and local politicians, along with our unions, claim that schools can be safe with mitigation methods such as vaccines and mask wearing. In reality, these measures are not being done. Even if they were fully implemented, the science is clear that this will only slow down, but not stop the pandemic. The Delta variant is too transmissible to be controlled with mitigation methods.

The entire summer, when cases could have been brought totally under control, was instead wasted. Equipment, training, and resources could have been provided to students and teachers and preparations made for an easy and quality transition to remote learning. Instead, schools got rid of virtual options or denied parents the opportunity to switch later in the year. Every step of the way, virtual education has been sabotaged, leaving teachers with double the work and vulnerable students to fall off the grid.

What has happened to the millions in relief money provided to the districts? Where was it spent?

At meetings with administrators we are told, COVID is scary, and people will die, but suck it up and deal with it and you have to have blinders on when it comes to COVID fears. Our first and foremost duty is to look out for the welfare of our students, and we will not be silenced in the face of this disaster.

The politicians and union officials say that in-person learning is essential for children to have the social experience of the classroom. As educators, we know better than anyone the needs of our students for social connections. However, under the circumstances of a raging pandemic, it is not in a students best interest to be exposed or expose others to a virus which can kill or seriously sicken themselves, their friends or their families.

Our committee calls for the implementation of a strategy to eliminate COVID-19 as the only way to halt this disastrous pandemic. In addition to the shutdown of all in-person learning and other non-essential services, this entails a mass vaccination campaign, universal testing and contact tracing, the safe isolation of all infected patients, and all other public health measures necessary to stop the spread of the virus.

We are well aware of the hardship that shutting down schools and other non-essential services will have on the families we serve. We therefore demand that full income protection be provided to all workers who must stay home during lockdowns, along with rent/mortgage and utilities subsidies.

We have a right to health and to our lives. We are expanding our rank-and-file committee in concert with committees throughout the region and the US, and call upon educators, staff, bus drivers, parents and students to join our committee and take up this fight.
The dramatic announcement this week of the AUKUS military alliance between the US, Britain and Australia has made the fault lines of a terrible war between nuclear-armed powers explicit. Hatched in months of secret negotiations, the pact revives the World War II alliance in the Pacific against Japanthis time against China.

The UK Carrier Strike Group 2021, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, departing the UK [Credit: Royal Navy/Flickr]

The militarist character of the agreement was underscored by the decision by the US and Britain to arm Australia with long-range nuclear-powered submarines. Their only conceivable purpose, as part of the Pentagons overall strategy for nuclear war, is to be able to hunt Chinese nuclear submarines and warships in the Western Pacific and potentially launch missiles against the Chinese mainland.

The alliance will also boost collaboration in cyber warfare and related technical areas, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, as well as undersea capabilitiesin addition to helping Australia build a nuclear-powered submarine force. Australia will also expand US access to its northern military facilities, adjacent to South East Asia, transforming the country into a giant American base of military operations as it was during World War II.

China has immediately condemned the AUKUS pact. A foreign ministry spokesman declared that it seriously undermines regional peace and stability and intensifies the arms race, while the Chinese embassy in Washington accused the three countries of a Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice.

Just how seriously Beijing regards the US threat was underscored in the comments of a senior Chinese military expert in the Global Times who warned that the pact made Australia a potential target for a nuclear strike, because nuclear-armed states like China and Russia are directly facing the threat from Australias nuclear submarines which serve US strategic demands.

Chinas references to a new Cold War grossly understate the dangers of military conflict. A new book entitled Peril by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa has revealed that the US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Mark Milley was compelled to take extraordinary steps to reassure Beijing and block President Trump, who he feared would order a military attack, including potentially a nuclear strike, against China.

The AUKUS agreement, coming in the wake of Britains exit from the European Union, will also deepen the divide between European powers. In an unprecedented move, France has withdrawn its ambassadors to the US and also Australia as a result of the extreme seriousness of the announced alliance. The concern in Paris is not just that it spelled the end of a $90 billion contract to build diesel-powered submarines for Australia, but more fundamentally because it regards itself as a Pacific Power and has been sidelined.

As the Biden administration ratchets up its confrontation with China across the board, the new pact elevates Britain and Australia to centre stage. As a Pentagon official put it, the US has no better allies than Australia and the UK. Consequently, all the major powers are under greater pressure to line upfor or against Chinaincluding in Europe. In Asia, the Biden administration has already boosted the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or Quada quasi-military alliance with Japan and India as well as Australia. Its first face-to-face leaders meeting is due to take place in Washington this week.

Washingtons war drive has not come out of the blue. Rather, starting with the Obama administrations pivot to Asia, the US has engaged in increasingly aggressive moves to undermine China diplomatically and economically, while restructuring its huge military forces and consolidating alliances, strategic partnerships and basing arrangements throughout the Indo-Pacific to encircle China and prepare for war.

Behind the US war drive are the growing fears in Washington that Chinas extraordinary economic growth will undermine American global hegemony. Those concerns have been amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic which has deepened the economic, political and social crisis of US imperialism at home, and led to a further closing of the US economic lead over China. Last year the Chinese economy grew by 2.3 percent while the US GDP shrank by 2.3 percent, leading some economists to predict that China could now overtake the US in broad economic terms by 2025.

The Biden administration rapidly demonstrated that it would maintain all of Trumps anti-China measures from the huge trade war sanctions and punitive measures against Chinese corporations, such as Huawei, to the provocative naval operations in the South China and East China Seas and the boosting of US ties with Taiwan. This has been accompanied by a vicious propaganda campaign, including the Wuhan Lab lie and accusations of Uyghur genocide aimed at vilifying China and poisoning public opinion in preparation for war.

In March, the outgoing head of the US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Philip Davidson warned that the US could be at war with China within six years and called for a doubling of his commands budget, including the development of new weaponry to fight China. The incoming chief Admiral John Aquilino suggested that conflict with China was much closer to us than most think.

The advanced US preparations for war are being driven not only by fears in American ruling circles that China is overtaking the US economically, but the extraordinary social tensions being fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic and deepening social inequality. Amid the re-emergence of class struggles of the American working class, the ruling class is seeking to turn these social tensions outwards against an external enemy.

Workers in the US, Britain, Australia and internationally should reject with contempt the lies and utterly cynical and hypocritical accusations of Chinese aggressiveness and human rights abuses. It is the US, not China, that has waged criminal neo-colonial invasions and occupations that have devastated entire countries like Afghanistan and Iraq and led to the deaths of millions. Britain and Australia have been its principal partners in all of these wars.

Despite the latest debacle of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Washington is preparing new and more catastrophic wars in line with the Pentagon strategic shift from the war on terror to preparing for great power conflict.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime has no progressive answer to the looming dangers of war. While clinging to the hope that it can strike a compromise with Washington, Beijing continues an arms race that can only presage a disaster for humanity. With an economy that is based on capitalist relations and dependent on the world market and global financial system controlled by Washington, the CCP is incapable of making any appeal to the only social force capable of preventing warthe international working class.

Five years ago, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) issued an appeal to workers and youth around the world to forge a unified anti-war movement against the accelerating plunge towards a third world war. In its statement Socialism and the Fight Against War, the ICFI outlined the basic principles that need to animate this movement:

The struggle against war must be based on the working class, the great revolutionary force in society, uniting behind it all progressive elements in the population.

The new anti-war movement must be anti-capitalist and socialist, since there can be no serious struggle against war except in the fight to end the dictatorship of finance capital and the economic system that is the fundamental cause of militarism and war.

The new anti-war movement must therefore, of necessity, be completely and unequivocally independent of, and hostile to, all political parties and organisations of the capitalist class.

The new anti-war movement must, above all, be international, mobilising the vast power of the working class in a unified global struggle against imperialism. The permanent war of the bourgeoisie must be answered with the perspective of permanent revolution by the working class, the strategic goal of which is the abolition of the nation-state system and the establishment of a world socialist federation. This will make possible the rational, planned development of global resources and, on this basis, the eradication of poverty and the raising of human culture to new heights.

The task of building an anti-war movement of the international working class takes on an ever-greater urgency today. The latent opposition of broad sections of working people around the world to war has to be developed into a conscious political movement against capitalism which is the root cause of war. We urge our readers to contact the ICFI and its sections and to participate in the struggle against war and militarism.
In November 2010, a series of underground methane gas explosions trapped and killed 29 men inside the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand. Nearly 11 years later, no one from the Pike River Coal company has been held accountable for the extremely dangerous conditions that led to this preventable disaster.

Placards from a protest on the road to Pike River mine in July 2021 [Source: Pike 29 Fight for Justice Facebook page]

Now the Labour Party-led government has shut down the underground investigation of the mine. It is sealing crucial evidence in the mine workings, including the underground fan, which is thought to have sparked the first explosion on November 19, 2010.

The Pike River Recovery Agencys (PRRA) website indicates that work resumed over the past week on permanently sealing the mine portal. The work had been interrupted by a lockdown imposed last month following an outbreak of COVID-19.

The PRRA was established following the 2017 election, during which Labour and its coalition partners, the Greens and the NZ First Party, promised to uncover the evidence needed to prosecute those responsible for one of New Zealands worst industrial disasters. The agency, however, only explored the mines drift, or access tunnel. The government refused to authorise exploration of the mine workings, despite experts saying this could be done safely, to recover evidence and search for human remains.

A 2012 royal commission found that the companys management placed production and profit ahead of their workers safety and ignored dozens of warnings that the mine could explode due to insufficient methane gas monitoring and ventilation, and other illegal practices including the lack of an emergency exit. The Department of Labour (DoL, now called WorkSafe) laid charges against Pike River CEO Peter Whittall for breaches of health and safety laws, but these were dropped in 2013 in a back-room deal with Whittalls lawyers.

The DoL was complicit in the disaster: it allowed the mine to operate in violation of health and safety regulations. The Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU), which had dozens of members at Pike River, acted as an adjunct of the company. It took no action to defend the workers and made no public criticism of conditions in the mine.

After the first explosion, then EPMU leader Andrew Little defended the companys safety record. Not accidentally, Little is now minister responsible for Pike River re-entry, in charge of sealing the mine and the evidence within.

The governments actions have triggered significant opposition, including protests by the victims families and supporters, as well as international mining experts, miners and other working people throughout the world. A petition opposing the sealing of the mine was signed by 6,600 people.

In June, 22 of the 29 victims families supported legal action taken by Bernie Monk, whose son Michael died in the disaster, opposing the decision to seal the mine before a police investigation of the disaster had been concluded.

A roadside memorial to those who died in Pike River mine [Credit: Richard Healey/Facebook]

Following the 2017 election, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Little had promised to work closely with the families on every decision relating to the investigation. The PRRA website still prominently displays the words: Working in partnership with the Pike River families. This has now been thoroughly exposed as a fraud.

Minister Little released a statement on September 14 as part of an agreement with the families lawyers to end the legal action. It says: Towards the tail-end of 2019 the Minister foreshadowed to the Family Reference Group that going beyond the drift was unlikely. The Minister now accepts that the families who were not represented by the Family Reference Group [FRG] were not advised and were not included in this communication.

The FRG was established as part of the PRRA and consists of three family members who support the government, and two advisers (Rob Egan and Tony Sutorius) employed by the agency.

Littles statement, which has been almost completely blacked out by the corporate media, basically admits that the FRG did not genuinely represent the majority of the families, as the government claimed.

In March 2020, Little told Cabinet he would not seek further funding to explore the mine workings. His statement now says he accepts that his decision not to explore the feasibility of re-entering the mine workings should have been communicated to all Pike River Family members before it was presented to Cabinet. The Minister accepts this caused hurt to several family members as a result of this.

Initially, the government told the families that the PRRA would assess the feasibility of exploring the mine workings once the drift had been recovered. This work was never undertaken.

Little does not give any explanation for the failure to consult the families on key decisions, implying that it was a regrettable oversight. The reality is that the majority of families were deliberately kept in the dark by the Labour-led government. Like the previous National Party government, it is engaged in a cover-up aimed at protecting those responsible for the disaster.

Little claims that he supports the ongoing criminal investigation the Police is carrying out into the tragedy. This consists of drilling bore holes to lower cameras into the mine workings. So far, no findings have been released from this process, which is far from the kind of thorough forensic examination normally undertaken at a crime scene.

The police, in fact, previously insisted that they were unable to lay charges without a scene examination establishing the precise cause of the explosions. An initial investigation was abandoned for this reason in July 2013, even though police admitted there was ample evidence [from the royal commission] that there were widespread departures from accepted standards of mine operations.

Bernie Monk told the WSWS that Littles statement was the closest well ever get to an apology from the government. Weve been screwed and theres been a cover-up, everyone knows that now, he said. No ones been convicted. [The authorities] did an out-of-court settlement [with Whittall] behind closed doors. Theyve done everything they could possibly do to cover this up.

He believed the government had tried to wear the families out by dragging out the investigation for years. Monk added that the families have been leaked significant evidence, including electronic images and videos taken by cameras lowered into bore holes in 2011, pointing to the likelihood that men survived the first explosion. A second explosion five days later ended any chance of survivors. Monk and others, including electrical engineer Richard Healey, say there is evidence that the second explosion was caused by someone switching on a conveyor belt into the minesomething the police deny.

Dean Dunbar, whose 17-year-old son Joseph died at Pike River, told the WSWS that the lack of accountability for Pike River Coal and government agencies meant that such disasters would inevitably continue.

He accused the Labour Party of using the Pike River families as pawns to win the 2017 election, and said Labour had never intended to go beyond a pile of coal at the end of the drift tunnel to find the truth about the disaster. He pointed out that police had misplaced significant evidence from the mine, including a part of the underground fan that blew out in the first blast, which could have provided answers about the cause of the explosion.

In response to Littles claim that the government continues to seek accountability for the disaster, Dunbar pointed out: It was only a couple of months ago that Andrew Little went on TV and said that the Pike River families have already received their justice. Can someone please explain to me and my family what justice has been served for my boy?

Dunbar again appealed to workers employed by the PRRA to stop work on installing the final seal. He asked whether these workers wanted to be remembered as the team that entombed our children and helped ensure the cover-up continued.

Dunbar dismissed statements by the PRRA, intended to deceive workers, that the seal is technically reversible. The seal consists of 30 metres of concrete, and is designed to be permanent. Re-entering the mine would cost millions of dollars and take months of work.

The disaster and the decade-long cover-up at Pike River is an example of class justice that contains vital lessons for all working people. It demonstrates the role of the Labour Party and the trade union bureaucracy as the defenders of big business and the capitalist system. Like the global COVID-19 pandemic, the disaster underscores the need for workers to adopt a socialist perspective and to build new organisations to defend their conditions and their lives: rank-and-file workplace safety committees, independent of the unions and the political establishment, and controlled by workers themselves.
With the support of the United Auto Workers, Stellantis announced earlier this week that it is imposing a mandatory seven-day work schedule for all workers at its giant Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) north of Detroit later this month. The plant builds the highly profitable Ram 1500 pickup truck, one of the companys best-selling vehicles.

Shift change at SHAP [Credit: WSWS media]

The company said it was placing the plant in critical status for 90 days beginning September 25, allowing it to override contractual limits on mandatory overtime and weekend work. This would mean that employees will have to work every single day from September 25 to Christmas Eve, when the 90-day term expires.

The announcement was made as COVID-19 is once again on the upswing in Michigan. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports that 90 percent of counties are at high transmission levels and the number of active cases is up 26 percent from last week. The move, which affects 7,000 workers at the plant will undoubtedly contribute to a further rise in infections in the Detroit area.

The move to 7-day around the clock production at SHAP is in part a bid to make up production lost due to the shutdowns caused by the global shortage of computer microchips. The response of the auto industry to the shortage has been to prioritize their most profitable vehicles, idling other facilities for weeks and even months at a time in order to shift parts and even workers towards their biggest money-making plants. While the announcement was made at SHAP, additional down time has been scheduled again this month at Windsor Assembly across the border in Canada and at Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit.

On this basis, in spite of the pandemic and the chip shortage, the automakers are posting record profits. Stellantis booked a very strong $7 billion in profit for the first half of 2021.

Keeping SHAP operating at all times has been an imperative for Stellantis management this year, who have mandated weekend overtime for production workers for virtually the entire year. Management also imposed a new brutal 84 hour, 7 days on, 7 days off work schedule earlier this year for skilled trades in the plant, the first time that the company has implemented an alternative work schedule at a plant for skilled trades.

This breakneck pace did not slacken even during massive covid outbreaks inside the facility in the spring which led to as much as 10 percent of the workforce being out on quarantine at any given time. SHAP was the last major Stellantis plant to idle due to the chip shortage, when it finally shut down for two weeks in July and August.

One worker told the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter that the reason for the critical plant status was attendance problems which have allegedly plagued SHAP this year, as workers quit or simply fail to show up out of sheer exhaustion. Another worker contends, The problem isn't attendance. They cut all of these jobs and more cuts are going on. He said that earlier in the year, supervisors fanned out through the plant with clipboards looking for jobs to eliminate. The problem is production. They have increased our quota from 1,200 to 1,300, to now 1,450 vehicles per day.

Language on critical plants in the UAW-Stellantis national agreement

The imposition of these slave labor conditions is being done within the framework of the 2019 UAW contract, specifically, its hundreds of pages of side agreements, letter agreements and memoranda of understanding which occupy a whole 473-page volume unto themselves in the unions printed version of the contract.

On page 292, a memorandum on overtime allows the company, without even the pretense of requiring the approval of the union, to declare a facility a critical plant, whose output is essential to meeting the scheduled production of one or more other plants or of customers, and as a result, must operate, in whole or in part, seven (7) days a week. The designation of a critical plant allows the company to enforce mandatory overtime with no limits for a period of 90 days.

That the UAW would agree to such terms, and bury it in the finest of fine print (it goes without saying that it was not included in the bogus highlights package sent to autoworkers during the 2019 contract vote), demonstrates once again that the UAW is not a union at all, but a business unto itself, committed to jointly extracting as much profit as possible from the workers they falsely claim to represent.

The conditions being imposed upon workers at SHAP had been earlier pioneered in the parts industry, where even union shops routinely work seven-day weeks.

The 7-day schedule at SHAP is being imposed at the same time that workers at auto parts maker Dana Corp. are in a battle against the attempt by the UAW, the United Steelworkers and Dana management to impose a rotten contract that maintains poverty level wages and unlimited mandatory overtime. Dana auto parts workers voted down the deal by a nine to one margin, but the UAW and USW have refused to even raise the prospect of a strike, instead stringing workers out on a day-to-day extension of the old contract. Their strategy is to bleed workers momentum, while allowing the company to stockpile parts and make it through the critical period of the next month when the industry is changing over to next years models.

The announcement evoked many angry posts on Facebook, directed against both Stellantis and the UAW. One worker posted The limited power (UAW Local )1700 had before covid was bad, now they are just an extension of management and I get more nervous seeing union on the floor than the supervisors.

Another concurred, youre right, just like theyre allowed to do at [Stellantis] Warren Truck. They were in a launch and quit running the launch vehicle because of chips, then they started running the old vehicle, but the unions letting them keep them under launch status [which eliminates normal restrictions on mandatory overtime], so theyre being told they wont get a Saturday off until next June. Theyve been working like this for a while. They dont like to excuse their personal days either. What kind of union doesnt stand up to this bull crap?

A SHAP worker told WSWS Autoworker Newsletter, A lot of people say we won't be able to see our kids. It was hard enough with 6 days. They were upset because people werent coming to work because they were tired after 6 days. So I believe thats why they went to critical status; they were being overworked with 6 days and now its 7.

Things are at the breaking point. I used to work 7-days a week at a parts plant, 7 days 12-hours. I couldnt keep doing it.

They bargained everything away. I dont see why they even still have a union. Theyre trying to kill people now. People are living outside their means. They are taking advantage of people. I think they're trying to weed out the weak. Trying to push people to quit.

They shouldn't have built production this way, off the backs of working people. They need to hire more people and get some more lines going.

The entire auto industry, including both assembly workers and parts workers, must mobilize against the attempt to re-impose working conditions from a century ago, before the founding of the industrial unions. The eight-hour day, fought for by generations of workers has become a dead letter in the auto industry as a result of decades of collusion by the UAW with corporate management.

At Dana, workers have set up the Dana Workers Rank-and-File Committee to coordinate the fight by workers in different plants, share information and organize for a fight. SHAP workers must reach out to their brothers and sisters at Dana, in particular at feeder plants like Danas Warren, Michigan facility, to establish lines of communication and organize a common struggle against their common adversaries, the auto companies and the UAW.

We call on all autoworkers to join together in this fight. For more information contact the Autoworker Newsletter or the Dana Workers Rank-and-File Committee (DWRFC) and begin organizing a united movement against sweatshop conditions.

To email the DWRFC, email them at danawrfc@gmail.com or text to (248) 6020936.
The following statement was issued on Wednesday by the Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee in Sri Lanka. The Rajapakse government is doing everything it can to break the ongoing online learning strike of around 250,000 teachers and principals. The police have intensified their witch hunt, announcing yesterday that they will take stern action against anyone who seeks to prevent any teacher willing to participate in online education from doing so.

The government has instigated a systematic police witch hunt of Sri Lankan teachers and principals involved in the more than two-month strike for higher wages. Teachers have rejected the government-offered pittance of a wage increase. This intimidation campaign is aimed at breaking the determination of the teachers to continue their strike until their demands are met.

Some of the arrested teachers after being bailed out on August 5

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has sent a letter via area police stations to government divisional secretaries demanding they provide the names of those who organised teachers demonstrations, their addresses, and the places where the protests were held. Police also want the details of teachers who recently died from COVID-19.

The Sunday Times reported on September 12 that police spokesman Senior Superintendent Nihal Talduwa confirmed that an investigation was being conducted to discover whether the teachers died from the coronavirus after joining the recent protests.

The so-called investigation is a crude and reactionary attempt to whip up public opinion against the educators, cynically claiming that their nationwide protests have spread the virus.

The Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee (TSPSC) vehemently denounces this victimisation campaign. We urge every section of the working class to come to the defence of teachers, including by issuing statements of protest against the witch hunt.

The poisonous campaign against teachers was initiated by the Podujana Education Service Association (PESA), which is affiliated with the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. On August 28, Silumina, the government-controlled Sinhala weekly, published a report quoting PESA chairperson Vasantha Handapangoda. She claimed that 25 teachers had died from COVID-19 and 400 were infected after participating in protests.

Handapangoda is churning out false propaganda against striking teachers, making statements on an almost daily basis on behalf of the government aimed at sabotaging the industrial action. Rohitha Abeygunawardena, a government minister, repeated Handapangodas statement on teacher deaths, giving credibility to her allegations.

The claim that the teachers protests are responsible for spreading COVID-19 in Sri Lanka is false. Everyone knows that the deadly disease is spreading because of the criminal policies of President Gotabhaya Rajapakses government, which has ignored the advice of medical experts, leading to the death of over 11,000 people. Those attempts to blame the strikers should be denounced with contempt.

Workers and the poor in many countries around the world are coming into struggle in response to the criminal policies of the ruling regimes and in opposition to government attempts to impose on the masses the economic crisis worsened by the pandemic.

Sri Lankan teachers are striking for higher wages because every government over the last 24 years, including the current Rajapakse regime, has rejected their demands. The unions have likewise betrayed the teachers, accepting successive false promises from governments, and shutting down strikes and protests. Teachers, like other workers now coming into struggle, face unbearable increases in the costs of living, which have worsened because of the pandemic.

Joint teachers protest outside Colombo Secretariat on July 23 [WSWS Media]

According to CID directives, area police stations have initiated their actions. The media has reported that the area police head office in Horana has sent letters to divisional secretaries and police stations at Ingiriya, Madurawela and Milleniya in response to protest marches held in Colombo on July 25 and August 4.

On August 4, Colombo Port police arrested 44 teachers heading home after a protest near the Presidential Secretariat in central Colombo. They were falsely charged with breaking quarantine laws and blocking the roads.

The teachers were released on bail the following day, authorities fearing that their jailing would lead to even more widespread opposition. It was later revealed that 26 educators were arrested in Kandy and three others were taken into custody in Matara for allegedly organising educators protests.

The mainstream media has joined the victimisation campaign, quoting Buddhist prelates denouncing the striking teachers. The prelates and the media claim that childrens education is being destroyed by the strike and that teachers salary demands are unjustified because the country faces economic difficulties.

An editorial in the Island on Monday entitled Paid leave for striking teachers et al demanded the online strikers not be paid.

Attempts are also being made to incite racialist divisions. Last week Dinamina published an editorial entitled Vanakkam Yalpanam Teachers (Welcome Jaffna Teachers). It claimed that Jaffna teachers were continuing to teach for fifth grade scholarships and Advanced Level examinations, and that education levels in the South, which is predominantly Sinhalese, would deteriorate in the coming years.

These reports are bogus and turn the real situation upside down. Teachers in the North and East are actively engaged in the wage struggle. Surveys also reveal that the percentage of students participating in online learning is low in the plantation areas, among urban and rural poor, and in the North and the East because of the lack of internet and computer facilities.

Those conducting this vicious propaganda are defending the government and the capitalist system and oppose the struggles of any section of the working class to win their rights.

The Rajapakse government is rapidly preparing autocratic forms of rule in order to take on the working class now coming into struggle. Colombos proclamation of a state of emergency on August 30, on the pretext of systematically supplying basic food items, is a major step in this direction.

President Rajapakse now has wide-ranging repressive powers under the state of emergency, including outlawing strikes, sacking workers, and banning political parties. Working people in Sri Lanka have suffered many bloody experiences from previous governments use of emergency laws.

Rajapakse is continuously renewing the essential public service act, which bans public sector industrial action. Under this act, any violation can be punished, after a summary trial, with harsh jail terms and fines, the seizure of property and the blacklisting of future employment. Those accused of inciting and inducing workers to break these regulations will be similarly punished.

Instead of turning to other sections of the working class to defend witch-hunted teachers, the teacher union leaderships have ignored the police threats. Ceylon Teachers Union secretary Joseph Stalin has told the Times that the unions are planning to send a letter asking for clarification of a statement made by Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena.

The unions, in fact, are on the verge of accepting a paltry government wage offer, declaring that they are flexible and ready to accept if the increase is made in one payment, instead of instalments spread over four years.

The Teacher-Student-Parent Safety Committee is launching a campaign to win widespread working-class support against any victimisation of teachers. As a first step, we urge workers and students to declare Hands off teacher activists! Stop the CID investigation! and issue statements of support. We also urge the building of action committees at every school to defend the wage struggle and other rights, including free education.

The state witch hunt is part of a broader government attack on the democratic rights of all workers. What is urgently needed is a break from the trade unions and every section of the capitalist class, and development of an independent and unified counteroffensive against the Rajapakse government and the entire capitalist system.
Kindergarten teacher at Southside Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas on August 13, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

As schools experience more cases and deaths from COVID-19, the inadequacy of mitigation measures promoted by the Democrats and unions becomes starker. At the same time, Republicans have redoubled their efforts to block any obstacles to their homicidal herd immunity policy. One of the states most ruthlessly pursuing the herd immunity strategy is Texas, where a growing number of educators and students have died from COVID-19 amid a wave of mass infections throughout the state.

On September 1, Sheri Wise, a 66-year-old part-time secondary guidance counselor at Trivium Academy, a K-11 charter school in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Carrollton, died from COVID-19 complications. She had done everything right, as she said on Facebook on August 23, not only getting fully vaccinated, but getting a third shot. She had always worn a mask at work and avoided close contact, adding on Facebook, Havent hugged my mom in 16 months.

Nonetheless, she exhibited flu-like symptoms a few days after getting her third vaccination shot and it was found that she had already been infected prior to getting the shot. Noting the possibility that she was infected at work, she wrote, Is that where I got it, who knows? It proves that you can do all the right things and still succumb.

Ms. Wise had retired after 20 years as a guidance counselor at Plano High School, and as a theater director at Bay City Independent School District (ISD). She took occasional substitute teacher assignments until asked by a friend to take the position at Trivium.

Three days after her Facebook posting, Trivium Academy announced the closure of its campus when an outbreak of the virus infected 10 percent of the student body. A week later, after a short time in hospice care, Sheri Wise died.

While the overwhelming majority of deaths from COVID-19 hit unvaccinated people, breakthrough cases like Ms. Wises, though rare, are not unheard of. As of September 10, there were 7,781 breakthrough infections in Dallas County alone among fully vaccinated individuals, with 47 of them resulting in death.

On September 15, Fort Worth ISD confirmed that two staff members had died of COVID-19 that week alone. Richard Zarza, who died on September 13, was a robotics and engineering teacher at Southwest High School for four years. He was described by the school principal as an amazing educator who had a passion for student success. The name of the other deceased individual was not revealed.

Fort Worth ISD had more than 700 active cases as of September 10 among its students, with more than 4,500 quarantined, while at least 200 staff are currently infected with COVID-19.

According to Education Week, at least 17 educators in Texas have died from COVID-19 since the start of this school year alone, while 129 have died since the start of the pandemic. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of students and staff have been infected with the virus over the past year.

One result of these grim statistics is a spike in absences and resignations of teachers and bus drivers. School districts across the state are frantically seeking substitute teachers to fill in slots left vacant by teachers who fear going to unsafe classrooms or who have fallen victim to the pandemic.

In Copperas Cove ISD, located about 70 miles north of Austin, pay for substitute teachers has been increased from $75 a day to $105 to try to fill vacancies. Those with college degrees will earn $130 a day if they end up hired for a long-term position, while in some districts standards have been loosened.

In North Texas, Princeton High School raised its hourly pay for bus drivers from $17.50 to $22 with a $1,000 signing bonus and offers to pay for applicants to get their commercial drivers license.

For bus drivers, Copperas Cove ISD has raised its hourly pay of $14.65 to $18, with a $250 incentive each semester for 30 consecutive workdays. These less than impressive enticements are not enough, leaving the district still short, so Copperas Cove has resorted to another tactic: hiring teachers to fill in as bus drivers.

In Garland ISD, there is a shortage of 22 drivers, and mechanics and teachers have been called on to sub for the bus drivers. According to 21CBS DFW, Garland is offering drivers pay starting at $21.21 an hour, full-time benefits for the part-time gig and a two thousand dollar bonus. Its going even further, though, to establish its own driving school, so that it can train, test, and certify drivers for their CDL in house.

With COVID-19-related benefits drying up, Texas school districts, and school districts nationwide, are resorting to increasingly desperate gambits to lure workers into unsafe classrooms and buses. At the same time, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with the Republican-controlled legislature, continue to push for full reopenings without any mandated safety measures.

Paxton joined state attorneys general from 23 states in signing a letter warning President Joe Biden that they will legally challenge even insufficient measures like a proposed vaccine requirement for private-sector health care and federal contract workers. The letter hypocritically claims, Your plan is disastrous and counterproductive, and threatens, If your Administration does not alter its course, the undersigned state Attorneys General will seek every available legal option to hold you accountable and uphold the rule of law.

As if the Republicans and the sections of the ruling class they represent care at all about workers health and lives, it goes on to claim, Your vaccine mandate represents not only a threat to individual liberty, but a public health disaster that will displace vulnerable workers and exacerbate a nationwide hospital staffing crisis, with severe consequences for all Americans.

As reported by wfaa.com, In lieu of vaccine or weekly testing requirements, the prosecutors proposed that some companies could have employees work remotely, rather than report in person.

According to worldometers.info, of the 23 states that the attorneys general speak for, 20 have a higher number of COVID-19 cases per million population than the national average. In fact, 16 of the 23 states are among the 20 states with the greatest number of infections in the US.

The Biden administration, which reopened the economy under the banner of a declaration of independence from COVID-19 on July 4, bears enormous responsibility for the massive wave of infections and death that ensued.

Both the herd immunity rampage advocated by the Republicans and the mitigation measures of the Democratic faction of the ruling class are aimed at guaranteeing the extraction of profit, not at the protection of the lives and welfare of workers and their children. Only a mass movement of workers, guided by a strategy aimed at using all the tools available to curtail transmission, can bring about the elimination and ultimately global eradication of COVID-19.
This weeks announcement of a new Australia-UK-US (AUKUS) military alliance, with the US and UK to supply Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, is the spearhead of a closer integration of Australia into US war preparations against China.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopter and an Australian Defence Force MRH90 land at Sam Hill Airfield in Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area in Central Queensland [Source: Australian Department of Defence]

Behind the backs of their populationswithout any mention in the parliaments or Congressthe three governments have placed Australia on the frontline of plans for war against China to reassert US global hegemony.

For the first time, the Australian government has explicitly named China as the target of the military buildup, abandoning previous efforts to avoid doing so because China remains Australian capitalisms biggest export market.

At a meeting in Washington the day after the AUKUS announcement, the US and Australian defence and foreign ministers issued a communique that commits Australia to hosting US troops, bombers, fighter aircraft and warships and acting as a logistics base for a military conflagration between nuclear-armed powers.

The 31st annual Australia-U S Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) joint statement was entitled An Unbreakable Alliance for Peace and Prosperity.

At its core was an agreement on Enhanced Force Posture Cooperation and Alliance Integration. This takes to a new level the Force Posture Initiatives pact signed between the Obama administration and the Gillard Labor government 10 years ago, which featured the rotational basing of US Marines in the strategic northern Australian city of Darwin.

The four ministersUS Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payneagreed to:

Enhanced air cooperation through the rotational deployment of US aircraft of all types in Australia and appropriate aircraft training and exercises.

Enhanced maritime cooperation by increasing logistics and sustainment capabilities of US surface and subsurface vessels in Australia.

Enhanced land cooperation by conducting more complex and more integrated exercises and greater combined engagement with Allies and Partners in the region.

Establish a combined logistics, sustainment, and maintenance enterprise to support high end warfighting and combined military operations in the region.

At a media conference, Dutton foreshadowed a further expansion of US military operations in Australia. I do have an aspiration that we can increase the numbers of troops through the rotations, the air capability will be enhanced, our maritime capability [too], he said. If that includes basing and includes storage of different ordinances, I think thats in Australias best interest at this point in time.

Blinken ramped up the Biden administrations provocative allegations and threats against China, accusing Beijing of economic coercion against Australia and declaring that the US would not leave Australia alone on the field, in confronting China.

Payne followed suit. Today, we also discussed strategic competition. We discussed the competition of China at a number of levels that requires us to respond and to increase resilience.

Speaking from Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared: The relatively benign environment weve enjoyed for many decades in our region is behind us. We have entered a new era with new challenges for Australia and our partners.

A comment in the New York Times on the AUKUS pact noted that when Morrison became prime minister three years ago, he insisted that the country could maintain close ties with China, its largest trading partner, while working with the United States, its main security ally.

Australia doesnt have to choose, he had said in one of his first foreign policy speeches. But the New York Times said: On Thursday, Australia effectively chose  With its move to acquire heavy weaponry and top-secret technology, Australia has thrown in its lot with the United States for generations to come

The agreement will open the way to deeper military ties and higher expectations that Australia would join any military conflict with Beijing.

The article said the US had made a choice also: That the need for a firm alliance to counter Beijing is so urgent that it would set aside longstanding reservations about sharing sensitive nuclear technology. Australia will become only the second countryafter Britain in 1958to be given access to the American submarine technology, which allows for stealthier movement over longer distances.

Significantly, the AUSMIN communique specifically referred to Taiwan, which the US and its allies are using as a potential trigger for conflict against China. The document further undermined the One China policy by which the US recognised Beijing as the legitimate government of China as a whole, including Taiwan, in 1979.

The Secretaries and Ministers re-emphasized Taiwans important role in the Indo-Pacific region, the communique stated. Both sides stated their intent to strengthen ties with Taiwan, which is a leading democracy and a critical partner for both countries.

This aggressive alignment against China will be intensified in Washington next week by the first-ever in-person meeting of the leaders of a de facto anti-China military alliance, the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad,the US, Japan, India and Australia.

Confident of bipartisan backing, the Morrison government has proceeded in close consultation with the Labor Party. Opposition leader Anthony Albanese and three key shadow ministers were briefed in advance of the AUKUS announcement.

In line with Labors unequivocal decades-long commitment to the US military alliance, Albanese immediately stated Labors agreement with the alliance and the acquisition of nuclear submarines.

Albanese called for three assurances, which were already included in the deal: no civil nuclear energy capability, no breach of nuclear non-proliferation treaties and no acquisition of nuclear weapons. These are essentially meaningless, because the logic of nuclear-powered weaponry involves the acquisition of nuclear warfare capability.

Morrison, Dutton and other Australian ministers bluntly rejected Chinas condemnation of the AUKUS and submarine agreements, heavily backed by the corporate media.

The Australians foreign editor Greg Sheridan wrote: The deal promises not only nuclear submarines but an even more intimate involvement of the US, and Britain, in regional security and in our security.  In the wake of the Afghanistan debacle, this is a good development in itself.

Nevertheless, concerns have been voiced within the political and military establishment about the nakedness of the moves against China. Former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd defended the US alliance but called for Australia to be an intelligent ally, not one that paints a very large target on our forehead.

Hugh White, an Australian National University professor and former defence official, warned: As the US-China rivalry escalates, the United States will expect Australia to do more. If the US is allowing Australia to have access to its nuclear technology, its because the US expects Australia to be deploying its forces in a potential war with China.

These responses reflect nervousness in ruling circles over the likely loss of lucrative Chinese markets, the prospect of a disastrous war and, above all, the triggering of widespread anti-war sentiment.
The Delta wave continues to ripple across the United States with approximately 150,000 new cases each day. Consistently, daily death tolls are reaching or exceeding 2,000 per day. Businesses are operating without restrictions and schools are forced to open.

Registered nurse Kyanna Barboza, right, tends to a COVID-19 patient as Kobie Walsh, left, puts on her PPE at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. [Credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file]

Only 54.2 percent of the countrys population (180 million) has been fully vaccinated, and 63.5 percent has received at least one dose. The seven-day moving average of administered doses declines again, with approximately 774,000 doses being given each day.

This has led to a renewed health care crisis that has inundated hospital systems across multiple states. Presently, states where the worst outbreaks have been confirmedTennessee, Kentucky, Alaska, Wyoming and West Virginiaare also seeing their hospitals and ICUs reach critical levels comparable to previous winter highs. Many realize that they have to turn to rationed care to provide for those who might fare better with the available resources while others are left to die.

The situation is presently most egregious in Idaho, where the state has activated crisis standards of care, allowing health facilities to ration treatment. There are more than 628 beds occupied with COVID-19 patients, a 35 percent increase above the winter peaks.

Speaking before reporters at a press conference, Chris Roth, president and chief executive of St. Lukes Health System, said, COVID is absolutely crushing us. He warned that if measures werent taken to halt this onslaught, We will consume every single bed, and every single resource we have, with COVID patients in our hospitals.

Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppsen wrote last week, Crisis standards of care is a last resort. It means we have exhausted our resources to the point that our healthcare systems are unable to provide the treatment care we expect. In informal language, this means the hospitals will determine who has the best chance to survive.

Brian Whitlock, the president and CEO of the Idaho Association, said in disbelief, Its just nonstop trying to find placement for these patients and the care that they need. It really is a minute-by-minute assessment of where beds are open, and hospitals saying we dont know where were going to put the next one.

According to the New York Times coronavirus tracker, cases across the South and West have peaked. However, given the uncertainty in testing the population and tracking infections, these reported statistics must be taken with sobering skepticism.

COVID-related deaths in Florida continue to rise, with an average of 363 fatalities each day. In Texas, deaths continue to climb, and have reached 300 per day on average. Georgia sees 120 deaths per day, and the rise is exponential. Meanwhile, Alabamas state health officer Dr. Scott Harris, has reported that hospitalizations decrease because people are dying. Alabama is seeing double digit numbers of deaths, which accounts for some of the decline.

The regions of the country that are reporting a rise in infections include the Midwest and Northeast. Specifically, in West Virginia, where the number of fully vaccinated individuals is the lowest in the country, new cases have skyrocketed to 109 new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people.

Like every region where the Delta variant led to mass community transmission, health care systems quickly became inundated with COVID-19 patients leading to pleas from nurses and physicians to heed the call to get vaccinated. Meanwhile, elective surgeries were once more placed on hold as units were converted to manage severe cases.

As of yesterday, the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to West Virginias hospitals reached 905, according to the states Department of Health and Human Resources, with 278 in intensive care units and 166 on ventilators. Dr. Clay Marsh, who heads the states COVID-19 response, told the Guardian, This has been more severe than weve seen at any point in the pandemic. I believe people are getting very anxious over what theyre seeing in West Virginia.

Jim Justice, a Republican governor, recently commented on the issue of rising hospitalizations in his state, We can stop this, West Virginia. We can stop it. The vaccines are safe. The vaccines are not an invasion on anyone. The Governors response has been typical of the blame game that pits the vaccinated against unvaccinated but refuses to call for measures that focus on the right to profit. He lifted mask mandates on June 20 and has opposed mandating their use in schools. He has also denounced vaccine mandates as encroaching on businesses. Meanwhile, some of the most rural counties in the state face the highest per capita rates of infection.

Rural Ohio hospitals are reporting that their ICUs are also at capacity. Portsmouth, a small town of 20,000 people about 80 miles to the south of Columbus, is running out of beds at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Creative reconfiguration of the ICUs and wards will create additional vital space. However, with staff shortages, the situation is getting direr. The hospital released a statement to its staff on social media, writing, At no other point in the pandemic have these steps been necessary. Because patient volumes can change rapidly, it is difficult to predict where we will be in weeks, days, or even hours. What we know right now is we cannot guarantee a bed

In fact, some 60 million people live in what is defined as rural regions relying on local health systems for their medical needs. These same systems are seeing a mass exodus of their experienced nurses who are being enticed by recruiting agencies with higher salaries that can be on the order of five to ten times above what they could ordinarily expect to earn.

Audrey Snyder, president of the Rural Nurse organization advocacy group as well as being a faculty member at North Carolina Greensboro School of Nursing, explained, If you lose one or two nurses, that makes a difference. These hospitals are small, and they dont have a large nurse workforce. Many local rural populations live in deep poverty and are uninsured, leading to declining revenues for these community hospitals that cant keep pace with their burgeoning budgets.

According to the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services research, since January 2005, there have been 181 rural hospital closures, 138 of these since 2010. Last year, according to NBC News, dozens had filed for bankruptcy. Another 216 are at high risk for closure. Brock Slabach, chief operations officer with National Rural Health Association, told NBC, the rural hospital workforce has always been a challenge. What COVID was uniquely suited to do was take advantage of every fracture and widen it significantly and make it even harder to cope with demands being placed on them.
SULLIVAN COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) - The Sullivan County and Indiana Department of Health are offering COVID-19 testing and vaccinations for free. Folks can choose either the Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Health officials say both of these vaccines are fully tested and highly effective at preventing people from getting seriously ill.

All people have to do is pull through the line.

The Indiana National Guard is helping to facilitate this process.

As cases in Sullivan County continue to rise, the county's public health nurse says this clinic was much needed.
Welcome to this week's edition of The Wrap. A look at some of the most popular web stories from WTHITV.com for the week.

Apple security flaw

First, we need to talk about your phone and it needing to be up to date.

If you have any type of Apple gadget, update it now. That's the word from Apple.

This isn't because some great new feature just came out - but the company fixed a critical security patch.

The company's head of security engineering said in a statement that the vulnerability is used to target specific individuals and is "not a threat to the overwhelming majority of our users." But it's particularly dangerous because it opens the door to being hacked without users having to click on a corrupted link, as is the case with most other cyberattacks.

And it can affect anyone who uses iMessage.

Here's how to update all of your different devices:

iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch

 Plug in your device and make sure youre connected to the internet.

 Go to Settings General, then tap Software Update.

Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now.

Apple Watch

First, make sure that your Apple Watch is compatible with the latest software: watchOS 7 is compatible with Apple Watch Series 3 and later and Apple Watch SE. Upgrading to watchOS 7 requires an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 14 or later.

Next steps:

 Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS.

 Make sure that your Apple Watch is at least 50 percent charged.

 Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi.

 Keep your iPhone next to your Apple Watch, so that theyre in range.

It could take from several minutes to an hour for the update to complete. You might want to update overnight or wait until you have time.

To Update Your Apple Watch Using Your iPhone

When a new update is available, your Apple Watch notifies you. Tap Update Tonight in the notification, then go to your iPhone to confirm that you want to update overnight. At the end of the day, leave your Apple Watch and iPhone charging overnight so the update can complete.

To Update Directly on Your Apple Watch

If your Apple Watch has watchOS 6 or later, you can install subsequent updates without your iPhone:

 Make sure that your watch is connected to Wi-Fi.

 On your watch, open the Settings app.

 Tap General Software Update.

 Tap Install if a software update is available, then follow the onscreen instructions.

Apple TV

To Update Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD

 Go to Settings System Software Updates and select Update Software.

 If theres an update, select Download and Install.

 Wait for your Apple TV to download the update. Dont disconnect or unplug your Apple TV until the update completes.

After the update downloads, your Apple TV will restart, prepare the update, then install it. When the update is complete, your Apple TV will automatically restart again.

To Update Apple TV (3rd generation)

 Go to Settings General Software Updates and select Update Software.

 If theres an update, download and install it.

 Wait for your Apple TV to download the update. Dont disconnect or unplug your Apple TV until the update completes.

Mac

 From the Apple menu  in the corner of your screen, choose System Preferences.

 Click Software Update.

 Click Update Now or Upgrade Now:

 Update Now installs the latest updates for the currently installed version. Learn about macOS Big Sur updates, for example.

 Upgrade Now installs a major new version with a new name, such as macOS Big Sur.

Paris Mural

Second up, a new two-story mural is done in Paris, Illinois.

The new mural has a very large Brett Eldredge. He's a country music star, born and raised in the small Illinois town.

Mural and artist rock-star Becky Hochhalter was behind the work. You'll find it on the side of the town's old Goodwill building.

Check out the story here.

COVID-19

The Vigo County Health Department hosted a drive-thru clinic at the fairgrounds this week, and over 1,000 people stopped in, with 200 people getting the vaccine. Check out that story here.

The Vigo County School Corporation also changed its masking policy this past week. The new stricter policy mandates older students to wear masks at all times while inside schools.

Hannah Follman has that story here.

Previously, grades 7 through 12 could take their masks off while they were sitting at their desks.
LEE AND MONROE COUNTIES, Miss. (WTVA) - Its been two weeks, but folks are still looking for help after Hurricane Ida. Tombigbee Electric Power Association sent 19 employees to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to assist companies with getting the power back up and running.

Tombigbee workers are assisting DEMCO Electric with restoring power to 19,000 residents. Tupelo Operations Manager Jeff Godfrey said that number has lowered to about 1,200 as of today.

"Everyone that's working here has helped get a lot of people's power restored so hopefully it won't' be that much longer," he said.

Workers are assisting with not only restoring residential power, but also with the transmission lines, but its kind of hard with the weather continuing to change.

"...dry conditions in the hills to swamp lands when it gets in the lower areas. It can vary within a short distance," he said. "It varies from flooding to dry conditions."

Godfrey said that all worth it when they get to help someone in need.

"Little kids are waving and thanking you when you walk by," he said. "Everyone has been real nice and they're real grateful for us to be here."

According to an email Godfrey got this morning, theyll probably wrap up working on Monday and possibly release crews Tuesday morning.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Pentagon has retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month.

It announced Friday that a review revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack, not an Islamic State extremist as first believed.

Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, called it a tragic mistake.

For days after the Aug. 29 strike, Pentagon officials asserted that it had been conducted correctly.

News organizations later raised doubts, reporting that the driver of the targeted vehicle was a longtime employee at an American humanitarian organization and citing an absence of evidence to support the Pentagons assertion that the vehicle contained explosives.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAAY) - Alabama takes another step toward fixing the states outdated and overcrowded prison system.

Gov. Kay Ivey sent a letter to state lawmakers Friday detailing her plans to call a special session beginning Sept. 27.

The governors letter says the session will focus on the urgent need to deal with prison infrastructure failures.

Alabama is currently being sued by the US Department of Justice over conditions in state prisons.

The governors letter did not lay out any details about a legislative fix for the prison system.
Variety has been given exclusive access to the international trailer for its San Sebastian world premiering workplace comedy The Good Boss, starring Javier Bardem and produced by Reposado P.C. and The Mediapro Studio.

Offbeat and ironic, Fernando Leon de Aranoas The Good Boss is one of this years most highly anticipated titles set to premiere at San Sebastian and was selected this week as one of three finalists for Spains International Feature Film Oscar submission. Buzz around the film has been building since it was announced two years ago, and with overwhelmingly positive word of mouth spreading after several Spanish press screenings, the film is sure to make an impact in competition at the Basque festival.

More from Variety

The Good Boss takes place in and around the Blancos Basculas factory, where all things must be in balance at all times. After all, they manufacture scales of all shapes and sizes. There, the seemingly benevolent boss, Bardems Blanco, is preparing his workforce for an upcoming inspection by a group visiting local businesses to select one for a prestigious prize.

Tensions begin to mount, however, when recently fired employee Jose shows up with his two children and begins making demands for the reinstatement of his employment. When Blancos management team refuses, the employee begins a one man crusade to discredit Blanco and prevent him from winning the much-coveted award.

In the trailer, we see the genesis of the conflict between Blanco and a disgruntled former employee who makes camp just outside the factorys gates, importantly, on public property. We are also introduced to Miralles, a long-time friend and employee of Blancos whose personal problems are negatively affecting his work performance, giving an idea of how far Blanco is willing to go to support those close to him, but also the limit of his patience.

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Blancos wandering eyes and sometimes poor decision making are similarly on display, as he is introduced to an attractive young intern who joins the factorys marketing department. His incredible capabilities in staying calm under pressure are also demonstrated, with one or two teases of what happens when that calm finally breaks.

The Good Boss is produced by Reposado P.C. and The Mediapro Studio with participation from public broadcasters RTVE, TV3 and pay TV operator Orange. It will world premiere on Sept. 21 at the San Sebastian Film Festival before its Spanish theatrical premiere on Oct. 15, distributed by Tripictures.

MK2 is handling international distribution, and has already closed deals with BIM in Italy, Alamode in Germany and Austria, Cascade in the CIS and Baltics, and Spentzos in Greece.

Lorena Jaramillo contributed to this article.

Best of Variety

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(Planet Labs, Inc.)

Satellite images have shown the B-2 bomber that crash-landed at the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on Tuesday.

At $2bn, the plane is one of the US militarys most expensive and dangerous weapons.

The crash landing occurred at around 12.30am on Tuesday when the plane was out on a routine training mission and experienced an in-flight malfunction, according to Air Force spokesperson Jennifer Greene, KMBC 9 News reported.

(Planet Labs, Inc.)

The Daily Mail reported that the plane had a hydraulic failure and that its port main landing gear collapsed as the plane was about to come in for landing  leading to the B-2 going off the runway and its wing going into the ground. This version of events hasnt been confirmed by the Air Force, but satellite images from Planet Labs Inc show the plane on the ground just off to the side of the runway with its wing in the ground.

(Planet Labs, Inc.)

No injuries or fires have been reported. The Federal Aviation Administration set up a temporary flight restriction area with a six-mile radius and 8,000 feet [2,438 metres] into the sky to provide a safe environment for an accident investigation. The restriction will end at 8pm on Friday.

Out of the 21 B-2 bombers ever made, 20 remain following a crash in Guam in 2008. KMBC reported that the Missouri B-2 has been stationed at the base since 1993. Its unclear how damaged the plane was in the crash landing.

A B-2 Stealth Bomber pulls up on the runway after landing at the Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence in California in July 2014 (AFP via Getty Images)

A number of B-2 planes from the Whiteman base joined up with the Norwegian government for a successful operation and were deployed on a mission to Iceland and the UK earlier this year.

The commander of United States Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa, General Jeffrey Harrigian, said that the August deployment demonstrates the value of our continued presence and relationships, added that what our collective Airmen accomplish on these missions is vital to our alliance and maintaining agility as we move into the future.

The Drive reported that materials used to make the B-2 could become toxic during an accident. The stealth bomber can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons.

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In the 2008 Guam crash, the two pilots survived and the plane wasnt carrying any ammunition. Until the end of an investigation, the remaining 20 B-2 bombers were grounded for two months following the failed take-off.

The investigation discovered that heavy rains had damaged the sensors that calculate speed and altitude.

The model was developed during the presidency of Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s.

The Independent has reached out to the Air Force for comment.

Read More

Nuclear capable B-2 stealth bombers carry out drill over South Korea after North threatens to wipe out US air bases

B2 stealth bomber worth $2bn crash lands in Missouri

US scrambles stealth fighter jets to intercept Russian bomber planes off Alaska coast
An Alaska Airlines plane comes in for a landing as another taxis for takeoff at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in this file photo.

Alaska Airlines, trying to spur ticket sales as the coronavirus pandemic drags on, is bringing back its buy-one-get-one-free deal.

The offer  which must be booked by Monday, Sept.20  covers travel between Oct. 5 and Dec. 15, excluding a dozen days around Thanksgiving.

The Seattle-based airline, which has a West Coast focus, said the "BOGO" ticket offer is good on flights in coach class to more than 120 destinations, including Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica, Belize and other vacation hotspots.

Travelers must book on Alaska's website using the discount code BOGOTIME. Unlike Alaska's BOGO deal a year ago, this one doesn't come with an empty middle seat.

Forget about that toast at 35,000 feet: Southwest Airlines isn't bringing back inflight booze until at least 2022

Visiting Maui this fall?: Forget about indoor dining at restaurants, bars unless you're vaccinated.

Alaska Airlines BOGO deal: The fine print before you buy

As with all airline fare sales, there is fine print galore. Here's what you need to know:

For most destinations, travel is limited to flights departing on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays , which are off-peak days for airlines.

Travel to Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica and Belize is valid Sundays through Wednesdays . Travel from Hawaii, Mexico, Costa Rica and Belize is valid Tuesdays through Fridays.

Traveling solo or need to fly on other days? Use the BOGOTIME code for 10% off other flights booked during the BOGO promotion. The 10% discount is also valid for first-class flights.

Travel between Nov. 18 and Nov. 29 is blacked out . Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 25.

Ticket buyers must pay taxes on the "free ticket.''

The promotion excludes flights operated by Alaska Airlines codeshare partners, including its new West Coast partner American Airlines. Flights by regional partners SkyWest and Horizon Air are eligible

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alaska Airlines flights: Buy-one-get-one-free deal for fall travel
Gavin Newsom

Rich Pedroncelli/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Gavin Newsom

Two of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's children have tested positive for COVID-19, the office of the governor tells PEOPLE.

"Yesterday, two of the Governor's children tested positive for COVID-19," spokesperson Erin Mellon says in a statement.

Newsom, his wife Jennifer, and their other two kids have since tested negative, Mellon's statement says. "The family is following all COVID protocols."

"The Newsoms continue to support masking for unvaccinated individuals indoors to stop the spread and advocate for vaccinations as the most effective way to end this pandemic."

The governor's office did not say which of Newsom's children had tested positive. His four kids range in age from 5 to 12.

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.

The news of his children contracting coronavirus came just two days after Newsom received an overwhelming victory in his recall election.

After weeks of mail-in voting, months of campaigning and a Republican-led push to oust him dating back to 2019, Election Day arrived Tuesday and Newsom emerged the winner with the support of a huge majority.

Of the 68 percent of votes reported so far, Newsom was winning 64 percent to 36.

"No is not the only thing that was expressed tonight," he said after the election was called Tuesday at 8:46 p.m. local time. "We said yes to science. We said yes to vaccines. We said yes to ending this pandemic."

RELATED: Gov. Gavin Newsom Triumphs in California Recall, Thanks Voters: 'l'm Humble, Grateful'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

Rich Pedroncelli/AP/Shutterstock California Gov. Gavin Newsom

This is not the first time that the California governor and his family have been directly exposed to COVID-19. In November, he and his family quarantined after three of his kids had been in contact with a California Highway Patrol officer who tested positive for the virus.

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The California Highway Patrol provides security to Newsom and his family.

After Newsom learned that they had potentially been exposed, all six were tested for the virus. Those results came back negative, and the family was expected to be tested regularly.

"Late Friday evening, @JenSiebelNewsom and I learned that 3 of our children had been exposed to an officer from the California Highway Patrol who had tested positive for COVID-19," Newsom tweeted at the time, following the family's exposure. "Jen and I had no direct interaction with the officer and wish them a speedy recovery."

"Thankfully, the entire family tested negative today," he continued. "However, consistent with local guidance, we will be quarantining for 14 days."

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.
Following a dramatic departure from his old club in Russia, CSKA Moscow, Mike James will be signing with AS Monaco. His new club has gone toe to toe with the top teams in France and they are one of the latest teams to join the Euroleague.

Why is James not returning to his old club in Moscow? Well, there was constant controversy revolving around James decision to leave his former European club for the Nets, which traces back to April.

Prior to signing with Brooklyn, the 31-year-old was having all sorts of problems with head coach Dimitris Itoudis. James was suspended twice for altercations with Itoudis, but even so, this didnt bother the former Nets guards play on the court. In two seasons with the club, he averaged 17.8 PPG to go with 5.1 APG.

Although James contract lasted until 2023, CSKA Moscow were still willing to part ways with the 31-year-old to allow him to sign with the Nets in April. With AS Monaco, the Portland native now has a brand new start in Europe as he looks to continue where he left off.
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / Photo Getty/NASA

Its one of the most exciting things in the whole field of astronomy: the discovery of a new planet.

But the push to recognize one particular objectan apparent orb many times the size of Earth that seems to be spinning along the outer solar systemas a major planet has been complicated by the history of one earthling.

The scientist championing the naming of a new ninth planet, Caltech astronomer Mike Brown, is the same one who got the old ninth planet, Pluto, removed from the list that teachers teach and students memorize.

Many of Browns fellow astronomers are less than thrilled.

To be clear, most of the scientists The Daily Beast spoke with said they like Brown, respect his work and support his efforts to add at least one new planet to the current roster. They just disagree with what he did to Pluto back in 2006. Strongly.

Hes wrong about Pluto, planetary scientist Alan Stern, the principal investigator on NASAs New Horizons mission, which sent a probe past Pluto in 2015, told The Daily Beast.

Alan Stern, the principal investigator on NASAs New Horizons mission, which sent a probe past Pluto in 2015, says Brown is just wrong about the demoted planet. NASA/Joel Kowsky/Getty

Fifteen years ago scientists by and large opposed, and later largely ignored, Plutos delisting. And they now question many of the assumptions surrounding Browns campaign for a new ninth member of Earths planetary club.

After all, to them, nothing was wrong with the old ninth planet. Browns potential new planet should be at least number 10if not number 50 or 500. More importantly, they warned, arbitrary bureaucratic meddling in scientific definitions risks doing grave damage.

The Pluto kerfuffle has actually created a divide between scientists and the public, and sends a terrible messageparticularly for these timethat science is done by fiat on the basis of authority, Mark Sykes, director of the Planetary Science Institute in Arizona, told The Daily Beast.

The current controversy has its roots in a discovery 91 years ago, when astronomers at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona accidentally caught the first glimpse of the object that they would eventually name Pluto. It was very far away (3 billion miles or so), very small (less than a fifth the diameter of Earth) and shrouded in darkness.

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It was deemed, uncontroversially at the time, a planet. After all, it was round and fairly smooth, meaning it possessed enough gravity to shape itself, very slowly over billions of years. And it clearly had complex geology. That matched the definition of planet that Italian polymath Galileo Galilei came up with nearly 500 years ago and which almost all astronomers agreed on in 1930and still agree on today.

With Plutos discovery, the solar system officially had nine planets: the fairly small inner planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars and, on the other side of a belt of asteroids, the mostly big outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

Pluto was the latecomer and outlier, lurking in the darkness of the Kuiper Belt, a ring of comets, asteroids, and ice thats so vast and so far from the Sun that its still mostly a mystery.

The planet Pluto is pictured in a composite of four images from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager in July 2015. Reuters

The lineup stayed the same for the next 76 years. Then, in 2005, Brown and his team detected another object in the Kuiper Belt, one that was much bigger than Pluto. NASA initially described this object, which came to be known as Eris, as the solar systems 10th planet.

After we discovered Eris, and realized that Eris is more massive than Pluto, youve got to do something, Brown told the BBC in July. Rightly suspecting there were more planet-like objects out there in the Kuiper Belt, he appealed to the Paris-based International Astronomical Union, the leading association for astronomers and other planetary scientists, to reconsider the definition of planet in order to prevent the accepted list from growing by dozens or morean expansion Brown at the time described as ridiculous.

In August 2006, a small group within the IAU surprised the rest of the union and the world at large when at the end of a weeklong conference in Prague they voted on a hastily drafted proclamation rejecting Plutos status as a full planet.

The scientific rank-and-file howled. The new definition of planet that the IAU embraced, all in order to boot Pluto off the list and keep Eris off, required that a round body orbit our sun and also use its gravity to clear the space around it of asteroids and other smaller objects.

It was, in the minds of many astronomers, a bizarre definition. For one, it excluded Earth during its messy early eons. It also left out thousands of confirmed exo-planets orbiting stars besides our own. (Catherine Cesarsky, who became the IAUs president just days after the Pluto delisting and spent years defending the decision, did not reply to a request for comment.)

Stern said the IAU wanted to keep the official list of planets in our solar system short so that teachers would have no problem teaching the list, and students would have an easier time memorizing ita motive he finds intensely objectionable.

Do we have eight states in the United States so schoolchildren dont have to memorize all 50? he asked. Do we limit the number of species?

As a result of the cursory vote, Pluto became a planetoid rather than a planet, as did Eris. And the grumbling in the wider scientific community began, continuing to this day.

I think the IAUs demotion of Pluto was questionable, Steve Maran, a former NASA astrophysicist, told The Daily Beast.

But Brown approved of the move. Pluto would never have been called a planet if it were discovered today, he said in 2010 while promoting his book How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming.

The new definition of planet gave Brown the freedom to assess faraway objects such as Eris without having to argue for their planethood.

I think that Pluto as an example of a large Kuiper Belt object is so much more interesting than Pluto as this very weird planet at the outer edge of the solar system, unlike anything else, Brown told Space.com in 2010.

Brown told The Daily Beast recently that he hasnt changed his mind about Pluto. And he insisted the outrage has subsided. There are a few loud voices continuing to proclaim that Pluto should still be a planet, but most everyone else has moved on, he said.

Brown has certainly moved onto another something spinning along the Kuiper Belt that he thinks is more deserving of planetary status than Pluto.

Working alongside fellow Caltech astronomer Konstantin Batygin, Brown has been tracking asteroids and other denizens of the dark outer edge of our solar system. He and Batygin noticed some of them seeming to cluster around a particular spot in space up to 100 billion miles from Earth.

No planet is visibleit might be too far away and too darkbut the clustering of the smaller, brighter objects could hint at an unseen planets gravity. There is gravitational evidence for it, Batygin told The Daily Beast. But the search will not conclude until we have an image in hand.

Caltech astronomer Mike Brown briefs the media about a potential ninth planet. AFP via Getty

If Brown and Batygin can finally get a good look at whatever might be thereperhaps using NASAs soon-to-launch James Webb Space Telescopeits possible theyll be able to argue for the IAU and other astronomical authorities to recognize a new No. 9. Brown and Batygins summary of their initial survey has been accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal.

Brown said hes confident the discovery will obviously and uncontroversially be a planet. It would be six times more massive than the Earth and the fifth-largest planet in our solar system, he explained.

And many scientists agree with Brown that his find could be a planet, even under the IAUs newly stringent definition. Their complaint is that lots of objects out there in the Kuiper Belt also warrant the labeljust like Pluto.

Astronomers never really accepted the IAUs 2006 redefinition of planet. Philip Metzger, a physicist at the University of Central Florida who surveyed the scientific literature for years following the Pluto delisting, discovered that almost all scientists chose to simply ignore the IAUs proclamation.

But the change did register with the general public. Textbook authors and schools in particular took their cue from the IAU and dropped Pluto from their texts and lessons on the makeup of the solar system.

While Brown seemed to hope that delisting Pluto would free him to explore the complexity of the solar system, it paradoxically had the effect of simplifying the publics conception of space. And this narrowing focus came at a time when new discoveries, piling up by the month and year, reveal an increasingly bizarre and busy cosmos.

Because of the IAU, the public is isolated from the excitement of what a mess things are out there! Sykes said. The solar system is lousy with planets!

Browns own push for a new ninth planet underscores that reality. The simplified conception of space that prompted Plutos downgrade is a kind of strained fictionone that, to many scientists, seems more implausible by the day.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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New Delhi: The Goods and Service Tax (GST) council chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday (September 17) announced that it has approved several proposals put forward by the Fitment Committee.

The meeting held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh was the 45th meeting of the GST council and the first in-person one in nearly two years.

In a press conference, Sitharaman said that the Council discussed the GST on petrol issue only because the Kerala High Court had asked it to do so but felt it was not the right time to include petroleum products under GST.

Here are some of the major decisions taken by the GST Council:

- The GST Council has increased the rate on carbonated fruit drinks to 28% plus compensation of 12%. This brings carbonated fruit drinks on par with cola beverages.

- GST Council has refused to accept the proposal to include petrol and diesel under the GST regime. Saket Patawari, Executive DirectorIndirect Tax, Nexdigm, said that it does not come out as a surprise that the states have unanimously voted to keep petroleum products outside the scope of GST considering the huge implications it could have on their revenue.

- However, in positive news, the Council has decided to reduce the GST on biodiesel supplied to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) for blending with diesel to 5% from the current 12% rate.

- The Council has extended the concessions on 11 COVID-19 drugs till December 31 from September 30, 2021. Amphotericin B, Tocilizumab, Remdesivir and anti-coagulants like Heparin, among others, are some of the drugs on the list.

- GST on drugs such as Itolizumab, Posaconazole, Infliximab, Favipiravir, Casirivimab & Imdevimab, 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose and Bamlanivimab & Etesevimab have been reduced to 5% from 12% till December 31, 2021.

- The GST Council has also increased the GST rate on iron, manganese, copper, nickel, cobalt, aluminium, lead, zinc, tin, and chromium, among other metals to 18% from the existing 5%.

- GST on Keytruda, a cancer treatment medicine, has been reduced to 5% from the current 12%.

- The Council also accepted the proposal to bring all sorts of pens under the 18% GST rate.

- Henna power used for dying and colouring hair will now attract a GST of 5%.

- 18% GST will now be implemented on the purchase of paper sacks, cartons, boxes, bags, and more.

- Online food delivery services Swiggy and Zomato will now have to pay good and services tax to the government. This means that your food delivery will get expensive from now onwards.

- Retro fitment kits for vehicles used by the disabled will now attract a 5% GST.



- GST on Fortified Rice Kernels for schemes like ICDS has been reduced to 5% from 18%.

- Specified Renewable Energy Devices and parts will not attract a 12% GST, up from the previous 5% rate.

- Purchase of railway parts, locomotives & other goods in Chapter 86 will get expensive as itll attract an 18% GST.

- IGST on import of medicines such as Zolgensma, Viltepso and other medicines used in the treatment of muscular atrophy for personal use will now be reduced to 0%.

- IGST exemption has been granted on goods, such as border hats, supplied at Indo-Bangladesh.

- Scented sweet supari and flavoured and coated illachi will now attract 18% GST.

- Tamarind seeds would now attract a 5% GST rate.

- All pharmaceutical goods falling under heading 3006 will now attract GST at the rate of 12%. Also Read: Bengaluru Metro update: BMRCL extends train service timing from today, details here

- Manufactured ice- cream sold by ice cream parlours will now attract 18% GST. Also Read: PAN-Aadhaar linkage deadline extended, here's how to do it
New Delhi: The Kerala government on Saturday (September 18) announced that Class 11 examinations will be held from September 24 to October 18.

General Education Minister V Sivankutty said strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols will be followed during the exams. "The exams for Higher Secondary students will start on September 24 and will end on October 18. The Vocational higher secondary exams will however end on October 13. There will be a gap of one to five days between the exams," he said in a statement.

The development comes a day after the Supreme Court allowed the Kerala government to hold physical exams for Class 11. The apex court had said it was satisfied with the steps being taken by the state government to ensure that no untoward situation is faced by students. "We are convinced by the explanation offered by the state and trust authorities will take all precautions and necessary steps so that no untoward situation is faced by students who are of tender age and appearing for the proposed examination, the Supreme court said.

The Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in an affidavit had told the apex court, "In many areas, internet connection or mobile data are not available. These students will never be able to write online examinations.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and C T Ravikumar had dismissed an appeal filed by lawyer Rasoolshan A, challenging a Kerala High Court order refusing to interfere with the state government's decision to hold offline exams.

Meanwhile, Kerala logged 19,352 new coronavirus infections and 143 deaths, as per data on Saturday. This pushed the total cases tally to 44,88,840 and the death toll to 23,439. The active cases reached 1,80,842, out of which 13.2 per cent are in hospitals. Kerala Health minister Veena George in a release said, "Out of those who were found infected today, 96 reached the state from outside, while 18,114 contracted the disease from their contacts. The sources of infection of 1,038 are yet to be traced. 77 health workers are also among the infected.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: After Amarinder Singh tendered his resignation from the Punjab Chief Minister post on Saturday (September 18), the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) unanimously passed a resolution authorising party president Sonia Gandhi to select Captains successor.

Addressing media after the CLP meeting, Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat said the party has sent two resolutions to the high command.

We had a tradition of requesting Congress president to elect the Chief Minister. Punjab unit of the party kept the tradition and unanimously passed the resolution asking Sonia Gandhi Ji to chose the new Chief Minister," ANI quoted Rawat as saying.

He added, "We`ve sent two resolutions to party high command which were passed in Congress Legislative Party meeting today. We`re waiting for their (party high command) decision.

Congress observer for Punjab, Ajay Maken, who was also present during the meeting said, "There was no discussion on the name (of CLP leader) in the meeting."

Highlighting the political turmoil in the Punjab Congress, Amarinder Singh resigned as the Punjab CM earlier today. In an interview with ANI, Singh said he had called party chief Sonia Gandhi in the morning and when they talked about his resignation, she replied, I am sorry Amarinder.

After stepping down from the post, Singh told media he felt "humiliated" and had conveyed this to Sonia Gandhi. When asked if he is in talks with BJP, Singh asserted, No talks with anyone, just submitted my resignation to Governor today.

Meanwhile, attacking Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, Singh called him incompetent and said he will oppose any move to make Sidhu chief ministerial face for reasons of "national security".

"Navjot Singh Sidhu is an incompetent man, he is going to be a disaster. I will oppose his name for the next CM face. He has a connection with Pakistan. It will be a threat to national security, he told the news agency.

"Sidhu could not manage a thing. I know him very well. Don`t think that he is some sort of magic word for Punjab. He is going to be a disaster," Singh added.

(With agency inputs)

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Patna: In another case of money being erroneously transferred into a bank account, a farmer in Bihar discovered he has received 52 crore in his pension account. Ram Bahadur Shah has now appealed to the government to allow him to keep some of the money!

Shah comes from a village under the Katihar police station area in the Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. When he approached a nearby Customer Service Point (CSP) to seek an update on the status of his pension, he was in for a shock as he discovered that crores of rupees has been credited to his account. We were shocked to hear this and wondered where the amount had come from. We have spent our lives farming. I only appeal to the government to give us some of this amount so that we can spend the rest of our lives smoothly," Shah was quoted as saying by India Today.

Sources inform that police have informed local authorities about the incident and investigations are on. The bank employee concerned will also be questioned.

This incident comes in the heels of another one in the area where two schoolboys discovered that crores of money were sitting in their account. The duo, who are in school, have accounts in Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank. When they went to check if they have recevived money that they were expecting from a government scheme to buy school uniform and pay for related expenses, they were shocked to see the huge amount of money in their account. One of the boys reportedly had over 6 crore while the other had over Rs 900 crore! However a day later, Kathiyar DM Udayan Mishra told ANI, "The Branch Manager said their account statement showed this due to an issue in CBS (Core Banking Solutions) system. No money was transferred. The issue has been resolved."

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New Delhi: After almost two years of breaking ties, Uddhav Thackeray on Friday (September 17, 2021) made a remark that has raised speculation over the possible Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reunion. Maharashtra's power corridors are abuzz with talks of an alliance after the Chief Minister at a function in Aurangabad addressed leaders including Union minister Raosaheb Danve as former and possible 'future colleagues'.

Addressing the dignitaries on the dais, Thackeray said, "My former, current, and if we come together, future colleagues."

Danve, a BJP leader from Maharashtra, was present along with senior Congress minister Balasaheb Thorat.

Later, speaking to reporters at another event, the Shiv Sena leader clarified that he said former and current colleagues because there were leaders from all parties on the dais.

"If everybody comes together, they can become future colleagues too. Time will tell," Maharashtra CM added cryptically.

This is to be noted that the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had parted ways with the BJP after the 2019 Assembly polls and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in coalition with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

Interestingly, state BJP chief Chandrakant Patil had said earlier this week that he should be no longer called a 'former' state minister as things were changing.

However, reacting to Thackeray's remarks, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, the current Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, said that the Chief Minister must have realized that the state was suffering because of the Sena's 'unnatural alliance' with the NCP and Congress.

"He must have expressed his thoughts after realizing what kind of people he is working with....Everything is possible in politics, but the state BJP is not eyeing power. We are an efficient opposition party and will continue our work," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut also joined the party and sought to downplay Thackeray's comments, stating that Danve was everybody's friend.

"When he was state BJP chief, all was well. There is nothing earth-shaking in the comment. Those who want to come with us can join and become future colleagues. Don't read too much into this," Raut said.

(With agency inputs)

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Chandigarh: Amarinder Singh has resigned as Punjab Chief Minister submits his resignation along with that of his council of ministers. The embattled Amarinder Singh stepped down from his post on Saturday (September 18) ahead of the meeting of party legislators in the faction-ridden state unit as the party high command decided to effect a change of guard in the border state ahead of assembly polls early next year.The Chief Minister went to meet Governor Banwari Lal Purohit to hand over his resignation.The move came as factionalism again surfaced in the state unit with sections opposed to him requesting a meeting of Congress Legislature Party.

Addressing the media, Singh said he felt humiliated and he had conveyed this to Congress President Sonia Gandhi. "Amarinder Singh spoke to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the morning and told her he is being humiliated and he will resign from the party," a close confidant of the Chief Minister, told IANS earlier in the end. According to some senior party leaders, the high command has categorically asked Amarinder Singh to step down.

"Future politics is an option and when time comes, I will take a called," Singh said. Asked if he would accept the future Punjab CM, the captain said that he will discuss with his colleagues and loyalists and take a call in future. He added in Punjabi that the party can make "chief minister whoever it wants to."

Over 50 Congress legislators from Punjab have written to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking that Amarinder Singh - who has been at helm for over 9 years - be replaced as chief minister, highly placed party sources said on Saturday ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislative Party in Chandigarh.

Last month, four ministers and around two dozen party legislators had raised the banner of revolt against the Punjab CM and said they had no faith in Amarinder Singh's ability to honour unfulfilled promises.

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New Delhi: The Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand is all set to begin form today (September 18, 2021) after its prolonged suspension due to COVID-19. A day after the Nainital High Court lifted the ban on Chardham Yatra and allowed only fully COVID vaccinated people with a mandatory COVID-19 negative report for the annual pilgrimage, the Uttarakhand government issued a detailed SOP to start the yatra from Saturday with strict adherence to COVID-19 norms.

The court also imposed a daily limit on the number of pilgrims visiting the Himalayan temples and ordered devotees to follow strict COVID-19 protocols. According to the SOP issued by the state government, over 1,000 pilgrims are allowed daily on Badrinath, 800 on Kedarnath, 600 on Gangotri and 400 on Yamunotri.

The SOP also stated that the pilgrims will have to carry a document certifying administration of both doses of the anti-COVID vaccine at least 15 days back or a negative RT/PCR/TrueNat/CBNAAT/RAT COVID-19 test report not older than 72 hours.

Additionally, pilgrims coming from other states will have to compulsorily register at the Smart City portal. The court has also directed that no one will be allowed to take a bath in any of the springs around the temples. Police force will be deployed as per requirement during the Char Dham Yatra in Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts.

The Uttarakhand High Court vacated its stay on Chardham Yatra on Thursday in view of the decline in positive cases of the pandemic. The state government was also under pressure to start the yatra as the livelihoods of lakhs of people are linked with the annual pilgrimage.

The yatra remained suspended for months due to the pandemic in 2020 and opened in the month of June with a total of 3,21,609 devotees visiting temples during the entire season amid the Covid-induced restrictions.

Meanwhile, Chief Secretary SS Sandhu visited Kedarnath on Friday and directed officials to make adequate arrangements for a safe pilgrimage to the Himalayan shrine.

Sandhu, who also reviewed the progress of the reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri, directed the officials to expedite work without compromising on quality. He advised them to set a weekly target and examine whether they had achieved it at the end of the week in order to speed up the pace of work.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Saturday announced that the 15th edition of the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) in CBT (Computer Based Test) mode will be held from December 16, 2021, to January 13, 2022.

As per a statement released by CBSE, the test will be conducted in 20 languages and the exact date for the test will be intimated on the admit card of the candidate.

The detailed information bulletin will be available on CTET official website https://ctet.nic.in from September 20.

CBSE informed that the containing details of examination, syllabus, languages, eligibility criteria, examination fee, examination cities and important dates will be available on the website.

The aspiring candidates have to apply online only through the CTET website.

The application process will start from September 20 onwards and the last date for submitting the application is October 19.

The application fees for the general and OBC category is Rs 1,000 for only Paper I or II whereas it will be Rs 1,200 for both papers.

For ST or SC categories and differently-abled persons, the fees for Paper I or II will be Rs 500 and Rs 600 for both papers.

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New Delhi: The Chanakyapuri sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) has ordered the closure of Delhis famous Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in view of alleged violation of COVID-19 norms, PTI reported.

The order, issued on September 16, states that the report filed by executive magistrate (Chanakyapuri) found that the management of Bangla Sahib Gurudwara allowed visitors/prayers inside the Gurudwara" in violation of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) guidelines.

The order further directed the management of Bangla Sahib Gurudwara to be closed for visitors with immediate effect.

In its earlier guidelines, DDMA allowed reopening of religious places, however, visitors were not permitted to stem the transmission of coronavirus.

Expressing displeasure at the Chanakyapuri SDM's order, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and outgoing Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Manjinder Singh Sirsa asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to revoke the order and take action against the district officials. Sirsa tweeted, Cheap action by SDM Chanakyapuri by passing this order to close Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib for Covid Violations! We condemn this sick mentality of Delhi Govt & demand @ArvindKejriwal Ji to take strictest action against concerned DC & SDM Geeta Grover.

He added that the order was issued to close the gurudwara which has aided people during the second coronavirus wave and lockdown by organising langar' (free food service) and setting up beds for patients.

We request CM @ArvindKejriwal Ji to revoke the order passed by SDM Chanakyapuri abt closing Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib for Covid Violations! This action of Delhi govt officials hurt Sikh sentiments

Sikhs would protest against such dictatorial mindset if the order is not revoked pic.twitter.com/9rRYbeY6gH  Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 18, 2021

Cheap action by SDM Chanakyapuri by passing this order to close Gurdwara Sri Bangla Sahib for Covid Violations!

We condemn this sick mentality of Delhi Govt & demand @ArvindKejriwal Ji to take strictest action against concerned DC & SDM Geeta Grover@ANI @republic @thetribunechd https://t.co/I8CBN3HuQJ pic.twitter.com/VuMWCTLoSw  Manjinder Singh Sirsa (@mssirsa) September 18, 2021

Meanwhile, the Delhi police has issued over 2.90 lakh challans between April 19 and September 17 this year for flouting COVID-19 guidelines, of which the maximum was issued for not wearing masks. According to the data shared by Additional Delhi Police PRO Anil Mittal, out of the total 2,91,423 challans issued, the maximum 2,56,616 were for mask violation, followed by 29,698 for violation of social distancing norms and 1,463 for holding large public gatherings and congregations, PTI reported.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi: Delhi University officials will be holding a series of meetings with college principals to finalise the cut-off schedule that is likely to be released by next week, officials said on Saturday (September 18, 2021).

The university plans to release its first cut-off on October 1 to accommodate students who are appearing for improvement or compartment exams, they added.

Professor Rajeev Gupta, chairman of the university's admission committee said, "We will finalise the cut-off schedule very soon. October 1 is a tentative date for the first cut-off. We plan to release the cut-off on that day. We will be holding meetings with college principals and nodal officers to finalise the schedule."

He said they plan to release a cut-off schedule for at least five cut-offs by next week.

A college principal, requesting anonymity, said they have started holding meetings at their level to analyse the cut-off trend.

ALSO READ | DU Admission 2021: First cut-off for St Stephen's College out, check category-wise list here

Another principal said they are yet to receive the data of applications from the university and will decide accordingly.

Most of the principals were unanimous in saying that the cut-offs are going to be higher this time, with more students scoring above 95 per cent this year in the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Board exams.

Over 2.87 lakh students have applied for Delhi University's undergraduate courses, down from 3.53 lakh applications last year, with the maximum aspirants from CBSE.

Over 2.29 lakh applicants are from CBSE-affiliated schools, followed by Board of School Education Haryana (9,918), Council for the Indian School Certification Examination (9,659) and UP Board of High School and Intermediate Education (8,007).

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New Delhi: In a step that will help in sustaining its fleet of Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has signed a contract to buy phased out Mirages of the French Air Force, as per government sources.

This is the second such agreement that the Indian Air Force has signed for buying okayed airframes that will help one of the most potent aircraft fleets to continue for longer in service.

"A squadron of the French Mirage jets had been phased out some time ago. On August 31, a contract was signed for acquiring these phased-out planes to improve the spares and airframe capability to help improve the serviceability of the around 50 Mirage-2000s in the Indian fleet," government sources said.

None of these aircraft would be used for flying, sources said. The aircraft would be supplied in containers to the Indian Air Force.

Earlier also, India had signed a contract with French companies for supplying old Mirages which reached Gwalior last year and have helped in significantly improving operational availability, the sources said.

The French Air Force has been replacing its old fleet of Mirages with new Rafale fighter jets.

India had acquired these aircraft from France in the 1980s and they have been one of the most potent fleets of aircraft despite being over three decades old.

The aircraft had taken part in the Balakot airstrikes against terrorist camps in Pakistan and destroyed a camp there. The aircraft had fired their Spice-2000 bombs accurately to take out targets deep inside Pakistan territory.

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Bengaluru: More horrific details have surfaced from the shocking suicide case of four members of a family and the death of a nine-month-old baby in Bengaluru. The police rescued a minor girl who lived with the five dead bodies for five days in the house.

The five bodies were discovered inside the house in the Byadarahalli police station limits on Friday (September 17, 2021) night from where the police rescued the two and half year-old girl, Preksha. She was found in an almost unconscious state.

The girl lived in the house where the dead bodies of her mother Sinchana (34), grandmother Bharathi (51), mother`s sister Sindhoorani (31), mother`s brother Madhusagar (25) were hanging from the ceiling.

The girl was found in the room where Madhusagar was hanged. Preksha has been admitted to a private hospital for treatment. The police said that she would need treatment and counselling.

The Byadrahalli police investigating the case said that the post-mortem of bodies will be conducted on Saturday morning. Though it appears a case of suicide, it has to be confirmed in the post-mortem, they added.

ALSO READ | Shocking! Woman in her 30s raped, brutalised in Mumbai

Soumendu Mukharjee, Additional Commissioner of Police (West) said that the reason for the five deaths is yet to be ascertained.

"We have not found a death note from the house. Shankar, the man of the house is in a state of shock. He will be inquired as soon as he is fit," he said.

Meanwhile, Shankar has said that his daughters came home after fighting with their husbands. Instead of resolving the issue and sending them back to their husbands, his wife Bharathi encouraged them to stay back.

"I worked hard to get my daughters Sinchana and Sindhoorani educated. Son Madhusagar was also an engineering graduate and worked in a private company. Sinchana had come back home after having a fight with her husband over an ear-piercing ceremony of their daughter. There were no issues regarding finances. They have taken the extreme decision on trivial issues," Shankar said.

Police said that neighbours have informed them that, there was a fight between Shankar and his son Madhusgar. After the fight, Shankar had walked out of the house. After the incident, the family had committed suicide on Sunday itself.

The bodies were found in a decomposed state and forensic experts and police officers have predicted that the deaths have occurred five days ago. However, this will also be confirmed after the post-mortem.

ALSO READ | Shocking! Two Russian women found dead in North Goa, one found hanging

Bharathi, the elderly lady was found hanging to the ceiling in the hall and Sinchana, Sindhoorani`s bodies were found in a room on the first floor along with the nine-month-old baby boy.

Madhusagar was found hanging in his room. All three children had separate rooms in the house.

The incident came to light when Shankar, a journalist, broke open the door with the help of neighbours and police on Friday night.

Shankar had told police that he called his family members for three days which went answered.

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Thiruvananthapuram: With COVID-19 restrictions being eased in Kerala, colleges in the state will reopen on October 4 after a gap of over a year, adhering to health protocols. Higher Education Department Joint Secretary Sajukumar, in an order, said classes for the final semesters of degree and post-graduate courses will be started, strictly adhering to COVID-19 health protocols.

"All institutions under the Higher Education department shall start functioning from October 4," it said.

The final year PG courses will be held with full attendance while it would be 50 per cent for final year degree courses, it said, adding that the timings can be decided by the college councils as per the space available in the institutions.

Importance should be given to practical classes for the science subjects, the order said, adding that the classes for other semesters will continue online.

"The classrooms, libraries and laboratories should be sanitized well before the commencement of classes and the institutions can seek assistance from the local self government bodies concerned, health workers or NGOs," the order said.

The state government asked the respective institutional heads to ensure that the students follow strict COVID-19 health protocol.

"The institutions should ensure availability of adequate number of masks, sanitisers and hand wash facilities. Gatherings should be avoided," the order said.

It also directed the institutions to approach the health department to arrange vaccination drives for students and staff. On September 7, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced that all higher educational institutions, including technical, polytechnic and medical, would be allowed to function from October 4 for final year students. He, however, had said that reopening of the institutions would be subject to the condition that all final year students, faculty and staff receive at least the first dose of the vaccination.

As part of easing restrictions, the government had that day decided do away with night curfew and 'stringent intensified' restrictions on Sundays. The Chief Minister had said that the decision was taken as the Total Positivity Rate in the state, which was around 18.49 per cent in the last week of August, fell to 17.91 in the first week of September.

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Noida: Noida residents are on alert as Gautam Budh Nagar now has at least 13 dengue cases, as per officials, with two fresh cases being reported on Friday (September 17).

According to a report in the Times of India, Noida has gone from 0 to 13 dengue cases in just a span of 3 days. Since September 6, the Child PGI has reported five dengue cases (till September 15), and the district hospital has reported eight cases. Some suspected dengue cases have also been reported at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Greater Noida, but because they tested negative for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa), they are not being counted in the district tally, said Rajesh Sharma, district malaria officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, was quoted by the Hindustan Times.

Three scrub typhus cases have also been reported from the district while malaria cases is more than 20.

This has sent alam bells ringing in the city, as many areas of UP like Firozabad have reported dengue outbreaks and deaths. On Friday, two more deaths due to viral fever and dengue were reported from UP's Firozabad, taking the district's fatality count to 62, according to official records. A woman died from dengue on Thursday while a child died on Friday. Additional Director (Health) Dr AK Singh said several teams are working to control the outbreak of viral fever and dengue.

Not very far from Noida, Meerut has also reported several dengue cases. Amid the dengue outbreak in several districts of Uttar Pradesh, Meerut on September 17 reported 83 active cases with eight new cases (in 24 hours), said the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Meerut, Dr Akhilesh Mohan. Mohan said there are a total of 142 cases of dengue in Meerut with 83 active cases. So far, 59 patients have recovered.

As per a report released by Kanpur Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the district reported five new dengue cases on Wednesday (September 16). Out of the total 108 cases, 84 cases have been reported in the rural areas of the district. Earlier, Uttar Pradesh health minister Jai Pratap Singh informed that the state government is taking all the possible steps to control the outbreak of viral fever in the state.

(With Agency inputs)

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Chandigarh: The power tussle in Punjab Congress and the crisis show no sign of abating. Just a few hours ahead of a meeting of the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) in the state on Saturday (September 18), Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh has called for a meeting of party MLAs.

According to sources the Chief Minister has said he has been humiliated. "Amarinder Singh spoke to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in the morning and told her he is being humiliated and he will resign from the party," a close confidant of the Chief Minister, told IANS. According to some senior party leaders, the high command has categorically asked Amarinder Singh to step down. However, there has been no official confirmation of this has been received.

A screengrab from Zee News TV channel

Over 50 Congress legislators from Punjab have written to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking that Amarinder Singh be replaced as chief minister, highly placed party sources said on Saturday ahead of a crucial meeting of the Congress Legislative Party in Chandigarh.

Meeting (CLP meet) has been called. Things will be discussed in the meeting: Punjab Congress gen secy Pargat Singh when asked about reports that Capt Amarinder Singh has been asked to step down as CM & names of Ambika Soni, Sunil Jakhar & others are coming up as probables for CM pic.twitter.com/mc4GE1GBsV  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2021

The minute-by-minute changing political development began at about 11.42 pm on Friday when Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat tweeted about the decision to hold an urgent CLP meeting on Saturday. Almost 10 minutes later, state party chief Navjot Sidhu directed all the MLAs to be present at the CLP meeting.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh will address a press conference at Punjab Raj Bhawan Gate at 4:30 pm: Raveen Thukral, Media Advisor to Punjab CM pic.twitter.com/xkznr6AtHg  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2021

The announcement by Rawat is being seen as an indication from the high command to appoint the new incumbent under whose helm the party will go to the Assembly polls, slated in March 2022. Responding to the political developments, former state President Sunil Jakhar tweeted: "Kudos to Sh Rahul Gandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this Punjabi version of Gordian knot. Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled Congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis."

Kudos to Sh @RahulGandhi for adopting Alexandrian solution to this punjabi version of Gordian knot. Surprisingly, this bold leadership decision to resolve Punjab Congress imbroglio has not only enthralled congress workers but has sent shudders down the spines of Akalis.  Sunil Jakhar (@sunilkjakhar) September 18, 2021

The decision to call the CLP comes in the wake of the fresh letter signed by a majority of legislators who expressed dissatisfaction with Amarinder Singh and demanding his removal from the Chief Minister`s post. Sources said anything could happen at today's meeting. If the MLAs insist on their demand, the change in leadership might happen at the CLP meeting itself, they said.

Amarinder Singh's bete-noire and PCC president Sidhu, who is eyeing the chief minister's post, however, is unlikely to be a probable choice for the chief minister's replacement, the sources pointed out. Former Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar may be considered a probable, they said. Jakhar, who is not an MLA, is believed to be close the top leadership and is considered a prominent Hindu face of the party.

Last month, four ministers and around two dozen party legislators had raised the banner of revolt against the Punjab CM and said they had no faith in Amarinder Singh's ability to honour unfulfilled promises.

(With Agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu in a heated online argument lashed at Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raghav Chadha after he called him `Rakhi Sawant` of Punjab politics.

Hitting back at Chadha, Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday (September 17) said that he is still descending from the apes and the monkeys.

"They say man descended from the apes and the monkeys, Looking at your mind Raghav Chadha.I believe you are still descending! You still have not answered my question about notifying the Farm Laws by your Government," tweeted Sidhu.

They say man descended from the apes and the monkeys, Looking at your mind @raghav_chadha I believe you are still descending ! You still havent answered my question about notifying the Farm Laws by your Government.  Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) September 17, 2021

He also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and called both parties two sides of the same coin.

"BJP a lost cause in Punjab, trying to make a back door entry through their long term ally the Akali Dal...Desperate to make them heroes but they will remain `Zeros` in Punjab...Both parties are two sides of the same coin," he said.

Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Raghav Chadha had called Sidhu "the Rakhi Sawant of Punjab politics" after the Punjab Congress Chief criticised the AAP and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over farm laws.

Speaking to reporters, Chadha said nobody takes Sidhu seriously.

"Navjot Singh Sidhu is considered to be the Rakhi Sawant of Punjab politics. He was recently reprimanded and scolded by the Congress High command for his non-stop attacks on Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. As a result of which Navjot Singh Sidhu today began ranting against the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal," he said.

Chadha also tweeted the video of Navjot Singh Sidhu where he can be seen criticising the AAP and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal over farm laws and for putting up a show by tearing the copies of farm laws but not doing anything regarding the subject.

The tweet from AAP spokesperson read: "The Rakhi Sawant of Punjab politics -Navjot Singh Sidhu- has received a scolding from Congress high command for non-stop rant against Capt. Therefore today, for a change, he went after Arvind Kejriwal. Wait till tomorrow for he shall resume his diatribe against Capt with vehemence."

The Rakhi Sawant of Punjab politics -Navjot Singh Sidhu- has received a scolding from Congress high command for non stop rant against Capt. Therefore today,for a change, he went after Arvind Kejriwal. Wait till tomorrow for he shall resume his diatribe against Capt with vehemence https://t.co/9SDr8js8tA  Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) September 17, 2021

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New Delhi: Applications have been invited by Oil India Limited (OIL) for the appointment to the posts of Assistant Technician and Junior Engineer. The vacancies have been announced for the positions in the work person category at Oil India Limited (OIL), Pipeline Sphere in Assam.

However, only candidates hailing from the following districts can apply - Jorhat, Golaghat, Morigaon, Nagaon, Kaliabor, Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup, Nalbari, Bajali, Barpeta, Bongaigaon and Kokrajhar.

ALSO READ | Oil India Limited Recruitment 2021: Apply for Grade C, Grade B, Grade A officer posts, check details here

Oil India Limited Recruitment 2021 - Name and number of posts

Assistant Technician (Electrical & Cathodic) -- 18

Assistant Technician (Telecommunication) -- 02

Assistant Technician (Fitting) -- 14

Junior Engineer (Electrical & Cathodic) -- 12

Junior Engineer (Telecommunication) -- 04

Junior Engineer (Civil) -- 02

Junior Engineer (Operations) -- 10

Oil India Limited Recruitment 2021 - Pay scale

Assistant Technician (Electrical & Cathodic) -- Rs 26,600  90,000

Assistant Technician (Telecommunication) -- Rs 26,600  90,000

Assistant Technician (Fitting) -- Rs 26,600  90,000

Junior Engineer (Electrical & Cathodic) -- Rs 37,500 - Rs 1,45,000

Junior Engineer (Telecommunication) -- Rs 37,500 - Rs 1,45,000

Junior Engineer (Civil) -- Rs 37,500 - Rs 1,45,000

Junior Engineer (Operations) -- Rs 37,500 - Rs 1,45,000

Oil India Limited Recruitment 2021 - Age limit

The minimum age limit is 18 years for all categories and a maximum of 30 years. Age relaxation to persons with Benchmark Disabilities/Ex-Servicemen shall be as per Government of India directives.

Oil India Limited Recruitment 2021 - How to apply

Candidates are required to apply ONLINE through the link available on the Oil India Limited website at https://www.oil-india.com/Current_openNew.aspx

Oil India Limited Recruitment 2021 - Last date

The last date to apply is September 21 (11.59 PM).

ALSO READ | India Post GDS Recruitment 2021: Bumper vacancies! Apply for 4845 posts at appost.in, check details
New Delhi: Kerala government on Saturday (September 18, 2021) has decided to reopen schools in the state from November 1. The decision was taken after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the COIVD-19 situation in the state.

School-based classes for standards 1 to 7 (primary section) and 10 and 12 will begin on November 1 and other classes will begin on November 15, the state government said.

#COVID19 | Kerala to reopen schools from November 1. School-based classes for standards 1 to 7 (primary section) and 10 and 12 will begin on November 1, other classes will begin on November 15. The decision was taken at a Covid-19 review committee meeting.  ANI (@ANI) September 18, 2021

Along with this even colleges in Kerala have been permitted to reopen from October 4, 2021. The educational institutions will reopen in a phased manner. For schools, the government is planning to reopen for classes 9 to 12 and for colleges the reopening is for Final Semester Undergraduate and Postgraduate, UG, PG students.

All schools, colleges will have to comply with all COVID-19 safety protocols.

Meanwhile, Kerala reported 19,352 fresh COVID-19 cases on Saturday, and 143 deaths, taking the total caseload in the state to 44,88,840 and the death toll to 23,439. The state had reported 23,260 cases on Friday. The number of recoveries outnumbered fresh cases with 27,266 being cured, taking the total number to 42,83,963.

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New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt recently made an appearance on a reality show where he opened up on his upbringing.

Talking about how his mom and dad raised him and his sisters, Sanjay Dutt shared, "They never gave that feeling of supremacy to the 3 of us. They only taught us one thing and that is to respect elders, even if they were servants. Love the kids, respect the elders and never let the thought of being kids of Sunil and Nargis Dutt corrupt your head."

Continuing with an anecdote, he shared, "On the first day of college, before going to college I thought dad will send a car to drop me off. He called me before going to college and gave me a second class train pass starting from Bandra station. I asked for the car and he responded saying that the day you earn one you sit in one. He gave me the pass and said, go walking, take an auto or a cab and go to Bandra station. From Bandra station, I used to go to Churchgate. I used to go to Elphinstone college so from Churchgate I would walk to Elphinstone. So that is the upbringing they gave us."

Sanjay Dutt has always been seen as a family man and it's wonderful to see the kind of values that were taught to him while growing up.

'Toolsidas Junior', 'Shamshera' and the much-awaited 'KGF Chapter 2' make it 3 blockbuster projects for Sanjay Dutt.
New Delhi: Veteran actor Jackie Shroff, who was last seen in Salman Khan's Radhe: Your Most Wanted Bhai has a massive fan base who adore his style, acting prowess and amazing body fo work. Reacting to trolls hitting out his son Tiger Shroff for looking a certain way, Jaggu Dada gave a piece of his mind to all the haters.

In a throwback interview of his with Bombay Times given at the time of his film Prassthanam (2019) released, Jackie Shroff, slammed trolls for being mean to his son after his debut Heropanti was out. Some even commented on how Jackie was a macho man whereas Tiger doesn't look like that.

"About this whole macho macho comparison, he is young. He is still growing. He is a cub for Gods sake and he is getting there. Also, I am glad that he does not look like what people expect him to. Matlab Jackie ka bachcha hai toh daadhi ke saath hi pait se bahar aayega kya? Being compared to Kareena! Ha ha so cute. And you should see his replies to those comparisons and memes. He was cool with it. He knows his action well so he knew when he fought on screen or danced, he looked like a Tiger. Its tough for a guy to dance well when he is good at action. But he does both well," Jackie Shroff said.

On the work front, Tiger Shroff has Ganapath with Kriti Sanon and Heropanti 2 with Tara Sutaria in the pipeline.
New Delhi: Former Bigg Boss contestant Shehnaaz Gill's brother Shehbaz Badesha took to Instagram and shared a picture of his latest tattoos. He got late actor Sidharth Shukla's face inked on his arm along with his sister's name.

Shehbaz Badesha wrote: Your memories will be as real as you. You will always stay alive with me You will always be alive in our memories THANX @manjeettattooz For this

The untimely tragic demise of actor Sidharth Shukla shook the nation with grief. The ocean of fan following, his family members and friends mourned Sid's sudden death on September 2, 2021. He was 40.

Besides Sidharth's mother and other family members, who were the most struck with this unforeseen tragedy, it was Shehnaaz Kaur Gill, whose first appearance at his funeral left all heartbroken. Shehnaaz, his Bigg Boss 13 fellow contestant and close friend was inconsolable and stayed throughout the last rites rituals with family. She was accompanied by brother Shehbaz.

Several celebrities from the television and film industry came to offer condolences at Sidharth Shukla's residence and later at the Oshiwara Crematorium. Sidharth's mother was accompanied by family members as she headed for her son's last rites.

Shehnaaz has not posted anything on her social media since Sidharth's untimely demise although her brother Shehbaaz Badesha keeps sharing motivational quotes with Sid's pictures.
New Delhi: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Saturday alleged that actor Sonu Sood and his associates evaded tax of Rs 20 crore and claimed that after the Income Tax Department raided him and a linked Lucknow-based infrastructure group it was found that he routed his "unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities".

It also accused Sonu Sood of violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising donations from abroad.

The department had launched searches against the 48-year-old actor and the Lucknow-based group of industries involved in infrastructure on September 15 and the CBDT said the action was continuing.

"During the course of search at the premises of the actor and his associates, incriminating evidence pertaining to tax evasion has been found.

"The main modus operandi followed by the actor had been to route his unaccounted income in the form of bogus unsecured loans from many bogus entities," the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) claimed in a statement.

It added that, so far, use of 20 such entries has been found and the providers of which, on examination, have "accepted" on oath to have given "bogus" accommodation entries (transaction entries in accounts).

"They have accepted to have issued cheques in lieu of cash. There have been instances where professional receipts have been camouflaged as loans in the books of accounts for the purpose of evasion of tax," the policy-making body for the tax department said.

These bogus loans, it said, have been used for "making investments and acquiring properties." "The total amount of tax evaded unearthed so far amounts to more than Rs 20 crore," the statement and official sources said about Sood.

It also talked about his charity organisation that was established during the COVID-19 outbreak last year.

"The charity foundation incorporated by the actor on July 21, 2020, has collected donations to the tune of Rs 18.94 crore from April 1, 2021, till date, out of which it has spent around Rs 1.9 crore towards various relief work and the balance of Rs 17 crore has been found lying unutilised in the bank account of the foundation till date," it said.

It is seen, the statement alleged, that funds to the tune of Rs 2.1 crore have also been raised by the charity foundation from overseas donors on a crowdfunding platform "in violation" of FCRA regulations.

It said the actor had entered into a joint venture with the Lucknow located infrastructure group and "invested substantial funds", and said the taxman has unearthed "incriminating" evidence pertaining to tax evasion and irregularities in the account books.

"The search has revealed that the said group is involved in bogus billing of sub-contracting expenses and siphoning off of funds.

"Evidence of such bogus contracts found so far are to the tune of over Rs 65 crore," it said. Evidence of unaccounted cash expenses, unaccounted sale of scrap and digital data evidencing unaccounted cash transactions has also been found.

The infra group "has entered into dubious circular transaction to the tune of Rs 175 crore with an infrastructure company based in Jaipur". "Further investigations are being carried out to establish the full extent of tax evasion," it said.

The CBDT said Rs 1.8 crore cash has been seized during the raids and 11 lockers have been placed under "prohibitory orders".

A total of 28 premises in Mumbai, Lucknow, Kanpur, Jaipur, Delhi, and Gurgaon are being covered as part of the search operation.
New Delhi: Actress Pooja Hegde looked breathtakingly beautiful and elegant in a saree she wore to attend an award function. She bagged an award for Ala Vaikanthapuramaloo at the Sakshi Awards function.

She took to her social media to share a candid moment she had with her award. The actress shared, "When you woke up at 4am to do your job but there was an award at the end of it #goodnightnow #sakshiawards #allswellthatendswell"

Spotted at the awards function with top actor Allu Arjun, the actress donned a bright orange saree paired up with a golden embroidered blouse looking like a stunner.

The actress recently wrapped up her Pan-India film, RadheShyam opposite Prabhas and also has Bhaijaan with Salman Khan with the pipeline with Cirkus. Her countrywide lineup also includes Acharyaa with Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan, Most Eligible Bachelor along with Beast opposite Thalapathy Vijay.
New Delhi: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan was recently questioned by a fan on Facebook about his association with pan masala brands and he had a perfectly, apt reply to the superfan.

On Friday (September 18), a fan had left a comment on his recent Facebook post asking him why he features in ads for Kamala Pasand pan masala. He asked Big B the difference between him (a megastar) and other actors.

He said (translated in English), "I just wanted to ask you one question. Why do you feel the need to feature in ads for Kamala Pasand Pan Masala? Then what is the difference between you and these sellouts?"

The 'Chehre' actor replied that he doesn't question his association with pan masala brands as they do a lot of good for people by employing them in the industry. He focuses on the benefits that the ad can have for the business which in turn will benefit the employees.

Amitabh replied (translated in English), "If a business/profession is doing good for others, then we shouldn't question why we're collaborating with it. Yes, since it is a business we need to think about how it relates to our profession as well. Yes, I do get compensated for these ads but we also need to think about the people in the industry whose livelihoods benefit from this business."

Check out their conversation:

The Facebook post that the fan had commented on was a witty thought penned by the veteran actor. He had written about how after wearing a watch on his wrist, he now feels that time is chasing him.

Take a look at it:

On the work front, Amitabh will be next seen in Ayan Mukerjis Brahmastra which will also star Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt in lead roles. The film also has Nagarjuna Akkineni, Dimple Kapadia and Mouni Roy in pivotal roles. He also has a part in Nag Ashwins untitled next starring Prabhas and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles.
Mumbai: Serial reality show star Divya Agarwal was declared the winner of 'Bigg Boss OTT' on Saturday, marking a victorious end to her stay at the `house` hosted by Karan Johar.

Agarwal`s name was announced by Gauahar Khan, actress and `Bigg Boss 7` winner, leading Johar to exclaim "Woman power zindabad".

A journalism student who went on to become a choreographer and actress (seen most recently in the web series `Ragini MMS: Returns 2`), Agarwal had previously won the reality show 'Ace of Space 1' after being the runner-up at 'MTV Splitsvilla 10'.

Agarwal takes home a cheque of Rs 25 lakh, the `Bigg Boss` trophy and wins a place, along with the other four finalists, in `Bigg Boss` hosted by Salman Khan, opening shortly on the television channel Colors.

Right from the start of `Bigg Boss OTT`, which ran for six weeks, Agarwal kept making headlines, whether it was because of her catfights with Shamita Shetty, who got her fair share of attention because of the arrest of her brother-in-law, Raj Kundra, for allegedly being the kingpin of the Mumbai porn racket, or her bonding with actor and model Raqesh Bapat, who got eliminated on the finale night.

Shetty was the second runner-up, the first being Nishant Bhatt, a choreographer who has been associated with dance reality shows such as `Super Dancer 3`, `Jhalak Dikhlaja` and `Nach Baliye`
New Delhi: The Union government scaled down the armed security cover of central paramilitary commandos given to Babul Supriyo who left the BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress on Saturday, official sources said.

The cover has been reduced from the second-highest level of Z category to Y category, after an order was issued by the Union home ministry on Friday. The security cover given to VVIPs and high-risk personalities under the central scheme, ranges from the highest Z+ followed by Z, Y+, Y and X categories.

On the scaling down of Supriyo's security category, the sources said that a recommendation in this context was made by central security and intelligence agencies. Supriyo (50), dropped as minister from the Narendra Modi cabinet in July, is being guarded by an armed contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

From about six-seven commandos, Supriyo will now be guarded by two armed personnel during travel. The sources indicated a further review of his cover cannot be ruled out, and the job of his security can be entirely entrusted to the West Bengal Police as he has now joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Supriyo, after joining the ruling party in West Bengal, told the media that he was very excited about joining the TMC, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and that he will work for the development of the state.

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New Delhi: The Globe and Mail, through an excellent piece of investigative journalism, have discovered a previously unknown link between a high-ranking PLA officer and Canadas high-security infectious disease laboratory in Winnipeg. According to reports, Major-General Chen Wei collaborated with former Canadian government lab scientist Dr Xiangguo Qiu on Ebola research and even published papers in cooperation with one another in 2016 and 2020.

Dr Qiu is currently being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in regards to whether the scientist illegally transferred Canadian intellectual property to China and the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

Major-General Wei, notably, is a leading figure in the Peoples Liberation Army and in the recent past was publicly praised by Chinese President Xi Jinping for her work in developing the Chinese one-shot COVID-19 vaccine by CanSino. Qiu was a researcher at Canadas National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) and was also in-charge of the labs vaccine development and antiviral therapies section.

In the Ebola research paper where both Chen and Qiu collaborated, Wei Chen was credited but her ties to the Chinese military as her identity as the Chinese militarys top epidemiologist and virologist was not disclosed. The fact that Wei Chen and Maj-Gen. Chen are the same person was first revealed in a book titled On the Origin of the Deadliest Pandemic in 100 Years: An investigation by Elaine Dewar. This fact was later also confirmed by The Globe.

Upon being asked whether it was standard practice for Level 4 labs such as NML to collaborate with high-ranking Chinese military scientists, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) answered that there was no agreement between the NML and the Chinese military. But it added that Canadian scientists in the past have collaborated with Chinese scientists in order to further the cause of science and uncover breakthroughs in research.



At this point, one must remember the fact that the PLA is very different from other armies around the world. The PLA is the military wing of the Chinese Communist Party and not a national army, it is not subservient to the wills of the Chinese government or the elected representatives. The PLA exists to only maintain the strength of the Party and to fulfil its mission. While scientific inquiry and the fight against deadly diseases is important, it is not a prerogative for the PLA. The only reason a high-ranking PLA officer like Maj.-Gen. Chen would be collaborating with the now-disgraced Dr Qiu is if the research and/or work would in some way benefit the CCP.

The disgraced Dr Qiu and her husband were fired from the NML in January but in reality, the couple had their security clearances revoked in July 2019. It is impossible to even determine whether Maj.-Gen Chen visited the lab in Winnipeg because the PHAC has stated that visitor records are private.

While commenting on the collaboration, Ward Elcock, a former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service stated that this type of collaboration between a high-ranking Chinese military scientist and a Canadian scientist at a Level 4 bio-facility should not have been allowed in the first place and would have certainly alarmed him if he was the director of CSIS at the time. Just a few months before having her security clearance removed, Dr Qiu was in-charge of overseeing the transfer of Ebola and Henipa viruses to the Wuhan Institute of Virology in China.

Three NML scientists who had worked on the Ebola research papers alongside Dr Qiu and Maj.-Gen Chen stated that they had no idea that their colleague (Wei Chen) held a high rank in the PLA and was Chinas top virologist. The three scientists added that Dr Qiu had failed to share this key piece of information.

As per the report, Maj-Gen Chen is not an ordinary Chinese scientist, she is a member of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference that directly advises the top leadership in the CCP. In addition, Chen was commended by President Xi Jinping in September 2020 for her work on Chinas single-dose COVID-19 vaccine which was developed by CanSino Biologics Inc. (supported by the Chinese military). In 2020 Canadas National Research Council had actually given Can Sino the licence to use its biological product in order to jointly develop a vaccine but China later suddenly went back on the deal and even stopped shipment of vaccines to Canada.

While speaking to the media, retired Lieutenant-General Michael Day, who led the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command stated that the PHAC is severely lacking in security measures. He added that it was mind-boggling that Canadas only national Level 4 lab failed to properly vet scientists.

Over the course of 2020, and even now in 2021 the world has suffered and continues to suffer from the devastating effects of the COVID-19 virus. Even after a year, the world has not been able to definitively pinpoint the origins of this mysterious virus that first appeared in Wuhan China. Irrespective of its origin, one irrefutable fact remains true that Chinas negligence and drive to hide the spread of the COVID-19 virus allowed the virus to spread much faster and resulted in dozens of countries being caught off-guard.

Over time, as Beijings relationship with Washington and the West has soured it has become clear that the lab leak theory that was initially dismissed is not a mere conspiracy theory but a real possibility. The theory states that the virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which is in close proximity to where the first cases of COVID-19 appeared. Whether its leak was unintentional or a deliberate ploy by Beijing is another debate altogether.

The incidents surrounding COVID-19 as well as Chinas recent aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific and the border with India have opened the eyes of the international community as to how big of a threat China really is. In order to deflect blame, Beijing even launched a massive disinformation/misinformation campaign about the COVID-19 virus including outrageous theories such as how the virus started from a bio lab in the US to it having been smuggled into China via Europe through frozen foods. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that China has tried to hide its involvement or the involvement of its personnel in scandals surrounding COVID-19 and its vaccine.



The recent revelation that a high-ranking officer from the Chinese military was in close contact with a scientist from a Level 4 bio-lab in Canada has revealed the lapses in security of PHAC and another one of Beijings schemes. The Chinese government is no doubt try to sweep this newly discovered connection under the rug, but those that know China or its schemes are aware that Beijing does not take any action that does not benefit it.


Bali: The Indonesian government will reopen its resort island of Bali for international visitors from October amid a constant decline in the country`s number of new Covid-19 cases, a Minister said in Bali.

In a statement on Friday (September 17), Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan said that the country has just emerged from the peak of the second wave of the pandemic triggered by the Delta variant from July to August and has managed to reduce its positivity rate to less than 5 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Covid-19 Task Force recorded the highest daily increase of cases at 56,757 in July 15, but the day-to-day rise dropped sharply to 3,835 on September 17. "If the number of cases continues to drop like this, we are confident to reopen Bali," Panjaitan told a virtual press conference.

Indonesia will prioritise foreign tourists from countries with a controlled Covid-19 situation. Authorities will continue to monitor the progress of the pandemic handling every week to ensure that the conditions remain under control so that Bali is safe to reopen.

Friday's announcement comes after the government on Monday announced its decision to lower the level of the four-tiered restrictions on public activities in Bali due to the Covid-19 decline.

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PARIS: France plunged into an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with the United States and Australia on Friday after it recalled its ambassadors from both countries over a trilateral security deal which sank a $40 billion French-designed submarine contract. The rare decision taken by French President Emmanuel Macron was made due to the seriousness of the matter, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.

On Thursday, Australia said it would scrap the $40 billion deal with France`s Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines and would instead build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines with U.S. and British technology after striking a trilateral security partnership. France called it a stab in the back.

A White House official said the United States regretted the French decision and that Washington had been in close touch with France over it. The official said the United States would be engaged in the coming days to resolve differences with France.

A spokesperson for Australias prime minister declined to comment on the matter.

A diplomatic source in France said it was the first time Paris had recalled its own ambassadors in this way. The foreign ministry statement made no mention of Britain, but the diplomatic source said France considered Britain had joined the deal in an opportunistic manner.

"We don`t need to hold consultations with our (British) ambassador to know what to make of it or to draw any conclusions," the source added.

Le Drian said the deal was unacceptable.

"The abandonment of the submarine project ... and the announcement of a new partnership with the United States aiming at launching new studies for future possible nuclear propulsion cooperation is unacceptable behaviour between allies," he said in a statement on Friday.

"The consequences touch the very concept that we have of alliances, our partnerships and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tried on Thursday to calm the French outcry, calling France a vital partner in the Indo-Pacific.

Earlier on Friday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison rejected French criticism that it had not been warned about the new deal, and said he had raised the possibility in talks with the French president that Australia might scrap the 2016 submarine deal with a French company.

ALSO READ | US President Joe Biden forgets Australian PM Scott Morrison's name, calls him that fella down under

Morrison acknowledged the damage to Australia-France ties but insisted he had told Macron in June that Australia had revised its thinking.

"I made it very clear, we had a lengthy dinner there in Paris, about our very significant concerns about the capabilities of conventional submarines to deal with the new strategic environment we`re faced with," he told 5aa Radio.

"I made it very clear that this was a matter that Australia would need to make a decision on in our national interest."

The French announcement came as Australia`s Foreign Minister Marise Payne was speaking at the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington. She gave no sign she was aware of it.

Referring to the submarine deal, Payne said such commercial and strategic decisions were difficult to manage, but, responding to a question, she said there was "no question" that France remained a valued ally.

"I absolutely understand the disappointment," she said.

"My task is to work as hard as I can ... to make sure that they do understand the value we place on the role that they play and do understand the value we place on the bilateral relationship and the work we want to continue to do together."

The strained ties among the long-time allies come as the United States and its allies seek additional support in Asia and the Pacific given concern about the rising influence of a more assertive China.

France is about to take over the presidency of the European Union, which on Thursday released its strategy for the Indo-Pacific, pledging to seek a trade deal with Taiwan and to deploy more ships to keep sea routes open.

Pierre Morcos, a visiting fellow at Washington`s Center for Strategic and International Studies, called France`s move "historic."

"Reassuring words such as those heard yesterday from Secretary Blinken are not enough for Paris - especially after French authorities learned that this agreement was months in the making," he said.
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday (September 18) said that he has "initiated a dialogue" with the Taliban for an inclusive government in Kabul that will include Tajiks, Hazaras and Uzbeks, a day after the SCO member states said that it is critical to have an inclusive government in the war-torn country with representatives from all ethnic, religious and political groups.

The Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August, had promised an "inclusive" government that represents Afghanistan's complex ethnic makeup, but there is no Hazara member and no woman in the interim 33-member Cabinet. Taking to Twitter, Khan said, "After mtgs (meetings) in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbours & especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks."

After mtgs in Dushanbe with leaders of Afghanistan's neighbours & especially a lengthy discussion with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon, I have initiated a dialogue with the Taliban for an inclusive Afghan govt to include Tajiks, Hazaras & Uzbeks.  Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) September 18, 2021

"After 40 years of conflict, this inclusivity will ensure peace and a stable Afghanistan, which is in the interest not only of Afghanistan but the region as well," he said in another tweet.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) leaders, in a joint declaration issued at the end of the annual Summit of the bloc in Tajikistan on Friday, voiced support for an independent, democratic and peaceful Afghanistan, free of terrorism, war and drugs.

"Member States believe that it is critical to have an inclusive Government in Afghanistan, with representatives from all ethnic, religious and political groups of Afghan society," the joint declaration said, in an apparent reference to the Taliban's interim government which is dominated by high-profile members of the insurgent group, including at least 14 members who are on the UN Security Council's terrorism blacklist.

Also read: Pakistan was like a hired gun for the United States, says Imran Khan

The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan on August 15, two weeks before the US' complete troop withdrawal on August 31 after a costly two-decade war. This forced Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to flee the country to the UAE. The Taliban insurgents stormed across Afghanistan and captured all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the US and its allies melted away.

Thousands of Afghan nationals and foreigners have fled the country to escape the new Taliban regime and to seek asylum in different nations, including the US and many European nations, resulting in total chaos and deaths.

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New Delhi: The United States on Friday (September 17, 2021) accepted that their August 29 drone strike in Afghanistan's capital Kabul had killed 10 civilians including children. In a press briefing, Commander of US Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie said that their investigation now concludes that the strike was a 'tragic mistake'.

"Having thoroughly reviewed the findings of the investigation and the supporting analysis by inner agency partners, I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians including up to seven children were tragically killed in that strike," the US Central Command Commander said.

ALSO READ | DNA Exclusive: Can US justify deaths of 10 civilians during airstrike in Kabul?

The statement comes after the Pentagon had claimed their self-defense unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike on a vehicle in Kabul had 'eliminated an imminent' ISIS-K threat to Hamad Karzai International airport.

US Central Command spokesman Bill Urban had also said that they are 'confident' that they have successfully hit the target.

It was a mistake

General Kenneth McKenzie has stated that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to US forces. "I offer my profound condolences to the family and friends of those who were killed. This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport," he said.

"But it was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology. As the combatant commander, I am fully responsible for this strike and its tragic outcome," the head of US Central Command added.

Sensitive intelligence indicated that the compound was used by ISIS-K planners

Kenneth McKenzie said that in the 48-hours prior to the strike, sensitive intelligence indicated that the compound was being used by ISIS-K planners to facilitate future attacks. "We were also receiving a significant number of reports indicating multiple avenues of attached which were being planned simultaneously. Through which ISIS-K would attempt to harm our forces including with rockets, suicide explosive vests and vehicle born improvised explosive devices," he said.

General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command said that a drone strike in Kabul last month killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children, and apologized for what he said was a tragic mistake https://t.co/hr83oizotB pic.twitter.com/w2oELuM2fB  Reuters (@Reuters) September 17, 2021

"One of the most recurring aspects of the intelligence was that ISIS-K would utilize a white Toyota Corolla as a key element in the next attack. Because the compound was our strongest lead for this series of imminent attacks we initiated an intense surveillance of the compound with as many as six MQ-9 Reapers on the morning of 29 August," he added and gave further details about the air strike.

This is noteworthy that the strike came three days after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 13 US troops and scores of Afghan civilians who had crowded outside the airport gates to secure seats on evacuation flights.

Following the suicide bombing at the airport, the US military had launched a drone strike in eastern Afghanistan and had claimed that it killed two Islamic State militants. The second, mistaken strike came as the US military was on heightened alert, with even US President Joe Biden warning that they expected more attacks on the airport.
New Delhi: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for solidarity and unity on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, which falls on September 21.

This year`s International Day of Peace comes at a time when humanity is in crisis. Covid-19 has claimed over 4 million lives and counting; conflicts are spinning out of control; inequalities and poverty are growing; there is a planetary emergency in climate change; there is mistrust in facts and science and in one another among people, he said.

Each crisis threatens to pull humanity apart -- at a time when solidarity is needed more than ever, he told an annual UN peace bell ceremony that marks the International Day of Peace, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our world faces a stark choice: peace or perpetual peril. My friends, we must choose peace. It`s the only option to repair our broken world," he said.

He called on combatants around the world to lay down their arms and observe a day of global cease-fire.

"We need to focus on fighting humanity`s common enemy: Covid-19. We need solidarity to end this pandemic, urgently deliver life-saving vaccines and treatment, and support countries on the long road to recovery ahead. We need to intensify our work to reduce inequalities and end poverty. We need a bold global plan of action to heal our planet and make the transition to a green economy. Most of all, we need to renew trust in one another," he said.

Peace and progress depend on coming together as a human family -- united in the commitment to building a better and brighter world, he said. "We cannot allow our future to be eaten away by the acids of hatred, division, conflict and mistrust."

"It is time to rebuild our world, to make peace with nature -- and with one another, to lift each other up, instead of knocking each other down, and to live up, finally, to the true promise and potential of humanity. On this International Day of Peace, let`s re-commit to one another. Let`s re-commit to the best of humanity."

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